The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1908-09-25
The New Navy Nurse.
By PRISCILLA LEONARD.

1t is out of the question for bat
tleship to carry trained nurses such
as are found in the ordinary shore
hospitals. There is no place for them
on shipboard, and in a naval battle
they would be most unsuitable.
The naval hospital. therefore, pre-
fers to train masculine bluejacket
nurse for this service, and by a some
what different course of training,
specialized for naval needs.
The recruit who is chosen to learn
nursing is not expected to know as
much about medicine as a hospital
nurse ashore; but, on the other hand.
he learns much that the nurse of
the hospital wards does not know.
The bluejacket nurse is not blue
Jacket, really-that is, he wears
spotless white costume instead. He
carries tiny knapsack, in which is
packed complete kit of bandages,
surgical instruments, splints, and so
on. He has drills in bandaging, and
everything in his knapsack is inspect
ed, to see that it is absolutely clean
and in order.
Such drill is very interesting
sight. The row of young sailors.
dressed in shining white, the quick
answers to the drill master. the BAN
dage drill, in which each man in turn
adjusts and explains, on his comrade
as patient, the way to bind up brok-
en- limb, sprained ankle, a dislo-
Gated shoulder, and so forth, and to
adjust and use tourniquet - all
this makes the looker-on admire
afresh the thoroughness and skill
with which the navy prepares for its
serious work.
Half tho bandaging is done, by the
way, with handkerchiefs, so that in
case bandages should give out in a
landing party. for instance, the sail
or's own handkerchief will be just as
good. All naval nursing is aimed
at meeting naval conditions or posi-
bilities.
For this reason. the ladder drill
Is another bin haSRital training.
"A series or ladders and platforms,
to represent the stairways and decks
of ship. is rugged up on the hos
pital lawn. Some of the nurses are
told off to represent the wounded.
They are picked up by their com-
rades, laid on stretchers, strapped
down, carried up and down the lad
ders at the double-quick, passed
through the openings in the plat
forms, and so on. while the drill mas
90 -fo okah tn, g.
the seconds
BY graduation time the ladder
drill is so incredibly quick that the
outsider can hardly believe his eyes.
First aid to the injured, of course,
Is one of the most important drills
at the training school, and the nurse
is expected to recite the nature of the
injury, and tell just what results his
treatment is meant to produce, as he
carries it on under the drill masters
eye.
The landing party drill is really ex-
citing. The nurses scatter over the
hospital grounds, hunting for prear-
ranged groups of injured men, On
finding them, they apply splints, ban
dages, and whatever else might be
necessary, and bring them in on
stretchers.
They write on tag description
of the case and tie 1t on the stretcher.
The doctor in charge questions them
on what they have done for the
wounded man, and why; and then
they are marked according to their
correctness both in treatment and
recitation. 1t all looks like fun, but
good deal of hard work and intelli-
gence is required, for Uncle Sam
wants the best nurses possible.
There are to be two nurses to each
large war vessel. After graduation
six months work in the hospital
completes the training, and then the
full fedged nurse goes on board ship.
In few years the naval hospitals
hope to graduate enough nurses to
be distributed among the smaller
vessels.-Youth's Companion.