The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-03

VIZ FtHFIfV Wy PUNNElNN W NVU'HU "''
II n collage graduate aud WIN has had 4
NURSES training NJ the Massachusetts ten-
erai She also studied suclal conditions In
n college settlement Dennison ttofse, where
rhe lived a yraf. This Ia Mias q. I Peltou.
"She has charge ~ tho work aud ! put
IN m appearance every other day mr. 40 10
EXERCISE general supervision and talk over
any problems that involve the general
policy ~ tho undertaking. By March I the
bureau was no overrun by patients that we
engaged another worker, Mlss Augusta W.
burgess, and Under theaa two we have
now n number ~ volunteers, The main
work ~ Miss Burgess consists In Visiting
patients In their homes, investigating all
the circumstances and making reports
thereon.
Half Of the cases that como 10 us In the
out patient department are, as have eald,
In the wrong ~pigeonhole. Take a specific
case. A mar comes TO IN complaining Of
headache, indigestion, lassitude. loss OF
ambition.
"The old way would have been TO treat
that man for his symptoms. The newer
way was simply 10 give him good advice
about hygiene and send him away. Al
though most Of the doctors were we'll aware
that under such circumstances as these
physiological disorders might indicate men,
tai disturbances they do not always have
time to go into the causes OF the latter.
"The man I mention was strong and
hardy. There was no apparent reason why
he should show tho symptoms he did. But
1t appeared that he was lying awake at night
and worrying.
auio yyifa baI 1aff bin, ha ho1 fhroo Dr
four small children on his hands and he
scarcely knew how to dress or feed them,
being, as he confessed, a very poor cook.
The real diagnosis Of his case was: Wife
left him.
Now however difficult treatment might
be in a case like this there is certainly
something to do. We al temporarily
care for the children or assist in relieving
the conditions until the father has accom-
modated himself to his new situation.
This procedure is only carrying out the
injunction that every medical student
gets from his professors inc lecturers, and
that medical men are fond Of h~aranguing
one another about in hospital and oonven-
ton. BE thorough and go to the bottom
Of every case,' is the watchword, but with
our restricted knowledge Of the life condi-
tions Of patients, we have been unable to
apply this maxim thoroughly. In many
cases we have, in fact, been treating symp-
toms only.
Then there are a number Of people who
for some slight reason or other are dis
couraged and only need q cheering up.
And there Is the other class Of those who
have good reason to worry from having
run into financial difficulties more or less
awkward.
They have fallen to worrying and the
worry has produced or aggravated some
ailment. 1t is useless to give these people
medicine. You have got to go into the de-
tails Of their cases-and it is surprising
what results you get merely from adopting
this point of view.
AS an instance Of this: A woman was
sent to us whose case did not yield to medi-
cine. On the surface and even for some dis
lance below it the case was absolutely baf-
hin agbs woman WAS b,,rdeped, it appeared,
with a large young family and could not
make ends meet, But one Of the children
was of working age and though the mother
did not know how to obtain work for this
child we have good hope that we shall be
able to achieve this solution. Even with
the prospect the mothers courage ana
health have begun to return.
THE work in general when 1t gets past
the initial stages begins to divide. The
largest single group is the phthisls cases.
to a sanitarium or make a change Of climate.
Up to a year or two ago it was impossible
to offer much hope to the other nine. This
is no longer the case; something can be
done for almost everybody.
s1here are now in Boston two tuber-
culosis classes, which are made up of pa
tients who care for themselves under a
physician and the supervision of visiting
nurses. One of these classes is the local
one originated and directed by DR.. Joseph
H. Pratt and supported by Emmanuel
Church and the other is the suburban
class, under the direction OF DR.. John p.
Halves I'd.
"The essence Of class treatment is the
application of sauitfrium care to home
conditions thr ough scientific INSTRUCTION
and constant supervision. This is difficult
to do in the suburbs, but 1t is being done
with more or less success by the employ
ment of volunteer unpaid visitors, who
keep the patients up to their work Of re-
gaining health by holding before them
DIR. HAYES meets his patients every
Wednesday, but no progress could be made
without the cooperation of thirteen volun-
teer ladies' under the direction Of Miss Ellen
Emerson I'd, daughter OF DR., Edward
Emerson and granddaughter, Of Ralph
Waldo Emerson. A lady in Andover super
vises the patients in that town, but comes
periodically to Boston for counsel and in
struction. SO also ladies in Concord,
Woburn, Arlington, Chelsea and other
places have taken up the work,
whatever phthisis patients come to us
we study and refer to their proper pigeon
hole. We avoid duplicating other work
Of whatever description, in fact. We link !
ourselves with the Associated Charities and
other similar organizations. Thu minute we
see any case that can be disposed of by
them, we turn 1t over; that is the system.
THE modified milk class. which has been
placed in charge Of Miss Gertrude Farmer,
is another departure. This aims to correct
the same fundamental fault Of the hospital.
I'VE have been taking all the babies
offered that we have had room for, curing
them Of their little ailments, II We can, and
handing them back to their mothers, pos
siblyto be prepared anev by improper feed
ing for another course of hospital treatment.
We know absolutely that the hospital some
times gets the same babies back again, and
as this costs the hospital about $40 a baby,
it Ia worth preventing, merely from the
hospitals point OF view,
"This we aim to do by opening a class for
the mothers and teaching them how to
feed their babies. Miss Farmer is a grad
uate nurse, who does volunteer work under
the charge OF the out patient physicians in
the children's department, The class was