HEALTH OF WOMEN |

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1623, 14 December 1912, Page 5

HEALTH OF WOMEN |

AND CHILDREN. ! ■ —* : — . '. ; SOCIETY'S MEETING. i PEKVBNTABLE DEATH RATE. ; Tho annual meeting of the : Society for , ' tho Health of Women and Children was \'■ held at tho Town Hall last oveniug. The i Hon. Dr. Collins presided.: ! Dr. Collins stated that, after perusing ! tho report, it was difficult to resist tho \ conclusion that the' society had achieved ' a very useful year. His lceling was that if tho objects of the society were better , \ known, it would -probably obtain very ■ much greater support from the public, ; and, in. Unit connection, tho publication . ] of the annual report would no doubt ' help. People were applying for advice, ■ and for the society's books, lrom all parts of New Zealand, Australia, ond even from .- . ■ ! a3 far away as liarotonga, and that alono . ! showed that, the work of tho society, .was ■ widely known. The speaker then pro- ] cceded to pay a tributo to the' work : which Dr. Truby King had done for tho ■ society. Ho was sure that Dr. King ; had aiot only done a very great 6ervice to '■ the society, but also to (he public of the ; Dominion. In regard to tho general work , of-the society the fact that the Govern- j ment had given a grant of 245. in the £ ■ j was proof that tho Stato recognised the > utility of the work which was being-car- j ried out. The society, has now obtained : ; rooms in a central part of tho town, ■■: whero mothers could take- their children \ to receive attention. • ■ ■j Dr. Platts-Mills. /. j Dr. Pktts-Milk then explained the '■; routino work of; tho Plunkot nurses at I tho society's rooms. The modus operandi ' i was as follow:—When a mother /arrives. '! with her child she tells her story. The ■•! nurse then looks the baby over, •ex- j amines its clothing, and weighs it.. She. , ] asks the mother such questions as-sho ' ; thinks necessary regarding diet, environ- : ' ment, etc. Certain advice is then given. ; j Dr. JL'latts Mills then passed on to -say I that she held a very-high opinion of-the | work done by the society. Possibly the words "infantile mortality and its causes' conveyed but little to the general public, ' . It might be better to speak of "deaths of ■ little children." There was a time when a high death rate amongst little children was regarded as "a part of Nature a scheme," but public opinion had nowchanged. In recent years the declining birth rate in many civilised countries had given rise to Geaiching investigations, with the result that tho child had coma into prominence as being the greatest-as-' Bet which a nation can possess. Nearly, all cases of deaths of little children were preventable, and it was a national disgrace that they should continue to dio ;in their present numbers. Most babies were, born healthy, and they "fought hard for existence, but the baby had gone under in the.endeavour to adapt itself to ■ entirely unsuitable environment. ; Broadly viewed, tho struggle for existence by a baby was a. very unequal one when it had , to compete against ignorance, poverty, dirt, and preventable disease/ The causes given in most cases as accounting for tho . - deaths of , young children were surpassable by one, and that was: Ignorance on,the part of the parents. This ignorance was appalling, becanse it was manifested in . so many directions. It shadowed the whole life of the child-its feeding, cloth- . ing, and surroundings. "We must, rid ourselves of tho idea that a woman knows by instinct how to feed and rear her children," continued Dr. Platts Mills. "There is no period in a girl's life where we can afford to ignore her eex. Unconscious of herself, her parents and teachers must be fully conscious for her, and bo guide and guard her life that she shall attain tho full development of all her ■faculties—not the intellectual alone, Our girls must be taught the art and science of home-making, including: ,(1) The lawa \ of health; (2) the feeding anfi rearing of infants; (8) the art of "nourishing," as distinguished from mere "feeding'; (4) the best and simplest means' of 'arranging and doing the essential house duties; (5) simple ) first aid and homo nursing; (6) training of children in good habits. Br. Platts Mills then dealt with the hygiene of young children. In conclusion sho remarked that the society has proved most useful in following