Making Good on Private Duty: Practical Hints to Graduate Nurses

URSE AND

E NURSE

R PATIENT'S FAMILY,

MARKS ON FOOD

G TO HER TRAINING SCHOOL

DO NURSES

NURSE AS

ONVAL

URSE OCCUPY HER

S FOR THE OBS

O WASHING

VALLEY OF

E AND HE

he meaning of the term "a good nurse" than this. How often do we hear stories of nurses who were good-but-who were skillful-but- and after the but comes a long list of such faults as do not show so much in hospital life, where the routine and the many rules and the constant supervision make them less likely to become prominent. "She bangs the doors." "She breaks the fine china." "She wears heavy shoes," or "She talks too muc

receive it, and believe me, if you do not go to your patient with a feeling of thankfulness to God for allowing you to assume such a sacred trust as the care of a human life, you are in no conditi

urn over," and imagine you have by your side a nurse who will not let you turn. You will find out in the course of an hour that your patient has had a good excuse for all her complaints, and the next night you will know just where to slip your hand in the hollow of the back or under the shoulders to give a little ease. The patient will profit by such exercise on the part of the nurse, and your sympathies will be quickened. Never forget that the patient is sick, and you are not. You can, you must be firm in what you know is for your patient's best good, but you must never be dictatorial or argumentative. It is hard, I know, to bear with all the foolish, unreasonable whims of sick people, but if you are true nurses you will do it. There are, however, se

pleased surprise with which she will say, "How did you know I wanted it done?" You need not tell her how you knew, but you may be sure she will appreciate you all the more for your prescient thoughtfulness. Her pillows may be flat and hot, her h

think it a very foolish thing for her to have three piles of handkerchiefs, each of a different age, or degree of fineness, but if that is her way, she will be better

don't pick all up together and put them over a chair. Put her shoes away, lay the stockings on a shelf or put them inside the sho

in their accustomed places. Be careful of books, table-covers, and all the articles of luxury and beauty you will find in many of our city houses. Remember that these things belong to some one else, though you are for the present custodian, and t

her ingenuity to keep the patient to the right subjects, for even patients, though they hold it so reprehensible in a nurse to talk gossip, do not disdain to serve up their neighbors occasionally to the nurse, with some very highly seasoned scandal sauce, and here the honor of the nurse must come into play; let her forget it if possible, as woe will betide the poor girl if in her next place she unwittingly lets out any of the secrets she has heard in these long talks. Try then to steer clear of the neighbors. If your patient be a cultivated person, and you yourself know anything about books, you have a never-failing topic. All the latest books, the famous books, the most entertaining books, and i

skip over. If then your patient is a man, commence on the first page and read slowly the headings of the news items, when one strikes him, as desirable to hear, he will tell you to read it; when you get through the news you may turn to the editorial page and do the same there. Unless you know your patient very well do not attempt to

E AND TH

fellows are the aids, and that she will be kind enough to remember this fact, and not make suggestions to him, the doctor, or give him the fruits of her ripe experience of three years in a hos

lligently put, he will be glad to answer you, and explain all you wish explained; but if you do not know the reason of a certain order, and, moreover, if he will not tell you, do not assume that he does not know, or that he is cross; it may be some very uncertain, delicate experiment is being tried, and all he wants you to do is to

often heard doctors say, when speaking of a favorite nurse, as if it was the only virtue worth mentioning: "I am perfectly certain that when I am not present she will faithfully carry out my orders." Entire faithfulness takes precedence, I think, and deservedly so. Your accomplishments may be m

ll never cease. The more faithful you are to orders, the more trust and confidence will be reposed in you. You will have not only your patient, but the entire fam

your substitute your best friend, or anyone else. If he wishes your counsel he will ask, and then you may tell him of anyone you think will suit the position, but do not offer your friend, as he may have some favorite of his own to put in your place. Of course the patient or her friends must know about the contemplated change- that I take for granted. Having consulted the doctor, will make everything satisfactory to the most careful practitioner. So, as said before, never go away from your patient, le

uch a sudden rise, or how many days it is since she first had solid food, and if you have accurately kept and carefully preserved your records, you can tell without a moment's hesitation. It is better, more business-like, and every way to be commended, that the nurse should keep, and be exceedingly particular about these records. If the doctor will write his orders on the fresh daily reco

visit, Wait until he has asked all the questions he wishes, or until you have told him all that is necessary to tell before the patient, and then

o know of. This is also the time to speak about yourself if you are sick or tired, or unhappy in your position. Perhaps neither of you have anything to say, and a friendly nod and a "patient is doing nicely, nurse," will send you back to the sick- room feeling that your work is appreciated, which always goes a long way

o glasses, clean, and turned upside down to keep them from dust, teaspoons and covers for the glasses, also a small pitcher o

ed, your place is at or near the foot. If the doctor knows the patient well, as a friend, and is inclined to stay a long time, chatting, you can

abdomen is tympanitic, tell him it seems much distended; and if he questions much further, answer the questions fully and intelligently. If your patient has the symptoms of phlebitis, tell him of the rise of temperature, th

nstruments you carry; have them of the best.

