The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1875-03-06
Amateur Nursing.


This is the theme of "A piquant article in a recent
number of the Saturday Review. The following ex-
tracts explain so well 90 how mol 10 do it," that they
are indirectly very instructive
Affection only, however warm, will not qualify a
sick nurse. V1he cool head and steady hand Of a
professional stranger is too often to be preferred.
Many a life has been sacrificed by ignorance or stu
pidity or anxiety, where the nurse would gladly
have died TO sageathe patient The event Of a fever
has before now been determined by the ~clappiDg of n
door, or by an iniudicious spoonful OF unsuitable
food. The indulgence Of some whim which a fond
mother cannot deny 10 her sick child may prove fatal.
The longed-torc change OF posture may be accorded a
day too soon. The cruel application of another bis
ter may be put off a day too long. A moments
thorough draaght, "a cup Of tea, a piece of news, a
second pillow, may struggle between life and death.
How often the doctor leaves a house feeling that il is
only in spite of the nursing that his patient will re-
cover He shudders to think of the messes which
will be brought up as beef-tea. He is in despair
when a poultice is prescribed, as he is almost certain
it will be SO applied as to do more harm Than good.
And, valuable as all kinds of baths are In illness, he
dare not order them, knowing the insane way in
which his orders will be carried OUT. Above all, he
is afaid of what may be termed the 6 cumulative
Dose" whether of medicine or n~eurishmeDt; and
finds it impossible TO persuade either the patient or
his family that half a dozen tablespoons of brandy
in half q dozen hours are not the same thing as one
glass in six hours; or that, where he orders medicine
to be taken every two hours, the effect will not be
the same if a double or treble dose is taken at once
TO save trouble.
1t is painful to sec a patient nursed in the common
manner. The tact required for a sick-room differs
from all other kinds OF experience. Amateur nurses
seldom possess it. Now and then a lady is to the
manner born. and without instruction or previous
experience blossoms into a full grown nurse at a
moments notice. The doctor who finds one ready in
a house rejoices heartily His own credit as well as
the recovery of his patient is probably assured.
Seldom, however, has he this good fortune. His ordi-
nary experience is very different. If he wishes the
slck-room kept at a certain temperature, be cannot
LanA. IT. g. .. 10
and blazing up the chimney. There is no care 10
have il warm at sunrise and sunset, and moderate
when the sun is shining and the air warm. The in
valid is awakened from a priceless sleep by hearing
the einders fail on the unprotected fender, or by the
noise Of a clumsy hand putting On Goals. which
might easily have been wrapped in pieces of damn
paperand left ready for noiseless use. The morning
meal is perhaps delayed until the patient has passed
from appetite to faintness. Perhaps, when it coshes,
the tea is smoked. Household troubles are freely
discussed in the room. Mary has given warning be-
cause there is SO much more going up and down
stairs since missus was ILL., the cook is so extrava-
CANT. and yesterdays dinner was spoilt; Johnny has
cut his finger. and Lucy has tumbled DOWNSTAIRS;
such things are told as if they would amuse the iu-
valid. But worse than this is the mysterious whis-
periDg at the door, and the secrets obviously kept TO
excite the nervous patients suspicious The irrita-
ting creak Of a dry boot, the shutting of a loose
slipper, try a sick persons patience unreasonably;
and the amateur nurse argues against such silly fan
cies, and thinks they are matte r. in which reasoning
can be Of any avail. The unframed nurse never
commences her arrangements for the night until the
patient is just beginning to grow a little sleepy.
She then arranges the pillows, moves the chairs, stirs
the fire, and perhaps makes up her own bed. Ouch
fuses az sleepipg-time produce fever in a most IN
accountable way, and the amateur is amazed and
beWildered because the patient lies awake all night.
Besides all this. DO matter how noisy and elaborate
the preparations for the nights campaign, several
things are forgotten downstairs; no beef-tea is to be
had in the middle of the night, no spoon for the
medicine, no boiling water. Amateurs do not know
that sick people shosld not be~asked what they will
have, but should be saved even the mental exertion
of making q choice. However desirable it may be
that they should arrange their Affairs, business mat
tiers should not be discussed before them. Sometimes
q man who has not made his will before his illness IS
anxious and uneasy TIL he has made it, and gets
better when the matter is OF his mind. But to ar
range such things requires nicely and taSt such as
the smateur, who perhaps shares the sick mans anx-
iety, cannot show.