INFANT WELFARE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1981, 11 February 1914, Page 8

INFANT WELFARE.

DR. TRUBY KING'S IMPRESSIONS OF ENGLAND. TRAINING IN PARENTHOOD. NEW ZEALAND'S EXAMPLE. Dr. F. Trilby King, who represented Now Zealand at "the English-speaking Conference on Child AVelfaro and Infant Mortality,held in London recently, 1 returned by the Ruapehu yesterday, accompanied by Mrs. Trtiby King, and iu the evening left for Auckland to attend the Medical Coiiferenoo iiow sitting there. Interviewed during tho day, Dr. King furnished some interesting information regarding the proceedings at the congress in London, and also as to the views of health authorities in England in reference to the health and care of infants and children. "The attendance at the special 'infant' congress," said Dr. King, "was about 1000, but the enrolment at the great Medical Congress was about largest medical congress that has ever been held. At this congress also considerable attention was given to the question of the welfare of infancy. "Baby's First Month." "Beforo dealing with tho .general question, I may mention that the secretary of the National Leaguo~for Physical Education and Improvement informed me, just prior to my leaving for New Zealand, that the leaguo wa3 arranging for the publication in England of newspaper articles on tho model of what is carried out in New Zealand, and that they had-already got tlio names of fifty newspapers which wero willing to undertake their publication. In the October number of 'National Health,' the official organ of tho leaguo, a series of questions are given under the heading of 'Mothercraft Competitions,' and the answers to tho questions are supplied as given in tho Ivew Zealand Government publication, 'Baby's First Month', (written by Dr. King). The Now Zealand Government has just published 30,000 copies of this book, and they issue a copy to every mother on tho birth of her child. The answers given_to tho questions are taken from the New Zealand Government publication. Campaign of Education. "At the present time, not only in England, but throughout ■ Europe and America, an enormous amount of interest is concentrated upon the que&. tion of securing the best nurture ana rearing of children, and an enormous amount of public money, contributed, by tho Governments and the municipalities. is being expended, in. addition to What is being done by the voluntary organisations which have come into existence, mostly during the last five years. The English public health authorities frankly recognise' that the conditions for the rearing of healthy children, and especially the training in parenthood, is lamentably deficient,' especially as regards tho self-reliant four-fifths or moro of tho population, all .educational effort hitherto having been . expended upon tho very poor, or submerged, in the way of charity—nothing in -the way of a, broad system of education in motherhood for all classes, entirely independent of tile question of charity as wo have it in New Zealand. "Dr. Lafotra, a leading New York specialist on children, and. late editor of'tho principal American journal dealin,g with children in health and disease, said at the oongtess. that while a great deal was being dono in the United States, for the very poorest, and while the wealthy received duo attention, practically nothing was being doii6 for tho vast mass of. the population, and that unquestionably this matter would , havo to receiv.e the earnest attention of the authorities, _ and he felt that a great deal could be done along tho lines which had proved so succcssful in New Zealand. - • < Lowering the Death-Rate. "During the last few weeks of our stay in England," continued Dr. King, "I gavo a . series of about a dozen addresses in Manchester, Huddersfield, Ramsgate, and London. The-last two, which were given at the Imperial Institute, were attended by a number of leading people, lay and'medical, concerned with tho schools for mothers and other kindred 'organisations. Thero was also ! a ( considerable attendance of professional nurses, who were keen to gain information regarding the work of the Society for the Health of Women and Children. In all directions very great interest is ! si town iu what has been effected in the Dominion during the course of tho last five years, and the health authorities of the leading towns," say, of such counties as Kent,-where the climatic conditions are very similar to the average of _ New Zealand, are satisfied that there is no intrinsic reason why the picked towns having a population of between' 20,000. and 50,000 should show an infantile death-rate at the present time moro than double that of Duvcdin, and not far from doiible that of the whole of New Zealand. They are sanguine that, given proper education and training in motherhood,, there is no reason why their death-rate, should not come down to our present level. It must be borne in mind that tho towns in question, including, foi; instance, Beckenham, Bromlev, Tunbridgo Wells, Dover, Margate, and Ramsgate, are largely !»sidential, and contain comparatively few of tho submerged classes." Welfare of the Race. Dr. King went on to remark that his own impression was entirely favourable in regard to tho climatic conditions for children and. the general status of parents in these places. - .The main thing, wanting .appeared to be .ratio.ua] practical education on the lines which had been followed in New Zealand. "In tho manufacturing districts and in all the larger centres," said Dr.-King, "tho difficulties in regard to the poorer and more submerged portions of the population are .very great indeed; and the olamant needs of this class have hitherto monopolised the attention of all the humanitarian agencies in this direction, both public and private. The discussions at tho London Congress have left no doubt in the mind of the earnest ,and influential people who were present that the main advsnce in the future must be along tho lines of the completo education of the whole community ill matters more essential to the welfare of the race than a great deal of what is now made compulsory instruction under the various education systems. In other words, they are satisfied that education in parenthood, especially education in motherhood, must he given a very prominent uTace, and that the preliminaries in the form of simple hygienic instruction must bo made universal for schoolgirls," s -