oceeds to test your thermometer by his, which of course is always correct. Be sure that your hypodermic syringe will work; if the piston slips loosely after much using of brandy, aromatic ammonia, etc., take it to be repaired, and see that the needles are sharp, they become dulled very quickly; keep also the ti

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ten, and always, always the tale winds up with the inevitable catastrophe. The business man develops paresis, the clergyman loses his voice or his eyes, the nurse contracts some disease that incapacitates her for work, in every case mother Nature makes the careless or ignorant owner of the wonderful machine pay the penalty of the misuse. It does not matter to Nature what the reason is for our breaking the great laws; we can kill ourselves with philanthropic work just as surely as with over indulgence. One trouble is, that it does not always kill. A paralytic may live for years, so does a man with paresis. When the wonderful God-given machine works badly, or stops entirely, we look on, and sometimes wonder why it is that those who are so helpf

tic ones,-poor nurses, lazy nurses have no temptation to overwork thems

rom house to house in your private nursing, always you find the sick, and it seems natural, quite the proper thing. You care for them, they get well, or die-and on you go to the next-but reflect on what made them sick, and though you know you are made of like flesh and blood, do not conduct yourself

not do justice to the case, as indeed you could not. Sick people are as sensitive as babies to the subtle influence exerted by the one who is so constantly over them. If you are in full health and strength, your rubbing will be quieting and effectual, your very presence, if you are careful and gentle, will be soothing. On the contrary,

omach and whole digestive apparatus in good order, you must care for it, and not overtax it. If you have a pretty good stomach it will bear a good deal of abuse, but in the end it will grumble, and a dyspeptic nurse is not an attractive object. As to your night suppers, which you should always have, should your case require constant watching, I would recommend plenty of coffee, tea, or cold milk, if you can drink it, bread and butter, c

stockings and underwear kept on. The hair should be arranged simply, but not allowed to hang in a loose braid, unless you are very sure you will not see any but the patient, and even then it may be unwise, as a braid of hair has an exasperating way of slipping from its proper place (hanging down the back) and dipping into whatever you are stooping over. Dressed thus, with night shoes to protect the feet, one can lie down on a lounge and sleep very comfortably, being freed from tight clothes, and yet being entirely presentable, no matter wha

ays wonder that a sick woman can not realize that she is not a pleasant bed-fellow, but she seldom does. Of course you are not to tell her that she is not fit to sleep with, but you can say that she needs and ought to have the whole bed to herself, and you will sit by her and ho

you home. Never tell a patient you have a weak back or any weakness. Tell the doctor and he will see to it that you have rest or medicine, but do not let the patient know it. Never go about a sick room with a long face; it is enough for the sick one to have to be sick; the family sympathies are all enlisted for her. You are there to be a help and a comfort, not an added anxiety. Of course these remarks do not apply to any of you who are tired fr

family table at meal time, be sure to have on a spotless apron, and let no sickroom odors announce your presence. It is worth more to a nurse to have soft, dry, warm, sympathetic hands, than to have the prettiest face ever seen under a cap, so be careful of them; after using any antiseptics always have at hand glycerin and rose water, cold cream, or something soothing to use. Never put a cold or clammy hand on a patient. If it is cold and dry it can be laid on a hot, aching head, but never do so if it is the least damp. If the hand is always damp, pour on it a little alcohol, or eau de cologne, if that is preferred, or some toilet water, then put it on the patient's head, and it will be all right. A simple a

rk. Many preparations for this trouble are on the market, most of them are good but some are expensive. A late copy of the Journal of Nursing gives the following: "Take two ounces of baking soda, mix with half an ounce of corn starch, and use as a dusting powder, after the parts have been thoroughly cleansed and dried. It will check the perspiration and remove every particle of odor

oat, sniffing, etc. You may have a catarrh, but use your handkerchief quietly; such noises are v

ary was of a nurse who always made it a rule, when she went to a patient's house, to stipulate immediately for her hours "off duty." She thought she was doing a very clever thing,

by anything of the kind. If you feel an affectionate regard for your patient, you can show it by your constant thoughtfulness and your care. Do not fear that you will lead lonesome, repressed lives; if you are the nurses you ought to be, you will have

en on duty, and, above all things, do not write with a scratchy pen. To a nervous person the sound of a scratchy pen traveling over the paper is torturing, and it can be heard even if you are in the next room. A fountain pen is, I think, the best to use. See that it is full before you go to your case, and it will need no at

hat needs doing, I do not think you should do any washing. Cooking you will very often have to do, but the ordinary housework does not come at all into your province. If your patient is a chronic invalid,

ervants. So must you. There is sickness, trouble with the servants, every domestic wheel turning with difficulty, and, if you have time, if you can leave your patient without doing her an

ure, the reputation of the profession. No one needs to be told how much more widely known is an inconsistent Christian than a faithful one, how much harm one does and

indiscretion, or does any of the thousand things she ought not to do. I recollect very well, many years ago, a Brooklyn nurse, of about thirty-five years, married her patient, a boy nineteen years old. It made a great stir in the city, and, as I was living there at the time and the superintendent of a training school, I had to bear

ed; if it is full of scientific facts, of skillful methods, of good literature, or fine pictures, there will be no room in it for the memo

d to pursue this high calling, and ever striving to be more worthy of it, with many prayers that your life and conduct

