Truby King
Encyclopedia
Sir Frederic Truby King CMG
(1 April 1858 – 10 February 1938), generally known as Truby King, was a New Zealand
health reformer and Director of Child Welfare. He is best known as the founder of the Plunket Society
.
on 1 April 1858, the son of Thomas and Mary King
. He was privately educated by Henry Richmond and proved to be a keen scholar. After working for a short time as a bank clerk he travelled to Edinburgh
and Paris to study medicine
. In 1886 he graduated with honours with a M.B., C.M, and later completed a BSc in Public Health (Edinburgh). Although his interest was in surgery it was the demonstrations of Charcot
on hysteria and neurological disorders that influenced his choice of career. While training in Scotland he married Isabella Cockburn Miller.
and Glasgow Royal Infirmary
before becoming Medical Superintendent of the Wellington General Hospital
. By 1889 he was in Dunedin
as Medical Superintendent at the Seacliff Lunatic Asylum
and as a lecturer in mental diseases at the University of Otago
.
At Seacliff he introduced better diets for patients, more discipline for staff and improvements to the hospital farm. The 'villa' style of treatment, with smaller and more open wards, was also one of his innovations. These reforms and King's own intransigence to those who opposed them led to a Commission of Inquiry, which completely vindicated his methods.
, medicine, agriculture, horticulture, child care and alcoholism. He began to realise that principals of nutrition applied across many disciplines . He spent a winter in Japan during the Russo-Japanese War
and returned with his dream clarified, having noticed how healthy infants were due to 12 to 18 months of breastfeeding
. On his return he began to use his access as a Justice of the Peace
to licensed baby-boarding homes where typical conditions moved him to establish such a boarding facility himself at his Karitane
residence.
on 14 May 1907 for which Truby King is best known. Set up to apply scientific principles to nutrition of babies, and strongly rooted in eugenics
and patriotism, its 1917 "Save the Babies" Week had the slogan "The Race marches forward on the feet of Little Children".,
Truby King's methods to teach mothers domestic hygiene and childcare were strongly promoted through his first book on mothercare, Feeding and Care of Baby, and via a network of specially trained Karitane Nurses
and a widely syndicated newspaper column, Our babies, written by King's wife Isabella. Apart from nutrition, Truby King's methods specifically emphasised regularity of feeding, sleeping and bowel movements, within a generally strict regimen supposed to build character by avoiding cuddling and other attention.
His methods were controversial. In 1914 the physician Agnes Elizabeth Lloyd Bennett publicly opposed his stance that higher education for women was detrimental to their maternal functions and hence to the human race. He also excited controversy during his efforts to export his methods to Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, with particular debate associated with his views on infant feeding formulas. He believed in "humanized" milk with the protein reduced to 1.4% to match breast milk
, against the general paediatric consensus at the time in favour of high protein feeds.
The work of the Plunket Society was credited with lowering infant mortality
in New Zealand from 88 per thousand in 1907 to 32 per thousand over the next thirty years, though it has since been argued that this was due less to its specific methods than to its general raising of awareness of childcare.
Back in New Zealand, by 1921, King became Director of Child Welfare in the Department of Health and by 1925 also Inspector-General of Mental Hospitals. Until his retirement in 1927 he continued to develop and organise mental hospital services in New Zealand. His work was recognised by the award of a CMG
in 1917 and a knighthood in 1925.
on 10 February 1938. He was the first private citizen in New Zealand to be given a state funeral
.
Twenty years later he was the first New Zealander to feature on a New Zealand postage stamp
.
His babycare method continued in popularity, finding favour in post-war Britain at least until the 1950s.
It featured, controversially, in the 2007 Channel 4
documentary series, Bringing Up Baby, which compared it with the 1960s Benjamin Spock
and the 1970s Continuum concept
.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(1 April 1858 – 10 February 1938), generally known as Truby King, was a New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
health reformer and Director of Child Welfare. He is best known as the founder of the Plunket Society
Plunket Society
The Royal New Zealand Plunket Society is an incorporated society in New Zealand which provides a range of health services to healthy babies and young children...
.
Early life
King was born at New PlymouthNew Plymouth
New Plymouth is the major city of the Taranaki Region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England, from where the first English settlers migrated....
on 1 April 1858, the son of Thomas and Mary King
Thomas King (New Zealand politician)
Thomas King was a 19th century New Zealand politician. He served in the first two Parliaments, and was otherwise active in New Plymouth. He was one of the first settlers, coming out on the first ship to New Plymouth in 1841....
. He was privately educated by Henry Richmond and proved to be a keen scholar. After working for a short time as a bank clerk he travelled to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and Paris to study medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
. In 1886 he graduated with honours with a M.B., C.M, and later completed a BSc in Public Health (Edinburgh). Although his interest was in surgery it was the demonstrations of Charcot
Jean-Martin Charcot
Jean-Martin Charcot was a French neurologist and professor of anatomical pathology. He is known as "the founder of modern neurology" and is "associated with at least 15 medical eponyms", including Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis...
on hysteria and neurological disorders that influenced his choice of career. While training in Scotland he married Isabella Cockburn Miller.
Medical Appointments
In 1887 Dr Truby King was appointed resident surgeon at both the Edinburgh Royal InfirmaryEdinburgh Royal Infirmary
The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh or RIE, sometimes mistakenly referred to as Edinburgh Royal Infirmary or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest voluntary hospital in the United Kingdom, and later on...
and Glasgow Royal Infirmary
Glasgow Royal Infirmary
The Glasgow Royal Infirmary is a large teaching hospital, operated by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde,. With a capacity of around 1000 beds, the hospital campus covers an area of around 20 acres, situated on the north-eastern edge of the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland.-History:Designed by Robert...
before becoming Medical Superintendent of the Wellington General Hospital
Wellington Hospital
Wellington Hospital might refer to:* Wellington Hospital, New Zealand, a hospital in Wellington, New Zealand* Wellington Hospital, United Kingdom, a hospital in London, United Kingdom...
