Los Angeles herald., 1890-08-12
LET THE GIRLS NURSE.
A TRAINING THAT WOULD BE IN
VALUABLE TO EVERY FAMILY.

Every Female Should Be Taught How to
Treat the Sick and to Make Her Press
ence in the InvaIid's Room Like Raw
of Sunshine.
IF had a dozen girls" said dear old
lady whose sole hostage to fortune CHANGED
to be boy, and one not very we'll trained
at that II would have them all finish their
education in a training school for nurses"
AS she uttered this wise remark she was
standing at the foot of sick bed watching
the very amateurish attempt of a we'll
meaning but inexperienced hand to ar
range the pillows, ETC., to the satisfaction
OF an invalid. And her remark was heart
lily echoed by both amateur nurse and the
poor sick one, whose nerves were being
rasped by the kindly meant but unavailing
attempts to render him comfortable.
In these days of thoroughness of train
ing in all lines of education, when schools
of manual training are regarded as de-
cidedly the proper thing for the education
of boys who have no idea of becoming me-
chanics, though trained to handle the tools;
when the particular talents of the young
of either sex are sought out with serious
attention and their educational upbring-
ing all bent to the one end of unfolding and
developing that talent to perfect whole,
why should not the idea prevail of training
all young women to such point in nurs-
ing that they may have confidence in
themselves when called upon during life's
pathway to care for the sick? No matter
what position a woman takes or is born to
in this world, two things which she cannot
escape are sickness and death. If the one
1nS in,
self, know no woman who at one time or
another has not been called upon to nurse
some suffering fellow creature near and
dear. -' -'.4-,e.-.---...
s~' IT COULD BE TAUGHT AT SCHOOL.
In these days of professional nurses, when
all who can afford their expense bring
them into their families at times of long
or violent illness, the quiet peace and COM
fort which may be brought into a sick
room is fully realized But the vast ma
jority of educated persons pecuniarily are,
debarred from indulging in such expensive.
luxuries and their sick ones suffer. Sup,
pose in the department of physical train
ing, which is being added to mostsgirls' as
we'll as boys schools, branch of nurs-
ing was included. how many mothers do
you suppose could be induced to pen
letter Of excuse to the head of the school
framed in some such language as this:
"Kindly excuse my daughter from the ex-
ira fatigue of pursuing this new study. 1
feel that she is already sufficiently taxed"
! hardly believe that in all our wide land
there is one who would have so little
thought for her daughters future as this;
on the contrary there would be general
feeling that even an important study
would best be given up to gain a little
knowledge of how easy it is to make the
suffering more comfortable.
But such giving up would not be nee
essary; the physical art of nursing could
be taught in connection with the gym
nasium exercise in the departments of
physical culture, and course of lectures
on this subject alone be added to the study
of physics. Why would it not develop the
muscular power of the arms as perfectly
to be taught how to take a suffering frame
on one arm, and arrange the hot and
crumpled pillow with few deft touches
of the other hand, as to move up and down
a certain system of weighted machinery
called "health lifts" or to swing back and
forth on rings suspended from ceilings?
But such a little thing as fixing the pill
lows, you say, why any one can do that.
Yes, so they can. But if you watch the look
Of expectancy and relief on the face of
sick person when he sees a trained nurse
about to do this simple thing and the sigh
of satisfaction when she is finished and he
is put back to cool ard absolute comfort;
and again the anxiety and distress so visi-
bly, depicted when he sees one of the fam
lily approach to do the same simple thing
and hear the fretful voice exclaim after
ward ooh, my pillows are not right" it is
easy enough seen that there are ways and
ways of doing things.
1T is NATURAL TO SOME
There are persons, as we all know, whom
nature has endowed with a wondrous
gentle touch, magnetic vitality a
thoughtful, far seeing care, and these per-
sons we call natural nurses. Strange as
1t may seem, they are not in many cases
dainty, gentle little women, but great,
strong and often rough men, who seem to
the ordinary observer better fitted for train
ing horses than for the care of an invalid.
can think of such one now as write
an awkward, uncouth, loud voiced being,
but who in sickness changes as under some
magic touch The most fastidious invalid
gains vigor and repose from his very
TOUCH and his loud words subdue them
selves into the most encouraging and in
spring tones.
Perhaps it is his strength that the invalid
depends on; perhaps it is his self esteem
that inspires confidence. l admit it, suc6
reasons there may be, but his nursing is
gift. Hundreds of Others just as strong,
just as self conceited, just as vigorous, are
clumsy and useless about the sick. And
SO are hundreds of others, dainty, easy,
quiet, low voiced, etc.
To one who has had experience with
many trained nurses certainty sinks into
the mind that one need not possess this
gift from nature to be successful nurse,
for the characters and personalities are as
varied in the training school as in any
other where number Of human beings are
gathered together. One characteristic,
however, they all require is thoroughness,
so that each herself may thoroughly de-
pend on her powers, in which case the pa
tient is sure to do so also.
Iwould have every girl and boy taught
the elements of massage rubbing, so that
when necessity demanded they should
know how to work and knead the muscles
in order to induce proper circulation Of the
blood, and how certain other movements
tend to rub pain away or to develop GER
tain weak members. What woman in any
sphere would not be glad to know how to
do this for a tired, nervous husband, or
what husband for a nervous, suffering
wife? This knowledge and a thousand
other minor points in nursing would do
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