APPEAL TO MOTHERS.

Shannon News, 3 December 1929, Page 1

APPEAL TO MOTHERS.

DE. DOBIS GOEDON. At a meeting of the National Council of Women, held in Auckland, Dr. Doris Cordon, secretary of the Obstetrical Society, gave a stirring appeal for the betterment of the mothers of the Dominion. She was visiting all centres of the Dominion in an effort to raise £25,000, this money to be used to endow a Dominion teachership of obstetrics. A Dominion medical chair of obstetrics was formed in 1927 for the further and fuller study of midwifery in this country. The society was trying to follow the example of the Home Country where there are live working midwifery hospitals, the one in London having been in existence for the past 70 years. Here in New Zealand, though the theoretical training was excellent, we lagged 25 years behindhand in the most vital matter of the care of the mothers, stated the speaker. There was no endowment for midwifery, and there was not one single house surgeon post able to give all the necessary experience in this matter.

The Government, continued the speaker, had granted a modern obstetrical hospital at Dunedin. Given this hospital, what they, now needed was a full-time, young, active and powerful teacher. They needed to make more and more efficient this great branch of medicine. They needed specialists in it, and thoroughly trained, keen medical men to foster and enlighten public opinion in this matter. In her opinion, if only this chair could be endowed and the resulting benefits sot in motion, then the Dominion mortality rate would be Lossened by half. On their support, conclude 1 Dr. Gordon, depended the life of a mother, of a child, and also the happiness of a man. The speaker was accorded a hearty vote of thanks, and the council passed the following resolution: —That it commends to tho sympathy of all constituent societies the appeal of the New Zealand Obstetrical Society for a £25,000 endowment fund for the midwifery department of the Dominion Medical Society; it also trusts that the individual members of these constituent societies will help this women's Welfare campaign by their sympathy and financial .support; A concluding address was given by Lady Gunson. This took the form of a talk on her personal experiences in England and abroad, especially- those connected with Women's Institute work.