MURDERING BABY.

Evening Star, Issue 15394, 19 January 1914, Page 7

MURDERING BABY.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —How inhumane! Who would murder a baby? Scores of mothers in Dunedin are doing it slowly but surely in their blind ignorance. How? By the unwittingly cruel way in which thoy feed the baby. " Giving it 'anything going," as scores of them say. 1 have come across babies of a few weeks old that are given biscuits soaked in milk. Infants fed oil cornflour, maizena, rice boiled to pulp, and other poisons (to a, young child) of a starchy nature ; children of lo months fed on potatoes, gravy, and sweet puddings. It one remonstrates with mothers who actlike .jhis, they will probably tell you that " mother brought up 12 of us on tho same food," but they fail to stato that half of them are dead, and the rest suffer from acute indigestion or gastric trouble. The death Tate in Dunedin has fallen nearly 100 per cent, since tho Health of Women and Children Society. founded by Dr Truby King, started their work through the instrumentality of the Karitanc-Harris Hospital and the Plunkct nurses. Has this happy result been bzought about by feeding the babies in tho way I have spoken about? No; of course not. Then, mothers. I appeal to you to assist the society to still further reduce tho death rate by putting your baby under the caro and direction of the Plunkct nurses. Do this, and baby will get the chance to grow up free from all those ills which are due to bad feeding. My boy was and is still fed according to '" Plunket rules," and I defy any mother in Dunedin to produce as tine and healthv a child fed in the way I " mother brought up 12 of us."—l am, etc., Only a Father. January 17. P.S.—The services of tho Plunket nurses are free to all requiring them.—O.F.