THE NURSE GAVE HIM A CHANCE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2555, 24 November 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE NURSE GAVE HIM A CHANCE.

Dr. Crompton, one of the oldest doctors in Birmingham, is responsible for the following anecdote: " When I was a young roan I waa for a time one of the resident medical officers of the General Hospital. This was long before highly trained, educated nurses were thought of; but, although not so refined, many of them were good, well-meaning women enough, and did their work fairly well. At any rate, one could depend upon them for one thing, viz., they would carry out the doctors orders and would not think that they knew as much or more themselves. One day we had received a very bad case of delirium tremens. I was anxious about him, as I knew his chance of recovery was a very slender one, so, before going to bed, I went to see how he was. On walking quietly along the corridor in my slippers I heard a mysterious noise, and what do you think I was just in time to Bee and hear? Why, the nurse was repeating the Lord's Prayer and making the man say it after her, a sentence at a time. When she had finished she thus addressed him: ' There, my man, yer can die now as soon as yer like, but I wasn't agoin' to let yer die oussin' the Lord like that!' ' Whatever is the meaning of this, nurse ?' I exclaimed. She replied, " Why, his language is that horful it fair makes yer blood curdle, whioh I thought it would give him a bit of a chance if he said a prayer before he died.' You see the old woman meant well, although she had a queer way of doing it."