INFANT LIFE PROTECTION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 108, 30 January 1908, Page 3

INFANT LIFE PROTECTION.

SOCIETY'S WORK,

l /DY PLUNKET HEADS MOVEMENT

IN AUCKLAND.

( NT XEIjEGP.APII—SI-rci.M, COnitKSPON'DE.N'T.)

„ Auckland, January 29.' ■ Her Extellencj" Lady-Plunkct, who does much charitable work in:'an unostentatious way, has como out into, the open in support of the cause of tho infant lifo of Auckland and its district. Writing, to tho Press, I"1®|-T, says:—"I am anxious to establish ill Auckland a branch of the Soeiotv for the. Protection of Infant Life—an-'omani. already has working .brandies )h;.W ellington, C'hristchurch, and Duncdiii " 'AftM-Adescrihing how t!ib Society-works in the otlier centres, Her -Excellency con tilings • Jiy' attention was first, callcd to' this subject by I) I*. Trilby King, a,nd also in the course of visits paid to homes, hospitals', oroches, and other similar institutions 'in different parts or-the. Dominion. I constantly ohserved, infants which had been •received'into these institutions in a deplorable condition, mainly offing t0..-improper feqding.,' . :will not trespass upon vour space, to describe the harrowing condition of these little • nlites, but I desire to bo allowed to combat - the argument frequently advanced ' a ,'. mother's instinct' will teach her how t6 icfccl Ilcr baby. If all wero able aml i-cady to feed their children bv nature's method, much could be said for" such an opinion, but 'this, unfortunately, is not the caso. ( . In tho artificial .feeding of babies tiiero is at .present no practical teaching easily available, although it is a vitally imliortiint subject; and the art of treating gow's milk, in order to make it as similar as possible to tlie natural food, represents the result of many years of scientific research, whilst its preparation demands tho greatest care. .. .

"Under existing circumstances. a mother cannot consult a doctor concerniiig the daily ups and downs of her baby. She is;/ therefore dependent upon unskilled advico, and has to experiment upon li'er infant, i 'i disastrous results. The schciiie which I'have placed before vour readers is not _an. untried novelty: It is working snceosanilly at home and abroad. Duncdin alZon J f's»PP 0l ' t r s t S(ivcra 1 nurses, and distributes ddU bottles of humanised milk daily, and the appreciation of tho nurses' usefulness is slibtvn by the number of babies that they arc asked to visit.. I would earnestly appeal to those who are interested jn the. future generation,,o_f this Dominion, or to whom ,the I 'siiflW-Ilif*'ar-<littlc babies brings personal pain, to J 1 ,,!? in starting; a strong branch of this Society in the Auckland district, and I shall gratefully: receive any subscriptions which may be sent to me for this purpose." Lady Plunkot has alyanged for a meeting to bei'hcld at Government House on Saturday .iii' 1, connection .with her object. . Dr. Truhy King is sending a specially-trained nurse from Dunedin to - demonstrato, and to visit infants at their mothers' homes. Lady Plunket is likely'to-find, that her linmano efforts will '-meet* "lyith hearty and widespread support.' , .