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WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 
EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


No.  1,579. 


SATURDAY,   JULY   6,    1918. 


Vol.    LXI 


EDITORIAL. 


A     CALL    TO     ARMS. 

The  great  Procession  of  Homage  of 
Women  War  Workers  received  by  the  King 
and  Queen  in  the  quadrangle  of  Buckingham 
Palace  on  Saturday  last,  when  an  address 
of  congratulation  upon  their  Silver  Wedding 
was  presented,  was  a  magnificent  success. 
Princess  Mary  was  present  in  her  uniform 
of  Commandant-in-Chief  of  the  V.A.D.,  and 
V.A.D.  workers  took  precedence  of  all 
other  branches  of  women's  work,  including 
the  Trained  Nurses  of  the  Metropolitan 
Asylums  Board  led  by  Miss  Ambler-Jones. 
The  King's  Reply  to  the  Address,  delivered 
in  a  resonant  voice,  was  distinctly  heard  by 
some  thousands  of  people  present,  and  His 
Majesty  spoke  most  sympathetically  and 
appreciatively  of  the  part  played  by  women 
in  the  great  war. 

"  The  Queen  and  I,"  said  the  King,  "  are 
touched  by  the  thought  that  the  first  ex- 
pression of  loyalty  and  devotion  on  the 
occasion  of  our  silver  wedding  should  come 
from  this  representative  body  of  women 
who,  by  their  services,  have  assisted  the 
State  in  the  full  mobilization  of  its  man 
power.  In  our  visits  to  various  centres  we 
have  had  opportunities  of  seeing  and  appre- 
ciating the  great  part  which  the  women  of 
our  land  are  taking  in  all  branches  of  war 
service,  and  everywhere  we  have  been  filled 
with  admiration  at  their  achievements,  an 
admiration  which  I  believe  to  be  shared  by 
the  whole  nation. 

"  When  the  history  of  our  country's  share 
in  the  War  is  written  no  chapter  will  be 
more  remarkable  than  that  relating  to  the 
range  and  extent  of  women's  participation. 
This  service  has  been  rendered  only  at  the 
cost  of  much  self-sacrifice  and  endurance." 

Referring  to  nurses  and  V.A.D.  workers 
His  Majesty  said,  "They  have  often  faced 
cheerfully   and    courageously    great    risks, 


both  at  home  and  overseas,  in  carrying  on 
their  work,  and  the  Women's  Army  has  its 
own  Roll  of  Honour  of  those  who  have  lost 
their  lives  in  the  service  of  their  country. 
Of  all  these  we  think  to-day  with  reverent 
pride." 

There  should  not  be  to-day  an  idle  woman 
In  the  three  kingdoms.  All  able-bodied  women 
between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  forty,  not 
otherwise  employed,  should  enrol  them- 
selves as  full-time  workers  in  one  of  the 
great  organizations  of  those  who  are  pre- 
pared to  make  every  sacrifice  in  order  to 
assist  their  country  at  this  supreme  crisis  in 
its  history. 


AN     IMPORTANT     DEPARTURE. 

At  the  request  of  the  Council  of  the 
Royal  British  Nurses'  Association  we  shall 
henceforth  publish  fortnightly  a  Special 
Supplement,  which  will  take  the  place  of  its 
official  organ,  the  Nurses'  Journal. 

As  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Association 
we  are  in  full  sympathy  with  the  policy  of 
the  Hon.  Officers  for  professional  consolida- 
tion and  for  the  protection  of  the  interests 
of  the  thoroughly  trained  nurse,  with  which 
are  interwoven  those  of  the  public. 

Owing  largely  to  the  glorification  of  the 
semi-trained  war  worker  by  the  Nurses' 
Department  in  the  Red  Cross  Office,  com- 
petition with  the  certificated  nurse  has 
already  become  a  serious  menace  to  our 
professional  ideals. 

By  a  new  Army  Order  Queen  Alexandra's 
Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service  will  be 
reserved  for  V.A.D.s  who  conform  to  a 
term  of  general  training,  and  private  nurses 
must  recognize  the  coming  competition  with 
semi-trained  women  of  social  influence 
which  may  deprive  them  of  their  livelihood 
after  the  war. 

The  nurses'  organizations  which  are 
affiliated     to    the    Royal    British    Nurses' 


Ebe  »rttl0b  3ournal  of  "Wurelng. 


July  6,   1918 


Association  are  prepared  to  support  its 
work  for  the  profession  whole  heartedly, 
but  every  individual  nurse  should  do  so 
individually.  We  invite  nurses  to  fill  in 
and  send  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Association 
the  application  form  which  appears  on  the 
back  cover  of  this  issue. 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITION. 


WHAT  IS  A  PARASITE  ?  WHAT  EXTERNAL  PARASITES 
ATTACK  MAN.  DESCRIBE  IN  DETAIL  THE  TREAT- 
MENT AND  MANAGEMENT  OP  A  CASE  OF  SCABIES, 
WITH  SPECIAL  REFERENCE  TO  THE  PREVENTION 
OF    THE    DISEASE. 

We  have  pleasure  in  awarding  the  prize  thi^5 
week  to  Miss  Catherine  Wrig'ht,  Dryden  Road, 
Bush  Hill  Park,  Enfield. 

PRIZE     PAPER. 

A  parasite  is  a  living  organism ;  it  may  be 
of  animal  or  vegetable  origin ;  it  derives  its 
existence  from  feeding  on  another  living 
organism.  Choosing  for  its  environment  pre- 
ferably "man,"  it  breeds  prolifically ;  the 
power  of  movement  is  constant  and  sustained. 
Parasites  move  together  in  large  numbers ; 
surviving  best  in  crowded  and  unwholesome 
atmospheres,  they  create  a  serious  condition, 
which  learned  bacteriologists  have  proved  by 
unquestionable  scientific  research  to  cause 
epidemic  diseases,  resulting  in  a  very  high 
mortality  amongst  human  beings. 

The  parasites  which  most  commonly  attack 
man  are  the  "louse"  family,  either  as 
"  pediculi  capitas,"  those  attacking  the  scalp, 
or  "  pediculi  corporis,"  those  attacking  the 
body,  and  the  "pediculi  pubis";  the  latter 
form  is  rare. 

The  former  pediculi  hatch  their  nits,  or  eggs, 
which  adhere  to  the  hair,  cause  great  irrita- 
tion ;  the  skin  becomes  abrased  by  scratching, 
crusts  form,  the  glands  of  the  neck  become 
infected ;  the  victim  thus  becomes  a  source  of 
infection,  and  this  condition  is  found,  in 
England,  principally  amongst  school  children. 

The  procedure  of  the  "  pediculi  corporis  "  is 
the  same,  the  body  lice  causing  indescribable 
discomfort,  and  causing  the  same  degree  of 
danger  by  infection.  The  pediculi  pubis  are 
found  in  the  eyebrows,  axilla,  or  pubis,  and 
necessitate  medical  treatment.  The  larvae  of 
these  parasites  are  a  source  of  great  danger, 
and  food  for  human  consumption  must  receive 
special  protection  and  scrupulous  hygienic 
precautions  to  avoid  contamination. 

There  are  two  vegetable  parasites  which 
attack    human   beings.      Children   of   foreign 


origin  principally  have  the  affection  of 
"  favus."  It  is  found  in  the  form  of  a  fungus 
in  the  head,  yellow  incrustations  of  a  cup-like 
shape  form ;  it  is  treated  medically,  often  in 
the  X-ray  department  of  the  London  hospitals, 
and  is  highly;  infectious  unless  isolated. 

The  second  vegetable  parasite  is  the  fungus 
of  ringworm,  attacking  the  scalp  and  the  body. 
Both  should  receive  medical  attention,  which 
will  lessen  their  infectivity. 

"  Scabies,"  or  "  itch,"  is  due  to  a  parasitic 
insect,  "  acarus  scabies,"  a  minute  object, 
invisible  to  the  naked  eye;  the  female  acarus 
forms  a  burrow  in  the  skin.  Here  it  lays  its 
eggs,  and  this  is  a  source  of  incessant  irrita- 
tion ;  the  hands,  between  the  fingers,  af"e 
affected,  spreading  to  the  Inside  of  the  wrist ; 
other  j>arts  of  the  body  become  infected.  The 
irritation  is  intense,  especially  at  night,  result- 
ing in  a  very  short  time  In  a  highly  nervous 
condition  through  restlessness  and  sleepless- 
ness. School  children  are  very  open  to  the 
infection,  which  may  spread  through  the  whole 
family. 

The  hands  of  school  children  should  be  fre- 
quently examined,  because  an  early  diagnosis 
and  exclusion  from  school  may  be  of  practical 
use  In  preventing  the  spread  of  the  disease. 

A  daily  bath  of  soap  and  water,  and  an 
application  of  sulphur  ointment,  repeated  for 
two  or  three  days,  relieves  this  condition.  The 
clothes  worn  should  be  steej>ed  in  boiling 
water,  and  the  child  should  have  its  own  toilet 
requisites  and  sleep  by  itself.  Exclusion  from 
school  Is  an  Important  point. 

This  disease  of  scabies  is  prolific  In  the  East 
End  of  London,  and  is  intensified  in  crowded 
areas.  The  London  County  Council  have 
arrangements  for  municipal  baths,  where  a 
routine  treatment  of  medicated  baths  is  super- 
vised by  the  trained  nurses  on  the  school  staff. 
The  children  are  kept  under  careful  supervision 
until  all  Infection  is  over  and  every  symptom 
of  the  disease  has  disappeared.  All  clothing 
is  specially  sterilized.  Mercurial  ointment  is  a 
valuable  asset  in  curing  the  condition  of 
impetigo,  which  may  follow  the  scabies  condi- 
tion, and  good  food  and  hygienic  conditions 
will  act  as  remedial  and  preventive  measures 
for  further  or  future  infection. 

HONOURABLR    MENTION. 

The  following  competitors  receive  honourable 
mention  : — Miss  M.  M.  Bielbv,  Miss  A.  M. 
Burns,  Mrs.  E.  E.  Farthing,  Miss  J.  Robinson. 

OURSTION   FOR   NEXT    WEEK. 

What  points  would  you  endeavour  to  Impress 
upon  a  mother  as  of  primary  Importance  for  the 
rearing  of  a  h^lthy  baby? 


July  6,   1 91 8 


^be  Britisb  Journal  of  IWursiuQ. 


THE    ROYAL    RED    CROSS. 


On  Saturday,  June  29th,  the  following  ladies 
were  awarded  the  RR.C.  by  the  King  at  Buck- 
ingham Palace.  Miss  Ehzabeth  Humphries,  who 
received  the  Military  Medal,  received  also  a  great 
ovation  from  the  public  : — 

The  Royal  Red  Cross. 
First  Class. 

Sister    Ellen    Baldrey,   Queen    Alexandra's    Imperial 
Military   Nursing  Service,    Matron   Helen   Palin,   Terri- 
torial Force  Nursing  Service,  and  Matron  Jessie  Smales, 
Territorial  Force  Nursing  Service. 
Second  Class. 

Territorial  Force  Nursing  Service. — Sister  Elsie 
Bennett. 

British  Red  Cross  Society. — Matron  Annie  Peel.  '. 

Voluntary  Aid  Detachment. — Miss  Emma  Coleman, 
Miss  Margaret  Cranage,  and  Miss  Gertrude  Miller. 

The  Military   Medal. 

Matron  Elizabeth  Humphries,  Territorial  Force 
Nursing  Service. 

The  koyal  Red  Cross. 

The  King  invested  the  following  ladies  with  the 
Royal  Red  Cross  at  Buckingham  Palace  on 
Wednesday,  June  26th  : — 

First  Class. 

Matron    Kathleen    Prendergast,    Queen    Alexandra's 
Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service  Reserve. 
Second  Class. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service. 
— Sister  Sadie  Tyler. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service 
Reserve. — Sister  Stella  Burrell,  and  Sister  Dora 
Shanklik-Smith. 

Territorial  Force  Nursing  Service. — Sister  Martha 
Morrison. 

British   Red   Cross  Society. — Matron   Kate  Moore. 

Voluntary  Aid  Detachment. — Miss  Clare  Daglish. 

Queen  Alexandra  received  at  Marlborough  House 
the  Members  of  the  Military  and  Civil  Nursing 
Services  who  have  been  awarded  the  Royal  Red 
Cross,  subsequent  to  the  Investitures  at  Bucking- 
ham Palace  this  morning. 

The   Royal  Red  Cross. 

The  King  has  been  .pleased  to  award  the  Royal 
Red  Cross,  2nd  class,  to  the  undermentioned  ladies, 
in  recognition  of  their  valuable  nursing  services  in 
connection  with  the  war  : — 

Second  Class. 

Abell,  Miss  F.  M.,  Matron,  Henley  Park,  and  Sister- 
in-Charge,  Daneshill  Mil.  Hospl.,  Surrey;  Adams,  Miss 
D.  P.,  Sister  (Lady  Supt.),  V.A.D.  Hospl.,  Cranbrook, 
Kent;  Allhusen,  Miss  E.,  Nurse,  V.A.  Hospl.,  Rhode 
Hill,  Uplyme  ;  All  wood.  Miss  M.  J.,  Nursing  Sister, 
Can.  Nursing  Service,  No.  12  Can.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Bram- 
shott,  Hants;  Anderson,  Miss  E.,  Sister,  V.A.  Hospital, 
Torquay;  Anderson,  Miss  E.  R.,  Charge  Nurse, 
Waverlev  Abbey,  Farnham  ;  Anderson,  Miss  I.,  Sister, 
Q.A.I. M.N. S.R.,  Barnet  War  Hospl.,  Herts;  Aspinall, 
Miss  E.,  Sister,  Liverpool  Stanley  Hospl.,  Stanley  Road, 
Liverpool. 

Bagnall-Oakeley,  Miss  B.,  Lady  Supt.,  Priory  Hosp., 
Cheltenham;  Baguley,  Miss  F.,  Matron,  St.  John  Aux. 


V.A.D.,  Southport ;  Baines,  Miss  M.  L.,  Asst.  Matron, 
Horton     War     Hosp.,     Epsom;     Bankhead,     Miss    A., 
A., 'Asst.  Matron,  Richmond,  Whitworth  and  Hardwicke 
Hospl.,    Dublin;    Barber,    Miss   E.    M.,    Sister,    Horton 
War, Hospl.,  Epsom;  Barrowcliff,  Miss  S.  E.,  Sister, 
Q.A.i.M.N.S.R.,  Mil.  Hospl.,  Bagthorpe,  frmly.  Hursley 
Camp  Mil.  Hospl.,  nr.  Winchester;  Bayfield,  Mrs.  A., 
Sister,  Hanover  Park  V.A.D.  Hospl.,  Rye  Lane,  Peck- 
bam,   S.E.    15;    Bayne,    Miss  A.    E.,    Matron,    Isolation 
Hospl.,    Southampton;    Bell,    Miss    A.    B.    H.,    Sister, 
T.F.N. S.,  2nd  Northern  Gen.  Hospl.,  Leeds;  Bell,  Miss 
M.    H.,   Asst.    Nurse,    King  George's   Hospl.,   Stamford 
Street,   London,   S.E.    i  ;  Bellvii.le,   Mrs.   G.,   Matron, 
Oarell  Hospl.,  Queen  Anne  Street,  W.  ;  Bevan,  Miss  A. 
G.,  Sister, T.F.N. S.,  5th  Lond.  Gen.  Hosp.,  St.  Thomas's, 
Lambeth,    S.E.    i  ;   Bevan,    Miss   S.    S.,    Asst.    Matron, 
Fulham    Mily.    Hospl.,    Hammersmith,    W.  ;    Bewsey, 
Miss    E.     E.,    Sister,    Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.,    Mily.     Hospl., 
Fargo,  Salisbury  Plain  ;  Bingley,  Miss  F.,  Sister,  War 
Hospl.,  Bradford;  Binns,  Miss  L.,  Lady  Supt.,  Matron, 
Royal   Infirmary,    Hull;   Birkin,   the   Hon.    M.    D.    H., 
Matron    (unpaid),    Arnot    Hill   V.A.    Hospl.,    Daybrook, 
Notts;   BiRT,   Miss  M.   C,   Matron,   Red  Cross  Hospl., 
Huntingdon  ;  Blatch,  Mrs.   K.  M.,  Matron,  Red  Cross 
Hospl.,     Kenilworth,     Warwickshire;     Blayney,     Miss 
E.  K.,  Matron,  R.  Infirmary,  Chester;  Blenkarn,  Miss 
M.,  Lady  Supt..  Cooden  V.a'.D.  Hospl..  Bexhill ;  Blott, 
Miss    M.    E.,    Nursing    Sister.    Can.    Nursing    Service, 
Granville    Can.     Spec.     Hospl.,    Buxton  ;    Boath,    Miss 
E.  M.,  Matron,  Dundee  War  Hospl.,  Dundee;  Borton, 
Miss  F.,  Matron,  Victoria  Hospl.,  Blackpool ;  Boss,  Miss 
A.,    Matron,    Masonic    Hall    V.A.D.    Hospl.,    Bromley, 
Kent;    Bottomley,    Mrs.    A.    C,    Matron    (unpaid),    St. 
John's   Ambulance,    2,    Bodorgan   Road,    Bournemouth  ; 
Boughey,   Miss  L.   M. ,   Matron,   Lady  Cooper's  Hospl. 
fur  Officers,  Hursley  Park,  Winchester  ;  Bowring,  Miss 
F.,    Nurse,    Hart    House    Hospl.,    Burnham,    Somerset; 
BowYER,  Miss  R.,  Sister,  T.F.N. S.,  2nd  Southern  Gen. 
Hospl.,     Bristol    R.     Infirmary,    Bristol;    Brace,    Miss 
C    A.  M..  Sister,  Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.,  R.  Victoria  Hospl. 
Netley  ;  Bramley,  Mrs.  M.,  Commdt.,  Dunraven  Castle 
Red    Cross    Hospl.,    Glam.  ;    Brodrick,    Miss    K.     E., 
Nursing    Sister,    Can.    Nursing    Service,    Queen's    Can. 
Mily.  Hospl.,  Beechborough  Park,  Shorncliffe  ;  Brother- 
ton,    Miss    H.,    Asst.    Matron,   T.F.N. S.,    ist   Northern 
Gen.     Hospl.,    Newcastle-on-Tyne ;    Brown,     Miss    E., 
Nurse,    Aux.    Mil.    Hospl.,    q.    Cedars    Road.    Clapham, 
S.W.  ;     Brown,     Miss    F.     E.,     Matron,    Jaw    Hospl., 
78,  Brook  Street,  London  ;  Bruce.  Miss  A.  L.,  Nursing 
Sister,    Can.    Nursing    Service,    Granville    Can.    Spec. 
Hospl.,  Buxton;  Bufford,  Miss  D.  F.,  Matron,  Ridley 
Hospl..    10,    Carlton    House  Terrace.    S.W.  ;    Burbidge, 
Miss  C,  Lady  Supt..  Standish  Hospl.,  Glos.  ;  Butler, 
Miss  G.,  Sister,  Huddersfield  War  Hospl.  ;  Buxton,  Miss 
M..     Matron.     Princess     Royal     Hospl.     for     Officers, 
4,  Percival  Terrace,  Brighton 

{To  be  continued.) 


UNIVERSITY    COLLEGE    HOSPITAL. 
TRAINING    OF    V.A.D.s. 

We  are  informed  that,  as  a  special  mark  of  their 
valuable  work  duriiig  the  present  war,  the  course 
of  training  at  University  College  Hospital  usually 
extending  over  four  years  will  be  reduced  to  three 
years  in  favour  of  V:A.D.s  who  have  served  for 
two  years  in  a  military  hospital,  and  who  are  well 
recommended  by  their  Matron. 

This  appears  a  fair  arrangement  as  a  fpuii;h 
year  is  one  of  service  and  not  training. 


Zbe  IBritisb  3ournal  of  "Wurstno. 


July  6,   1918 


NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 


On  Saturday  in  last  week  the  Royal  Red  Cross 
awarded  to  Miss  L.  V.  Haughton,  late  Matron  of 
Guy's  Hospital,  was  presented  to  her  by  Dame 
Ethel  Becher,  G.B.E.,  with  the  King's  approval, 
in  the  little  Surrey  village  where  she  is  slowly 
recovering  from  her  very  serious  illness.  His 
Majesty  also,  through  Dame  Becher,  expressed 
great  regret  that  Miss  Haughton  was  unable  to 
attend  a  public  Investiture  owing  to  her  continued 
ill-health.  Everyone  will 
unite  in  congratulating 
Miss  Haughton  on  this 
distinction,  and  will  wish 
that  before  long  she  may 
be  restored  to  health  and 
be  able  to  fulfil  her  wish 
of  paying  a  visit  to  her 
rnany  friends  in  Ireland, 
as  she  is  still  interested 
in  their  nursing  activities. 


Miss  L.  Jolley,  R.R.C., 
until  recently  Matron  of 
the  Royal  Southern 
Hospital,  Liverpool,  and 
who  has  done  good 
service  in  France  in 
Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.,  since  the 
beginning  of  the  war, 
has  been  appointed 
Matron-in-Chief  of  the 
Air  Service.  Miss  Jolley 
is  highly  qualified,  and 
her  colleagues  will  wish 
her  well  in  this  new^and 
interesting  post.^  ' 


Sister  N.  M'Kenzie  was 
recommended  for  the 
R.R.C.  by  General 
Allenby.  She  has  been  a 
member  of  Queen  Alex- 
andra's Imperial  Nursing 
Service  (Reserve)  since 
October  1914.  Sister 
M'Kenzie  has  been  on 
service  since  August, 
1915,  and  was  mentioned 
in  General  Murray's  dis- 
patches in  June  last.  We  are  indebted  to  the 
courtesy  of  the  Editor  of  The  Scots  Pictorial, 
Glasgow,  for  permission  to  reproduce  Sister 
M'Kenzie's  portrait  and  for  the  loan  of  the  block. 
We  have  many  Scottish  readers  at  home  and 
abroad  who  are  interested  in  the  recognition  of 
the  fine  national  work  of  their  compatriots. 


they  often  are  of  men  of  all  types — should  be 
more    carefully    supervised. 

At  Marylebone  Police  Court  recently  Peggy 
Robertson,  aged  twenty-one,  was  charged  with 
permitting  a  maisonette  at  Connaught  Street, 
Hyde  Park,  to  be  used  for  improper  purposes. 

