SAVING INFANT LIFE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2813, 12 February 1908, Page 17

SAVING INFANT LIFE.

ENTHUSIASM IN AUCKLAND.

AUCKLAND, February 2. The movement initiated by her Excellency Lady Plunket to form an Auckkund branch of the Society for the Protection of Infant Life was successfully launched at a large and representative meeting held at Government House on Saturday afternoon. His Excellency the Governor presided. Lady Plunket having explained the objects of the society, the Prime Minister (Sir J. G. Ward) and three prominent medical men spoke in support of the proposals. Drs Robertson and Marsack both made important suggestions. , The former advocated, amongst other reforms, a cessation of the practice of admitting infants to public institutions like the hospital. Dr Marsack made a vigorous plea, for a restoration of old-fashioned ideas on the subject of maternity, besides throwing out the suggestion that the new society should be assisted in its work by the New Zealand Mothers' Union. An interesting demonstration, was given by Nurse Beswick, of Ihinedjn, of the proper method of preparing milk for infants' food. Several subscribers were enrolled, and with the Government assistance virtually promised by Sir Joseph Ward, the society promises to be speedily at work. Nurse Beswick remains at Government House for a week, and will give advice to any mothers seeking it. In the meantime Lady Plunket has accented the full burden of the duties of treasurer and secretary, and ie actively engaged in forming a committee.

{Fhom Oue Own Cobbespondent.)

AUCKLAND, February 3. "Hie meeting held at Government House on Saturday in connection with Lady Plunket's scheme for the formation of a branch of the Infant Life Protection Society was characterised by some vigorous plain speaking on one or two points by prominent local medicos. Her Excellency explained that the society hoped to engage a trained nurse and send her to Dunedin to Dr Truby King's home for infants, where she would augment her knowledge of infant-feeding by tfie various excellent means there provided, and would be thoroughly trained in the treatment of cows' milk to resemble as closely as possible infants' natural food. On the nurse's return to Auckland she would give lectures and demonstrations on health and babies. She would visit any mother who invited her to do so, and would continue to give her advice and help as often as the case required. The humanised milk, which was 6O strongly advocated by Dr Truby King and others for infants, would be carefully prepared, and the right quantity for each meal (for the 24 hours) would be correctly measured^ in separate bottles and sent out to the mothers. All the latter would then have to do would be to turn up the bottle ■before giving it to the l>aby. Messrs Arnbury and English were ready to send out this humanised milk. They had trained a nurse in Dunedin to prepare it, and^ had said they would pay her wages entirely. The milk prepared and delivered would cost 4d a nint, or it fetched 3d. The committee hoped by means of tickets to enable those mothers who could not afford to pay so much to get the' milk at a reduced price. Humanised milk could, of course, be prepared by private individuals in their homes, and thenurse would give demonstrations on its preparation, so that those who were unable to get it from the dairy could make it themselves. These demonstrations were not only for those who had children under their care. Much useful work could be done by individuals who would learn and spread tlieir knowledge, teaching others in tihose districts where there were no opportunities of learning. Her Excellency then remarked that two objections to the scheme had beea urged' upon her. The first was that a mother's instinct ought to tell her how to feed her baby, and that, therefore, it would only be in exceptional cases that the society's nurse would be required. A mother's instinct would go a long way if the brought up her baby by the laws of Nature, but comparatively few were ready to do that, and it was absurd to say that a mother's instincfc would be sufficient concerning artificial feeding, which was not a natural process. Common sense might help her, but ehe needed a certain amount of knowledge as well; and, besides this, the society hoped to help many who had very little common sense. The other objection which was put forward was that mothers were "touchy" of being offered advice. •"With this she quite agreed We are 'touchy,' rigJitly or wrongly, said her Kxcellency; "but I wish to make it perfectly clear that this society does not interfere with mothers or force advice upon them. The nurse visits only where she is welcome. It ie clear from our experience in Dunedin and Christohurch that the mothers readily avail themselves of the opportunity offered them and I think we may be perfectly confident that Auckland mothers will be -«ually ready to ask for the nurse's advice.'

