THE MODERNNURSE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 746, 19 February 1910, Page 10

THE MODERN NURSE.

K ? s bfStt-.contributing a' series °* .. tothe Jjjydney if "Daily 1 Tele- : Tritft a,!-nurse's life; from • Mtw.ht appears Hliit ■ the "ddriiestic sido over-done/in-:tho;jr6w,"SbutiK'W^ Another removable fault .in'- tho present system., of:, training nurses, : she " says, -is ;.the', unnecessary; -; ancl prominence 'BiT«a?.»^6i ; djnary;, domestic work as part ] of tiiQ curriculami ; Ono . is ■ irresistibly . reminded, of, the system- of; education eon-time',i-witK v the rameVof Mr, iWaclcford ; Sc[u6ersi'.. "Spell: "pain',say the. regulations,-in effect, to the young woman who coines, iiito?'the hospi£al ."in '85r ' « be; : toußht;how'',tq relieve 'it. ~ that;will do; ;thoughin our : time 'wq.Epdt-.it.'p-a-ii-e. ■'inyway, go ; and clean the windows." That sounds like iui l-eiaggercition, and; indeed, it does 'riot £PP'yvW : 'iill .hospitals.'. l'o most- of them, however, I ,it,'does.'apply.--r.ln most of the .hojpitalsi.;.the; .probationer, instead-of '.beings taught • the - rudiments of nursing, ,'has. to.perform\the duties;of an.ordinary the wny tho arrangement; is labelled by ' the regulaperhßpStJt. some such icnigh-so'uriding-s/titie ' ■ th'q"-'- study . and ,-' practice; of, 'household' economics. ■But it ! f cpmes to;. tho ,'sameV thing-,,inthe end, l'<and the 1 probationers pass' day-after day, week after week, and month after month I in> .-arid.'. scrubbing:' tables; and '.woodwork,' and so. forth. .Things _are much 'jmprovcd,Kgenerally' 1 speakiiiigv'i from niirles . werbi expected out ..the;.-wards daily,' as well: as/sweep, them as often as they-require it.. ; But there.is-abundarit room--for' further; improvement,/, on the -lines that : "a;, nurso,' even in. the probationary .-stage,, ;is" a nurse, . .and - -not ? ; a sab vis -.too. often ttai'dsmaid -. Erst, and nurse - at odd -lii ; sohielhospitals there isj-a laudable rule that!, each nurse shall' keep a.'diary*, in''which ;she'daily-, records her answers, to. certain questions.- One of the. .questions runs something, like,this: "Have: ,-yqu\ been. anything,-new.; to-day .would;' in too many cases, be: 'N0...1 ;;Hisvcn?t ; -been shown anything .new in. the ,ivay. of nursiiog since tho"firsl day.'l came . fii/f'w'Jtieh.l^wasv'taiiist ; iMi£ : ;t6 make' a,bed, arid h'ow.vto, talio temperatures." But ' to-day, as oii 'former days,'; I've- made the beds, and I've clcancd out the lavatories, - and >l've\ scrubbed , : tho' i: tables, - ,and I've upthe .woodwork. ' But, '.mostly, I've'.beeri sweepings-sweeping—-sweeping.". ;-i;M.uch , of ithepresent v difficulty '.. .arises ;frbm"- pebple';; riot' yet-r fully'- appreciating , thb 'vast -diilerohce .between the nurses, of. half- a . century ;a'go' and the nurses of ;today. . Sir..-Lambert :Ortn'sbyj: : 'a-'.New Zealan'derj.'by, the way,' who. worked his way iip :to, be 'president of : the"Royal. College of - Surpeonsi Ireland; ■■ graphically »ho ws this ; differerice-:by.'i two photographs :' pub-, .lished ;.in ; his "Medical r;Histbry. of: the Meath Hospital;" a famous .Dublin iiistitution, which;numbers amongst its alumni men well known''and highly ' 1 -placed ■ in ■the• medical -world-'here and;, throughout the -Empire. One page,"The Old; Style/' shows you' a group, of fofiri.oldpily. women.: r«-well and decc^tiyy looking,' comfortable. I - Th<?y are reprcseri■tatiyeS;. t>f ,-',-thabettor. l ;,classes,;, of; the';, old style;' and :: wheri'-ilieyrivere -having thoilihptograpli'.taken plainly well . pleased : ivitli themselves. ' Poor,. - souls—,'the'y; .too.vdid. theit ( bfst ; :.;Hai;d-faced, de- ' temiae'dJoolurigV bqdies-Vjhat'would-cer-•»w3Sj. see- °[hat'.VtliSi'r -.victim took .his 'ijiediciiip at'-.the -proper. time'■ (or as. near to - it as was ■ convenient, drat; him), - and. .that, 'so faras i they; .were'; concerned,; .lie rhad ' hfsyjeg ;-neatly-ohqpped- off . withas' ■ •>'ttle- fuss : as 'possible.". A" rbetter' class"of women than Mts, Gamp, perriaps,: but •ignorant—how-self-satisfied .ignorance';, is stamped on'their' faces,: to'bp suro!—and riot bnish■>mg.a Synl'i face; ATho second-. .'riaßO; iii : Sir entitled, '-..(The Ne\|>Style, youiig women—pictures, in their, fiimpla uniform, of? neatness,;; intelligence, and-.'capacity, 'TheirY.are,,determined- ; fa®es,. too; there o's, ho nonsense .'about:'th'eili. : But their's ■is'- the ' determination;" not . of .■ unthinking ' ignorance; • but of trained _intelligence--a reassuring sort of : determination. Hero > bhe-3;-patHetttlu ! * • is • 1 a woman who shows dier business ; she has been-i-trainedv to- it;- sho -is--tho-:.capable ..jnedi,cal..nian, and in a real sqji?o;lijs Assistant; jho will do what is. wauSiir'anrl-do fH "deftly, without'.hesita- '. tiori,-'; fcxaCtlyi; ill vtho. .right way.