1 Department of Pediatrics, Chestnut Hill Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19118
It is satisfying to see careful questioning of old rules and techniques as exemplified in the communication from Drs. Silverman and Sinclair (Pediatrics, 40:900, 1967) concerning the questionable value of gowns and masks in nurseries.
Nothing that follows here implies the slightest criticism of their valuable work or conclusions or suggests omissions in the frame within which they are working.
An experience of 20 years in both large center city nurseries and in an active community hospital leads me to agree with their conclusion that gowns and masks are not an important part of nursery technique.