The daily Alaskan., 1913-06-12
ADOCTOR'S STORY
 By RYLAND BELL
By RYLAND BELL

After a meeting Of our medical soci- .ey We separated Into small groups some discussing a paper that had been read, some Idly chatting and some teIl- mg experiences In our group we fell to talking nbout leaving patients In the hands of nurses we were not sure or and ono Of our number told the follow ing story:
 Ono morning when mUEing my round Of visits ! was going upstairs to the room Of a sick lady when ! heard the words.
 Doctor my nune Is killing mew
 stopped and listened for a repet- .uou. did not doubt that it came from . Che s.gEro0m. though Che patient had !. not complained or her nurse, whom I . had recently placed on my list of those . recommended But did not hear the words again, SO resolved Co keep my own counsel and went on to Che sick chamber, knocked and was admitted. ] Now, ! am enough of a scientist Co . know that an investigator s very e0sl- .Iy worked upon by bls theories Be-. Fore entering the room ] had explained .lu my own mind the words had heard IA former patient of mine had once . .whllc , was bending over her. whisper ed to me. "For heavens sake, take away that uure" at once made an reycuse to do SO, and thc patient, whose ! nerves were shattered, told me that the woman d0mIueercd over her. ! d.d |uot completely side with my patient In . Che matter for she needed a firm hand, .but ] gave her another nurse.
 l Nevertheless that case influenced me 'ln the second one, and re1liziug that ! | was influenced by it. resolved to .bauish it and get at the facts without Ia word with the patient or the nurse. h found the nurse somewhat ngiated, though the patient did not give egi- .dcuce 0G 0uytliugw having hap .Dcued The nurse had just come into |the room through a door opening upon la back stairway and carried a tray, on (which was che iuvuI.d's luncheon
 There was no opportunity to speak Ito the patient alone during my visit . for the nurse did not leave Che room. rt has always seemed to me that for a doctor to send a nurse from Che room reflects upon her. indicating that he wishes Go say that to the patient (which be does not wish thc nurse Co .hoar At any rate, ] once offended lone 0f my hest nurses by doing that very thing so iu ths case ] went .uway without having acquired any fur- |ther information about the natter
 On my next visit ! made a prcteyt . Co send the muse out 0f the room to bring something wanted but she . foIcd me by going to a closet for it. .I couldn't think of any other excuse land went away as uuIuCormed as be fore. On my next visit had scarcely entered Che house before again heard . tae words:
 "Doctor. my nurse is killing mc"' | This time. since ] had not gone mp. .aaIrs. th1 sound was farther away from mc and less distinct It seemed to come from directly over my head though ! paid no attention Go this, for the car does not give us the direction .of sound , hurried upstairs and Into .the slcEr0om without knocking hoping to learn something by taking them by surprise. ] found the nurse arranging .the patients pillow. Neither showed a consciousness of anything disagree liable between them.
 But despite my remedies my patient
 was getting worse Probably this turn-
 ed the scale in my mind against the nurse. At any rate. ] determined to re- move her without offending her. ! told . her that ! had another case in which
 she alone would satisfy me and
 would send a substitute, she reporting
 at the new place that evening Then !. ! left without saying anything to her charge about the change, intending Co do SO after it had been made and at
 the same time give her my reasons for relieving her of her nurse.
 What was my 0st0uishmcut 0t my next visit to hear on ascending the staircase Che words:
 Doctor. my nurse Is killing mer
 l had only am hour before left the
 nurse who had had charge Of the case
 with another patient and here was
 the same complaint resolved to in-
 vesugatc on my own account Avoid ing the slckroom, ! opened every dool In small room directly over the front % door was a parrot on a perch beside . the window where he could see my
 carriage drive up and see me olight
 and enter the house
 Here was the explanation, or a part . of it Sdll keeping my own counsel Q realizing that had removed the nurse , mnfusuy ] returned to the house where ] had placed the suspected wo.
 man and told her what had happened.
 Doctor" she said, "the morning you
 called when ! was carrying in the po-
 tents breakfast ] had just passed the
 room where Che parrot was kept and heard him say, Doctor, my nurse is killing mcr ] was in terror when . saw you enter for fear you had heard , him and would suspect me. Upon ln- Qulry ! learned that a former patient
 had been delirious in that house and