ATIENT'S FAMILY, FR

talled in your place by the bedside, yet you are a stranger. Your friend, the doctor, has told them what a treasure you are. Mrs. This and Mr. That have perhaps let them know how invaluable you were when at their houses; but yet they must look at you a little, they must note if you make a pleasant impression on the invalid, if you are as skillful here as you were somewhere else

superior to your own, had to come and care for her, would you not feel that though you were glad to see her, glad she would give your mother the benefit of her superior skill,

came. If she likes milk, will she insist upon tea? Does coffee keep her awake? Does she hate the sight of gruel, or beef-tea? Does she like much sugar in her drinks? All these are little matters of individual taste that you must find out for each patient, and if you have the necessary tact and forethought, you never need ask the patient one question; usually the frie

and it would be better to do this way." Then you can do what you know to be right, and not hurt the feelings of the one who has preceded you, and, feeling your way carefully, have everything just as it ought to be, and no one's feelings will be hurt, and no one will feel that you are looking

ily, you can tell the doctor, and he will let you go; but such places are very rare. Let all see that you are thoroughly interested in your patient, and

ce, just as you do when in charge of a hospital ward, you leave your orders written out when you go for your

elve, perhaps between two and three, just as you consider her brighter in the morning or afternoon. Ask them who of the first and dearest friends is the quietest and most discreet, and then say that if they will kindly arrange for one visitor only to come each day, it would be so much better for the convalescent. The friends can always do this and they neve

n the person has stayed long enough, and generally your entrance tells her very plainly that she ought to go, and she departs without you saying a word. If she does not, you will have to tell her that the doctor is very particular about not letting the patient talk too m

need thim things," and you will thankfully obey her. If you really cannot stop to make all tidy after your cooking, you can say, "I'm sorry to make you extra work with these dishes, but I must hurry back upstairs." Some such little speech, with a pleasant smile, will make all things easy for you below stairs, and for the sake of all the friction it will save you, it is well worth the trouble. Often the cook will be glad

stairs. Thoroughly disinfect the clothes before you send them to the washing, as the odors are often sickening, and the laundress, like other servants, is very much afraid, usually

rself and the patient scrupulously clean; but she must reflect that private families do not have an unlimited stor

e of these rules. They fall into a routine, and if they are detained in the family for any length of time, that shows that their work and methods are right, as far as that patient and family are concerned. But let

RKS ON FOODS

urse who has a proper appreciation of a sick person's delicate sensibilities. Have all plates, cups and saucers hot, when they are for the reception of hot toast, coffee, tea, etc. Hot water plates are very convenient, and easily procured at any large china shop; but if they cannot be found, put the hot plate containing the chop over a bowl of boiling water, and cover with a hot saucer, fold a napkin around the baked potato, and you can carry the tray containing the dinner through cold halls and up staircases and it will arrive at y

you do it, unless you are perfectly sure you will not get your hand

mming full, let it stand a few moments that the grease may rise to the top, tip the cup a very little to one side, and the grease, to the last atom, wi

ss, sweet things are nauseous; for this reason ice cream bought at confectioners' is often rejected. Salt also must b

ter it. If that will not do, mix the carbonic acid water with it, and have both nice and cold. If a glass of milk is too much (and it will be in nine cases out of ten, especially if it is cold), give half a glass; if that is still

e food is taken. The tube should be cleaned immediately after each using, and if any beef tea or other food cannot be dislodged by letting water run through it, pass a string with a knot tied in it, through. Make the knot big enough to touch all sides of the tube, have it thoroughly we

e same time with the medicine, some water, milk, or whatever may be preferred, to

this might cause the cook to feel aggrieved, so I put it as a suggestion merely. But if the refrigerator has a smell,

it that it is cleaned every day. Never put away anything i

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cold. Let the beef soak in the water, stirring occasionally, for two hours; then put it on the st

F J

ully and salt. Serve either very cold, or place the cup containing the juice in a bowl of boiling water, stir carefully, and as soon as the juic

A IN A

ary beef tea. Put this into a kettle of cold water, with a saucer on the bottom, let it

PED

but only the white fibre, cut this off with a sharp knife, exposing once more a fresh surface. Season, and spread raw on

ON B

back of the stove, let it come slowly to a boil, boil until the meat is ready to fall from the bones. After strai

ROTH.

simmer one hour. Put on to scald as much milk as juice. Strain out the clams, thicken with a

ROTH.

of the clams, chop the soft parts and le

ROTH.

nd when the shells open take them off, remove the clams and pour the juice into a cup. To be served hot. If it is too strong

KEN

er, let it heat slowly, then boil gently until the meat is ready to fall from the bones, strain,

ER B

and slightly thicken, pour in the milk boiling hot, add the oysters one by one, let them remain on the stove about f

RS BR

er juice, not enough to make the toast wet through. Arrange the oysters on a fine buttered broiler, cook over a brisk fire like steak, until the

ED CH

il evenly, turning frequently. Serve on a piece of buttered toast, salt and

lit down the back and broiled evenly

F S

particularly requested to do otherwise. Be careful not to smoke i

EAL

en minutes, and strain through a fine wire sieve. If you have no cooked oatmeal put 1/2 cup raw oatmeal in a double boiler with two cups of boiling water and cook for two hours, then proceed

UM

ed to blood heat, add to it a tablespoonful of sugar, and the dissolved yeast. Put the mixture in beer bottles with patent stoppers, fill to the

K P

2 tablespoonfuls of bran

an eggbeater. Give cold.

