The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-10-19
GALEN'S HANDMAIDENS.
Work of the Flower Missions Nurses
at the City Hospital.
The System Under Which They Receive In
struction and Their Remuneration Be.
fore and After Their Graduation.


G. McCulloch, Journal reporter visited the city
hospital, where the experiment of a training
school for nurses is now being tried. This work
is under the pay and patronage of the Flower
Mission, and the trial is made at the city hospital
as the most available place and without any ex
pense to the city above what has heretofore
been paid for far inferior service. There are now
sixty five patients, male and female, in the hos
pital, including medical, surgical and obstetrieal
cases. These are in the new wing of the hospital,
which, though not yet finished. furnishes bright
or and better quarters for the inmates than
were ever afforded heretofore. Instead
of large rooms, with long rows of beds
filed with suffering humanity, the largest
room in this new hospital contains but eight
beds, while of the other rooms none contain
more than four beds, and some only two. This
does away with the depressing effects occa-
stoned by crowdng large numbers OF sick to-
gether; BESIDES in small wards, 1t is possible to
distribute patients according to their moral as
well as medical status. The rooms are all we'll
lighted and well ventilated.
In the first room into which the reporter looked
were two boys of about the same age, thirteen
or fourteen years old perhaps, one black, the
other white. The negro boy lay upon the floor
before bright fire in a CRATE, the white boy was
III D6u. OuuSTluS uAu pun Ulu dliu huoWihS AOOAo
In both the young faces. The negro had lost
one leg at the knee "ROtting OF the BONE" ex-
planned the Doctor. "The other has hipjoint
disease"
Miss A. A. Traver is the superintendent of the
nurses, and with her are two head nurses and
three pupils. Miss Traver took charge on the
10th of September and she and the two mead
nurses are graduates of the Training-school tor
Nurses of Bellevue Hospital, New York. OF the
twenty-six or twenty eight schools for nurses IN
the United States only three are in the West
this one here, one in Chicago and one in st. Louis
all part of a general movement for the educa-
ton of women as trained nurses, begun at Belle
vue. The plan here, as elsewhere, is TO take pu-
pill nurses into the hospital, where they VIII
have practical instruction by the superintend-
ent, lectures by physicians of the city and obtain
experience in surgical, medical and obstetr1cal
cases. The rule will be TO receive them one
month on probation, without pay. III candl-
date is likely to prove good nurse Sc
she is put upon pay and at tne emu % 81
a year may be considered capaDle OF
being placed in charge of a ward, AT the END OF
the second year nurse is quallfied as a neau
nurse, or capable of going out as private
nurse. Chicago graduated its first class THIS
year, and is now sending out it's secOnd-year pu-
pills into private families as nurses. There Is
future in this profession. In Chicago, as IN new
York, physicians are constantly applying tor
THESE trained nurses. Bellevue has graduaIed
200 of these young women of whom the greater
number are now employed Sixty-tive are dom Q
private nursing in New York city. Four ire
Gently went TO Rome, Italy, to start a hosp tai
there. Miss Traver, the superintendent OF the
school here, gets salary of $500 year and
board, and each of the Two head nurses receives
$500 year and board. Each of them could get
more money elsewhere, but their hearts are in
their work, and they are here tor the good that
they can do. The pupils receive So a month for
the first year, and S12 month for the second
year, with board. A home has been provided
for these nurses at No. 274 West New York
street, where they live when of duty, and
ENJOY their hours OF resi- ana relaxation.
In this school for nurses, applicants desiring to
become pupils are not to be less than twenty
one years old nor more than thirty-fve. Thus
far there have not been enough applications
desired.
six or ten more pupils are needed. The class of
girls who seek teaching in the public schools,
women OF intelligence and strength of char
acter, are what are needed, and not the ignorant
who look upon nursing as requiring no higher
qualifications than those demanded of a cham
bermald or cook. The nurse is the physicians
handmade, and her profession requires talent
while her occupation, when she becomes pro-
hcient, meets with remuneratlve pay Skilled
nurses in the larger cities, receive for private
nursing from $40 to $25 week, and
here their compensation would hardly be
less. OF course, their services would
grow more valuable with experience. Two
young women who are now ate ndants at the
Hospital for the Insane are to be added to the
number of pupils on the LIST of January. The
present home for the nurses is too far from their
by the Flower Mission and their coadjutOrs to
get quarters for them nearer the hospital
There is room on the hospital grounds to build
the required homes if the funds can be secured.
The attention of the reporter was called to
three small charts upon the wall beside the bed
of patient. These charts were a history of the
the enlightenment of the physician having the
case in charge, and also for the governing of the
nurse, as they not only exhibited the tempera-
ture, pulse and respiration of the patient from
hour to hour, but gave directions to the nurse
regarding medicines and nourishment with day
and night orders.
The nurses are in uniform, dresses of blue and
white stripes (seersucker) and white caps. They
are reinforced by orderly, man, who is to
be uniformed in blue with brass buttons, the
coat with red collar and cuffs of the same color.
Next year when the members of the new hospi-
tai staff Graduates from the medical cOlleges)
go in they will don uniform of plain blue,
frogged, and without buttons.
There are number of psy-patient wards, in
each of which there are two beds-one for the
patient and one for the watcher. The terms to
this class OF patients are regulated by the ability
of the patient to pay. The new wing of the
hospital has capacity for 100 beds, probably
more than will be needed this winter, though
the number of patients will, as is always the
case as the colder weather comes on, be consid-
erably increased. The hospital labors under
several disadvantages now which will
The chief of these will be lack of
heating facilities. The steam-heating apparatus
that should be now in will not be put in this
winter and the attempt will be made to warm
long lines of wide and windy halls by means of
stoves. There is also lack of kitchen, wash
house, engineroom and patients diningroom
In the additional wing to be put on next spring,
these needs will be provided for.
The experiment of the nurses training sch0ol
is looked upon with great interest by great
number of people, and especially by our physi-
clans, who hope that 1t will meet with all the
HELM, financial and otherwise, that it deserves.
The day of the BeJsey Prgg and Sairey Camp
school of nurses has gone by. Florence Night
ingale with woman's tender touch, her low,
sympathetic voice, Rentleness and humanity, is
here, Let US make it possible for her to remain
Probably a Test Case.
HiOOine ha ani Tohn