. By 1889 he was in Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
as Medical Superintendent at the Seacliff Lunatic Asylum
Seacliff Lunatic Asylum
Seacliff Lunatic Asylum was a psychiatric hospital in Seacliff, New Zealand. When built in the late 19th century, it was the largest building in the country, noted for its scale and extravagant architecture...
and as a lecturer in mental diseases at the University of Otago
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
.
At Seacliff he introduced better diets for patients, more discipline for staff and improvements to the hospital farm. The 'villa' style of treatment, with smaller and more open wards, was also one of his innovations. These reforms and King's own intransigence to those who opposed them led to a Commission of Inquiry, which completely vindicated his methods.
Developing interest in infant care and nutrition
Over the next eight years Dr Truby King had interests in psychologyPsychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, medicine, agriculture, horticulture, child care and alcoholism. He began to realise that principals of nutrition applied across many disciplines . He spent a winter in Japan during the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
and returned with his dream clarified, having noticed how healthy infants were due to 12 to 18 months of breastfeeding
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from female human breasts rather than from a baby bottle or other container. Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk. It is recommended that mothers breastfeed for six months or...
. On his return he began to use his access as a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
to licensed baby-boarding homes where typical conditions moved him to establish such a boarding facility himself at his Karitane
Karitane
The seaside settlement of Karitane is located within the limits of the city of Dunedin in New Zealand, 35 kilometres to the north of the city centre....
residence.
Establishment of Plunket
It is the establishment of the Plunket SocietyPlunket Society
The Royal New Zealand Plunket Society is an incorporated society in New Zealand which provides a range of health services to healthy babies and young children...
on 14 May 1907 for which Truby King is best known. Set up to apply scientific principles to nutrition of babies, and strongly rooted in eugenics
Eugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
and patriotism, its 1917 "Save the Babies" Week had the slogan "The Race marches forward on the feet of Little Children".,
Truby King's methods to teach mothers domestic hygiene and childcare were strongly promoted through his first book on mothercare, Feeding and Care of Baby, and via a network of specially trained Karitane Nurses
Karitane
The seaside settlement of Karitane is located within the limits of the city of Dunedin in New Zealand, 35 kilometres to the north of the city centre....
and a widely syndicated newspaper column, Our babies, written by King's wife Isabella. Apart from nutrition, Truby King's methods specifically emphasised regularity of feeding, sleeping and bowel movements, within a generally strict regimen supposed to build character by avoiding cuddling and other attention.
His methods were controversial. In 1914 the physician Agnes Elizabeth Lloyd Bennett publicly opposed his stance that higher education for women was detrimental to their maternal functions and hence to the human race. He also excited controversy during his efforts to export his methods to Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, with particular debate associated with his views on infant feeding formulas. He believed in "humanized" milk with the protein reduced to 1.4% to match breast milk
Breast milk
Breast milk, more specifically human milk, is the milk produced by the breasts of a human female for her infant offspring...
, against the general paediatric consensus at the time in favour of high protein feeds.
The work of the Plunket Society was credited with lowering infant mortality
Infant mortality
Infant mortality is defined as the number of infant deaths per 1000 live births. Traditionally, the most common cause worldwide was dehydration from diarrhea. However, the spreading information about Oral Re-hydration Solution to mothers around the world has decreased the rate of children dying...
in New Zealand from 88 per thousand in 1907 to 32 per thousand over the next thirty years, though it has since been argued that this was due less to its specific methods than to its general raising of awareness of childcare.
Public service
Truby King was appointed to represent New Zealand in 1913 at the Child Welfare Conference in London and was invited to assist in the establishment of a child public health service in Britain. Following the First World War he was one of the British representatives at the Inter-allied Red Cross Conference and travelled through Europe for the War Victims Relief Committee.Back in New Zealand, by 1921, King became Director of Child Welfare in the Department of Health and by 1925 also Inspector-General of Mental Hospitals. Until his retirement in 1927 he continued to develop and organise mental hospital services in New Zealand. His work was recognised by the award of a CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
in 1917 and a knighthood in 1925.
Later years
Sir Frederic Truby King died in WellingtonWellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
on 10 February 1938. He was the first private citizen in New Zealand to be given a state funeral
State funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honor heads of state or other important people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition...
.
Twenty years later he was the first New Zealander to feature on a New Zealand postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
.
His babycare method continued in popularity, finding favour in post-war Britain at least until the 1950s.
It featured, controversially, in the 2007 Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
documentary series, Bringing Up Baby, which compared it with the 1960s Benjamin Spock
Benjamin Spock
Benjamin McLane Spock was an American pediatrician whose book Baby and Child Care, published in 1946, is one of the biggest best-sellers of all time. Its message to mothers is that "you know more than you think you do."Spock was the first pediatrician to study psychoanalysis to try to understand...
and the 1970s Continuum concept
Continuum concept
The continuum concept is an idea relating to human development proposed by Jean Liedloff in her 1975 book The Continuum Concept. According to Liedloff, in order to achieve optimal physical, mental and emotional development, human beings—especially babies—require the kind of experience to which...
.
Aphorisms
- ‘It is better to put a fence at the top of a cliff than to station an ambulance at the bottom’—(attributed) reference to infant mortality prevention
- 'I am King of Seacliff, and I do not like that colour' (attributed) complaint to a railway worker painting the Seacliff station (the worker's reply, sadly, is not recorded)
External links
- Biography of Sir Frederic Truby King from 'An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand (1966)
- "A King in the dark" documentary of Truby Kings life (2010)