OUR BABIES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17567, 18 June 1925, Page 14

OUR BABIES.

(By

HYGEIA.)

Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Plunket Society). “ It is wiser to put up a fence nt the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom. A KARITANE HOSPITAL FOR WELLINGTON. Ill's Excellency the Governor General, Sir Charles Fergusson, delivered an impressive address at a meeting at the Town Hall recently, called to consider the question of establishing a Karitane Hospital in Wellington. There was a good attendance, and the proceedings were marked by great enthusiasm. A committee, with power to add to its number, was set up to carrj r on the campaign. Lady Alice Fergusson accompanied His Excellency, and the speakers included the Prime Minister (the lion J. G. Coates), the Mayor (Mr C. J. B. Norwood, who presided), Sir Truby King, Mr Ernest W. Hunt, Dr I). Macdonald Wilson (Medical Superintendent of the Wellington Hospital), and Dr J. S. Elliott (chairman of tho Council of the Now Zealand branch of tho British Medical Association). TIIE GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S ADDRESS. “ I am in two minds at the moment,” said his Excellency the Governor-Gene-ral, ‘‘as to how much to say on this subject, because there arc other speakers coming after me who, I think, are much more qualified to give their views than I am; but there arc certain points in connection with the scheme which I should like to refer to. May I say, in starting, that there are some things which I have found that a GovernorGeneral may do, and there are certain things which he may not do; and one of the things which I have been told I must not do—(laughter)—is to bo coxistantly associating myself with appeals for funds—a very salutary rule, I quite see, because if one is continually going round anrl making appeals for institutions and things in which one is interested, one would become a public nuisance—(laughter). But, after all, at school one used to think that rules were made to be broken, and although not for a moment would I advocate that, still there are always exceptions to rules, and I think no one will quarrel with me if I, on this occasion, associate myself in the warmest possible way with this appeal—(applause) and I am a little comforted in taking that attitude by the thought that my constitutional adviser is sitting not very far from me.— (Renewed laughter). —An Amusing Incident.— “ The first time that I came in contact with this movement, curiously enough, was before I arrived in New Zealand—on my way out to this Dominion. We left England in November, and it was rather a stormy time. As soon as I got my sea-legs, I decided to study literature about New Zealand. I settled down on deck one morning with a large parcel of literature which had been given to me by the High Commissioner on leaving London. I took up the most important looking package and opened it, expecting to find a mass of information about the trade, products and commerce, and so on, of New Zealand, about which it was very desirable that I should become intimate. But the first paper which met my eyes was a pamphlet headed: ‘ What Are-You Doing about Baby?’— (Laughter). Well, at the moment I was not thinking about baby, and so I turned to the next lot of literature, immediately underneath; and the next pamphlet I cam© to was 1 Tho Feeding and Care of Baby.’—(Laughter.) The next was ‘ Baby’s First Month,’ and then others referring to ' the feeding of babies and the car© of their teeth—(Renewed laughter.) To cut a long story short, it seemed that the question of the earo of tho baby was on© with which New Zealand was very intimately connected, and I thought I had better read up all about it. So, instead of studying the trade and commerce of New Zealand, I spent that morning reading the wonderful accounts of the Plunket system.— (Applause.) “OF WORLD-WIDE FAME.’* “As regards the name, do not let us forget that, however much Lord and Lady Plunket were helpful and sympathetic in the initiation of this great institution, still the fact remains that we have on this platform to-night the man of world-wide fame, who is directly responsible for it —Sir Truby King.—(Applause.) And here in New Zealand when we arc talking about nursing and about the baby, do not let us forget that Sir Truby King is here—the originator of the work; who has supported it during all these years, and who is qualified more than any man in the whole world to speak about it and give testimony as to its use.— (Applause.) WHAT TIIE SYSTEM MEANS. “ Now as regards the system itself, and what the work does, I think that probably most of you are familiar with it. The system is one by which nurses are trained as Plunket nurses, with full knowledge and understanding of all that science and all there is to be taught about not only nursing, but the care of children and everything connected with them. And then I understand there is also the Karitane nurse, who is qualified in much the same way. A great part of the system is to produce a large nursing staff who are amply qualified in every possible way to give advice to all on this important subject. IMMENSE BENEFITS. “ The Society started off in 1907. I suppose in those early days it would have been open for anybody at a meeting like this to say; ‘ Yes, that is all very well as a theory, but is it really of any particular use.’ But that time has entirely passed, because we have the evidence of all these years to show of what immense use it has been. What do wc find? “ I understand that Mr Ernest Ilupt is going to give you some statistics, but I must refer to one or two figures, just to make my point. You have got this extraordinary fact: that since the system was started New Zealand has become absolutely first in the world as regards its low record of infantile mortality. It is far ahead of any other country; and the particular city | in New Zealand in which it started j shows even more marvellous results. You probably are familiar with these figures, but let me mention some of them.” NEW ZEALAND'S PROUD POSITION. His Excellency quoted figures showing the deaths from infantile diarrhcea and enteritis of children under two vears of age: the annual mortality per 1000 births from this disease for the five years 1918-22, according to the latest available statistics. The figures quoted were those of a number of countries throughout the world. New Zealand’s rate being the lowest, 3.5. “ Take that one figure alone,” con-

tinued his Excellency, “is it not perfectly marvellous? That is the figure for New Zealand as a whole; but in Dunedin—the home of this system— I think I am right in saying that in the last three years from that disease—the most fatal of all diseases of infants—there has not been one single death.— (Applause.) When the society commenced its work in 1907 no less than 25 babies per 1000 died in Dunedin from infantile diarrhoea. “ The chart shows that ever since this system was started the reath-rate has fallen consistently. There can be no better evidence than that to show that the decrease in the mortality is directly due to this system. Those figures speak for themselves. “Compare those figures with the figures of other towns and of other countries, and the result is perfectly astonishing. Just take one or two: New Zealand, 3.5 per thousand: Australian Commonwealth, 18; New South Wales, 19; Sydney, 22; Tasmania, 14; Hobart, 18: Great Britain, 15; Canada’, 2-1; South Africa, 23. “NO MYSTERY IN TIIE THING.” “ I have had the advantage of talking with Sir Truby King on this subject, and he has given me a lot. of information. I understand that the whole point is this: it is a matter of education and training. There is no mvstery. It is simply a matter of education, and the people knowing what is the correct management of the child in its earliest, stages. It is a matter of feeding and care. It is nothing more J than learn. Of course, it is not only j the care of the child, but it, is also the | care of the mother —educating the mo- ! thcr in the care of herself. There- J fore education is the very first thing; • and it is by those educational methods | that this system has achieved its sue- 1 ccss.” ... J