G-

ttle milk, continue beating, then four or five pieces of ice about as big as a hickory nut; add brandy- regulate to the taste of your patient-add rest of m

LEMO

d yolk separately as for egg-nog; add the sugar to the yolk, then the

E W

hot; stir a moment until the curd gathers; strain through a fine muslin, sweeten. To

HED

the stove so that the water does not boil, keep it there for about five minutes. Let the water be about two inches deep in the iron frying pan. Each egg must be broken separately and slipped carefully into the water. When cook

BLED

lk, salt and pepper. Pour into a very hot frying pan, buttered, an

RED

e pea. Shake it about and break in the egg. Let it remain on the stove a

LET

y into a small frying pan, hot and buttered. As soon as the egg is set, slip a knife under one side and fold one side

NN

add one large teaspoon of liquid rennet. Stir for a moment an

D CUS

fuls of sugar. Return to the double boiler, and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring gently all the time. When done

D CU

cold. Pour into custard cups. Stand these in a dripping pan half full of

EAD AND

slice in this way, buttering first and cutting afterwards. The slice can be made very thin and dainty, and th

HER OWN TRAINING SCHOOL

ngs as you are, and perhaps they work harder than you do to right its wrong; in any case it does no good to tell others of the things you disapproved. It may indeed be that your criticism is one-sided and unfair, that the very

other school is neither wholly above nor wholly below your own; each has probably its own merits and its own drawbacks. You should not tell the other nurse any o

riosity. It is best to keep the dreadful side entirely out of sight; there are plenty of bright, interesting, pleasant things always occurring; tell of these. Tell of the cunning little babies in the lying-in ward, the absurd little black ones, the fat little German and Swede babies. Tell of the surly drunken men that come, and how a week of cleanliness in bed, with a broken leg, or it may be

diness of another, or the overbearing nature of the third. It can do no

assist another nurse, remember that she is the head nurse; the case is hers. She gives directions, and you follow them; be sure you do it faithfully. If yo

lts of the other nurse, and never gossip about her. She may not suit them, but she is probably doing the best she can, and such idle talk can do no good. If they will talk, make all the excuses for her you can, and never let her suspect from any action of yours, that you are preferred above her. If, on the other hand, you are the first nurse and some second one is called in, and preferred before you, study her well. See how it is that she wins the patient's confidence, when you did not. Try to find ou

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the nerves; it keeps one from enjoying society; it is not sufficiently remunerative, etc., etc. We all know, without going into further particulars, what a nurse could complain about, and t

has been called up at night, or how often they have been dismissed or maligned by ungrateful patients; neither do they talk of such things. Do they complain that they are kept from the presence of "Society?" Not so, and why? Their enthusiasm is such that these matters are accepted as part of the inevitable, and the higher, nobler aim is so real that the lower and meaner consideration of personal comfort sinks into insignificance. What is the soldier's favorite tale? Not that all through the war he had

s, and we want it very much. We want the courage to accept our trials which must come if we are to have any glory. It is all very fine to be called a ministering angel, but it is pleasanter to minister to those who are appreciative. We can be heroic, in an emergency, but if we are not properly thanked,

other? Do they not know when they enter the work that it is hard, do they not hear on every side that it is exacting and confining? They knew it perfectly well before the

the trials, the irritations, the unreason, the tiresomeness of sick people, and still women will come to the school, and forgetting the warnings, they will complain when some exasperating incident occurs. If a nurse, f

ot be done; the despair of a hope for recovery growing daily less, or the realization of absolute weakness that comes with early convalescence; try to imagine yourself bearing some of these ills with nerves and brain weakened by disease, and you will not wonder that your patient is irritable, that he thinks the minutes of your absence are "hours," that the unevenness of the bed is "hard lumps," that the food is "slops," and the medicine "no good." Remember that

e lives. You can see I am sure the difference, and you will not gainsay me when I assure you that the doctor and the missionary, though they may not be satisfied with themselves, or with their manner of working, are happy men, happy because they live outside of themselves. The coal miner who is not content with his wages is miserable, because he himself and his needs loom up before him so large that every thing else is shut out. It is because you take a hard task and do it well, that so much praise is given to nurses. If you undertake a difficult task and fret over it all the time you are doing it, if you propose to benefit your fellow creatures and grumble because you have not comforts, or appreciation, or gratitude, where does the nobility go? Where is the heroism? If the

