Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-29
DRIVE FOR NURSES
OPENS FAVORABLY
Long Lists of Student Applicants
at Big Hos
pitfalls

Heavy waiting lists Of applicants for
places In the big hospitals here. as for ex-
ample the University, Pennsylvania and JEFF
rerson indicate that the drive beginning to-
day for recruits for the student nurses re-
serve will be successful.
The recruiting stations which are scat
tered In all parts Of the city. are asked to
raise quota of 400 students In Philadelphia,
although It is hoped this quota will be ex-
ceeded Twenty-Five thousand girls are de.
manoed from the whole country. 2s7o of
whom are to come from Pennsylvania.
Inc order came from Washington signed
nF surgeon General Gorgas. Surgeon General
Rupert Drew. DR.. Anna Howard Shaw and
Dr. Franklin Martin Mrs. Henry n. jump.
or the womans committee of the Council
Tor National Defense, is In charge Of the
recruiting here.
Keen to Go Abroad
There Ia a keen desire among the graduate
nurses to go to France, where they feel thew
shouid be and where there is a great need
lot them Young women whose names have
been crowding the waiting lists at the hos
pitals Will have a chance to hasten their
training In some cases by two years
only the highly trained women are per
mitted to go across for work among the
wounded. since the terrible nature OF many
OF the wounds and the great delicacy and
boldness of the surgical work in those hos
pftals requires that the nurses should have
,u'l confidence In themselves and be trained
IN tine routine of heavy responsibility
Graduate nurses from the bie hosn,ta,.
mere VIII probably be sent across in large
numbers. while the army is being sent for IL
Is saio ,that $4,000 nurses to every million
men is the very least that are needed
These places will be filled from the large
waiting lists. and the student reserve will
train the 25.000 or more for work in settle
ments and In the different war hospitals.
Inc age units are nineteen and thirtN-fve
the earliest age at which a girl could seri-
ously begin training was twenty-one
Appeal by Gorsa.
In connection with the campaiRn. surreon
General Gorgas has addressed the following
statement to the young women of the United
States:
Il want every young woman in the coun-
Try every woman between nineteen and
thlrty-dve. to read carefully what 7 have N
say and to give it earnest attention II is
a message which every girl ought to well
come, because 1t tells of an opportunity to
help the nation
The army and the country face short
age of nurses. The army alone will require
something like $4,000 nurses by the hrst of
next January We have secured about 49, 900
OF this number: we need 10000 more. We
have got to have them or the army will run
short-and this would be an outcome incred-
ible and intolerable to the American people
only graduate nurses who have been
through the full course of training are avail
able for this high service These nurses
have to be taken out of the hospitals and
from care of sick at home. This means
that when We recruit our full quota for the
army their places in the civil communities
must be filled. Hence this call for student
nurses-to fill the vacancies. prepare for pre-
fessional service, and meanwhile to make It
possible for our hospitals both civil and
military. to carry on. and for the American
people to hold the health standards of the
country as high they have ever been held
in times of peace.
IF l were a young woman and wanted to
do my country the greatest service in my
power. l should go at once to the nearest re-
cruiting station of the woman's committee of
the council of national defense and enroll
in the United States student nurse reserve.
This enrolment would at once make me a
candidate for the army nursing school or for
one of the civilian training schools for
nurses I cannot conceive Of more valu.
able service. a more womanly service.
can give every girl who enrols in the reserve
my personal assurance that she is making
herself count and l should be ashamed of
any woman who did not long with all her
heart and soul to make herself count In tho
defeat of Germany"