OUR BABIES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3174, 27 August 1917, Page 3

OUR BABIES

fBX HYGEIA.I Published under tho auspices of the Society for tlie Health of Women and Children. "l't is wiser to put up a fence at tlie top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom." PLUNKI3T NURSES' SERVICES FREE. THE SOCIETY'S BOOK. 'file society's book, entitled "feeding and Oare of Baby," can be obtained from the matron, Karitane-Hiarris Hospital, the Plunket nurses, and the honorary s?cret«ry of .the societies. Price, Is. 3d. -As the book has now been registered to go by magazine post, the postage is only lid., including the war stamp. "Feeding and Oaro of Baby" can also bo obtained from the leading booksellers throughout the Dominion. NEW GOVERNMENT BOOiC KOR MOTHERS. "Tho Expectant Mother and Baby's. First Month," prepared by tlie society and issued by tho Public Health Department free of charge, call be obtained on application (including lid. for postage) from the matron. Karitaue-Harris Hospital, tho Plunlict nurses, the honorary secretaries of tho branches, and the Registrars in tho principal towns. The society is specially anxious that every prospective mother should receive a copy of thiß 'ittle booh long before tho birth of her baby, and we feel sure that if this is done very great benefit will accrue to mother and child and much trouble and sickness will le prevented. Our readers will do a good service if they draw the attention of any of their friends who would be benefited by the book to the fact that it may be had on application. WELFARE OF MOTHER. AND CHILD. (Extracts from Paper by the Right lton. A. H. D. Ackland, formerly Minister of Education in England, read at the Child Welfare Congress, Cape Town.) "Wo ore gradually waking up in England to tho fact that ah appalling ;\nd most unnecessary Toss of life is going on in our midst, much of which can he prevented, aud which it. ig t'ho bounden duty of the nation to prevent. "Wo are draining the natiob of its best lives in our fight for national honour; we have endured losses in war infinitely greater than ever before in our history in men killed and pemaneutly crippled in the cause of justice and liberty. And yet., at the same time we are allowing at Home a sacrifice of lives—young lives—tho meu and women of the future, upon whom the nation will depend later on—live 3 many of which we could save. Comparison of Infantile Death Rates. "Tho infant death-rate—tb at is, the num. ber of babies that die under 12 months out of every thousand that are born— 1915 was about' 110. This is an improvement on the figures of last ccntury; hut it is a disgracc to us that one-tenth of the .babies born die before they are a year old. And we know that this can lie altered if wo alter tho conditions which surround the babies and their mothers, and if we give the mothers a chanco of getting the best • available linowledgo on infant welfare, etc. ... The Example of New Zealand. "In New Zealand the rate has been brought down to 51 per thousand, or less than half our rate in England. And in New Zealand their fine rcgults arc duo not to climate, but to hard work. Lady Plunket tells ns that what has been done there is rocognised as one of the greatest patriotic works of the day. llut the' worker's there have had to fight, she tays, 'the samo apathetic publio, the'same contradictory teaching, tho same dirty milk supply, the same human natures, tho same medical and lay prejudices, tho same lack of funds' a.s we have to grapple with In many parts of England." Ignorance Among Mothers of All Olasses. "When wo speak of ignoranco of mothers wo must rememher that this ignorance is not that of working mothers alone. Most young mothers in every class are ignorant on this subject until thoy havo been taught. ... It cannot bo expected that mothers can know all tJio most reccnt knowledge about >!how Jo deal with an ailing - baby, or now to avert disease. They naturally think that they know best, or trust to tho advice of their mothers or relatives or friends who havo -brought up children. Tho task of overcoming their ignoranco and tlieir distrust of improved methods is a task which requires au infinite amount or patienco and tact. But this patience and this tact are essential parts of this task of life-saving which is of such infinite national importance at the present time." Remedies.

