Built with love Premature baby survived in an incubator created by his grandfather
Sharon fox
BACK IN THE DAY Sharon Fox is the curator at the Elmore County Museum in Wetumpka.
Samuel Law nearly became a statistic. The mortality rate for newborn babies in 1938 was high. The vital statistic rates from 1900 to 1940 stated the deaths of premature babies in the Unite States – not including stillbirths – was 44.7 percent in October 1939. The probability of death within 24 hours was at 13.5 percent, and even up to 1 year old, the possibility was still as high as .8 percent. Law was born in Elmore on a cold day in October 1938. He was several months premature and only weighed 32 ounces. Dr. J. S. Harmon from Elmore County delivered him and immediately realized the possibility that the little boy wouldn’t survive but a few hours. He had to do what he could to help this child live and contacted the state of Alabama Health Department, hoping the single incubator they kept for emergencies would be available. Dr. Harmon had to tell Law’s parents that the incubator was not in working condition and without it their son would likely not live through the night. Little Samuel’s grandfather William “Pop” Mallory refused to accept it. His wife, Hattie, began setting up a little bed for her tiny grandson, pulling out a draw from her dresser and filling it with thick, warm blankets. Then she found several of Pop’s handkerchiefs and set them nearby to be used as diapers for the tiny tot. An eyedropper was found and used to feed Law, which took quite a bit of time due to his weak state. While Hattie and Law’s mother, Mary, began making preparations for Law’s comfort, Pop headed out to his workshop and began building an incubator to keep his grandson safe for the next few months. It took nearly two days to build, and he never stopped working on it. He stayed up all night and into the next day, knowing that Law couldn’t survive without it. The incubator was made of dark wood, 42 inches wide and 65 inches long. A small glass window was put in the back of the incubator so that family members could check on the baby
Samuel Law as a toddler
without letting the cold air in. The window was only 5 inches tall and 10 inches wide, just enough to see the little chest rise and fall. The bottom of the incubator was enclosed to hold several light bulbs that were kept on at all times in order to keep Law warm inside the cold house. A thermostat was built in to regulate the amount of heat needed. Another window, a little longer than the viewing window, was put on the top and opened only to feed or comfort Law when needed. The incubator was purposely kept dark to prevent the risk of blindness when using lights inside the box. Law was placed in the incubator at two days old, and it was after Christmas before Dr. Harmon felt it was safe to begin taking him out for short periods of time. Law will turn 81 this October. He worked for the state of Alabama for 37 years and retired in 1998. He now lives in Montgomery and still has an active social and church life. When asked to talk about his first few months of life, Law ended it by saying, “I was blessed by the Lord and family to be alive today.” The actual incubator is currently on display at the Elmore County Museum. Come see firsthand the love and care put into this life-saving, handmade box built by a grandfather whose love knew no bounds.
ELMORE COUNTY LIVING
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