The  prisoner,  in  evidence,  said  that  the  officers 
who  had  called  at  the  maisonette  were  friends 
whose  acquaintance  she  had  made  during  the 
two  years  she  was  acting  as  a  V.A.D.  nurse 
in    Egypt    and    elsewhere. 

This  young  girl  was 
fined  ;^2o,  with  the  alter- 
native of  six  weeks' 
imprisonment ;  and  she 
was  ordered  to  pay  five 
guineas   costs. 

We  have  always  con- 
demned the  practice  of 
the  authorities  sending 
young  untrained  girls  to 
work  in  military  hos- 
pitals abroad.  We  hope 
that  both  the  War  Office 
and  the  Joint  War  Com- 
mittee will  make  it 
impossible  for  girls  of 
twenty-one  and  under 
to  be  subjected  to  the 
temptations  to  which 
Peggy  Robertson  evi- 
dently succumbed. 


5ISTER  N.   M'KENZIE.    R.R.C.   Q. A.i.M.N.S.R 


In  the  Times  recently 
Dr.  Wigram  extolled  the 
value  of  short-time  ser- 
vice in  hospital  work, 
and  said  200  members  of 
the  Marylebone  V.A.D. 
were  able  to  run  a  hos- 
pital for  soldiers  with 
only  one  trained  nurse  in 
charge  !  We  wonder 
when  this  unfortunate 
professional  was  sup- 
posed to  be  ofE  duty,  if 
she  ever  went  to  bed, 
and  who  "  ran "  the 
hospital  in  her  absence. 
Let  us  hope  there  weie 
no  "  cot "  cases  admitted. 
Anyway  medical  practitioners  do  a  vast  amount 
of  harm  in  depreciating  the  value  of  skilled  nursing 
where  our  sick  and  wounded  men  are  concerned. 
We  could  wish  that  Dr.  Wigram  was  on  duty 
night  and  day  in  charge  of  2cxD  unskilled  women 
nursing  in  and  out  of  a  hospital — perhaps  he 
might  then  appreciate  the  worry  and  disorganisa- 
tion of  such  a  system. 


Aspects  of  the  V.A.D.  Question. 

We  have  come  into  intimate  touch  with  several 

tragedies  of  late — afiecting  young  inexperienced 

V.A.D.'s — which  lead  us  to  think  that  their  free 

and  easy  and  uncontrolled  work — ^in  charge  as 


A    DAY    OF    PRAYER. 

The  King  desires  that  August  4,  the  fourth 
anniversary  of  the  war,  shall  be  observed  with 
special  solemnity  as  a  national  day  of  prayer. 


July  6,   1918 


^be  British  3ournaI  of  IRurstng. 


CARE    OF    THE    WOUNDED. 


"  France's  Day,"  in  aid  of  the  British  Committee 
of  the  French  Red  Cross,  \vill  be  celebrated  in  the 
City,  West  End,  and  Greater  London  on  Friday, 
July  I2th  Ladies  willing  to  help  should  write  to 
the  Honorary  Secretary,  "  France's  Day,"  34, 
Wilton  Place,  S.W.  i.  The  souvenirs  will  include 
models  of  the  famous  75mm.  French  gun.  The 
Lord  Mayor  is  again  acting  as  Honorary  Treasurer 
of  the  fund,  for  which  last  year  over  /2oo,ooo  was 
raised  in  the  British  Empire. 


In  connection  with  "  France's  Day,"  La  Musique 
du  Premier  Zouave,  the  leading  Zouave  band  of 
the  French  Army  will  \asit  London,  being  met 
by  Lieut.-General  Sir  Francis  Lloyd,  and  played 
through  the  streets  by  British  bands.  The  eighty 
Zouaves,  fresh  from  the  battle  front,  Avill,  on  July 
1 2th,  play  in  the  Cit}^  and  West-End. 


The  Order  of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem  in  England 
has  sent  out  a  touching  appeal  for  financial 
support  to  re-establish  the  fine  Brigade  Hospital 
splendidly  equipped  and  maintained  by  the  Order 
at  Etaples  since  1915,  and  which  was  barbarously 
bombed  and  much  of  it  smashed  to  atoms  by  the 
Germans,  when  the  casualties  were  sixty-four,  in- 
cluding sixteen  killed — a  colossal  crime,  for  which 
these  murdereis  are  quite  impenitent.  The 
circular,  approved  by  H.R.H.  the  Grand  Prior,  the 
Dcike  of  Connaught,  gives  illustrations  of  this 
beautiful  hut  hospital  before  and  after  the  bom- 
bardment— the  formei  showing  its  excellent 
formation  in  such  perfect  surroundings — where 
the  best  of  care  and  comfort  was  at  the  disposal  of 
our  sick  and  wounded  men  ;  the  latter  showing  the 
cruel  devastation  wrought  by  outrage  and  fire — a 
Sony  sight  indeed  ! 

The  Military  Authorities  have  ordered  the 
evacuation  of  the  hospital,  and  expressed  their 
desire,  that  it  should  be  re-erected  on  another  site 
in  France,  and  the  Council  of  the  Order  have 
decided  that  this  shall  be  done,  and  with  the  least 
possible  delay.  It  will,  however,  entail  heavy 
expenditure  to  re-equip  the  hospital  and  maintain 
the  high  standard  of  efficiency  for  which  the  St. 
John  Ambulance  Brigade  Hospital  when  at 
Etaples  was  so  widely  known.  Cheques  should  be 
sent  to  Lord  Ranfurly,  Director  of  the  Ambulance 
Department,  St.  John's  Gate,  Clerkenwell,  London, 
E.C.  I. 

The  Military  Medal. 

The  Military  Medal  has  been  awarded  to  the 
following  members  of  the  nursing  stag  of  the  St. 
John  Ambulance  Brigade  Hospital  at  Etaples. — 
Miss  C.  E.  Todd  (Matron),  Mies  M.  A.  Chittock 
(Assistant  Matron),  Miss  M.  McGinnes,  Miss  M.  H. 
Ballance,  Miss  J.  Bemrose,  and  Miss  C.  Warner 
(Sisters).  When  the  Hospital  was  deliberately 
bombed  by  the  Germans,  and  a  number  of 
patients   and   members    of   the  *^staff  killed    and 


irijured,  we  may  be  sure  that  Tthe  nursing  staff 
behaved  with  heroism,  and  congratulate  Miss 
Todd,  Miss  Chittock,  and  the  Sisters  on  the 
honour  conferred  upon  them. 

War  Posters  Defaced. 

A  number  of  placards  issued  by  the  Ladies' 
Emergency  Committee  of  the  Navy  League, 
showing  a  German  Red  Cross  Nurse  wilfully  spilling 
the  water  for  which  British  prisoners  of  war, 
herded  in  an  open  truck,  are  waiting,  were  found 
one  morning  last  week  to  have  been  defaced.  An 
examination  of  several  of  the  principal  hoardings 
in  London  revealed  the  fact  that  all  the  posters 
were  mutilated  in  the  same  way.  The  nurse's  face 
was  in  each  case  obliterated — ^in  some  cases  torn 
out  and  in  others  covered  with  stamp  edging. 

The  Huns  in  our  midst  evidently  give  short 
shrift  to  posters  to  which  they  object. 


The  King  of  the  Belgians  has  conferred  the 
M6daille  de  la  Reine  Elisabeth  on  a  long  hst  of 
ladies  in  recognition  of  "  the  kind  help  and  valu- 
able assistance  personally  given  to  the  Belgian 
refugees  and  the  Belgian  soldiers  during  the  war." 


OUR    ROLL    OF    HONOUR: 

Again  we  have  to  momn  with  our  Canadian 
oolleague'5  at  the  determined  murder  on  the  high 
seas  of  fourteen  Sisters  who,  together  with  8a 
Canadian  Army  Medical  Officers,  were  on  board 
the  Canadian  hospital  snip  Llandove;y  Castle, 
deliberately  sunk  by  a  German  submarine  com- 
mander about  120  miles  from  the  Irish  coast.  Of 
the  258  souls  on  board  only  24  in  one  b^at  have 
been  saved  alive.  The  belief  is  strong  among  the 
survivors  that  of  seven  boats  launched,  all,  saving 
their  own,  were  deliberately  wrecked  by  the  fiendish 
way  in  which  the  submarine  charged  up  and  down 
among  the  wreckage,  sinking  everything  in 
sight. 

One  more  most  horrible  crime  to  add  to  the  score 
that  must  be  paid  by  these  dastardly  murderers 
before  they  are  classed  as  human  beings  by  a 
civilised  world. 

All  our  sympathy  goes  out  to  those  who  loved 
these  brave  Canadian  nurse^. 


TRUE     TALE     WITH     A     MORAL. 

Lady  Superintendent  of  Nurses  to  a  friend. 
— "  I  think  it  simply  disastrous  to  the  future 
economic  independence  of  the  Nursing  Profession 
to  have  all  this  begging  upon  their  behalf.  Much 
better  help  them  to  get  just  remuneration  for 
their  work.  " 

Clear-sighted  Friend:  "My  dear,  I  think  the 
reason  the  Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses  was  started 
by  the  hospital  officials  who  control  the  College 
was  that  Nurses  should  not  put  up  their  fees. 
Much  bettor  give  them  a  dole  and  control  the 
charity." 


Cbe  3Briti0b  3oiirnal  of  IRureing. 


July  6,   1918 


FRENCH  FLAG  NURSING  CORPS. 


Mrs.  Fenwick  entertained  the  Sisters  of  Ambu- 
lance 12/2  and  some  of  their  fellow- Sisters  to 
dinner  at  the  Holborn  Restaurant  last  Thursday, 
before  their  return  to  duty,  as  the  ambulance  is 
being  re-estabUshed.  Miss  Roberts,  R.R.C.  (Chief 
Matron,  British  Committee,  French  Red  Cross), 
Miss  Hutchinpon,  F.F.N.C,  Miss  M.  Breay,  and 
Miss  Isabel  Macdonald,  R.B.N.  A.,  were  also 
present,  and  it  was  a  very  cheery  party.  The 
unit  returned  to  France  the  following  day,  and 
were  all  most  eager  to  be  at  work  again  in  the 
war  zone. 


which  you  were  able  to  give  us  for  a  few  days. 
The  few  days  we  had  them  we  were  very  busy, 
and  I  really  don't  know  what  we  should  have 
done  without  them.  They  were  such  a  nice  well- 
trained  capable  set  of  women,  and  simply  set  to 
to  help  as  if  they  had  been  here  for  weeks.  The 
Med.  Chef,  I  think,  is  writing  to  you  also  to  thank 
you." 

That  is  as  it  should  be,  but  in  these  days  of 
uncertain  standards  of  nursing  in  military  hospi- 
tals the  help  given  is  often  far  from  efficient.  In 
her  reply.  Miss  Haswell  asked  Miss  du  Sautoy  to 
thank  her  staff  on  behalf  of  the  F.F.N.C.  Sisters, 
for  they  all  agreed  that  they  had  j  never 
worked     in    such   a  happy     atmosphere,     where 


FRENCH     FLAG     NURSINQ     CORPS    SISTERS.    AMBULANCE     12/2. 


Miss  Owens,  of  the  Registered  Nurses'  Society, 
has  joined  the  F.F.N.C.  and  has  been  posted  to 
Lisieux,  where  the  hospital  has  been  largely 
extended. 


During  the  recent  great  stress  of  work,  the 
beautiful  Hopital  B6n6vaJ  No.  4,  located  in  the 
Astoria  at  Paris,  was  full  to  overflowing,  and  some 
of  the  F.F.N.C.  Sisters  had  the  privilege  of  giving 
a  helping  hand.  Miss  Haswell  lias  since  received  the 
the  following  letter  from  Miss  C.  C.  du  Sautoy, 
the  Matron  of  the  hospital  : — 

"  Dear  Miss  Haswell, — Would  you  convey  to 
Mrs.  Bedford  Fen\vick  my  thanks,  and  that  of  the 
Sisters,  for  the  services  of  the  F.F.N.C.  Sisters 


everyone,  without  exception,  did  everything 
in  their  power  to  make  them  welcome,  and  feel 
at  home. 

British  nurses  working  in  Paris  are  showing 
splendid  nerve,  bombed  as  they  are  nearly  every 
night. 


More  Sisters  Required. 
Several  more  Sisters  have  been  requisitioned 
by  the  Service  de  Sant6 — for  work  in  France. 
Candidates,  aged  from  26  to  40,  must  hold  a 
three  years'  certificate  of  general  training,  must 
have  good  health,  and  know  some  French.  Mrs. 
Fenwick  will  see  candidates  by  appointment. 
Address,  431,  Oxford  St.,  London,  W.  i. 


July  6,    1918 


^be  Brttlsb  3ournal  of  "Wuretno. 


THE  COLOURED  WOMEN  OF  MID- 
WEST   AND    THE     RED     CROSS. 


HELPING     THE     REST    OF     THE    WORLD'S 

PEOPLE    TO     THEIR    OWN     DEARLY    WON 

LIBERTY. 

Many  and  varied  were  the  phases  of  the  gigantic 
parades  held  all  over  America  in  commemoration 
of  Uncle  Sam's  first  anniversary  of  entrance  upon 
the  world-war,  as  well  as  in  celebration  of  the 
opening  of  the  big  "  drive  "  for  the  third  Liberty 
Loan ;  none  were  more  affecting,  to  those  realising 
its  import,  than  the  march  of  the  coloured  women 
workers  of  Cincinnati  with  the  Red  Cross. 

Cincinnati  lies  on  the  Ohio,  just  across  from  the 
Kentucky   shore.      Placed   thus,    the   city  was  the 


FKEE  COLOURED  WOMEN  HELPINQ  TO  FREE  THE  WORLD. 


logical  gateway  between  American  North  and 
South  before  the  Civil  War,  and,  therefore,  the 
Mecca  of  no  end  of  fugitive  slaves.  Here  lived  the 
abolitionists  Coffin  and  Beecher,  and  here  Harriet 
Beecher  Stowe  penned  her  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin." 
In  fact,  here,  if  anywhere,  the  big  fight  for  the 
liberty  of  the  iblack  man  may  be.  said  to  have 
concentrated. 

In  and  about  Cincinnati  still  you  may  find  any 
number  of  men,  or  women,  who  received  freedom 
from  the  Emancipator  President.  Their  children, 
the  children  of  others,  who  fled  from  slavery,  and, 
again,  the  children  of  those,  more  fortunate,  who 
saw  the  results  of  slavery  just  across  the  Dixie  line 
here. 

Now  free  themselves,  at  the  call  to  help  other 
lands — in  fact,  to  save  all  the  world  from  auto- 
cracy— these  coloured  women  are  not  to  be 
behindhand  m  the  good  work. 

AflRliated  with  the  Red  Cross — in  fact,  now  one 
of  its  definite  units — they  have  formed  a  Soldiers' 
Comfort    Club,    originally    for    providing    various 


creature  comforts  for  the  coloured  soldiers,  but  now 
given  over  to  all  the  regular  Red  Cross  activities. 

On  Liberty  Day,  the  first  anniversary  of 
America's  taking  definite  share  in  the  stupendous 
conflict,  Cincinnati  marked  the  opening  of  the  big 
drive  for  the  Third  American  Liberty  Loan  with  one 
of  the  largest  parades  in  her  history. 

Among  others,  the  Red  Cross  workers  turned 
out,  marching  in  their  attractive  white  habits  and 
veils,  the  endless  cohorts  having  their  snowy  white- 
ness punctuated  by  the  red  caps  of  supervisors  here 
and  there. 

Boundless  applause  greeted  all  these  workers 
along  the  line  of  march ;  but  no  one  unit  received 
more  acclaim  than  the  one  hundred  and  fifty  negro 
women  of  the  Soldiers'  Comfort  Club — the  dusky 
faces  of   these    faithful    knitters    and    sewers    and 

the  makers  of 
dressings  and 

comforts  for  the 
sick  all  the 
more  picturesque, 
in  contrast  with 
their  white  attire. 
As  black  ti  oops 
are  available  from 
America  to  take 
part  in  the  war  in 
Europe,  the 
Avoman  President 
of  the  National 
Association  of 
Coloured  Gi  adu- 
ate  Nurses  offers 
2 ,000  black- 
nurses,  ready 

trained  for  ser- 
Wce  at  militciry 
hospitals  in 
Europe  and 
Ameiica. 

There      are 
in     the    AnKfican 


already 
army. 


34    black  chaplains 


THE   BRITISH   LION   GROWLS, 

The  swishing  of  the  British  Lion's  tail  on  the 
enemy  alien  question  has  produced  some  effect. 
The  Prims  Minister  has  asked  five  members  of 
Parliament  to  make  a  thorough  investigation  of 
the  enemy  alien  problem,  and  to  advise  him  what 
action  should  be  taken  to  allay  public  anxiety. 

The  remedy  is  simple.  There  is  to  be  a  great 
public  demonstration  in  Trafalgar  Square  on. 
Saturday,  July  13th,  at  2.30  p.m.,  at  which  a 
resolution  calling  for  immediate  interrirnent  of  all 
aliens  cf  enemy  blood  will  be  submitted 

Let  us  all  be  there  to  see  it  is  passed  by  accla- 
mation, and  later  make  sure  that  the  demands 
of  the  people  are  carried  into  effect  by  the  Govern- 
ment. The  feeling  concerning  these  dangerous  and 
crafty  spies  will  soon  be  out  of  hand  unless  firm 
action  is  enforced. 


8'  ^be  3Britl6b  Journal  of  IRurgtng.  My  6.  1918 

Ropal  Britlsl)  Rurses*  Jlssociation^ 


(Incorporated  bp   &j&S\   Ropal  Cftarler.) 


THIS  SUPPLEMENT   BEING   THE    OFFICIAL    ORGAN    OP    THE    CORPORATION. 


Cttmbefland  hodgCf 

M  Windsor,  ... 

\Y  June  28th,  J9J8.  W 

W       TO   THE   MEMBERS   OF   THE  AFFILIATED   SOCIETIES,  /fe 

^K  I  desite  in  this  Supplement,  the  fitst  issue  of  the  new  official  organ  of  the  ''' 

^K        Royal  British    Nurses*  Association,  to  express   the    sincere    gratification    the 

y^.       affiliation  of  your  Societies  with  my  Association  affords  me.  ^u 

J!f  I  am  confident  that  my  own  Nurses  would  like  me  to  say  that  they,  too,  vi: 

M>        welcome  most   cordially  closer  union  between  you  and  them.      I  have  appre-  y^ 

:ff       ciated  warmly  the  support  given  by  your  Societies  to  the  Chartered  Association^  ^?^ 

:K        and  I  earnestly  hope  that  the  powers  conferred  by  the  Royal  Charter  may  be  ^{^ 

w        used  in  every  way  possible   to  aid   your  Societies,  in  all  they  undertake,  to  ^{J 

V/        further  the  interests  of  all  fully  trained  Nurses.  W 

Vf  I   trust  that   this  union   between   your  Societies  will  not  be  a  matter  of  W 

Vf        organisation   alone,  but   that   it  will  inspire  a  spirit  of  comradeship   between  '.VS 

Vf/        you  and  the  Members  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  'Association — individually  kHS 

and  collectively.  /|r 

The  welfare  and  happiness  of  our  Nurses  is  a  matter  very  near  to  my  wJS 

yflf       heart,  and  I  have  watched  with  great  pride  and  admiration  the  magnificent  ^,fS 

yi/f       and  self-sacrificing  work  they  have  done.  ^jj^ 

ijl)  It  is  therefore  a  source  of  much  gratification  to  me  to   feel   that   your  ifl\ 

^1/        Societies  have  all  united  under  the  Royal  Charter  granted  to  my  Association  /|\ 

yi/f        by  my  beloved  Mother,  Queen  Victoria.  jljf^ 

k 

President  of  the}  Royal  British  Nurses*  Association.  ^^ 

.J" 


July  6,   1918 


G^be  Britieb  3ournal  ot  "ffluremfl. 


THE  OFFICIAL  ORGAN  OF  THE 
ROYAL  BRITISH  NURSES' ASSOCIATION. 


A    NhW     DEPAKTUkE. 

For  several  years  the  conviction  has  been 
growing  in  the  minds  of  Members  of  the 
Council  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion that  a  monthly  organ,  which  circulates 
only  to  its  own  Members,  is  no  longer  adequate 
to  the  requirements  of  the  Corporation.  The 
events  of  the  past  twelve  months  have  brought 
this  point  of  view  more  prominently  than  ever 
before  those  to  whom  the  management  of  the 
Corporation  has  been  entrusted  by  its  Mem- 
bers, particularly  as  the  action  of  the  AssociaT 
tion  and  its  Council  has  been  repeatedly  mis- 
represented in  sections  of  the  nursing  press. 
The  opinion  of  some  Memibers  of  the  General 
Council  has  been  that  the  object  of  such  mis- 
representation was  not  merely  to  obscure  the 
powers  which  the  nurses  possess  in  their 
Charter  and  the  use  which  they  could  make 
of  it  to  improve  their  economic  position,  but 
also  to  spread  dissension  in  the  Association, 
and  to  undermine  the  confidence  of  the  Mem- 
bers in  those  whom  they  have  elected  to  the 
governing  body  of  the  Association.  If  such 
has  been  the  intention  it  has  failed  utterly,  for 
at  no  time  have  the  Members  been  more 
strongly  united ;  nevertheless  the  Council  feel 
that  the  time  has  now  arrived  for  adopting  an 
organ,  wherein  to  publish  fortnightly  a  rep>ort 
of  what  is  taking  place  in  connection  with  the 
Association  and  its  work.  Too  often  it  happens 
that  matter,  inserted  in  a  monthly  journal,  has 
already  appeared  in  the  weekly  press,  and  not 
as  official  information  from  the  Association. 
These  considerations  led  the  Council  to  the 
decision  that  some  change  was  now  called  for 
to  enable  the  Members  to  keep  in  close  touch 
with  their  Corporation.  At  a  quarterly  meet- 
ing, at  which  Her  Royal  Highness  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Corporation  presided,  it  was 
decided  that  steps  should  be  taken  in  order 
to  arrange  that  oflficial  information  should  be 
inserted  in  a  weekly  organ.  It  was  the  unani- 
mous opinion  of  the  Meeting  that  The  British 
Journal  of  Nursing  was  the  Journal  best 
suited  in  which  to  insert  the  official  Supplement 
of  the  Chartered  Corporation  of  fully  qualified 
nurses.  Instructions  were  given  to  the  Execu- 
tive Committee  to  proceed  with  whatever 
negotiations  and  arrangements  they  might 
deem  advisable,  in  order  to  give  effect  to  the 
proposals  of  the  General  Council.  At  the  next 
Meeting  of  that  Committee  the  Honorary 
Officers  were  asked  to  approach  Mrs.  Bedford 


Fenwick,  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of 
Nursing,  and  to  request  that  some  arrange- 
ment should  be  made  whereby  that  Journal 
should  become  the  organ  of  communication 
with  Members  of  the  Association.  The  pro- 
posals of  the  Executive  Committee  were  met 
in  the  most  generous  spirit  by  Mrs.  Fenwick, 
and  ultimately  the  Committee  laid  before  the 
General  Council  a  formal  recommendation  that 
a  Supplement  be  inserted  fortnightly  in  The 
British  Journal  of  Nursing  as  the  Official 
Organ  of  the  Corporation.  This  recommenda- 
tion was  unanimously  adopted  at  a  Special 
Meeting  of  the  General  Council. 

