FOUNDER’S DAY

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 194, 15 May 1944, Page 4

FOUNDER’S DAY

Tribute To Sir Truby King And Plunket Work LADY NEWALL’S SPEECH “It is my privilege to be with you in this beautiful country tonight to pay reverent tribute to the great work of Sir Truby King on this 1-1 th of May, his birthday,” said her Excellency Lady Newall in a broadcast last night. “The Plunket Society or, more formally, the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and l Children, was founded in Dunedin by him in 1907. As a mother, and oue who has had special opportunities to see and love many of your children in both Islands, I am proud to join with you in re-dedicating ourselves to the welfare of mothers and their precious babies, who so much need grown-up protection and care till they can decide wisely for themselves.

“Before starting his work among mothers and babies, Frederic Truby King lived at Seacliffc, with entire charge of a large farm estate of over 1000 acres. He corrected malnutrition which had run rife among the young animals there, and soon carried off first prizes at agricultural shows. He also greatly improved the plants and vegetables by eradicating disease in crops. Through observations and experiments in practical animal and plant-farming, his interest was aroused in the application of preventive medicine and in the cause of humanity. “Dr. Trilby King became an eminent nerve specialist, who came forward at a time when there was an appalling and unnecessary death-rate among infants. He had great difficulty in overcoming the prejudices of ignorance, but convinced the people of this Dominion that nearly every baby born was healthy and normal, that every mother had the responsibility of a new life placed in her hands, and must give it its birthright. Nature’s food; that she should know how to care for her child by the simple rules which eliminated germs, tight clothing-, lack of sleep and wrong feeding.

“He had to fight an almost universal notion that maternal instinct was a sufficient guide, and he showed how disastrous mistakes were being made every day by mothers throughout the Dominion. Soon after starting the first small hospital for babies he established a training centre for nurses, from which trained women and girls have gone all over the country as 1 teachers and friends of mothers and babies. This has been greatly helped by the doctors, the Government, and members of the entire population. It has spread to many parts of the world, and our Queen is patron of the Mothercraft Centre in England. Since 1910 the numbers of both infant hospitals and Plunket centres have been considerably increased, so that, by improving municipal and domestic cleanliness throughout New Zealand, hundreds of lives have been saved, and New Zealand has won the distinction of achieving the lowest infant mortality in the world.

“I spoke just now of Plunket centres, and you know they bear the name Plunket because both Sir Truby and Lady King and the people wished the centres and nurses to be called by Lord and Lady Plunket’s name —the Governor at that time —as a testimony of gratitude for their constant support and great help to him in his work both here and in England. I think all New Zealanders will be pleased to hear that when recently at home I had the pleasure of talking with Lady Victoria Braithwaite, the former Lady Plunket, she seemed very well, and is. as always, an intrepid and inspiring power for good, and still greatly interested in the work you are doing. The name Karitane is also used, and is derived from Sir Truby King’s own house which he left to the nation as a training centre. “New Zealanders seem to me wiser than most, in disproving the old adage of a prophet in their midst, by universally recognizing the inestimable value of what Sir Truby King gave the world as far back as 1907, and by proving its remarkable results ever since, through intelligent practice. You need no reminder from me of . the great dangers and waste brought about through carelessness and disease, for you know, as well as L that Sir Truby King’s precepts are right: scrupulous cleanliness, disciplined regularity, correct feeding, daily exercise and constant breathing of pure, fresh air. For we know well, from our observation and practice, that by such methods as these, essential habits are formed to ensure the present and future health of our children. With falling birthrale all over the world, let us never fail to give the little ones the the fullest measure of their best Christian heritage, for of tiny innocent children we may well believe that ‘of such is the Kingdom of Heaven,’ You may help—the crusade still goes on.”