PLUNKET NURSES

Press, Volume L, Issue 14991, 11 June 1914, Page 10

PLUNKET NURSES

SOCIETY FOE THE HEALTH OF IYOMEX AND CHILD-SEX.

A SUCCESSFUL YEAR

The annual meeting of the Society j for the Health of Women and Children J was held in the V.M.C.A. rooms yester- [ day afternoon. On the motion of tho. president ("Mrs Morton) Dr. G. M. Lester was voted to tho chair. There was a large attendance'of members and their friends. A CONVERT. j The Chairman, iv his. address, said the Pluuket Mnn.es'' Association hardly required any speech of recommendation to those who knew its work. He might say, however, that he was only a convert cf two years' standing. Tho Association had had to live down criticism, and it was only rijr.it, perhaps, that a. movement should havo to do this. 11 is practical experience of the "Society was that it, was ono of tho most valuable organisations existing in the Dominion j to-day. The great work cf the Society was to provide for future generations j a healthy native-grown population. It j could do that by decreasing infant mor- j tality. Babies wero born into this world j whoso lives were simply wasted, and the i waste of young life was one of the sad- j dost things it was possible to think about. It w.iaS in this direction' that the Society did such good work, and he hoped that the good work the Society was now doing would lie continued for many years to come. They had every promise of his heartiest co-operation and support. UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS. Several apologies for absence were received. Dr. Herbert Chesson. District Health Officer, wrote congratulating the Suviety upon the excellence of its work during the .year, aud regretting his inability to be present. Dr. Orchard, tendering a similar apology, stated : — "1 have a very high opinion of the manner in which the nurses carry out their duties, and find their presence in Christchurch a very great, help." Mrs Duncan Rutherford stated that she knew the Society was doing a great and splendid work, and was gaining ground etch year. Dr. Thomas. Dr. Westcnra, Mr P. Hallenstein, and Mrs Julius also wrote, regretting their absence from tho meeting, and congratulating the Society ou its efforts. ANNUAL REPORT. Tlie annual report stated that Now Zealand was to be congratulated on the diminution in the rati; of infant mortality, and the committee felt sure that in this matter the Society had been an important factor. A new development had been the appointment of a travelling Pluuket nurse, who had proved her relf iv every way fitted jor her arduous duties. "The whole of North Canterbury," the .report continued, "can now bo visited, and mothers and children helped by the personal services of the nurse. Babies in Rakaia, Methven, C-oalgate, Kaiapoi,'Lyttelton, etc., aro now visited at regular intervals, and the nurse is avai'lablo in cases of emergency in the country at any . time." The work in'Christ-hurch, under Nurses Hansard and .Ellis, was stated to have) made splendid progress, it being noticeable that there was a demand for lectures and demonstrations. Constant applications wero being mado for nurses with Karit-ane training-to take charge of infants in private houses, but the demand had greatly exceeded the supply, and it was. to be hoped* that more young girls would come forward in future. There was a prospect of a creche for training purposes being established in Christchurch before long, with a Plunkot nurse in charge. This should help to supply what was needed. ' Special reference was made to Dr.* Truby King's new edition of the "Feeding and Care of the Baby." "We owe him our grateful thanks," the commit- . tee stated, "for tho time and enre he has expended on this work, which, as ' well as the booklet, 'What, Baby Needs," '. is g-eatly in' demand, parents from all j directions applying for copies, especially those in out-of-the-way places." NURSES' REPORT. ' Nurses Ellis and Hansard, reporting j on the work done during the yeareuding March 31st, 1914, &aid|thoi*e were 060 - babies on the cases "hook. The total ( visits paid to their.office numbered 4313, . mado uy of. "regular"" and ''casual" mothers. The first-mentioned number- ■ ed 14-10 for the year. These mothers ' paid weekly, or, perhaps, only monthly _ visits, and. an accurate record of- the weight, feeding, and general progress I ol the baby was entered in a case ] book. Great interest.was taken in the . work by these particular vfsitors, as so mauy met regularly and compared their < babies' progress. Casual visits numbering 2873, included those paid to tho ' office by mothers and others needing help for babies. They came from distant I towns, from country nlaces. and from ( outlying, parts of Christchurch. Corres- < pondence received numbered 233. including letters from England, India, ; Australia, Chatham Islands, and from every part of Now Zealand. • "We have been able," the report , continued, "to help parents travelling to England and other countries as to i the most, suitable method of artificially 1 feeding babies when fresh mi'k is not i procurable, viz., by using dried milk ; m-orerlv proportioned with oil and sugar of milk added, a < me'hod which brings ' about good results. Many mothers travelling from one part of New Zca- j land to another avail themselves of tho ] opportunity of procuring freshly-pre-pared milk from us for use during transit- This can always be done when , twelve hour.v notice is given. . , i i "We work all the year through with j j iMtiT doctors, being asked by them to j j instruct mothers in ore-paring human- ; , ised milk where tho baby has to be arti- j . SciaUv fed. Nut-in_ mothers are also'frequently sort to us for general advice . regarding the feeding of their babies i During the .fear wo have been asked by quite a nui-bor of private maternity I nurses for help in rreparinz the different forms of "rjmanised milk. Private 1 maternity hospitals have also frequent- 1 iv asked'for help aud advice in feeding < Ono thousand six hundred and ' seventy-six visits were paid by the < nurses. 1 and demonstrations of the prenaratioii of htim-in.sed milk were made _l-l times. Two hundred and ninetytwo conies of "baby books" were sold, country mothers bringing their babies up. in'many instances, strictly by the rules laid down m these. HOW TO CARRY ON. Nurse Kilgour's report contained the ' following paragraph: —"The question . now arises: How is the work to be car- < ried on in the outlying districts if the I country residents do not come forward • and help? The original echeme was ' that small committees of interested women should be formed ' in country < townships and districts to help the 1 nurse by advising her as to visits to ' be paid, and informing her as to cases ' requiring her attention, each commit- ' tee to collect a small sum, from £2 up- * wards, towards the expenses. It is very ■ disappointing to have to record that. ' with the sole exception of Kaikoura, no ' one has responded anywhere to the ;ip- . peal made by the Christchurch branch. * 'The sum needed is only £gj_ wi{ }_ _ tho subsidy and the railway pass also t urovidod by the Government, this is (