Arc? The warmth of their gratitude led her to the stake. Galileo, as reward for his discovery, was put into prison and loaded with chains, as were also Christopher Columbus and Sir Walter Raleigh, a not

are ladies by our telling them so. If you are a lady, with a lady's refinement, every one in the house will know it, will feel it, and you will never mention the subject; they must feel it, then there will be no arguing on the subject. It must be demonstrated by your deftness, your quietness, your cheerfulness, your education, your intelligence, your quick appreciation of other good qualities. We must all of us show the

h to educate one family up to the realization that we are its equals; the next house we go to, the same work may have to be done

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nd hospital work, for the life of a teacher. She fondly imagines that she is a nurse, and only that; but after she has been doing priv

friends never let her rest until she has told the "why" of every thing she does, or does not. There are

le to provide the best milk for the baby, or, if the little one has to be artificially fed, the methods of preparing the particular food chosen should be explained, and the indications of indigestion pointed out. All this is real teaching, real missionary work, and if well done will help the mother immensely and probably save the baby many attacks of colic or worse. Washing the baby is usually regarded by the young mother as a terrible ordeal. No nurse should leave her young-mother patient until she is fully able to perform this task. Let the mother watch, a few mornings, while the nurse does all the work, then let her undress the baby, when the nurse can take him and finish the operation. Day by day let her do a little more, as her strength and ambition permit, until at the end of a week she is fairly used to han

how a mother that an adenoid may be responsible for Johnny's inattention, as it causes dullness of hearing, how Mary's fretfulness is caused by too little sleep or by insufficient ventilation of her room at night. She can explain how irregular eating causes the children to be cross and irritable. She can show why the first teeth should be removed when the second begin to push towards the gum. She can teach the mother that the headaches so often met with, in children who go to school, are due, perhaps, to eye strain, and can not be corr

ry to do, what care should be taken of the sputum, of the patient's food, of his eating and drinking vessels, his bed and bedding. She should know how to teach a tuberculosis pat

sed to know, and who, during a four to six weeks' stay, makes herself on

le folks are brimful of curiosity. It is Nature's way, I suppose, of teaching them. Every new thing fills them with admiration, with joy, and they must know all about it. "Oh, mamma, what a lovely new pony! Where did

right is a problem requiring our most careful thought. Books, papers, and magazines tell us what to say and how to say i

ocent wife, who is thereafter barren, or who bears syphilitic children. The folly of the double standard, purity insisted on for the wife, unchasity condoned in the hus

he knows what he does not know, when he knows where to go for what he should know, I call that a perfectly educated man." So with the nurse. When she finds a social problem with which she is not familiar, let her turn to this list of books, magazine articles, and pamphlets upon the subject: Chapman, Rose R., The Moral Problems of Children; Dock, Lavinia L., Hygiene and Morality; Hall, Winfield Scott, Reproduction and Sexual Hygiene; Henderson, Charles W., Education with Reference to Sex; Lyttelton, E., Training of the Young in the Laws of Sex; Morley, Margaret W., The Renewal of Life; Morrow, Dr. P. A., Social Diseases and Marriage; Saleeby, Caleb W., Parenthood and Race Culture; Wilson, Dr. Robert N., The American Boy and the Social Evil, The Nobility of Boyhood, 50 cents (contained in "The American Boy and the Social Evil"); Hall, Stanley, Educational Problems, Chapter on the Pedagogy of Sex, Adolescence, Youth; Northcoate, H., Christianity and Sex Problems; Janney, Dr. Edward O., The White Slave Traffic in America; Report of the 3 8th Confe

pupil is anxious to be taught. Most mothers are anxious on these subjects; if one is encountered who does not

ALES

, I always wish she would drive me home; half-sick people are not to my taste." I have often wondered if this feeling is not caused by the atmosphere of the hospital which has, during training, been the nurse's home,-the hospital, where the patient leaves at the earliest possible moment of recovery, to make room for someone else. The pupil nurse gets used to the excitement of critical illness, used to the hard work of cons

ive, and it is not beneath the dignity of the nurse to remain, and keep watch until every part is once more in perfect working order. Many nurses feel that it is not nursing to amuse a patient, but it is nursing to help him on to the healthy plane from whi

er when talking to his client is just as truly a lawyer; the clergyman, when visiting his congregation, is just as truly a clergyman,-the sermon on Sunday is the climax, if I may so express it, of his week's work. The lawyer's speech to the jury is the point to which all his efforts tend after, perhaps, weeks of preparation. So the convalescence of a patient is the post climax of the nurse's undertaking. She begins with

ortunity for regular exercise-these things come as a real luxury when one has been nursing a critically-ill patient, and anxiety has been with one, night and day. This is the period when the nurse's nerves, strained to their utmost, can regai

f noting day by day the return of healthful sensations, the gradual ever- growing desire to once more take his accus

patient asks for this amusement, the reading is a torment to the nurse, and I imagine it does not afford much pleasure to the listener. A nurse once gave me a graphic description of her efforts to read "Romola" to a convalescent typhoid patient. The poor nurse knew nothing of Florence or of the Italian language, and her struggles over the foreign words in that book must have been funny enough. Her patient was not much edif

wo-handed games, the playing of which will help the convalescent to forget himself and his past illness and present weakness. The nurse, if she knows only one game that is unfamiliar to the patient, gives him new thoughts while she teaches him, and it is quite astoni

y have once more taken up their crochet needles. The nurse who can deftly turn her hand to these dainty arts, and can teach them to her patients, or any of the patient's family, has the means of making herself a very acceptable companion, apart from her nursing skill. Embroidery is very fascinating, and appeals to every woman. A dainty little garment for your patient, embroidered while you watch her return to health, will be long treasured by her. For a nurse, what art, what accomplishment can she have that will

