We appreciate Dr. Tow's comments and apologize for not referring to him by name, although his classical book, Diseases of the Newborn, published in 1937, was included in the bibliography.
We also agree that expert obstetrical care and management are critical in the intact survival of every newborn.
Our only disagreement is that we firmly and unequivocally believe that carefully controlled studies in the care of the low birth weight infant are essential if we are to avoid making "full cycle" every 20 to 30 years based on clinical impressions.