OUR BABIES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 13713, 30 September 1908, Page 2

OUR BABIES.

(By Hvgeia.) .

Published under the auspices - of. T the

Society for the Promotion of the Health of Women and Children. AN INDIGNANT COMPANY.

At the last meeting of the bunedin branch of. the Society, the secretary' of the Taieri and, Peninsula Milk Supply Com : " pany waited .on the Committee, and drew attention to a. long letter attacking the company and the. Society by Dr. Hendry, of Invercargill—a letter occupying over four pages of the current number of the "New Zealand Medical Journal." Mr Beissel said :

"The company felt that the reflection on their efforts, as implied in the writer's complaint—' a mother handing over the feeding of her infant to the T. and P. Company,' etc. —was not only uncalled for, but singularly inappreciative of all the company bad been doing in connection with infant feeding. The complaint of the doctor throughout the letter was that by supplying a suitable artificial food for infants a wrong was being done to the community by inducing mothers to substitute 'humanised milk' for the n;:tur.il food; The company and their employees had" taken up quite the' opposite stand. On the opening page of their pampnler tissued to all clients purchasing humanised milk) appeared rhe following : MOTHER'S MILK. .Before describing artificial feeding it is desirable to state emphatically that no device will ever ensure to the infant advantage equal to suckling by a healthy mother. Human milk cannot 'be made outside the human body, etc^ They had not entered on the work of humanising milk as a money-making concern, but were content if it merely paid for itself." Mr Beissel referred to the fact that, in association with-the Plunket nurse, they were daily making up large numbers of special milk prescriptions for doctors free of charge, and they had done everything in their power to help the medical profession and the' work of the Society. Members of the committee, commenting on Mr Beissel's remarks, endorsed all he had said, and expressed high appreciation of the work the company had been doing. They had not only helped the society 111 the factoiy, but had b„«n most generous in their donations, both in money and in supplying humanised milk free to poor mothers and to institutions for destitute infants. In regard to Ihe charge made for milk, it was pointed out- that theie was no other place in the world where humanised milk was dispensed at so l- w a rate. For instance, in New York and Boston, if cost 2s 6d a day to feed a boby on this milk, whereas in Dunedin it cuat only. sd. ■■■■■; CARPING ATTACK ON THE SOCIETY.

The company certainly has good grounds for complaint, but the attack is primarily and principally directed against the Society. Dr. Hendry no doubt started out •'itii the intention of seeming to patronisingly play the part of a friendly critic, but be soon giv<& up all attempt at disguising his true feiings, and enters blindly into a carping attack on the Society, its employees' and co-workers, and against the sale, preparation, or use of humanised milk. r THE DOCTOR AS MORALIST. He tells us that he does this in' * the moral and physical interests'- of motherhood in general, but he should realise thai in denying the best substitute for motherV milk to the very large proportion ofbabies who cannot be fed at all or wholly at- the breast, be is in effect proposing to offer them us as a vicarious sacrificv for the shortcomings ,wilful Vof-otherwise, of their mothers. The baby , already unfortunate in not having the best food available is to be denied the second b st, and allowed to go to the wall/ lest other mothers who could, if they would, suckle their babies, should be tempted to' i©e humanised milk. This is one -way of preaching and teaching morality, and no -j$ b V*P F ' J aent3l 7 imagines tßat sojtaeftoy "sfmtf {tune, fsomewhece; tbeffcaby .'•Vill in-; .directly come in for its share of benefit He may even persuade/himself that-, by inducing a sufficient' atonemeixt; he M ill exalt the rising, race of women and cause them to mount in the. interests of theiroffspring, as Zangwill would have it, "to heights of health and holiness undreamt of in our sick generation," btif is his wny leally the right way to attempt reform? The babies of to-day have thems;dv,s some primary rights, aud in spite of anything that may be said by this new friend of theirs, who com<s in so strange a they might well retort on him if thev could,

"It is all very well to dissemble your love, But why do vott kick us downstairs JUMPING AT CONCLUSIONS. Dr. Hendry's method of attacking the Society is interesting. He starts out with certain gratuitous assumption. Failing jto find support- for his views as to the motives and work of the Society in any of their numerous pronouncements or publications. he derives hk» ideas from a man • who he says is "an ardent supporter of the Plunket nurses." THE SOCIETY A BAND OF EVILDOERS. In this roundabout way lie comes to tha following curious conclusions as to th« Society's aims, motives, and tenets: r (1) "That if mothers will do wrong," we the members of the .Society, hold that we "ought, to teach them how to do it with a minimum of evil results to themselves and their children." Commenting on this lingular statement of his, Dr Heudry says:—"The same argument would logically justify striving to lessen the evils arising from any immoral course of conduct, while no attempt was made to reform the evildoer. So far from thi> questionable principle being a mere gratuitous assumption, I contend that it mipllbity or explicit}- d<-U-immin<i> the conduct of thr most ardent advocates on behalf of thr children."