SE OCCUPY HER D

y mean a call is wished for or dreaded, perhaps both; an anxious time, as no one knows how long she may have to wait; a dreary time, as the days drag on and still no call comes. It is a tryi

of the sick,-that is common, ordinary nurses' business,-but there too many nurses stop; they often can go no further; and when one comes to a family and adds to this

ning school. All the technic of hospital and operating room is fresh in mind, but there is so much that lies necessarily out

ts. We take it for granted that all this is ready. The case before has been a hard one, we will imagine, and several days ha

c cleanliness versus disease-bearing dirt. Let her consider whether she reads aloud acceptably, understandingly. Has she a good list of books which most women would enjoy? Does she know what books to suggest for

d that will give pleasure and profit to patient after patient. This search for good literature will give happiness in the quest, and happiness in the reading. Librarians are usually glad to direct on

; but this is a branch of knowledge that is growing so rapidly that, unless the very latest disco

y are upon all sorts of subjects-Flies, Malaria, The Destruction of Rats, Care of Food in the House, Fruit as a Food, Cereal Breakfast Foods, etc., etc., subjects ad infinitum. Here, then, is a mine of information open to anyone who asks; all one has to do is to write to the Secretary of Agriculture and ask to have sent a list

her how helpful it would be to future little sick folks, if she might be allowed to study some of the kindergarten methods, and permission will readily be given. When the nurse reaches the room of the "littlest ones," let her sit down, and quietly watch what is done for them, and how they are managed. The kindergartner will be glad to tell where she finds the charming stories she relates; she will give models of the wonderful things her pupils cut out of paper, the canoes, the men to sit in them, the wigwams, the sleds, auto

one can appreciate the patience and skill of oriental handiwork in a hurry. If unacquainted with the exhibits, a catalogue should be purchased, and each one studied until one knows why it is there, and what is its beauty. I remember seeing, one day, in a collection, a cup of jade, with a very finely wrought handle; I thought it fine, but did not appreciate it until the Custodi

and the stranger-these she should learn. Many times she could do much to help these institutions, by relating, simply and truthfully, when occasion offers, what she has seen, of the great needs of such efforts, and the heroic work of those who go down and live amongst the needy and try to uplift them. Many a rich, idle patient might become interested and give money, if not time, to help in these good works; and my

and some day when a patient is well enough to take an excursion, some part of his own immediate neighborhood may be shown him which he has never seen before. Believe me, all this will be appreciated. Space fails me to tell of music to be heard, theatres to be enjoyed, and all to be used hereafter for the benefit of those to whom you will be called t

OR THE OBSTE

BY'S W

are for her baby and herself, it is very nice to be able to give her, should she a

articles more or less fanciful will, most probably, be added by friends. The t

. Diapers first size, 17 inches square, 20. Diapers second size, 20 inches square, 30. Diapers third size, 26 inches square, 30. Knitted blanke

BA

rax and powdered sugar. Old damask towels. One cake old white castile soap, or Colgate's nursery soap. One bottle unscented vaseline. As many sache

HE MO

kets and the single width rubber sheet need not be provided.]Two or three old blankets. Fountain syringe. Paper basin. Towels ad libitum. Six or seven night dresses, three of them old. Undershirts, if worn

any expectant mothers prefer to make all the clothes for the

second glance will convince any one that all these articl

is. Pinning blankets are open all down the front, and are usually made in the shops with a broad band of stiff white muslin, which shows that the people who made them never tried to dress a baby. The band should be of flannel or coarse linen many times washed so that it may be soft, and the pins will go through many folds of it. Flannel skirts are usually made of two bre

se plain bands and find they are several inches too big, nothing is easier than tearing off a strip and making them fit. If the child has a very large, round abdomen, they can be made to fit over it nicely by taking two little tucks on the lower edge, about half an in

ges turned in and sewed around. By the time the baby has outgrown them they will be fit only for the rag- bag, and may be thrown aside. The second size diaper, also the third should be many times washed to make them soft enough for use. These may be used at first folded eight times an

also and can be used instead of the damask where that cannot be procu

be fine or not, embroidered or plain, and may have lace sewed on the edge, but they can't help being pretty, and the embroidery will never be in the middle. I shall never forget my pity for one poor little mite I saw once, who, on waking from his sleep, was discovered to have the print of an embroidered S on his cheek. It had been worked in the centre of the little pil

nsive, a very good substitute may be made from white eid

and in the back. Of course any little ornamental baby pin answers the purpose ju

will probably all be gone by night. Put it on very carefully with the tip of your finger slightly moistened so that some of the powder will adhere. Examine the baby's mouth every day for these spots. They are likely to appear any time after ten

them in the dresses, and be sure when you take out a clean dress, or slip, to take the sachet and slide it into the neck of the slip that will be worn tomorrow. Nothing can be more attractive than a clean, sweetly smelling baby, and, per contra,

t, outside of the sleeve, a piece of pink or blue ribbon. Make a nice little bow and let the lace fall over the fat little hands

this have some slips like pillow cases, of linen or cotton, plain or fancy, as the lady may have time or money. Slip the "protector

