OUR BABIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3105, 17 September 1913, Page 66

OUR BABIES.

Br Hylgbia.

Published under the auspices of the Society for the Health ol Women aud ! Children.

“ It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.”

ADDRESSES OF PLUNKET NURSES AND SECRETARIES. Dunedin. —Plunket Nurse Laing. Tel. 1136Plunket Nurse McLaren. 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‘George, 54 Loudon street. Tel. 1(37. Christchurch. —Plunket Nurses Ellis, Hansard, and Kilgour. Office of the Society, Chancery Lane. Office hours, 2 to 3 p.m. daily (except Sunday). Hon. Scorctaiy, Mrs H. Pyne, Bcaicy avenue. Id. too. Wellington.—Plunket Nurse Morgan; assistant, Nurse Mackintosh. Society s Room 86 Vivian street. Tel. 2425. Hon,. Secretary, Mrs M‘Vicar, 27 Brougham street, City. Tel. 2542. •\tickland. —Plunket Nurses Chappell and Morgan. Tel. 851. Office of the Society, 2 Chancery street. Tel. 829. Office hours, Tuesdays and Fridays, 2.30 to 4 p.m. Hon. Secretary, Mrs W. U. Parkcs, Marinoto, Symouds street. Id. 240. ~ „ . Napier. —Plunket Nurse Donald, Marino Parade. Hon. Secretary, Mrs Hector Smith- t Timaru.—Plunket Nurse Bowie. Office ot the Society, Sophia street. Tel. 514. Office hours, 3.30 to 4.30 p.m.; Saturday, 2.30 to 4 p.ra. Hon. Secretary, Mr Ernest Howden. , Invercargill.—Plunket Nurse 0 Shea, Allen s Hall, Kelvin street. Hon. Secretary, Mrs Cruickshank, Gala street. Hastings (Hawke’s Bay). Plunket Nurse Purcell. Office of the Society at Air Bates’s Pharmacy. Hon. Secretary,Airs T. W. Lewis. Td. 285. Wanganui District. —Travelling PlunKet Nurse, Wanganui, Alarton, Patoa, Nurse Hursthouse, Tel. 949. Secretary and Treasurer, Miss B. Cummins, Tel. 377. Oatnaru District.—Travelling Plunket Nurse Dcnniston. Hon. Secretary, Mrs Haines, Bank of New Zealand. Uannevirke. —Plunket Nurse Wright. Hon. Secretary, Mrs Bickford, Bank of New Zealand. Ashburton. —Plunket Nurse Kilgour. Hon, Secretary, Miss M. Aloore, corner of Case and Peter streets. Society’s Baby Hospital, Karitane Harris Hospital. Anderson’s Bay. Dunedin, id. 1985. Matron, Mice Campbell. Ihe Matron has begun a systematic course of talks to mothers and others, to be continued every Wednesday afternoon between 2.30 and 3.30. At these talks the Matron will be glad to answer questions. All interested are invited to attend. PLUNKET NURSES’ SERVICES FREE.

THE SOCIETY’S BOOK. The Society’s little book, entitled “What Baby Needs,'’’ can be obtained from the Matron, Karitane Harris Hospital, the Plunket purses, the' honorary secretaries, and the leading booksellers throughout the Dominion. Price, 6d; posted, 7d. THE ESSENTIALS FOR HEALTH. In concentrating attention on one point, such as mastication, we must never lose sight of the other essentials for health. We have repeated these over and over again, an-d it is needless to recapitulate them now. Our readers will also find these and all other essentials for Childhood in the little book “What Baby Needs,” and also in the new illustrated edition of the book on “The Feeding and Care of the Baby” which is about to be issued by the Society. . „ There is one essential, however, which nearly everyone ‘‘believes in” nowadays, but which, on investigation, is found to receive scant attention, and that is—fresh, free-flowing outside air. How many children have as much pure air as they ought to have, especially during the night? Mothers say; “The children have plenty of fresh air; they are out all day long; indeed, they are never in,” —quite oblivious of the fact that they are crowded together in close rooms for 10 or 12 hours in each 24. Thus all night long they are breathing polluted air, and a large portion of the vigour and energy stored up during the day is taken from them by the devitalising action of the poisoned air which they breathe during the night. It cannot be too strongly insisted upon that merely airing a bedroom only provides enough fresh air fob half an hour. If mothers could be brought to realise this the children would be great gainers in the race of life. The following instance which occurred recently illustrates what I mean.

