"I get calls from all over the country now, from mothers who have seen the show, and who have no one else to turn to," he says.

This humanization and popularization may have cost him some prestige among his fellow pediatricians. Despite the many accolades (his colleagues have called him a "giant," a "pioneer," and the Brazelton scale a "landmark") he is still only an associate professor at the Medical School.

"What he does is not traditional medicine, it's soft," explains Dr. Barry M. Lester, assistant professor of Pediatrics at Children's Hospital. "Since it's not lab bench research, it's considered kooky, a little bit too far out. He's too much of a lay pediatrician," Lester says. According to the chief of the Children's Service at Massachusetts General Hospital. Wilder Professor of Pediatrics Donald N. Medearis. Brazelton has had "quite an impact on the general public through his books," but "there are groups of psychologists that are more impressed than others."

Originally, Brazelton had intended to use the scale to understand the baby so his parents could understand him too, "to cement parents to the baby they've got." But in recent years he has pursued another track while others have carried on his original purpose.

In the past few years, he has made the scale his major tool in documenting behavioral variations among newborns from different cultures. He has found, for example, that Kenyan babies are remarkably playful and well-coordinated, and Mayan infants are quieter and more alert. He saw very serene babies in China during a visit last fall.

Some of Brazelton's cross-cultural work has raised serious issues beyond questions of childrearing. By saying that Chinese babies are different from Americans, critics ask js Brazelton lending credence to racism? He says no, because even in newborn babies environmental influences on behavior are inseparably interwoven with the genetic. The health of the mother, the practices of giving birth, the family structure and the way the family treats its new member during its first crucial days all form part of the newborn's environment. As these factors vary from culture to culture, the infant shapes his behavior in response.

"That there are cross-cultural differences in newborn behavior is not controversial." Jerome Kagan, professor of Psychology and Social Relations, says. "The only controversy, and Brazelton is very flexible about this, has to do with how long these differences last, and what they have to do with future development," he added.

Despite his recent emphasis on cross-cultural comparisons. Brazelton has established a multidisciplinary training program for pediatricians interested in infants. His graduates have replicated the program at teaching hospitals around the country. "He has fostered and been mentor to the research of a lot of prominent pediatricians." Tronick says.

And that contribution has "an impact that'll keep going," Tronick adds.