NG THE PROBABLE DU

nly date from which conception can be dated, and the probable confinement day predicted with some chance of certainty, is the first day of the last menstrual flow, adding to this one week (seven days) for the average duration of the flow (with a few days lee-way). We count nine calen

ay may be made by the most experienced, as in cases where conception occ

nineteen weeks after the beginning of the last menstruation, with seven days added; and the third column still

days to each column. Thus, for Jan. 11th, the second column shou

Quickening. Confin

…May 20th…

…June 20th

…July 18th…

…Aug. 18th…

Sept. 17th

…Oct. 8th…

Nov. 17th……

…Dec. 18th

…Jan. 18th…

…Feb. 17th

March 20th…

April 19th…

OR THE MOT

h towel, if you can get it. Be careful, never to let loose and wet ends of the wash cloth drag along exposed parts of the body. It is a good plan to sew your wash cloth into a bag, and to slip your hand inside, and work with it put on like a mitten. A rubber or fibre sponge is to be preferred. Keep one for the face, neck, arms, a

square of rubber, over that the old comfortable, four double, and hold all in place with a sheet folded like a hospital "draw-sheet." This must be firmly tucked in at the sides under the mattress. It will seldom be found necessary to change the under sheet, if the bed is made this way, and the

ot a beautiful object to look upon, and others not knowing its virtues would think you untidy if it was in a noticeable place. The fountain syringe is absolutely indispensable; and, though it may seem unnecessarily large, yet I think a four-quart bag better than any of the smaller sizes. To be sure, you never might need four quarts in the bag, but it is so much easier managed, so much less liable to spill over, if you have a large bag and put it only half or three-quarters full. Then, too, you get so much more force if you have more water in th

nt and then said that she thought she did have one night-dress that did not have a ruffle or embroidery around the bottom. She could wear that. It certainly is not from motives of economy that our wealthy patients do not have these most sensible of garments. I think they know nothing about them, and they should have their virtues explained to them. A pocket could be added to this garment, I think, and it would be a real comfort

great trochanters, and up to a place two inches above the umbilicus; long enough to fit the woman before she became pregnant. She has likely some measure, or could get it from her dress-maker. Women vary so m

but in case they are to be used, I give the best kind I know of. They are s

uld always know from the doctor, or the prospective patient, if binders are to be

andage is, I think, the best for this purpose. Tear down the first two "tails" to within three inches of the others, and the

nd readily bought, sterilized, and ready for use. All sterilization is so thorough

disinfectant or antisep

ng that will answer the purpose; bichloride of mercury, etc. You mus

ld be well to cast your eyes about for some rug, that you can, if necessary, turn wrong side out and spread at the side of the bed

es the nurse a comfortable feeling quite beyond description to kn

I

ASHING

eep them warm. If possible, have an apron made of rubber cloth to tie about your waist. At your side, on the floor, have a small blanket ready to lay over the rubber apron when needed. Put your baby basket where you can reach it, be sure that it contains all the things you will need-sponge, soap, powder, pins, vaseline, etc., and an extra diaper or two. Now get the tub (tin) and pour in the water until it is about four inches deep. Have the water no warmer than 100

shing, but a piece of old table damask is very good. Wash the eyes very carefully first, then the face, and dry on the towel. Now hold the baby's head over the tub and give that a good washing with soap o

ing outspread, and the thumb coming up almost to the pubic bone. With the left hand hold the head and shoulders. Lower him very gently into the water. Any sudden movement is most injurious, as a baby must never cry when the band is off, if it can be avoi

is done, you must undo the blanket, and take the upper towel and dry most carefully all the creases, and powder everywhere, especially if he is very fat. Get down to the very bottom of every crease, and be sure it is dry and powdered. Lay over the navel a compress of absorbent cotton, unless the child is over four weeks old, and over this the band, which should be unhemmed, and wide enough to extend from the hip to the armpit. Lay the palm of your right hand firmly over band and pad and turn the child carefully, holding your right hand still under him, and with the left, clear away all damp towels, and then straighten out the band that is wrinkled under one side.

