OUR BABIES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 64, 8 December 1917, Page 2

OUR BABIES

[BY HTGEIAiI

Published under the auspices o( the Society for tlto Health of Women and Children. "It is wiser to put up a fence ot the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom." \, DIETETICS, EXEIJOISE, AND DECAY OP THE -TEETII. At the Burns Hall, Duncdin, there was a very largo attendance of girls from the secondary schools to hear Professor BoyeBmith, and in tho evening Dr. Sydnoy Allen and Mr. Armstrong (president of tho Duncdin branch of tho Dontal Association) gave addresses to a very largo audience. All threo lectures were illustrated with lantern elides. Tho following summary is adapted from one of the newspaper reports:— DOMESTIC SCIENCE AND A HEALTHY EAOE. Professor Boys-Smith took as her eubject "Tho Importance of Domestic Scienco In its Practical Bearing on the Reariug of a Strong and Healthy Raco," and her interesting remarke covered tho wide field of dietetics-cookery and hygiene. Under the last heading she laid down somo excellent rulca oj health, all probably known to most people in a vaguo way, but too often unobserved. For example, that babies and young children should not be over-stimu-latcd, inado to "look at things," or say words before they were ready to do so, all of which made them grow up norvous and excitable, and might do oyeu a great deal more harm than that. In tho matter of sleep, she said that children under blx years ehould have at least 13 hours' sleep each night. Children from eight to 10 years needed 10 hours' sloop, and girlß of 14 and 15 required tho samo amount. She spoko with ciuphaeis, too, on right and wrong poetures, particularly condemning "those miserable little- perambulator chaire which do eo much barm to tho wonderfully tender backs and spines of vory young, growing children." EXEHOIBES FOB, WOMEN. Dr. Allen's talk ie a little difficult to reproduce, consisting as it did ot demonstrations from dingrama and lantern elides. But a few important points can bo indicated. - Ho said that the displacement of tho abdominal "organs was quite uucommon among men, but only too common amonp women. The organs in question were kept in position by a projection of curvo which ho would call the lumbar shelf (tho curvo of the small of tho back. When this curve was healthily developed, it took of! perhaps two-thirds of tho dead-weight of the organs resting upon it. In regard to the dillercnces betweon man and 'woman,"none' was more marked than the relative strength of tho anterior abdominal wall. The woman's tended to be weaker than man's. In the case of a' weak anterior abdominal wall, tho lumbar shelf tended to beoomo vertical, in which case the colon slipped from the shelf and dragged into the pelvis, causing the'right kidney ta drop with it. This state; known as floating kidney, was vory common,in women, and a- general displacement of the .viscera produced hideous deformities, which surgeons met every day. It was, therefore, highly important that women should keep their abdominal muscles well developed. Rational exercise would develop both the posterior and anterior abdominal mueclee, such exercisee, for example, as— (1) Standing upright at "attention" and breathing slowly and deeply till f the lunge were filled and tbo strain ' was felt on the abdominal musclee. • (2) Bending, back with arme extended above the • head, and then bending forward till the hands touohed the feet. (3) A rotary movement on the axis of the body. (4) Lying flat on the back, and in that posture raising the lege (knees straight) at light angles to the body, and then lowering them slowly.(5) Lying flat on the back and rieing to a- sitting posture without using the hands or arms. * All these practised gontly, and never over-done. The importance of women keeping themselves fit was obvious. Tho death-rate of infants here wae S per cent., and it was as high as that only because tho hospital received eo many imperfectlydeveloped babies. The cause of this lay largely in the health of the mother dur. ing the time ehe was carrying the child. The death-rate could be reduced to 2 per cent, if children were born healthy. The greatest caueos of death were prematurity, imperfect nutrition at birth, and if a woman kept fit these would be romoved. Moreover, tho two great dangers of maternity—haemorrhage and Tepsis—would also be largely.eliminated, if. womett.would. exerciee their bodies. Those were a few of facts related by Dr. Allen with"great, 'emphasis: and in a bluntly humorous "mariner that highlydiverted his auditors at times, DENTALLY CLEAN SCHOOLS. Tho other ovening lecture was a naper by Mr. Frank Armstrong (president of the Dunedln branch 'of the Dental Association) on "Tho Why of Dentistry." MrArmstrong said that heaskod the support, of the society in" a campaign for "dentally clean sohoole." They had got to get the sohools dentally clean, and he contended that the next big public health movo must come from dentists. The "why" of dentistry was all tho time public healthpublic health in relation to developing "jawe; public health in eliminating the bacteria- incubators in nine out cf ten children's mouths; pnblio health in suppressing epidemics. The most eminent pathologists were reporting oases cf heart lesion, appendicitis, leeione of tho ear and eye which they olaimed were caused by pathological condition of the mouth, and which were cured whon this condition was removed. At this time, whon every child wae of great potential value to the State, there wae particular reason why this matter should bo tackled. . It had taken 100 full-time dentists, a small army of mechanics, and -unlimited private workers to make New Zealand p -First Division fit. This -was obviously duo to neglect during school life. The neceesary steps for commencing the work of making the schools dentally clean wore a preliminary dental inspection undertaken by the Education Department and periodical inspection afterwards. He believed the University Council were-wilhng to do everything to help, and work could bo Btarted right away in the ' rental Sohool Building. - ~ , Whon a medical man like Profeseor Oslor laid it down that if ho had to chooec which had done more harm-drink or bad teeth-he would unhesitatingly say bad teeth, Burely a scheme for dentally clean schools would get all-round support. Dun-, odin had started tho movement for the more efficient care of children; and he hoped that Baby Week would result in tho wakening of the Public Health Department to their obvious duty of making the echoolß dentally clean. The only hope our nation had yiu in the physical efflclonoy of the future fathers and mothers'. Dr Truby King added a few Yforde. He said it was a disgrace that in a splendid country like this there, should be between five and ten millione of decayed Eh Hβ could aesure Mr. Armstrong lhat tho Plunket Society would submit :\ i- Stpr to all branches, and he Sought he'could say to the Dental AssSion that they could be sure of the W support of the society to any movet (ilnt would tend to -wipe out this efficiency. '■'