Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1897-05-27

which there may be none or many as
misfortune may dictate.

which there may be none or many as
misfortune may dictate.
The head nurse accompanies the at.
tending doctors on their morning
rounds, reports the condition Of pa.
tients, makes note Of further orders
and by her valuable reports proves
herself an indispensable assistant to
the medicine men.
Sometime during the forenoon the
head nurse makes out a list Of the
nurses under her, stating which shall
60 home to first and which to second
dinner; also the work each is expected
to accomplish during the latter half
Of the day. One is supposed to have
an hour at noon but il her mornings
work is not finished, she stays until
few minutes before mealtime then
hurries over home, bolts a most ex-
cellent dinner and is back in less than
half the appointed time.
Again the ward must be straight
ened, temperature, pulse and respira-
ton Of bed-patients taken, etc. In
the linen room each article in the pile
of clean linen must be counted, listed,
folded according to pattern and laid
away for future use. The room itself
must be swept and busted and every
article put in its proper place. Max
ing and passing three o'clock diets is
pleasant task, This diet consists Of
either tea, coffee, chocolate or hot
milk, and supposed to be for bed-pa-
tients only; although the nurse who
prepares it in the ward kitchen some
times pats her conscience on the head
and, II the moment be altogether pro-
pitious, appropriates generous sam
pie thereof to her own tired SELF A.
ter distributing tray full Of tin cups
among the favored ones, she proceeds
to fill them (the cups) with the steam
ing decocton and many are the good
wishes showered upon her.
These are but few Of the numer.
GUS duties which make up the daily
routine Of a nurses work and evening
sees crowd Of young women. foot
sore and weary, yet ready to do val
liant battle with the last gastronom-
ical treat of the day. Evenings are
devoted to amusement or study as the
case may, or rather must be, for class
and lecture work may not be neglect
ed and must be attended to after reg
ular work is done.
Those socially inclined gather to-
gether and exchange experiences,
some Of which are laughable, some
pathetic, others unspeakably sad and
still Others positively horrible. One
would suppose that long days init
mate association with humanity dis
eased in every conceivable form would
suffice without making this the chief
topic OF conversation in the home, but
quite the contraryis true. The work
is so all-absorbing that little else is
talked or thought.
Realizing this, the faculty urge
nurses TO spend their half days (Which
occur any time during the week and
frequently on Sunday away from
home to attend church, visit friends
or places of interest in the city, 60 to
the theater or do anything to divert
their minds from business cares.
However, there is scant necessity
for going outside of the hospital for
tragedy and comedy; since here they
are enacted in real life while the
stage furnishes but counterfeit SEM
blances Of the same and these often
imperfectly reproduced.
Besides looking after their physical
interests the hospital nurse is often
made coniidante by many of her
patients; and verbal autobiographies
reveal to her lives tainted by
small sins or utterly ruined by long
association with vice and crime
and chastened or hopelessly sourcd by
suffering and misfortune.
One might think and with reason
too that seeing SO much of the intense
ly serious side Of life might cast de-
pressing influence over the nurses
spirits, but by very contrast this
somber background throws into bold
relief the c0mical hanneninps which