The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1908-02-01
ON BEING SICK.
SOME CONSIDERATION OF THE PATIENT
AND THE WELL-WISHER.
by ISABEL McDOUCALL.


How glad you would have been too,
for some one to straighten your room
up earlier The maid didn't get around
| to it until after the doctor had called,
and you did SO hate to see him In it.
He would always associate you with
tumbled bedclothes, a mussy toilet Ia
| BILE and a tray of used dishes. And
you are not slattern. You are not!
You are not! You have ever been
comfortably aware that if not beau
tiful, you were at least dainty in per-
son. dress and surroundings.
Everybody in boarding house rec
ommends differept remedy. You
have learned to turn a deaf ear to
what Cousin Sam did for just such
trouble as yours and what Aunt Mary's
old nurse used to say, and the unfail-
ing prescription Of such and such
specialists and the astonishing treat
ment that famous physician gave the
Car of Russia. Our own rcvered in
ternals may differ in some way from
those of the common herd, or even
from those of crowned heads.
Jason dissents. He says his few
ailments are those that aftiict average
humanity; cold, headache, sore
throat. Indigestion, or perhaps Jobs
comforter Nearly every one has ex-
perienced them and knows of some
relief, and he'd rather be told than not.
And Mr. Tinker adds with his neat air
of finality: And one genuinely i'll,
should call physician and carry out
every least order to the best of his
ability"
AS if that settled anything!
Why, our first difficulty is to deter
mine whether we are genuinely i'll. or
only malingering. And our second is
that physicians give such indefinite
orders and ask so few questions. You
have to corkscrew every scrap of in
formation out of them, and then they
look surprised that you should not
know that without asking. Diet? Why.
of course; thus and thus. But they
hadn't said to. May the patient eat
this? BY no means. Well, it had not
been forbidden before. Or may he eat
that? Not unless you want to kill
him. They had not objected hitherto
SO he's been eating it right along.
Drink? 1t would be pernicious? On,
this thing must be taken hot, must it?
They never said so till now, and he
has always had it ice cold. Oh, they
regard that casually mentioned symp-
tom as important? Then why in
thunder hadn't they asked about it, to
us it seemed quite trifling.
An aggravating thing about doctors
is when you reluctantly part with your
shekels for single call-nOthing much
ails you, but it might rs we'll be set
right-they agree that it is small
matter and add cordially Look in and
let me know, how you are in day
or two" You don't want to be rude,
but you wish they'd remember that the
calling upon them is a pleasure that
costs. In few days you are either
in bed. or you are well and do not
wish to waste money complying with
their friendly invitation.
We all joined heartily in abusing
doctors and as for trained nurses-a
pox upon your trained nurses! Auto
Gratis. Despots. So bOssy that your
maid leaves and you are lucky if your
cook doesn't follow her example. Then
you would have to cook for family, pa
tient and nurse as we'll Bless your
soul! She never can cook; she never
can even light fire, or won't demean
herself to.
my sister is the best nurse l know"
says Mrs. Gusher. "She sees that
look my best when any one calls'-it
is like Mrs. Gusher to name that quail
ifications first-"My pretty new neg
ligee and my hair we'll arranged. and
the bed smooth and trim. The very
first thing she does is to put my room
in perfect order, degree more rigid
ly neat than keep it myself. She
puts away lot of little superfluitias;
the books and photographs from your
desk, embroidered covers and silver
knicknacks from your dressing table.
They are merely In the top drawer;
when you want the manicure set or the
ring tray 1t will be forthcoming. Mean
time she has plain towel there and
on the table by your bed, towels re-
newed SO constantly that they are al
ways immaculate; on them she mar
shals in military order the bottles.
spoons and tumblers that must be with
in reach; also pad of paper ruled
OF into spaces for recording ea~h dose
. or temperature, or food or sleep-ev-
erything that should 60 by rule. You
never need to burden your mind with