WORK OF PLUNKET SOCIETY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 June 1938, Page 4

WORK OF PLUNKET SOCIETY

AN INTERESTING REVIEW. AT METHODIST LADIES’ GUILD MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Methodist Ladies’ Guild took place at the Parsonage on Tuesday. The Rev F. Parker presided. After the opening hymn and prayer, matters of interest to the Guild were discussed. The Rev Parker intimated that owing to the visit of the Rev Scriven falling on the date arranged for the congregational social, that fixture would be postponed for a fortnight. The next meeting will be held at the home of Mrs W. R. Nicol, Chapel Street, and will take the form of a “Bring and Buy” afternoon. Mesdames Barns and Prior favoured the company with pianoforte selections and vocal solos, respectively. Miss M. Cocker, the speaker for the afternoon, took as her subject the work of the Plunket Society, commencing with the theories of Dr Truby King that fresh air, sunlight, natural conditions and suitable nutritious foods were necessary both for young animals and young children and showing how he put his theory into practice. His first Karitane Hospital was his own home which he gave fox’ six months, where he took in sick babies. This experiment proved so satisfactory that at the end of the six months a public meeting was called in Dunedin in 1911 and the Plunket Society of New Zealand was inaugurated. Today it has 70 main branches, 120 Plunket nurses at work and six Karitane hospitals. From the time of the commencement of the work of the Plunket Society until now infant mortality had decreased from 8 to 1 per 100 babies born. The Plunket Society was now established in London, Canada, Tasmania, Australia, Palestine, China, Japan and Cape Town. Miss Cocker concluded her remarks by referring to the work <\f the society in Masterton.

Votes of thanks were passed to the speaker and to those who contributed items.