INFANT WELFARE

Hokitika Guardian, 7 December 1925, Page 4

INFANT WELFARE

FLUNKKT SOCIETY'S I’ROI’OS.H.S. DUNEDIN. Dec. L Th" annual conference of the Rhiti ket Soi nil : mciudi -I i ' day. A deputation placed I lie ‘ nlclv '> ideas for the establishment of a chair ol Inl'aii! Welfare before the Clm Meetlor of (tingo University, Mr T. K. Sidcv. the Yice-( baia-i'l'lor. Mr \Y .1 . .Morrell, and the Dean of the Medical School. Sir l.indo Ecrgnsin. Mi . Diluii-ur. L\ I icltiiii, said i bat the i-st a blisiiinoii I of such .-bails bail boon I'eeuinmendvd by the (fi-lieva Health ( onlui cm c in August la-t. Sir Triiby King s.- l i l l that sink

chairs find' been c-ial.lixfieil for so,tic years in Aim-i iia and I o-rinan uuiyci sit it's. Sir l.indo I'Vrgi'.Min said the Medical School bad In cover a wide range, and c.'tden voured lo t urn out good general pi'aclitioni'i's. In six years si itdeii I could not specialise, but since 1311 child welfare and maternity problems bale been part of the curriculum. Mill'll ball been done in Ibe past at I lie .Medical S' hold, and they Imped to do more. Finance entered largely into llie quest inn, and il the Otago Sell.ml bad the facilities of every medical school 111 Hie world the colli sc would lake sixty years instead of -ix. The Clianeellor promised i fie deputation that its suggestions would be brought before the University Council oil Tuesday. The conference of the society recommended the central council lo appoint a travelling instructional nurse io visit and aid the work ol branches,

• which -Itotild pay the expenses. The conference decided to leave Hie question of raising funds by art unions and raffles to individual bra tidies. Sir I indo Ferguson (Dean of the Medical Faculty of Otago University) in reply to a deputation Irotn the Plnnket Society for the establishment of a chair ot Infant Welfare in connexion with lb.- .Medical School, said that at present they were making great demands upon Hie (tovcrnmenl in reI gard to medical training—demands running into £l2. Opt) to L'l I.OC-O a vear--but oven in them be bad not outlined a special protossorship in infant welfare. The faculty did not wish

to demand the absolutely ideal medical school—the tit most possible. 'I hey would novel gel anything if they did that. They hmf to go step by step, and nut make their demands unreasonable. If they bad everything at their Medical School which any oilier school in the world bail got. they would have a course so complicated that they would want not six but. sixty years to get students through it. Their prolsk'ltt was to turn out medical piaciitioners in six years, and they were doing their tub and doing it. it he mignt be allowed to say so. not at all badly. In regard to preventive medicine, the faculty hoped to lie bale to do more even than in the past.