INFANT WELFARE.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 October 1922, Page 4

INFANT WELFARE.

The results achieved by the work of infant welfare inaugurated Iby the Plunket Society in New Zealand were emphasised at a Rotary Club luncheon,at Auckland the other day by Dr. Truby King, in a series of graphs which he exhibited. It was shown that since the inauguration of the society, in New Zealand the number of deaths in the first year of life had decreased from 80 per 1000 to 47. A similar return for New South Wales showed a decrease from 9Q to 70 per 1000. Approximately 30,000 children were born in New Zealand every year, and of these 1500 died within 12 months. But of these deaths, 1000 occurred within one month after birth, including 750 within ten days. The serious aspect of these latter figures was that, while there were fewer deaths in the first 12 months, those within a month of birth had not decreased in the last 20 years. The statistics showed 30 per 1000 then and 30 per 1000 to-day, although the return of deaths Ibetween one month and 12 had from 50 to 17. These facts, BtfLi Dr. King, were eloquent in urging the need for -better post-natal care. That was why a large portion of hie present campaign was directed to the instruction of nurses and midwives. If he could secure their co-operation throughout New Zealand, he was confident that he could reduce the death-rate within five years, making the Dominion’s annual joss of babies 1000, instead of the present figure of 1500.