The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1911-06-01
A Doctors
Story ;
How . Trained Nurse Dominated
One of His Patients
BY EDWIN T. MARTIN
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.

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.
sponsibility whatever the fact that a
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 it 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.
If she was delirious | 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 I
was making my round of visits. I
started out after my morning office
hour had expired expecting solution
of the mystery.
l called upon every one of my pa
tients that day who was i'll enough to
have a trained nurse There was not
one Of the women. so far as l could
discover. who was not perfectly salts.
fed with her nurse. There was not
one who was delirious or had been de-
lirious 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 a momentary
thought. for it was impossible, even If
had made no memoranda, that l
should have forgotten any seriously
sick person l was treating.
l went to bed that night troubled
There was mystery that did not
like ! regarded it as possible that a
nurse might so dominate sick person.
especially a woman, that the invalid
would not dare to complain OF her to
the attendant physician. l had once
been treating a woman who when 1
sent the nurse out of the room for
something said to me in a hurried
whisper. Doctor, If you don't take
that nurse away from me shall die"
! dismissed the nurse and never forgot
the episode. Indeed, it taught me that
1t might be possible for a patient to
suffer under 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 teie-
phoned: Doctor, oh, doctor, do get rid
Of this nurse! She is The message
was cut of at that point. and heard
nothing more"
With this second call for help 1 be-
gan to be worried and puzzled beyond
measure. 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.
BILE 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 a 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 started on my round
Of visits determined to note every
case Of an invalid woman with q view
to determining her relations with her
nurse. Though was a young prac.
titioner, I had fallen into . large prac
tice and bad q long list I soon learned
that with the multiplicity Of RESPONSE.
binues resting upon me It would not
b dimcult matter tor I nurse to
keep q patient from communicating
With No e the former were disposed to
DO %. It was impossible TOT me to at.
tsnd 10 my patients and make an in.
yestisation at every house I called.
A. soon a. I had finished my days
calls I telephoned to a detective agen-
q to send me young and well dress
ed man who would pass Tor physl.
clan. A Mr.. Jernegan called on me
during the evening. u. 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 genteei
looking young man and listened to an
! said without comment +, The next
morning he reported, beard he had
worn shaved Of with the exception
Of a pair Of mutton chop twhiskers, I
pair Of glasses on bis nose and ahand
bag for surgical Instruments. We doc
tors have peculiarly unmistakable
walk when we carry; onr ,satchels, and
% Jernegan preceded me down to my
automobile I noticed that he had got
t. to perfection. Indeed, I think b
looked more Ike q medical man than 1
I took Jernegan into every house
where there was q woman patient
sick enough to require . trained nurse