| sufficient. It is to be hoped that Can- | terbury will not be behindhand in coming forward this -year. Christchurch | peo'plo have been so generous iv help- ! ing the work in the town for tho last six years th.lt it does not seem fair to .ask them to subscribe to tho travelling nurse."

It. was explained by tho secretary that many generous donations had been made by country' people, but the absence of organised effort, similar to that of Kaikoura, was all that tha Society ! wished to draw attention to. J Tho balance-sheet showed rc-cci-j-fcs £1*246 8s Sd (including balance brought t forward of £6S 2s Sd). and expenditure I £11GS 3s 3d. ADDRESS BY BISHOP GRIMES. His Lordship Bishoo Grimes, in moving the adoption of the report and bal-ance-sheet, said ho bad at first thought ! that in a country like New Zealand, i where tho people were so well-to-do, especially the working people, and the climate so good, mothers would be able to look, after their own babies, and those who eon!j not do so wero not fit to have them. However, he recognised, from the demands made upon tbe Society, that there was a great need for its existence. It was very gratifying to note that there was a decrease in infant mortality, and he thought it could be attributed to a great extent to the work of the Society. As to the financial statement, he was pleased to see j that it was so exceedingly satisfactory. Mr 11. B. Sorensen secouded the motion, which was carried. j ELECTION OF OFFICERS. ! Officers wero elected as follow:— j Patroness, Lady Pluuket: president l Mrs Morton : vice-presidents?, MesdamcI Boyle. Clark, and Roid ; committee, Mesdames Chilton. Deans, Knight, Hallerstein. Mackenzie, Reeves, Sandstein. Ac-land, Bailey, Palmer, Hill. Free, .Stevenson, Bristed, Holland, Rhodes, Miss Rose Tabart, and Dr. E. Sands; Advisory- Board, Messrs Bristed, Hallenstehi: lion., secretary and treasurer, Mrs F. H. Pvne; assistant secretary, i Mrs H. R. Smith. Votes of thanks wore passed to the retiring officers and to the chairman, j