Norwich bulletin., 1917-07-20
Views of the Vigilantcs
sENTiMENTALITY Vs.
 TRAINED NURSING
By eeIstt Burgess of The visiiantes'

By Geiett Burgess or tne VfShahtess
 Many were the blunders made by the British at the outset of the war. we are destined. apparently, 70 repeat many of them.
 One of the most lamentable of those mistakes is now possible. It concerns every man and woman In the country: This danger is that our wounded soldiers may be nursed by incapaple and inexperienced women. Wait moment-don blame the Red Cross; it has carried preparedness almost to perfection.
 Blame, rather, the sentimental en- | thusiasm of ''personar' patriots-those women who are economically anxious to don a cap and go to France and nurse wounded heroes, so anxious that should be filled only by graduate nurses with years of hospital exper- fence.
 This is the situation:-- The Red Cross has already enrolled almost 12,000 graduate nurses-an
 picked women, experienced. skillful, reliabie--for work in the war hoSpi- ta1s. More are joining every day. There are some 100,0 to cal upon.
 The Red Cross, however, does train some lay women as so-called Nurses Aids" but intends to use them if at all, only for housekeeping work in the hospitals, as assistants in the diet Kitchens. and such comparatively un- skilled labor.
 IL is with these Nurses Aids that the new danger has arisen. Partly inside. but nairy outside the Red Cross there has lately devel- training of the Nurses Aids to include few months hospital work. Now, although at first glance this would seem to be a practical step, be-
 hind the project is quite evident an attempt to place, later. these super lhcialy trained students as regular | nurses in charge of the wounded There can be no doubt that women after their short hospital training will feel themselves quite competent to
 care for the sick-else why should they go in for it at all? They will be rcmanticaFy anxious to enlist. All kinds of influence will be ex- erted to place them as nurses into our war hospitals-much as similar mo- vices are used as auxiliary nurses in FJance.
 Now. do you want your father, your 1 brother or husband in their terrible suffering, on their death beds-Gared for by amateurs? Is the best skilled l attention in the wor d-and our grad uate nurses are the best in the world -one bit too good for our men who. fighting for us, are maimed, blinded or
 nortally wounded on the battle field ? If your sweetheart's jaw is shot away, do you want that awful wound dress ed by girl who has had only three
 or even six months training with sur 9eons?
 That's what may happen. What shall we do to prevent 1t? This: Insist that the wounded in our war hospitals shall be attended | only by graduate nurses; and see that, | in your district every graduate nurse | be urged immediately to volunteer for i war work under the Red Cross, so that
 any attempt of incompetents to enlist shall be overwhelmed by the number of experienced, professionl volunteers. But. above all, if you are a patrio- l tic woman and would give the full enter some hospital yourself as a stu | dent nurse, and take the full course | that will fit you in two years to be a competent Red Cross nurse eligible for | the Army Nursing Corps. Be pre- pared! For the war is likely to be | long and the wounded many.