Evening star., 1938-12-25
Incubators Given
To 5ib|ey Hospital
ByVarietyC|ub
Expected to Reduce
Premature Bubies'
Death Rate

The death rate of prematurely
born infants in Washington is ex-
pected to be reduced sharply as the
result of Christmas gift from the
Variety Club of Washington to Sib-
ley Hospital.
The club announced last night the
presentation to the hospital of set
Of the latest style incubators, spe-
cially designed for use in cases of
premature birth. The equipment,
which represents an outlay of
5000, will be dedicated Thursday
lt the hospital with Mrs. Franklin
o. Roosevelt and United States Sur
geon General Parran heading the
list Of honored guests.
Last nights announcement said,
The installation of this equipment
will meet long existing emergency
heed in the District of Columbia
and vicinity. Not many years ago
1t was thought that premature
babies were not worth bothering
about, either because most of them
were doomed to die, since adequate
care and equipment was lacking, or
because it was believed they would
pot grow up to be normal Obstet-
ricians and gynecologists now know
that with the right kind of facili-
ties these babies can be made to
hive and to grow up perfectly nor
NAL"
Chicago Results Cited.
The announcement cited the rec
ord OF work with premature birth
cases in Chicago, where use of the
new incubator has resulted in the
death rate of premature babies be-
Ing cut from 60 to "a per cent in
the last 10 years. as indicative of
what may be eventually expected
here.
Perhaps the most interesting de-
vice in the new baby-saving equip
ment is a portable ambulance-an
electrically heated box which, in the
ease of delivery in home, can be
used to transport the newborn in
Iant to the larger incubator at the
hospital. The box can be plugged
INTO wall socket in the home and
again in the light socket of any
automobile or taxi en- route. If par
ents cannot afford such transporta-
tion, the bill will be paid by the
Variety Club, it was announced
The equipment will be made avail
sble to every practicing psysician in
the District and to any home where
it may mean the difference between
fifo n hn II;
Brylawski, chief barker of the club,
said yesterday.
Methods Studied.
The entire equipment will include
several large stationary incubators
at the hospital. an ultra violet lamp
of the most modern type and a
Enthusiastically controlled machine
to warm the infants clothing. The
club recently sent special nurses to
Chicago to study the methods used
m operating of the equipment.
The presentation is in line with
other charitable donations made by
the club in past years. 1t has given
nearly $4,000 to Camp Good Will to
provide two weeks vacation in sum-
mer to 80 underprivileged children
and rs mothers. 1t has appropriated
q $50 to the school lunch fund and
furnished 125 iron cots to Bald Eagle
tuberculosis Camp for Children.
Last year it presented Emergency
Hospital with new ambulance. An
organization whose membership con-
elsts mainly of men and women in
the theatrical industry, the club sees
to 1t that complete motion picture
equipment is furnished to hospitals
and childrens institutions.
Club officers yesterday expressed
The hope that establishment of
Washlngton's first premature baby
station would stimulate other hos
pitfalls here and elsewhere to follow
suit.