OUR BABIES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 29 December 1926, Page 6

OUR BABIES

THE SCOPE OF THE PLUNKET

NURSES

BY "HYGEiIA"

PublifS.hed under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Plunket Society). "It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom."

INFANTILE DIARRHOEA: Summer has come round again, and with it the risk of the dreao. disease, summer diarrhoea.

Year alter year the Plunket Society has published articles emphasising the important points in this matter—points with which all parents should be familiar. Year alter year the Plunket Nurses lay stress on. the same fundamentals—the supreme importance of natural feeding in the prevention of this scourge; the simple essentials for keeping baby pretty well "genn-prqol" ; the necessity lor extra, .scrupulous cleanliness and care in the keeping of milk and all things pertaining to the feeding of the baby in the .summer months; the significance of early signs of trouble and the importance of prompt treatment; practical advice as to the best simple or emergency treatment. That this widespread educational movement has had effect is shown by the table and comments which were published in the last annual report of the Society. We should naturally like to have a record of the five, years immediately preceding the formation of the Plunket Society (namely, . 1903-ISO7 inclusive}, but this cannot be obtained. However, the figures supplied are sufficiently interesting and significant. They show conclusively that, there, is no ground for the oft-repeated statement that our extremely low rate of mortality from infantile' diarrhoea, compared with Australian cities is due to such factors as cool climate, smaller cities, or the alleged absence of Shiga and Felxner bacilli in New Zealand—a quite erroneous assumption.

There was practically no difference in the rate of mortality from infantile diarrhoea in Sydney and Auckland respectively between 15 and 20 years ago, and •while Dunedin showed an entire absence of diarrhoea deaths for three successive years (1922-1924 inclusive) Sydney averaged nearly 17 such deaths pei 1000 births for the same period. It will be noticed that in 1908 and 1910 respectively the deaths from infantile diarrhoea in Auckland were actually 37 and 40 per ICOO, compared with only 34 and 29 for the same years in Sydney. Figures such as these only go (o confirm the Society's confidence that its whole educational work and advice, given in the interests of mother and child, arc- tin safe and sound hygienic and dis-ease-preventive lines. The statistics for the year 1925 show that a further reduction of deaths from infantile diarrhoea and enteritis has taken place all over New Zealand. The average deaths from infantile diarrhoea for the whole of New Zealand—namely 2jj per 1000—varies from one-tenth to one-twentieth of the average for the rest of the civilised world, and has fallen to two-thirds of what it averaged onry two or three years ago.

BE PREPARED However, we must not let these reassuring statistics lull us into a false sense of security. We must be for ever on our guard, and we must continue to repeat our simple, commonsense advice to parents until it reaches every mother in the land.

And so in the course of the next few weeks we shall put forth again our explanation, warning, and instructions, so that they may come before those parents who have not so far realised the importance of the subject, .and be fresh in the minds of the mothers of this summer's babies.

THE PT/UNKET NURSES The llunket Nurses' services are free to all. They are glad to see mothers and babies at the Society's rooms in the various districts throughout the Dominion. If you are travelling or away from your usual place of residence, do not hesitate to take baby to see the Plunket Nurse m whatever district you happen to be. She will help and advise you on exactly the same lines as your own nurse does. ' If vou are out of reach of a nurse, write to the nearest one, or to the nurse with whom von hav«3 previously been in touch. Of course, if baby has more than a passing upset, ce you arc in any doubt, always conmlt a doctor-do riot lose valuable time before getting advice.