Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-17
NURSES FOR THE NAVY
TRAINING SCHOOL AT NORFOLK
GRADUATES CLASS.
Young Men Show Remarkable Pro-
fciency in Their Work-Details
Of the Examination.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
NORFOLK. Va, December 16, 1902.
A training school for the nurses In the
navy has been established at the United
States naval hospital in this city. 1t has
developed within three months from It's
inauguration into one of the most Interest,"
ing as well as important auxiliartes OF the
department Of medicine and surgery, and
the officials are deeply interested in it's well
fare.
The school is under the general super
vision of the medical director in charge OF
the hospital, DR.. Persons. but the immedi-
ate direction of the work of training the
nurses is intrusted to Dr. s. G. Evans.
The graduating exercises Monday last Of
the first class Of twenty-eight apprentices
were sgnalized by the presence of the as
sistant surgeon general or the navy, LII.
Uric, who, by the way, was formerly Presl-
dent Roosevelt's physician. He came DOWN
from Washington especially TO make the
final examinations of the bright young fell
lows, who received from him their certln-
Gates of merit, and who will now be sent
to other hospitals for practical work in the
branches they have been taught here. Some
of them are so proficient, however, that
they have already been assigned to the
ships Of the navy.
The army has long had its own system Of
nurses but the navy has not. Almost
everything at sea devolves upon the naval
surgeon and the introduction of the system
of apprentice nurses will be hailed with
delight by every surgeon in the service.
The assistant surgeon general expressed
great pleasure at the work that has been
accomplished saying he had no idea that
so much could be done with raw material
In so short a while.
The twenty-eight apprentices who gradu-
ated today were enlisted at random during
the past few months. Most of them were
raw country boys, who came here to enlist
in the navy. They were placed under the
direction of DR.. Evans and in a little over
three months they were graduated in
course which comprises hygiene, anatomy,
materia medica, first aid to the wounded,
drills in the care of the wounded diet cook
ing stenography and clerical work.
The exercises by the graduating class
consisted. first, of bandaging for almost
every conceivable kind of injury. This
work was done swiftly and skillfuly.
An inspection of kits showed that each
man is equipped with everything he needed
to give proper first aid to the wounded.
Surgical Instruments in the use of every
one of which the apprentices are carefully
trained: bandages for all sorts Of injuries
and a flask of aromatic spirits of ammonia
are contained in this very small kit The
hospital stewards carry a larger box and
the surgeon a still larger one.
On the triangular bandage used there Is
printed diagram of the proper adjustment
OF It for any kind OF wound; Wire
everything therein Is carefully steriliZed.
Probably the most interesting part Of the
work was the outside drills, when the boys
demonstrated how to handle the wounded
with one, two and three bearers, and the
tactics employed in search for the
wounded. This was almost as interesting
as the rapid-fire bed making. transfer of a
patient from one bed to another and chang
ing the sheets beneath him without expos
ing his body.
The drill with the Ames board, which is
used for carrying very badly wounded
man in an absolutely rigid manner for
transfer. is Of especial interest Surgeon
Ames, who is on the battle ship Texas, in
vented the appliance while here By its aid
1t is possible to hoist a wounded man
through hatchway or to lower him at will
and without injury.
In the search for the wounded the board
was employed. The nurse. upon discovering
a man in need of assistance, first rendered
It, and then tagged the man with his name,
company, ship and home. This is an i'm
portant innovation, which will be observed
in actual service.
DR.. Evans has been ably assisted in the
work of training the boys by Hospital
Stewards May and Winterbottom.