Norwich bulletin., 1916-06-15
NORWICH eRANeERs HEAR
 PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE.
Miss Culver TeIIs Of Need for Services
 of Visiting Nurse.

w "
 of Visiting Nurse.
 At the regular meeting of Norwich grange, No. 172, P. of H.. held in Pyth4 ian hall on "Wednesday evening" Miss Culver. public health nuree, of this Putnam Equal Franchise league gave interesting addresses
 A committee was appointed to draw up resolutions on the death of Mrs. Sadie S. Hanna of Norwich Town, who died on Monday. The committee ap- pointed Is as follows: w c. Tarbox. Miss Helen Moore and J. D. Tanning.
 The programme Of the evening fol- lows: Discoveries, M, N. o, P; song, Be Faithful, Ot Patron; poem, Betsey Elags Miss Ruth Breckenridge; song Star Spangled Banner; address, Miss. Culver; address, Mrs. D. ]. Bartlett of Putnam
 The lecturer. Miss Helen Moore, an nounced that at the next meeting, June 2S, the Ledyard grange would furnish the entertainment
 Miss Culver. the public nurse, said: The rapid growth of hospitals and other institutions for the care Of the 1 sick has made a splendid record. But vlsen we learn from no less authority than Dr. Osler that not more than 10 per cent. of the sick population is cared for in institutions, and consider the small proportion of the remaining 90 l per cent. who can afford to pay $25 Der week for a trained nurse, we won- der how the large majority of the sick are cared for.
 As late as 1901 there were only 5s nursing associations and 13e nurses engaged in this kind of work. Early Idea of Dlstriot Nursings
 It is interesting to note the early Idea of district or visiting nursing. Il Il was considered that she had fulfilled |. sick in heir homes, relieving the suf- 1 fering and curing the ills she found in so far as it lay in her power.
 Associated with Poverty. I This work was always associated with poverty and intended for sthose who not only could not afford to pay for nursing care but in most cases fol those who could not afford even the physician's fees.
 In 1886 the Visiting Nurse associa. ton of Boston was organized, and i
 was tegun as a distinctly charitabl,
 organization. For the first few year
 practically no persons received thu nursing care except the patients of tn, Boston dispensary, which furniEllei free medical attention to needy per sons. What was true of Boston wa true of most in beginning.
 Development of Modern Movement. ) There has come about a gradua
 change in the aspect of the work. To 7 day our work deals with the social an 3 moral as well as the physical condition ] of the patient.
 3 It is no longer a service to a sic : individual in his home. but rather ] community enterprise, public respon : sibility. While it is still curative i l character, and always will remain sC
 1t can no longer be considered pri d marily so. Today we think of it frs 9 of all as educational and preventive. As far back as 1870 comment found in British journal of nursin
 measure to establish a visiting nurs t ing service, because it not only save e physical but financial and mora : society"
 ' As the result of the growth of th.
 idea, it has become necessary withi y the last ten years to change the nam Il of visiting or district nursing to put s lie health nursing.
 k Causes of This Change. ' The great strides made in the d.
 velopment of medical science has all
 had it's part to play in bringing aboi
 this change. Marvellous discoveri
 made by scientists by which u
 causes and sources of some of u N worst scourges were found and meal
 cf cure and prevention established. l. Attention turned to preventiC !. rather than cure. Every one con menced to think and work in terms
 health rather than sickness, and wi
 measurements of community rath
 tha nindividual health.
 Campaign against tuberculosis fir a lnaugurated. New laws enacted. ne T hospitals and sanitoria built. Niece ,s sary to translate tl1is new knowledi ;s Into the simplest terms. Who be3t = fitted for the mission than the distri nurse? She had won the conf1den
 and gained the respect and friendsh - of the people as she worked in the ai homes. Scientists saw in her the ,a opportunity to spread the new knoy ,e m ledge and teach the people the ne "a S laws of health,
 Ml M Today there are 2,066 district nursil - associations with 4,S95 nurses in t apf United States.
 re Public Health Nursing in Norwich 'n As you know, there is no visiti
 nursing association in Norwich. T
 necessity for 1t having been elimfnat
 by the fact that the United Worke ., were able and willing not only to su v port a nurse, but desired to put t
 work on the same basis as that up so which 1t is done by nursing associ od tions in other cities.
 The committee appointed by ths
 Gaave the responsibility of seeing th of the work is kept up to the high sta e. dards of modern public health nu1 ct ing.
 in The committees responsibility m ay be great, but what Of the nurses;
 We have tried to be patient in { W. beginning and not strive to gain in .rt leap what others have accomplish IT, by slow and steady climbing. b. It has taken time and patience on let the people know that the nul en only gives nursing care where the { IT. sient is in charge of a physician, a m, that the nurse Is not physician a g. therefore cannot diagnose or prescri
 The Zee system is another part si- our work only vaguely understood ed the public at large. The size of 1
 income has no relation to the dena
 which may be made upon the nurse
 The tuberculosis sanatorium be-
 so near, and Dr. Campbell being a. terested in seeing public health VI on established in Norwich, we found t at a good starting point.
 us FUNERAL.