OUR BABIES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11112, 30 November 1914, Page 7

OUR BABIES.

Published under the auspices of the Society for the Health of Women and Children. ADDRESSES OF PLUNKET NURSES AND SECRETARIES. ‘ ‘lt is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom. ’ ’ Wanganui.—Plunket Nurse Hudson. Office of Society T.Y.M.I. Buildings, The Avenue. Office hours 2 to 4 p. m. daily except Tuesdays. Saturday 11 to 12 a.m. Secretary Miss R. N. Cummins, P-0 Box 84. Marton, —Plunket Nurse Hudson, every Tuesday. Office of Society Ingle Bros., Broadway. Telephone 37. Hours 1.30 to 5 p.m. Hon. Secretary, Miss Cook, Bond Street, telephone 54. Christchurch—Plunket Nurses Hickson and Hansard. Office: Chancery Lane, Cathedral Square. Dunedin.—Plunket Nurses Lain and Torrance. Office: Health Department Rooms, Liverpool Street. Timaru. —Plunket Nurse Campbell. Office: Arcade Chambers. Ashburton —Plunket Nurse Hickson. Office := Bullock’s Arcade. Invercargill. —Plunket Nurse O’Shea Allen’s Hall,' Kelvin Street. Auckland. —Plunket Nurses Chappell and Brien, Park Street. Napier. Plunket Nurse Donald, Byron Street. New Plymouth. Plunket Nurse Morgan. Office, Town Hall. Wellington.—Plunket Nurse Laing. Office: 86 Vivian Street. Society’s Baby Hospital, Karitane Home, Anderson’s Bay, Dunedin. THE SOCIETY’S PUBLICATIONS.

'The new edition of Dr, /Truby King’s book "The Feeding and Oare of the Baby," can be obtained from tne Matron, Karitane-Harris Hospital, Dunedin, the Plunket Nurses, the hon. secretaries, and the leading booksellers throughout the Dominion. Price ls, v posted Is Id. The Society’s pamphlet "Baby’s First Mouth” is issued free by Government through all Registrars of births. • By "Hygeia. ” PLUNKET NURSES’ SERVICES FREE. THE SOCIETY’S BOOK. The Society’s little book, entitled *’ What Baby Needs,” can be received from the Matron, Karitane, Harris Hospital, the Plunket Nurses, the honorary secretaries, and the leading booksellers throughout the Dominion. Price, 6d; posted 7d. DANGERS OF HOT WEATHER. Last week I gave some extracts from an Important aiticle by'Dr. Schereschewsky, of Washington, dealing with the directly injurious effects of hot weather on the baby. I shall now give some further extracts, because they are of great practical importance to mothers in safeguarding their babies from the risks to which they are bound to be subjected more or less when they have to face the extreme heat of summer or a chance "nor’-wester” day at any time. Dr, Schereschewsky points out • the need of free ventilation of houses, and says: CIRCULATION OF AIR, The circulation of air is of great assistance in eliminating heat from the body by accelerating evaporation. Recent experiments show that in stagnant air harmful heatsymptoms make their appearance at temperatures between 70deg. and gOdeg. Fahr., but these disappear when the air is set in motion by a fan. Seeing that heat is a direct factor in the causation of summer infant mortality, we should expect to find an increased number of deaths of infants in houses and in sections of cities where conditions are unfavourable to the circulation of air. Such, we find, is the case. Ballard, in his extensive investigations of summer mortality in England noted that when the wind had free access to houses the cummer infant mortality was low white it was high iu those cities or sections of cities where from the disposition of the streets or houses they could not be swept by the prevailing winds in summer. Meiuert, to whom belongs the ere fit of being the first to mvesti-

gate, in Dresden, the relation of Housing conditions to the summer mortality of infants, found that in the case of 580 infants dying in the 11 summer weeks the conditions' were almost invariably such as to prevent the free circulation of air in the rooms in which these children had lived. In only one instance did any of these infants die in a house exposed freely on all sides to the wind. The infants died in those dwellings which from their low-lying situation or their location in the rear of other dwellings, etc., were denied the access ot cooling breezes: or they die in houses where from the disposition of the windows “cross ventilation” was impossible. A dwelling was regarded as susceptible of “cross ventilation” when it possessed windows in opposite walls, as partially so when the windows were in walls at right angles to each other, susceptible to “cross ventilation” when windows in one wall only were found. Speaking of the prevailing conditions indoors in hot weather, Dr. Sohereschewsky says: It is clear that infants kept indoors are often onliged to endure, lor considerable periods, temperatures which are greatly in excess of those of the external air. Moreover,, the effect of these temperatures is often enhanced by excessive clothing. It is a too frequent experience to find the busy mother keeping the baby in the kitchen, often near the stove, in order to have it close at hand. EFFECTS OF HEAT IN.CAUSING DEATH. It most be clear from the foregoing that the greater the summer heat the greater the number of infant deaths, and that it is an indoor and not an outdoor climate to which infants ape mainly exposed. Dr. Sohereschewsky continues:

The action of heat as a direct cause of summer mortality of infants has been greatly underestimated in the last 25 years. In future much more weight should be given to its influence. If we are to prevent summer diarhoea we mu?t improve the housing and indoor conditions, and there must be free ventilation, day and night. Mothers must be told how harmful undue heat is, especially indoor heat, and that when hot weather is present special efforts must be made to prevent overheating and overfeeding of babies by use of lighter clothing, plenty of fresh air, increase in the amount of water given, and reduction in the amount ot food. This last is best attained by diluting the food on very sultry days it a baby is artificially fed. If a baby is breast fed be naturally tends to suck less and draws off only the thinner, weaker milk. In spite of all that has been said, Dr. Scheresohewsky concludes with the remark: “Breast feeding must still be regarded as most, if not the most, important preventive of the summer mortality of infants.” However, cool, fresh air is essential to health and safety. KEEP THE AIR DRY AND DOOL. If there is much moisture present in the air the injurious effects ot hot weather are greatly increased; there fore a baby kept indoois in a stuffy, poorly ventilated room, where the moisture of the breath accumulates, is bound to suffer. From what Dr. Scheresohewsky says, American physicians do not seem to have thoroughly investigated this point as regards the baby. However, no one who attended the lecture given last year by the Hon,. Dr. Barrett, of Melbourne, and heard his references to the extensive scientific observations made in Australia regarding the healthiness of hot, dry air and the deadly effects of warm, moist air can doubt the extreme importance to mother and child of keeping the indoor air as dry and cool as possible in summer time by means of the freest ventilation —wide open doors and windows. The mother need never be afraid of the natural dampness of the pure open air, whether in town or country —she can let -the‘outside air into her house freely at all times. It is the breath-laden dampness that she should be warned against.