The  decision  of  the  Council  in  this  matter  is 
a  very  important  one,  apart  from  those  aspects 
in  which  it  nearly  concerns  the  Association 
itself,  for  such  a  decision  embodies  the  vital 
principle  that  control  of  the  professional  press 
should  be  in  the  hands  of  the  profession.  The 
British  Journal  of  Nursing,  is  the  only 
weekly  nursing  paper  in  England  edited  by 
nurses.  It  is,  therefore,  the  Journal  best  cal- 
culated to  promote  the  interests  of  the  nurses, 
to  voice  their  opinioas,  and  to  keep  them 
informed  on  questions  relating  to  their  profes- 
sional affairs  ;  moreover,  directly  and  indirectly, 
it  is  undoubtedly  the  publication  which  has 
educated  the  public  and  the  nurses  of  all 
countries  on  the  necessity  for  the  organization 
of  nursing  education  and  the  need  for  Regis- 
tration by  the  State  of  those  who  have  qualified 
themselves  to  be  entrusted  with  the  care  of  the 
sick. 

Some  regret  was  expressed  at  the  Council 
Meeting  that  the  Nurses'  Journal  should  be 
discontinued,  but  just  as  "  new  times  demand 
new  manners  and  new  men,"  so  also  a  time 
has  come  when  the  Journal,  which  has  served 
its  purpose  so  usefully  in  the  past  twelve 
months  of  controversy,  by  conveying  to  the 
Members  full  verbatim  reports  of  the  proceed- 
ings at  Meetings  of  the  Corporation  and  its 
Council,  must  now  be  laid  aside  in  favour  of 
another  which  is  in  a  position  to  be  of  greater 
value  to  the  Members  and  to  the  profession  at 
large.  We  hope  that  the  Members  will  look 
upon  their  new  organ  as  an  important  and 
tangible  part  of  their  Association.  As  Mem- 
bers of  the  only  Corjxiration  of  Nurses  recog- 
nised by  the  State  they  have  great  powers,  and 
consequently  great  responsibilities.  In  order 
to  discharge  those  faithfully  thev  must  see  to 
it  that  they  use  the  means  provided  for  them 
in  order  to  keep  themselves  informed  on  all 
questions  relating  to  the  policy  of  their  Cor- 
poration, for  the  present  time  is  one  of  grave 
crisis  for  themselves  and  all  members  of  their 


$o 


Zbe  Britieb  Sournal  of  flursinav 


July  6,    1918 


profession,  and  questions  call  for  consideration 
which  are  of  vital  importance  to  them  and  to 
the  nurses  of  the  future. 

One  word  to  those  who  are  not  Members  of 
the  Association  :  the  Royal  Charter  gives  to  the 
Royal  British  Nurses'  Association  prestige  and 
powers  which  no  other  body  of  nurses  in  the 
Empire  possesses  or  is  ever  likely  to  possess, 
powers  granted  to  the  nurses  under  the  sign 
manual  of  a  sovereign  of  the  realm.  The 
extent  to  which  such  powers  shall  be  used  to 
protect  them  and  to  promote  their  welfare 
is  entirely  dependent  upon  the  nurses  them- 
selves, their  comradeship,  their  willingness  to 
unite  with  one  another,  and  to  line  up  under  the 
banner  of  the  Royal  Charter,  each  stepping 
into  her  place  in  the  Royal  Corporation  pre- 
pared to  take  her  part  as  an  architect  in  t^'e 
building  of  a  mighty  fabric  composed  of  indi- 
viduals, each  individual  strengthening  and 
being  strengthened  by  the  other.  By  the  Royal 
Charter  nurses  are  given  the  powers  to  form 
such  an  organization,  and  one  so  powerful  that, 
if  all  the  nurses  in  England  would  come  for- 
ward to  help,  there  is  .nothing  within  reason 
which  it  could  not  demand  for  them  and  get. 

ROYAL     RED     CROSS. 

The  Royal  Red  Cross  (second  class)  has  been 
awarded  to  Miss  Caroline  Cattrll,  Mation  of  the 
Uffculme  Military  Hospital,  Biimingham.  Miss 
Cattail  held  appointments  as  Sister  and,  later,  as 
Matron  in  Military  Hospitals  in  France,  between 
1914  and  19 1 6.  Later,  she  acted  as  Sister  in  a 
Military  Hospital  in  London,  and  left  this  for  the 
appointment  which  she  now  holds.  We  notice 
that  in  the  same  list  of  awards,  a  similar  honour 
has  been  conferred  upon  Miso  Bertha  Cattell 
(Sister  Mary  Peter  of  the  Little  Company  of  Mary), 
and  the  information  will  give  pleasure  to  many  of 
out  members  t^^  whom  these  ladies  are  well  known. 
Both  are  sisters  of  Miss  Alice  Cattell,  a  popular 
member  of  the  Council  of  the  R.B.N.  A. 

AFFILIATED    SOCIETIES. 

Since  the  General  Meeting  of  the  Corporation, 
information  has  reached  us  that  the  Scottish 
Nurses'  Association  has  accepted  the  invitation  of 
H.R.H.  the  president  and  the  Council  to  become 
afl&liated  to  the  Corporation,  and  Miss  Isabel  E. 
Henderson  has  been  nominated  as  its  representa- 
tive on  the  Council.  Miss  Henderson  has  been  a 
member  of  the  R.B.N. A.  since  1909.  The 
following  Societies  are  also  now  affiliated  : — The 
Matrons'  Council  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland, 
the  Society  for  the  State  Registration  of  Trained 
Nurses,  the  National  Union  of  Trained  Nurses, 
the  Irish  Nurses'  Association,  and  the  Fever 
Nurses'  Association. 

(Signed)     Isabel  Macdonald, 

Secretary  to  the  Corporation. 


THE  LEAGUE  OF  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S 
HOSPITAL  NURSES. 


The  summer  general  meeting  of  the  League  of 
St.  Bartholomew's  Hospital  Nurses  was  held  in 
the  clinical  theatre  of  the  hospital  on  Saturday, 
June  29th.  In  the  unavoidable  absence  of  the 
President,  Miss  Helen  Todd,  the  chair  was  taken 
by  the  senior  Vice-President,  Miss  Juliet  Curtis. 
Miss  Todd  wrote  expressing  her  extreme  regret 
at  her  absence,  and  saying  that  it  was  the  first 
summer  meeting  of  the  League  she  had  missed 
since  its  foundation  ;  only  urgent  duty  would 
have  kept  her  away. 

Satisfactory  Reports. 

Very  satisfactory  reports  were  presented.  The 
Treasurer,  Mrs.  Turnbull,  showed  a  balance  in 
hand  of  over  £67,  after  paying  for  three  issues 
of  League  News  in  one  year.  Miss  Cutler,  the 
General  Secretary,  reported  that  forty-seven  new 
members  had  joined  during  the  year  and  one 
resigned,  and  that  the  League  now  numbered 
973  members. 

The  decorations  conferred  on  members  of  the 
League  included  a  Military  Medal  bestowed  upon 
Miss  Dorothy  Foster,  two  bars  to  the  Royal  Red 
Cross,  and  seven  first-class  and  seventeen  second 
class  R.R.C.s,  and  two  Serving  Sisters  of  the  Order 
of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem. 

The  Chairman  said  that  many  members  of  the 
League  working  on  land  and  sea  had  gained 
decorations.  The  members  of  the  -League  would 
like  them  to  know  how  they  valued  their  courage 
and  work,  and  that  we  should  welcome  them  on 
their  return  with  pleasure,  love  and  gratitude. 

We  felt  their  good  work  was  needed,  for  we  saw 
the  results  of  other  work  which  was  not  so  skilled, 
and  we  felt  that  our  broken  men  needed  the  very 
best  we  had  to  give  and  the  most  skilled  nursing 
care ;  therefore,  when  honours  came  to  the 
skilled  workers  we  rejoiced  at  this  recognition. 

Mrs.  Matthews,  Treasurer  of  the  Benevolent 
Fund  reported  a  balance  in  hand  of  over  ;^9o. 
One  grant  of  ;f  10  had  been  made  during  the  year. 
The  Executive  Committee. 

Miss  M.  Appleyard,  R.R.C.,  and  Miss  Lister 
were  elected  members  of  the  Executive  Committee 
in  place  of  the  retiring  members. 

The  Isla  Stewart  Memorial. 

Mrs.  Shuter  presented  the  Report  of  the  Isla 
Stewart  Memorial  Standing  Committee,  which 
showed  the  total  amount  received  to  be  /600, 
and  an  income  from  investments  (including  the 
£5  annual  subscription  of  the  League)  of  /30  per 
annum. 

Report  on  State  Registration. 

Miss  Le  Geyt,  delegate  of  the  League  on  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  Society  for  the 
State  Registration  of  Trained  Nurses,  then 
presented  her  report,  in  which  she  said,  in  part  : — 

"  In  taking  a  general  survey  of  the  work  of 
the  Society  during  the  past  year,  it  would  seem  as 


July  6,   1 91 8 


Ebe  Bviti0b  Sournal  of  •BwrsinQ^ 


H 


if  the  President  and  the  Executive  Committee 
had,  Uke  the  nation  at  large,  experienced  the  need 
to  exercise  great  vigilance  in  this  instance  in 
guarding  the  ideals  and  interests  of  the  nursing 
profession,  - 

"  With  truth  it  might  be  said  that  '  Vigilance' 
could  be  called  the  watchword  of  the  Society 
for  the  State  Registration  of  Trained  Nurses 
from  its  foundation  in  1902." 

Mrs.  Bedford  Fenwick  briefly  outlined  the 
present  position  up  to  date,  commenting,  in  this 
connection,  on  the  seventh  draft  of  the  Nurses' 
Registration  Bill  of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd. 
Three  important  points  had  now  been  conceded, 
but  the  Bill  still  incorporated  the  College  Com- 
pany ;  it  also  made  provision  for  establishing 
registers  of  specialists.  The  claim  for  such 
r<  gisters  was  a  claim  on  the  part  of  institutions. 
To  take  women  and  half  train  them  was  to  put 
them  outside  the  pale.  The  first  duty  of  any 
Council  considering  the  State  Registration  of 
Trained  Nurses  was  to  do  justice  to  the  members 
of  the  nursing  profession. 

This  view  was  strongly  supported  by  Miss 
Helen  Pearse. 

The  Chairman  said  that  the  nursing  profession 
appeared  at  the  present  time  to  be  in  great 
jeopardy.  It  was  used,  put  aside,  and  other 
people  put  forward ;  training  did  not  count  We 
must  see  that  the  profession  was  not  overlooked. 
She  hoped  if  amalgamation  of  the  two  Bills  took 
place  we  should  keep  the  profession  at  the  top,  and 
hold  firmly  to  standard?,  ideals,  and  principles. 

The  meeting  then  terminated,  and  adjourned. 
for  tea,  which  was  served  in  the  Nurses'  Home 
and  the  cloisters. 


THE    NURSES'    MISSIONARY    LEAGUE 
CAMP. 


This  is  the  first,  but  I  trust  not  the  last,  time 
that  I  have  attended  the  "  Camp  "  of  the  Nurses' 
Missionary  League.  It  was  held  from  Jime  20th 
to  27th,  at  Old  Jordans  Hostel,  Beaconsfield,  an 
ideal  spot  with  such  a  beautiful  old-world  garden 
and  lovely  woods  and  country  all  round,  most  rest- 
ful and  peaceful.  We  started  with  twelve 
members,  but  were  soon  fourteen,  and  several  were 
prevented  at  the  last  from  joining  us.  We  met 
each  morning  after  breakfast  for  prayers,  and  then 
most  of  the  mornings  and  afternoons  were  spent 
in  walks  or  rambles  in  the  woods,  in  gathering 
strawberries  or  in  cycle  rides.  One  afternoon  two 
of  the  nuises  made  an  excursion  to  Burnham 
Beeches,  most  beautiful  woods,  some  six  miles 
away.  On  three  mornings  there  were  Bible 
Circles,  which  we  found  most  helpful ;  but  best  of 
all  perhaps  were  the  evenings,  when  we  had  in- 
spiring addresses  on  such  subjects  as  "  God's  Plan 
for  the  World"  and  "  The  Great  Adventure," 
always  ending  with  prayer  and  intercession.  We 
remembered  all  our  members,  very  especially  those 
in  the  foreign  mission  field.  We  were  very  for- 
tunate  in   having   with    us   Miss   Herbert,    from 


China  ;  Miss  Mathew,  from  Uganda  ;  Miss  Jbnes 
from  North  India  ;  and  Miss  Edwards,  who  has 
done  mission  work  in  France.  Other  members 
represented  health  welfare,  civil  and  military 
hospitals  and  private  and  district  work.  We  had 
wonderful  examples  of  God's  answers  to  prayer  in 
Miss  Herbert's  most  interesting  talks  about  China 
and  Miss  Mathew  and  Miss  Jones  interested  us 
keenly  in  their  work  by  their  conversation  and 
photographs.  They  showed  us  how  very  urgent  is 
the  call  for  more  workers  ;  while  the  letters  read  to 
us  from  members  abroad  showed  how  more  than 
usually  under -staffed  many  hospitals  are  at 
present,  making  always  difficult  work  well-nigh 
impossible.  They  showed  us  too,  however,  that 
the  difficulties  are  as  nothing  in  comparison  with 
the  privilege  of  carrying  the  message  of  Christ  all 
over  the  world.  Many  of  these  letters  told  how 
deeply  the  members  abroad  appreciate  the  prayers 
of  their  friends,  and  one  of  the  lasting  memories  of 
Camp  will  be  the  emphasis  upon  prayer. 

It  was  the  most  enj  oyable  and  most  restful 
holiday  I  have  ever  haa,  and  we  all  hope  that  the 
second  Camp,  which  is  to  be  held  at  Mottram  St. 
Andrew,  Cheshire,  from  July  17th  to  24th,  will  be 
as  great  a  success.  Any  nurses  who  are  free  at  that 
time  should  write  at  once  for  particulars  to  Miss 
Macfee,  21,  Frognal  Lane,  Hampstead,  London, 
N-W-  3-  A  Visitor  to  the  Camp. 


NURSES  AND  INSURANCE. 


The  National  Insurance  Commissioners  have 
issued  a  summary  of  the  Provisions  of  the  National 
Insurance  (Health)  Acts,  1911-18,  for  the  infor- 
mation of  the  members  of  Approved  Societies. 
These  helpful  leaflets  can  be  obtained,  cost  id. 
through  any  bookseller,  or  directly  from  H.M. 
Stationery  Office,  at  the  following  addresses  : — 
Imperial  House,  Kingsway,  London,  W.C.  2  ;  or 
28,  Abingdon  Street,  London,  S.W.  i  ;  37.  Peter 
Street,  Manchester ;  i  St.  Andrew's  Crescent, 
Cardifi ;  23,  Forth  Street,  Edinburgh ;  and  E. 
Ponsonby,  Ltd.,  116,  Grafton  Street,  Dublin. 
Nurses  who  are  insured,  would  do  w^ell  to  procure 
and  study  these  leaflets,  as  they  will  find  them 
very  useful  to  refer  to  in  deaUng  with  the  Secretary 
of  the  Approved  Society  in  which  they  are  insured. 

A  New  Rule. 
The  amended  Act  (1918),  Clause  27,  instructs  a 
member  who  becomes  incapable  of  work  through 
illness  to  give  notice  to  her  Society  at  once,  together 
with  a  medical  certificate  of  incapacity.  If  she 
does  not  give  notice  within  three  days  from  the 
commencement  of  her  incapacity,  benefit  will  not 
commence  until  the  day  following  that  on  which 
the  notice  is  given.  This  is  a  new  rule,  to  which 
insured  nurses  must  give  heed,  as  under  the  old 
provisions  of  the  Act,  they  were  often  most 
casual  in  notifying  illness,  sometimes  not  doing  so 
for  weeks  and  then  expecting  benefit  in  full, 
although  all  rules  had  been  broken.  For  the 
future  they  will  do  well  to  obey  the  law. 


X3 


Zhc  »rttiab  Journal  ctf  Burelng, 


July  6,   igi8 


GAMBOLS  V.  NATIONAL  SERVICE. 


I'^isde^y  to  be  deplored  that  His  Majesty  the 
King  has,  with  the  kindest  intentions  no  doubt, 
given^perniission  for  a  Garden  Party,  to  be  held  at 
St.  James'  Palace,  for  the  War  Charity,  the 
Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses,  as  it  is  in  no  sense 
national,  and  its  methods  are  detested  by  self- 
respecting  professional  nurses. 

We  have  as  a  result  a  new  outburst  of  costly 
advertisements  in  the  daily  Press  in  support  of  the 
Fund,  which  continue:^  to  boycott  the  opinions  of 
those  opposed  to  the  subsidising  of  the  lay  consti- 
tuted College  of  Nursing  Company,  in  its  attempt 
to  control  the  Nursing  profession. 

Once  again  our  sense  of  propriety  is  out- 
raged by  the  reappearance  on  the  hoardings  of 
the  poster  of  a  semi-nude  female,  purporting  to  be 
a  nurse,  tenaciously  clutching  a  wounded  (and 
evidently  abashed)  young  man  ! 

Throughout,  the  tone  of  the  advertisements  in 
support  of  this  War  Charity  have  been  tactless  and 
offensive  in  the  extreme,  and  we  note  amongst 
other  advertised  attractions  there  are  to  be 
"  Gambols  "  at  the  Garden  Party !  Who  is  going 
to  "  Gambol  "  ?  Surely  not  the  heads  of  our 
Nurse-training  Schools  who  are  thrusting  this 
Society  Charity  on  the  profession  they  should  be 
the  first  to  protect.  But  that  the  supposed  indi- 
gence of  our  profession  is  to  be  the  excuse  for  this 
unseemly  rout,  's  nothing  short  of  an  outrage, 
when  we  know  that  brave  men,  many  of  them  our 
nearest  and  dearest,  are  dying  or  risking  death  for 
us  in  every  hour. 

We  have  in  our  midst  an  army  of  rich,  vain  and 
idle  women,  under  dressed  and  overfed,  whose  life 
has,  and  presumably  always  will  consist  of  self- 
indulgence,  excitement  and  vapidity,  women  who 
never  have  done  an  hour's  real  useful  work  since 
the  war  began,  and  who  clutch  at  any  excuse  to 
amuse  themselves.  If  this  heartless  clique  must 
"  gambol  "  whilst  the  nation  is  in  danger,  we 
strongly  object  to  our  profession  b(  ing  used  as  an 
excuse  for  their  antics,  and  the  sooner  Parliament 
conscripts  the  lot,  and  compels  them  to  do  some 
really  useful  work  for  the  benefit  of  the  country 
the  better.  Young,  strong,  able-bodied  women 
should  be  on  the  land,  in  the  shipyards,  or  in  the 
factory  in  this  hour  of  the  nation's  needs.  Any- 
way we  nurses  protest  against  their  "gambols" 
in  our  name,  under  a  cloak  of  Charity. 


MISS  ELIZABETH  ASQUITH  LETS 
ANOTHER  CAT  OUT  OF  THE 
COLLEGE  BAG. 


As  widely  advertised.  Miss  Elizabeth  Asquith 
and  others  have  been  selling  tickets  for  the 
"  Gambols "  at  St  James'  Palace  at  the  big 
drapers'  shops  during  the  week,  which  has  given 
nurses  who  object  to  bdng  placed  at  the  mercy  of 


the     College     Constitution     an     opportunity    of 
expressing  their  views  concerning  lay  patronage. 

The  Daily  Mirror  man  also  availed  himself  of  the 
opportunity  to  seek  information,  to  judge  by  the 
following  "  par "  which  appeared  on  Tuesday 
last : — 

FUTURE    OF    THE    V.A.D. 

College    and    Full    Education    Scheme    for 

Nurses  After  the  War. 

What  is  to  become  of  the  V.A.D. 's  after  the  War  ? 

Miss  EUzabeth  Asquith  told  The  Daily  Mirror 
yesterday :  "A  College  of  Nursing  has  been  founded 
by  the  Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses  as  a  thankofiering 
for  what  the  nurses  have  done. 

"  Undoubtedly,"  Miss  Asquith  added,  "  vast 
numbers  of  V.A.D.'s  will  want  to  continue  nursing, 
but  they  must  be  adequately  trained,  and  the 
college  has  a  full  education  scheme,  with  scholar- 
ships, so  that  they  can  finish  their  course. 

"  In  peace  days,  when  wounds  and  shell  shocks 
are  no  more,  they  must  know  the  women's  side  of 
musing  as  well  as  the  men's." 

Trained  nurses  will  do  well  to  consider  their 
future  if  they  hope  to  make  a  living  in  com- 
petition with  "  vast  numbers  "  of  V.A.D.'s.  who 
are  being  projected  into  the  profession  through 
the  Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses 


A  PROTEST. 


Under  the  heading  of  "  A  Protest,"  a  communi- 
cation from  Miss  Alicia  Lloyd  Still,  Matron  of  St. 
Thomas'  Hospital,  London,  and  Miss  Amy  Hughes 
late  General  Superintendent  of  Queen  Victoria's 
Jubilee  Institute  for  Nurses  appeared  in  the  June 
number  of  the  American  Journal  of  Nursing. 
These  ladies  write :  "Our  attention  has  been 
drawn  to  an  article,  headed  '  English  Nursing 
Politics,'  published  in  the  American  Journal  of 
Nursing  for  February.  As  this  article  is  evidently 
written  under  a  misapprehension  of  the  situation, 
and  as  it  is  based  upon  a  biassed  account  given  in 
The  British  Journal  of  Nursing  of  the  present 
condition  of  the  Nursing  World  in  England,  may 
we  be  allowed  to  give  a  short  account  of  the  exist- 
ing state  of  affairs  in  the  nursing  world  ? 

