The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-19
THE FATE OF DEFECTIVE
BABIES.
Win Remarks On Miss AAlamss
List Of 11iustrioss Detectives.

To TIE EDiToN 10 THE Srs-Sir
That the fate Of the defective new
born has become n subject NJ hysieri-
cal interest In the news columns Is
not surprising in this day OF half
knowledge. II IL fortunate that the
coroner will decide upon the justif-
cation Of the Chicago doctor who has
been assailed by we'll meaning people.
Judging from the singular opinions
already published one may anticipate
a large II Improbable harvest in the
correspondence columns.
Reviewing the published views. no
fair minded person will condemn the
doctors sagaciOus advice to let a baby
die In whom some OF the cranial
nerves were absent and which had
besides the so-called stigmata Of de-
generacy in abundance. The only ar
gument based on alleged historical
facts Is offered by a famous oma
ph~ilanthropist Of the Windy City.
When these Historical facts are
s%crutinized her deduction will appear
as logical as her famous deductions
upon the artificial courage Of soldiers.
The list Of detectives offered to sus-
tain her argument that every life
should be saved" begins illogically
with Helen Keller. not born blind.
and contains Milton. who became blind
in his forty-fourth year: "Talley-
rand. a cripple" who became SC by
an accident in Childhood; emperor
William. M arm withered from baby
hood" from ~infantile paralysis;
Byron, ~clubfooted'; De Quincy. I'M
stated; Stevenson. tubercular from
early life" certainly not discovered at
birth; Napoleon, undersized; Marshall
Wilder, a dwarf; Demosthenes. tongue
tied: Stuyvesant. one good leg. &C.
When Or. Haiseiden. who is reported
as mentally depressed by the storm
OF criticism. reads this arraignment
by his fellow townswoman he will be
amused to the extent OF condensation
Of his sadness. In fact few lay per-
sons, much less physicians. would find
the slightest analogy between the
blind. the one legged or palsied and the
partial absence OF cranial nerves."
the most vital OF the body. because
they control all the sense and partly
the heart and lungs. Moreover. 1t IL
exceedingly doubtful II IN operation
for intestinal obstruction would have
been successful in so puny n child.
1t Is IN insult TO the intelligence
OF the reader to bring up in this case
the trite proposition hat 1t Is the
physicians duty TO save l!fe and not
destroy 1t. Happily there are some
sane views expressed. for example:
Or. william b. Pri,ehard. neurolosist.
Of ia West Seventy-second street. said:
we spend a great deal Of money In
caring for hopeless detectives. II this
dren who are normal. giving them better
food and better surroundings. think what
a gain 90 the race. Thousands OF chill
dren who might make sne citizens II they
had a chance are stunted. mentally and
physically, simply for lack Of that chance.
Why raise such a storm about the death
Of a baby shat would be a burden 80 itself
and the world II It's NE were saved
There will never he a period when the
birth Of detectives can be prevented. lie:
us not interfere with tina; law OF nature
which says that the nties; shall survive"
Few will differ from this neurolo-
gists view. And I would add that IL
III becomes people whose Legislatures
leRal!ze all kinds Of faith cures. hat
often result in the loss Of life through
!naction Of the healer. 20 cr!;lc!se the
justifiable conduct of this Chicago
The public may be assured hat no
reputable physician will undertake to
decide alone upon a course TO be
adopted when there is any doubt. on
the other hand, every obstetrician
knows how greatly parents and the
public al large are indebted to phys!-
clans who have by inact!on permitted
monstros.ties TO die n nat
ural death. The public IL needlessly
over this incident.
MEnIcvs.
NEW YORK. November Is.