PLUNKET SOCIETY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 246, 31 July 1935, Page 3

PLUNKET SOCIETY

THE PROVINCIAL CONFERENCE.

INTERESTING ADDRESS.

(Special to the “ Guardian.”) CHRISTCHURCH, This Hay. The provincial conference of the Canterbury and Westland district of the Plunket Society was held yesterday morning and afternoon in the Jellicoe Hall. A large number of delegates and visitors attended, including many women well known the Dominion for their work in the interests of women and children.

In welcoming Lady jSidey and delegates, Mrs J. Stevenson (acting-presi-dent of the Christchurch branch) spoke of the value of provincial conferences, which, she said ; were not so much their real function of electing three members of the Dominion council, but in the opportunity they gave members of the society to meet one another and also representatives of the council, „who otherwise would remain merely names to them. She explained that each of the five groups in New Zealand had! power to elect three members of the 15 demanded by the rules of the society, for the Dominion

council. , The complete representation ot the varying sized branches could be appreciated, as the problems of a onenurse branch might be entirely different from the difficulties besetting the two or three nurse branches, and it was therefore essential that the Dominion council should be equipped with knowledge of all sized brandies in order to assist and advise local committees in carrying out the work; of the society. At the same time, it should be realised that the president of a Karitane hospital branch should be elected because of the additional need of hospital representation on the council. rg , Mrs Stevenson introduced Dr. ford, representing the Health Department, who had very kindly consented to open the conference, lhe Health Department had done much in co-operating with the society m its work, and it was not often that members had an opportunity to “Thank you” personally, she added. Dr. Address. In his address, Dr. Telford said that he could appreciate the aims and objects of the society, and the name of the society had an appeal to him, in that its patron, 'Lord Plunket, had attended Trinity College duiing ie same period that he was there. Dr. Telford traced his association with the society from the year when Sir Truby King came down to initiate the movement, and he was sure that when Sir Truby, now in the winter o his age, could see how his ideal had flourished, he must be very happyThe society had been a great factoi in reducing infantile mortality m the Dominion, said Dr. Telfojd who pointed out that in 1872 to 1876 the infant mortality rate was 109.3 a thousand, in 1907 to 1911, it had dropped to 68.5, and in 193 dto 31.6 a thousand. There was no reason now why any mother should be igno ant of the care of her child, he said. When the first Karitane nurses had commenced work, they had met wi opposition; some had made a tew mistakes but on the whole they had been exceedingly discreet, and the iongei the movement continued the 111016 successful they were, with the result that there is now no friction between the medical profession and the Kai ltane workers, said Dr. Telford. He also mentioned several women who had trained under him for the Royal Sanitary 'lnstitute, many of whom were now doing excellent work, one of them being Miss Fitzgibbon, nursing adviser, who was present at the conference. , . , Dr. Telford spoke of the work that Lord Nuffield’s gift would make possible in the care of crippled children. He thought also that some consideration should be given to the epileptic and added that ho was not satisfied that sufficient • treatment was being given to epileptic and imbecile cliil dren. Dr. Telford also issued a warning against the infection of tuberculosis, especially in the case of patients who were taken from institutions to die in their own homes.

Greetings From Dominion Executive Lady Sidey (acting-[Dominion president) conveyed greetings on behalf of the Dominion executive, and spoke of the changes that had taken place in the election of representatives to the Dominion council. Whether mothers should be asked to pay for the nurses’ services had been a subject for debate in many quarters, she said, and pointed out that if this system were adopted, the children would suffer as a result, for many mothers would not be willing to pay' for taking their well babies to the Plunket rooms, and one of the primary objects of the society was to keep the well baby well. She spoke of the great interest taken by parents in the kindergarten movement, ■ and thought that members should confer with kindergarten authorities to see how they might best interest the mothers in the work of the society in the care of the little ones. Members were interested to hear how Sir Truby King’s name hhd been perpetuated in many parts of Australia by mother-craft sections. Dr.# Martin Tweed. Dr. Martin Tweed spoke of the work of the society with special reference to the results of Sir Truby King’s teachiftg in practice; malnutrition, and the suitability or otherwise of Jersey milk for feeding babies. He stated that the supi-eme importance of natural feeding against any artificial feeding of infants could not be too often emphasised, as the infant mortality rate had fallen tremendously since the Plunket Society had been formed. Great interest was being taken in ante-natal work at the present time, and although it was not possible for every mother to feed her baby naturally, she could at least ensure that the baby should be born healthy. He emphasised the value of sunlight andi outdoor exercises for children. Mastication of food was also important in the development of the face, and the strengthening of the teeth, and respira-

tory diseases were likely because of arrested development if the child were not taught this important lesson. He had been greatly impressed by a recent visit to the Fendalton open-air school, for sunlight and open air were great curatives for childish ailments, he said.

The afternoon session opened with an address given by Mrs Gilmour, on the work of the Lady King Karitane Hospital, and suggestions were made for possible avenues of help to augment the hospital funds. On the motion of Mrs L. M. King, a resolution was passed : “That branches and sub-branches of the provincial area of Canterbury and Westland make a voluntary yearly gift to the Lady King Karitane Hospital until such time as the Government subsidy is restored.” Matters concerning the hospital finances were also fully discussed. Dr. H. L. Widdowson, who gave an address in the afternoon, said that on an average about 100 babies were treated each year at the Karitane Hospital. Of "the 45 to 50 premature babies treated yearly only four or five died, and those babies that are returned to their homes do: not suffer from dietetic, upsets, he said. There were about 50 cases every year of babies who had been suffering as the result of artificial feeding. It had been said that the Plunket system was too rigid and that the baby was adapted to the food and not the food to the baby. Proof fallacy of this statement was shown by the results, for during the last nine years of all the babies admitted to the hospital not one had died from a purely digestive trouble, said Dr. Widdowson. The work at the hospital was done very quietly; it was a very essential work, and without it a large number of premature and ill-fed babies would certainly die, he added.