St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1920-03-20

is concerned, and in which her train
ing as a nurse comes into Ilay and
is recognized as a valuable part OF
her equipment.
She may be an infant Welfare
nurse, a school nurse, a medical
social worker, tuberculosis nurse,
an industrial nurse, district nurse
or visiting nurse. If she Is working
alone in a small district or in a
rural community she may combine
all of these, but may not confine her
| duties to one line and neglect all
| the others.
One nurse working alone in a
| whole parish is like a needle in
haystack at best, but her services
are for one part of the parish as
| much as for another. Our parish
covers an area of 590,720 acres and
has population of more than $4,000.
Now, the bedside care of eight patti
ents is considered "a big days work
for a visiting nurse in congested
city district, where she goes from
one home, right next door it may be,
to the next patient, so you can readi-
ly see how far a days work in bed
side nursing would carry a nurse
over a parish. She very soon would
be tied down to a narrow circle of
patients who would demand all Of
her time.
A visiting nurse is primarily a
70
but when she has a parish her work
must be almost wholly educational.
When there is sick call she always
goes, whenever possible, to advise
and help the family, or whoever is to
care for the patient, but she cannot
go ION special with the patient, or
remain in the home to give the nurs-
ing care.
Each family should be prepared to
look after it's own minor illnesses and
it's own helpless members as far as
possible, but that the women of this
| country are not adequately prepared,
| in the absence of professional care,
to safeguard their homes from con-
| tagion and nurse their families, has
been only too evident in the recent
influenza epidemic, which had casu
atty list of over 100000 in the
United States.
The shortage of graduate nurses
is not temporary thing, and that is
one reason why the Red Cross is
urging the extension of it's course in
Home Hygiene and Care of the
Sick" and believes that this instruc
ton should be available to every wo-
man and girl in the country. This
is course of fifteen lessons, theory
and practice, and covers the care Of
patients with communicable diseases,
handling of bed patients, taking Of
temperatures, making of poultices,
care of babies and many things every
woman and girl should know.
The charges for the course are
$3.50, to cover the cost of the certifi
Gates which are issued from National
Headquarters, to those passing
successful examination at the end uf
the course. / will give this course
of lessons in any community of the
parish where group of ten or more
girls or women will form a class.
Then, there are the children. In
any truly civilized country, as rich
and intelligent as our own, it ought
to be difficult to find even a dozen
children developing into manhood
and womanhood, under the handicap
of a single remediable defect. We
all know perfectly well how such
things as faulty vision or faulty
teeth will affect the physical and
mental development of an otherwise
healthy child. But in spite of all
our talk concerning our precious as
set of the child-health-it is es1i-
mated by the best of authorities that
three out of every four children in
this country are suffering from ply
steal defects that might be prevented
or corrected. This means that there
are perhaps 100000 such school
children today. Every one of these
children handicapped slightly by
some defect is failing to attain quite
the physical and intellectual develop
ment of which he is capable. These
defects must be found and corrected.
1t is foolish to tell child suffering
with enlarged adenoids that he must
breathe through his nose and have
plenty of fresh air. The adenoids
must come out first. 1t is useless
to impress upon child the necessity
Of thoroughly masticating his fool
if his teeth are decayed and aching.
1t is our privilege to help correct
wrongs like these, which are 50
simple and so seemingly trivial that
parents have failed altogether to re-
gard them seriously.
We are in this parish only making |
a beginning, but we hope for big
things in the future and l will have |
much more to tell you of the KIM |
Of program we hope to carry on.
In this paper you will find the re-
port of my work done last month,
and that will help you to gain some |
idea of what we have accomplished |
thus far.
Yours for health,