OUR BABIES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 293, 6 September 1919, Page 5

OUR BABIES

I'B'f H^or.lA.l

Published under the auspicca of tlio Eoynl New Zealand Society for tuo Health of Yroineii and Ciiildreu". "It ia wiser to put. up a fence at the top of a. precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom."

It iB with regret iiiat we _ record the death of Mrs. !•'. H. Carr, president of tho Central Council of the society, and president of the Dunedin branch. Mrs. Carr was one of the founders ox the society, and it* Hrst honorary uecrelury, i'Toiu liie uennning slie ioli the keenest interest in the v/ork, aud its transuendent importance impressed her more and moro as the years went by. From tho early flays ol our work Jirn. Carr took a very special interest 111 tjio welfare of the children boarded out in homes licensed by the State. Indeed, she was instrumental in rescuing tame of the first inmates of ihe Kantane Hospital from homes which sho visited, and where she sr.w that the biibici v.ere not being properly eared for. Twelve years ago she formed part of a deputation to lao iiiUllSi-Jl'S ill >1 (.'MiHgi'lll ,vi!ICU i*teulted in the transference of the cara of these children from the Police Department to the Depnrtuteit ol Education. Sincc then Mrs. Carr has never neglected an opportunity of tanging before the sueecnatvc Jlini&ters of hrtucaticn the prime necessity of having the tapcetoro of licensed, homes thoroughly trained in all that Jti essential for the rearing of children, especially with regard to icedlug and general hyirtcne. Only a few days before her de.'iui Mrs. Carr droiv the attention of the C.:ntral Council to tho case of an infant whose death ill a licensed home in Auckland wat, fouud by the Coroner to be dut to improper feeding. The losh sustained by tho cociety through Mn. Carr's untimely death is great indeed; hut her milueticc' remains, and the memory of her uneelflsh devotion will stimulate us all ■ to work ,harder than ever before for tlie cause which she liud so mucii at heart. .THE CANNES CONFERENCE. ' Last week we published a memorandum by inr. iie:iry i\ -jjuvison, ohair.uati committee of lied Cross Societies, consisting of rep,-eseututives of tlm tied Cross «uclcties of France, Ureal iiinain, Italy, Japan, and the United States. In it Mr. i/avison stated that— It its the plan o* the Committea ol Ked Crosß ikicieties to proceed immediately to the definite formulation of a plan to be .submitted to the world lied Cross Congress tto be held at Geneva 30 days after the declaration of peace), and for that purpose it will establish working headquarters at Cannes, France. 'l'o this point will bo invited the world's leading experts in pubiio hoßlth, tuberculosis, hygiene, and sanitation and child -wetfaie. This was ue origin of tho Cannes Conference, and many leading authorities travelled from America to France for the polo purpose of being present to licip with their exporicucu and advice. Dr. limile Itoux, Director of the Pasteur Institute, I'aris, presided over the meetings, and among the tieicga:es were many eminent scientists and authorities from the Allied nations. INTERVIEW WITH DR. IiOtJX. Tho following translation of the report of an interview accorded by i'rofessor Itsiux to the editor i>£ "Le l'etit, Nicois" will give our readers somo idea of the object of the conference. In answer io (juestiuus I'rofessor Itoux Eftid: We are met together to set fortn n. programme coiicennns the prevention of diseasu and the development of hygiene. By earnestly carrying out this programme the ; Hed Cross Societies will continue in peace time the good work they did during the war. We do not know ir there ivill be a Eed Cross CougresE, nor when there will be one. \ve are not even a preparatory assembly of the Red Cross. No society has delegated us. Wo are experts, technical advisers, whom the American lied Cross hati called together to establish a plan ol' notion, which will, lie submitted afterwnruß to the various national ltcd Cross Societies. We havo agreed |o the principle of founding a central bureau which will keep lied Grots Societies of tho various countries in constant touch with one another. This bureau will invito the national He'd Cross Societies continuing their elforts to fight against disease, and it will help them to teach hygiene. Finally, it i 6 not so much a question of introducing new medical