"  The  article  in  question  (written  by  Miss  Dock) 
says  that  an  '  odious  element  which  has  been  the 
afifliction  of  British  nurses  for  thirty  years,  is  still 
busy  trying  to  enslave  them  in  a  web  wherein  the 
College  of  Nursing,  State  registration,  and  pubHc 
alms  are  woven  with  the  intent  to  keep  them 
professionally   helpless." 

"  The  Protest  "  of  the  two  signatories  is  full, 
no  doubt  unintentionally,  cf  inaccuracies  which 
can  be  quite  easily  refuted  from  the  printed  matter 
so  lavishly  issued  by  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd., 
which  it  is  designed  to  support. 

The  confusion  of  mind  of  the  College  Matron 
advocates  concerning  their  own  Constitution  is 
amazing.  Apparently  they  have  never  studied  it, 
or  are  incapable  of  discriminating  concerning  the 
"  odious "    provisions   of   its   Memorandum   and 


July  6,   1918 


Zbc  Brttiab  3ournal  of  IRurstng. 


n 


Articles  of  Association  (which  we  know  were 
drafted  bete-e  they  were  consulted)  but  which  they 
have  made  no  attempt  to  alter. 

Next  week,  in  justice  to  The  BRirrsH  JoxrxNitt, 
OF  Nursing,  we  propose  to  prove  that  it  is  neither 
biassed  nor  inaccurate  in  its  surmises  concerning 
the  fundamental  policy  of  the  promoters  of  the 
College  of  Nursing,  Ltd. 

Anyway,  those  members  of  the  nursing  profes- 
sion in  England,  Scotland  and  Ireland,  who  are 
economically  independent  do  not  intend  to  submit 
to  its  Constitution,  as  so  many  ignorant  young 
nurses  have  been  persuaded  by  their  employers 
to  do. 


APPOINTMENTS. 


MATRON. 


A    CONVENIENT    SHOPPINQ     CENTRE. 

Proprietors  of  Nur.,ing  Homes  and  private 
nurses  in  the  Marylebone  District  will  find  in  the 
establishment  of  Messrs.  Gayler  &  Pope,  11 2- 11 7, 
High  Street,  Marylebone,  W.,  a  convenient 
shopping  centre,  whethei  for  materials  for  nursing 
uniforms,  or  foi  general  shopping  purposes.  Those 
requiring  furniture,  whether  for  the  equipment  of 
nursing  homes  or  its  renewal,  should  inspect  the 
varied  stock  of  this  firm. 

A    POPULAR   PUBLISHER. 

Messrs.  H.  &  K.  Lewis,  Ltd.,  of  136,  Gower 
Street,  and  24,  Gower  Place,  W.C.  i,  publish  a 
variety  of  literature  popular  with  and  useful  to 
nurses,  masseuses  and  midwives  in  connection 
with  theii  work.  In  this  connection  we  may 
mention  "  The  Theory  and  Practice  of  Massage," 
with  numerous  illustrations  by  Miss  Beatrice  M.  G. 
Copestake,  Member  of  and  Examiner  to  the 
Incorporated  Society  of  Trained  Masseuses. 

SOME    VALUABLE    FOODS. 

Just  now  when  the  anxieties  of  the  war  are 
apt  to  bring  many  people  somewhat  below  par, 
and  rationing  and  considerations  of  economy 
restrict  the  diet,  it  is  well  to  recall  some  of  the 
valuable  foods  which  we  can  utilise  with  advantage, 
for  adults,  children  and  infants.  The  Allen- 
BURYs'  P'ooDS  (37,  Lombard  Street,  London) 
(Milk  Food  No.  i  and  No.  2  and  Malted  Food 
No.  3)  will  be  found  most  satisfactory  in  the 
feeding  of  infants,  while  their  Diet  is  largely  used 
and  of  proved  value  for  invalid  and  aged  persons. 

Robinson's  "  Patent  "  Barley  (Keen,  Robin- 
son &  Co.,  Ltd.,  London),  for  making  barley  water 
for  diluting  cow's  or  goat's  milk  for  infant  feeding 
is  a  preparation  which  midwives  and  nurses  find 
invaluable,  and  nothing  could  be  better  than  their 
"  Patent  "  Groats,  for  preparing  milk  gruel  and 
porridge  for  nursing  motherc. 

Benger's  Food  (Otter  Works,  Manchester)  is 
an  invaluable  preparation  in  the  dietary  of 
invalids,  a  unique  feature  of  which  is  that  it  is  self- 
digestive  and  that  the  extent  of  the  digestive 
process  can  be  regulated  to  suit  individual  patients. 

Falieres'  Phosphatine  (F.  H.  Mertens,  84, 
Holborn  Viaduct,  E.C.  i)  is  also  a  valuable  food, 
which,  associated  with  milk,  is  much  liked  by 
patients,  while  its  food  value  is  undoubted. 


Hfelsh  flo^ltal,  Netley.  —  Miss  Kathleen  S. 
Stewart  has  been  appointed  Matron.  She  received 
her  general  training  at  the  Royal  Infirmary, 
Sunderland,  and  maternity  training  at  the  Royal 
Maternity  Hospital,  Edinburgh.  She  was  sub- 
sequently district  and  ward  Sister  at  the  Deaconess 
Hospital,  Edinburgh,  and  Night  Superintendent 
and  Housekeeping  Sister  at  the  Royal  Infirmary, 
Sunderland.  She  has  also  been  Housekeeping 
Sister  at  Chaiing  Cross  Hospital,  Assistant  Matron 
at  the  Royal  Hospital  for  Sick  Children,  Edinburgh, 
and  Matron  of  the  York  County  Hospital.  She 
was  awarded  the  Royal  Red  Cross  (2nd  Class)  in 
January,   191 7. 

Isolation  Hospital  and  Sanatorium,  Belvedere 
Road,  Burton-on-Trent. — Mrs.  A.  ElUs  has  been 
appointed  Matron.  She  was  trained  at  the  Royal 
Infirmary,  Derby,  and  the  Fountain  Fever 
Hospital,  Tooting,  where  she  also  held  the  posi- 
tions of  Waid  Sister,  Night  Superintendent  and 
Housekeeper.  She  has  also  been  Matron  of  the 
District  Hospital,  Settle,  and  for  the  last  five 
years  of  the  Joint  Hospital  and  Sanatorium, 
Smethwick. 

Royal     Surrey     County     Hospital,     Guildford.  — 

Miss  R.  A.  Longland  has  been  appointed  Matron. 
She  was  trained  at  the  Great  Northern  Hospital, 
London,  where  she  has  been  Sister  and  Night 
Superintendent,  and  has  also  held  the  positions  of 
Assistant  Matron  and  Acting-Matron  at  the  Royal 
Surrey  County  Hospital. 

Tuberculosis  Sanatorium,  Pelsall  Hall,  near 
Walsall. — ^Miss  P.  Partington  has  been  appointed 
Matron.  She  has  previously  been  Matron  of  the 
Observation  Hospital  for  Tuberculosis  at  Bury, 
Lanes. 

ACTING      MATRON. 

National  Hospital  for  Diseases  of  the  Heart, 
London.' — Miss  Cecilia  Beaton  has  been  appointed 
Acting  Matron.  She  was  trained  at  the  Taunton 
and  Somerset  Hospital,  and  has  been  Sister  at  the 
General  Infirmary,  Worcester,  and  the  County 
Hospital,  Bedford,  and  Home  Sistei  at  Bolingbroke 
Hospital,  Wandsworth  Common. 

ASSISTANT     MATRON. 

Hendon  Grove  Asylum,  Hendon,  N.W.  —  Miss 
Ehzabeth  J.  Thompson  has  been  appointed  Assist- 
ant-Matron. She  has  been  on  the  StafE  of  the  Prest- 
which  Asylum  for  fifteen  years,  and  for  the  past  two 
years  has  been  Assistant-Matron  of  Palmerston 
House,  Palmerston,  co.  Dublin. 

WARD     SISTER. 

Dudley  Union  Infirmary. — Miss  H.  Hollies 
has  been  appointed  Ward  Sister.  She  was  trained 
at  the  Wolstanton  and  Burslem  Union  Infirmary, 
and  is  at  present  pupil  midwife  at  Queen  Victoria's 
Nursing  Institute,  Northampton. 


t4 


Hbe  SrUtfb  3ourtiiil  of  f^ur^ma; 


]uly  6,   1918 


NURSING    ECHOES. 


Miss  Mollett's  many  friends  will  be  sorry  to 
hear  that  on  Thursday,  June  27th,  she  met  with 
a  serious  accident  when  cycling  from  Bourne- 
mouth to  her  home  at  Three  Cross,  near  Ring- 
wood.  Apparently  no  immediate  help  was  at 
hand,  and  she  lay  in  the  road  for  a  considerable 
time,  until  a  gentkman  came  by  and  rendered 
aid,  taking  her  in  a  taxi  cab  to  Miss  Forrest's 
Nursing  Home,  4,  Cambridge  Road,  Bourne- 
mouth. On  examination  it  was  found  that  the 
injuries  sustained  were  an  impacted  fracture  of 
femur,  a  bruised  head,  and  cut  arm.  Through- 
out all  this  Miss  Mollett  was  full  of  the  courage 
and  cheerful  endurance  which  never  fails  her. 
She  may  be  sure  now,  as  ever,  of  affectionate 
regard  and  sympathy,  and  also  of  good  wishes 
for  a  steady  convalescence  and  recovery. 


Long  before  the  war  we  claimed  just  educa- 
tional and  economic  conditions  for  nurses,  but 
until  recent  events  has  caused  the  supply  of 
nurses  in  all  directions  to  fall  short  of  the 
demand,  those  who  employed  them  app>eared 
well  content  to  continue  at  sweated  rates  of 
remuneration.  Especially  has  this  been 
apparent  in  various  branches  of  district  nursing. 
We  note  with  pleasure  the  recent  awakening  of 
conscience  (necessity  has  a  way  of  driving  her 
lessons  home)  on  this  question. 

There  has  been  far  too  much  patronage  and 
too  little  pelf  in  the  conduct  of  County  Nursing 
Associations  in  the  past,  and  our  Lady  Bounti- 
fuls  are  seldom  lavish  where  working  women 
are  concerned. 

We  observe  that  Mrs.  Cooke-Hurle,  speak- 
ing at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Somerset 
Nursing  Association  at  Taunton,  said  :  "  She 
would  like  to  see  the  time  when  the  salaries  of 
nurses  would  be  raised  to  such  an  extent  that 
they  would  be  able  to  have  their  full  training 
and  adequate  payment  for  their  services." 

It  is  the  fault  of  the  women  organizers  and 
managers  of  the  County  Nursing  Associations 
that  these  just  terms  have  not  prevailed  in  the 
past.  A  network  of  social  influence  and  self- 
appointed  control  by  the  laity  has  defined  the 
standards  of  knowledge  and  the  remuneration 
of  district  and  village  nurses  all  over  the 
country.  The  standards  are  woefully  insuffi- 
cient, and  the  remuneration  a  sweated  wage. 
The  sooner  the  nursing  of  the  poor  is  directed 
by  a  State  Department  controlled  by  a  Ministry 
of  Health  the  better — better  for  patient  and 
nurse.    Class  goverrlment  has  had  its  day. 


The  Local  Government  Board  has  sanctioned 
a  joint  scheme  entered  into  between  the 
Nottingham  Guardians  and  the  Guardians  of 
the  Basford  Union  for  the  training  of  pro- 
bationary nurses,  under  which  the  proba- 
tioners will  receive  their  first  year's  training  at 
Basford,  and  then  proceed  to  Bagthorpe  for  a 
further  three  years'  training,  including  mid- 
wifery and  massage.  By  this  arrangement  the 
services  of  candidates  who  desire  to  qualify' 
as  fully  certificated  nurses  will  be  secured  for 
the  Basford  Union. 


The  King  Edward  Nurses  were  organized  as 
a  South  African  Memorial  to  commemorate  the 
life  and  aims  of  King  Edward  VII,  and  com- 
prises two  divisions  (a)  European  ;  (h)  Coloured 
and  Native,  and  its  immediate  object  is  to  make 
good  deficiencies  now  existing  in  nursing 
circles  in  South  Africa. 

From  the  Report  of  191 7,  just  to  hand,  we 
learn  from  Miss  J.  E.  Pritchard,  Superintendent 
of  the  Order,  that  1917,  like  the  two  previous 
years,  has  been  one  of  many  difficulties  owing 
to  the  war.  The  year  was  begun  with  a  staff 
of  15 — ^and  ended  with  11.  The  centres  have 
l>een  understaffed,  and  it  is  impossible  to 
estimate  the  work  lost,  but  we  gather  that  much 
good  work  has  been  done,  and  on  visiting  the 
various  centres  the  Superintendent  found  the 
nurses  much  appreciated  in  the  districts. 

A  new  centre  was  op)ened  during  the  year  at 
Empangeni,  a  malarial  district,  and  during  the 
floods,  when  it  was  cut  off  for  some  time,  it 
was  most  fortunate  that,  as  there  was  no 
doctor,  a  qualified  nurse-midwife  was  in  the 
place,  more  particularly  as  some  oases  who  had 
arranged  to  go  to  a  Maternity  Home  in  Durban 
were  unable  to  get  through. 

Several  applications  for  resident  nurses  have 
not  been  able  to  be  met  owing  to  the  shortage 
of  nurses,  but  considferig  the  serious  under- 
staffing  in  some  of  the  large  civil  hospitals,  the 
Superintendent  considers  the  Order  fortunate 
to  begin  the  year  with  t  i  nurses,  and  she  hopes 
when  times  are  normal  to  expand  the  work  in 
many  directions. 

The  Committee  report  with  great  satisfaction 
that  upon  the  completion  of  her  term  of  con- 
tract. Miss  Pritchard  has  consented  to  continue 
in  her  post.  The  Committee  also  records  its 
appreciation  of  the  services  of  Miss  Brailsford 
(Senior  Nursing  Sister  at  Ladysmith),  and 
other  members  of  the  Order. 


The     South     Australian      Branch     of     the 
R.B.N. A.   was  welcomed  by   the   South  Aus- 


July  6,    1918 


dbe  Sritidb  3ournarot  'Rurfftna. 


^5 


tralian  Branch  of  the  A.T.N. A,  at  its  annual 
meeting,  when  joint  consideration  was  given  to 
raising  the  fees  of  private  nurses  in  the  State 
from  j^2  2s.  to  ;^3  3s.  a  week.  Dr.  Cecil 
Corbin,  R.B.N. A.,  addressed  the  meeting,  and 
it  was  agreed  that  other  States  having  adopted 
the  higher  scale  of  fees  was  undoubtedly 
attracting  many  nurses  from  South  Australia. 
The  Council  recommend  raising  the  fee,  and 
the  members  will  have  an  opportunity  of  voting 
on  it. 


BOOK    OF   THE   WEEK. 


The  future  organization  of  the  nursing  pro- 
fession was  the  subject  for  discussion  at  the 
Women's  Institute  on  June  21st,  when  Mrs. 
Alderton,  of  Colchester,  presided.  It  is  a 
hopeful  sign  that  women  are  beginning  to  show 
concern  in  this  question,  as,  so  far,  they  have 
taken  deplorably  little  interest  in  trained  nurs- 
ing. Beyond  the  address  of  Miss  Georgina  K. 
Sanders,  who  described  the  methods  of  nurse 
training  in  America,  and  emphasised  the  im- 
portance of  dietetics  in  the  curriculum,  there 
was  nothing  of  great  value  in  the  discussion. 
We  were  sorry  to  hear  the  Secretary  of  the 
College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  defending  the  inde- 
fensible provision  in  its  Memorandum  whereby 
power  is  given  to  the  Council  to  remove  a 
member  from  its  Register  without  giving  her 
a  power  of  appeal.  Miss  Rundle  also,  in  advo- 
cating autocratic  control,  confused  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  College  of  Nursing  Company 
with  the  Constitution  of  the  Council.  It  is  high 
time  both  the  officials  and  nurses  realised  the 
difference  between  the  two.  Miss  Cowlin,  also 
speaking  of  Registration  in  the  United  States  of 
America,  said  that  during  a  visit  there  it  had 
not  taken  her  long  to  realize  that  the  value  of 
registration  in  some  of  the  States  was  practi- 
cally nil,  and  said,  "  We  put  education  first." 
Miss  Cowlin  did  not  appear  to  realize  that  the 
primary  purpose  of  a  Registration  Bill  is  to 
standardize  and  test  nursing  education,  and 
that  it  is  this  great  reform  which  the  State 
Registrationists  have  been  fighting  for,  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  and  which  the  nursing 
schools  have  opposed.  She  also  divulged  a 
unique  plan  for  roping  in  the  small  cottage 
hospitals.  They  could  not  be  used  for  training 
purposes,  she  said,  because  they  did  not  pro- 
vide sufficient  clinical  material.  The  proposal 
was,  therefore,  to  send  round  a  Sister-Tutor  to 
'nstruct  the  nurses.  How  the  advent  of  the 
Sister-Tutor  would  miraculously  provide  the 
clinical  material  she  did  not  explain,  nor  what 
would  be  the  position  of  the  Matrons  of  the 
smaller  hospitals  in  relation  to  Sister-Tutors. 


SIR    ISUMBRAS    AT    THE    FORD.* 

"  And  weel  ye  ken,  Maister  Anne,  ye  should  have 
been  asleep  lang  syne,"  said  Elspeth  severely. 

Master  Anne,  le  Comte  Anne-Hilarion  de 
Flavigny,  gave  a  little  sigh  fiom  the  bed.  "  I  have 
tried  ...  if  you  would  say  '  Noroway  '  perhaps  ? 
Say  '  Noroway — over  the — foam  '  Elspeth,  je  vous 
en  prie." 

"  Dinna  bf  using  ony  of  yer  French  havers  to  me 
wean,"  exclaimed  the  elderly  woman  thus 
addressed.  However,  she  sat  down,  took  up  her 
knitting,  and  began 

"  The  king  sat  in  Dumferline  toun 
Drinking  the  blude-red  wine." 

Anne-Hilarion  had  not  chosen  well  the  date  of 
his  entry  into  this  world. 

On  the  very  July  day  when  Rene  and  Janet  de 
Flavigny  and  all  their  tenants  were  celebrating  the 
admirable  prowess  displayed  by  M.  le  Comte  in 
attaining  without  accident  or  illness,  without 
fl\'ing  back  to  heaven,  as  his  nurse  had  it,  the  age 
of  one  year,  the  people  of  Paris  also  were  keeping  a 
festival,  the  first  anniversary  of  the  day  when  the 
bloody  head  of  the  governor  of  the  Bastille  had 
swung  along  the  streets  at  the  end  of  a  pike. 

Before  that  summer  was  out  the  Marquis  de 
Flavigny,  urged  by  his  father-in-law,  had  decided 
to  place  his  wife  and  child  in  safety,  and  so,  bid- 
ding the  most  reluctant  of  good-byes  to  the 
tourelles  and  the  swans  which  had  witnessed  tneir 
two  short  year?  of  happiness,  they  left  France  for 
England." 

But  on  the  journey  home  the  little  French  boy's 
Scottish  mother  caught  a  chill  from  which  she  never 
recovered,  and  the  openng  of  the  story  finds  Anne 
in  the  London  house  of  his  maternal  grandfather 
in  the  charge  of  his  Scottish  nurse,  at  the  hour  when 
his  father,  in  concert  -with  other  notable  emigres 
were,  in  the  room  below,  talking  of  the  intrigues 
and  counter  intrigues  which  ate  like  a  canker  into 
vhe  heart  of  the  Royalist  cause. 

There  are  many  charming  pictures  drawn  of  the 
little  Frarco-Scottish  boy.  Anne-Hilarion  was 
quite  aware  in  a  general  way  of  his  father's  occupa- 
tions. In  fact,  as  he  lay  in  his  bed,  looking 
through  the  curtains  at  the  wardrobe  door,  he  was 
meditating  upon  the  important  meeting  Papa  was 
having  with  his  friends  in  the  dining-room. 

His  lively  imagination,  coupled  with  Elspeth's 
grim  ballads,  and  something  he  had  heard  about 
papa  going  to  France,  made  him  decide  that  there 
was  nothing  for  it  but  to  go  down  to  the  conclave 
below  and  ascetain  the  truth. 

"  Messieurs,  a  new  recruit !  Welcome  small  con- 
spirator. Come  in,  but  shut  the  door."  And  all 
che  rest  turned  on  the  instant  to  look  at  the  little 
figure  clad  only  in  a  nightshirt  which  was  visible 
m  the  doorway  behind  Rerte  de  Flavigny's  back. 

He  made  a  dash  for  his  father. 

*  By  D.  K.  Broster.     John  Murray.     London 


i6 


ZDc  »riti6b  3ournal  of  flur^tne. 


July  6,   1918 


"  Papa,"  he  burst  out,  ",  Do  not  go  to  '  Noroway 
over  the  foam.'  You  know  how  it  says  the  feather 
beds  floated  about  in  the  waves  and  the  sea  came 
in  and  they  were  all  drowned  fifty  fathoms  deep." 

Little  Anne  learned  more  at  that  conclave  than  it 
was  prudent  he  should  know  in  those  troublous 
times. 

Following  almost  immediately  after  this  he  is 
kidnapped  and  taken  by  a  ruse  to  the  house  of  two 
charming  (?)  old  ladies,  who  posed  ae  his  father's 
old  friends. 

The  conception  of  these  two  treacherous  old 
pieces  of  Dresden  china  is  one  of  the  cleverest 
things  in  the  book. 

Mrae.  de  Chaulnes  first  dealt  effectively  with  old 
Elspeth,  who  had  also  been  inveigled  away  with  her 
charge. 

"  Elspeth  having  arranged  about  the  baggage, 
they  went  upstairs  into  a  spotless  little  bedroom 
smelling  of  lavender.  She  informs  the  old  Scotch 
woman  that  she  will  have  to  sleep  out  of  the  house. 

Elspeth  looked  mutinous,  and  her  mouth  took 
on  a  line  that  Anne  well  knew. 

:  "  A'ni  thinkin'  Mem,"  she  replied,  "  it  wad  be 
best  for  me  tae  hae  a  wee  bit  bed  in  here." 

