The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1906-01-19
TRAINED NURSES IN TURKEY.

TRAINED NURSES IN TURKEY.
IL Was Dimcult 1t First TO Get Any
Girls for tho Work.
DR.. Thomas Specs Darlington, tho
founder of the first training school for
nurses in Marsovan, Turkey. who IS
about to return to found another
school in Constantinople, tells an inter-
esting story Of the first girl to take
up the work Of nursing, says the New
York Times. She was the pioneer,
and It was through her example that
other girls came and the work, great
innovation in the far east, was made
possible.
L,isaper was the girls name, and
she was q young Armenian, belonging
to wealthy family. Nurses were need
ell in the hospital, native women would
be invaluable, and DR.. Darlington
urged Lusaper to enter the hospital.
The objections offered by the girls
family were much the same as those
made by the families Of Americans
girls when they first took up business
life.
In Lusaper' ease the first objection
was that the work was mental, there
fore degrading, and a girl doing any
thing of the kind would not find
husband, disgrace and a calamity
for girl in Turkey.
Lusaper having passed much time
around the hospital reading to and as
sisting the patients in various ways.
concluded to give herself to the work.
But even then she was not to be de-
pended upon. On every visit home pres
sure was brought to bear upon her, and
she would return with her resolution
shaken, and it was only by appealing
to her sense Of helpfulness to her SUI
fering fellow country women that she
was persuaded to keep on. Now she
has been graduated, and no better
nurses are graduated from western
training schools Of long standing.
An interesting feature of Lusaper's
case was that after she had begun the
hospital work and was earning a good
salary her family lost a good part of
their money and for a time she was
their chief support, as SO many girls
on this side of the water have been In
different ways.
1t Is Ave years since the training
school in Marsovan was started, and
the results have shown the wisdom
Of the step. Only girls whe have been
educated and speak English are admit
ted to the training school. These are
conscientious and Trustworthy and dis
prove the general opinion that the east
eYn woman IL helpless and frivolous.
Since the school opened more girls
have applied for admittance than
could be accommodated and the work
has only been limited by the money
and accommodations. Girls have been
sent from other hospitals-there are
four under American supervision in
Turkey-and from the girls schools
where trained nurse in attendance
Is invaluable.
Women In Turkey are greatly In
need Of medical attention and nursing.
The youthfulness of the child wives,
the large families, lack of proper care
In Illness, lack of cleanliness, and
proper sanitary conditions make them
often terrible sufferers. Their seclu-
sion and refusal to be attended by men
physicians has made their cases prac.
tically hopeless.
Native-trained nurses mean a revo-
luton in the lives of the women. The
nurses give not only care in illness,
but disseminate knowledge concerning
sanitary conditions, which is greatly
NEEDED in land where annually 50 per
cent of the children died from improper
diet and conditions.
DR.. Carrington's visit to this coun-
try was to raise money for the Con-
stantinople Training School. From
that city a good school would be able
to send nurses to the whole country.
The work also provides employment
for eastern girls which, now that it is
understood, they are glad to under
take. The educated girls have, many
Of them, become teachers heretofore.
In whatever little village they settle
after leaving school, they gather the
children together and form small cen
ters Of civilization, and do much good
which, as trained nurses, they will be
able to increase.