1934 - Footprint Infants to Avoid Confusion

Published by the North Bay Nugget in North Bay, Ontario, Canada on September 14, 1934.

The above picture shows the quintet of sensational sisters with their most zealous attendants. On the left is Madame Louise de Kiriline, who with Dr. A.R. Dafoe and Nurse Yvonne Leroux, posed for the picture when the infants were two months old.

Positive Identity is Made Today; Blood Transfusion Equipment

If there ever was a chance that the Dionne quintuplets would be mixed up and Yvonne be called Annette in after life, the danger is past now.

The five sisters, 109 days old today, were footprinted this morning. Dr. W. A. Dafoe, of Toronto, brought apparatus here when he came to attend the opening of the quintuplets' hospital this afternoon and made up the record.

The children are suffering from intestinal toxaemia, but the footprinting took only a few minutes and did not interfere with their daily routine, as it was done while they were being bathed. Dr. Dafoe, brother of Dr. A. Roy Dafoe, the children's physician, pressed the tiny feet on pads especially made for the purpose and took an impression on charts, on which their names were written.

Every Precaution

Blood transfusion equipment was rushed here to-day from Toronto to be in the readiness should the conditions of the Dionne quintuplets, suffering from intestinal toxaemia, become worse.

Dr. W. A. Dafoe, of Toronto, brother of the Callander physician who has attended the babies since birth, brought the apparatus here, but the babies spent such a good night it was found unnecessary to use it.

Dr. A. R. Dafoe said after visiting the five sisters this morning that, although their condition still gave him concern, he was more hopeful of their recovery. The disease will take at least a week to run its course, he said.

No move will be made to invite blood donors to register unless a definite change for the worse is noted in the babies' condition. If they are needed, Dr. Dafoe believes he will have no difficulty obtaining plenty of volunteers among the sturdy French-Canadians in the district.

The babies spent an especially good night last night. All had restful sleeps. Early last evening Annette was in poor condition, but she recovered and made a weight gain overnight of 2 3/4 ounces.

Dr. Dafoe pointed to the weight increases of two other of the babies as an indication of their growing strength and ability to fight off the disease that attacked them Wednesday. Émilie gained 1 1/4 ounces and Yvonne increased by 3/4 of an ounce and Cécile was unchanged.