WELFARE OF MOTHERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20960, 25 February 1930, Page 10

WELFARE OF MOTHERS

CHAIR OF OBSTETRICS. APPEAL FOR FUNDS. ADDRESS BY DR. GORDON. The appeal which is being made by the New Zealand Obstetrical Society for funds for the establishment of a chair of obstetrics at the University of Otago was the subject of an address by Dr Doris Gordon, secretary of the society jn the Council Chambers at the Town Hall yesterday afternoon. The fact that the large room was crowded was an indication of the interest which is being taken in the campaign. After outlining the purpose of the meet mg, the Mayor (Mr R. S. Black),\who presided, stated that the establishment of a chair of obstetrics would help a great deal in reducing a woeful and, in fact, criminal waste of life. That waste migb be due to modern social life or to a want of knowledge. The cause was one which must appeal to all who were asked for financial sympathy and he hoped that the enthusiasm which was being shown at present would be sustained. The local fund for fighting cancer had already passed £14,000, but the aim in this case was much smaller. He hoped that those engaged in the campaign would realise that a boat race was only won when the whole team pulled. Sir Lindo Ferguson read the telegram which was received by the Obstetrical Society from the Queen. He stated that it was an impressive., dignified, and very human message showing that her Majesty felt, as, indeed, everybody felt, the importance of an effort to improve the training of the profession which looked after mothers. He was sure .that the message would appeal to everyone. Dr Gordon had devoted herself for a very long time to this crusade. She had started by asking for a contribution of £7500 from Auckland, and if she secured that amount for the establishment of a chair in Otago it would be a triumph indeed. Dr Gordon expressed her pleasure in coming back to ner. university town on such an occasion as this. She felt, she added, that she was coming to Otago with a message from the north, the object of which was to help the university. She had travelled a great deal since graduating, and she was sure that no other country of the'size of New Zealand or town of the size of Dunedin could boast a greater University. It would not be necessary to explain in Dunedin that the obstetrical chair was not a piece of antique furniture as an Aucklander had thought. Nor would it be necessary to explain that, obstetrics were not the science which taught people whai to eat as someone else had thought. The money would be set _ aside for the welfare of women and children, and it would last as long as time lasted. It would make i,t possible to secure ,a highly qualified teacher of obstetrics and would be of great assistance to the University. On each visit which she made to the University she found that it had made greater progress. Both her husband and herself had graduated there, and they had seen far greater universities, _ but both said that if they had their time over again, and even if they had the money to go furither afield, they would still choose Otago. New Zealand’s maternal death rate was hardly as creditable as its infantile death rate, and it was a source of wonder to her that more people had not inquired years ago regarding the funds set aside for this department of the University. She had found in Holland that students were studying obstetrics in their fifth and sixth years, and Holland’s maternal death rate was better than New Zealand's. .Sydney and Melbourne were giving a more thorough training in this direction than was New Zealand. There had been a tremendous increase in knowledge in the •last 20 years, and midwifery was being made _ just as important as surgery and medicine. In New Zealand there was not the time or equipment to give the training that students received in England. ,

