The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-10-05
HARD ON NURSES.

/ often wonder IL an energetic woman
could be set more impossible task
than that of being absolutely idle for
the greater part of eleven hours. Yet
this Is what is expected Of The night
nurses In most, If not an, Of our county
asylums. No one acquainted with the
work will deny that IL needs woman
OF more than usual energy 70 hn post
as mental nurse, or. as she is more Of
ten called, attendant. BY the way, why
should one who ministers 60 the mind
diseased be less a nurse than one who
ministers 10 the body? This nurse,
then. goes on duty at D. m, and
leaves at a. m. as q rule, says the
Hospital. During that time she has to
peg the clocks" every half hour-mOst
asylums being now obliged 10 have
electric or Otner clocks in every DOR
mitory-and IL she has cases of general
paralysis there viii be these 90 attend
10 and change about every two hours,
The dormitory Is In darkness. unless
the tiny ray from the lowered gas jets
can be called light. II Is more a means
OF making darkness visible. She has a
bulls-eye lantern i'm one hand. and.
having visited single rooms examined
suicsdals. and attended 40 the general
paralytics she sits down 10 take up
her work or a book, one would suppose.
But no, this is strictly prohibited. Her
duty is 20 sit and stare into darkness,
50 that, forsOoth. she may not become
too absorbed in what he is doing TO be
ready in case of necessity. Another
half hour goes. Lamp in hand she
walks around her dormitory, pegs her
clock. and returns to her seat. In may
be that absolute quiet reigns, in which
case il is very hard not TO be oyerp0w-
cred by the inclination TO sleep-dead
temptatiOn--but that depends greatly
upon the class Of patients. III they ere
OF the acute maniacal type there
VIII be shouting and singing perpetu-
ally. Thre may be suicidals. in whlca
case constant alertness is necessary 10
detect the slightest sound. and as TINS
class is generally the most quiet II IS
the more difficult. Then. again, IN the
infirmary wards. what with medlclhes
treatment feeding, changing etc.' the
time flies as in ordinary sick nursing
The arrangements for the sleeping
accommodation of night nurses still
leave much TO be desired, even IN thes'
enlightened days. one night nurses
block win be- built next TO the dormi-
tory. Another asylum Will have NJ
separate block al all. and the nigh
nurses then have the pleasure OF Is
tening 10 their neXt-Coor neighbOr'l
energetic proceedings on either sid'
when they happen TO be off duty or M
10 tidy or TO fetch some forgotten thinl
or other during The dinner hour and :,
on. al lb. There will ba corridors be
ing polished. rooms turned out tone o
two every day.. and our poor nigh
nurse turns herself on her other sid,
and wearily thinks, mo peace for th'
wicked, or else. "a night nurses III,
is not a happy one" and then gradually
sinks off into slumber again. only to b,
awakened afresh by some new terror IN
the way of noise. After eight hours ol
so OF this she Is expected 90 be frest
for duty and for eleven hours OF dark
ness.
III only the wise men OF the asylum
committee would but try II Just once
they would learn not 70 ask inDoSsi bill
ties. 1t would be better st'll to follow
the example set by poor-law guardians
and. appoint some pra~ deal. common
sense ladies, who would soon point out
the error Of such ways. To a woman
brought up TO use her hands at all. 4 is
impracticable. and tends TO lower still
more the tone OF a system of nursinc
already notorious For the class Of people
who alone can live among such sur
rOundings with rules which only bree
dnpaN