The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-09
GOOD WORK OF THE NURSES.
The Flower Missions Efforts at the City
Hospital Crowned with Success.

A Journal reporter visited the City Hospital
yesterday morning Seventy-fve patients are
now there, thirty-two of whom men, about
the same number of women, and, beside the
babies, there are three children. There are eight
women in the lyingin ward. Miss A. A. Traver,
superintendent of the training school for nurses
established by the Ladies' Flower Mission, showed
the reporter through the various wards The
condition and surroundings of the patients since
the nurses took charge, last September, are
vastly improved over what they were under the
old method, with unskilled nurses, most of whom
were men. Since the erection of the wing of
the hospital there is a cleanliness, neatness and
comfort that it was impossible to obtain under
former conditions.
There are seven nurses, all women, including
Miss Traver who is superintendent, and the two
head nurses, Miss Richards and Miss Crosby,
these three being graduates of the training
school of Bellevue Hospital, New York, and the
others being pupils One head nurse and two
pupils are on duty at night and the remaining
nurses on duty in the daytime. instruction
is given to the pupil nurses, in addition to their
practical duties twice a week in physiology,
anatomy, therapeutics materia medica, and mid
wifery, the chief textbooks used being Gray's
Anatomy, Hunts Practice, Bartholow's Ma
terra ETediea, and Therapeutics and Lusks Mid
wifery. Dr. aWishard, superintendent of the
hospital, says these nurses are the best helpers,
the most intelligent and efficient assistants the
the physicians at the hospital have had, and that
the pupil nurses under training are constantly
and rapidly improving. He said, further, that
he received much aid from the ladies Of the
C
after they were discharged from the hospital
help that he otherwise would not have had, and
that he considered important. The ladies of the
Mission are making clothing for the pa
tients-shirts, drawers, etc, and dressing gowns
for convalescents. The training school of nurses
at the hospital has now been in operation five
months, has passed the stage of experiment, and
is in every way a success.
Doubtless many sick persons who now go else
where would, if they knew the merits Of the
City Hospital under the present system, go to
that institution. In these institutions the wards
are small, the patients are not thrown together
promiscuously but are classified, and in the case
of pay patients given separate rooms There
are now five rooms for pay patients.
'Diet here" said Miss Traver, in answer to a
question of the reporter, lis not merely good
but excellent; great deal better that at Belle
vue Dr. Wishard gets whatever patient may
need. They have, when needed, oysters,
chicken BROTH fruits, or whatever may be indi-
Gated as necessary. We have the best of bread
and milk here-both better, think, than we
had at Bellevue. There has never been any
lack since we opened the training school of any
thing looking to the comfort of patients. No
hospital could be better than this except in
few minor matters which will be attended to in
good time. Ladies of the Flower Mission and of
the training school board visit the hospital every
week and go through the wards"
The City Council has leased to the Flower Mis-
sion plat of ground at the northeast corner
of the hospital lot, upon which it is intended to
build home for the nurses-probably next
spring if the money necessary to the project can
be raised by subscription There are many APP
plicants to enter the school for nurses, but they
cannot be received as the present quarters are
insufficient to accommodate them; besides that,
the present home (rented property is too distant
from the hospital 1t is intended to have the
proposed home two and half stories high a
substantial frame building, with basement and
sufficiently large for the occupancy of sixteen to
twenty nurses, the upper floor being for nurses
rooms, and the ground floor to be similarly
cupied, and also have parlors and social rooms,
dining room, kitchen, etc. 1t is estimated that
the proposed home will cost about $4,000