The Prime Minister said that he knew of nothing more urgent than this question of the protection of infant life. If we only looked upon it from the mercenary point of view, realising that every human being in the Dominion was valued at about £250, we must see the importance of taking 6uch care in the earliest stages of all infants as to ensure them attaining to manhood or to womanhood. Lady Plunket could not be too strongly supported. The humanising of milk had been brought before him in his official capacity frequently. If the Ministry were to credit the facts that were read before them it was horrible to think what might happen unless something was done on the proposed lines to assist the work. The Government had already agreed to give contributions to the societies taking it up in the centres. One nurse would, it was realised, be inadequate for the needs of the society. Dr Robertson, speaking as to the society s object to ensure prevention of work inimical to health and vitality in factories, etc., observed that he was not sure whether the Government included the home in the wprd factory, but it was the saddest thing in a. medical man's experience to see the progress of some mothers. The young mother, with her first baby, found everything joyful. Then the second baby came, the third and fourth, and life became a drag. The mother's health was not as it was, and she was unable to obtain assistance. That last fact must be set down as one of the most serious hardships in a woman's life. "It is becoming," said Dr Robertson, "one of the greatest tiouMes for women to obtain assistance, — (applause),— and' often before +he baby comes the lot of many mothers is so hard that the child has no chance. I know of cases where the child has been saerificea because of this want of assistance for the mother, i hope that in time this society will not only employ nurses, but that_ it or the Government will provide some kind of district visitors or district nurses who will assist mothers at certain times for the good of the children born or unbern." Referring to Lady Plunket's statement a« \o some mothers resenting advice, he declared that he wished they resented some advice more often. "What we want for mothers," he said, "is good advice that these nurses will provide. At present each young- mother has to run the risk of receiving advice from everybody — grandmothers, aunts, and neighbours,— and she gets confused. Each one gives her different advice, and she takes jt all, not having patience to wait and give one method a fair triaL" In time a well-organised staff would be needed for the society's work. He was glad to note that one of the objects of the -society showed that the necessity was recognised for getting children into private houses. The tendency to admit them into public institutions was reprehensible. Most hospitals did not take children under two years except in special circumstances. If children were to be taken into institutions some special arrangement should be made in a. separate department. The crowding together of children was inimical to them. They required individual attention. At the Auckland Hospital they found the staff absolutely inadequate to give this. He hoped _ the instructions to be given outside by trained nurses might obviate so many seeking admission for their infants to public institutions. The doctor uttered a severe indictment of certain parents. " There are some people in the community to whom children are amongst the articles labelled ' Not wanted,' he said. "At the hospital we constantly come across children who are scarcely cut of the institution before they are in again. Advice is given, but it is not taken. The children are simply not. wanted. Such cases are not rare in the Auckland Hospital now," he declared. "I would like to see the State take care of such children as these. Doctors see sufficient to show them that it is necessary to relieve certain parents of their responsibilities for the 6ake of the children."

This severe Indictment was utered impressively, and more so probably since Dr Robertson had the Prime Minister among his listeners.

Dr Masack fearlessly 'denounced this attitude of 6ome modern women towards the question of maternity " because New Zealand," he said, "is a very young nation, and because her centres are not overcrowded. The infant mortality in the Dominion is comparatively low. but the increase in infant mortality throughout the civilised world is to a great extent due to the fact that the modern woman is co largely a slave to pleasure-seeking and society attractions that she considers it almost a crime to let her function of bearing children and rearißß them naturally have full sway. Instincts are hereditary, and the one or two artificially-brought-up children of the modern woman who has no time for her offspring, if they fortunately escape being puny specimens of humanity both physically and mentally, are almost certain to be imbued with the selfishness of their mothers, and, if they be girls, to act aa their mothers acted

before them. Tho civilised world must soon wake up to this fact," declared the doctor earnestly, " and must grasp it effectually, or God holn the nations which compose it." He believed that Lady Plunket wayS the president of the Mothers' Union for tho whole of New Zealand, and a suggestion he would like to make was that lectures and demonstrations be arranged for in the different branches of the, union here as a, practical way of imparting the requisite knowledge and propagating it efficiently. All the speakers eulogised Dr Truby King as pioneer of the movement. Owing to the interest being taken in the meeting convened by Lady Plunket on the question of infant life protection, a representative of tho Herald asked the District Health Officer to supply some statistics on infantile mortality, and these are very striking. In 1905 m England more than one in every seven children died befoi'e reaching the age of one year. Recently Dr Harris, of Islington, has gone very thoroughly into this subject from a statistical point of view, said Dr Purdy, and he showed that in that part of London, in the last two years, out of every 1000 children born 21 died during the first week of life, but the mortality diminished, so that at the end of the first four weeks it is 36.93 per 1000, and during the first three months 62.41 per 1000. Chief among the preventable deaths are those from diarrhoea and certain inflammatory conditions of the bowels which- prevail in the kite summer and the early autumn. That improper feeding and unhygienic surroundings are largely the cause of this is proved statistically. It is now a well recognised fact that in infants fed on the breast djarhcea is infinitely less fatal even if the feeding is supplemented by artificial feeding. With regard to tuberculosis ill children Dr Harris stated that 340 were killed in Islington .under one year of age during the last ten years, the primary cause being raw contaminated milk. In 1697 Dr Harris urged that ladies' sanitary associations should be established, in order to diffuse the knowledge of the rudiments of sanitary science, and to teach mothers the care of their children. It is assumed that infantile mortality might easily be reduced to about half what it is at present. "During the year 1906." added the District Health Officer, "in Auckland and suburbs 81 boys and 63 girls died under one year of age. In the yearly report for the year ended April 1 last, the following note is made : The waste of infant life in Auckland, which has been eSTOmented upon both by my predecessor and myself, still holds sway. Auckland city last year averaged 9.92 deaths under one year per 100, whereas Wellington was 7.1 i, Christchurch 7.24, Dunedin 7.76. Auckland shows an improvement as compared with its mean of five years, but its mean for five years exceeds that of the other three centres by 1.65. The births in Auckland were 1159 (the highest in the Dominion), and 29.5 deaths of young infants occurred " in Auckland in excess of what should have been had those births taken place under conditions prevailing in the other centres. The pushing on with sanitary measures will probably reduce the figures, but we cannot expect much improvement until the milk supply is improved. The teaching of the mothers and the giving of information and instruction by trained nurses and lady health visitors should do much to decrease the deathrate. It is a mistake 1o think that this ignorance in the methods of infant feeding prevails only among the poorer classes. It is quite as ripe among well-to-do people."