BETTER BABIES.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 February 1920, Page 5

BETTER BABIES.

A NATION'S GREAT ASSET,

LECTURE BY DR. TRUBY KING. There was a very fair attendance at the Empire Theatre last night to hear an address by Dr. Truby King, C.M-0., on the subject of the proper care oi' the health of ■women' and children. The Mayor (Mr. James Clarke) presided, and in introducing the speaker said New Plymouth had reason to be proud that one of its sons had reached the prominence attained by Dr. King in tho matter of the work of which he had been the founder, and which was so successfully carried on by the Plunket Society. It was undoubtedly due to si« influence of the movement instituted by the doctor that New Zealand had the lowest rate of infant mortality practically in the whole world. He also congratulated Dr. King upon the honor bestowed upon him in recognition of his work. Dr. Kino- who was received . with hearty applause, said it was a great pleasure for him to again meet a New Plymouth audience in connection with the work of the Plunket Society. Tho value of the work it was carrying on was being recognised the whole world over, and it was being more and more realised that greater efforts must be made in the direction in which this society was working.

RAVAGES OP THE WAR. The declining birth rate and the ravages of the war made such work all the more necessary now. After referring to the tendency to limit the size of families, the speaker said that anything which tended to make home life simpler and 1 the ease of children easier would make for the production of larger families. The strength and health of the rising generation could be greatly improved if the women of the communities were organised, for mutual help. Dr King referred to tho ridicule with Which the Plunket movement was met at its-incep-tion, and said that now it had come to be regarded as indispensable. The speaker dealt with the comparative standard of fitness between young men and young women and instanced many hajbifa among women, such as unsuitable and restricted clothing, 'which hinderert their proper development, and so unfitted them for the tyie functions of womanhood- The question of motherhood was at tho root of the whole trouble, and the essential thing was to get girls brought up better and trained for those functions which they were destined to fulfil in later life. VALUE OF FRESH AIR.

Dr. King said ho and his wife had been greatly impressed in Japan sdme years ago with the general fitness of tho soldiers of that country, and when it was learned they were mostly mothered by women wlio lived chiefly in. tho open air, and who reared their children in the natural way, they conceived the idea of inculcating the same principles in the minds of the mothers jn New Zealand. He said there would not be a tithe of the unfitness among children if the mothers were fit and trained to motherhood as they should be The speaker then screened a very valuable and instructive set of lantern' slides, which showed in an impressive manner the value of the kind of work which should he more widely applied. Tho knowledge necessary 'was exceedingly simple, but it must be conveyed—it wag not an intuitive knowledge—and tho aim of the Society was to impart that knowledge • .Dr. King then went on to explain tho value of the right 'veiling of infants and the advantage of feeding at proper intervals as ngaim;t too frequent feeding, lie advocated feeding babies not more than six times in the twentv-four hours, and v> feeding between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m

PROPER FEUDING. He tweed the growth of the idea of feeding at less frequent intervals, and said the movement had wen kept at hay in England and even in America until roeint yt.ars. Tin; vernations of science had w.e to support a proper method in «>lhg. The speaker admitted thrtt the medical profession had been somewhat conservative in - accepting these principles. The pre-oeciipations of nature were all in the direction of enmiring the future. Dr King used a valuable illustration brought to his knowledge a little before his departure for England, in which it was shown that the best leather for boots were those produced from the skina of calves which were naturally ream], and he said he found this to he a very impressive argument in America and London in favor of the risrht and natural feeding of children if the best results were to be obtained. Tie then showed some striking views of babies, which had come under the care of the Karitane nnrses. showing how some infants thought to be deficient, and even moribund, had thrived when given proper treatment. CONDITIONS IN AUSTRIA. Dr. King, in a passing reference to conditions in Austria, said that notwithstanding that many mothers had for a long period to subsist on entirely wrong food for themselves, the children who were breast fed were invariably able to withstand and ward off the ravages of disease for a ,much longer period than those infants who were artificially fed. Many of the children' in Austria were found to be in a lamentable condition, suffering from scurvy, softening of the bones, and most frequently from tuberculosis. ; The speaker said he had been asked if some such place as a Karitane Hospital would not be a good thing for New Plymouth, but he thought the time was scarcely ripe for that yet. He advocated more help for the Plunket nurse, and paid a groat tribute to the devoted service of Nurse Williams. The conclusion of the lecture was greeted with hearty applause, and on the motion of the Mayor a. very WRrm vote of thanks to Dr. King was carried with acclamation. In acknowledging the vote the speaker said he hoped at some future time to be able to go more fully into the subject a*"i to make his address more impressive by the use of the motion film.