The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-04-04
Land Where Babies Never Die
Education Of Mothers in Motherhood Is First Step
Taken in New Zealand
~ Or. z. TRULY King.
Werld's Fersmest Baby Saving Expert.

~ Or. =. TRULY King.
Wer3d's fersmost Baby Saving Expert.
Flow does New Zealand maintain the
lowest infantile death rate in the
world?
lean answer best by first stating an
other question and then explaining how
we In New Zealand have met it.
That question is: What has been
the prime cause, common to all coun-
tries Of a high rate of mortality among
infants?"
AS to the relative importance of the
various factors initiating against the
child nowadays. I think we must agree
that before everything else stands I'M
preparedness for motherhood.
When the problem of the infant death
rate dawned upon US first in all its
vastness. it was this need of preparing
girls and young mothers for their
greatest duty in life which seemed to
us the crucial factor in the solution of
the problem.
Auc cuuCdtIOIl OI IIlOtneTS IN mOIneT-
craft was the task we set for ourselves.
And tile credit for reducing the infant
death rate OF New Zealand to per
cent belongs as much to the mothers of
New Zealand as to the society which
we formed to deal with the child well
fare problem, and another factor has
been the provisions Of state maternity
hospitals and the training and regis
tration of maternity nurses by the
state.
The mother has been our agent in
the home. She must always be the
executive. 1t has been our greatest
work-almost our only work---to put
at her disposal all the knowledge and
help which she required in order to
conserve the health and strength of her
children.
The absolute need of improving the
health and reducing the death rate 81
our children was startingly revealed
some Is years ago when Major General
Sir Frederick Maurice called attention
to the staggering fact that only 40 per
cent Of the young manhood of England
was proving fit for serving in the army.
When 1t was taken into account that
the halt, the blind, the badly manned
or stunted. and those seriously dis
eased. would not apply for military
service this meant that at least two
thirds of the young men were disquali-
fled for military life even in peace
time.
Sir Frederick Maurice tersely and
passionately summed up the situation
by saying that merely to fold our hands
in the face of such situation was to
proclaim ourselves guilty of the great
est Of all civic erimes--nanely, to de-
spair of the state"
So serious was this problem seen to
be that a government commission was
appointed to investigate its causes.
The commission In it's report empha-
sized the fact that before all else the
fault lay with Ignorance on the part of
parents, wide spread artificial rearing
of babies, and the poor attention which
society gave the rearing of its girls
from the point of view of potential
motherhood, and which the mothers in
turn gave to themselves and their
babies.
The Ills which afflicted the race were
1euHu 10 De aue III the great iidJoIil!
of cases not to any hereditary flaw in
the stock, but rather to careessness.
and unintentionai mistreatment of our
young. The very defects in our young
men which disqualified them for mill
tary service--poor teeth. deformed feet,
defects and diseases of the breathing
and digestive organs-werc faults
which would have been obviated by
education of girls in parenthood. prop
err prenatal care of mothers, and train
ing and help in the intelligent rearing
of children.
This was the tremendous problem,
the seriousness of which was impressed
upon us about Is years ago. 1t was
our effort to solve 1t which brought