up cases dismissed by the hospital'staff as cured. Sho suggested that it might be well to establish . "schools for mothers." The nurses rooms had begun this good work, and many mothers had gone to learn. By tho aid of the doctors it. could be mad*, a more extensive matter. Demonstrations could be given covering every detail of the care of the infant;- (Applause.) A special vote of. thanks and appreciation of services was passed to Mrs M'Yicar. * The Annual Report. The following is a copy of the report:— The committee has much pleasure in submitting to you the fourth annual report of Vour society, and does so with a feeling that -the -record it contains is a sufficient' evidence of the need of such a society.to holp mothers and babies. The work of the Plunket Nurse has very much increased since last meeting in' the city- and suburbs, and her services are now largely availed of by. the medical profession. . Letters for advice and, ro-' quests for. the society's .book to the num. - ber of 215 havo been received and answered by tho secretary, who has also received many letters from all parts of Australia, and one mother wrote from Earotonga, asking, how-to make humanised milk. . ■ Tho society has been considerably, han- ,- dicapped since the last annual meetinß by several changes-of nurses, jind.,as the . Karitano nurses aro so much in demand, we have been several weeks'; without any nurse, during which time the'.committee carried on the work to tho best of its ability. ■ ■ . ■"...", It was with the greatest pleasure that the committee, read ,jthe 1 announcement that the Government intend to give us 245. in the .C up to oGIOO for every £ which is paid through tho Hospital Board. This will take the place of the, _, .£SO bonus which wo have had in the past towards each nurse. In July, 1911, a poster ball was held in tho Town Hall in aid of the society's funds, which benefited to the extent of ,£l5O. This sum is now nearly spent. Tho committee-wishes to ask members to try and set as many annual subscribers -as possible. We havo 60 members, and if each member were to get two annual subscribers of a- guinea each, it would" bo a tremendous help. Nurse Morgan has arrived from Kαritr.no to tako up her duties in tho distri«t and witli the help of Mrs. Mackintosh, whom the committee hns engaged as second nurse, wo hopo to be able to contend with tho rush of work which olwayasets in during the summer .months. Rooms havo been opened in 86 Vivian Street ns tho society's head office, where tho nurses aro in attendance from 2 till' i every afternoon but Saturday and Sunday. They nro tho greatest heln 'to tho nurses, as, mothers whoso babies "are well enough arc ablo to bring them in to be weighed, etc. This.saves the nurses many journeys to outlying districts. How well the rooms, aro patronised already maj: be seen from the fact that as many ns, nine mothers como in during nn afternoon. Tho committee wishes to extend its best thanks to the Honorary Advisory Board for their kindly interest, assistance, and attention during tho past; also to the Rev. Mother Mary Joseph ■ Aubort; who lias from, time to time taken destitute babies into'the Home of Compassion. Thanks are also due to his Worship the Mayor and Ci.ty Council for their permission* to use « room in the Town Hall for' a committee room, and for a i»«mt of n tramway pass to the Plunket nurses. Wo also wish to thank the press. The balance-sheet showed n credit of .£199 2s. Gd. T.ho election of officers resulted ns follows:—President. Mrs. Algar Williams; rice-presidents, Mesdamos T. .C. Williams. A. B. Atkinson, T. Q. Macarthy, and Fitohott; hon. secretary. Mts. A. MTicar; ' hon. treasurer, Mrs. Neil M'Lo.in; committee, Rev. Mother Mary Joseph Anbert, Lady Stout. Lady Gibbes, Mrs. Wilford., Mrs. Justice Chapman. Miss Richmond, Mrs. W. J. Grey, Mrs. Corri-β-ail, Mrs. S. Kirkcaldie, Mrs. P. Leekif, Mrs. Darling. Mrs. Corliss. Mrs. Wimlc, Mrs. Coull, Mrs. G. J. Reid, Mv. W. P. Ward, Miss Barnett, Mrs. Ponsonby, Mr*. Kane, Mrs. Stanton Harcourt'. Mrs. C, Richardson, Miss M'Lellan. Miss Cable,' Miss Clarke, Miss Payne, Mrs. Malcolm Ross, Mrs. Maeassey, and Mrs. M'Laren; hon. medical advisory board. Dr. PlattsMills. Hon. Dr. Collins, Dr. Fell. Dr. C. Maokie Bear, Dr. H. Kemp, Dr. M'Gavin, Dr. Herbert, Dr. Younpr. Dr. Cahill, Dr. R. 0. Whyte, Dr. Hardwicke-Smith; Piunkot Nnrsee, Nurse- Morgan, Nurse Macintosh. . ■