Patrick Bouvier Kennedy (1963-1963) was the third child of the United States presidential couple of Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy. His birth was complicated as he was born with respiratory problems, which caused Patrick Bouvier to die at two days old.
He was the last of JFK's children, as the 35th president of the United States was assassinated in Dallas just a few months after losing his son.
Patrick Kennedy's grave next to his parents in Arlington. Source: Acroterion, via Wikimedia Commons.
Despite only having lived for just 48 hours, Patrick Bouvier had a huge impact on American society. His death allowed more resources to be devoted to studies of respiratory distress syndrome in infants. This change in the country's politics allowed many more lives to be saved over the years.
Biography
On August 7, 1963, Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis' fourth child was born to John F. Kennedy, president and first lady of the United States at the time. He was the second son of the couple and the second of the children born during Kennedy's presidential term.
The birth of Patrick Bouvier was anything but simple. She was born at 34 weeks of gestation in the hospital located within the Otis Air Force Base of the United States, a place that was closed in 1973. Jackie Kennedy had her son through a cesarean section that was performed emergency by the local doctors.
From the beginning Patrick had respiratory problems, today known as hyaline membrane disease. This is a condition 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 the cesarean section and immediately contacted a priest who baptized the child aware of the seriousness of the situation.
JFK's grandfather and great-grandfather were named Patrick and the president's son followed the tradition. While Bouvier was attributed by his mother, since it was the last name he had before marrying.
Transfer
Everything was tried to extend his life as long as possible, Patrick being transferred from Otis base to a children's hospital in Boston (Boston Children's Hospital). He flew by helicopter to the institution, which was about 100 kilometers away, on a trip that lasted an hour and a half.
The first information that was offered to the media was that the baby was sent to the hospital as a precaution against its premature birth.
There they put the Kennedys' son in the hands of a child specialist, but despite attempts, he was of little help in saving the infant's life.
Disease
Patrick Bouvier's diagnosis from the beginning was known as respiratory distress syndrome. Although the White House reported that several days of studies were necessary to be able to correctly evaluate the baby's picture.
In 1963 few resources and studies had been carried out on the disease. With Patrick Bouvier all possible means were used, but the drugs were not enough to improve his condition. He never managed to have a stable breathing pattern.
With the passage of time, the information that was released became clearer and details became known such as that Patrick did not cry at birth.
Measurements
With Patrick Bouvier, some therapies considered novel for the time were put to the test. The baby was placed in a chamber where he received more oxygen than he could get in the open air.
The New York Times was one of the media that delved into the use of oxygen therapy, and spoke that the recently released measure had the full support of the scientific community when it comes to treating diseases.
Efforts and advances were not enough to prevent the death of the Kennedy's youngest son. Patrick Kennedy was born on August 7 in Massachusetts and died almost 40 hours later in Boston, in the early morning of August 9, 1963.
The obstetrician John Walsh was the one who accompanied Jackie Kennedy during the birth and the priest John Scahill was in charge of the newborn's christening. James Drorbaugh was the pediatric 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 of his death not only affected the family, but also meant an advance for the entire nation. After 1963, the care of newborns underwent some modifications.
The scientific community placed greater emphasis on finding the necessary tools to treat respiratory problems in newborns. These investigations had the support of the US government.
One of the last measures Kennedy approved before he was assassinated was to grant more than 250 million dollars for different studies. One of them was aimed at newborns and had a great impact on children's health care.
The financial support was sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NIHCD). This foundation was very relevant in the life of the Kennedys since John, along with his sister Eunice, was in charge of its creation only a year before Patrick's death.
Today there are drugs capable of more effectively treating respiratory problems in newborns.
Weeks later, the family suffered another major loss, as the entire United States witnessed the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the country's acting president.
Reactions
John F. Kennedy was in the Boston hospital when doctors informed him that Patrick Bouvier was not responding well to therapy. Next to him was his brother, who at that time held the position of Attorney General, as well as an assistant.
Jackie remained in Massachusetts where she had to recover from the operation. The president ordered that the television be removed from his wife's room in order to prevent her from learning any information through the media at the time.
The media were present when Kennedy returned to Otis Base to inform his wife of the death of their fourth child. Some photos showed his tired face. The burial was conducted privately a day later in a chapel in Boston.
References
- Irvine, William Braxton. You. Oxford University Press, 2018.
- Leaming, Barbara. Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. Thomas Dunne Books, 2015.
- Quinn-Musgrove, Sandra L, and Sanford Kanter. America's Royalty: All The Presidents' Children. Greenwood Press, 1995.
- Ryan, Michael S. Patrick Bouvier Kennedy. Hillcrest Publishing Group, 2015.
- Spoto, Donald. Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. Wheeler, 2000.