Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-11-19
LOCAL INTEREST
KEEN REGARDING
BOLLINGER BABY
Physicians Almost Without
Exception Uphold Chicago
Doctor While Many Moth
ers Take Different View

Is Il the duty 81 physician. as q
matter of ethics. 90 use every mean'
possible TO aovc the lifo Of q new-horr
infant iu spite Of the fact that h'
knows beyond doubt that the child
Ilf b lives. viii grow 10 be- AN imbe-
+ ellie. am eplleptic. hopeless deficient
ana tn an probability charge upon
tho community
ls the mother who Will allow her
/ child 10 die in infancy rather thar
iece it live to Dc an idiot and a hclp'
less burden lacking in normal mother
love an the maternal instinct mat IS
recognized ms me most beautiful and
wonderful thing about womanhood
These two questions. brought vivid
ly 70 the front by the case Of the Boil
niger baby In Chioago-the most in
f tcnsely NltU human interest story inst
has come over the wires n many
years were widely discussed in Al
/ huqucrque yesterday. and, in fact citi-
1 zens of Albuquerque took almost as
much interest IN the case as IL II had
happened n this city.
Difference Of opinion.
with a view 10 ascertain local sem
ument la regard TO the matter the
journal Yesterday obtained a number
Of interviews from sources believed
"a he thoroughly representative Of the
feeling in the city Doctors who are
APP to come IN contact with just such
e case In their practice any day were
asked what thcl thought Of il, and
prominent women. leaders in women's
organizations. were similarly inter-
rogated
Almost without exception Albu-
uucrque doctors approved the course
of the Chicago physician IN advising
the mother 10 let the child die rather
than 60 have an operation performed
which would prolong a wrctched eN-
istenee That IL Is theoretically the
duty Of the physician az am times 10
do whatever is In his power TO save
ana prolong human life was admitted
hy .dl but the opinion was equally
unanimous that this theory does not
always llbe with practical humanity
The great majority OF mothers on
the other hand took the view that
the natural mother would cling to
her babe Ia the very last ana do her
utmost to keep alive the spark of
life, no matter what that life might
prove TO he. As one prominent wom-
an put IL "That may not be logic
nut II is motherhood.
a few of the interviews on the sub
ieet we're az follows;
Eth!cs and Conscience
IN W. c. Hope Under a strict
Interpretation of medical ethics it is
the duty of the ph1 sician at all times
"a do what he can 60 prolong life and
leave the rest 90 providence but il
the doctor does this he viii freQuent-
~ find his ethics coming into conflict
with his conscience, and am frank
Ca say that it presents q question ON
which I have never been able defi-
titplv Co make up my mind. ! can not
see that any good is accomplished,
for instance, ian prolonging the life of
the child of defective and degenerate
parents. whore IL is "a certainty that
the only future before the child IS
the insane asylum or the peniten-
tary"
pr. Nj. *. Wyldcr From the pub.
lished accounts that have seen in
the newspapers do not hesitate to
yav that Dr. uosclden did exactly
r!ght and the mother is 60 be APP
ulsudcd for accepting his advice. 10
4 hard enough for men ans women
who are mentally and physically
sound to make their living under pres
emit conditions believe II would have
boon wrong Go have gone out OF the
way to prolonr in existence which
could only be wretched ! can't see
that tho interests Of the child. the par
rnts or society would have been
served by raising dimc-museum
frtak
pr 81 n. LoveIaee " most en-
nhaucally approve ot the action taken
hy nr laiselden as told in the daily
papers. j admire him for his cour-
ak, and I admire the courage OF the
mother which was sufficiently strong
to overcome the natural maternal m-
supet To have allowed the child Co
live undts the circumstances would
have been little less than a crime
against society. Whenever medical
ethics ana humanity come In conflict
ethics should give way.
I pr. Margaret Cartwright, II think
lUa pr ualsedcn dil lust right. and
mo mother showed herself TO be o
woman 90 broad mind TO follow his
advice. The world would be better
place To live IN 10 more people tn
Che Same situation would aet in the
same manner
The Other view.
Airs John " Wilson. II think the
thdds life should have been saved.
ANA cannot understand how any
mother could take different view
AS long as there WAS life there was q
chance that somethiug might have
been made 81 that me Who knows
What development might have been
brought about i'm Tbs body and brain
% the poor httlt thing that was al
lowed 10 dies
Mrs Anna Wilde Strumguist secrc'
Itary ut the rarent-tcaeherS aSsocia-
uon 4 cant understand how such
i an occurrence as that IN Chicag,
could bt possible dont claim th8,
= ann logical-in fact there is mo- lost,
IN an affair ~ this sort ID lust seems
30 me that the mother instinct would
make the normai woman want % keer
her baby, go matter what was ths
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