The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-03-26

'1A'N
progress Of the disease by the flight Of
minutes He can only study it by tae
morning and the evening call. The
value of the intelligent nurse Is to lie
found in what she sees, as we'll as II
what she is willing to do: her useful
ness is to be enhanced by what she
can tell, as we'll as by her Willingness
to obey orders.
Eallncy Exploded.
1T is high time" Florence Nightin-
gale once wrote. that the tallaCy
should be exploded that every woman
is able to become competent nurse.
1t is high time that the standard OF our
training schools for nurses should be
raised, that unworthy institutions
should be crushed out and that the
question Of a trained nurses efficiency
should not be decided by her ability t"
bug a Bingham dress and to read Il
thermometer. 1t is high time that the
state legislatures should place laws up
on the statute books, SO that the gradn-
ates Of these different institutions
should be compelled to pass eXamina-
tons for licensure, as the doctor, the
pharmacist, the lawyer or the locOmo-
tive engineer is compelled to do. In
competent nursing has involved the
loss of many life and caused many
an agOniZing pain. Some time ago
dear friend of mine, a brother minis
ter, had his little tive-year-oId son near
ly bur1Sd to death. The only way to
save the chiid's life was by grating
human skin upon the little ones stom-
ach and chest. The father and the
child's two brothers volunteered to let
the doctor peel the skin from their bod
les to save the baby's life. After one
of the brOthers-a noble lad about ten
years Of age-had had the skin cut off
his arms and shoulders and chest the
surgeon turned to the nurse and said,
"Nurse, whore did you set that Knife"
"Out of the alcohol" she answered.
did you then place the blade in sterile
water before you gave it to meE' no.
she answered; Il did not know you
wanted NE to do it, "Thcn," said the
surgeon, I'VE have cut all the skin off
from this boys body for nothing, Your
criminal ignorance is to blame for this
useless suffering. You should have
known enough to place that knife III
sterile wafer. You profess to be ii
trained surgical nurse and a graduate
Of nurses college"
Thus, you women about to become
trained nurses. it is Of vital impOr
lance that you are intelligent and eff
Gent 1t is of vital Importance that
you should know the value of fresh air
and of proper dietetics. 1t is of vital
importance that you obey the laws of
cleanliness and not allow your patient
to become infected. The ignorance OF
incompetent nurses has sent many
patient to the grave. If you volunta-
rily enter your noble profession intel
lectually unqualified, you are commit
ting a sin against the human race just
as surely as is the ignorant switchman
who throws open the wrong switch
and sends the passenger train crashing
into the freight train which has been
sidetracked. II did not know in the
not think or Il forgot" In this age
Of fine training schools for nurses it is
just as much every nurses business to
learn how to think right as it is to
learn how to do right.
Cure Soul and Body.
The ideal nurse should be Christian
woman. During the dark night, when
the black winged death angel is hover
ing, wing and wing. beside the white
winged birth angel. or when in the
crisis of pneumonia or typhoid the life
seems to be hanging by a slender
thread, no intelligent nurse is SO COM
petent to bend over the bed as the one
who believes in God and prayer and
the one who can ask for the divine
blessing when she pours out the medi-
cine or places the ice bag on the fe-
vered brow. A great deal of Florence
Nightingales power over her patients
was due to the fact that she could tell
the physically helpless and the dying
about the Good Physician, who was
able to cure the sufferers soul as well
as his body. The Crimean soldiers had
a better chance for getting well in this
world when Florence NightingaIes
mere presence made these rough men
stop their swearing and influenced
many of them to turn their lips toward
heaven with beseeching prayer. We
know that one Of the beneficent tasks
of a nurse is to inspire patients with
peace of, mind and of heart There
fore, is not the ideal nurse doubly fitted
for her WORK when she can impart to
the sufferers soul a knowledge of the
peace that passeth understanding?
Was that nurses practical useful
ness married by her faith in God. about
whom Dr. Banks relates this thrilling
incident? During one of the bloody
battles of the civil war a wounded
youth was carried into the field hos
pital. He tossed upon his cot crying
and moaning: DO not let me die! Oh.
| am afraid to die! Oh, am afraid to
der The Christian nurse walked up
to his side andsplaced her hands firmly
upon his shoulders. Then she said: