The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-05-02
t History and Strange REGULATIONS Made BY Paienl
Who Stand Closest to Us in the Hour Of Need

II,
the little she had But just suppose il she had IN
sisted upon me tasting it there and then.
Each day in our training were given new duties
and esponsibilties After a time we were allowed
to take temperatures There was a Scotchman |
had both of whose eyes were bandaged. The first.
day / put the thermometer into his month he began
pickering up his lips in peculiar sort of way that
: + did not understand until he said: .Nurse, if yell
put match to the end OF this cigarette again maybe
l: carl draw it, though it's aye small one
:, To change the bedcothes, to comb the hair. to
give baths were among our first duties and easy
ones either and all this time VIC accommodating
a wide knowledge of diseases their symptoms treat
merit and care. But first real responsibility
when we were put on night duty.
Night duty Il shall never forget the mingled pride.
and horror and. pleasure and anxiety of my first
night experiences. IL felt that had at last really
takcn step as a full hedged nurse, for there were
no senior nurse and head nurse and dozen and one
doctors to- remind me constantly OF my insignIh-
cancc. Therewas only the night supervisor, but she
could not get around very often, and we were able
to ti1nc zhcr visits pretty accurately.
= But usually there were. only the doctors visits to
break ia ON our work Night duty is the time, too,
when you may really: get chance know the doc
tors, for there is not usually the same rush as in the
day. and you can find a chance to talk 1t you want
TO j remember one doctor with whom | used to
have lovely philosophical DISCUSSIONS. DIT d. III
And one very delightful friendship started on
Christmas night when the doctor who had never
roticcd me much before, discovered me with my
head: en- the desk, having little comfortable weep
all to myself OF course he thought. ] was ILL., and
at once he wanteil to know where it hurt Did you
ever notice that doctors treat everybody we do
children; and WREN theysc US cry immediately hunt
for: bruises? -
Dir b1urted odt,: all the folks ARE round the
e.
: Poor little: girl he said, in Just the kndest way
imaginable Il guess know just how you feel I'm
pretty far from my home myself /. / hail from
Canada: Where: syour homer.
!: And | started to tell him all about it. Then: we
talked 'honlese until we: both felt better, and
realized that Santa Claus had given to each Of us
the present of friend,
: But after the. doctor had made his rounds and
had noted the T., p R. Temperature. pulse. respra
tioh} of each patient and the wards were quiet and
the lights down. then game the hardest part. |
never did believe in ghosts but when everything is
stff except for the groas and o the PATIENTS
and the only lights from the green shaded lamp
over the desk, which throws fantastic shadows: on
the white walls could not help sometimes feeling
a bit spooky" and almost expecting something
other TO dart oiit from the corners. And then'thc
awful SHORES thenls selves have Thought OF making
COLLECTION of the different kinds of snoresyou Know
tn
like themes dear to the heart of the true musician
and ear splitting To- other poor mortas. You :can
have::~ao idea of the various keys and tones and
measures ills possible to snere in unless you have
beci.in hospital on night duty.
Sometimes the shores and the wholesome groaIls
and the darkness and anxiety got ON my nerves
The frst. week l. was on night duty the doctor had
been unusually late: in making his rounds There
were several very i'll patients In my ward and was
C,,i1
heard an awful crash and. looking up, l spied two
men in evening dress standing in the doorway
screamed and got hysterical-yes. admit it, much
as / aim now ashamed OF my lack OF CONTROL.
1t seems that the doctor had been out late to an
affair, and having spoken OF one OF his cases to
friend, had brought him right along to look at it,
neither of them waiting to change their dress. The
visiting doctor had been interested in discussing
the case that. he had stumbled against the desk and
upset it, remember when he was introduced to
he tried be nice and smooth things over but his
tongue quite awkward as his feet, for what
The said was Pm very glad to meet nurse who
scream we'll She ought to make good barker
for. the hospital
This sort Of fright is easily recovered from but
never have |. gotten over my involuntary horror of
death bed at night Death at all times is difficult
for me to watch When see the first sharpening
of features, the dusky shade setting the face
and the restessness and twitching the supor that
portcnd death, want to ruin away.
had always imagined death beds to be almost
scraphic systematically lucid, involving rightful
grief and suffering. But have found any such
ampres are: The patient, as rule is indiffer-
ent anything hut bodily suffering, which geler-
ally ceases; that the death itself is usually quiet
But always. ii is very, very solemn.
:. One case / had, however, a. young woman with
cancer. who was suffering frightfuy. and yet she
did JlOt 70 die She "
~ on want: to die but won't die, won't de.
Hef death struggle was dreadful And have
done anything harder than. prepare her body for
burial. As Il washed her and Strengthened her
limbs still seemed to hear her cries. And then her
eyes would not stay closed until the supervisor
coming in opportuney suggested putting bit of
cotton under each lid to Keep them from slipping