The Manawatu Standard. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. WEENESDAY, APRIL 8, 1885. CERTIFICATED MIDWIVES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 105, 8 April 1885, Page 2

Manawatu Standard. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. WEENESDAY, APRIL 8, 1885. CERTIFICATED MID WIVES.

At a meeting of the Wellington City Council the other evening a letter was lead from Dr Gillon, stating that on Sunday evening he was called to. attend a woman m continemeut m Manners-street, and tound that a nurse had attended her the previous evening and after discovering that labour had commenced, the nurse left her and returned to see her on Sunday morning. Had the nurse had any idea of her work, she must have known that the case was a very serious one indeed, owing, to ceitain circumstances ; but she did not think of calling m a medical man, but simply waited until the time had gone by for skilled assistance to b^ of avail. When he (Dr Gillon) saw how things were he was appalled. He got Dr HenhY to assist him, and the child wus born dead. He wished to know if there were any laws m existence to prevent such "ignorant so-called nurses " practicing as mid wives. Had Ihe patient died the nurse would certainly huve been guilty of fche cause of her death, and that simply through ignorance of what she professed to know. Dr Gillon recommended that overy midwife should have a properly authenticated certificate, ov let them be examined by a medical Board to see whether they possessed the requisite knowledge. If a register of such were kept, probably a check would be put upon easps of puerperal fever occurring so often. The Town Clerk said, by the Mayor's instructions, he had sent a leply to Dr Gillon, informing him that the Council had no power tar mafee "suclra~raw-asTihHtrpropose"aT We think it is quite time that nurses and midwives were compelled to register, and were prohibited from attending women at such critical periods as confinements unless possessins; certificates of skill, competency, experience, and sobriety. Medical men are required to have diplomas, or be registered, and dentists also ; but it would appear that rioexpeii ence, training, or special knowledge is required for women who" "go out nursing 1 ," and undertake the gravest responsibilities often without a single care as to the result of their neglect, inattention, or lack of skill. We recently asked » medical man of very extensive practice how it was that internal complaints were of such frequent occurrence among the married women of this colony as he informed us was his experience. He said that vino out of every ten were due to careless or unskilful musing at the period of confinement. He spoke m strong terms of the imperative necessity which existed for nurses and midwives being compelled to pans an examination and to register ; whereas now six out of seven who go out nursing sire a 1 solntely ignorant of even the rudiments of the special knowledge they claim and ought to possess. We insist upon our doctors qualifying themselves, and having their diplomas, but entrust duties requiring equal skill, experience, and knowledge to incompetent and often reckless and irresponsible persons. Not long ago m Wanganui there was an epidemic of that dread malady, puerperal fever, and it is alleged that the nurse engaged m one case spread the contagion until four or five mothers had succumbed. In the majority of cases, especially m the country districts, for the sake of saving expense, no medical man is previously engaged, aud the responsibility of two lives is entrusted to the nurse. The per centage of mortality at confinements m New Zealand is proverbially large m proportion to the population, and we venture to affirm that many could have been saved had the competence, ability, or special knowledge of the nurse been equal to the occasion. It would be a good thing were the Legislature to render compulsory the satisfactory proof of possession, by examination and certificate, of the requisite skill and knowledge so essential m the res ponsibilities often thoughtlessly iucuned by nurses who undertake the duty of professional midwives, butwho are altogether incompetent m that capacity.