Mme.  de  Chaulnes  shook  her  head.  "  I  am 
afraid,"  she  said,  "  that  that  arrangement  would 
not  suit  us  at  all." 

Elspeth  was  very  glum  as  she  put  the  little  boy 
to  bed. 

"  At  ony  rate"  she  said,  "  A'll  no  leave  tiU  A 
please." 

"  They  are  very  kind  Icidies,"  said  little  Anne, 
who  was  excited.  "  I  think  Mme.  de  Chaulnes  is  a 
beautiful  old  lady  like  a  fee  Marraine." 

Little  Anne's  tongue  did  a  great  deal  of  mischief 
to  his  father  that  night,  and  the  adventure  ended 
with  his  being  smuggled  out  to  France,  from  which 
country,  so  perilous  at  that  time  to  the  aristocrats, 
he  was  rescued  after  excitirg  adventures  by  M.  de  la 
Vireville. 

But  Anne's  are  not  the  only  adventures  in  this 
exciting  story.  Far  from  it.  The  whole  book 
teems  with  exciting  episodes,  and  lovers  of  his- 
torical romance  will  find  much  to  delight  them  in 
its  pages. 

H.  H. 


IN    GOOD    CHILDREN     STREET. 

There's  a  dear  little  home  in  Good  Children  Street, 
Where  my  heart  turneth  fondly  to-day ; 

Where  tinkle  of  tongues  and  patter  of  feet 
Make  sweetest  of  music  at  play ; 

Where  the  sunshine  of  love  illumines  each  face 

And  warms  every  heart  in  the  old-fashioned  place. 

For  dear  little  children  go  romping  about. 

With  dollies  and  tin  tops  and  drums. 
And  my  !   how  they  frolic  and  scamper  and  shout, 
Oh,  the  days  they  are  golden  and  days  they  are 

fleet 
With  the  dear  little  folks  in  Good  Children  Street. 

Eugene  Field. 


COMING    EVENTS. 

July  4th. — Royal  British  Nurses'  Association. 
General  Council  Meeting.  10,  Orchard  Street, 
Portman  Square,  W.     2-45  p.rn. 

July  6th. — Central  Committee  for  the  State 
Registration  of  Nurses.  Council  Chamber, 
British  Medical  Association,  429,  Strand,  London, 
W.C.     2.30  p.m. 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 

Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  Jor  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  bt 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents. 

THE  COST  OF  PROPAGANDA. 

To  the  Editor  0}  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 
Dear  Madam, — Every  member  of  the  Society 
for  State  Registration  of  Nurses  and  also  all 
trained  nurses  who  have  any  sense  of  professional 
responsibility,  owe  The  British  Journal  of 
Nursing  a  great  debt  for  the  most  comprehensive 
official  Report  of  the  work  of  the  Society,  and 
the  manner  in  which  our  professional  interests 
have  been  safeguarded,  which  filled  fourteen 
columns  of  space  in  last  week's  issue.  I  wonder 
how  many  of  your  readers  realized  the  cost  of  the 
production  of  such  a  Report — the  year's  voluntary 
labour,  the  compiling,  reporting,  transcribing, 
editing,  printing,  paper  and  publication.  In 
these  days  of  costly  labour,  such  results  could 
not  have  been  attained  by  the  expenditure  of  ;^2o 
— if  at  that.  I  know  few  of  my  colleagues  art 
women  of  business,  but  many  of  them  appreciate 
the  labour  and  financial  expenditure  upon  their 
behalf  ;  and  I  venture  to  suggest  that  those  who 
are  able  to  do  so  should  send  a  subscription  to 
the  Hon.  Secretary  of  the  Society  for  State 
Registration,  at  431,  Oxford  Street,  towards 
the  expense  of  producing  this  invaluable  Report. 

I  am.  Madam, 

Yours  gratefully, 

Henrietta  Hawkins. 

ONE    AND    INDIVISIBLE. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — The  British  Journal  of 
Nursing  confirms  my  understanding  on  the 
subject  of  the  affiliated  societies  for  State  Registra- 
tion. I  am  so  very  glad  that  we  have  agam 
joined  up  with  the  R.B.N. A.,  and  enclose  to  you 
what  I  deem  a  thankoffering  on  "  St.  John's  Day," 
towards  our  aims  for  State  Registration,  as  you 
described  it,  "  all  one  and  indivisible  making  the 
perfect  circle." 

Sincerely  trusting  our  "  sweet  reasonableness  " 
will  continue. 

Believe  me,   yours  as  ever,  also 

A  Life  Memricr  of  R.B.N. A. 

1st  South  African  General  Hospital, 
B.E.F.,  France. 


July  6,   1918 


^be  Britieb  3onrnal  of  IRureiufl. 


«7 


RECIPROCAL   TRAINING     FOR    MENTAL 
NURSES. 

To  the  Editor  o/The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — A  recent  issue  of  The  British 
Journal  of  Nursing  contains  an  account  of 
the  annual  meeting  of  the  Asyhim  Workers' 
Association  held  at  the  Mansion  House  under  the 
presidency  of  the  Lord  Mayor  ;  and  one  of  the 
speakers,  Captain  Kirkland-Whittaker,  M.D.  called 
attention  to  some  advertisements  appearing  in 
a  contemporary  nursing  paper,  emanating  from 
one  or  two  asylums,  inviting  candidates  for  the 
posts  of  Matron  and  Assistant  Matron,  and 
specifying  that  such  candidates  should  have 
received  both  training  in  a  general  hospital  and 
hold  the  Medico-Psychological  certificate — that 
is  to  say,  they  should  have  been  trained  in  both 
general  and  mental  hospitals. 

A  nurse  in  a  mental  hospital  has,  ordinarily, 
no  opportunity  of  satisfying  these  requirements  of 
general  hospital  training,  and  if  she  has  already 
thought  of  devoting  her  life  to  mental  work,  the 
fact  that  the  higher  posts  in  asylums  are  barred 
against  her,  must  give  hei  seriously  to  consider 
whether  it  is  worth  ber  while  to  remain  in  mental 
work. 

To  obtain  the  Medico-Psychological  certificate, 
three  years'  training  in  a  mental  hospital  are 
required  ;  while  to  obtain  a  certificate  of  general 
training,  the  same  period  is  demanded.  The 
nurse  who  is  trained  in  both  institutions  would 
certainly  be  fully-equipped  and  eligible  for  the 
higher  positions,  and  this  either  in  a  general 
or  mental  hospital.  This  would  be  an  ideal 
training  and  one  I  should  personally  recommend, 
but  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  a  nurse  who  left 
asylum  work  to  spend  three  years  in  general 
hospital  training  would  lose  the  benefits  of  the 
Asylum  Officers'  Superannuation  Act,  as  far  as 
her  previous  yeais  of  service  were  concerned, 
unless  by  some  arrangement  with  the  asylum 
authorities  she  could  still  be  regarded  as  being 
"  on  the  strength." 

It  would  certainly  be  of  the  greatest  advantage 
to  a  nurse  to  be  trained  in  both  general  and  mental 
hospitals,  for  each  of  these  institutions  would 
contribute  towards  the  development  of  the 
qualities  of  tact,  organisation,  discipline,  &c., 
so  essential  for  making  the  nurse  thoroughly 
efi&cient  in  her  work  and  fit  her  for  responsibility 
in  either  institution. 

At  the  same  time,  seeing  that  the  training  in 
both  general  and  mental  hospitals  covers,  to 
some  extent,  the  same  ground,  one  is  tempted 
to  ask,  whether  a  full  three  yeaxs  of  training  in 
each  institution  should  be  made  a  sine  qua  nan. 
For  instance,  if  a  nurse  has  received  a  certificate 
of  three  years'  training  at  a  general  hospital,  she 
is  allowed  to  sit  for  the  Medico-Psychological 
certificate  after  two  years  of  training  in  a  mental 
hospital,  yet,  on  the  other  hand,  the  nurse  who 
has  received  the  Medico-Psychological  c^tificate 
is   not   allowed  to  proceed  to  the  certificate  in 


general  nursing,  after  a  similar  experience  in  the 
general  hospital. 

Bel' eve  me,  yours  truly, 

Mary  Lord, 
Matron,  Banstead  Mental  Hospital. 
[We  regret  that  lack  of  space  compels  us  to  hold 
over  a  most   interesting  letter   on  this  question 
from   Dr.   George   M.   Robertson,   of    the   Rjyal 
Edinburgh  Asylum. — Ed.] 


KERNELS     FROM    CORRESPONDENCE, 

E.  G.  Fosbroke. — "  I  have  had  to  attend 
many  cases  of  scabies  lately  amongst  quite  clean 
people,  who,  owing  to  expense,  have  given  up 
wearing  gloves.  As  it  was  usually  on  the  left 
hand,  I  wonder  if  the  infection  comes  from  touching 
the  brass  handle  in  mounting  busses — or  can 
your|]readers  suggest  another  source  ?  " 

A  Red  Cross  Nurse  writes  : — "  How  about  the 
dangers  of  inexperienced  Commandants  and 
Quarter  Masters  (girls  often  just  out  of  their 
teens)  and  fires  in  Red  Cross  Hospitals  ?  I  have 
known  the  kitchen  chimney  left  unswept  for  six 
months  at  a  time,  and  been  told  '  to  mind  my  own 
business  '  when  I  suggested  the  danger  of  fire  with 
blocked  flues.  I  see  another  fine  War  Hospital 
has  been  burnt  down.  '  Sparks  from  the  kitchen 
chimney  ignited  the  roof,'  to  be  observed  by  a 
gardener.  When  was  the  kitchen  chimney  at 
Oakwood  Hall  swept  last  ?  " 


Another  Dublin  Sister  \vrites: — "  I  also  want  to 
protest  against  English  Nurses  subsidising  the 
College  of  Nursing  Irish  Board.  Unless  it  is  self- 
supporting  it  should  be  closed  down.  We  Irish 
nurses  object  to  it  on  every  count.  It  has  been 
thrust  upon  Ireland  by  the  trainees  of  St.  Thomas' 
Hospital.  It  will  always  be  an  apple  of  discord 
here.  We  mean  to  have  Home  Rule  professionally, 
as  Irish  doctors  do,  and  we  told  Sir  Arthur  Stanley 
so  when  he  was  recently  over  here." 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITION. 

July  i^th. — What  points  would  you  endeavour 
to  impress  upon  a  mother  as  cf  primary  importance 
for  the  rearing  of  a  healthy  baby  ? 
'July  20th. — State  fully  how  you  would  disinfect 
a  bedroom  and  its  furnishings. 


TERMS  FOR    "  BRITISH    JOURNAL     OF 
NURSING." 

Do  not  fail  to  order  The  British  Journal  of 
Nursing  through  your  newsagent,  price  2d.  per 
week.  If  you  prefer  to  subscribe  the  Journal 
costs  lOG.  lod.  annually,  5s.  6d.  for  six  months,  or 
2S.  9d.  for  three  months.     Abroad,  13s.  4d. 

Trained  Nurses  who  are  members  of  organised 
Nurses'  Societies  are  given  preferential  terms  of 
6s.  6d.  annually. 

Apply  to  the  Manager,  British  Journal  of 
Nursing,  431,  Oxford_Street,  London,  W.  i,     . 


iS 


^he  3Br!ti0b  3ournaI  of  "Wurelnc  Supplement. 

The 


July  6,   1918 


NATIONAL  BABY  WEEK. 


CONFERENCE  AND  EXHIBITION. 

On  Monday,  July  ist,  the  National  Conference 
on  Maternal  and  Infant  Welfare  and  the  Educa- 
tional Mothercraft  Exhibition  were  opened  at  the 
Central  Hall,  Westminster, 
by  the  Dowager  Mar- 
chioness ol  Londondeiiy, 
who  said  it  afforded  her 
the  greatest  possible 
pleasure  to  open  an 
exhibition  of  eveiy  possible 
appliance  for  bringing  /^up 
children  in  the  best 
raanner.  So  many  chil- 
dren were  born  and  so 
few  came  to  maturity 
that  she  welcomed  any 
knowledge  which  would 
teach  mothers  and  po- 
tential mothers — as  well  as 
fathers — to  bring  up  thejr 
children  healthy  and  well. 

On  behalf  of  the 
National  Union  of  Women 
Workers  of  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland,  whose  Child 
Welfare  Committee  orga- 
nized the  Exhibition,  the 
President  5  (Mrs  Ogilvit 
Gordon)  expressed  its 
thanks  to  Lady  London- 
derry 

At  three  o'clock,  the 
Conference  was  inauguiated 
by  a  Mass  2"  Meeting,  at 
which  •  Major  Waldorf 
Astor       pi  esided.  Alter 

paying  a  tribute  to  Lord 
Rhondda,  who,  when  at 
the  Local  Government 
Board,  with  the  true 
instincts  of  a  statesman, 
had  grasped  the  funda- 
mental principle  that  the 
horrible  waste  of  child 
life  must  be  reduced  and 
that  the  immediate  creation 
of  a  Ministry  of  Health 
was  a  necessity,  to  co- 
ordinate the  Health  efforts  of  all  Departments, 
he  spoke  of  the  Departmental  jealousy  which 
delayed  such  co-ordination,  and  said  that  the 
first  essential  was  the  amalgamation  of  existing 
officials  in  a  department  engaged  in  fighting 
against  disease,  instead  of  their  being  engaged  in 
fighting  one  another. 

I    The  first  speaker  was  the  Bishcp  of  Birmingham 
who  moved  the  following  resolution : — 


MOTHERHOOD. 


"  This  meeting  being  confidently  assured  that 
the  existing  rate  of  infant  mortality  is  unnecessary 
and  uneconomic  and  the  cause  of  much  misery, 
calls  upon  the  electois  to  demand  complete  and 
effective  action  from  all  candidates  for  and 
Members  of  Parliament  or  Municipal  Councils 
for  the  better  protection  of 
the  mothers  and  children 
of  the  Nation  " 

Referring  to  environ- 
ment as  it  affects  the  mother 
and  child,  he  said  there 
were  two  main  influences 
on  the  character  of  a  child — 
one  heredity  the  other  en- 
vironment There  might  be 
some  difference  of  opinion 
as  to  the  effect  of  heredity, 
but  there  was  none  as  to 
environment.  He  instanced 
the  boys  brought  up  in 
Poor  Law  schools,  98  per 
cent,  of  whom  did  well 
because  their  characters  de- 
veloped in  good  conditions. 
No  true  community,  said 
the  Bishop,  could  shirk 
its  duty  to  the  np-growi  ng 
citizen,  and  had  no  right 
to  expect  to  endure  if  it 
neglected  infant  life.  We 
asked  of  the  State  that  it 
should  safeguard  the  mother 
and  child,  that  girls  should 
understand  the  sacred  duty 
of  their  ofhce,  and  receive 
due  instruction  in  their 
future  duties.  He  hoped 
no  girl  would  grow  up 
without  three  months'  ex- 
perience in  these  matters  ; 
he  would  prefer  to  substi- 
tute years  for  months. 

Then  there  was  the  wage 
problem.  No  married  man 
should  receive  pay  which 
did  not  enable  him  to  sup- 
port his  wife  who  was 
bearing  children.  There 
was  also  the  problem  of  the 
unmarried  mother.  What- 
ever the  moral  offence  of  the  father  or  mother,  the 
child  should  not  suffer. 

Mrs.  Pember  Reeves  had  said  that  motherhood 
was  the  most  sweated  and  the  worst  paid  of  all 
the  professions.  He  refused  to  ask  people  to  have 
numbers  of  children  under  ^\Tetched  conditions 
and  unsuitable  environment.  A  Department  of 
Government  was  required  to  deal  with  these 
matters.     At  present  the  child  was  struggled  for 


July  6,  1918      (jbc  Brttieb  3ournal  ot  l^uretna  Supplement 


19 


by  many  Departments  and  was  in  danger  of  being 
dismembered.  The  country  was  expectant  to-day 
but  it  would  not  always  be  patient,  even  with 
Parliament.  He  had  pleasure  in  moving  the 
resolution. 

Sir  Owen  Seaman,  in  supporting  the  resolution, 
claimed  that  eveiy  child  at  birth  should  have  an 
equal  chance  of  life. 

Mrs.  H.  B.  Irving  sympathetically  and  elo- 
quently pleaded  for  pensions  for  wndows.  The 
right  of  every  baby  was  a  mother  to  feed  it,  a 
father  to  work  for  and  protect  it.  Many  of  Britain's 
babies  were  fatherless.  The  mothers  should  be 
assisted  by  the  State. 

Mr.  Ben  TiHett  spoke  on  the  relationship  of 
the  State  towards  the  expectant  mother  ;  and 
Dr.  Truby  King  insisted  that  unpreparedness  for 
motherhood  was  a  main  handicap  of  modern 
civilization. 

The  resolution  was  carried  unanimously. 

On  both  Wednesday  and  Thursday  interesting 
and  instructive  addresses  and  lectures  were  given. 

THE    EXHIBITION. 

An  extremely  interesting  exhibition,  open  from 
10.30  a.m.  to  8  p.m.  throughout  the  week,  aims 
at  the  education  of  the  infant  welfare  worker 
and  presents  to  the  public  the  general  scope  and 
varied  aspects  of  the  movement  for  the  care  of 
mothers  and  children. 

MOTHERCRAFT. 

In  the  section  devoted  to  Mothercraft,  as 
taught  in  the  elementary  schools.  Mis.  Truelove, 
L.C.C.  School,  ToUington  Park,  exhibits  articles 
used  by  girls  attending  mother-craft  classes. 
Simple  but  effective  is  the  baby's  basket, 
costing  only  8Jd.,  i.e.,  a  strawbery  basket  id., 
pink  sateen  3d.,  muslin  4jd.  An  oval  glass, 
originally  a  potted  meat  dish,  serves  as  a  soap 
dish,  and  other  fittings  are  quite  inexpensive. 

The  Battersea  Polytechnic,  where  a  thorough 
training  is  given  extending  over  a  year,  and 
recognised  by  the  Local  Government  Board,  show 
sets  of  infants'  clothes  made  by  students.  A 
feature  is  a  collection  of  soaps  suitable  and 
unsuitable  for  infants  (mostly  the  latter).  The 
test  of  phenolphthalein  is  applied,  and  if  it  is 
unsuited  for  a  baby's  use,  the  soap  turns  a  deep 
pink. 

Clean  Milk. 

The  model  of  a  modern  cowbarn  made  to  scale 
at  the  Lord  Roberts'  Memorial  Workshops,  and 
a  second  of  a  dirty  and  unventilated  barn  actually 
in  existence,  is  an  object  lesson  in  the  necessity  for 
clean  dairy  farms. 

Women's  League  of  Service. 

By  the  kindness  of  Mrs.  O'Rourke,  of  the 
Women's  League  of  Service  for  Motherhood, 
128,  Pentonville  Road,  London,  N.  i,  we  are  able 
to  reproduce  their  striking  poster  of  a  working- 
class  mother  and  her  infant.  Their  exhibit  is  a 
reproduction  of  their  dining-room  for  mothers  and 
children,  showing  equipment  and  menus.  There 
was  the  dining-table  for  toddlers,    whose  meal  is 


served  fiist,  and  then  they^are  cared  for  in  another 
room  while  the  mothers  sit  down,  free  from  dis- 
ti action,  'to  a  well-cooked  and  well-served  meal 
at  a  cost  to  themselves  of  2d. 

MiDWivEs'  Institute. 
The  Midwives'  Institute  have  arranged  a 
midwife's  room  containing  the  necessary  equip- 
ment for  the  efficient  booking  of  patients,  including 
various  charts  for  ante-natal  records  exhibited  by 
practising  midwives ;  also  apparatus  used  by 
teachers  of  midwifery  when  preparing  pupils  for 
the  examination  of  the  Central  Midwives'  Board. 

Maternity  Hostel. 
The  Maternity  Hostel  arranged  by  the  Croydon 
Mothers'  and  Infant  Welfare  Association  is  very 
complete,  including  a  well-equipped  labour  ward 
and  a  lying-in  ward.  The  new  jointless  flooring 
supplied  by  the  British  Doloment  Co.,  Ltd.,  is 
utilized  with  good  result. 

Sydenham  Infant  Welfare  Centre. 
The  Sydenham  Infant  Welfare  Centre  of  Adams- 
rill  Road,  S.E.,  has  arranged  (i)  a  ward  for  ailing 
babies,  (2)  other  equipment.  Paiticularly  note- 
worthy is  the  fitted  ohelf  for  the  soap,  towels,  &c., 
used  lor  different  babies.  The  soap  is  in  its  own 
numbered  dish,  and  each  towel  and  washer  is 
numbered  and  kept  apart. 

St.  Pancras  School  for  Mothers. 

The  St.  Pancras  School  for  Mothers — the 
doyenne  of  such  schools — has  arranged  an  Infant 
Welfare  Centre,  showing  the  methods  followed 
and  the  equipment  required  for  weighing  the 
babies,  &c.  On  the  walls  are  educative  posters, 
case  papers  and  card  indexes  form  part  of  the  well- 
ordered  equipment. 

Even  more  interesting  is  the  second  section  of 
this  exhibit,  a  room,  eleven  feet  by  twelve  in 
a  hostel  for  working  mothers.  The  room  is 
intended  for  a  mother  and  one  or  two  children 
whose  husband  is  at  the  war  ;  or  for  a  munition 
worker.  The  floor  is  covered  with  black 
and  white  linoleum.  The  convenient  wpoden 
furniture  made  by  the  boys  of  the  Technical 
Institute,  Shoreditch,  can  all  be  easily  scrubbed, 
spotless  curtains  hang  at  the  open  window,  the 
mother's  bed  is  covered  with  a  bright  quilt.  By 
her  side  is  the  baby's  cot,  a  cheerful  rug  is  laid 
down  in  front  of  the  fire,  a  clothes-horse  is  con- 
verted into  a  screen.  There  is  a  small  chart  for 
the  baby,  as  well  as  the  other  necessaiy  equipment 
including  a  dresser  with  bright  coloured  crockery. 
The  baby's  larder,  in  which  the  milk  for  his  use  is 
kept,  was  designed  by  a  father.  There  is  a  hay- 
box  for  cooking,  such  as  is  now  used  by  many 
frugal  mothers,  and  a  charming  diminutive  gas 
cooker  supplied  by  the  London  Light  &  Coke  Co. 
It  is  a  most  attractive  little  home. 
f  --  !  Eugenics. 

