European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 24, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                June 1985 the stars and stripes Page 17 modern living new theories on sudden infant death j associated press James Mckennas theory about sudden infant death syn drome emerged seven years ago As he napped next to his sleeping baby noticing How the rhythm of the Childs breathing changed with his Mckenna is an anthropologist at Pomona College in he recalled that baby monkeys stay in close Contact with their parents for at least a and until quite recently human infants slept with their who sensed their breathing he speculated that some of the or More american babies who die in their sleep each year from sudden infant death or simply forgot to breathe properly when they were left alone in their so he theorized some Side deaths might be prevented if babies slept with their the hypothesis has brought divided re action among but at least one Claibourne Dungy of the University of California at Irvine medical says he will test its crib death is an Enigma right and this is an approach we Felt was says a we dont know if its right or but if its not we wont be the first to come up with an empty mainstream approaches Haven proved anything scientists who Are sceptical of Mckennas hypothesis Are willing to wait and everybody got a Side says Evelyn a developmental psych Obio Logist at the University of in very but since nobody knows for you cant dismiss which claims the lives of about one in 500 is the nations leading killer of infants Between one month and one year of some researchers believe an physical defect can make Side babies Stop Mckennas theory goes a step holding that an environmental Factor Lack of close Contact with parents during sleep triggers the underlying physical defect that causes crib there is always room for creative says Alfred president of the american sudden infant death syndrome Institute in he its one thing to Demon Strate environmental patterns will alter breathing its another thing to show those factors relate to crib says anthropologists know Monkey and ape infants Are extremely dependent on their mothers and Are in almost constant Contact with them during the first year of a Monkey or ape infant also learns How to Deal with the world from their mothers physical reactions for learn ing to fear the approach of another animal by feeling their mothers heart beat he so Mckenna believes primate infants also can learn proper breathing through close physical Contact with Par noting that until recent times most human babies slept with their what we know about the evolution of human infants suggests their bodies evolved to expect at least four years of continuous physical Contact with the especially in the first year of the implication is that our babies should be in much closer proximity to us in the first year of preferably in the same Mckenna agrees with his critics that no evidence exists to suggest parents should sleep with their babies to prevent i would not want parents who have had a previous Side baby to think per haps they did something wrong by not having done Dungy Marie president of the National Side says babies died of Side even when they slept with their parents in historic and modern i dont think there is any evidence for Mckennas theory in As much As crib death has been around so Long before there were cribs to put babies she who says his theory is not meant to explain All Side presented his ideas at several anthropology meetings and at the second world con Gress of infant psychiatry in in Lewis a Brown University psychologist who has studied infant behaviour for 28 says he is favourably inclined toward Mckennas All of the biomedical research done thus far and All of the millions of dollars invested have not yet uncovered the direct cause of crib he so we have to keep our minds open to unusual especially unusual ideas that Are sensible and that have grown out of a scientific some researchers believe there is no sin Gle cause for various theories in clude immaturity in the part of the brain that controls failure to Speed breathing in response to inadequate oxygen in the blood and botulism bacteria which can produce a Poison to impair there is also debate Over whether crib death stems from sleep Apnoea in which some infants who die of Side earlier exp a illustration Rince episodes in which they Stop breathing for 10 to 20 seconds while they Lungys team is starting an informal Pilot study of Mckennas theory with up to eight mothers and their healthy whose heart beats and sleep cycles will be monitored As they sleep together overnight at the medical through that Effort and a possible for Mal Dungy Hopes to learn if sleep ing babies alter their breathing rhythms in response to their if that part of Mckennas theory proves More work will be needed to de Termine if the failure of babies to sleep with their parents somehow increases the risk of crib Dungy Valde Dapena suggested government studies of baby deaths caused by Side since 1978 might help to test Mckennas if that shows Side occurs less often among babies who Are in bed with their mothers than among babies who Are sleeping in she then youve got Erma Bombeck s everal flags went up to full Mast i can Only assume that the mourning period for Bruce Springsteen death marriage is fans dont ask a lot of their fantasy idols Only that they pursue their Talent and remain or if they do that they have the decency to be there int one person out there Reading this column who has not been devastated by their favorite celebrity who insisted on acting like a Normal person and living a conventional ill never forget when Van Johnson tied the As i told my Hes really done it this what Are you talking about he that the last Van Johnson movie ill Ever whats changed i dont have fantasies with married that whats what kind of a person do you think i am youre married that i in Strong and principled and would never let it get out of i liked to think that i was enough for Van Johnsons life just knowing i left the Macaroni casserole to soak while i sat in the darkened theater and was every leading lady he Ever he could have had it my Devo my my cup but he blew in the Early Days of they used to make rules about those if a sex Symbol wanted to re main in the Public he or she remained if he got he ran away and kept it a if there were they hid them in South fantasy lovers have enough problems without figuring out who got custody of the fantasy somehow the romantic Aura was gone when you visualized Elvis Presley fertilizing the Lawn or Clint Eastwood wrapping garbage for we wanted to believe our idols made a full time Job out of breathing heavily through their Young people today feel the same its an attitude that has spanned several with my his secret love is Ava Gardner my Clark Gable my Angie Why do we pursue some dream so absurd that the Odds of anything coming from it Are the same As Jerry Falwell posing for a Centrefold Why  i eat breakfast the morning Gary Grant remarried who we use whatever we have to get us through each it Doest Hurt anybody and no one takes it too i think Angie Dickinson is really too dont you c los Angeles Syndicate