CARE OF CHILDREN.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 230, 28 September 1922, Page 4

CARE OF CHILDREN.

THE M.TTNKET SYSTEM. GROWTH OF WORK IN AUSTRALIA. DR. KING RETURNvS FROM SY'DNUt After having attended a conference of the Commonwealth Medical Health Association, Dr. Truby King returned from Sydney by the Ulimaroa yesterday, d, King was expressly aeked "to attend the conference in order to discuss maternity and child-welfare matter* and also to give a public addres.s on these mutters in Sydney. A visit was also paid to Melbourne !by Dr. King in connection with child welfare matters and while then , he conferred with local and Federal authorities On hie return to Sydney he spent most of his time investigating r.lio >>>«• fiouth Wales Education Department's medical service and also attended the •hivenile Court in this connection. It has been a very important function of the school medical service to keep in touch with the court in order to help the Policp Do. partment and various humanitarian agencies. The service deals with a large number of cases where, for various reasons, children have got into trouble either a,* delinquents or through being improperly cared for. Questioned a* to whether anything -was being-done in Australia with regard* infant welfare work on thn line* of the Plunket Society Mission in N'i'w Zealand Dr. Kinjf said that in Mew South Wales. Victoria and Tasmania, il number of Australian nurses, trained during the past three rears at the Karitane Hospital. Duncdin. were ocoupviny the most prominent positions in this branch of work. The Trewillian Baby Hospital and mothercraft training centre in a suburb of Sydney wa* run on exactly the same lines a* the Karitam- Hospital. ' Tndeed the words '-Phinket System" appeared at the entry to the in-titusion. This hospital and teaching institution \v(js under the charge of Miss McMillan. a Sydney Hospital nurse, who took a special course of training nndor Dv. King and Miss Patrick at the Xew Zealand institution in London. After nine months as matron of the Karitane Hospital "Miss McMillan returned to Sydney a years ago and since then had trained 3ft nurses on "Plunket lines." It wae intended to give a similar training to all nurses employed 'by the Xew South Wales (rovernment. Oreat progress on these lines rai also being made in Melbourne and Ta-smania. Further a very keen interest in these matter* was taken by the wives of the Governors, as well as by the committee. When Dr. King «a- in Sydney he attended a very successful fancy ball attended hy over 1000 children and provided for by Lady Foster, «ife of the Governor-Oeneral. The function brought in a considerable sum of money for Treesillian, towards which its proceeds were devoted. Referring to the conference Dr King said it embra-ced representative- from the Australian States, including Tasmania, and three delegates from ttie United States of America. Tt was a great success from every point of view" and various matters bearing on health and the prevention of disease were dealt with. This was the second congre&i and it will now be held annually. The Australians, said Dr. King, are extremely anxious to have the co-operation and support of Xew Zealand at these assemblies.