Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-02

XvTHEN the services Vi uaiheu
M nurse are needed there Is con-
" sternation in the household. not
only called forth by the illness OF the
patient, but because the advent OF
nurse is usually looked upon as being a
nuisance As some housekeepers put II.
They just upset the house" They
never look at it from the nurses point
of view.
For fully fifteen years I have followed
my chosen professionalism OF trained
nurse--and the question most frequently
asked by my friends and relatives Is:
Are nurses made comfortable at the
houses to which they go?' And ] say.
most decidedly, mo
Graduate trained nurses are usually
women of refinement and culture, but by
many OF the people who employ them
they are looked upon as a sort OF upper
servant which naturally does not tend
TO harmony or good feeling. And the
real domestics add to the difficulty of the
situation by their dislike to wait upon
those they term lady help Ii would
surprise a good many people If they
knew the manner in which nurses are
treated by prominent men and women
who should know better.
~
was on an important case some years
ago in this city where four nurses were
employed Our patient was dangerously
i'll. and We worked night and day, doing
our best to help keep breath In the poor
little woman. Finally the crisis was sue
cessfully passed, and, our patient on the
mend, we were four happy tired women.
1t was a large house, with many servants.
but our meals were never served on time
and were never hot We never com
rl.~.. lNr,.f nau
the anxiety of the family about the con-
dition of our patient. During the first
week of conyalescence Ie were told that
our patients mother had issued an order
that We four nurses must Use the serv-
ants entrance. i was too much. with
in an hour we struck.
When the distiT guished surgeon in
charge of the case, who inIerfsre2 IN our
behalf, asked our employer what she OBJ
iected to in our behavior, she replied:
oh the nurses are very worthy and
but, really, my front door
is to he used only by my friends and
equals.
On another occasion was nursing a
rather eccentric woman, vino lives alone
in a very handsome house. She IS de-
voted to cats, end owns seven Of them.
Three were AE2oras. two Maltese and the
others belonged 20 the back yard variety.
Each cat hed its own basket and rug,
and they were fed on separate plates.
When my patient was convalescing they
were given their meals in the sickroom.
as it amused her to watch their antics
One day she was dreadfuliy concerned
because Pussy Willow refused to eat
tempting plate of minced chicken. The
butler was Immediately sent for. TO ex-
plain. If he could. why the cat was not
hungry.
Sure. men," he answered. ''tha- cats
as cunning as human beng; he knows
there's game a-hangtn In the Ice box,
and is waiting for that"
Now during by ten weeks residence in
hat house / was on night duty, and the
iood supplied for my own consumption
was invariably cold mutton, without even
an alternating pickle. / never had a single
lot meal while / was there. And yet my
"a tient is spoken OF as one of the most
women in Washington
Many times lazy servants are the direct
.ause of some Of the unhappy experiences
which we meet with occasionally. When
,ver / think of one such experience. 1t
gives me the horrors.
My patient was New York capitalist
who had come here to rebuild his shat
cred constitution. had to be very
particular about his diet. The physician
rad ordered a certain meat bouillon for
him. He positively refused to take any
II the already prepared bouiilons; no
lad the best cuts of meat sent upstairs
reg. whict' ! squeezed every bit of juice