"What, then, arc tho most available remedies for tho disastrous loss 'and injury to national health of which I havo spoken? Wo cannot hope in war time to sweep away more slums and rapidly remedy the bad sanitary surroundings of many of our mothers. Wo must wait for some of theso reforms, and must hope that tho national conscience will soon bo more alivo to these great evils w-licre they exist.

"But we can concentrate on two principal duties which we ought to carry out at once. And our national propaganda work in our campaign of life-saving is principally aimed at these two objects. And in these two tasks tho principal workers will bo women. »

"First, wo must have an adequate supply of health visitors-—women who havo been trained, to "understand tho subjects with which they have to deal, who will visit the home of every mother and expectant mother who is willing to receive them. There/will bo prejudice at first against receiving: visits or receiving advice. But when it is found that a neighbour's baby is really the better for .10 Suipaoj jo poinora paAo.idrat uu ment—when it is seeu that an expectant mother has been spared needless suffering by time advice . . . progress becins to be ma-de. . . »

"Secondly, we must have an infant and mother welfare centre in all our town districts within easy reach of all mothers, to whom such centres will be of service. Such, for example, is the School for Mothers at St. Pancras, a pioneer welfare eentrc. which was founded originally with the object of educating- mothers in tho feeding and car© of infants "under 12

months old. and it has now a fairly full organisation directed to that end. Women expecting to bcconio mothers are sought out and visited, and are often pereuaded to conio to tho school before tho birth of the baby. There they are taught, how to prepare proper clothes and the cradle for the little one; they are also piven very simple instruction ill tlie eare of Ihear own health and that of the child when is. shall be bora, and the great importance of breast-feeding is insisted upon. . . .

"We are full of hope that, the country is at last beginning to realise ivliat has to be (lobn. But tliere is much- legargy and prejudice yet to bo overcome ill many quarters, and only a small proportion of t.he task before usi has been carried out."

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. "Rejected": Nono of the men originally classified as CI aud C 2 aro being called up directly. Tlio medical officers comprising the original medical boards kept a rccord, as they still do, o£ every man accepted or rejected. These records are being examined by a spccial board or committee of medical men, with the "object of discovering whether the men concerned are likely to bo strong enough to stand active service after special training to make them fit. Somo of the C 2 men ore absolutely unfit, and in most cases the records will show this. If a man's record is such that 'ho may liavo a chance of getting well under a special course of training, that man and others like him will be called up lor a special medical examination by a special board of medical officers. If that board decides that the man is fit he will be ordered to go to camp, and against this order he will havo exactly • tho sanio right of appeal as the ordinary balloted man. No announcement has yet been made as to the designation to 1)0 given to these men wlio will go into camp on trial. They may still bo called CI or C'i, or tney may bo put into I! classy. "Reform": it is not possible to withdraw aiy- of the money invested in this: Oi 'any other loan until the expiry of Vlic period, but at any time the purities purchased, whether bonds or loan certificates, are saleable. By selling tho securities held any. investor may recover 'nis money—more or less, according to tho market value of 'the securities—if he finds t'liat ho has urgent need of it. As to your second question, regarding the route of troopships, it is an offence under tho War Regulations to ask it, and it would be much more an oil'encc 'to publish an answer to it. "Military Appeals": The appeals of all the men ot tho First Division who have been exempted will be reconsidered before tho Second Division aro called up. it will bo quite impossible Vo let all the single men go to the front, because there are positions of the greatest im- . portance hold by singlo men. Those who can not be replaced will still have to be hold in this country,' but others will be sent. It is not possible for us to make inquiries of the Military Service Board, a tribunal established under 'the law, as to what the reasons were which actuated tho board in coming to tho decisions of which you do not approve. No doubt it was represented to tho board that they were men who could not bo spared. They are in ? department which has a great (leal of extra work to do at thoso times,- and ekilled men would bo impossible to replace. Much of tho work of the Department was delayed last year because there were not enough men obtainable to do it.