ILLUSTRATIVE CASE. A email boy of four was nearly always “peaky.” He tended to eatcb colds, to have heal spots, and generally to be somewhat dekeato. soft, and pasty. He slept in the same room with h's parents and a younger child The window of the room was open a few inches at the top, the blind was fixed below the open space, and there was an onen fireplace; but the air current was quite insufficient. and I suggested that the window should be opened w : do, and the children should have a separate room, with a proper air current passing through it. The mother said the younger child was too voung, and the other would he afra'd to sleep alone. T said. “Try. and see how he gets on.” A few days later I saw them, and su'd. “Well, has .Ta."kv got his room yet?” His mother sa : d “I tried him. but he wouldn’t sleep bv himself.” The little h-w was standing by. and I said to him “Why. Jaelcy. you are not going to he a little coward. Annie (mentioning someone he know) had a room to bo’-Relf long before she was age—she bleed to have her own room ” About a fortnight later I saw them again, and the little boy appeared rmite transfigured—he was so bright, fresh coloured, and radiant. T remarked how wel* he LOOKED, and h : s mother replied, “Yes. he is verv well.” 'Then. turning to the little boy. I said. “Well. .Tacky, have you a mom to yourself yet?” Rather to my surprise he answered with evident pride. “Ves. come and see,’’ and he showed me h : s room and all its contents. T said to h : s mother, “Von see what a difference if has made already”; but she looked scepti-

cal, and evidently thought the improvement a matter of chance.

The above case is typical of what has happened again and aga n in my own experience. Delicate, ailing children have become strong and healthy when they have been given a full supply of pure, fresh air, and the few other simple essentials for health.

It is hard to get mothers to real'sc that there is such a thing as air, and I must say hero that many of the- fathers are almost as bad. The fathcis arc often much more reasonable and accurate with regard to the feeding of the baby, but they seem to be just as sceptical as the mothers with regard to air. One would have thought that the value of a free, full supply of fresh air would have been forced upon them by the way in which consumptives pine and die if they dwell in ordinary, what are called “well-aired” rooms, but often recover health when they sleep on a verandah or in an open shed.

HEALTH OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN. The monthly meeting of the Society for the Health of Women and Children was held in the Town Hall on Friday, when there were present Mesdamea Carr (in the chair), J. Hoes, Ansell, Sargood. Stroutts, James Allen, Jackson, Thcomin, Adjutant Tweed, Miss Gow, and Mies J. M‘George (hon. secretary). The Matron of the Karitane-Harris Hospital reported for the month of August:— 4; deaths, 1; number in hospital, 15; number of visitors, 263; letters written, 42, The admissions were aT from Dunedin. All those ec-.it out were quite restored to health. The baby which died was admitted to the hospital two months ago with a trouble which proved to bo incurable. A lecture was given by Dr Sydney' Allen, and the usual weekly ones were given on Wednesday afternoon by the matron. Plunket Nurses Craig, Grace, and Pascoe having passed their examinations had taken up their positions in Gisborne, Ashburton, and Dunedin, the last-named having a temporary appointment. The Misses Reynolds, Thomson, Arundel, and Doolie had completed their 12 months’ training, and passed their examination as Karitane baby nurses. Five of the students of domestic science had commenced their course of six practical demonstrations. One of these had applied for permission to spend her vacation at the hospital in order to learn as much of the work as passible during that period. A lecture on “ Motherhood" was given to the mothers of tho kindergarten children at Caversham. Otago Central was visited by the matron in tho interests of the society. On the afternoon of August 12 a meeting was held at Bannockburn, and on the evening of the same date one at Cromwell. At both these places the people were much .n sympathy with' the movement, and said they had already raised a considerable sum towards a Plunket nurse’s salary for that district. Owing to inclement weather the attendance at an afternoon meeting at Clyde was small. The same evening a meeting was held at Alexandra. Those present were most enthusiastic, and asked that a second meeting be held on the following afternoon, so that an opportunity might be given to a larger number to attend and discuss the subject. This was done, and arrangements were made to raise funds to join with Cromwell, etc., to provide a quota of the ealary for a nurse for the dia trict. The local doctor kindly offered to giVe lectures towards this object. On Friday, the 15th, Naseby was reached, but owing to the bad weather and the stoppage of the train service many of the residents did not expect the meeting to be held, so there were few in attendance, and nothing was definitely decided. It is expected that as an outcome of these lectures and demonstrations given by the matron in these towns that a travelling Plunket nurse will shortly bo appointed to this district. The Plunket Nurses’ report for August states that the number of new cases were 28; cases under care, 565; breast fed, 69; partially breast fed. 42; visits to homes, 609; visits to Plunket room, 61; expectant mothers, 25; humanised milk, 6412. Babies in the south district who had been suffering from whooping cough and measles were, with the exception of two cases, quite well again. Several mothers travelling to different parte of Australia and New Zealand were supplied with humanised milk specially packed for the babies during the journey. In both districts the babies were thriving and doing well with the exception of a few cases which lately came under the care of tho nurses. Donations of parcels of clothing were received from Mrs Arthur Sidey and Mrs Macdonald, and tho nurses would be very grateful for further donations of baby clothes, as they have several very poor expectant mothers on their list. The Secretary reported having received letters of inquiry upon various points con- . needed with the work from tho following branches: Gisborne, Taihape, Cromwell. Mangaweka, and Morrinsville, The Hon. Treasurer (Mrs Thcomin) reported having received £ls 5s maintenance from Karitane-Harris Hospital, also a number of donations and annual subscriptions. Messrs Nimmo and Blair, for the third year, were very kindly supplying the hospital with all vegetable and flower seeds.