Evening star., 1934-12-11
D|0NNES' DOCTOR
DESCR|BES:B|RTHS
"Gosh" Was Only Greeting
When QuintupIets
Were Born.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, December 1.-THE
birth Of the Dionne quintuplets, says
the man who brought them into the
world, was a modern fairy tale with
Q medical flavor"
AL that DR.. Allan Roy Dafoe could
say as each baby arrived was gosh"
The obscure country doctor who
achieved fame for his successful fight
to keep the five little sisters alive stood
before an enthralled audience of 5000
in Carnegie Hall last night and told
in simple language the story Of the
famous quintuplets.
Early in the morning Of last May
20 he answered hurry call to the
Dionne home, he related, and found
the house in confusion, with no prep
aration for confinement except q
tea kettle boiling on the stove"
Father Had DISAPPEARED.
"I was astonished to find two
babies had already been born, and
a third was arriving. Two neighbors
were acting as midwives and doing
excellent work. The father had dis
appeared. I scrubbed up in the best
way available and took over the
situation"
He told how the last two babies
were born with an angels veil," or
caul, covering them and remarked
that in olden times such an incident
was supposed to bring good luck.
He said he had been sleepy from
q previous obstetrical case that night
and the whole incident appeared to
be unreal and dreau-like," but he
attended the babies mechanically.
THE attendants told me after
wards" he said. that my eyes were
bulging and with the arrival of each
baby my only word was 'gosh.' with
ascending infection"
Baptized Babies Quickly.
He didn't think the babies could
live so he baptized them and then.
alarmed at the mothers condition, he
hurried away for priest, a distance
of two and half miles. The mother
improved so rapidly, however, that
within three hours she was out of
danger.
DR.. Dafoe said that during these
hours the babies were almost forgotten,
but their kitten-like cries reminded
him Of their presence. They were
wrapped in heated blankets and placed
in an ordinary butchers basket.
THE first week was nightmare"
he said, with frequent alarms and
innumerable trips sandwiched between
my other calls. The babies needed
constant supervision and frequent
stimulation to arouse them out Of their
attacks of suffocation."
News of the now famous birth was
first given to the outside world when
an uncle Of the babies inquired hesi-
tatingly of North Bay newspaper the
cost of "five-in-a-row birth notice."
the doctor said, and from that time
on equipment and supplies kept pour
ing into the Dionne home.
Comes Here Tomorrow.
DR.. Dafoe said that early in the Fall
each baby in turn developed a severe
type of intestinal toxemia which gave
me many anxious moments" but when
the babies were removed to the tiny
hospital especially built for them they
showed decided Improvements.
"One would hardly recognize now
the babies of two months ago." he said.
Their faces have filled out, their eyes
sparkle. their legs are straight and
plump, their 'tummies' are in good
proportion and these happy little souls
are taking on the round appearance
of little puppies"
DR.. Dafoe will fly to Washington to-
morrow and later will 60 to Baltimore,
where he will be the guest Of Johns
Hopkins University.
Last night, after his talk, he went
to a Broadway night club and said
he had swell time"