1927, Dr Gordon continued, the Obstetrical Society' had been formed as a sub-branch of the British Medical Association, its objects being to study and to benefit maternal welfare in the Dominionvery soon afterwards it had met to constder what could be done to give students a better opportunity of gaining greater knowledge. The main question had been whether a hospital should be established in the North Island or whether the society should stand in with' the University of Otago. It had, been decided that the only wise thing to do was to see that the section of the university dealing with the subject was as up-to-date as possible. , or th e last four years the society had been watching developments and had joined with deputations froin the* univerSlt /, t°, “e Government asking for the establishment of a new hospital. The other essential was sufficient money to create an endowment fund to enable a full-time teacher to be appointed. The Government had placed £50,000 on the last Jistimates for a new midwiferjr hospital, and_ throughout her tour of New Zealand she had never . heard any criticism of its action. Everybody thought that it was necessary, and nobody had questioned Otago’s right to the hospital, boon alter the announcement that the hosP‘ a ' , ' 3e built it was announced tnat the present lecturer on midwifery would soon retire. It had been decided, therefore that the time was ripe to find the fund. Certain wealthy people had been asked to subscribe the necessary money, but on being interviewed they had stated that, while they were willing to they thought that the campaign should be a democratic one, as women all over New Zealand would wish to contribute. bhe was approaching the end of her work, as committees had been formed in r» a i n eve ,£ ■ t ? wu t( ? carry on the appeal In 10 or 12 days she would go back to her country practice, and the appeal would operate simultaneously throughout eW *?- ea during March. There was something inspiring in knowing that the same work was going on all over the country. She paid a tribute to the work that was being done in Auckland. She relt sure that the sum hoped for would be realised, and she hoped that the praise that was due would be given.—(“Hear. k. enr * n peop, ° of New Zealand had given £500,000 to be spent on the welfare ot infants. This had been subsidised by the Government to the extent of £250 000 Ihe result was that New Zealand had the lowest infantile death rate in the world, the public was now being asked to do for the mothers what it had done for the intants. if the money were secured the department at the university would Tre put on a sound footing for the next 'iO years.

It was a mistake to think, Dr Gordon added, that the maternal death rate would ever be reduced to nil. Every succeeding decade made the race for women harder. There could not be an educated public without educated doctors She paid a tribute to the work that had been done by the lecturers at the University under conditions that were far from up to date. The professor of midwifery at Melbourne received £2OOO a year for teaching one subject, but the prospective profe.sor at the Otago University would be asked to teach two subjects. Dr Kite hie had done great work for vears and had received only £75 a year It was high time for complete reorgamsatl?n - .. People,, particularly men, asked why the Government was not finding the money. , It should be remembered that the Government was finding £50,000 for the hospital, and it would subsidise the funds raised by the appeal. It would, therefore, be finding £75,000 for the welfare of women, and it would be doin° itpart. A first-class professor could not be secured if a second-grade salary were to be offered. A highly qualified man could in his spare time do research work Doctors in the North Island wrote to Duneclm for information. The Otago University was the centre of medical knowledge m New Zealand, and she hoped that the new hospital could be made a post-gradu-ate centre. Referring again to the"question of the salary of the professor. Dr (cordon stated that the managers of the twin 8 ' n eKnnn Zealalul received from £3OOO to £SOOO a year. Were women’s lives to be valued at less than commercial prizes?

New Zealand had been divided into four districts, with centres at Auckland. Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin. The two North Island districts were each asked for £7500 and the South Island districts for £SOOO each.

She thought that she should make an explanation of the fact that the maternal death rate was higher in the country districts than in the cities. It was unfair to say that this waa due to a lack of knowledge on the part of country doctors.

If an abnormal case were encountered in a country district in New Zealand the doctor would be called upon to face alone almost insurmountable difficulties. People did not realise what fights went on between life and death. In England a doctor always had another practitioner or a hospital within 10 miles of him. She bad known infants to he horn in railway carriages, in the back seats of motor cars and on the floors of drays and gigs. This was due to the difficulty of getting into the towns, and it could be expected for the next 60 years. It was necessary, therefore, for doctors in New Zealand to have an even better training than they were given in England. The task facing those who would be responsible for the appeal would not be an easy one. No easy task was inspiring. She asked the women of Dunedin to renew their noble war-time efforts for a few weeks and concluded by asking them to remember that Mr Victor Bonnoy had said: “The life of a woman is at stake, the life of a child is at stake, and the happiness of a man is involved.”

Lady Ferguson, in moving a vote of thanks to Dr Gordon, stated that many people would remind them that the price of wool was down and that the appeal was coming at a .had time, but they were not going to be downhearted. She wished to thank Dr Gordon for her unselfish work, which would benefit every woman in New Zealand. :