The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-04-15
THE DISTRICT NURSE
Interesting and Valuable Letter from
Or. Gordinler


DIR. Gordinier has written to the
Troy Times letter which will be of
interest to the people of Bennington.
the letter Is as follows
The District Nursing association is
one of the most worthy charities
which exist in the city of Troy. This
association was established about
five years ago by small band of
earnest and enthusiastic workers for
the direct purpose of furnishing, with
out cost, to the sick poor and those
of limited means, the best possible
nursing talent obtainable. The nurs-
es chosen to attend to this praiswor-
the work are not only scientifically
trained in regular post graduate in
struction, so as to properly fit them
for this particular type of charitable
work. That these district nurses in
absolute sympathy and love with it,
can be easily determined by anyone
who is interested enough TO watch
their daily routine. This work is con-
Quoted on a non-sectarian basis and
is free from all political strife. The
nurse Is under the direct supervision
Of the physician or surgeon who may
happen to be in charge She makes
as many visits daily as the physician
deems needful She teaches the pa
tient simple rules of hygiene and
cleanliness and looks after the care
of the sick room. She keeps careful
records of the cases from day to day,
gives details in regard to the proper
diet, arranges with the greatest care
the time of the taking of the medi-
cines, gives at each visit the cleans
mug bath. and when necessary during
the course Of fevers, like typhoid, she
visits the patient two or three times
daily for the purpose of direct super
vision and reducing the high fever
common to severe infections by the
safest OF all means. the tepid or cool
bath. She makes careful records of
the pulse and temperature and notes
for the physician other numerous in
cidentals for the best interests OF the
patients. Because of her hospital
training she is well adapted to care
for operative and non-operatiye sur,
gical cases, and she is insistent on
treating their wounds with the ut
most care and uses nothing but ster-
lie dressings. While she is not per
mitted to personally attend maternity
cases she is always called in by the
attending physician to assist him and
to give to the mother and her babe
the proper after-care. which she per-
forms with great skill, for she knows
that absolute cleanliness is the means
of saving many lives that would other
wise be sacrificed by infections. In
the crusade against the great white
plague she has been a power for the
betterment and uplift of a large num-
Der OF those unfortunate victims. Not
only does she care for and nurse
such patients but she teaches them
the proper mode of living, the care of
sputum and their responsibility to the
innocent ones in their own homes, or
those with whom they come in direct
association.
During the year of 1912 the three
nurses employed by the District Nurs
ing association attended 800 acut.
and chronic medical cases, sixty-seven
surgical cases, thirty tuberculosis
patients and eighty-seven maternity
cases-making in all 1900 visits on
the needy sick poor of Troy. What
this work means to our community In
the betterment and restoration of the
sick and needy poor, the improvement
OF their social relations from a pro-
per understanding of the simple rules
OF hygiene cannot be over-estimated
What this association is DESTROYS of
doing in the immediate future is to
increase Its efficiency by employing
hve trained nurses and talented gen
eral supervisor nurse, so that the city
OF Troy can be properly districted. II
such were made possible no worthy
sick poor would be without proper
nursing, food and efficient medical
care. Certainly no greater charity
than this can occur, and it is to be
hoped that the citizens of Troy will
look into this important work and do
their might financially to make this
enterprise a great success.
DR.. Hermon C. Gordinier.