Patrick Bouvier: John F’s son. Kennedy died after living 48 hours
Patrick Bouvier Kennedy (1963-1963) was the third son that the United States presidential couple had formed by John and Jackie Kennedy. His birth was complicated because he was born with respiratory problems which caused Patrick Bouvier to die after two days of birth.
It was the last of the children that John and Jackie had, since the president was killed just a few months after having lost his son. Despite just having lived 48 hours, Patrick Bouvier had a very big impact on American society. His death allowed more economic resources to be allocated to the studies of the respiratory distress syndrome in infants. This change in the country’s policy allowed many more lives to be saved over the years.
Biography
On August 7, 1963, Jacqueline’s fourth son was born. Kennedy, president and first lady of the United States at that time. It was the second male of the couple and the second of the children born during the presidential mandate of Kennedy.
Patrick Bouvier’s birth was everything but simple. He was born at 34 weeks of gestation at the hospital located within the Otis Base of the United States Air Force, a place that was closed in 1973. Jackie Kennedy was born through a caesarean section that had to be performed by the doctors of the place.
From the beginning Patrick had respiratory problems, today known as hyaline membrane disease that affects the lungs of newborns, especially when they are premature.
President John F. Kennedy was the one who chose the name of his last son. He was in the White House when Jackie was taken for caesarean section and immediately contacted a priest to baptize the child, aware of the severity of the situation.
Kennedy’s grandfather and great -grandfather were called Patrick and the president’s son followed the tradition. While Bouvier was attributed by his mother, since he was the last name he had before marrying.
Everything possible was tried to try to lengthen his life as much as possible. Patrick became helicopter from the Otis base to a children’s hospital in Boston, where a child specialist was, but it was of little help.
Transfer
Patrick was taken to Boston when he was only five hours after being born. The first information that was offered to the media was that the baby was sent to Boston Children’s hospital for caution before his premature birth. It flew by helicopter to the institution that was about 100 kilometers away. The trip lasted an hour and a half.
Illness
Patrick Bouvier’s diagnosis from the beginning was known as respiratory distress syndrome. Although the White House also reported that several days of studies were necessary to be able to correctly evaluate the baby’s picture.
In 1963 there were few resources and studies that had been carried out on the disease. With Patrick Bouvier all possible means were used, but the medications were not enough to improve their condition. He never managed to have a stable respiratory pattern. In information that was released over the years it was learned that Patrick did not cry at birth.
Measures
With Patrick Bouvier some therapies considered novel for the time were tested. The baby was placed in a camera where he received more oxygen than he could reach outdoors. The New York Times was one of the media that deepened the use of oxygen therapy, and spoke that the newly released measure had all the support of the scientific community to treat diseases.
The efforts and advances were not enough to avoid the death of the youngest son of the Kennedy. Patrick Kennedy was born on August 7 in Massachusetts and died almost 40 hours later in Boston, at dawn on August 9, 1963.
The obstetrician John Walsh was the one who accompanied Jackie Kennedy during the birth. The priest John Scahill was in charge of the newborn baptism. James Dorbaugh was the pediatrics specialist who recommended that Patrick be transferred to the hospital in Boston.
Impact
The death of Patrick Bouvier did not go unnoticed in the United States. The consequences that his death had not only affected the family, but they meant an advance for the entire nation. After 1963 the care of newborns lived some modifications. The scientific community put greater emphasis on finding the necessary tools to treat the respiratory problems of newborns. These investigations had the support of the US government.
One of the latest measures that Kennedy approved before being killed was to grant more than 250 million dollars for different studies. One of them was destined for newborns and had a great impact on child medical care.
Economic support was sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NIHCD). This foundation was very important in the life of the Kennedy since John, along with his sister Eunice took care of his creation only one year before Patrick’s death.
Today there are medications capable of more effectively treating the respiratory problems of newborns. Weeks later the family suffered another important loss, when the entire United States witnessed the murder of John F. Kennedy, acting president of the country.
Reactions
John f. Kennedy was at Boston Hospital when doctors informed him that Patrick Bouvier was not responding well to therapy. His brother accompanied him, who at that time had the position of attorney general, and an assistant.
Jackie remained in Massachusetts where he had to recover from the operation. The president ordered that the television of his wife’s room be withdrawn in order to prevent him from finding out any information through the media of the time.
The media were present when Kennedy returned to the Otis base to inform his wife about the death of his fourth son. Some photos showed their tired countenance. The burial was made privately one day later in a chapel in Boston.
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