The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1915-04-18

s...TwiHght Sleep the German
methodsof painless maternity by EN-
pIoyment Of narcotics, is on trial in
the Court OF Public Opinion charged
with poisoning infants and causing
blue, babies.
Physicians and their leading or
KaniZatfon, the American Medical
association, bring the charges after
many trials OF the alkaloids used
In the sleep" and several happy
mothers with healthy babies are its
defenders. 5 95;.sa5
The medical accusation is that
the scopalamine bromide and the
5nRrEophen employed result In toxic
poisoning, almost suffocation and an
Affection of the heart OF the child.
The heart affection results from
the failures1 y. the forame1t oyale' or
valve regulating the floW OF blood
insthe chill ,,sto close and this results
IN the infant being discolored to
such an extent that it is called a
blue baby s35s
On such charges the Michael
Reese Hospital in Chicago, the City
Hospital at st. Louis, various other
hospitals in the United States and
the American MI dical Association
have condemned and abandoned Its
use Several deaths have been re-
its employment in many
large cities but none have been
verified.
The Michael Reese Hospital Of
Chicago. one Of the most conserva-
tive in the United States and one
city on its visiting staff, reported
after trial Of the scopalamine and
anarkophen that it was dangerous to
both mother and infant and decided
In future 1t will be employed only
when the patient signs a waiver Of
Ill dangerous results Of its admin
istration. The City Hospital at ST.
Louis after using it In about Il
cases announced it would not aG-
minister itSagain after its supply OF
drugs is exhaust ted. The American
Medical one Of the most conserva
tive organizations In the country,
opposed it's use from the first and
Question ned the report OF wonderful
success by the rieburEs in Berlin.
Germany. ss
The main bjection was that Tie
narcoti poison Berious1y endang ereu
the infant, especially through the
blood supI5l w that the forameno yale
did not close and that therefore the
child had the appearance Of a blue
baby. IT. Il N .ss
EFFECT ON
THEBHEART. ssl S
The foramen ovale is an aperture
In the walls Of the heart that aft
fects the blood supply Of the infant.
In prenatal life the yenous blood
OF the moth IS the arterial blood
anoppositeB channel OF that In free
life. On the flrstSrespiration the
blood supply OF the infant becomes
1ts own, changes its channelsthrongh
the arterial circle to- the Tenous cir
Gle and back to the lungs to be acre
ated or freed Of the carbontc acid
SasS and other poisons carried from
the body. When the change from
supplied blood to the actual blood
OF. the infant occurs the foramen
Sovale slowly closes and the heart
then is In normal con ditio1 & to
pump the blood through normal
channels. XIX
ilf the foramen does not properly
z close the baby's body has blue;
color. This is caused by an excess
OF poisons In the blood and by the
foramen ova1e allowing part Of the
non-aereated or venousS blood back
\ into the arteries to be distributed
as aerented or new arterial blood
The presence OF acopaIamine or
narkophen in the chr Isl blood
would cause the foramen to gdialate5
md remain open. physicians say.
and thus would be directly respons-i
ible for this condi tton.
For the foramen ovale to fail to
close is not a strikinsly unusual
condition, physicians say, 4and sew
eral years ago 81 doctor. who be-
1teVed this foramen IN his body had
never closed and had subjected him
ia low and poor blood pressure. on
death submitted his body to an-i
tnpsy and the foramen vas found9
ntill TO be open. Its Isl a small opera
Il ture In the heart that On Micro
scopic examination II hardly notice
n able. The Affects OF Its rem aiming