The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-11-07
NURSING THEN AND NOW.
Strides Made in the Profession Since
Miss N1ghtingale's Day.

To read Florence Nig11tingale's Notes
on Nursing" published in 1860, brings a
realization of the enormous develop
ment, or, rather, the creation of the pro
fession of trained nursing since that
day. The desperation with which MISS
Nightingale enlarges upon certain sim
pie s1oints, now the A. B. c. of every
sick ROOM is quite pathetic. Certain
practices which she inveighs against in
the sick rooms of even the wealthy I'M
ply a disregard of decency which seems
almost unbelievable. The changing and
airing Of the bed, the commonest SAM
tary precautions, seem not to have been
known And these sick room customs
were continuation of everyday house
keeping and sanitation
Il have known whole houses and hos
pitfalls smell of the sink she says. I
have met Just as strong a stream of
sewer air coming uD the back staircase
of a grand London house as l have ever
met in Scutari: and / have seen the
rooms in that house all ventilated by
the open doors and the passages all
order that as much of the sewer air as
possible might be conducted into and
retained in the bed rooms"
Miss Nightingale had to begin that
tremendous campaign which resulted IN
the modern system of trained nursing
with a strenuous warfare against dirt
The housekeeping practices of the day
exasperated her beyond measure. IF
YOU like to wipe your dirty door, or
some portion of your dirty wall. by
hanging up your clean gowns or shawl
against it on a peg, this is one way,
certainly and the most usual way, and
generally the only way of cleaning eth
er door or wall in 2 bad room" she re-
marks, caustically.
mo particle of dust is or ever can be
removed by the present system of dust
ing she cries in despair
.tDusting means nothing but Tapping
the dust from one part of the room to
another. with doors and windows closed.
What you do it for l cannot think"
She goes on to say that the only pos
sible way to remove dust is with a
damp cloth; that all furniture should be
made so that aedamp cloth can be used
on it. that she has never seen but one
really clean floor wh:cl, was the Berlin
1acauered floor and that a vast i'm
provement in health would ensue if peo-
pie would cover the outside of their
houses with tiles. so that accumulated
filth could be washed from them with a
fire engine.
This was foreshadowing of the i'm
pervious floors and walls of hospitals
and family suggests Rellamy's model
houses in Looking Backward" which
were so constructed that once 2 week
or so the hose was turned inside, and
the whole interior flushed. She also rec
ommends one thing that almost every
civilized city is crying for today. though
few have ret attained it-smoAe co-l-
sumers-
The new woman served to point the
moral and adorn the tale quite as well
in 1890 as - years later.
1T is I think alarming" says the
great nurse, in severe sarcasm. ..pecu-
liarly at this time. when the female ink
bottles are perretually impressing upon
us 'wonan's' particular worth and gem
eraI missionariness. TO see that the dress
of women is daily more ard more unfit
ting them for any mission or useful