methods as of popularising actual methods, of educating the public in health matters. Such will be tho role of tho ltcd pross Societies in ycacc, and they ivTH become the best "leijiers of governments—for social hygiene is, and remains, a function of tho Ucvernment. Tho example has been giyeii during the war by the American lied Cross, whose ingenious and fruitful activities agaiijst tuberculosis and for the hygiene of infancy you know of. Tho professor's last words, awakening an old subject of great interest to tho editor, cause hi:n to ask: "Is not tho hygiene of infancy tho fundamental question with which the conference -will assuredly occupy itself?" "There is no doubt of it," replied Professor lfoux. "A special section in set up for this end, and none of our colleagues forget that on it depends tho future of our raco and of humanity." The jjngli3h-speakin,j delegates 011 tho infant welfare section wero Dr. L. Emmet Hull, Now York; Dr. fiamue! Hnmil, Philadelphia; Dr. Talbot, Boston; Dr. Palmer Lucas, San Francisco; Sir Arthur Nousholme, lately medical adviser to the Local Government Board, London; Professor Kenwood, London University; Dr. Truby King. DR. KING'S IMPRESSIONS. The following extracts give Dr. Traby King's personal impressions of the conference, aud a summary of a resolution passed unanimously by all tho delegates:— "Tho International lied Cross Conference which delegates were invited to attend from America and the various Allied countries, proved a most romarkablc and interesting gathering. Infant Welfare for the British Umpire was represented by Sir Arthur Neusholme, Professor Kenwood, and myself. From the time wo Jei't London till our return, a month later, ■ everything was arranged by 'he Red Cross authorities—travelling expenses, accommodation, etc., and the wealthy Americans, who were the main motive power located at Cannes in beautiful villas, certainly gave us a very royal time, placing motor cars, at our disposal and doing more iu the way of enterUiinment Hum you can imagine. We wero a! Cannes nearly three weeks, living at the Carlton Hotel, which is charming, and we paid visits to Nice, Monte Carlo, Jlentoue, Grassc, tet. ltaphnel, I'rejus, so that the whole Riviera was very familiar before we left. "We coud not have been there at a bettor time, the wi-ather was glorious, the sky clear for the. most part and the waters of the Jfediteriancan were more superbly bine and puipio than I had ever seen them. Cannes is certainly the gem of Vno Riviera, and one can imagine nothing more periecliy beautiful man u;t evening eli'ects when the low sunlight streams across tnc 3'stsrcllo mountains, and begins to set 'in' "lorioun scnenies 01 colour and eli'cct, carrying with me stale ul cloud anu sky. "iiowever, it was not fcr seascape, or landscape, or scenery, or outings mat wo were assembled, ana our time was occupied during the day aticuain*,' the Hissings of tlii! main conference or of some of the sections, etc. "It. waa wouuerliil t6 come in close daily contact with sucn a huiuukc oi men representing the modieai prolession, drawn from bail a doy.su natninc, and we all felt that the experience was unique and, in its way, unprecedented. I suppose that ill all we numbered about Hi delegates, selected to <lcal ivitii public health, chiid welfare, i_.a. .11.. ... .1. u.-nv real diseases, una when the final resolutions ami conclusions came lo be drawn up, the representatives of all the sections concurred iu the view that -afier dealing with the immediate and pressing needs of the moment, arising out of famine, starvation and typhus, especially in Poland, Austria, tho Balkans, and Russia—the most helpful, beneficent, and humanitarian project the Red Cross could oack and promote would be liie i u'tlierancc cf enlightenment and training throughout the world aa regards the hygiene of mother and' child. "When Roiix was on tho eve of leaving for Paris, he was iinerviewcd by a French editor who had been pioeent throughout Ihe congress. (Part of this Interview is given above.) Houx impressed all of us in the same way. Be was quite the most inlcresting and striking personality among a company embracing many men of worldwide distinction, lie is old and very frail, but there is Bomethiiig wonderfully attractive in his pi'i'SoealHy. quite apart from his mental qualities and scientific achievements. lie won the' .ilfeclionate regard of the whole congress.