HOSPITAL NURSES.

NZ Truth, Issue 117, 14 September 1907, Page 6

HOSPITAL NURSES.

TO THE BDITOE.

<■ Sir,— l read m a recent issue, of "Truth" "Pity, the hospital nurses." You should not only pity the nurses, but tlis medical staff as well. It is only those who have been inmates of that institution who are thoroughly m the know. The wonder to me is that the medical staff and two-thirds of the nurses " are hot laid up. I have been eight times m that institution myself and have had ample opportunity to judge, m fact, no one outside the hospital can form the remotest idea of what the nurses have to put up with. I will give a few instances that occurred while I was there m 1902. There was an old man m the next jfcjeiT'to mb, who, to all appearance-, must have imagined j that :,the nurses were there for no other purpose than to wait upon him. When- the old humian octopus became convalescent, he used to polish . his boots and .brush himself up, paint his face, rub it with a sponge to give him a color, go out m the hospital grounds and strut about like a blue-tail fly. Although he was 65 years, of -age fee must have fancied himself 25. Then, after sunning himself well he would return to the ward, but instead of n-oing uo to the table for his meals, he would squat on his stool by the side- of his bed,, and wail until the nurse brought, his dinner or tea to him. j After tea he would undress himself, roll into bed, then, as soon as the first nurse came inside the door he would sing out, , "Nurse, nurse, I nurse, fetch me *a pan." It used to make my blood boil, and I , often felt that if I had a kingdom, I would have freely given it to have been m the nurse's place for a short time. I would have civen him the pan all right, but not where he wanted it. There was also another ; cantankerous, patient m the same .wai'cHa, y.ouiyg man who had mot

with an accident on board one of the boats. This man's language to the nurse, who was a cadet, m No. 3. but who is a sister now, was something beastly, and yet this kindhearted young lady put up with all this sooner than report him to Dr. Ewart. Another thing called a man was admitted into one of the wards, but who soon became con-, valescent, and finding that he was m good lodgings with plenty of good tucker, decided not to get well sooner than he could help. His mod-. us operandi was as follows : He used at certain periods to be seized with pains somewhere m his internal regions, with the result that the nurse would use the hot-water bag, then give him the temperature glass to place m his mouth. But instead of placing it there he would shove it between his skin and the foot water bag, and as a matter of course his temperature commenced to rise a little above zero, causing the nurse no end of wonderment. However, wonder will out, as it did m this case. •. One day he overdone the job- When the nurse went to take the glass from him, to her surprise she found this dirty iump of mortality still alive, although Jus temperature indicated that ho was about six degree's • a.b'ove K&rori cemetery. The nurse very naturally wt-nf off at cmce to bring Dr. Ewart. When the doctor arrived and felt this ch.3ap lodger's pulse and found that he was normal he ordered him to get up and" go and have a bath and get. I am told this was the first wash he had had for two months. /From my own personal experience, I wish to state that during the eight times I have been an inmate of the Wellington Hospital I have at all times without exception received the most skilful treatment by the medical staff, combined with the kind words and sisterly care of The Sisters and nurses. For my part. I desire to express my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the doctors for their skilful treatment, and also to the , sisters and nurses for their kind 'and sistierly attention towards me- while' I was under their care.— l am, etc.,. ROBERT WHILEY.. (If everybody was as as our correspondent, what a happy world ifr wouldi be. But that temper-, ature story is just about the strongest .thins; we've heard.— Ed.)