MATERNAL MORTALITY

Shannon News, 17 April 1928, Page 1

MATERNAL MORTALITY

CHAIR OF OBSTETRICS -0 ' ' DOMINION LAGS BEHIND. , Following the plea made by Mr. Victor Bouncy, the London gynecologist, for a chair of obstetrics at the Dunedin Medical School, Dr.' Emma Buckley-Turkington, of Auckland, who returned this week from a visit to Australia, has made a full investigation of the work-in practical midwifery now carried on at Sydney University. Speaking of her inquiries, Dr. Buckley-Turkington said she had acted on behalf of the National Council of Women, which was specially interested in the welfare of mothers and infants, and greatly desired to help forward any scheme for reducing the dominion's maternal mortality rate. The Sydney chair of obstetrics had been established four years ago, and its occupant was Professor J. CJi Windcyer. There was no doubt it had done an immense amount of good, and had had an appreciable effect in lowering the mortality rates of, both mothers and infants in the Sydney metropolitan area. Training of Students. Medical students now were required to devote abont five times , as much study to midwifery as under the older syllabus, when there was no special chair. Ample clinical experience was available in the maternity hospitals associated with the university, and instruction and demonstrations were very thorough. - Besides lecturing to tne medical students, Professor Windcyer conducted post-graduate midwifery courses for nurses. “I feel quite safe in saying that women’s organisations in New Zealand are in earnest about the establishment of a chair in Dunedin,” said Dr. Buckley-Turkington. “Really, it is not ‘hot air’ or anything of'the kind. They feel that the cost would repay itsel C many times over in the saving of human life that would re suit. The women mean to approach the Government, but it will be with a definite proposal, and not merely a demand for money. ’ ’ It will be recalled that Mr. Bonney, in addresses at the British Medica! Association conference in Hamilton in February, and before women’s club? in Auckland and Dunedin, strongly advocated not* 1 only a chair of obstetrics but also a maternity hos pital attached to the Dunedin Mcdicai School. Work at. Medical School.

“Medicine,” he said in Dunedin “is divided into three main parts —ipedicine, surgery and obstetrics. Ii your medical school you have a pro fessor of medicine, and a professoi of surgery, but no professor of ob stetrics. You have no large m&tern ity hospital attached to your general hospital. In - other words, obstetrics is not given the chance it should have. ”

Mr. Bonney appealed for support for the recently-formed Now Zealand branch of the British Obstetrical So ciety, which, he said needed the help of all lay men and women in- its e» deavours to give the public a new view of the subject, and to secure better facilities for teaching students The Hamilton conference passed a mo tion urging the need of a chair oobstetrics, with more teachers and equipment, and decided to eommuni eat e with the Otago University Coun nil on the matter. The faculty of- the medical schoo’ at present consists of 15 professors. G lecturers and 4- tutors. There is a professor of midwifery and diseases of women, assisted By one tutor in ob stetrics and one in gynecology.