FINE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE PLUNKET SOCIETY

Chronicle (Levin), 2 July 1946, Page 4

FINE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE PLUNKET SOCIETY

MOVEMENT'S PROGRESS TRACED "" / TALK BY CHARGE NURSE "There are women up and down this land who have been in this organisation for 20, 30 and 40 years, but these older pioneers will in time go and, therefore, jounger blood must be introduced." These words were the introductory remarks made by Miss J. Samson, Plunket charge nurse at Wellington, in an address given last evening to members of the Levin Plunket Society at the conclusion -of their annual meeting. The speaker was introduced by the Mayor (Mr. H. B. Burdekin) and presented with a bouquet and a gift by Mrs._ J. P. Bertram on behalf of the society. "This- is a voluntary organisation," continued Miss Samson, "and during tfie war years many of the older members left to do patriotic work. The war is now over, but the older members whom we expected to come back have not returned. Therefore, we must rely on the younger mothers." Miss Samson went on to say that when New Zealand founded the Plunket Society it had founded a movement which had become greater than its butter, cheese, mutton or lamb. The person responsible for its formation, as was well known, was the late Sir Truby Kjng, who had been born at New Plymouth in 1858. Sir Truby had trained in medicine at Edinburgh and then returned to New Zealand as medical superintendent at the Wellington Hospital. From there he went to Seacliffe Hospital, which was about 20 miles from Dunedin. On the farm at Seacliffe there was a 20 per cent. death rate among the animals, and Sir Truby had set to work treating the gram and housing the animals to such a point of success that he soon began winning prizes at shows. Sir Trufiy was not content with treating animals, and believed That what he had done for animals he could do for people. . At that time 88 babies out of every 1000 were losing their liyes in the first year, and Sir Truby, with his wife, aecided to try and save one baby a day. In five years he was saving three a day. The secret was breastfeeding, and one baby out of every ten in the first year of life was being breast-fed. To-day 80 per cent. of the New Zealand babies came under the care of the Plunket Society. In the cities it was 90 per cent., and in particular Wellington 95 per>pent. There was no distinction regarding the colour of the baby, or whether the child was legitimate or not, for the baby did not choose its parents. In New Zealand there were 70 branches, 700 subbranches, 106 Plunket nurses and 30 fiospital sisters. There was no limeiight in Plunket work and most of it was done behind the scenes. Miss Samson then gave c-:amples of Plunket work in England, Russia, Germany, India and Africa, where in some instances 80 babies out of every 100 died in the first year of life, and also in Australial America and Cgnada. The speaker showed by statistics that New Zealand had the lowest infant mortality rate, and that it cost £100,000 annually to keep the society in operation m New Zealand. Miss Samson concluded by saying, "We are the proud pioneers of the only infant child welfare organisation in the world. We have just finished a battle for death, and we must now start the battle for iife and health."