The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1911-04-27


Yes. What is it?"
My nurse is killing me-"
who are your
There was a click, followed by ST.
lence. | waited for some time, but,
getting no response, hung up the re-
ceiver, turned over and tried to go to
sleep. The effort was unsuccessful.
recommended the trained nurses for
all my patients and felt responsible for
them And If there had been no re-
sponsbiity whatever the fact that a
nurse was killing any one and | had
been called on to prevent the murder
was quite enough to keep me awake.
The next morningsit occurred to
me 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 deirious | would either
have been called up by the person who
had stopped her and the matter ex-
planned or the fact would be men
toned to me during the day while 1
was making my round of visits.
started out after my morning office
hour had expired expecting solution
of the. mystery.
| called upon every one of my pa
tents that day who was i'll enough to
have trained nurse. There was not
one of the women, so far as | could
discover, who was not perfectly salts
fed with her nurse. There was not
one who was dellrious or had been de-
irious during the night. After having
made the last call on my list | tried to
think of some one | might have omit
ted. But this was but momentary
thought, for it was impossible. even If
| had made no memoranda, that l
should have forgotten any seriously
sick person l was treating.
went to bed that night troubled.
There was a mystery that | did not
like. I regarded it as possible that a
nurse might so dominate a sick person.
especially woman, that the invalid
would not dare to complain OF her to
the attendant physician. | had once
been treating a woman who when
sent the nurse out of the room for
something said to me in hurried
whisper, Doctor If you don't take
that nurse away from me | shall die"
| dismissed the nurse and never forgot
the episode. Indeed. 1t taught me that
1t might be possible for patient to
suffer under a nurses care or want OF
care or dominating will power and not
be accorded an 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 off at that point, and l heard
nothing more"
With this second call for help l be-
gan to be worried and puzzled beyond
measure. l could not believe that any
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-
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 mysterious,
slow murder was being practiced on
one of my patients, who was trying to
communicate with me and was stop
ped by the murderess.
The next day l started on my round
of visits determined to note every
case of an invalid woman with view
to determining her relations with her
nurse. Though l was a young prac-
titioner, | had fallen into large prac-
tice and had long list | soon learned
that with the multiplicity of response
bilities resting upon me 1t would not
be a difficult matter for a nurse to
keep a patient from communicating
with me If the former were disposed to
do so. 1t was impossible for me to at
tend to my patients and make an in
vestigation at every house called.
As soon as / had finished my day 8
calls telephoned to a detective agen-
cy to send me young and well dress
ed man who would pass for physi-
clan. A Mr.. Jernegan called on me
during the evening. told him of my
mysterious calls and asked him to
make my round of visits with me the
next day in the guise of my assistant
with a view TO discovering which one
of my patients was not en- rapport
with her nurse. He was a genteel
looking young man and listened to all
I said without comment. The next
morning he reported, beard he had
worn shaved off with the exception
of a pair of mutton chop whiskers, a
pair of glasses on his nose and hand
bag for surgical instruments. We doc
tors have a peculiarly unmistakable
walk when we carry our satchels, and
as Jernegan preceded me down to my
automobile I noticed that he had got
1t to perfection. Indeed. I think he
looked more like a medical man than I.
| took Jernegan into every house
where there was woman patient
sick enough to REQUIRE q trained nurse.