OUR BABIES.

Gisborne Times, 17 October 1908, Page 4 (Supplement)

OUR BABIES.

(By Hygeia.)

Published under the auspices of the Society for the Promotion of the Elealtli of Women and Children. .

THE DOCTOR’S ATTACK

(Continued 0 */ THE SIN OF THE PLUNKET NURSE. After' denouncing the ' undue emphasis - whioli" he alleges is placed by the Society on the importance of teaching the corfect princples of' artiGcal feeding, Dr. Hendry proceeds: — To all of this, of course, it may be replied that the Society for Pro-moting-the Health of Women and Children are well aware of the disinclination that exists on the part of mothers. to discharge the full dutv of motherhood, that- their chief solicitude is to remedy the. .evil, -and that tliev only advocate artificial feeding where it-hecomes-absol-utely imperative. But is this a fact? If it be a. fact, we can only admire the hopefulness and persevcrance'of the Plunket Nurses in the face of such discouragingly insignificant results. Is it not- rather, a fact ,in the minds of the general •community the Plunket Nurses are -associated almost entirely with the idea of humanised milk and aiuificial feeding? And has nob humanised milk become a- subject for irreverent merriment among all nurses going up for . the State examinations? For some time back they have felt confident of being abje to spot at least one question, and the examiners have certainly not falsified their trust. I attended a lecture by a Plunket Nur.so a short time ago, in which about onehundrenth part of. an hour/ merely by way of introduction, was devoted to the importance of- natural feeding, while the remaining ninetynine parts were taken up with a demonstration of the preparation of humanised milk. What a. misconception of the relative importance'of things! What a transposition of the true emphasisl ■ * LIMIT A n P PRACTICAL

' DEMONSTRATION. Dr. Hendry attended a practical demonstration of the process of preparing humanised milk. Of course, the time was mainly taken up with this demonstration. What else would lie expect? Surelv he did not imagine the PluiVket Nurse would arrange for themother to appear before a mixed assembly of men and, women in order to demonstrate 'the natural process for a quarter of an hour ? It as admitted that the- nurse introduced the subject by drawing attention to, the importance of natural feeding, and we think the doctor will agree on reflection that she. took mjich longer than half a minute over her renitrks on this. connection. Every demonstration given under the auspices of the Society is preceded by a warning and denunciation in regard to all artificial^ ceding, and .we are glad to have Df. Hendiv s testimony that this was not omitted on the occasion when he was present. DISCOURAGINGLY INSIGNIFICANT RESULTS. , , What is meant by “discouragingly insignificant results?” “Does Dr..Hendry mean, that in his own experience at Invercargill '.-few'" mothers , soc ial have been influenced by Plunket Nurses in the direction of trying to suckle their babies? No k Plunket Nurse has ever visited Southland, and if shehad, how could Dr. Hendry tell the results? If ho would inquire among his friends in Dunedin,'however lie would learn at least this much—for it is a matter of general remark—that mothers who 1 do not suckle their babies tend now to be rather'apologetic abouk their failure to do so. Bottle-feeding -is not only- becoming 'less popular—it is'becoming less iashionable; it- is becoming “bad form. Indeed, the general trend among mothers throughout the Dominion with whom the Society comes into i'L‘lationshix> is in the direction ot sparing no effort to- fit themselves to nurse their babies:if possible, aiid we cannot doubt- the assurances' wo receive that the Sdciety T s repeated and persistent denounciation of the evil results of artificial feeding is haying some effect- in: the right direction. Those surely are hopeful signs—signs, indeed, of a movement.' towards the very point which Dr. Hendry possesses ' 1 limsel f most; ’anxious to a rrj ve at—v.iz., the arousing a keener maternal coifscienco (or, as he twice styles it, “consciousness- of maternity! ) and the sense of personal duty, and rcsponsiblity towards the offsmmig. . ; CRUSADE AGAINST BOTTLE- > FEEDING. . Hbivever, it is pleasing to find ourasdves at last on common grounds with our critic. He has sadly misundcv'stood' and misrepresented our aims,_ intentions and work,. but wo -sire glad to find that at. the close of Ins article lie proposes to- evangelise the medical profession, iu the direction or "advocating the suckling of babies, and burkes a, fervant appeal to Ins brethren to join him in the crusade g,gamst artificial feeding. He says:—r- • What, then, do we propose? Shall wo stand by in the presence of the gre#t and manifest social evil imd do-uetljiiuj ? By u© means. Let