urn him, being careful to hold all the clothes in place. If he is liable to chafe, or the movements of the bowels are in any way irritating, use vaseline about the buttocks. Now put the arms in the shirt sleeves

d pin thoroughly through everything. This last pin I consider most necessary, as it keeps the dress, shirt, band and all in place. Turn the baby over once more and put a similar pin in the back of the dress, being very careful to get at the band. While the baby is in this position put the blanket he wears during the day over him, and a final turn brings him around, and he is washed and dressed all but his mouth, which must be carefully washed with

t them come and stay. A baby should never be bathed in a tub until the stump of the cord is off and the navel well and strong. If there is any inclination to pouting of the navel, wash the child on your lap an

essary to turn the child at all, the band

ally healthy child, from the time it is on

and rub the back gently with your warm hand. If the band does not need changing, unpin it, rub the back, pin it up again, and proceed in dressing as before. When the cord is once fairly off, and the navel smooth and clean, you can put the baby into the tub, very gently, slowly, and cautiously, remembering that a sudden movement on your part may, in fact, always will make him scream, and screaming with no band or compress on is for a baby a very frequent cause of umbilical hernia. If the cord is small when the child is born, there will be less danger of hernia, but if it be a large one, then beware! It will not always be your fault if the baby's navel is not small and flat when you are leaving your case, but you will always be blamed for it, if it is not. Notice carefully ever

s to the amount of water used in bathing. Have a small bowl of cooler water, 70 degrees to 80 degrees, for the face, and after that is washe

in blanket over it and have someone hold his hands, so that he will not clutch so wildly at

a baby. He knows well enough if he is handled properly or not, and his fretful

ll agree with me, that there is no more nervous work than washing and dressing a baby who is crying (and once he begins, he is only too apt to keep it up during the entire time). This is especially true if a weak, ignora

rk. If he sleeps he is comfortable, and, unless for some more serious reason than the bath, he ought not to be disturbed. This, for babies in private practice. Hospital babies cannot be so tenderly cared for. When there are ten or eleven to be washed in one m

breast, and very often do not waken until they are once more ready for eating. This seems like stating a diffic

at mistake to attempt to bathe a baby when he is hungry. He will scream for his food from the beginning to the end of the performance, hesitating occasionally when something warm touches his mouth, and he eagerly seeks his meal, only to redouble his cries when not satisfied. Nothing is so persevering in its endeavors, as a hungry baby.

new, that is newly-washed, set of diapers. Gather up all that have been used the past twenty-four hours and have them washed. Perhaps they may not be ironed, but washed they should be, eve

wet), and rub it in. Then wash by plunging it in the water and squeezing it out. Do this again and again until the garment is clean. Rinse in clear cool water, and wring as dry as possible in a towel; then pull in shape and lay it on a clean towel to dry. It is a good plan to lay it on a folded towel over a half shut register and place a single fold of towel over. It will dry very soon. If you are washing a baby's knitted shawl, be very car

or brioche stitch is the best to wear and wash, and these things must be washed with the most careful handling. On the nicest baby they will become dirty, and the delicate blues and pinks become the dismalest wrecks when washed. Therefore, tell your patient not to put any color in these first plain little comfortable shawls. They should be a yard long by about three- quarters wide. Two or three will be all you will need, and do not use any of the fancy blankets sent in by friends. Lay these all away,

I

EY OF TH

dreadful monotony of that one sick room, until we feel that we have been left out of the real nursing world, that we are stranded with our patient upon an island of pain, that there is no outlook but the one dread Valley, no moving object but the river of Death, and no hope for the life we are guarding. Each week we grow more and more rusty as to our hardly-won surgical technic, more out of touch with those who come and go to one patient after the other, and who not unnaturally count upon so and so many victories o

e time little is to be done, except perhaps a guard maintained over the failing strength, a watch kept for untoward accidents that might snap the frail thread that b

y remained with her patient to the end, has passed through a training more sev

en these dark days, some things which may help both h

cations have shown themselves, and their influence on the original disease. A careful history could be written embracing all of these points, and as new symptoms appear they should be observed and noted. All this should be valuable and should help some future day to show some one who has but started

patient department, or to some dispensary and do some work that carries a little feeling of success with it; work in a babies milk st

ourselves or any of our friends will so soon be dead, and we habitually act and speak as if we all were to live on indefinitely. So to be closely associated with some one who we know is dr

e end comes nearer, and yet more near, as if, perhaps, one could send a message to some of our own loved ones gone on before, "If you see some of my dear ones, on that other shore

thoughts of our own dignity seem. It is all

ass this way again." This quotation is familiar to all, and especially does it come to mind when we minister to those who are to d

he nurse's duty as regards the religious side of her ministration, though the wish to hel

sealed, as to any allusion to the dread truth. The religious views of the patient and her friends may be different from anythi

nurse may be at a loss just where to turn. Some parts of the Scriptures are so generally known and accepted, tha

ut to take its last journey, the 37th, which begins "Fret not thyself," shows that those are truly blessed who trust in the Lord, the 51st, "Have mercy upon

11, we have the parable of the Prodigal Son, to show how complete and perfect is God's love, and His forgiveness, when sin is forsaken. In 1st Corinthians, 15th chapter, verse 20, we have a masterly argum

rse is called upon to read the Bible, and she fee

te on a slip of paper, ready for any call. Sometimes a patient will ask for a prayer, and it is not often that a nurse would feel compete

an be purchased at the church bo

of Common Prayer are

e in this book are radiant with the truths of the Resurrectio

m she has ministered for so many weeks or months should at last, on entering in to the life Eternal, lay before the Lord of