The Wanganui Chronicle "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 1914. THE SOCIETY FOR THE HEALTH OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 20095, 2 June 1914, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 1914. THE SOCIETY FOR THE HEALTH OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

The Duncdin Society's annual import for j tlic year ended March 31 is to'hand, :ml j presents a record of good and useful work for the advancement cf humanity i-i the special direction indicated by its j title. The principal objects of the Society ;are, shortly, "to .inculcate a lofty view of the responsibilities of maternity^ and ith-e duty of every mothea- to fit herself for the perfect fulfilment of the natural calls of motherhood, both, before itnd after cliiid-bis-th, and especially to j advocate and promote the breast-feeding of infants." There '.are 70 branches throughout the Dominion, and 27 nurses are employed, who arc trained ia the best methods of feeding and of the care o[ infants, and are then provided for all classes free of any charge. They have nothing to. do with the treatment of disease, which is iat once referred vo medicatf ime'i. They teach the mothers how to estimate the requirements cf their children at the very beginning of life, and to sso that the requisite' quantity of feed is supplied. Above all, they rever cease to urge all mothers to nnrw their children. During the year just ended, 1186 cases were dealt with by the nurses (who are called "Plnnket nurses"), being an increase of over 400 on the previous year's total. The number of visits paid to the homes of mothers was 753-1, ar.d in (addition a large number of expectant mothers were seen, land a considerable? amount of correspondence conducted ia answering inquiries. The item of "humanised milk" is not a small one, as ia the Dunedin district alone nearly 77,000 bottles were sent out during the year frcui the Taieri and Peninsula dairy factory. The Karitar.e Hospital, in Duncdin, is conducted by the Society, and used as the trainru>; school for the nurses, fifth-year medical students, and for students in household science. During the year, 128 babifVi wco under treatment here, i\n iiKTjiised number rf motliers have come into residence with their kiVits, ;m.l weekly demonstrations ,n:-o held, the iriotr.erx attending being v?ry apprrci.l.--tive of the te.-iching thus imparted. The Society has now been in existence roven years, and that its optra'tions have mot .with a very fair degree of'success h evidenced by the uo'vensinj; rats of ir.fani mortality. This result is not so much the claim of the Society, but nether is crtdite 1 to it. by ind3pendent and well qralifiecl authorities. As an instance of tiiir., wo ,n:ny quote <he testimony cf vhe Hon. Dr. Uar^ott, of slclbou!>n>e, v. iio took a prominent part i:i ihc? Austr"1.If.vian 'Medical Congress at Auckland tills year, and, among other activities, in ado a specialty, of inquiring into .New Zealand's low.infant'death-rate. After discussing and comparing various conditions and eawscs, eHmalica! and sanitary* v/hich nn'fjht 1.0 pile forward, hi dismisses them ns wliolly iusunicient to account; fcr the fact that New Zealand.? infant mortality rate is the lowest in the world. "What then h the explanation ol: tills-phenomenon?" he asks, and answers: "The special and practical education given by the Society for the

Health of Women and Children, thfc object of which is the care of the infant before birth and during the period of infancy—really an attempt to rear a Strong and healthy race by constructive, and not by restrictive, means. Not primarily to eliminate the unfit, but io prevent their production by aiding in tho fall development of the healthy. The result, th?n, has he-en achieved by the education of the people by taking to the home the scientific principles which underlie our earliest existence.'' Tbe expenses of the Society, which now amonnt to nearly £7000 a year, are defrayed by subscriptions, donations, and Government aid. In addition, " many members give their time, their money, and, .best of all, themselves to the cause for which the Society exists." We have no hesitation in commending the objects of the Society to the practical sympathy of our readers.'