Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-03

Nearly f1fty-tw0 thousand visits made.
with the payments received for them
amounting to exactly $61. rs
No Profits and the car fare alone cost
~, ing more than $780, Not. on
GoAAeo' its face, a profitable bust
ness. Yet these are the figures contained
in the last annual report Of the Instruc-
tive Visiting Nurse Society of Washing
ton.
This society has been organized several
years and works for the most part in
conjunction with the physicians to the
poor The object is to provide trained
nurses to visit and nurse the poor in
their homes, and to instruct them in the
care Of their sick, especially regarding
sanitation. The work Is intended to sup
plement, not to duplicate or-interfere
with the proper function of hospitals
Ordinarily only such cases are attended
as hospitals do not receive, or where the
circumstances Of particular patients call
for home treatment.
The management Of this society is in
the hands of a board of mana ers. VINO,
Eustis. president: MRS. Thorn, wee
president; Mrs. Gardner. secretary; Mrs.
Beale. treasurer, and Miss Adams, Mrs.
Grinnell. Miss Hegeman. Mrs. Hague.
Mrs. Keep. Mrs. Brown Mil. er, Mrs Null
.igans Miss Taft, Miss Tuckerman, Miss
Turnbull, Miss Maude Wetmore, and
honorary. Mrs. Lodge, forming the board
Of managers.
X x
THE Headquarters of the society are at
POOL l street, where the superintendent
and the corps Of nurses i've.
Staff of Miss Isabel l.. Strong, a
n1. registered nurse of the Mas
|suAseS' sachuse;ts General Hospita.
and Queen Charlotte's Hospital. London,
s. W., is the superintendent. Under her
are fifteen nurses.
These women are more than nurses.
They are teachers. helpers and CONSIDERS
as WELL They visit each house not only
for the purpose of aiding in curing any
of showing the benefits of cleanliness ana
fresh air. They are d.scip es Of Oetter
living The first thought in the nurse 5
care is the instruction of the ignorant
ness, The use Of antiseptics, and the prep
aration of m TX for bottle-fed babies and
Of a simple and nourishing diet for tuDer-
GUAR cases and invaitds.
Washing. on, so far as the nurses are
concerned, is divided into sections. E1acn
section has its regular nurse, while in ad-
dition there are three infant mortality and
two tuberculosis nurses working III all
parts Of the city. The nurse in section
reports each morning at the police pre-
cinci, where she receives orders from the
physician to the poor in her own district
as to wat calls to make. In addition
to this she may receive word of cases
from the, Associated Charities. churches,
phiianthro, lie societies or individuals.
The nurses also work in conjunction with
a life, insurance company, caring for it's
poucyholders, and especially with the
Association for the Prevention of Tuber-
culOsis. In summer an additional tu5er-
culoss nurse is. stationed at the Red
Cross camp.
Each section has an Office, where the
nurse -canebe found twice day. at in
the morning and in the afternoon.
During these. times she attends patients
able to be out, receives word of cases, or
otherwise attends to her duties. nurses
day Is from $3.50 in the morning until
) in the afternoon. When not at the
Office she is out visiting cases, her list
ranging perhaps from thirty to forty
regular visits.
With the special nurses the routine Is
slig tly different. The tuberculosis nurses
their special line Of work. Their duties
are principally concerned with seeing that
patients follow as nearly as possible
their orders regarding cleanliness and
work in conjunction with the health
department.. Each morning that office
issues slips on which are printed the name
of the mother, her address and such in
formation as may aid the nurse. The
nurse then visits the case and continues
to have it under her supervision for
year. She instructs the mother in the
care of her baby, and in the case of ex-
IRENE poverty sees that sufficient cloth
ing is supplied.