Omaha daily bee., 1916-01-02
DOCTORS DISCUSS
DEFECTIVE BABIES
Views Of Prominent 0bstetricians on
Subject Which Stirred
Chicago.
SOME FORGET PART OF WORK

Al the hearing Of the coroners jury in
Chicago on Friday, when Health Com
missioner Robertson assailed DR.. Haisel-
den for not attempting 20 operate uron
the Bollenger baby. Or. Haiselden in,sr-
rupted the witness with; Don't you Nuow
that this is done In Chicago every dAy7'
The Medical Review of Reviews pub
fishes the views OF forty-five prominent
obstetrioians on this subject. zone day."
writes the editor of the symposium. II
was sitting at an obstetrical clinic IN
Chicago waiting for the baby TO be born.
A famous surgeon was presiding over tho
clinic. In the course OF his talk he re
marked casually that when a hopelessly
uniformed child Il born IN his practice
he neglected to tie the umbllical cord.
and thus the child ESCAPED from a world
into which Il never should have been
born" The baby slowly bled to death
The medical magazine then decided to
institute an inquiry 20 decide what the
representative obstetrioians thought about
the problem. Forty-five of the leading
obstetricians In the United States ex-
pressed their views Most OF them are
unaualifiedly opposed to DIT. Hsiseden's
stand, but others warmly support his
attitude.
Eugene W, Belknsp. professor Of OBJ
stetrics at Syracuse university. writes;
we have no right TO sacrifice any life
except to save another. The world un-
doubtedly would be better off II we could
do away with the imbeciles, the hope
lessy insane. the habitual criminal. etc,
but that Is not what we, as medical men,
have the right to determine. Let society
at large decide that question. Our duty
as medical men is. first, to prolong life,
and. secondly. to make that prolonged
existence as comfortable and as useful
as possible. There is but one ground TO
take in this question without opening the
door to shameful abuses"
Prof. Stricken Coles OF jefferson Medi.
cal college fortifies his argument by citing
an interesting case. 81 have now under
my care" he says "a woman without
arms. only a stump on the left side. She
has been married twice and has raised
family OF five normal children. Would
Il have been justifiable to kill this childP'
Prof. COIie's Views.
Prof. Edward Martin Collie. jr.. associ-
ate in clinical obstetrics at Columbia uni
versity, thinks the time has not yet ar
, rived for the profitable discussion OF such
n question. He says: The physician has
| no right under the laws as they exist to
! terminate life of a newborn infant, no
matter how horrible the deformity. for
no one shall be deprived OF life without
1 the process OF law. There exists at the
present time no process of law by which
this. however desirable. can be accom-
plished.
while II is true" he continues. that
in large number OF cases the deformity
| Is not compatible with life and the babe
survives but a few preoarious hours. there
! are. we must admit. a large group of
cases where the span OF life-lf life Il can
be called-is spun over period of days,
months, or even years"
Prof. Collie believes that the question IL
mainly an economic one. "and the ethical
questions involved ultimately arise from
the economic facts" Personally he con-
dennis as most rash any assumption
upon the part of any person OF the power
of life and death. however clear cut may
seem the particular case. as being a
usurpation OF very dangerous power"
Prof Carey Culbertson of the obstetrical
department OF the University OF Chicago
has similar beliefs. This whole matter
should be put on a legal basis" he writes.
children OF detectives. Until such basis
for scientific elimination is established,
however, no physician, alone or with con-
sultation, is justified (nor can he defend
himself legally in being the Judge as to
which individuals shall i've and which per-
ish. It were certainly better for society
that monsters should not live, but ! per-
sonally cannot be- and do not desire to
be, the executioner."
mo physician can assume to correct
the mistakes OF the Creator. unless he be
definitely appointed" writes Prof. Walter
Lewis Croll, well-known obstetriclan of
Pittsburgh. mo one can tell with abso-
lutte certainty Just how great the deform-
! ity is, or how well the child, by subse-
quent development. may overcome II, or
compensate for 1t by greater capacities in
other respects.'
Says Human Life IL sacred.
! Prof Joseph Bolivar De Lee of North