Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1925-08-08
Duties OF The Public
Health Nurse Numerous
County Nurses Help To Prevent
Disease And To Promote Health
OF People Of Maryland

What are the duties OF public
! health seq" Miss G.. Ethel Monroe,
Advisory Nurse Of the State Depart
ment of Heath, was asked recently.
Her reply showed the many ways in
which the county nurses help to pre-
vent disease and to promote the health
OF the people Of Maryland. Here is
her summing up
because Of her training and ex-
perience, the public health nurse can
dc many things that are of benefit TO
either the individual or to the commu-
2ity, that no other individual is in a
position to do.
"Sle can aid materially in the re-
duction OF communicable diseases,
such as tuberculosis, typhoid fever,
scarlet fever, diphtheria, measles and
the other infectious diseases. She
goes into the homes in which such dis
eases have developed and under the
direction OF the local health officer, or
al the request of the family doctor,
she instructs some responsible mem
Der Of the family in the proper meth
oGs Of caring for the patient so as to
promote a satisfactory recovery, and
to prevent, as far as possible, dis
aiding after-efects. She knows, too,
the measures that must be taken to
prevent the spread of the disease to
others.
"Closely allied to work of this sort
in the homes, is the promotion of
health activities in the schools. Physi-
cal defects that are not noticeable to
the casual observer, are often discov-
cred by the health officer or other au-
thorized physician in the medical in
spection of the children in the schools.
Correction of these defects frequently
removes what might be serious han
dicap, and puts the child on the high
road toward better health in adult life.
The nurse usually assists in these ex-
aminations and by consultation with
the parents and teachers she can Of
ten be of great assistance in having
the defects corrected. The nurse also
assists the health officer-always with
the consent of the parents-in giving
vaccines or serums to school children
to protect them against such diseases
as small pox, diphtheria and typhoid
fever.
obstruction in personal and COM
munity hygiene, either in the class
room or by furnishing the teachers
with material that can be used by
them, is another important feature of
the nurses work in the schools.
children up to seven years are the
special interest of the State Bureau
Of Child Hygiene. The public health
nurse assists in the work of the Bu-
reau by arranging conferences for
mothers, on keeping the we'll baby
we'll, on the care of the preschool
child, and on the care of eXpectant
mothers; by visiting in the homes
where there are new born babies; by
instructing midwives, and in many
ether ways.
"The educational activities of the
public health nurse are vital and
varied. The nurse conducts classes in
the home care of the sick; and in nu
triton; she organizes community
health clubs and gives talks to Par
cnt-Teacher Associations, the Rotary
Clubs, and to other interested groups.
She arranges health exhibits for coun-
ty fairs and she is likely to be called
On for hep in getting up health plays
for SPECIAL occasions. These and many
more activities are all part of the
days work of the public health nurse"
There are now forty-two nurses en-
gagged in public health work in the
counties of Maryland.