-,th rusade infantile morfa not only continue, ] nut liter L in intensity.; at tno eaine tislet ixs cease trifling with sync ptfe and forthwith attack the reiause of tho disease —i.e., what I le called the lessened conscious. n'oof maternity. The profession ml not merely know, hut bohev< w»a belief that-will lead to actio mi at artificial feeding is, at best,a fcssary evil; an expedient ro nc adswl onlj r when from any wreinodle cause natural feeding bocot impossible. j ( Nqronouncement could he more weld- to the Society, and it is to be hopelhat when a branch comas to be filed in Invercargill Dr. Hendry will {the first to join it and tt atlvocathe appointment of a Plinkoi NursT Ladv Plunket herself Ins al : vvavsfeen a strenuous . advocate pi hatujfeeding, and Her Jtxcellmcy s statehts in Canterbury last jnon - weret - accord with what- wa& sam at hairst- meeting held in . \\elu £ ■ ton I previous year, \ A Christchurch, Septembe By Plunket addresser twe mehgs of women to-day p conneqn with the work of tie bpcietyor the Promotion ft Heal of Women and Oujdren both tings being largelyjattendcd. [Lady Pluiiket urgef upon tliosiresent that Hie firstduty oi tbelotlier was to chiio herl. That was by no Jeans an ' implible task, as was pen represted, and a case hadfome um derbr notice of a woian . who washrsing her seventieth ehimTliebman had a drunkeifliusband, andfo had to be conteiJwith absoluliioverty, yet she aliped nothing | interfere with tfc nursing of if .babies. That, Lav Plunket conired, was a grea) example, andpe that might be imitated bv k conscientious mpters. blie poind out the evils atong from the |e of patent food and said thatn necessary casd the uesi subaute for the natu/1 food na. lmniised milk. / , . ■ Hov entirely the SoMy s vieu - accordvitli those of Diillendry on the drability of brea|-feeding he will r Lise, on reading Jie extraefrom a long by tlnpuiiedin branch [ the Society to hefexcellency, BsiMarch, soon after Te inception offhe 1 lunket Kursiij Scheme. I leter TO ladalknrei : ‘‘U Committee ulerstand that the lime chosen fpthe Dunedin Bram —namely, . ‘T> ®5> cjet y *«r . Proution of Healtlff AVomen and Chile;ll,’ is regard by your Excellelv as rather l<k cumbersomc|‘However, thpame seems to us tdonvey as con<ely as possible, everjtime it is u 4 exactly what i, s aind at, and ik thought here that-{my modific-aui would tend to lisrow and rent le s s clear the goalkhich it is .(fired, Should be keiiconstantly iijiew. The Dunedinjim has been/ create amongst girlsind womenjlngher view as to & Duty offfealth and the neeefor ensurings iar as possible th a the mother;? tomorrow shall be mro fit for trails and responsibiliES of mapity than the of yesteiy- . 4i N effort 111 been spared in the predion ] Riding that breai-feeding We birthright of the hbv, and fat the mother e inilkbelongs tf * offspring, and not i herself Jd that it is the dutybf the ppective mother to ensitf by foriht and attention th a in, due surf shall, if possible, be irthcomins Further, we have trietj to sbectf> mG the fact that whil sucklinp essential m_ the best nterestsi the child, it is _almosl equally fnportant• to the mo id ir lierselieeing that half the diseocs andfcbilites pt modern manbd won/are due to the fact of itlvic ejrgements and dispiacrtionts, flting fronr the blood ' 1 Kimnl not PS diverted into its 3 chaf after the birth of the dild.” | MUST i’E ABE SCAPEC4OATS OF rf|BAMES? But hppij of ' breast-feeding where ps6ib| not synonymous with disbelieang jhe best- artificial feeding wliee'tiahy cannot be' nursed iv the noth! On this point we are entirely at k Jvith - our medical critic i\s f iave already said, lie appears \o Mconiy to the deliberate coiiclusidu f babies who canuot be nurtured iit natural way ought to be sacrifice 1 moral grounds, lest the mothepuld become corrupted bv being -ft how to make h\nnanispd millvluse of which tile tSocjety advocf be it remembered, only where brl ee( !' n S is impossible or vt-rmld doffcst harm. In this connection /ill quote Dr. Hendry’s exact wJ an< i arguments next week aifd deal with the problem of in a practical way as a- pgal issue—an issue that must hep? unless we .are prepared to allou|p resen t- cruel sacrifice of ' infant lfd health to continue.