The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-21
a NEW POLITICAL MOVE
BOARD OF HEALTH ANTS TO CON-
TVtOL school, FOR URsEs
Some of It's Underhand Ex-
posed-Bcen Matching the Scheme
for Over Two Months.

1t cropped out yesterday that the Board
of Health has determined to GUST the ladies
who have constituted the board of man.
ayers of the Indiana school of Nursing,
and that Jan. / the Board of Health intends
to establish a school for nurses at the City
Hospital that shall be under its own man.
agement. Miss Wicks, principal Of the
training school, has been selected by the
Board of Health as a scapegoat notwith-
standing she has demonstrated great abil-
ity during the two years that she has been
in charge Of the nurses at the hospital. 1t
was for the purpose of announcing this as
its final determination that the Board of
Health summoned Mrs. John H. Stewart,
president, Mrs. Charles +. Sayles, secre-
tary, and Mesdames Holiday and Swain,
of the board of managers, to appear at the
secret meeting held in the boards office
Monday night, an account of which was
published yesterday.
Some four or five weeks ago the Board
of Health notified the managers of the
nurses school hat unsatisfactory reports
were coming in as to the action of the
nurses in general and Miss Wicks in par
ticular. The board said that it was reported
that Miss Wicks was criticising the treat
ment given by the physicians, was violating
orders as to the administration of medicine
TO the patients-in some cases counter
handing those OrderS-and was, in short.
breaking down the discipline of the institu-
ton. No overt acts were charged, but it
was said that there was constant and
serious friction over matters insignificant
in themselves, but tending in the aggregate
to cause disruption. Charges made by the
board were met with counter-charges
against DIR. John d. Nichols, superin-
tendent of the hospital. Again nothing very
Ar,Av, x.oa --4
and experience were questioned and he was
accused of being indiscreet in his bearing
towards the nurses. For instance, it was
reported that he spent too much time talk
ing to the nurses on the floors of the wards,
in one case having talked for half an hour
to one of them, while the rules of the hos
pital and of the nurses home as we'll pro-
hibit the nurses from having any CONVEX
sation with the physicians except such as
may relate to the treatment of patients. 1t
was also asserted that DR.. Nichols had ex-
pressed disapproval of the action of the
managers for dismissing four girls who had
been guilty of repeated infractions of rules.
The upShot of the matter was that a con-
ference was held in the office of the Board
OF Health one afternoon while Mrs.
Stewart, president of the board of man
ayers, was out of the city. This was fol-
lowed by another conference at the CITY
Hospital. which was in the nature of an
investigation. DR.. Nichols and the physi-
clans under hin appeared and explained
Subsequently Miss Wicks was given an OBJ
portunity to refute charges of insubordina-
ton and the board was apparently salts
fled, although it was intimated that Miss
WickS's resignation would be acceptable.
1t is said that Miss Wicks did in fact ten.
der her resignation, but that she afterward
reconsldered 1t at the instance of the board
of managers.
still absent, the Board of Health notified
the ladies that it had determined to dis
pense with the services of the nurses Of the
school after the LIST of January and would
open a school of its own. This announce
ment came as a surprise. For many years
the nurses at the hospital have been pro-
vided by the Indiana School of Nursing,
first when it was under the direct control
of the Flower Mission and afterward of
the board of managers, a separate corpora
ton. AT first the board of managers was
inclined to resist the notice to vacate the
City Hospital, insisting that when Miss
Wicks was employed the Board Of Health
then in charge had entered into a contract
with them. which has not yet expired.
BOARDS U~NDERHAND METHODS.
Then it was that the craftiness at the
bottom of the whole scheme developed.
The board of managers was informed that
it would find difficulty In maintaining the
nurses home without an appropriation.
The appropriations for next year had al
ready been made, and that in such a. way
as TO permit the Board of Health to carry
through it's scheme for starting a training
school for nurses on it's own authority.
The appropriations for the City Hospital
for next year include a fund of s., 500 for
nursing. In the appropriations for 1896 no
such fund was set aside, according to the
report of the controller made Jan. /. 1896.
The board of managers was ~nonplused for
the moment, and some of the ladies were
In for retiring without a protest, but others
determined not to be ousted until every
plan that might be suggested proved I'M
successful.
The managers say that they believe the