OUR BABIES.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2193, 4 July 1914, Page 11

OUR BABIES.

rji niorn.i Published under ttao auspices of tho Society jor tho Ucaltb ot Women cud Children. "It \<i wiser to put up «v fence ot tho top pi ft preciplco than to maintain in ambulance ci th« bottom." AMERICAN TRIBUTE TO NEW ZEA- • LAND. I have before mo a bulletin of 18 pages, entitled "Tho New Zealand Society for tho Health of Women and Children—nn example of methods of baby-saving work in small tonus and rural districts." ' This pamphlet was- issued somo two years ago from tho United Stntos Government Printing Offico at Washington. It is published h.v tho Olhcial Children's Bureau for dissemination throughout tho States, and tho introduction explains that tho attention of the American authorities wns drawn to the work of our society by a report of tho American .Consul-General at Auckland. The Chief of tho Bureau then proceeds:— "Now Zealand, lileo certain of our States, is a young and vigorous country, with a scattered population and with nn largo cities, and there is every reason to boliovo that similar volunteer effort in this country would produce similar results. In view of tho marked and growing interest in the preservation ot" infant health in tho smaller cities and rural communities of tho United States, I beJievo tho following account of tho methods of the Now Zealand Society is especially timely. It will bo seen that tho public interest is strongly enlisted In its efforts . .l . and tho Government it-self assists in various ways. The detailed statement which follows is not offered for the purposo of urging exact reproduction of tho Now Zealand organisation, but rather to stimulate interest in working out whatever methods aro practicable locally for. securing tho same results which New Zealand secures." On pago C is given n facsimile reproduction of the society's graphic chart, showing by black columns tho rospectivo infantile death rates for Old World cities and Dunedin, headed by 2S per cent, of deaths for St. Petorsburg and ending with only 4 per cent, for Dunedin. This is followed by a compreheii6ivo table showing an infantile mortnlity averaging 14 per cent, for the live Sta'tes quoted, compared with 5 nor cent, for New Zealand (1912). Thirty-seven American cities are given with an averago of 135 infantile deaths per 1000 babies horn, contrasted with a rato of enlv 33 deaths per 1000 for Dunedin in 1912. NEW ZEALAND A HAPPY FAMILY. Tho Americans give us Now Zoalanders credit for such Utopian amity and goodwill tliot wo might seriously 'aspiro to mako good tho rather exalted estimato conveyed in tho following description:— . . "A writer (Max Horz), in speaking of tho country (Now Zealand), 6ays that it is liko a big family. It is "easy to understand what ho means when an examination is mado of-tho reports and publications of tho various Governmental, semi-Governmental, and private agencies engaged' in betterment work. Thc-ro is a noto in these reports which testifies to a genoral spirit of co-opera-tion . . . and an encouragement of mutual helpfulness. As tho chief interest of tho individual family is centred upon tho baby, tho interest of the wholo community in tho welfare of infants seems to havo been deepened by tho development oT tho family spirit in New Zealand." Ono blushes to think .that. wo.have not done more.'The fact that'we havo not yet reached more than half-wav along tho road to tho Utopia described is no reason why wo should not go tho wholo distance and mako ourselves quite worthy of tho good opinion that our cousins havo formed of us. They give us something to aspiro to. What better ideal could a country have than to ho "liko a big family" ? Judge Chapman said many years ago: "Tho natural destiny of New Zealand is to be tho nursery of the British raco in the Pacific." Tho following reference in the American bulletin to tho Society's Haby Hospital will bo read with interest :— KAIUTANE-HAUIUS HOSPITAL. '"Tho Society's Hospital is the only baby hospital in tho Dominion, and in somo respects it is tho only one ol its kind in tho world. Tho unique feature consist of providing accomodation not only for the babies, but, in many instances, for the mothers of the babies as well. It is felt that when a breastfed baby is not thriving it should bo weighed before and after feeding to ascertain exactly how much milk the mother is providing. By having a mother remain in tho hospital with her baby in such a caso the hospital authorities can attend to such woiguings very carefully, and can study tho enso with thoroughness. Moreover, a week's freedom from caro and worry, "if the rest bo taken in timo, will often make all the difference between health and ill-health to both mother and child, and. will often secure breast-feeding." Tho bulletin then quotes as .follows from Dr. King's address at tho Infant Mortality Congress in Loudon:— "111 ono sense tho healing of babies is tho least important aspect of our hospital work. Tho institution is" a school for mothers,( nn over-open objectlesson, by means of which some tltousands of visitors of all classes seo mid aro taught personally everv vear the itsentials for healthv motherhood and babyhood, whilomothcre who have any troublo with their bahies aro encouraged to become inmates for a week or ten days, so that they may be set upon tho right track." ' ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. There aro two .babies with their mothers now resident in Karitano Hospital. In ono caso tho duration of stay has been too short to enable ono to say anything moro than that both mother and child arc making good progress. In tho other case, whero tho sojourn lino been ten days, the baby, who, in spite of tho best' home circumstances, was putting on no weight, gained 9oz. in the week, while tho mother's supply has gono up from only lOoz. a day to 17oz. This shows what'can bo done by systematic weighinc before and after nursing, and properly-adjusted Mipplenientary feeding, etc.—no gucssini;! ' Glnxo Builds Bonnr Babies.—Advt.