THE PLUNKET SOCIETY

Southland Times, Issue 23544, 25 June 1938, Page 9

THE PLUNKET SOCIETY

To The Editor Sir, —It is a great pity that it has-been considered necessary to conduct an attack on such an institution as the Plunket Society. When one considers the amount of good this society has done for the infant welfare of this country, surely it could be left alone to carry on its splendid work. A glance at the pre-Plunket infantile mortality figures alone must convince any reasonable person that the Plunket system is sound and reliable. That there are occasional failures does not indicate that the system is at fault, but rather that the parents in many cases do not follow out the advice of the Plunket nurses, or use the common sense that a mother should exercise. Before a doctor condemns this system, let him inquire into the circumstances of the case and make sure that the babies are Plunket babies. The fact that a baby is weighed every week by a Plunket nurse does not make it a Plunket baby. Unless the mother obeys the nurse’s instructions, the Plunket Society cannot be held responsible for tjie child’s welfare.—Yours, etc., PATER. June 24, 1938.