The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1922-04-13
velopment began with the oreaniza.

IlOH u new phases OF the work. In
1902, there were 1876 visiting nurses
in the country, but by 1916, the num-
Der had exceeded 5000. The work in
lcluded prenatal care, infant and child
welfare, school nursing, bed side care
and industrial and welfare work. The
services were maintained by private
organization, federal or local govern
mental agencies and endowments.
The first effort to establish public
health nursing on national basis be-
gan with the creation Of the Red
Cross town and country nursing SER
vice in 1912, when nurses with spec
ialized training for the work were
sent into the field and there proyid-
ed with supervision and training by
the Red Cross. Kent County, Mich
igan, was the first county of the Mid
die West to establish such service.
From this beginning the work has
spread until today there are more
than 1900 rural public health nurses
working under the direction Of the
Red Cross in chapters throughout the
country. Probably no other country
or historical era can produce an ac-
complishment in the domain of pub
lie health betterment of such magni-
tude or social significance.
Rural public health nursing began
in North Dakota with the establish
ment of nursing service in Grand
Forks County in Nov. 1914. This
county has the distinction of being
the second county in this country to
establish such service with county
funds. The service consists of the in
spection of the school child, home Wis
itation, advice to mothers, talks on
hygiene and sanitation and the stimu-
lation of interest in hot lunches for
the rural school child.
In Sept, 1917, a full time school
nurse was employed in Bowman coun-
ty and has since been maintained by
county funds. AS early as 1913, how
ever, Bowman county had established
the physical inspection of school chill
dren by the teachers, and although
such inspection could only detect the
grosser defects, it undoubtedly did
much towards arousing interest for
the early establishment of a nursing
service.
LaMoure County established pub
lie health nursing service under the
County Commissioners in Feb, 1915.
Physical inspection of the pupils in
the schools disclosed the fact that a
large number of children were suf-
fering from defective eyes. This con-
dition was diagnosed as trachoma by
the county health officer and as a re-
suit of this, an intensive survey was
made in LaMoure County by the U.
S. Public Health Service and Fed
eral hospital established. {.
In Sept, 1919, when the first Red
Cross Public Health Nursing Service
was established in North Dakota,
there were 81 xnurses in the state en-
gagged in school nursing. The Anti
tuberculosis Society of North Dako-
ia had been functioning since 1909
and had in their employ two nurses
who made health surveys in comm1un-
tiles over the state, placing special
emphasis on the prevention of tuber-
culosis, and as a result of such eff
forts, considerable public sentiment
HAD been aroused to the need for or
ganized public health nursing. The
State Board of Health is the logical
place for the Capitalization of all
health activities and the nursing SER
vice Of the Red Cross has from its
beginning endeavored to maintain a
close relationship with this agency.
Benson County Red Cross Public
Health Service began. Dec. 1, 1919,
and has been carried on very success
fully ever since. All the school chill
dren Of the county have been inspect
ed and about 30 percent of the de
fects found have peen corrected The
work has also included infant well
fare clinics, at which children Of pre-
school age have been examines and
the mothers instructed regarding
their care. Realizing that every child
has the right to be well born and that
the public health nurse is the logical
person to advise the mothers regard
ing this important question, Benson
county nurse has instructed many Of
the mothers Of the county in the sim
pie means Of preservation Of infant
life and demonstrations have been
conducted in different parts Of the
county in the CARE Of the BABY
and HOME HYGIENE.
Barnes County Red Cross Nursing
Service was established March, 1921,
and has consisted OF WORK with TIE