PLUNKET SOCIETY.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20234, 19 February 1934, Page 9

PLUNKET SOCIETY.

Well-attended Quarterly Meeting. NURSES REPORT TO COMMITTEE. The quarterly meeting of the Royal N.Z. Society for the Health of Women and Children (The Plunket Society) was held in the Plunket Rooms. There were present: Mrs J. Cracroft Wilson in the chair, and Mesdames C. Chilton, A. W. Hale, H. D. Acland, M. Bassett, E. Harris, A. Banks (Belfast), Oxley, Parsons ( Amberley), H. T. J. Thacker, S. p. Godfrey, A. R. Bloxam, J. Stevenson, W. O. Rennie (Ellesmere), A. W. Beaven (Sumner), J. Tait, c. H. Holmes, H. J. Ball in, B. Boulton, M. H. Oodby, F. W. Seldon (Ashburton). E. Woodfield (Cust). A. M'Killop, H. R. Smith, C. M. Ollivier, O. T. J. Alpers, J. W. Douglass, L,. M. Wilson, 11. Wyatt. H. M’lntosh (Kaiapoi), \Y. H. Cowper, I). IV- Gould, E. Wanklyn, H. Wales, G. Aitken, H. A. Knight (Malvern), A. F. Wright, P. Greenwood, D. Deans (Sheflleld). N. M’Gilllvray (New Brighton), W. Marks, F. J. Delamain (Marnhlan-l), K. Ballantyne. E. Cordner, W. J. Skutr (Oxford), J. Selby (Kirwee) and Cecil Wood. The resignations of Mrs A. B. Jones and Mrs A. F. Wright, president of the Sydenham - Cashmere - Spreydon SubBranch, were received with regret. Mrs Wright agreed to continue to act on the executive committee of the Christchurch Branch, but she wished to be relieved of the arduous duties of a subbranch president for the time being. Appreciation was expressed of the work of Airs 1... Clark and Airs H. A. Young, who had acted for many years as a selection committee in connection with selecting trainees for Kiaritane Hospital. Lately Mrs A. R. Bloxam had also been added to this committee, which met monthly. The Dunsandel Sub-Branch had paid their quota for nurse's services for the current year, and a donation of £2 2s had been received from the Timaru Branch towards Karitane Hospital. Nurse E. Harman had been appointed to take charge of the east district, and a rearrangement of boundaries had been effected to allow -the work to be more equally divided. Nurses Horrell and I'i.erton had commenced duty at the Rlccarton and Papanui districts respectively. It was unanimously decided to hold a meeting of all the committee members of the Christchurch branch and sub-branches, town and country, towards the ehd of March. Airs Knight (Alalvern Branch) and Airs Seldon (Ashburton) asked that the members of other branches might be included in the Invitations. The following delegates to the special conference in Dunedin on February 22 were appointed: Mesdames J. Cracroft Wilson. J. Stevenson, N. Al’GUlivray, A. R. Bloxam, AI. H. Godby. Cecil Wood, J. Tait, H. Wyatt, O. T. J. Alpers, K. Ballantyne and P. Greenwood. Chicken Pox and Measles. For the central office, Nurse Allan reported as follows:—New cases 89, visits paid by Plunket nurses to homes 457. Visits paid to the central and suburban rooms, including New Brighton, Sumner and Redcliffs, totalled 2433 adults and 1989 children. In the pre-natal section Nurse Elliott saw 27 new cases; 115 return visits and 22 casual visits were paid. Three visits were paid to homes and 93 cases were under observation. In the pre-school section 14 new cases were enrolled, 165 children were seen, 19 casual visits were paid, and 1485 children were under supervision. The nurses reported chicken pox and measles encountered in their work during the month, and a certain amount of summer sickness amongst the babies. Apart from these complications, the work of the nurses has gone on steadily. At this time of the year many travelling mothers brought their babies to the rooms for weighing and advice, and some have been supplied with milk at the railway station or at the roomSi Nurse A. C. Horrell joined the staff at the beginning of January and Nurse B. K. Alerton took up her duties in the Papanui district a-fter her annual leave. Nurse Horne reported that ten ou-t----stations had been visited and 153 adults, 143 babies and 40 pre-school children had been seen. Seven new cases had visited the rooms and 35 visits had been paid to homes. Progress of Triplets. For the Karitane Baby Hospital, the matron reported that ten babies had been admitted, fifteen discharged and eleven were in hospital. Six mothers had been admitted to the Mothers’ Cottage, seven discharged and two were in residence. Triplets were born in Christchurch on January 15 and wn. n twenty-four hours old the two smaller babies were admitted to-Karitane Hospital. The smaller of the two was extremely weak and died eighteen hours after admission. The other baby was now perfectly normal. When the two babies were two weeks old the mother came into residence at the Mothers’ Cottage, bringing with her the third and largest baby. Both the surviving babies were gaining weight satisfactory.