The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1913-03-07
VISITING NURSE
CIVIC AWAKENER
Miss Margaret KamGrGr Demon.
StratGS Plan Is Feasible.
ASK ONE IN EACH COUNTY

Ohio Society For Prevention of Tuber
culosis, Which Employed Flrs'
Nurse to Visit Smaller Ohio Cities
viii Ask Legislature to Provide Wis
itor In Each County to Carry On
the Work.
Interesting experiences are record
ed by Miss Margaret Kamerer Of
Cleveland, the first district nurse EN-
ployed in the campaign of intensive
education on health matters inaugu
rated by the Ohio Society for the Pre-.
vention Of tuberculosis, in a report
to the society covering the first six
months work.
The report is Of particular interest
at this time, as the ti-Tuberculosis
society and other similar organiza.
tions are advocating the passage Of a
bill to employ district nurses in every
county in the state, to visit all cases
of tuberculosis.
At present employment Of such
nurses, with the exception of Miss
Kamerer, is confined to a few of the
large cities Of the state 1t is believed
that the work accomplished by her
has proven so effective that the advis-
ability of extending the work to the
smaller counties has been established
beyond all doubt.
Awakens the Conscience.
Miss Kamerer spent a month in each
Of the following cities: Circleville,
Painesville, Sandusky, Urbana, Bowl
ing Green and Conneaut. She is now
engaged in similar work In other
cities.
Miss Kamerer was employed, pri-
marily, to awaken the public con-
science in the cities which she visited
It was. and is, her task to point out
to the contented and comfortable
townspeople living in the big houses
on the wide streets that even in the
smallest cities there are vile novels
where filth and disease and overcrowd-
ing rage as wantonly as in the large
cities.
Her month in each city 10 spent or
ganizing the public officials, the min
listers, physicians and teachers, and
in enlisting the support of the local
newspapers. She then gets busy and
makes a general survey Of the city,
studying the character of the citizens,
the conditions under which the fac
tory workers labor; whether the
streets and alleys are kept clean; the
water supply and the sewerage sys-
tem-every condition, In fact, which
influences the general health OF the
people In one city, for instance, she
found that 1870 pigs were kept within
the city limits.
Points Out Bad Spots.
In the meantime she has been en-
listing the support of influential citi-
gems. When she is thoroughly familiar
with local conditions, and has definite
~ u6IGIulllSu lnV Ddu bpOb5g " pUDllC
meeting is called. There she points
out the unhealthy conditions and sug-
eests a remedy.
In every city she visited her sugges-
tions have borne definite fruit In Cir
for instance, a permanent
nurse was secured to take up the
work where she left Off In Bowling
Green a Health League" was organ
lied, and In the other cities similar
steps have been taken
In addition to this Miss Kamerer in
each city visited from 100 to 200
homes in which there was sickness
typhoid, pneumonia, tuberculosis and
other diseases. She made expert sug
gestions that were uniformly helpful.o
A bill to extend the work Of dis
trict nurses will have the support Of
almost all philanthropic societies 1t
Is a field OF social service which offers
great opportunities in Ohio.