An  interesting  exhibit  is  that  lent  by  the 
Eugenics  Education  Society,  n,  Lincoln's  Inn 
Fields.  A  selection  of  striking  posters  are  illus- 
trative of  the  veirious  aspects  of  syphilis.  


ib 


abc  Brlttsb  3ournai  of  ihurBtno  Suppletneht      My  6,  191S 


NORTH    ISLINGTON  MATERNITY 
CENTRE  AND  SCHOOL  FOR  MOTHERS- 

There  are  1,200  Infant  Welfeire  Centres,  or 
Schools  for  Mothers,  or  Babies'  Welcomes  (which- 
ever you  like  to  call  them,  they  are  practically 
intterchangeable  terms)  in  the  kingdom.  No  doubt 
all  are  doing  excellent  work. 

Having  a  little  time  and  much  inclination,  and 
having  consulted  the  Superintendent  on  the  tele- 
phone as  to  her  convenience  in  the  matter,  I  paid 
a  visit  to  the  North  Islington  School  on  June  28th. 
During  the  five  years  of  its  existence  it  has  grown 
rapidly.  The  premises  consist  of  two  adjoining 
semi-detached  houses  in  Manor  Gardens,  which 
stand  in  a  fair-sized  garden.  The  exquisite  cleanli- 
ness and  order  of  the  whole  place  is  the  first  thing 
that  strikes  the  visitor.  The  next  is  the  extreme 
cordiality  and  courtesy  of  the  Superintendent,  Miss 
Le  Geyt,  who,  although  obviously  very  busy,  takes 
her  visitors  round — there  were  several  on  this 
occasion — explaining  everything  with  pardonable 
pride.  There  are  rooms  of  a  good  size  for  every 
purpose :  Weighing-rooms,  consultation-rooms, 
lecture-rooms,  a  room  for  social  gatherings. 

There  are  three  main  factors  in  every  school  for 
mothers,  namely  :  —  i.  Infant  consultations. 
2.  Classes.  3.  Home  visiting.  This  forms  the 
basis  of  all  the  rest  of  the  work.  Here,  as  else- 
where, great  attention  is  paid  to  these  essentials. 
But  the  activities  of  the  North  Ishngton  School  do 
not  end  here.  Dinners  for  expectant  and  nursing 
mothers  are  provided  by  the  Invalid  Kitchens  of 
London,  which  rent  four  rooms  at  the  school.  The 
L.C.C.  also  use  it  as  a  dental  clinic  for  ele- 
mentary school  children  two  er  three  times  a  week. 
One  of  the  nurses  is  employed  to  attend  the  dentist 
and  keep  the  lecords.  Ancther  room  is  fitted  up 
as  a  surgery  for  the  treatment  of  minor  ailments 
and  for  the  instruction  of  the  mothers  in  such 
treatment. 

'  The  records  of  the  Centre  are  kept  by  means  of 
a  card  index  system.  Case  papers  take  the  form 
of  cardS' — ^pink  for  girls,  blue  for  boys,  grey  for  the 
expectant  mothers,  and  white  for  the  visitors.  A 
,  ch£irt  of  the  child's  weight  is  attached  to  the  case 
paper. 

The  stafi  includes  the  Superintendent  and 
several  other  nurses,  some  of  them  resident. 
About  thirty-seven  voluntary  workers,  most  of 
whom  are  visitors,  also  two  women  medical  officers. 
The  most  recent  development  of  the  work  is  an 
infants'  ward  with  accommodation  for  about 
fifteen  ailing  babies.  Children  who  are  not  ill 
enough  to  be  taken  into  a  hospital,  and  yet  require 
to  be  under  observation  and  have  skilled  care  and 
attention.  Dr.  Truby  King  has  visited  the  school 
and  given  an  address  there.  His  comment  is  that 
it  is  first-rate — the  real  thing.  From  such  an 
authority  this  is  praise  indeed,  and  Miss  Le  Geyt 
values  it  as  such.  Certainly  no  Institution  of  the 
kind  could  be  better. 

B.  K. 


POST   GRADUATE    WEEK    FOR 

MIDWIVES    AT  YORK    ROAD    LYING-IN 

HOSPITAL. 

On  June  26th,  a  party  of  post-graduates  visited 
Queen  Charlotte's  Lying-in  Hospital.  Here  they 
were  received  most  courteously  by  the  Matron, 
who  deputed  one  of  the  Sisters  to  escort  the 
numerous  visitors  round  the  wards  of  the  hospital. 

Many  interesting  cases  were  pointed  out  and 
described,  the  midwives  eagerly  reading  the  notes 
on  the  very  comprehensive  case  papers.  The 
babies,  as  usual,  came  in  for  a  large  amount  of 
admiration,  for  midwives  like  mothers,  seem  to 
have  an  inexhaustible  stock  of  love  for  infants,  and 
one  unusually  fine  or  charming  drew  forth  universal 
appreciation.  The  tiny  "  prem  "  was  in  a  tent 
made  of  blankets  and  warmed  by  an  electric 
lamp.  At  Queen  Charlotte's  they  do  not  use 
incubators.  Blankets  are  considered  preferable 
to  cotton  covering  on  account  of  their  being 
porous. 

One  small  ward  was  a  centre  of  interest,  as  it 
contained  two  Caesarian  section  cases,  and  one 
bad  case  of  mitral  disease. 

The  labour  wards  are  roomy  and  thoroughly 
equipped,  and  are  used  in  turn.  This  arrange- 
ment enables  each  ward  to  be  thoroughly  "  spring 
cleaned  "  each  month. 

Adjoining  the  hospital  is  the  ante-natal  and 
infant  clinic  department. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  visit,  tea  was  most 
kindly   provided   by   the  Matron  in   the   pupils' 
lecture   room,    and    so   a    very   instructive    and 
pleasant  afternoon  was  brought  to  a  close. 
Examination. 

As  the  result  of  the  examination  held  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  week,  the  first  prize  was  awarded 
to  Mrs.  Walters  (trained  at  the  General  Lying-in 
Hospital)  and  the  second  prize  to  I\lrs.  McLaren. 


A  nursery  hospital  for  15  babies  suffering  from 
marasmus,  &c.,  has  been  opened  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Birmingham  Public  Health  Comnuttee.  It 
affords  an  opportunity  for  gaining  or  increasing 
experience  in  the  treatment  and  physiological 
feeding  advocated  by  Dr.  Holt  and  Dr.  Eric 
Pritchard.  Volunteers  interested  in  this  form  of 
war  work  may  write  for  particulars  to  Miss 
Margesson,  Nursery  Hospital,  Bcirnt  Green,  near 
Birmingham. 


The  Midwives  Bill,  to  amend  the  Midwives 
Act,  T902,  was  considered  by  the  House  of  Lords 
in  Committee  on  July  2nd.  On  the  motion  of 
the  Marquess  of  Salisbury  the  contentious  and 
objectionable  Clause  (Clause  12)  was  struck  out  of 
the  Bill.  Lord  SaUsbury  then  moved  the  inser- 
tion of  a  new  Clause,  i.e.,  "Section  nine  of  the 
principal  Act  (which  enables  county  councils  to 
delegate  their  powers  and  duties  to  district 
councils)  shall  be  repealed."  So  far  so  good. 
Friends  of  midwives  must  now  watch  the  Bill  in 
the  House  of  Commons. 


THE 


iUHMPWStG 


WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 
EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


No.  1,580. 


SATURDAY,   JULY    13,    1918. 


Vol.    LXI 


EDITORIAL. 


OUTSIDE    THE    PALE— LONDON     HOSPITAL 
NURSE5. 

The  following  instructive  discussion  took 
place  in  the  House  of  Commons  on 
July  4th  : — 

Major  Chappie  asked  the  Chancellor  of 
the  Exchequer  whether  his  attention  had 
been  called  to  the  existence  of  a  system  of 
farming  out  of  nurses  in  the  London 
Hospital  under  which  nurses  were  taken 
from  their  training  in  the  wards  at  the  end 
of  their  second  year,  were  paid  13s.  per 
week,  and  sent  out  to  nurse  as  trained 
nurses  in  private  cases  at  £2  2s.  per  week, 
the  hospital  profiting  by  this  means  to  the 
extent  of  over  £6,000  per  year  before  the 
w^ar  ;  and  whether  he  intended  to  introduce 
legislation  to  protect  nurses  and  patients 
from  this  system. 

Mr.  Walsh,  Parliamentary  Secretary  to 
the  Local  Government  Board,  who  replied, 
said : — The  arrangements  made  by  the 
London  Hospital  with  their  nurses  are  not 
a  matter  over  which  the  Government  have 
any  control.  There  is  no  intention  of  in- 
troducing legislation  on  the  subject. 

Sir  C.  Henry  :  Has  the  hon.  member 
satisfied  himself  of  the  accuracy  of  the 
statements  in  the  question  ? 

Captain  Carr-Gomm  :  Are  not  the  state- 
ments in  the  question  of  a  controversial 
character,  and  is  not  the  expression  "farm- 
ing out,"  though  perhaps  picturesque,  very 
unfair  to  an  institution  which  has  done 
much  good  work  for  a  great  number  of 
years  ? 

Major  Chappie  :  Is  my  hon.  friend  not 
aware  that  the  London  Hospital  is  the  only 
great  hospital  which  takes  its  nurses  from 
their  training  in  the  wards  at  the  end  of  the 
second   year,    and    admittedly    pays  them 


only  13s.  a  week  while  it  draws  two  guineas 
a  week  ? 

The  Speaker :  This  question  should  not 
have  appeared  on  the  paper.  No  Govern- 
ment Department  has  any  control  over  the 
affairs  of  the  London  Hospital.  If  my 
attention  had  been  called  to  the  preamble 
of  the  question  I  should  have  struck  it  out. 

We  are  all  conversant  with  the  com- 
mercialism of  the  Nursing  Department  of 
the  London  Hospital.  No  doubt  it  will  pass 
with  the  present  Prussianised  incarnation, 
but  what  is  of  vast  importance  to  the 
nursing  profession,  as  a  whole,  is  the  un- 
blushing confession  of  the  Parliamentary 
Secretary  to  the  Local  Government  Board 
that  arrangements  made  by  employers  of 
voluntary  charitable  institutions,  in  connec- 
tion with  workers  under  their  control,  no 
matter  how  injurious  they  may  be,  are 
beyond  the  power  of  Parliament.  Again, 
the  Speaker,  in  supporting  this  view,  boldly 
said  had  his  attention  been  called  to  the 
preamble  of  the  question  he  would  have 
struck  it  out ! 

In  our  opinion  this  is  a  most  Indefensible 
attitude  for  Parliament  to  assume  in  relation 
to  any  class  of  worker.  Here  we  have  a 
class  of  women  whose  work  in  civilian  and 
military  hospitals,  and  in  the  homes  of  rich 
and  poor  is  of  the  utmost  value  to  the  well- 
being  of  the  State,  and  we  find  members  of 
Parliament — to  whose  emoluments  many  of 
these  workers  are  compelled  to  subscribe, 
calmly  repudiating  all  responsibility  for 
their  conditions  of  labour.  By  what  right, 
human  or  divine,  are  hospital  governors 
empowered  to  treat  their  nursing  staffs  as 
helots,  to  work  them  and  exploit  them  as 
they  please  ?  We  are  not  living  in  pre- 
Reformation  days  when  the  religious  houses 
were  barred  and  bolted,  and  their  conduct 
above  the  control  of  the  State,  and  that  is 


22 


Zbc  Brtttsb  3ournal  of  •Ruratno. 


July   13,    1918 


the  position  claimed  by  Mr.  Speaker  for  the 
London  Hospital  in  this  year  of  grace.  It 
is  amazing! 

Do  not  let  us  forget,  however,  that  there 
is  no  Act  on  the  Statute  Book  for  the 
protection  of  trained  nurses,  and  until  we 
get  a  modern  Parliament  we  fear  no  just 
Act  will  be  enforced.  We  trained  nurses 
must  not  fail  to  realise  the  significance  of 
Mr.  Speaker's  attitude  towards  us.  It  is 
indeed  high  time  some  Government  Depart- 
ment was  given  control  over  every  institution 
where  persons  assume  arrogant  authority 
over  the  lives  of  their  fellows. 

The  subtle  provisions  for  the  perpetuation 
of  this  unrestricted  control  by  Nurse  Train- 
ing Schools  is  what  we  have  been  fighting 
in  the  draft  Bill,  seven  times  revised,  by 
hospital  governors  and  officials  who  control 
the  College  of  Nursing,  Limited. 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITION. 


WHAT  POINTS  WOULD  YOU  ENDEAVOUR  TO  IMPRESS 

UPON  A  MOTHER  A5  OF   PRIMARY  IMPORTANCE  FOR 

THE   REARING   OF   A   HEALTHY   BABY? 

We  have  pleasure  in  awarding  the  prize  this 
week  to  Miss  Theodora  Harris,  Slack  Lane, 
Derby. 

PRIZE     PAPER. 

I  should  endeavour  to  impress  on  the  mother 
the  following  points  as  essential  to  the  suc- 
cessful rearing  of  a  healthy  baby  : — 

I.  That  Nature's  way  is  always  the  best,  and 
that  to  keep  to  the  plans  of  Nature  will  ensure 
the  best  results.  Nature  intended  breast- 
feeding, therefore  breast-feeding  is  the  right 
method.  But  to  ensure  her  infant  getting  the 
full  value  from  its  natural  food  the  mother  must 
bear  in  mind  the  following  points  : — 

(a)  That  her  own  physical  health  must  be 
safeguarded  by  abundance  (if  possible)  of  plain, 
.  nourishing  food  and  milk ;  by  sufficient  sleep 
and  rest ;  by  sufficient  work,  exercise,  and  fresh 
air;  and  by  the  avoidance  of  constipation,  hot 
rooms,  and  any  other  unhealthy  condition. 

(h)  That  her  mental  condition  must  be  kept  as 
healthful  and  peaceful  as  possible,  and  agita- 
tions, excitements,  fits  of  passion,  &c.,  strictly 
avoided  as  far  as  is  possible.  An  anxious, 
worried,  or  angry  mother  will  find  her  milk 
suffer. 

If  from  any  unusual  cause  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  feed  the  baby  artificially  (and  a 
baby  should  not  be  weaned  except  under 
medical  advice,  as  a  condition  serious  enough 


to  necessitate  weaning  would  be  serious  enough 
to  necessitate  a  doctor's  attendance),  the  arti- 
ficial feeding  must  adhere  as  closely  as  possible 
to  Nature's  plan,  and,  in  that  case,  I  should 
advise  the  mother  to  procure  a  pamphlet  (price 
2d.)  by  Dr.  Eric  Pritchard  on  "  Artificial  Feed- 
ing," and  follow  the  directions  closely.  No 
other  food  must,  of  course,  be  given — no 
"bits." 

2.  Regularity  in  all  things  :  regular  three- 
hourly  feeding;  regularity  in  holding  out,  so 
that  the  infant  is  soon  habituated  to  connect 
certain  times  with  certain  things  ;  regular  hours 
for  putting  to  bed,  for  getting  up,  for  bathing, 
&c.  An  infant's  life  should  go  by  clockwork, 
not  only  for  the  sake  of  present  comfort  and 
health,  but  also  for  the  sake  of  educating  the 
child.  An  infant's  education  begins  on  the  first 
day  of  its  life  :  in  the  first  few  hours  he  is  being 
taught  habits,  either  good  or  bad. 

3.  Fresh  air  is  an  essential  whatever  the 
season,  and  the  windows  should  never  be  shut, 
except  just  at  bath-time.  Baby  should  spend 
a  large  portion  of  his  time  in  the  open  air,  not 
with  the  sun  beating  on  him,  and  not  inside  the 
leather  hood  of  a  perambulator,  and  not  with 
his  face  covered  with  muslin.  If  a  garden  is 
available,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  place  a  cot  under 
a  tree,  and  allow  him  to  sleep  there.  A  per- 
ambulator is  too  cramped  to  sleep  in. 

4.  Which  brings  us  to  another  point — 
rational  clothing.  Away  with'  stiff  binder,  linen 
shirt,  &c.,  and  supplant  them  with  loose, 
knitted  wool  vest  and  binder,  high  neck  and 
long  sleeves,  no  head  flannel,  and  gowns  that 
do  not  pin  up  over  the  feet,  but  allow  for 
exercise. 

5.  Absolute  cleanliness  for  the  baby  and  all 
appertaining  to  him  is  a  point  the  importance 
of  which  cannot  be  over-estimated,  and  too 
much  stress  cannot  be  laid  on  the  dangers 
arising  from  lack  of  it. 

6.  Sleep  and  rest  are  things  many  babies  are 
deprived  of.  A  baby  should  sleep  most  of  his 
life  that  is  not  occupied  by  feeding  and  bathing. 
He  should  be  allowed  to  be  peaceful  when 
awake,  and  not  be  "on  show  "  to  friends  and 
relatives,  who  endeavour  to  attract  his  atten- 
tion ;  that  way  lies  a  nervous  child.  Give  baby 
every  needful  attention,  and  then  judiciously 
let  him  al&ne.  It  is  as  bad  to  deprive  a  baby  of 
sleep  as  to  deprive  it  of  food. 

7.  Baby  must  have  a  separate  bed,  be  it  but 
a  clothes-basket  or  orange-crate,  and  with  no 
curtains  to  keep  out  the  air.  An  orange-crate 
and  a  mattress  of  chopped  straw,  that  can  be 
easily  replaced,  are  within  the  means  of  even 
very  poor  mothers. 


July   13,   1918 


Zbc  ©ritisb  3ournal  of  IRurslno. 


23 


8.  No  dummy !  Adenoids,  misshapen  mouths, 
and  deformed  teeth  may  result  from  this  evil 
practice ;  and  the  danger  of  infection  when  one 
is  used  is  almost  impossible  to  guard  against. 

9.  Flies  are  some  of  baby's  worst  enemies, 
and  must  be  fought  and  exterminated.  All  food 
must  be  covered ;  damp  refuse,  tea-leaves, 
green  stuffs,  &c.,  burnt,  and  the  dustbin  be 
always  Covered,  and  no  accumulations  allowed 
anywhere. 

To  sum  up,  all  baby's  surroundings  must  be 
clean,  sunny,  sanitary,  and  airy,  and  not  over- 
crowded, either  by  persons  or  things.  And  as 
a  child  is  trained  to  good  habits  in  infancy,  so 
will  he  be  in  adult  life. 

HONOURABLE   MENTION. 

The  following  competitors  receive  honourable 
mention  : — Mrs.  Farthing,  Miss  M.  M.  G. 
Bielby,  Miss  Alice  M.  Burns,  Mrs.  S.  A.  Box, 
Miss  Olive  M.  Balderstone,  Miss  P.  Thompson, 
Miss  J.  James. 

QUESTION   FOR  NEXT    WEEK. 

State  fully  how  you  would  disinfect  a  bed- 
room and  its  furnishings. 


THE    ROYAL    RED    CROSS. 


The  King  conferred  the  decoration  of  the 
Royal  Red  Cross  upon  the  following  ladies  at 
Buckingham  Palace,  on  July  3rd,  as  follows : — 

Bar  to  the^Royal  Red  Cross, 

First  Class. 
Matron  Ada  Yorke,  late  Queen  Alexandra' s  Imperi?,! 
Military  Nursing  Service. 

The  Royal  Red  Cross. 

First  Class. 

Queen  Alexandra' s  Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service. 
— Matron  Alexina  Guthrie,  and  Lady  Superintendent 
Fdith  Beesby. 

Queen  Alexandra' s  Impeiial  Military  Nursing  Serviec 
Reserve. — Assistant  Matron  Grace  Rowlatt,  and 
Sister  Gwendoline  Williams. 

Territorial  Force  Nursing  Service. — Matron  Ethel 
Buchanan. 

Civil  Nursing  Service. — Matron  Emmeline  Bann, 
Matron  Clare  Firth,  Matron  Agnes  Hunt,  Assistant 
Matron  Eleanor  Rodgers,  and  Assistant  Matron 
Martha  Rogers. 

British  Red  Cross  Society. — Matron  Mary  Guy. 

Voluntary  Aid  Detachment. — Miss  Maud  Goodhue, 
and  Miss  Kate  Howard. 

Canadian  Army  Nursing  Service. — Matron  Bessie 
Mitchell,  Matron  Elizabeth  Ross,  Acting  Matron 
Irene  Cains,  Acting  Matron  Jessie  Scott,  Acting 
Matron  Jean  Stronach,  Sister  Hilda  Corelli,  Sister 
Alison  DiCKisoN,  and  Sister  Minnie  McAffee. 

Second  Class. 
Queen  Alexandra' s  Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service 
Reserve. — Sister  Elsie  Bewsey,  Sister  Annie  Florey, 
p.nd  Sister  Sarah  Hughes. 


Territorial    force    Nursing    Service. — Sister   Lillian 

LOVELL. 

Civil  Nursing  Service. — Matron  Lilian  Boughey, 
Assistant  Matron  LiUan  Baines,  Assistant  Matron 
Agnes  Bankhead,  Sister  Elizabeth  Anderson,  Sister 
Edith  Aspinall,  and  Sister  Edith  Barber. 

British  Red  Cross  Society. — Matron  Pauline  Peter. 

Voluntary  Aid  Detachment. — Miss  Pollex  Adams, 
Miss  Edith  Allhusen,  Miss  Betty  Anderson,  Miss 
Frances  Baguley,  Mrs.  Elsie  Hughes,  Miss  Beatrice 
Bagnall-Oakley,  Miss  Katherine  Tompson,  and  Miss 
Mary  Wilkinson. 

Canadian  Army  Nursing  Service. — Acting  Matron 
Gertrude  Radcliffe,  Sister  Gertrude  Ramsden,  Sister 
Gertrude  Spanner,  Sister  Letitia  Stevenson, ^^Sister 
Jean  Sword,  and  Sister  Mary  White. 

Queen  Alexandra  received  at  Marlborough 
House  the  Members  of  the  Military  and  Civil 
Nursing  Services  who  have  been  awaxded  the 
Royal  Red  Cross,  subsequent  to  the  Investiture. 


The  King  has  been  pleased  to  award  the  Royal 
Red  Cross  to  the  undermentioned  ladies,  in  recogni- 
tion of  their  valuable  nursmg  services  in  connection 
with  the  war. 

Second  Class. 

