OUR BABIES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17031, 3 May 1923, Page 4

OUR BABIES.

HYGEIA).

(BY

Puhl ifilied under the amp ices of the Royal New Zealand Society for tlio Health of Women and Children. “ It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.” PLUNKET WORK IN PALESTINE. Perhaps few of our reader* know that the Jens in New Zealand sent two nurses (specially trained in the care ot babies; to Palestine The question naturally arose as to where tiie nurses should be trained many people holding that they should be New Zealanders, sent from New Zealand. Eventually it was decided to send nurses from Lonond who had been trained at the Motliercraft 'Training Centre at Earl’s Court, which was founded by Dr Truby King, and is run on New Zealand lines. The reasons for this step were (1) The nurses chosen had been in touch with th© large Jewish population in London and know something of the Yiddish language. (2) Palestine is nearer London, and the expenses of transit are therefore much smaller. Two nurses left England for Palestine just over a year ago, and naturally we are interested to hear how they are getting on. OPENING OF THE CENTRE. Yesterday, June 7 (1922), the New Zealand Plunket Centre, Jaffa, Palestine, was officially opened by Aliss Zold in the presence of the Alayor and several officials of Tel Aviv and Jaffa, the local committee and other influential residents. The company expressed their surprise and pleasure at the appearance of the centre, which certainly looks unexpectedly cool and fresh when coming in from the heat of the sun and sand. The rooms are cream-washed, woodwork and ceilings painted blue, floors tiled, and furniture and curtains white. The is progressing slowly, but, we think, surely. The country is new to preventive work, and does not readily understand the needs of « clinic giving neither medicine nor food. Doctors here are innumerable, and wc have the added disadvantage of working on a system quite uuknovn to them. Up t-o date we have not met one who knew anything of the system, and only one who wished to know. AYo are endeavouring to spread tho idea of our work to the mothers through the midwives. AYe have seen many who have promised their support, and we are now* organising a special meeting for them in order to explain our work and the need for their cooperation. Our greatest hope, of course, is in the work itself, and we have definitely succeeded in restoring the breast milk in five cases, while in five others progress is satisfactory. THE SEPTEMBER REPORT (1922.) This month Dr ZlQcisti lias commenced to hold his weekly consultations at our clinic. . . . Fortunately among our mothers there is a large percentage of young women with their first babies. When there is no superstitious grandmother in the rear, it is easy to train these mothers in the way they should go. Some of the superstition* one meets with would be laughable if they were not affecting the well-being of tiny babies. Our massage cases have again been, successful, and it is pleasing to hear that some of the sceptical doctors of Jaffa and Tel Aviv are now admitting the value oi" our methods. AVe find that tho babies of Palestine compare fairly* well with those of England. A largo proportion of those who attend our clinic arc of Russian oi Polish parents. Among these there is a marked absence of rickets, duo no doubt- to our abundance of sunshine and clear air. We are now visiting our mothers. This is no easy task, as most of the streets have no names, and none of them have numbers. Alanv of the people still live in tents or barracks on the sand dunes, and sometimes, after wandering from one to the other, one unsuccessful in tracing the family.