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Show DEFORMED BABY IS ALLOWED TO DIE IJUHICAGO Physician Who Refused to Operate Is Praised and Condemned for Act; Mother Is Satisfied. SACRIFICE CAUSES WIDE DISCUSSION Serious Leg-al Problem Is Presented to Authorities, Who Are Puzzled Over Action to Take. By Intel-national News Service. CHICAGO, Nov. 17. The little condemned con-demned baby died tonight at 7:30 o'clock, just after being christened. The water of baptism trickled ttir-ough tho scant brown hair of thechild, while science, withholding the easy gift of life, stood by, waiting. The mother, weeping in her bed, assented to the death penalty. The coroner, whose concern con-cern is not with the living, waited for the end. ;John, I bapti.e thee, in the name of the Father, of tbe Son and of the Holy Ghost. ' As the words we:c spoken by a wet-eyed wet-eyed woman. Miss Catherine J. V. Walsh of the latht-.dic church of St. Anne de Brighton, the baby quietly died in his crib. The dullness of death was in tbe eyes. Miss Walsh saw and added a little prayer; "God grant that this child's life shall shall not have been lived in vain." Old Issue Raised. Kven as the prayer was spoken, it was being answered. For at that moment millions of men and women all over the world, reading the story of little John Bollinger, were searching their consciences, con-sciences, weighing a mighty problem, preparing to settle an issue older than civilization. This is the question: vThen a child is born defective, when its infant body is deformed, when Its best life prospect is an existence of helplessness in an invalid's chair, per haps in an institntion for the mentally-weak, mentally-weak, then shall that child die by the hand of society and science and civilization civili-zation f The verdict was death in the case of little John Bollinger. But, on behalf of the thousands of defectives yet to be born, there is to be an appeal, an appeal that will find a thousand tongues of eloquence. There will be a decision and that decision will be the contribution contribu-tion of John Bollinger to the world that fed him for Bix days and killed him. Mother Not Told. In less than a week the condemned baby became famous, fulfilled his mission mis-sion on earth and then passed on. It is apparent that his momentary existence will have accomplished more than some lives that run the allotted span of three score years and ten. "He has gone." It was a nurse who spoko. She lifted tbe blanket that covered the body in its crib in the German-American hospital, looked closely at the child, and spoke the words that the world for days has been waiting. "Khali we tell the mother!" asked another nurse. "No," said Dr. Harry Haiselden. "Not tonight. She is nervous weak." And the storm was breaking a storm of impassioned and clashing opinions. Dr. Haiselden was the storm center, because be-cause it was he who had willed the death of tbe child. It was he who, confessing con-fessing that he could have given life to the baby, refused to do so. By a simplo operation, he declared, the life would have been saved. "But it would be wrong to save this life," he said. And quietly, Teeolutely, he braved the frantic denunciations of those who thought otherwise. Problem Difficult. "I may be accused of murder," he said. "I am ready. I have obeyed my conscience." VTiat action will be taken remains to be decided. State's Attorney Hoyne himself is racked with doubts. "There is no doubt," said Mr. Hoyne, "that there are technical gTounds for a prosecution. I shall not. express an official of-ficial opinion. Privately I think the doctor was right." The burial certificate will not be Issued a', once. Undoubtedly there will be a coroner's inquest. Dr John Dill Kobertson, thc city health commissioner, (Continued on Page Three.) ! DEFORMED HI ALLOWED TO DIE (Continued from Pag On.) nid he would hold up th '-ert if icate. And yet Ir. H'urtson is doubtful. II-1 II-1 does not onde.vn Or llaiscldon i "I went to the hospinl," .U Rob erUon said, "to the baby. At that 'lour t here u as not ore chance in a 'hundred thousand to save :he iif(. 1 hi guested a consultation of physicians fand Dr. Maist Iden promised to hold one. ! 1 know that Dr. llaiselden his been moved onlv bv the highest pin poses. I know that he hn- acted uccordijg to Iii.i ! conscience. And vet I do not know I flunk that if there had bcri n chance J might h.-'ve insisted upon making an effort to n:ivc the life tor thp rake of the precedent, if for no othei :fason. Fears Precedent. "My one fetr is that thi case may he made a precedent for others not so .lear. fear that olner physicians, not so scrupulous at Dr. Haisi Id en, mav take advantage of the precedent to al low children to d'e ir abortion. 1 am afraid that, the .iust case hum- be made an excuse for others that will be unjust. That is why I will Dot issue a burial permit at this time. 1 want t lie coroner cor-oner to act. Let a jury sav whether or not the doctor 'a action was permissible.'' permissi-ble.'' The mother is M rs. Anna .Bollinger. Her husband, Allan Bollinger, is a foreman fore-man in the repair department of the Chicago surface lines. They have three other children, all healthy, well formed, mentally bright. Jt was said today that the new baby, had it lived, probably would have been defective mentally as well as physicallv. The brain, it was said, was only slightly subnormal, but the cranial nerves were absent or undeveloped. Prays for Death. The principal physical deformities of the baby were the closure of the intestinal intes-tinal tract, paralysis of the nerves of the right pidc of the face, the absence of the right ear, blindness of one eye and malformation of its shoulders. Dr. Haiselden, who officiated at the birth, noted the absence of a neck. The brain he found to be only slightly subnormal, but tho cranial nerves were absent or undeveloped. "If he grew up he would be a hopeless hope-less cripple and would suffer from fits," said the doctor. "Would his mind be clear! Would ; his soul be normally alive?" Oue oi" the visitors asked. "That I do not know, but the chances are against it," said the doctor. Dr. John B. Murphy, former president of the American Medical association, and physicians and professional men and women, including a number of clergy men. generally took sides with I Dr, Haiselden. But his criticisms were just, as numerous. Mtb. Anna Bollinger, the mother, remained re-mained in a room near by. Many times she asked: " Js it dead?" 1 She remained steadfast in her belief Ihat death was best for the little one. She has three healthy children, aud the plight of the dear! one is believed to have been due to an attack of typhoid fever which the mother suffered recently. re-cently. Haiselden Commended. N'TCW YORK, Nov. 17. The Medico-JYexal Medico-JYexal society tonlnht adopred a resolution resolu-tion commending Dr. Haiselden for refusing refus-ing to prolong the life of the defective fiollinger baby In ChioiRO. Oscar J. Smith, who offered the resolution, said t he refusal of Dr. Haiselden to perform a.n operation was not only saving the i child misery, but waving society the re-i re-i sponsthility for caring for 1L. Numerous other addresses were made, comnicndlii),' I the Chicago surgeon. |