C.4BLE,  Miss  A.  E.,  Matron,  Gen.  Infirmary,  Salisbury  ; 
Callan,  Miss  H.f  Sister,  T.F.N. S.,  2nd  Lend. 
Gen.  Hospl.,  Chelsea;  Cameron,  Miss  J.  W., 
Sister,  Q.A.I. M.N. S.R.,  Mily.  Hospl.,  Tidworth ; 
Cameron,  Miss  M.,  Sister,  T.F.N. S.,  4th  Sco. 
Gen.  Hospl.,  Stobhill,  Glasgow;  Cameron,  Miss 
M.  C,  Sister,  Tooting  Mily.  Hospl.,  Tooting, 
S.W.  17;  Campbell,  Miss  A.  G.,  Matron,  The 
Red  Cross  Hospl.,  Sussex  Lodge,  Newmarket;  Camp- 
bell, Miss  E.  N.,  Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing  Service, 
No.  4  Can.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Basingstoke,  Hants  ;  Campbell, 
Miss  M.  S.,  Sister,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R.,  Wharncliffe  War 
Hospl.,  Sheffield;  Carpenter-Turner,  Miss  E.  M., 
Matron,  R.  Hamp.  County  Hospl.,  Winchester;  Carr- 
Harris,  Miss  S.  M.,  Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing 
Service,  No.  16,  Can.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Orpington.  Kent; 
Carrier,  Miss  E.,  Charge  Sister,  V.A.  Hospl.,  Lydney, 
Glos.  ;  Carter,  Miss  A.  M.,  Matron,  Broomlands  Aux. 
Hospl.,  Kirkcudbright;  Cattell,  Miss  C.  L.,  Matron, 
Uffculme  Aux.  Hosp.,  Birmingham  ;  Chandler,  Miss  G., 
Sister,  T.F.N. S.,  East  Leeds  War  Hospl.,  2nd  Northern 
Gen.  Hospl.  ;  Christmas,  Miss  M.  L.,  Sister  i/c  Ward, 
N.Z.A.N.S.,  No.  2  New  Zealand  Hospl.,  Walton-on- 
Thames;  Clerk,  Miss  E.  M.,  Sister,  T.F.N. S.,  3rd 
Northern  Gen.  Hospl.,  Sheffield ;. Clayton,  Mrs.  C,  Lady 
Supt.,  Dollis  Hill  House,  Gladstone  Park,  Willesden ; 
Clery,  Miss  M.,  Sister,  Q.A.I. M.N. S.R.,  Mily.  Hospl., 
Curragh,  Ireland;  Clowes,  Miss  C,  Hilder's  Mily. 
Hospl.,  Haslemere,  Surrey;  Coath,  Miss  E.,  Sister, 
American  Women's  War  Hospl.,  Paignton,  Devon  ;  Cock- 
burn,  Mrs.  S.,  Matron,  Royston,  Herts;  Cockeram,  Miss 
E.,  Asst.  Matron,  Gen.  Hospl.,  Birmingham;  Comyn, 
Miss  K.,  Asst.  Matron,  Dublin  Castle  Red  Cross  Hospl., 
Dublin  City;  Conley,  Miss  B.,  Sister,  Q.A.I. M.N. S.R., 
R.  Herbert  Hospl.,  Woolwich;  Connon,  Miss  A.  H.  J., 
Matron,  Murtle  House  Aux.  Hospl.,  Aberdeenshire; 
Cook,  Miss  M.,  Masseuse,  Bath  War  Hospl.,  Bath; 
CooMBY,  Miss  A.,  Sister,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R.,  King 
George's  Hospl.,  Stamford  Street,  London,  S.E.  i  ; 
Corrigan,  Miss  F^.,  Night  Sister,  Nell  Lane  Mily. 
Hospl.,  West  Didsbury,  Manchester;  Cort,  Miss  F.  M., 
Matron,  R.  Bath  Hospl.,  Harrogate;  Cottrell,  Miss 
A.,  Asst.  Macron,  Gen.  Mily.  Hospl.,  Edmonton;  Cramp, 


34 


(Tbe  Britieb  3ournal  ot  IRursma, 


July   13,    1918 


Miss  F.  G.,  Sister,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R.,  Reading  War 
Hospl.  ;  Crawford,  Miss  J.,  Matron,  Stapleton  Park, 
Pontefract,  W.  Yorlis ;  Cpawshaw,  Mrs.  F.,  Matron, 
Stubbins  Vale  Red  Cross  Hospl.,  Ramsbottom  ;  Crock- 
WEH.,  Miss  H.,  Matron,  Basford  House  Red  Cross 
Hospl.,  Old  Trafford,  near  Manchester;  Crosfield, 
Lady  D.,  Commdt.,  Highgate  V.A.D.  Hospl.,  "  By- 
cuUa  ";  Crump,  Miss  E.  M.,  Matron,  Red  Cross  Hospl., 
Belper,  Derbyshire;  Culliman,  Miss  A.  M.,  Sister, 
Weston  Favell,  Northampton,  Aux.  Mil.  Hospl. 

Darley,  Mrs.  L.,  Matron,  St.  John's  Ambulance  Bde. 
Hospl.,  6,  Kensington  Terrace,  Newcastle-on-Tyne ; 
Davies,  Miss  C,  Matron,  V.A.D.  Hospl.,  High 
Wycombe;  Davies,  Miss  E.  A.,  Sister,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R., 
Council  School  Mil.  Hospl.,  Aylesbury  ;  Davies,  Miss  E. , 
Matron,  Countess  of  Pembroke's  Hospl.  for  Officers, 
Wilton  House,  Salisbury;  Davis,  Miss  M.,  Sister, 
Q.A.I. M.N.S.,  The  Co.  of  Midd'x  War  Hospl.,  Naps- 
bury,  St.  Albans;  Da  we,  Miss  A.  M.,  Sister, 
Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.,  Mily.  Hospl.,  Ripon,  Yorks ;  Dean, 
Miss  N.,  Senior  Sister,  Oakdene  Hospl.,  Rainhill ;  De 
Bellefeuille,  Miss  K.,  Nursing  Sister,  No.  14  Can. 
Gen.  Hospl.,  Eastbourne;  Dennis,  Miss  L. ,  Sister, 
T.F.N.S.,  ist  Northern  Gen.  Hospl.,  Newcastle-on- 
Tyne;  Denton,  Miss  L.,  Matron,  Normanby  Park  Aux. 
Hospl., near  Doncaster  ;  Dodds,  Miss  J.  C,  Sub-Matron, 
N.Z.A.N.S.,  No.  3  N.Z.  Mil.  Hospl.,  Codford ; 
Dodgson,  Miss  G,  E.,  Matron,  Dane  John  V.A.D. 
Hospl.,  Canterbury;  Douglas,  Mrs.  M.,  Nurse,  Princess 
Christian  Hospl.,  South  Norwood  Hill,  London;  Dow- 
son,  Mrs.  A.,  Senior  Nurse,  St.  John's  Hospl.,  Chelten- 
ham ;  Draper,  Miss  E.  A.,  A./Asst.  Matron,  Highfield 
Mil.  Hospl.,  Knotty  Ash,  Liverpool;  Dugdale,  Mrs. 
E.  I.,  Matron,  Eggington  Hall  Hospl.,  Derby,  Dumble, 
Miss  J.,  Asst.  Matron,  Welsh  Metropolitan  War  Hospl., 
Whitchurch,  near  Cardiff;  Dunbar,  Miss  M.  A.,  Sister, 
Q.A.I. M.N.S.R.,  Mil.  Hospl.,  Sheerness  ;  Dunn,  Miss 
v..  Matron,  St.  John's  V.A.D.  Hospl.,  Sevenoaks ; 
Durward,  Miss  A.  J.  D.,  Sister,  Q.A.I.M.N.S.R., 
Queen  Mary's  Mil.  Hospl.,  Whalley,  Lanes. 
(To  be  continued.) 


Matron  Ada  Yorke,  Q.A.I.M.N.S.  (Winchester 
Divisional  Red  Cross  Hospital),  received  a  Bar  to 
the  Royal  Red  Cross  on  the  same  day  as  her  son, 
Captain  H.  Yorke,  R.A.M.C,  received  the  M.C. 
proud  mother  and  proud  son  !  We  congratulate 
Ihem  both. 


NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 


It  is  reported  that  the  Queen  is  particularly 
anxious  that  w^ounded  women  should  be  permitted 
to  wear  a  little  gold-braid  stripe  on  their  sleeves 
after  the  manner  of  tlie  men.  She  is  of  opinion 
that  it  is  the  least  recognition  they  can  have. 
For  some  time  now  there  has  been  a  rumour  that 
women  should  receive  orders  for  distinguished 
service,  and  we  hear  that  this  is  under  consideration 
and  is  likely  to  bear  fruit. 


We  hope  to  hear  that  trained  nurses  under  the 
authority  of  the  Service  du  Sanii,  in  France,  may 
be  granted  the  right  to  wear  the  galons  for  length 
of  service,  as  soldiers  are.  The  Sisters  of  the 
F.F.N.C.  rank  as  officers  in  the  French  Army,  and 
have    many    of    their    privileges. 


We  hear  that  some  of  the  American  masseuses 
in  France  are  doing  remarkably  clever  work  in 
manipulating  bad  facial  wounds.  These  masseuses 
were  originally  beauty  doctors,  and — ^like  all  the 
American  specialists  of  this  order — are  very 
clever  at  their  work. 


In  France,  where  the  "  religious  "  have  been 
for  so  long  the  nurses  of  the  sick,  the  modern 
civil  and  military  nurse  is  a  new  specie^,  not  yet 
quite  understood  or  approved.  For  instance, 
when  the  Americans  first  came  to  Talence,  the 
fact  that  they  were  provided  with  recreation  and 
gaily  tripped  the  hght  fantastic  toe  with  their 
fellow  workers  the  doctors  rather  shocked  the 
French.  But  recreation  is  a  most  necessary 
provision  in  the  maintenance  of  a  sound  mental 
and  physical  balance,  especially  in  war — and 
dancing  may  be  harmless  enough. 

Miss  Jane  A.  Delano,  R.N.  (Chairman  of  the 
National  Committee  on  Nursing  Service  of  the 
American  Red  Cross),  writes  of  "  Recreation 
Houses  for  Nurses  "  in  the  American  Journal  of 
Nursing.  The  A.R.C.,  at  the  request  of  the 
Surgeon- General,  is  erecting  forty  of  such  recrea- 
tion houses,  which  are  in  reality  club  houses  for 
nurses  working  in  the  cantonment  hospitals. 
Most  exacting  care  is  being  given  to  the  comforts 
within.  The  main  room  (30  by  75  ft.),  to  be  used 
ordinarily  as  a  living  room,  will  also  be  adapted 
for  an  assembly  hall,  and  can  be  used  for  dances 
and  receptions.  There  vidll  be  a  small  balcony, 
which  may  be  utilised,  among  other  ways,  for 
operating  moving  pictures.  From  the  great  room 
will  open  a  librajy,  a  sewing  room  equipped  with 
machines  and  all  conveniences,  a  small  laundry, 
and  a  fully  equipped  kitchen.  A  piano  and 
victrola  and  dainty  lounges,  and  everything  else 
necessary  to  express  a  sense  of  home,  and  to  supply 
the  needs  and  add  to  the  comfort  of  cantonment 
life,  have  been  provided.  These  clubs  will  be 
connected  with  the  nurses'  quarters. 


Major  Chappie  recently  asked  the  Under 
Secretary  A  State  for  War,  in  the  House  of 
Commons,  whether  any  advance  in  the  mess 
allowance  to  nurses  had  recently  been  made  to 
meet  the  increased  cost  of  food  ;  and  whether 
he  had  satisfied  himself  that  the  increased  and 
increasing  strain  being  put  upon  nurses  in  the 
execution  of  their  duties  was  being  fully  met  by 
an  adequate  supply  of  nourishing  food  ? 

Mr.  Forster  replied,  as  follows  :  "  An  advance 
of  4s.  2d.  was  authorised  in  Februarj^  1917. 
I  have  no  information  to  suggest  that  the  nurses 
are  suffering  in  consequence  of  an  inadequate 
supply  of  nourishing  food." 


A  Sister  we  know,  now  supervising  W.A.A.C.s, 
appears  to  have  put  on  lbs.  of  weight.  "  No 
wonder,"  she  remarked,  cheerfully,  "  we  are 
magnificently  fed ;  meat  twice  a  day,  and  as 
much  of  everytliing  as  we  can  stuff."  Moral  : 
To  avoid  the  vacuimi  nature  abhors,  become  a 
woman  soldier. 


July  13,  1918  ^|)e  British  3ournal  of  Bursing.  25 

FRENCH  FLAG  NURSING  CORPS.        CARE  OF  THE  WOUNDED. 


So  many  of  the  Sisters  were  working  behind 
the  French  hnes  between  the  last  German  push 
and  the  Marne  that  their  ambulances,  in  many 
instances,  have  had  to  be  set  up  anew.  This 
the  Service  du  Sante  has  accomplished  in  the  most 
admirable  manner — and  we  have  received  numbers 
of  letters  expressing  the  gratitude  of  the  Sisters 
for  the  great  consideration,  kindness  and  appre- 
ciation they  have  received  from  the  medical 
officers  under  whom  they  work. 

One  Sister  writes  :  "I  cannot  express  to  you 
how  good  the  doctors  have  been  to  us  .  .  .  they 
have  looked  after  us  and  spared  us  in  every  way 
possible,  and  treat  us  as  camarades — the  greatest 
compliment.  This  ambulance  has  been  very 
vv-ell  notei  at  Headquarters  in  the  retreat.     We 

left  G at  mid-day  and  at  mid-night  were 

working  at  M .     Never  shall  we  forget  that 

night,  with  bombs  falling  all  round  us,  knowing 
that    the    Boches    were    advancing    so    fast." 

This  brave  woman  once  expressed  the  opinion 
that  she  would  consider  it  a  glorious  death  to  die 
on  duty  at  the  Front.  So  it  may  be,  but  we 
cannot  spare  these  heroines' — the  wounded  have 
too  great  need  of  them. 


Another  Sister  says  : — 

"  All  the  six  weeks  I  was  there  (somewhere  in 
France)  I  only  had  two  quiet  nights — 
the  Germans  bombarded  alternately  by  cannons 
and  avions.    We  got  nearly  all  the  Boches  from 

R and  we  were  kept  very  busy.   The  wounds 

were  very  terrible — many  deaths  ;  we  had  some 
who  had  lain  out  thiee,  four  and  five  days  on 
the  ground,  and  it  was  awful  to  see  enormous 
quantities  of  worms  come  out  when  the  dressings 
were    taken    off." 

In  French  hospitals,  German  wounded  share 
all  the  good  care  that  is  going  equally  with  the 
heroic  P'renchmen.  This  is  the  law  of  chivalry-^ — 
entirely  superseded  by  the  law  of  "  f rightfulness  " 
so  far  as  our  brutalised  enemies  are   cone  erned 


The  Ambulance  12/2  Unit  have  arrived  at  their 
destination  and  had  a  wery  waxm  welcome  upon 
their  return.  

Sisters  Gill,  Hanning  and  Jones  have  rejoined 
Ambulance  16/21,  and  have  also  enjoyed  the 
"  fatted  calf."  It  is  indeed  a  matter  for  con- 
gratulation that  the  medical  officers  of  the  Service 
de  Sante  value  their  services  so  much.  Both 
units  have  been  told  their  care  means  the  saving  of 
life.     This  is  the  great  reward  to  the  true  nurse. 


Miss  Mildred  Aldrich,  the  author  of  that  most 
fascinating  little  book,  "  A  Hill-top  on  the  Marne," 
has  published  a  second  volume,  "  On  the  Edge  of 
the  War  Zone,"  in  which  she  gives  a  palpitating 
picture  of  the  emotion  with  which  an  American 
resident  near  Meaux  has  lived  through  the  exciting 
events  down  to  the  advance  on  Soissons.  This  is  a 
book  many  F.F.N.C.  Sisters  will  want  to  possess. 


July  4th,  American  Independence  Day,  has 
been  celebrated  in  great  form  by  the  Allied 
nations,  and  we  were  all  with  President  Wileon 
in  spirit,  when,  on  that  date,  he  stood  by  the 
tombs  of  "\\"ashington  and  his  wife,  Martha, 
within  the  grounds  of  Mount  Vernon,  their  lovely 
home  on  the  bankr.  of  the  Potomac,  now  conse- 
crated by  the  Daughters  of  the  Revolution  to 
their  imperishable  memory. 


July  14th,  which  typifies  to  all  Frenchmen 
the  victory  of  Liberty  over  Absolutism  when,  in 
1789,  they  stormed  and  captured  the  Bastille — ■ 
a  victory  which  swept  away  the  ancien  regime — • 
is  in  this  year  of  grace  to  be  celebrated  in  London 
as  "  France's  Day,"  on  the  12th  inst.  A  solemn 
mass  of  requiem  for  the  French  soldiers  and  sailors 
who  have  fallen  in  the  war  will  be  held  at  West- 
minster Cathedral  at  11.30  a.m.  in  connection 
with  the  British  Committee  of  the  French  Red 
Cross,  when  the  splendid  premier  Zouave  band 
of  the  French  Army  will  play  before  lunching 
with  the  Lord  Mayor.  A  whole  day  collection 
Avill  be  made  in  London  for  the  benefit  of  French 
sick  and  wounded — the  refugees  from  the  devas- 
tated districts,  and  other  sufferers  from  the 
invasion  of  France  by  the  ruthless  Hun.  Thou- 
sands  of  sympathisers  will  sell  souvenirs  and  a 
splendid  response  is  expected.  We  shall  all  be 
wearing  favours  in  support  of  the  good  cause  on 
the  1 2th,  to  show  our  admiration  for  the  un- 
quenchable spirit  which  is  France. 


Why  Poilu  ?  Many  nurses  want  to  know  the 
reason  for  the  name,  which  now  stands  for  all 
the  most  splendid  attributes  of  the  fighting  man. 
According  to  the  French  dictionary,  the  word 
means  hairy,  shaggy,  bristling,  and  it  is  said  that 
the  name  was  given  to  French  soldiers  who  have 
served  in  the  trenches  because  the  first  French 
soldiers  on  leave  thronged  into  Paris  wearing 
whiskers.  Such  a  sight  had  never  been  seen 
before  and  the  people  cried  :  "  Oh  !  les  poilus, 
which  may  be  freely  translated :  "  Oh !  the 
whiskers,"  and  the  name  stuck.  Has  anyone 
another  explanation  ? 


TRUE     TALE     WITH     A     MORAL. 

An  experienced  sistei,  who  is  blest  with  a  sense 
of  humour,  was  asked  the  other  day  by  her 
wounded  soldiers  :  "  How  long  does  it  take  to  be 
a  nurse  ?  " 

"  How  long  does  it  take  to  learn  to  nurse 
soldiers,  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Well,  yec  !  " 

"  Oh,"  she  returned,  with  a  twinkle,  "  you 
require  six  months  in  a  children's  hospital  and 
six  months  in  the  police  force." 

Her  patients  were  hrgely  delighted. 


26 


Zbc  British  3ournal  of  IFlureing. 


July   13,   1918 


OUR  ROLL  OF  HONOUR. 

With  grief  and  pride  we  publish  the  names  of 
our  Canadian  sisters  murdered  on  the  high  seas 
by  the  sinking  of  the  Llandovery  Castle. 

Campbell,  Christine,  N.S,,  Victoria,  B.C.  ; 
Douglas,  Carola  Josephine,  N.S.  Manitoba  ; 
DussALTLT,  Alaxina,  N.S.,  Montreal ;  Follette, 
Minnie,  N.S.,  Cumberland  Co.,  N.S.  ;  ForTescue, 
Margaret  Jane,  N.S.,  Montreal ;  Fraser,  Matron 
Margaret  Marjory,  Moosejaw,  Sask.  ;  Gallaher, 
Minnie  Katherine,  N.S.,  Ottawa ;  McDiarmid, 
Jessie  Mabel,  N.S.,  Ash- 
ton,  Ontario;  McKenzie, 
Mary  Agnes,  N.S.  ,  Tor- 
onto ;  McLean,  Rena, 
N.S.,  Prince  Edward  Is- 
land ;  Sampson,  Mac 
Belle,  N.S.,  Ountroon, 
Qnt.  ;  Sare,  Gladys 
Irene,  N.S.,  Montreal ; 
Stamers,  Anna  Irene, 
N.S.  New  Brunswick ; 
Templeman,  Jean,  N.S., 
Ottawa. 


of  the  fourteen  Canadian  Sisters,  every  one  of 
whom  was  lost.  We  learn  : — •"  Unflinchingly  and 
calmly,  as  steady  and  collected  as  if  on  parade, 
without  a  complaint  or  a  single  outward  sign  of 
emotion,  our  fourteen  devoted  nursing  sisters 
faced  the  terrible  ordeal  of  certain  death,  only  a 
matter  of  minutes,  as  our  lifeboat  neared  that 
mad  whirlpool  of  waters  where  all  human  power 
was  helpless." 


To  hundreds  of  officers 
and  men  of  the  Canadian 
Overseas  Forces,  the 
name  of  Nursing  Sister 
Miss  Margaret  Mar j  orie 
(Pearl)  Fraser,  will  recall 
a  record  of  unselfish 
effort,  a  fitting  tribute  to 
this  nation's  womanhood. 
Volunteering  for  active 
service  in  the  C.A.M.C. 
on  September  29th,  19 14, 
Miss  Fraser  went  to 
France  with  the  ist  Can- 
adian Division,  and  for 
almost  three  years  had 
been  on  duty  in  casualty 
clearing  stations.  Her 
faithf  ulncsr  was  only 
tj'pical,  however,  of 
that  service  for  humanity 
exhibited  by  every  one 
of  these  precious  14  lives. 


The  majority  of  the  fourteen  Sisters  volunteered 
for  service  at  the  very  outbreak  ot  hostilities  in 
1914,  came  to  England 
and  France  with  the  first 
Canadian  Division,  had 
seen  active  service,  chiefly 
in  casualty  clearing  sta- 
tions in  France,  through- 
out the  intervening 
period,  and  recently 
had  been  transferred  to 
transport   duty.  For 

many  months,  and  in 
some  cases,  two  years 
these  Sisters  had  endured 
the  hazards  of  the  shelled 
areas  in  France,  splen- 
didly contributing  to 
the  efficiency  of  our  medi- 
cal service.  How  mag- 
nificently they  faced  the 
final  ordeal  on  that  awful 
evening  of  June  27th  is 
simply  yet  graphically 
related  in  the  story  of 
Sergeant  A.  Knight,  the 
non-commissioned  officer 
of  the  C.A.M.C.  who 
took  charge  of  lifeboat 
No.  5,  into  whicn  the 
fourteen  nurses  were 
placed. 

