The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1902-02-26
TRAlNED-NURSE SCHOOL
FIRST STARTED IN PHILADELPHIA
SEVENTY YEARS AGO.
Now There Are More Ihnn Tinv Thou
sand Gfaduntcs - HEIR Duties and
Earnings - Especially Valuable in set
Element work a world of Their own.

liOn. III 0tf place is neullN dllllcu,
woman with more medical knowledge
than was possessed by an NJ. ID. 20
years ago The growth of the pro
fessiOn does not seem to have attract
ed much attention. but II is undoubt-
edly one of the most extraordinary
educational phenomena ever wit
messed. SO far as the records go. the
first school for training nurses was
established in Philadelphia in 1928.
IT was known as the Philadelphia Ly-
ing-in Charity and Nurse School, and
was an innovation which met little
encouragement. Oldfashioned nurses
and midwives. hospital attendants,
and even physicians opposed it bit
terly and denounced the employment
of young women in sphere which,
they said, propi'iety forbade them to
enter
The people of Penn's city are OBJ
stinate when they feel that they are
in the right. The school went on
turning out graduates each year, and
gradually overcoming the prejudices
OF the conservatives. Nevertheless
the change was slow. In 1880 there
were only dozen of these institu
tions, in 1885 score. and in 1890 81
schools with 1G scholars.
Then came a change which was al
most magical What brought it about
is impossible to tell. It Is true that
many old-fashloned nurses about this
time committed grieyous errors. and
that the advocates of women's medl-
cal colleges urged the extension Of
the trainednurse system, but these
cannot be regarded as sufficient in
their influence to have brought about
the revolution. In every part OF this
country and Canada new schools were
opened. and each was soon filled 20
the limit. In the scholastic year
1894 1885 the schools had more than
trebled. and the pupils doubled, the
totals being 13l and 39S5. Three
years later the schools were 81 and
the scholars 8S05. In 1890 the total
number of graduates was 10000, in
1896 $4,000, and today IL Is supposed
to be 10000.
The banner record is held by the
old Philadelphia institution, which
has graduated over 5000 in its long
and honorable career. In the distri.
button of schools the numbers follow
the intelligence, rather than the popu
latlon of the various states. Thus.
the authorities say, Maryland has six,
while Massachusetts has AZ, and Tex
as. with its 100000 people. has but
two. while Illinois has 81. These fig
ures do not include a large number
of institutions which tuin out sliilful
nurses. In nearly all of the big
cities of the eastern and central
states are homes, asylums. and re.
fuges, where young women are hired
to act as nurses. The institution edu.
Gates them, but simply with Il view
to utilizing their labor afterwards, and
not with the intention of preparing
them and then losing their services.
There are more than 200 places of
this class which average 10 girls each.
Neither does it include scores of
young women who have attended med.
ical colleges and have been unable
to be graduated. They make competent
nurses. and by many people are pre-
ferred to the alumnae of third-class
schools.
The course varies from one TO three
years, and averages two and one.
quarter years. The students receive
their board, lodging, fuel, light and
washing. and some honorarium. Their
education Is supposed to be equal in
value to the services they render. and
the money to be complimentary pay
mont Such is the theory, but in act
ual practice the schools. which are
almost invariably attached to hospit-
ais, pay the trained nurses from So
to Si5 month. Upon graduation.
the larger part of the pupils take up
active work Here they command
from SIS 10 $50 week, the price vary
ing with the case. the city, and the
rules OF the various nurses clu1s
which have been established.
In New York City the regular rate
according to those in charge at the
various Headquarters, Is $25 a week.
In most instances. the work is not as
eXhausting as is popularity supposed.
Sometimes II Is very severe for n
couple OF days or several weeks. This
period is followed by one Of less labor
and continued eXertion while the pa.
tient RECEIVERS. The easiest tasks are
those of caring for the chronic infirm,
the aged, and those who suffer from
accidents. The hardest are those
which are obstetrical or which deal
with the insane or the temporarily
deranged.
The trained nurses have now
world of their own. In several cities
they have clubs. Their profession has
its own literary organ, and in smaller
towns there Is always some school
which takes the place of local head.
quarters.
The general practice of q nurse is
to take two or three weeks off each
year for a vacation. Some who are
ambitions go to Europe ana there
study the hospitals of London and
Paris faw cnntipua tbai, ,,oiioot