The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-11-18
An Operation Might Have Saved Life of De-
 fective Child
PERMIT CHILD TO DIE
 ON ADVICE OF DOCTOR
Question of Ethics" Arouses Much Discussion--Physician Says if Life Had Been Saved, Child Would
 Have Been Greatly Malformed

Chicago. November 1..--The BoIiin- ger baby died tonight at the German.
 American hospital
 The child was baptized with the
 name of John shortly before It's death. Mrs. BolIinger was not informed ot the death. Dr. Haiseiden deeming 1t advisable to keep the news from the
 mother until morning. New York, November I7.---The Mcd- leo Legal society tonight comm ended Dr.
 HsiseIden for refusing to prolonr the life of the defective BoiIinger baby tn
 Chicago. Speakers said the refusal of
 Dr. Haiselden to perform an operation
 wns not only saving the child misery
 of caring for 1t.
 Chicago. November 17.-The Bollin- 1 ger baby. a defective mite whose
 mother on professional advice decided l it should not undergo an operation which probably would save its life lowered between life and death at tho German American hospital here today,
 Death. 1t was said, was question only | of hours
 l Meanwhile the question of the pro- priety of sacrificing tho unpromisine
 spark of life in the infant that it
 might not grow up a burden to it. self and possible menace to society. was the subject of widespread discus- | sion. Dr. H. ]. Haiselden on whose | advice the mother acted, was visited | hy many medical men today and tele- | phone calls alternately accused and 1 praised him. He remained unaltered
 in his conviction that death was the | greatest blessing which could be | hoped for the infant
 Tho principal physical deformities of | the baby are the closure of the in- itostinai tract paralysis of the nerves Of tho right side Of the face. the ab- | sence of the right ear. blindness of 1 one eye and malformation of it's 1 shoulders Or. Haiselden, who off, l ciated at the birth, noted tho absence
 oi neck. The brain he found to be l only slightly sub-normal, but the era
 
 1 oped.
 HOPELESS CRIPPLE eff he grew up he would be a hope 1 less cripple and would suffer from l fits said the doctor. "Would his mind be clear? Would his | soul be normally alive?' he was asked.
 'sThat do not know, but ths dances are against It." The questioner cited the case of Ros- well Smith of Chicago, supposedly harmless defective. who after reach 1 ing the adult stage. killed little Hazel Weirstcck, for which he was hanged. l Another visitor remarked that Fyo- | dor Lostoevsky. born a defective, who 1 5amrled and had epileptic fits, devel- oped into 9 great novelist and one of
 the greatest psychologists of Europe. l Most of the visitors treated the baby, which lay in a little bundle in pri- vate room, if 1t were uncanny. Dr. 1 Haiselden alone treated 1t like hu- l man bcibR. He looked into the little twisted face and patted its checks. l "Hc will be dead before the night Is | ovcr' he said.
 l "It would be a moral wrong," he continued, "to allow it to live. It seems l to me that d city which allows a black hand outrage week. thousand abor-
 tions day and a number of acci- 1 dents every round of the clock. is hardly in position to criticize a man who holds that death is preferable to ! life to a defective"
 ] The telephone rang. Dr. Haiselden
 answ cred and for five minutes talked l with woman. She pleaded with him | to save the baby's life. When he rer l turned from the telephone he smiled | grmly. She called me names" he 1 said.
 PLEADS FOR LIFE l Tho little bundle stirred and faint l cry was heard.
 l .NoS much longer to wait. little | onc," said the doctor. gently. Then he l aeded to those near him. He's dy- l ing"
 l Ir. Jthn B. Murphy, former presi l dent of the American Medical associa l ton, and physicians and professional
 men and women, including number of | oe"gynen, generally took sides with | Dr. Haiselden. But his critics were just | as numerous.
 l Dr Murphy said: The baby's life is | in the hands of higher power Nature l will provide the best remedy" | Dr. Rosalie M Ladova commented: l "A life is a life. and I wish pr. Eaisel-
 den would step out and let someone l else operate"
 l Clarence Darrow. the lawyer known also as a humanitarian. remarked: "Chloroform unfit children. Show l them the same mercy that is shown
 beasts that are no longer fit to live" l Mrs. Annie Bollinger. the mother, re l mained nearby. Many times she asked: l "ls 1t dead?'
 I She was steadfast in her belief that 1 death was best for the little one. She l has three healthy children and the ] plight of the condemned baby is be l iieyed to have been due to an attack l of typhoid fever. which the mother l suffered recently.
 | The authorities took no action fur ther than to determine that no death ! certificate should be issued until after 1 an investigation by the coroner. | fI