Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1917-08-01
HASELDEN AGAIN TO FORE.
Three Defective Children Will Not
Re Operated on by Him.

death to-day of the Meter baby
whose life might have been prolong-
ed, but whose physical and mental
deformities were such that Dr.. Harry
J. Haselden refused to perform the
operation which might keep it in the
world--the surgeon declared that he
has in his care two other infants so
hopclessly afflicted that he is permit
| ting them to die.
When it was learned that nothing
was being done to keep the Meter
baby alive an investigation was be-
gun by DR.. J. D. Robertson, Health
Commissioner, despite an announce
ment by States Attorney Hoyne that
there was nothing criminal in Dr.
Haselden's action.
81 can see absolutely nothing GRIM
inal in the attitude Of DR.. Haselden
toward the Meter baby. Certainly,
from all l can learn Of the case,
there is no basis for prosecution"
the States attorney said.
But the Health Commissioner sent
detectives to the German-American
Hospital. They met DR.. Haselden
and were assured everything posi-
bic was being done for the baby. But
it soon passed away, just "a hours af-
ter its birth.
Tells of Two Others.
There are two other hopeless
babies under my treatment" said
DR.. EIaselden later, land they, too,
are being permitted to die. sup
pose the authorities would raise
great disturbance If they knew had
three cases in all.
But as with the Meter baby, there
is no suffering. The Meter baby was
brought to me from West Pullman
yesterday. few hours after it was
born. Its father is mechanic, less
than 2 years old. The mother Is 20
years old. Its grandmother is the
mother Of II children, only one Of
whom is dead. BY the way, she,
too, became mother just eleven
| days ago.
when saw the baby | knew it
had lived too long already. The
brain was extremely small and there
was no normal skull formation. The
head rested on the shoulders and
| there was practically no neck. The
ears were deformed and there were
other deformities.
The case was absolutely hopeless.
| The life could have been saved-but
| what life it. would have been! The
! child would have grown into hope
less idiot, perhaps just able to eat
1t would have been burden to its
parents and the State.
Il performed slight operation to
stop certain bleeding. Their called
in committee of doctors. All hut
one agreed with me. The parents al
ready had given me permission to do
what | thought best. So | simply
went over the slight operation had
performed and the baby was as she
was brought to me. It's death was
only matter Of few hours and
| there was no suffering.
| Its Mother Was Frightened.
Baby Meters condition may be
the result OF a fright suffered by the
mother. Half year before the lit
tie one came into the world the mo-
ther witnessed a frightful accident in
which man was mutilated. This Is
Incidental, but it may interest these
physicians who have held this sort of
thing impossible.
"The first Of the other babies is
five months old, born to a family
named Mattys. 1t was brought here
month ago, paralyzed and with the
head incurably affected.
by operating l could have pro-
longed life for year or so; anyway,
for number Of months. But such
things are strain on the family and
eventually would be strain on the
State. SO | did not operate. ex-
planned to the parents. and they are
willing to wait for death.
"The other baby is Paul Hadzima,
three months old. His head is mis-
shapen and defective, and there is a
malady that makes breathing an
agony for the infant. am prescrib-
ing enough paregoric to keep it
drugged until death ends It's suffer-
ing.
In doing this feel am doing the
greatest service to humanity. It is
better than experimenting with a