The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-29
SIGNIFICANCE AND AIM
OF DISTRICT NURSING

Everyone in Birmingham is asking:
well. what is this district nursing bus
mess they are trying to get up here?
What does 1t aim to do? How is it going
to be so beneficial to this city? What is
it anyway"
All of these questions are answered
straight to the point In a recent article
written by Frances BJorkman, appearing
in the Review of Reviews, which says
in part:
THE function of the visiting nurses is
three-fold. They are at once nurses,
teachers and inspectors. Into thef homes
of the poor they bring the definite knowl-
edge and the trained skill which the high
salaried nurse in private practice brings
into the homes OF the rich; but, as visit
ing nurses, it is not enough that they
should use their skill and training for
their patients alone. Much of what they
know they must teach to the other men,
bers of the family, and, without presum-
ing upon tho confidence reposed in them
as nurses, they must see and report TO
the authorities every unwholesome condi-
ton that may become a menace to public
health
I'm every densely populated city In the
United States there may now be seen
going about at almost any hour of the
day or night, in the worst weather and in
the darkest and most squalid Streets
numbers of earnest-faced capable-look-
ing young women wearing plain dark uni
forms-usually consisting of long, loose
cloaks ana small bonnets, with short
vels-and carrying plain black leather
bags They are almost as familiar figures
in the poorer quarters as the Salvation
Army lassles, and they are accorded even
greater degree of respect Streets that
are dangerousl to other people are per-
fectly safe to them. Doors that are
closed to every one else are opened
quickly to their knock. Wherever there
is sickness or suffering they are always
welcome, and wherever there Is sickness
or suffering they are always found.
'eThese are the visiting nurses-trained
specialists, who give the best part of
their lives to carrying expert care to the
sick poor in their own homes, to instruct
Ing them in the laws of hygiene and san
itation, and to roofing out and destroy
ing the unwholesome conditions which
cause the spread of disease. Although
they have been in existence compare
lively short time, they have already be-
come an almost Indispensable factor In
the hygiene of the large city.
''Their work is both social and personal;
to the individual Since the beginning of
the tuberculosis crusade they have done
more to check the advance of the white
plague than any other one force. Since
they have been given chance to carry
their work into the schools they have
materially reduced the spread of conta-
gious disease, while retaining in the class
room hundreds of children who would
otherwise be deprived of their right to
free education. They have been of ines
Unable service to health boards IN ans
covering and reporting unsanitary con-
ditions which are hidden from even the
trained eyes of the regular inspector be-
cause he has not their facilities for daily
observation
"These, however, are new developments
~ their work Originally they were
nurses and nothing more; but as they
nursed they saw that there were other
th,nqs for them to do, and they did them.
II is a principle of all the visiting