MIXING THE BABIES
SCIENTIFIC PROOF OF ERROR. Chicago’s great “mixed babies” problem lias at length been settled. The infants were exchanged on August 20. As already reported, Airs Charles Bamberger and Mrs Henry Watkins gave birth to babies of the same sex on the same day in the same maternity hospital. When eventually Mrs Watkins returned home she found on the back of the baby given to her a small label bearing the name “Bamberger.”
On complaint being made to the hospital a jury of scientists was appointed b.v the health commissioner of the city, which gave a decision supporting her view that the baby was not hers. Mrs Bamberger, however, (■'intended that the boy she took from the home was her own, despite the fact that a label bearing another name was found on his back. She had gone, so far ns to have the child baptised in the Roman Catholic Church. Mr Watkins, despairing of persuading Mr and Mrs Bamberger that a mistake had occurred, consented to have the other baby baptised by a Presbyterian clergyman as a Watkins, The findings of the health commissioner’s jury convinced the Bambergers that they were bringing up the wrong child. The commissioner, Mr Arnold Kegel, explained that biological and anthropological testa had establihed the parenthood of the children scientifically. These involved Wood tests, precipitation tests, and protein tests,
Both couples having thereupon accepted the view that a mistake had been made by the authorities of the hospital, they decided to exchange the children. This was not effected, however, without a.n, emotipnal display in which tears, laughs, and sobs intermingled. Each mother undressed the other woman’s child, gave him a last kiss, and received her own infant with a tight hug. They were both ’ crying softly as they went their respective ways. Prior to the exchange, Mr and Mrs Watkins, as well as Mr and Mrs Bamberger, stated that they were so much attached to the baby they had that they would not part with in under any circumstances.
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HOG19301101.2.63
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
Hokitika Guardian, 1 November 1930, Page 7
Word count
Tapeke kupu
337MIXING THE BABIES Hokitika Guardian, 1 November 1930, Page 7
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
The Greymouth Evening Star Co Ltd is the copyright owner for the Hokitika Guardian. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of the Greymouth Evening Star Co Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Log in