Babies of the earthquake: follow-up study of their first 15 months.

This report reviews the phenomenology related to the rescue and later development of the newborn babies buried in the rubble of several collapsed maternity hospitals in Mexico City during the earthquake of September 1985. We describe the rescue process as well as the impact of this process on the community. The rescued babies' development has been followed through the first 15 months of their lives and we describe our observations. We also review the implications of the emotional burdens that these babies may bear and the possible repercussions later in their development.