The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-09-05
Home Nursing.

Apart from the helpless tediousness
OF long illness, which alone may af-
feet the patients temper and cause
varying degrees of irritability, there is,
with some diseases. an accompanying
fretfulness or moodiness most difficult
to manage. So marked may this be-
come that, occasionally, the patient
seems to have changed his character.
and the most amiable and unselfish in
health may become the most impatient
and exacting in illness. The trained
nurse, accustomed to watch the effects
of disease, will understand and make
allowance for such perversion; but in
private nursing the patients friends
often suffer acutely from manifestations
of ill temper, for which they could only
account on moral grounds.
There is such q thing as spelling .
patient, even though he be past the age
we generally associate with the word
"spoil." Illness often brings back
some of the Maynard peevishness of
childhood, and you get such things to
contend with as positive refusal to take
food or medicine. or to comply with
some order of the doctors. As re-
in to patients whims and fancies,
there is NO better general rule than
tbs: oppose his wishes only on ques-
tons of right and wrong: and, when
opposition becomes necessity, use
special efforts so to keep our self-con-
troll as to avoid al expression of anger
or impotence.
How far you succeed in steering
your patient through such troubled
waters will depend greatly upon what
measure you possess of that valuable
gift, sympathy; in other words, the
power OF putting yourself in another's
place, seeing from his point of view,
and feeling with him in his difficulties.
A hard, cold, or even 8 merely narrow
nature can not be trained into . really
good nurse; and, indeed, as . broad
rule, lack of health and lack of sym-
pathy are the only two absolutely in
surmountable obstacles in the way of
those who desire to be helpful in the
sick-room.
For observe that the qualities of self
control, cheerfulness and patience.
though much easier to some than to
others, are within the reach of all who
earnestly strive to possess them; and,
moreover. each and all are capable of
being developed and cultivated to an
almost unlimited extent Sympathy, on
the other hand. though capable of de-
velopment by IT'S fortunate possessor, is
one of those natural gifts which no
amount of training can impart, and
which is no mole within the reach Of
all than is that good hesith without
which attempts at nursing can not but /.
end in failure. Given these two special
gifts of bealta and sympathy, and You
have the ..born nurse" needing, in
deed. much patient cara and training.
but one who may confidently count up
on success
Various other qualities and habits,
such a, humility, gentleness, frmness,
order and accuracy, are useful in nurs-
ing. There are also various gifts, as
good hearing and sight, cleyerness of
fingers, and natural quickness of APP
prehension and of movement, which.
though very desirable. are not absolute
" indispensable. and on these it is not
necessary to dwell Those who have
them may rejoice; and those who have
not need not be disheartened. as they
can very well be dispensed with. pro-
vided there is thorough. conscientious
effort made to acquire those more nec-
essary things which are TO be bad toE
TIE tfying.-H@2er's Resk