The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1942-11-12
By KATHLEEN NORRIS

IT HIS article is written for
women of so years and
more who have some
time to spare, cannot enter
upon defense jobs with regu-
lar and difficult hours, and yet
are passionately anxious to do
something to help our country
in her hour of need, and bring
nearer the glorious hour of a
good and honest peace.
Such women speak to me and
write to me every day. I am never
in any group but what they ap-
proach me. MY daughter is work
ing in a machine plant and the boy
is in uniform, but what can I do?
I must do something!" they say.
Well, I'll tell you one thing that
you can do, a thing that embraces
a thousand others. You can help
our woefully small and insufficient
army of doctors and nurses. We
have not enough now, and we are
going to feel a dangerous shortage
later on. You can do what the writ
er Of this article hopes to do, follow
a Red Cross primary training by a
special course in midwifery, learn
to handle women through normal
confnements, and welcome new
babies into this war-clouded world
for the young mothers 60 right on
having them, God bless them, and
that work must be done.
800 Babies, No Nurses.
In me western town whose normal
staff was II doctors, four are left.
The obstetrician among these told
me that he had listed among ward,
clinic and private patients exactly
300 babies who are due before April.
Asked about nurses he said: There
r NO nurses!" and he spoke with
considerable feeling about families
who keep one nurse or even two for
routine chronic invalid care that
might be handled easily by the idle
women of the family. 1T ought to
be stopped and l believe it will" he
said.
Only a few days later I CHANGED
to look, on a hospital visit, into one
of those large, clean pantries that
hospitals have on every floor, sink,
cabinets, gas stove, hoppers, and so
on. 1t was a shocking sight. Trays,
pans, basins. tumbled linen, piled
dishes were everywhere; the nurse
who flashed in and out again was
perspiring-her face on a very hot
day was the color of wax-but she
smiled CALAMITY as she said: Last
year this time we had 10 less pa
tients and 80 nurses. Now we have
IS nurses for the whole crowd"
Well, I don't know that I'll ever
qualify as a licensed midwife, but l
knew right then and there that until
that pantry looked very different l
had a war job. And in a clean
apron with a box of soap fakes and
a mop l came back a few minutes
later. 1t takes study and skill to
deliver babies, but the woman who
washes dishes and asserts sheets
and sterilizes bandages frees a grad
uate nurse from that work, and has
her place, too, in the great war
story.
My reward that day was to feel
many a young strong arm 60 about
me for a second, while many a CRATE
full voice said in my ear: You're
an ANGEL" and nobody could ask
more genuine happiness than that.
Health an Obligation.
Give your free afternoons every
week to the sick of your neighbor-
hood or to your hospital kitchen.
and you'll not have to ask again
for the right to do "something-any-
thing for our boys!" Get in touch
with your doctor, and he'll give
you a list of patients who merely
need beds made or soup heated.
And do what you can to keep
your own home people well; don't
tolerats any of the minor ills that