ANTE-NATAL WORK.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 493, 30 June 1932, Page 4

ANTE-NATAL WORK.

Problems for Obstetrician and Nurse. CO-OPERATION URGED. The centralisation of hospital and medical facilities to give greater effect in tackling the problems of ante-natal work was urged by Dr J. B. Dawson, Professor of Obstetrics at the Otago Medical College in an address to members of the Plunket Society last evening. Dr Dawson first expressed his appreciation of being asked to address the meeting. A comparative stranger to New Zealand, he felt it was a presumption to address so many people who knew his subject. lie was not altogether unacquainted with the work of the Plunket Society. The society’s work here was the foundation of mothercraft institutions in other parts of the world. An American institution, operating in New York, was loud in its praise of the Plunket Society. “ The study of the care of a mother and her child is not new,” said Dr pawson. “ The world at the beginning of this century bore an attitude towards motherhood which was contrary to all biological concepts. The mere mention of motherhood was in the worst taste.” Many Restrictions. The speaker outlined ‘the many restrictions laid on the Victorian young woman, who was brought up in staggering ignorance. In the early days of his professional work, Dr Dawson said that he was continually coming across evidences of this. It was not to be wondered at that the young mothers failed to understand their duty towards their children. With the new century came the cry of women for freedom, and the birth of new ideas. The rebels and heretics of one age were the pioneers of another. In 1907, 'the infantile mortality of New Zealand was eighty-nine for each 1000 babies, but twenty-five years late r the figures were thirty-four in every 1000; a wonderful example of the efficiency of Sir Truby King’s teachings. Dr Dawson said that some might feel that the limits had been reduced to the minimum in the birth-rate, but he did not think so. To achieve any further reduction it would be necessary to pay closer attention to obstetrics. Greater attention must be paid to the early weeks of life. By means of a lantern slide, the doctor gave the following statistics relating to first-year infantile deaths in New Zealand, per 1000:

Maternal Death Rate. The maternal death rate in New Zealand was discouraging when compared I

with the figures relating to Scandi- ' navia and Holland, where the rate was apparently very low. It was useless to compare international figures without analysing them. Scandinavia had a much looser method of compiling statistics than had British countries. The doctor said he had found that the correct figures showed an increase in the rate. The figures for 1929 per 1000 were:— } Uncorrected. New Zealand 4.S 1 England and Wales .... 4.:; ] Sweden 3.4 Holland 3.3 » Denmark 3.1 3 Corrected. New Zealand 4.3 England and Wales .... 4.3 Sweden 4.3 Denmark 4.0 Holland 3^35 2 London, with its huge population, > could be congratulated on having the . same urban death rate per 1000 as j Christchurch. The 1929 figures were: Christchurch 3.0 r London 3*o 1 Dunedin 4’q 5 Amsterdam 4^4 [ Copenhagen 5.4 . Wellington s‘g 1 Auckland ’ C 4 > Stockholm g. 4 > “An ante-natal clinic must be backed by hospital facilities,” stated the speaker. “Clinics without this are use- - less. In Great Britain there are over 2000 clinics, and many of them are usej less in my own experience. New Zealand suffers in common with the rest | of the world in that its hospital sj'stem is decentralised. Scattered institutions lead to waste of time and money and . to delay in the determination and ; elucidation of disease.” Mrs J. Cracroft Wilson, president of the branch, in moving a vote of thanks 1 to L)r Dawson, said that it was a great ; j privilege to have him address the meeting. The motion was seconded by Dr L. Averill. He said that an intelligent public opinion was necessary to back up what Dr Dawson had said. The motion was carried by acclamation.

Under Over Yenr. t'month. 1 month. 1926 25.46 14.30 1927 25.63 12.91 1928 25.41 10.7 7 1929 23.26 10.84 1930 24.03 10.15