(2) "Tlify set-in to consider the more important task of eombiruig the eAi»tmg avt-mion to breast-tei-ding quite In J* Sims and are directing .ill their et..- gi«i to instructing mothers :n the in r*t. rite* of an artificial substitutr; ami in so t'oiug 'are aiding and abetting one of me most ominous t-viLs of modern society."

tier Excellency Lady Pluufcet, ard the wom?n who throughout, the I ouiiniou have forun-d Leagues for mutual Ir-)j> and instruction in alt matters *)•-• ;.-tiiy atfect ing the welfare of mother .u.d ol'i|,ring, will certainly be if no: amused, to hot- themselves a* l»r. ll«iidiv tn-e* them. A Vrty dillfer.*nt p< t tin w.ls conjured UJI by "the founder < f ti.e I'lt.nkvt nursing schi hh- when, moved t y all high intuit. sh- devi.v-d the motto: " For the sak«- of women and children. tor tlu- advancement of the j)ominiou, ; t,d f., ( the honour of th<- lunpii.-. OUR RKAL ALMS AND MISSION. Throughout the course of <-ev« ntl vrat*, during which tbt- Society and it« foo-run-n»-r* h-iv.- tfivin addrc:it-s and scattered publications broadest throughout th- Dominion, tlf kf-y-notc of all their wotk has been the inculcation of a higher conception of moilwliood jnd it* I«»]M>luobiiiti<-»>, the r.tr-nuoi't, :<dvo<-4t-y oi brf.ivt-fo-ding. and an in»a.tcn<e in f- ason and out of hi th«* harm « iii> li t>r.ult'i to both motln-r -ind ilnl i Iroui bottle feeling. JSuch is primary ami <-.vn ; ial l«"»»oti con v.y«-d by • \< t_v Plunket uuive- thv l<e.iiin winch pr«'t «-<ic!> cVriv [Jt.ict ic.ii il« tiioij»l t.l ;kid of the prif<_cti> of |>r> {iariug h*;rnatiiH-il tnilk, and the fust fotiu <>i :n which any candidat»- for th«- jwsition of I'lunket nune *• r«qiiir«*d to «iimr )>r«ii licni-y. A f* w tipforv th»- 1 tiblkatioii i.i I Jr. H<-ndry'» h'tt-r. t«<» who ivrfe tinii'i *|n-i framing at tin- Kari'aiic Ma by H<.f>|ntal. ttiih a viewto aj)|»t»in!iiKnt a* I'iunkft mitr«-s atN'apier and l'a]nier?o'»n X'irtii r<-s|s-c! i\v!y, cam'- tip f<>r rtatnination. an-1 the tiif.t '|u.rtn.n in the jujcr was ;z, foilow > ;

"Give shortly in order of importance the leading steps to be taken by the expectant mother vwith:view to ensuring a healthy baby," normal labour, Tml!~ an ample naturally".'available,supply tf iiirmai milk." •.-■■■

How the candidates for employment by a Society which Dr. Hendry implies Las impotently abandoned* all hope and effort in the way of : influencing women in a healthy and nonnal direction, and whichis now engaged in, "aiding and abetting one of "the most ominous evils of modern society," - answered this question, vill be shown, in the next issue. The essentials for answering it may be .found on tfce lirstpage of the Society's pamphlet on the Care and Feeding of Babies, of which 110 copy seems to have come into Dr. Hendry's- hands, though over 10,000 Lave been issued, and it has been in ise in the. very hospital over which he presides. CORRESPONDENCE. The following telegram Has ;.wn received from Westport:—"'Page jh, new pamphlet line 24 teaspoonful printed instead of tablespoonful."' We have to thank the lady vlio sent ihis.> Other mothers should correct their copies.