The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-03-08
The Trained Nurse.

LII Will never De known now many lives
are sacrificed annually to incompetent
nursing. When the physician or Rur-
geon, after doing his best for the patient,
closes the door behind him, it is often
with the unpleasant feeling that all the
good that he has done may be undone
before his next visit by the stupidity, ne
elect or injudicious kindness of the
woman or women who are left to take
care of the patient.
Another doctor once said to the writer
that he considered a patients chance of
recovery ninety per cent better with a
trained than an unframed nurse. A we'll
known physician of Boston said in a pub
lie lecture that when he Jaw a trained
nurse standing beside the bedside Of a
patient he felt almost sure that the life
would be saved.
In every serious illness the critical time
always comes when life hangs in the
balance. A little neglect, a slight care
l~essness, or constant watchfulness and
promptness will incline it one way or the
other, and the life is saved or lost.
1t is then that the trained nurse shows
how invaluable training is. She reeog-
nizes the crisis even if the doctor Is not
at hand to tell her that it is upon the
next few hours that life or death de-
ponds. She is calm because she knows
what to do, and she does it. She has re-
sources. When a thing is to be done, like
the administration of nourishment or
medicine, if n way fails her, she has
another. Instead of helplessly giving up
at the first difficulty and considering it
an impossibility, she brings acknowledge
and experience to bear upon the point
and carries it.
"I ordered a cooling lotion" said a
doctor once with a gesture of resigned
despair, "and when l came back l found
a poultice. Nothing would induce the
nurse to cover the infamed part with
only one fold of wet linen, because it
dried up so fast!"
As it was precisely the object of the
lotion to relieve the inflammation by
evaporation, it was trying to find the part
covered with several thicknesses of cloth
which efectually prevented evaporation
and entirely defeated the end in view.
In a surgical operation trained assist
ance of some kind is absolutely necessary
to the operator, and in many cases this
can be supplied by a properly-taught
woman. The preparation of the patient
can be left to her entirely.
The arrangement of the room and of
the different articles likely to be required
devolves upon her, and at the time of the
operation, knowing exactly what is re-
quired, she can often render all the aid
that is needed. The after-care of the
patient ia of the greatest Importance, and
cannot with safety be left to al unpro-
fessional person.
It is usually impossible for the surgeon
to devote himself exclusively to one case,
and if he has no one upon whom he can
rely to watch it for him, some apparently
trifing accident may cause it to ter.
inmate fatally. A slight hemorrhage, a
chill. a misplaced bandage, are like the
first little breach in a dike-not serious il
attended to at once, but if unobserved Oh
neglected, end in ruin and desolation.
No doctor, and especially no country
doctor who has had to contend with the
nursing that usually falls to the lot Of
his patients will deny that there is
great need of trained, qualified women a,
nurses-women who can faithfully, eff,
GENTLY and intelligently carry out his
orders and assist him in what is the ain
and object of all his efforts-the cure Of
the patient.
Fer such women there is ample room
and work in abundance.-Boston Globe.