OUR BABIES

Otago Witness, Issue 3084, 23 April 1913, Page 62

OUR BABIES

Br Hygkia.

Published under the auspices of tb« Society lor the Health of Women and Children. . “ It 1« wiser to put up « fence at tn« top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.”

ADDRESSES OF PLUNKET NURSES AND SECRETARIES. Dunedin. —Plunket Nurse Laing. Tel. 1136. Plunkct Nurse ,M‘Laren. Tel. 2814. Office of the Society, Post Office Building, Liverpool street, Dunedin. Office hours, daily (except Saturday and Sunday), from 3 to 4 p.m. Hon. Secretary, Mrs Joseph M'Georgo, 54 London street. Tel. 1737. Christchurch. —Plunket Nurses Ellis, Hansard, and Kilgour. Office of the Chancery Lane. Office hours, 2 to 3 p.m. daily (excent Sunday). Hon. Secretary, Mrs H. Pyne, Bcaiey avenue, lei. Wellington.—Plunket Nurse Morgan; assistant, Nurso Mackintosh. Society s Room, 86 Vivian street. Tef. 2425. Hon,. Secretary, Mrs M’Vicar, 27 Brougham street, City. Tel. 2642., Auckland— Plunket Nurses Chappell and Morgan. Tel. 851. Office of the Society, 2 Chancery street. Tor. 829. Office hours, Tuesdays and Fridays, 2.30 to 4 p.m. Hon. Secretary Mrs M H. Parkes, Marinoto, Symonds street. iol.

240 Napier. —Plunkct Nurso Donald, Marine Parade. Hon. Secretary, Mrs Hectoi Timarm—-Plunket Nurse Bowie. Office of the Society, Sophia street. Id. Office hours, 3.30 to 4.30 p.m.; Saturday 2.30 to 4 p.m. Hon. Secretary, Mr Ernest Howden. *, . n , Invercargill.—Plunkct Nurse 0 Saea, Allen s HaT Kelvin street. Hon. Secretary, Mrs Cruickshank, Gala street. , Hastings (Hawke’s Bay).-Plunkct Nurso Purcell. Office of the Sociotj at Mr Bates’s Pharmacy. Hon. Secretary, Mis T W. Lewis. Tel. 285. Wanganui District.— Travelling Nurse Edmonstone. Sccretaij, Mi s Oamaru ofstrict. —Travclling Plunket Nurse Denniston. Hon. Secretary, Mrs Haines, Bank of New Zealand. Dannevirkc. —Plunket Nurse W right Hon Secretary, Mrs Bickford, Bank of New Zealand. Tr rj/vn Ashburton. —Plunkct Nurse Kilgour. Hon. Secretary, Miss M. Moore, corner of Cass and Peter streets. _ Society’s Baby Hospital, Kar.tane Harns Hospital. Anderson s Bay Dunedin. T 1985. Matron. Mias Campbell. me Matron has begun a systematic course of talks to mothers and others to be continued every afternoon between 2.30 and 3.30. At tbe=e talks . tho Matron will bo glad to answer questions. All interested are muted to attend. PLUNKET NURSES’ SERVICES FREE.

THE SOCIETY’S BOOTY Tho Society’s little book, entitled What Bahv Needs,” can bo obtained from the Matron. Karitanc Harris Hospital, the Plunkct nurses, tho honorary secretaries, and the leading booksellers throughout the Dominion. Price, 6d; posted, Td.

Besides the above centres, where 1 Junket Nurses are already at work, branches of the Society have been formed at trio following places:Alexandra Mayfield

Amberley Milton Akaroa Mosgicl Balclutha Napier Blackball Naseby Blenheim Nelson Blulf Oamaru Cambridge Orepuki Clyde Otautau Cromwell Pa tea Dargaville Picton Dennistoa Reefton Eltham Richmond Geraldine Riverton Gisborne Rotorua Gore Roxburgh Granity Stratford Greymouth Sumner Hamilton Tapanui Hawera Taihapo Helensville Taumaranui Heriot Temuka Hokitika To Awamutu Inglewood Te Kuiti Kaiapoi Thames Kaikoura Waihi Lawrence Waipawa Manaia Wakefield Masterton Westport Marion Whangarci Mataura Winton. DUNEDIN ANNUAL REPORT.

As the sixth annual report of the Central Council of the Society for the Health of Women and Children, just issued, gives a summary of the work of the Society since ita initiation, we are sure it will interest our readers.

No doubt many of you are already members of the Society; if you arc not, wo trust you will join at once. Wo arc certain you will agree that every patriotic citizen ought to take part in our Health Mission. The Honorary Secretaries of the local branches will be glad to receive the names and subscriptions of those wishing to join. Besides subscribing to the funds, wo trust that members will take a personal interest in the Society’s Mission and try to acquire and spread the simple fundamental knowledge which, if acted upon, makes all the difference between health and ill-hca’.th in so many homes. Expansion of the Societa'. —It is difficult to realise that the small Association which was inaugurated six years ago in Dunedin has grown to such largo proportions. You may remember that the Society was started to continue and extend a Health Mission among mothers and babies which had been instituted privately by Dr Truhy King some 13 months before. This primary work was carried out with the aid of one nurse and the co-operation of the Sisters of the various Churches, to whom lectures and dompnstra tions had been given, and who took the knowledge thus acquired into the homes of the poor which they visited, while the services of the nurse were a vail cm I of by all classes in the community. Besides visiting homes, the nurse had carried out the modification of milk in an accurate and systematic way where artificial feeding was indispensable. This was rendered possible by the

public-spirited co-operation of the Taicn and Peninsula Dairy Company. Foundation of Baby Hospital and "Our Babies’’ Column. —Almost immediately after (. to formation of the Society for the Promotion of the Health of Women and Children, as it was then called, the Karitano Hospital was started in a small seaside cottage, am. the weekly “Our Babies” Column, which has appeared regularly ever since, was first published in the Otago Witness. Formation of Branches. —A few months later a branch Society was founded in Christchurch. Their Excellencies Lord and Lady Plunket became greatly interested in the work, and the Governor issued a small pamphlet setting forth the necessity for such a mission, and appealing to all classes to join the Society: “For tho sake of women and children, for the advancement of the Dominion, and for the honour of tho Empire.” Lady Plunkct threw herself whole-heartedly into tho work, showing hei intense interest by lecturing, demonstrating, and personally helping the mothers and babies. Her Excellency was instrumental in founding all tho original branches of tho Society in the North Island —namely, Wellington, Auckland, Napier, and New Plymouth. Later, Timaru and Invercargill formed branches, making eight in all—four in the North Island; and four in the South Island. Gift of Karttane Harris Hospital.— Meantime the Karitano Hospital had been mov'ed to a house and grounds at Anderson’s Bay wh : ch the Society rented. Three vears ago. through the generosity of Mr Wolf Harris, of London, tho hospital end grounds became. your property. Th's munificent gift added greatly to the usefulness of the Society, and your committee was able to extend the buildings, thus providing accommodation for nursing mother? with their babies, and also room f or a larger number of nurses for training.

The Report will be continued next week