Evening star., 1909-09-12

Ing. It Is dangerous to give patient
water after an anaesthetic has been used
After the operation an ice-cap had 10 pe
applied 20 keep down the usual imam
nation. When | left her the ice-cap was
full. Presently her bell rang and another
nurse answered it. This happened again
and again. At the third call | went IN
She demanded another ice-cap l nlled
1t. but / was somewhat suspicious, ana
when she became violently nauseated
little later 1 questioned her, and found
that she had opened and eaten the ice
out of three ice-capS. She was In daIl-
gerous condition for some time.
The nurses at Casualty have strenu-
Gus time of 1t. AS the cases treated there
are emergency cases operations take
place at all hours and the nurse must be
always prepared to assist. 1t Is in this
sort OF work that the Importance or an
intelligent nurse is demonstrated. "hen
the ambulance goes out and 1t is under
stood what manner Of case is TO be
brought in. the thorough nurse fmmedl-
ately prepares the necessary solutions and
Instruments if it is to be a surgical case
land most of them are), SO that when the
doctor returns with the patient every
thing is in readiness for the operation
The nurses in Casualty are trained at
George Washington, coming to Casualty
for the experience in emergency work
serving five months in the latter ins1tu-
ton after which they return to the
former.
X X
zone young man was Brought here"
said one of the nurses, "who had been
shot by a farmer who said he thought he
was a chicken thief He had been away
from home for three years and was
tramping home 10 see his mother and
father He went to sleep in the farmers
barn and was shot. He only lived few
hours after he was brought In. He was
only nineteen. I believe and he was SO
patient and good. An Italian street piano
was playing across the street while he
was dying, and he wouldn't let the doc
tor have it stopped. because he said 1t
sounded sweet to him."
Casualty has a number OF regular cases
of alcoholism. From Saturday night to
Sunday night they have anywhere from
fifteen to thirty cases every week. Some
of them are suffering with the delirium
tremens and are given heroic treatment,
but the orderlies relieve the nurses from
this unpleasant and dangerous species
AS cases are not retained at this hos
pital, but either sent home or to another
hospital, there are not SO many deaths
as one might expect.
Freedmen's is the hospital for colored
nurses, there being no white women
trained there, though the superintendent
and the matron are both white. The
course is only two years In this nos
pital, AS their SraOudClOn taxes place
in May, a nurse who enters a few months
later must be graduated in May and then
remain and finish her allotted time after
ward before she is given her diploma. and
those who have finished a month or two
before the graduation must return and
take part in that important ceremony. A
tall colored girl conducted the visitor into
the ward to which she belonged.
Look at this child" she said. indicat-
ing a frail little girl, almost white, who
was sitting up in bed, gravely looking at
her. This child's mother is only seven
teen, and her father was dying Of con-
sumption when she was born. There is
not much chance for the child to get
well, and it will be better for the mother
If she does not. You broke your bottle
again this morning'-this to the child
didn't you, Mabel? I don't know what
I'm goin' to do with you the next time
you break your bottle
'Now this child turning to another,
"should not really be here SO far as its
condition is concerned. 1t is what they
call a 'pigeon-breasted child It's the
dearest little thing, never cries a bit.
Its parents don't want it, that's all.
About all we can do with them is to give
them proper food and keep them clean.
Most of them are tubercular cases. The