The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1911-11-14
A Doctors
Story
How 3 Trained Nufse Dominated
One Of His Palients
By EDWIN T. MARTIN
Copyright by American Press Assn.
citation. ISL.
By EDWIN T. MARTIN

= COpyTIBnt Oy American eTeoS AMP .
10 citation. 1911. .
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
lis that you. doctor2"
Eyes. What is it,"
my nurse is killing me-"
"Who are your
There was q click. followed by ST.
lence. I waited for some time. but.
getting no response. hung up the re.
ceiver. turned over and tried to 60 to
sleep. The effort was unsuccessful.
recommended the trAined nurses for
oil my patients and felt responsible for
them. And IL there had been no re-
sponsibility Shatever the fact that
nurse was killing any one and l had
been called on to prevent the murder
was quite enough to keep me awake.
The next morning 1t occurred to
No that the woman who had called me
must have been interrupted at the
telephone. Whoever interrupted her
very likely heard her message to me.
II she was delirious would either
have been called up by the person who
lad stopped her and the matter ex.
planned or the fact would be men.
toned to me during the day while I
was making my round Of visits. I
started out after my morning Office
hour had expired expecting a solution
Of the mystery.
I called upon every one OF my pa.
uents that day who was III enough to
have a trained nurse. There was not
one Of tho women. so fur as I could
discover, who was not perfectly salts.
oed with her nurse. There was not
one who was delirious or had been de-
lrious during the night. After having
made the last call on my list | tried to
think Of some one I might have omit.
ted. But this was but mOmentary
thought, for It was impossible. even II
I had made no memoranda. that l
should have forgotten any seriously
sick person I was treating.
I went to bed that uight troubled
There was a mystery that l did not
IKE. I regarded It 40 possible that
nurse might 90 dominate sick person.
especially a woman. that the invalid
would not dare to complain Of her to
the attendant physician. I had once
been treating q woman who when l
cent the nurse out Of the room for
something said to me in hurried
whisper. doctor. II you don't take
that nurse away from me I shall die"
I dismissed the nurse and never forgot
the episode. Indeed, It taught me that
Il might be possible for q patient to
suffer under q nurses care or want OF
care or dominating will power and not
b accorded IN opportunity to inform
the doctor without the nurse being
aware Of the complaint.
When making professional visits !
keep In constant touch with my office
BY telephone and the next day was
called up by my assistant, who said:
"A very singular message came about
half an hour ago. A woman tele.
phoned: Doctor, oh, doctor. do get rid
Of this nurse! She is The message
was cut OF at that point. and l heard
nothing more"
With this second call for help be.
gan to be worried and puzzled beyond
measure. could not believe that auy
one Of my patients could be out Of her
head without my being Informed of the
fact. The nurse was likely to be aware
Of 1t and would surely report the mat.
ter to me. There was the uncomforta-
bic alternative that some nurse was
obnoxious to the invalid OF whom she
was In charge and the patient had tele-
phoned me and been stopped BY the
nurse. There was another horrible
view Of the case-that q mysterious,
slow murder was being practiced on
one Of my patients. who was trying ia
communicate with me and was stop
ped by the murderess.
The next day started on my round
Of visits determined to note every
case Of an invalid woman with view
to determining her relations with bel
nurse. Though I was a young prac
titioner, had fallen into large prac
tice and had long list | soon learned
that with the multiplicity Of responsi
bilities resting upon me 1t would no
be q difficult matter for nurse t
keep a patient from communicating
with me II the former were disposed t
do SO. 1t was impossible for me to at
tend to my patients and make an In
vestigation at every house I called.
As soon as I had finished my day
calls l telephoned to a detective agen
" to send me young and well dress
"a man who would pass for . physi
clan. A Mr.. Jernegan called on n
during the evening. told him OF "a
!,