MEDICAL CONFERENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18950, 23 February 1925, Page 10

MEDICAL CONFERENCE.

THE PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. PRE-NATAL INFLUENCES. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANITY. CARE OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. J TIMARU. Saturday. Tho annual conference gf the New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association opened at Timaru on Saturday evening in tho Caroline Bay hall, some three hundred people being present. Iho gathering was a brilliant one, and tho "At Home" which followed the presidential address was one of the most successful social functions which has taken place in Timaru for some. time. The Mayor, Mr. G. J. Wallace, briefly welcomed tho visitors. He expressed the hope that the conference would bo productive of much that would be valuablo in tho alleviation of human suffering, and that tho visiting medical men and their wives would carry away with them pleasant and lasting memories of Timaru and its people. Dr. F. G. Gibson, of Christchurcli, a past president of tho association, apologised for the absence of Dr. Carrick Robertson, the retiring president, who greatly regretted his inability to bo present. lie had much pleasure in introducing the new president, I)r. W. W. Hislop. Dr. Hislop was the senior medical man of South Canterbury. For more than thirty years he had been settled in Geraldine. Ho was a man of wide reputation and personal and professional integrity. After expressing his apreciation of the honour done him by his colleagues in asking him to be president of the conference, Dr. Hislop said that he intended to depart somewhat from the customary lines of the presidential address, which dealt with some subject of special interest to the medical profession and the general public, and speak of the influence of prenatal condition and impressions, a subject which must bo of special interest to his colleagues in general practice, whose function was not only the cure but the prevention of disease, a duty ■which could only bo successfully carried out by close and friendly observations of patients ill all the phases of their life. Tribute to Plunkct Work. There could bo no doubt that the condition of life and the impressions made upon tho expectant mother had an important bearing upon tho life of the future infant. After referring to tho excellent w'ork done by Sir Truby King and tho Plunkot Society in educating tho public in the rational treatment of the infant, Dr. Hislop went on to say that the general environment of the mother, the housing, feeding, climate and all physical surroundings undoubtedly played a part in producing impressions upon tho expectant mother, and these wero reflected in the unborn child. It was a constant wonder to workers in large towns how any robust children could be born under the circumstances which surrounded the mothers in the poorer quarters of the larger cities. A possible explanation might be that the mother, having become accustomed to her environment, transmitted no unusual maternity impressions; but one could imagino that a woman whoso conditions of life had suddenly been changed from those of decency to those of slumland would transmit impressions of misery and anxiety to her child. The physiological fact that the food supply of the unborn child was derived directly from the blood supply of the mother made the question of diet one of supreme importance. A deficient supply of the proper class of vitamine meals, tho use of poorly nourishing foods unsuitable in quality and quantity, and tho excessive use of tea or alcohol were all powerful agents, the results of which wero seen in the undersized, rickety infants so often brought forth in the great cities. The want of or excess of certain salts, such as lime, potash, etc., would have a distinct effect upon tho child. Diseases irom Wrong Diet. Errors of diet on tho part of the mother might be the cause in the child of defective teeth at first dentition, excessive glandular tissue manifested by tonsillar hypertrophy, and adenoid growth, all of which might develop at an early age, and might be the predisposing cause of other diseases such as appendicitis. It was a well-known fact that a sudden shock or severe mental strain might seriously affect a pregnant woifian, often resulting in a sudden death of the foetus, miscarriage, or premature birth. One was often told that certain marks appearing on tho infant were due to a shock or fright sustained by tho mother. Although it was difficult to accept tho mother's statement as scientific, evidence the subject was well worth careful study. Proof of any theory of maternal impressions was hard to obtain, but that it did exist had been the belief of countless people in both ancient and modern times. He thought that medical men were justified in ascribing many cases of still-birth and mortality of very young infants to defective pre-natal conditions, and these it should bo their earnest endeavour to remedy. The expectant mother should be induced to live the simple life, by which he meant a simple life as regarded diet, habits and environment, Moat should be taken in great moderation. In this country the danger was not underfeeding but overfeeding. Work and exercise up to a sensible point was beneficial, but long hours in factories and shops had been found to have deleterious effects upon both mother and infant. Tax of Severe Housework. Housework was often a severe tax upon the young expectant mother, and help was often needed to tide the* overworked woman over her period of physical and mental strain. She should avoid close, badly ventilated rooms, whether at dances, concerts, or cinemas. General hygiene was important, and all care should be taken of the teeth, digestion, etc., In recent years great improvement had taken place, and there was at present a genuine attempt to lead a more natural life. In the early days, life deponded chiefly upon strength, and only the strongest and most crafty survived, but all this was now changed, and tho weak and unfit were carefully preserved, with a very definito effect upon each succeeding generation. It was all the more essential that the ante-natal conditions of the infant should bo as favourable as possible, so that tho newly-born should not commence life with the handicap of weakness or degeneration. After touching upon the work of the late Dr. J. W. Ballantyne, and the prematernity clinics, Dr. Hislop went on to* say that in New Zealand comparatively little had been done in connection with pre-natal clitics, but' as the importance of building up a stropg race became more and more impressed on the minds of tho public, undoubtedly this branch of public health would be recognised as a national care. In New Zealand he was glad to say pre-natal clinics had recently been established. They would prove of great service, especially in the larger centres. Tho maternity hospitals would also be of inestimable benefit. In conclusion, Dr. Hislop said that whatever might be the opinion held regarding some .of the theories ho had advanced, whether' too much (stress had been laid on the influence of impressions, there could, he thought, be no doubt of the necessity of bright, healthy and cheerful surroundings, and the great advantage to be gained by ante-natal supervision and treatment. ' • ■