A VITAL PROBLEM

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 August 1938, Page 7

A VITAL PROBLEM

CARE OF THE PRE-SCHOOL CHILD ADDRESS BY MISS J. SAMSON. CONDITIONS IN NEW ZEALAND & ABROAD. An appeal for the intelligent co-op-eration of parents in the treatment of pre-school children was made by Miss J. Samson, of the Wellington branch speaking at the annual meeting of the Masterton Branch of the Plunket Society yesterday. Only 6 per cent of the 80,000 pre-school children in. New Zealand, said Miss Samson, received any supervision after reaching the age of 18 months. Ninety-seven per cent of the children, at their first medical examination at primary school, showed some defect. So many people today, said Miss Samson, treated the pre-school child as a “little adult” not as a growing child. Even the very best of care in the first 18 months would not carry them over the rest of their lives. There was no excuse for the gross ignorance which was evident in the care of the “toddler.” Dealing with the remarkable incidence of dental disease in the Dominion, Miss Samson said that New Zealand was the greatest sugar-consuming country in'the world. In Italy, where the children’s teeth were uniformly excellent, 91b. of sugar were consumed per head per annum, while in this country the annual consumption per head was 1321 b. She also referred to the great food value of wholemeal flour, as against the poor content of white flour. Sound and enduring bodies' could not be built with poor materials. Milk, wholemeal cereals, fresh fruit, and vegetables, and fish were all excellent in the diet of the pre-school child. In the matter of meats, livers, kidneys and sweetbreads should not be despised, as they sometimes were. The value of regular meals and proper sleep was also stressed by Miss Samson. In an earlier part of her address, Miss Samson gave some interesting reminiscences of her recent torn abroad, during which she attended the International Conference of Nurses in London. At that, conference there were 3,500 delegates representing some 40 nations. Miss Samson referred to the growing influence of Sir Truby King s work and the interest which was taken abroad in New Zealand’s infant welfare activities. While in London she visited Cromwell House which is Sun on the same lines as the Karitane Hospital in New Zealand. One thing that had impressed her was the poor condition of the babies. The average length of stay of a baby at Cromwell House was from three to four months, while in a Karitane Hospital in New Zealand it was from only two to three weeks. In England, said Miss Samson, there were 35 different schools of thought in infant welfare work. The wonderful thing in New Zealand was the uniformity of the treatment. Another difficulty in England, she continued. was the fact that infant welfare there was regarded as a charity, not as an educational work as. it was in this country. The middle classes at Home, however, were now fighting hard for the extension of the work. In the matter of public health. New Zealand was 50 years ahead of any other country, said Miss Samson.