THE RIGHT TO HEALTH

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 148, 26 June 1925, Page 3

THE RIGHT TO HEALTH

LIVES SAVED AND TO BE SAVED

WELLINGTON KARTTANE APPEAL.

It is taken as an axiom by a great many, if not by all, experts in child welfare that the babies, of mothers who have cared properly for themselves, come into the world in perfect health, free from the germs of disease, and with sound bodily equipment. The frequency of babies which are feeble and troublesome can then only be attributed to the mother's failure to care for herself before the child is born, or to failure to comply with the "laws of nature and nurture" afterwards. One does not need to bo a medical expert to realise that a new and healthy structure, like a baby's digestive system, uninfected by disease, and with no experience of the terrific strains which. an adult imposes on his interior by strange foods and drinks, is not likely to break down quickly into ruin, and lead to the child's death, except under crave abuse. Yet it is just this terrible collapse ■which does happen with quite unwarrantable frequency. There' is only one answer to the question why, this is so: it is due to bad feeding. It is a source of justifiable pride to New Zealand that in recent years there has been a wonder- . fill reduction in mortality among little children from this cause—a reduction attributable entirely to education among the women of the • community. Mothers aro no longer sceptical of any advice but that of their experienced elders. The Plunket Society has spread its healthpresorving, educational influence into alniost every home that has a child. It is a commonplace.to hear someone say, on being introduced to a - cheerful little infant, "That's a Plunket baby " ; and the answer, nine times out of ten, is, "Of course." It has already been said many times, but it will bear repeatine, that in Dunedin, where the New Zealand Society for the promotion of the Health of Women and Children, now so well known as the Plunket Society, /was founded, the loss of life directly attributable to errors in feeding have been abolishd' for three years past. Gastro-enteritis and diarrhoe is the one great scourge of infancy. It is duo to failure to recognise the fact that a young baby is a little animal built for a highly specialised diet, just like the young of any other animal. As recently as 1907, the year of the founding of the society, this scourge used to account' ian.New Zealand for;the deaths of between 20 and 25 out of every thousand children born, in the first two years of life. In some places and at some' times the figure was terribly high—as hiuh as 45 per thousand. In has decreased steadily ever since, until it now stands for the Dominion as a whole at about one in three; thousand; and in Dunedin there-- has not been a single death from this cause in the past' threo years. No other place can .show a record like that of Dunedin; and the Dominion has the best'national record in the world. PLUNKET SOCIETY'S USEFULNESS. AND POWER. In this category, tho usefulness and power of the Plunket Society work is (definitely proved, and New Zealand, has reached, or isl close to reaching, tho position where a mother will examine her responsibility with terrible feelings' if she loses her child through feeding it wrongly. But there is another side to tho story. Great as the work done is, there is much more to bo done; If New Zealand's babies do not now die from carelessness from food as they did, they die, and their mothers die too, from other causes less easily described or attacked. There is a pitiful series •of deaths of little ones undor a month old; and it has shown- but little downward tendency. Tho deaths in early infancy ii: New Zealand, averaging nearly 30 per thousand births, are much more ireqbent than in some other countries. They are therefore not only more numerous than; they should be; they are more numerous than they could be; and it is the duty' of the community to see that by somo means this reproach is abolished. The position looks all the worse when it is realised that 1 half the- babies' who/die, die within eight days of birth. There is no time, in tills short period, for badfeeding to get in its : deadly work;. the' causes lie deeper. But twenty years ago the causes of the vanished death-rate previously discussed were out of pnblio knowledge; their effects vanished when , they were seen and understood. , "The proper study ;: of 'mankind is man" ; ; :that;,study- embraces -with; special, emphasis the:, study of. woman! and herichild?^The;work ofisaving'the, lives, .of mothers':and-: babies from; tho risks .which are;here emphasised 'is; not solely the work of doctors' in hospitals. It is for them to supply skill and;- knowledge ; but the real ■ labour, the supply; of r facts r on which to base knowledge and of the hiearis of carrying .out the great, research; must be shared by the men and' women' of the community; according to: their means and their' ability and their opportunity. .'Expectant■■"■■.'■mothers can' share" magnificently in; this research .by: taking' advice as to 'how to avoid pit-, falls, and so. adding;, to the evidence that the traps can;be evaded... Other! women, enlightened arid able to do so, aad pre-eminently those nurses who have been trained fori the', work, can' steerij the feet,of those who'donot know":theirj way. And it is privilege of all to | help-; such:' a national '• research, with soj noble an,objective, by looking deeply] into the purse, and -if- necessary_ interviewing the bank, so ; as to provide the means by which the work can be helped.; -■-.'■ The struggle against-the death arid disablement of little ones goes on in Wellington as elsewhere,.; and lil'oro equipment is needed. It is proposed to'build in the city a Karitane .Hospital for the special treatment of mothers and babies whose health has been damaged in their most critical period of existence, and in the care of. babies; and also to reih the care of babies: and also to reorganise the present Plunket headquarters in tho; city, and make .then! more' effective as the resort of mothers who; wish for advice on the care of their little ones, well or" ill.' The fund for this purpose, to be brought to £25,000," now exceeds £5000. The leading spirit in fliis movement is Sir Truby King,, who is known: tho world over'as': preeminent among exports in infant -\vel-" fare; and it has the enthusiastic, backing of the Governor-General, the Prime MinTister, and other notable people. It is no small commendation of tho right of the appear that it i was set on foot, with a substantial gift of £2000, by. the. Wei-.: lirisrton Rotary Club. .' .-: 'Contributions will be; received by the secretary of the Karitano Appeal Committeo, Mr. H. Amos. P.O. Box 1261, or tho treasurer, >[r. G. Sprinirhall. Bos: 678. .- . , . ~ .