It  is  a  story  calculated 
to  make  every  heart  throb 
with  admiration  and 
gratitude  to  have  been 
born  British,  and  to  be  a 
member  of  the  Nursing 
Sisterhood. 


SISTER    FOX    HARVEY.    TRIPLE    CHEVRONS 


The  Minister  of  Over- 
seas Military    Forces    of 

Canada  (Sir  Edward  Kemp,  K.C.M.G.),  having 
made  careful  inquiries  into  the  sinking  of  the 
hospital  ship  Llandovery  Castle,  on  June  27th 
has  authorised  publication  of  a  report,  which 
aflords  convincing  evidence  of  the  deliberate 
intent  and  dastardly  character  by  the  latest 
German  outrage  on  non-combatants. 

The  Splendid  Courage  of  the  Sisters. 

:  .  In  an  extract  from  Sergeant  A.  Knight's  stiiring 
record  of  the  supreme  devotion  and  valiant 
sacrifice  of  the  medical  personnel,  nothing  stand 
out  more  heroically  than  the  coolness  and  courage 


There  is  much  feeling 
throughout  the  nursing 
community  over  the  sinking  of  the  Llandovery 
Castle.  The  International  Council  of  Nurses  in 
London  is  compiling  a  full  list  of  members  de- 
liberately assassinated  by  the  Germans.  Canada's 
loss  is  most  grievous. 

THE     ROYAL    NAVAL    NURSING     SERVICE. 

Sister  Fox  Harvey,  whose  portrait  appears  on 
this  page,  wears  three  chevrons  for  service  afloat 
as  a  naval  nurse.  She  is  now  on  duty  at  the 
Koyal  Naval  Hospital,  Chatham.  We  hear  very 
little  of  the  work  done  by  the  members  of  Queen 
Alexandra's  Royal  Naval  Nursing  Service,  but 
our  sick  and  wounded  sailors  realize  its  value. 


July   13,   1918 


ITbe  Brtti9b  3ournal  ot  IRursmg. 


27 


THE  CENTRAL  COMMITTEE   FOR  THE 
STATE  REGISTRATION  OF  NURSES. 


A  Meeting  of  the  Central  Committee  for  the 
State  Registration  of  Nurses  was  held  in  the 
Council  Chamber  of  the  British  Medical  Asso- 
ciation, 429,  Strand,  London,  W.C.,  on  Satur- 
day, July  6th,  at  2.30  p.m. 

Mr.  T.  W.  H.  Garstang,  M.R.C.S.,  was  in 
the  Chair. 

Reports  were  received  from  the  Hon.  Secre- 
taries and  the  Executive  Committee. 
New  Delegates. 

Upon  the  nomination  of  the  Royal  British 
Nurses'  Association,  Mrs.  Shuter  and  Miss 
Isabel  Macdonald  were  elected  in  the  place  of 
Mr.  Comyns  Berkeley  and  Miss  Grace  Gordon. 

Upon  the  nomination  of  the  National  Union 
of  Trained  Nurses,  Miss  Farrant  was  elected 
in  the  place  of  Miss  Carruthers. 

Representation  of  the  Irish  Nursing  Board. 
Upon  the  recommendation  of  the  Executive 
Committee,  the  request  for  representation  of 
the  Irish  Nursing  Board,  approved  by  the 
Royal  College  of  Surgeons  in  Ireland,  was 
agreed  to. 

Amendments  to  the  Nurses'  Registration 
Bill. 
The  following  Amendments  to  the  Bill  were 
agreed  to : — 

1.  To  insert  the  word  *'  Nursing,"  to  read 
**  General  Nursing  Council  "  throughout  the 
Bill. 

2.  To  substitute  two  for  one  representatives 
for  Male  Nurses  and  Mental  Nurses  on  the 
General  Nursing  Council. 

Duties  and  Powers  of  Council 
To  Provide  for  Reciprocal  Curricula. 
The  following  new  Clause  was  agreed  to  : — 
"  Prescribing  the  conditions  necessary  to  be 
fulfilled  by  any  hospital  desirous  of  having  any 
portion  of  its  training  recognised  pro  tanto 
towards  the  three  years'  training  required 
under  the  Act." 

Nomination  for  Election  of  Direct  Repre- 
sentatives ON  THE  General  Nursing  Council. 
The  following  new  Clause  was  agreed  to  : — 
"  The  registered  nurses  entitled  to  be  elected 
on  the  General  Nursing  Council  must  be  duly 
nominated  on  a  Form  prescribed  for  the  pur- 
pose. Each  nomination  paper  must  be  signed 
by  at  least  twelve  registered  nurses.  Form  of 
Nomination  Paper  : — We,  the  undersigned, 
being  registered  nurses  resident  in  (England 
and    Wales    or   Scotland   or   Ireland),    hereby 


nominate  (name  in  full),  of  (address  and  quali- 
fication), a  registered  nurse,  as  a  proper  person 
to  be  elected  to  the  General  Nursing  Council  by 
the  registered  nurses  resident  in  (England  and 
Wales  or  Scotland  or  Ireland)." 
Resolutions. 
The  following  Resolutions  were  approved  : — 
An  Independent  Council. 

1.  "  That  in  the  opinion  of  this  Committee  the 
Registration  of  Trained  Nurses  should  be  carried 
out  by  an  independent  Nursing  Council,  constituted 
by  Act  of  Parliament,  entirely  dissociated  from  any 
one  Organization  of  Nurses,  such  as  the  College 
of  Nursing,  Ltd." 

The  Registration  of  Specialists. 

2.  "  That  this  Committee  desires  to  protest  against 
the  Clause  recently  inserted  in  the  Nurses'  Regis- 
tration Bill  drafted  by  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd., 
which  provides  for  the  Registration  of  Specialists, 
other  than  male  and  mental  nurses. 

"In  the  opinion  of  this  Committee  the  compiling 
of  such  Supplementary  Registers  is  injurious  to  the 
best  interests  of  the  nursing  profession,  and  the 
public,  and  is  calculated  to  undermine  the  value  of 
a  Three  Years'  General  Training,  a  One  Portal 
Examination  for  the  Nursing  Profession,  and  the 
efficient  standard  of  a  General  Register  of  Trained 
Nurses." 

Letter  from  Major  Chapple,  M.P. 
A  letter  from  Major  Chappie,  M.P.,  concern- 
ing the  re-drafted  Bill  of  the  College  of  Nurs- 
ing, Ltd.,  was  read,  and  it  was  agreed  to  refer 
it  to  the  Executive  Committee  for  consideration 
and  report. 

Ethel  G.  Fenwick,  Hon.  Nurse  Sec. 
E.  W.  GooDALL,  Hon.  Medical  Sec. 


THE  CONSECRATION  OF  THE  NURSING 
PROFESSION. 

The  Address  of  the  President,  Miss  Annie  W. 
Goodrich,  R.N.,  to  the  American  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion, delivered  recently  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  might 
well  be  reprinted  in  leaflet  form  and  scattered 
broadcast  throughout  the  nursing  world.  The 
theme  is  the  consecration  of  the  nursing  profession, 
in  the  most  momentous  period  in  the  history  of  the 
world,  to  the  service  of  humanity.  It  is  an  inspiring 
trumpet  call. 

"  Never,"  says  Miss  Goodrich,  "  in  our  history 
have  we  been  so  under  fire,  never  perhaps  again 
will  there  ibe  such  a  period  of  testing.  With  all 
the  strength  we  ha^e,  with  all  the  undreamed-of 
strength  we  can  summon,  through  every  avenue  of 
service  we  can  find,  we  should  seek  to  raise  the 
standard  of  nursing  immeasurably  above  the  service 
rendered  in  all  previous  wars,  that,  after  this 
ghastly  struggle  is  over,  freed,  through  a  record  of 
high  service,  our  profession  may  contribute  in 
fullest  measure  to  the  restoration  of  this  crippled, 
scarred  humanity. "  ■ 


28 


Zbc  Brttieb  3ournal  of  IRureino. 


July   13,    1918 


Ropal  Britlsl)  Rurses'  flssoclatlon^ 


(Iticorporatca  Dp   &^Mi   Ropal  CDarten) 


THIS   SUPPLEMENT   BEING   THE    OFFICIAL    ORGAN    OF    THE    CORPORATION. 


LOYAL   CONGRATULATIONS   TO  THEIR 
MAJESTIES. 


On  behalf  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Asso- 
ciation, Her  Royal  Hig-hness  the  Princess 
Christian,  President  of  the  Corporation,  has 
been  graciously  pleased  to  convey  to  their 
Majesties  the  King-  and  Queen  the  loyal  and 
dutiful  greetings  and  respectful  cong-ratula- 
tions  of  the  Hon.  Officers,  of  the  Greneral 
Council,  and  of  the  Members  of  the  Corporation 
on  the  occasion  of  their  Majesties'  Silver 
Wedding. 

MEETING  OF  THE  GENERAL  COUNCIL. 

A  Meeting-  of  the  General  Council  was  held  at 
10,  Orchard  Street  on  July  4th,  at  2.45  p.m. 

Before  the  Minutes  were  read,  Mr.  Pater  son, 
who  occupied  the  Chair,  extended  a  very  warm 
welcome  to  the  new  Members  of  the  Gieneral 
Council.  He  hoped  that  the  precedent  made  by 
the  harmonious  co-operation  of  the  Representatives 
of  the  Affiliated  Societies  and  other  Members  of 
the  R.B.N. A.  on  the  Council  of  the  Chartered  Cor- 
poration of  Nurses  would  be  followed  by  the  nurses 
themselves,  and  if  this  happened  he  had  very  little 
doubt  but  that  there  would  soon  be  a  great 
improvement  in  the  conditions  under  which  the 
nurses  worked. 

Reports  of  the  Executive  Committee  and  the 

Hon.  Treasurer. 
The  report  of  the  Executive  Committee  for  April 
and  May  was  read,  the  Medical  Honorary  Secre- 
tary remarking  that  already  most  of  the  informa- 
tion contained  therein  had  already  been  conveyed  to 
Members  of  the  Council  through  other  channels,  as 
the  summer  Meeting  of  the  Council  had  been  some- 
what delayed  owing  to  the  fact  that  one  of  the  Bye- 
laws  stipulated  that  it  should  not  be  held  within  a 
fortnight  of  the  Annual  Meeting.  The  Report  of 
the  Hon.  Treasiirer  for  the  same  two  months 
showed  a  balance  of  jC26g  in  the  General  Fund,  and 
;^i,489  and  ;^2,4o6  in  the  Helena  Benevolent  and 
Settlement  Funds  respectively.    Expenses  for  print- 


ing formed  an  extremely  heavy  item  in  the  expendi- 
ture account  of  the  Greneral  Fund. 

Loyal  Congratulations  to  the  King  and  Queen, 

Mrs.  Bedford  Fenwick  moved,  and  Miss  Easton 
seconded,  a  Resolution  that  an  expression  of  loyalty 
and  the  congratulations  of  the  Royal  Corporation 
of  Nurses  be  sent  to  their  Majesties  on  the  celebra- 
tion of  their  Silver  Wedding.  This  was  carried 
unanimously. 

Elections  of  Hon.  Officers  and  Executive 
Committee. 

It  was  moved  by  Miss  Cattell,  seconded  by  Miss 
Sendall,  and  carried,  that  the  following  be  elected 
Hon.  Officers  for  the  ensuing  year  : — Vice-Chair- 
men,  Miss  Heather-Bigg,  R.R.C.,  Sir  James 
Crichton  Browne,  Dr.  Percival  White ;  Medical 
Hon.  Secretary,  Mr.  Herbert  Paterson ;  Nurse  Hon. 
Secretary,  Mrs.  Campbell  Thomson ;  Hon.  Trea- 
surer, Dr.  Kenneth  Stewart.  It  was  moved  by 
Mrs.  Campbell  Thomson,  seconded  by  Mrs.  Sher- 
liker,  and  carried,  that  the  following  be  elected  to 
fill  vacancies  on  the  Executive  Committee  : — Dr. 
A.  P.  Beddard,  Dr.  A.  S.  Currie,  Dr.  J.  T.  C. 
Laing,  Dr.  Eric  Pritchard,  Dr.  Leonard  Williams, 
Mrs.  Bedford  Fenwick,  Miss  Easton,  A.R.R.C., 
Miss  Roberts,  R.R.C.,  Miss  Sinzininex,  A.R.R.C, 
Miss  Bedwell,  A.R.R.C,  Miss  Alice  Cattell,  Miss 
Beatrice  Kent,  and  Miss  Liddiatt.  Miss  Henderson, 
the  nominee  of  the  Scottish  Nurses'  Association, 
was  elected  to  a  vacant  seat  on  the  General  Council. 

The  Medical  Hon.  Secretary  read  a  report  of  a 
Meeting  of  the  Consultative  Committee,  and 
instructions  were  given  to  the  Executive  Committee 
with  regard  thereto. 

The  Midwives  Act  Amendment  Bill. 

Miss  Breay  then  moved  the  following  Resolu- 
tion : — 

The  Council  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Asso- 
ciation desire  to  place  on  record  their  satisfaction 
that  Clause  12  has  been  deleted  from  the  Midwives 
Act  Amendment  Bill,  a  Clause  which  the  Council 
consider  to  be  against  the  interest  of  the  Public  and 
of  the  Midwives. 

This  was  seconded  by  Mrs.  Scott  and  carried 
unanimously.      The    Secretary    was    instructed    to 


]uly   13,    1918 


^be  Brittsb  3ournal  ot  Buremo. 


29 


forward  a  copy  of  the  Resolution  to  the  Lord  Pre- 
sident of  the  Council,  the  Right  Hon.  the  Marquis 
of  SaHsbury,  the  President  of  the  Local  Govern- 
ment Board,  and  the  Chairman  of  the  Central 
Midwives'  Board. 
The  Meeting  then  terminated. 


Captain  and  Mrs.  J.  C.  Moulton.  The  honeymoon 
was  spent  in  Penang  and  Singapore,  and  a  month 
later  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Greene  returned  to  Sarawak. 
Mrs.  Greene  joined  the  Association  in  19 14. 


APPOINTMENTS. 

Miss  Margaret  Tait  has  been  re-appointed 
Matron  of  the  Government  Hospital,  Sarawak. 
Four  years  ago  the  late  Rajah  of  Sarawak  asked 
the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Association  to  recom- 
mend to  him  a  nurse  to  undertake  the  duties  of 
Matron  in  this  hospital,  where  the  patients  are  all 
Europeans.  Miss  Tait  was  appointed  for  the  term 
of  three  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  much  to 
the  disappointment  of  all  connected  with  the  hos- 
pital, she  decided  to  return  to  England.  The 
Government  of  Sarawak  again  asked  the  Corpora- 
tion to  recommend  one  of  its  Members,  and  Miss 
Ina  Macdonald  secured  the  appointment,  which  is 
a  very  desirable  one  in  many  respects.  Some  six 
months  after  she  sailed  the  news  of  her  engage- 
ment to  the  Chief  Medical  Officer  of  Sarawak 
reached  us,  and  considerable  pressure  was  brought 
to  bear  upon  Miss  Tait  by  the  Sarawak  Govern- 
ment in  order  to  persuade  her  to  return  and  take 
charge  of  the  hospital  again.  Much  appreciation 
has  been  expressed  regarding  her  work  in  Sarawak, 
and  many  friends  will  extend  to  her  a  warm  wel- 
come upon  her  return.  Miss  Tait  was  trained  at 
the  Royal  Infirmary,  Edinburgh,  and  ibecame  a 
Member  of  the  Corporation  in  1914. 


Miss  Louisa  Kate  Clarke  has  been  appointed 
Night  Superintendent  at  Gateshead  Hospital.  Miss 
Clarke  gained  the  Diploma  of  the  Royal  British 
Nurses'  Association,  and  became  a  Member  in  1908. 


Miss  Alice  M.  Brittain  has  been  appointed  Dis- 
trict Nurse  in  Bournemouth.  She  joined  the 
Association  in  1902. 

ENGAGEMENT. 

As  we  go  to  press  we  learn  that  Miss  Jean 
MacLauchlin  is  shortly  to  be  married  to  Mr. 
Deltman,  of  Belmont  Park,  Blackheath.  Miss 
Maclauchlin  joined  the  Association  in  19 15.  Until 
recently  she  was  Matron  in  a  Government  Colony 
for  Munition  wor'cers,  an  appointment  which  she 
obtained  through  the  Association. 


MARRIAGE. 

On  March  nth,  at  St.  Andrew's  Church,  Singa- 
pore, by  the  Venerable  Archdeacon  Swindell,  Dr. 
Downes  Latimer  Greene,  Principal  Medical  Officer 
to  the  Government  of  Sarawak,  was  married  to 
Miss  Ina  Macdonald,  second  daughter  of  Roderick 
Macdonald,  Esq.,  of  Ashford.  The  ceremony  was 
a  very  quiet  one,  the  only  witnesses  being  Lieut. 
Gibson-Fleming,    who  gave   the  bride  away,    and 


The  marriage  took  place  recently,  at  the 
Brompton  Oratory,  of  the  Hon.  M.  P.  E.  R. 
Antelme  to  Miss  Mary  C.  Lewis.  Miss  Lewis 
became  a  Member  of  the  Association  in  1917,  and 
took  private  cases  from  it  for  some  time. 


DONATIONS  RECEIVED. 

GENERAL     FUND. 

Mrs.  Rogers,  ,^3  ;  Miss  Coward,  £2  ;  Miss  Eden, 
;^2 ;  Mrs.  Broadfoot,  _;^'i  is. ;  Miss  Habgood, 
£1  IS. ;  Miss  Boldero,  £1 ;  Miss  Cattell,  £1 ;  Miss 
Glover,  ;^i ;  Mrs.  Raikes,  £1 ;  Miss  Jordan,  15s. ; 
Miss  Conway,  los.  6d.  ;  Miss  Liddiatt,  los.  ;  Miss 
Sumner,  los. ;  Miss  Hawkes,  5s. ;  Mrs.  Roberts, 
5s.  ;  Miss  Oldham,  3s.  6d.  ;  Miss  Randall,  3s.  2d. ; 
Miss  Shorter,  2s.  6d.  ;  Miss  Young,  2s.  6d. ;  Miss 
Coates,  2S.  ;  Miss  Stewart,  is.  6d. ;  Miss  Conster- 
dine,  is  ;  Miss  Munson,  is. 

STATE     REGISTRATION     FUND. 

Miss  Easton,  ^^2 ;  Miss  Budd,  ;^i  6s.  6d. ;  Miss 
Cureton,  p^i ;  Miss  Farquharson,  £1 ;  Miss 
Clifford,  los. ;  Miss  Copeland,  los.  6d. ;  Miss  Davis, 
los.  ;  Miss  Glover,  los.  ;  Miss  Holmes,  los.  ;  Miss 
Robinson,  los.  ;  Miss  Ault,  5s.  ;  Miss  Bedwell,  5s. ; 
Miss  Gurnett,  5s. ;  Miss  Byard,  2s.  6d.  ;  Miss  Coull, 
2S.  6d.  ;  Miss  Jones,  2s.  6d.  ;  Miss  Leigh,  2s  6d.  ; 
Miss  Standing,  2s.  6d.  ;  Miss  Tarry,  2s.  6d. 

HELENA    BENEVOLENT     FUND. 

Maintained  by  the  Members  for  the  benefit  of 
their  fellow-Members  in  times  of  sickness  or 
distress. 

Miss  Habgood,  £1 ;  Miss  Cutler,  los. ;  Miss 
Glover,  los.  ;  Miss  Cattell,  8s.  6d.  ;  Mrs.  Hewer, 
5s.  ;  Miss  Chippendale,  5s.  ;  Miss  Oldham,  4s. ; 
Miss  Garland,  2s.  6d. ;  Miss  Hooper,  2s.  6d. ;  Miss 
Smith,  2S.  6d. ;  Miss  Young,  2s.  6d. ;  Miss  Bayley, 
2S.  ;  Mrs.  Dalton  Holmes,  2s. ;  Miss  Humphry,  2s. ; 
Miss  Newcombe,  2s.  ;  Miss  Dyke,  is.  6d.  ;  Miss 
Ansett,  IS. ;  Miss  Blizard,  is.  ;  Mrs.  Douglas,  is. ; 
Miss  Fewkes,  is. ;  Miss  Haynes,  is.  ;  Miss  Henry, 
IS. ;  Miss  Henson,  is.  ;  Miss  Hore,  is.  ;  Miss 
Kenten,  is. ;  Miss  Millar,  is.  ;  Miss  Morris,  is. ; 
Miss  Ommaney,  is. ;  Miss  Pardy,  is. ;  Miss  Pike, 
IS. ;  Miss  Relph,  is.  ;  Miss  Robertson,  is. ;  Miss 
Slater,  is.;  Miss  Steuart,  is.;  Miss  Tabuteau,  is.; 
Miss  Wilson,  is.  ;  Miss  Groom,  6d. 

SETTLEMENT    FUND. 

Subscribed  to  by  the  Members  for  the  mainten- 
ance of  the  Princess  Christian  Settlement  Home  for 
aged  nurses. 

Miss  Henry,  £1 ;  Miss  Baskerville  Smith,  2s.  6d. 

(Sig-ned)     Isabel  Macdonald, 

Secretary  to  the  Corporation. 


3^ 


^be  JBritieb  3ournal  ot  flursinQ, 


July   ij,    1918 


A    PROTEST. 


We  referred  last  week  to  a  letter  of  protest 
addressed  by  Miss  Lloyd  Still,  Matron  of  St. 
Thomas'  Hospital,  and  Miss  Amy  Hughes,  in  the 
June  issue  of  the  American  Journal  of  Nursing, 
against  an  article  by  Miss  L.  L.  Dock  entitled 
"  English  Nursing  Politics,"  which  they  state  was 
based  on  a  biassed  account  in  The  British 
Journal  of  Nursing  of  the  present  condition  of 
the  Nursing  World  in  England. 

The  two  ladies  think  it  right  American  nurses 
should  hear  both  sides  ;    so  do  we. 

They  claim  that  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd. 
came  into  existence  as  a  result  of  the  great  lack  of 
uniformity,  and  (in  many  instances)  the  lack  of 
efficiency  in  the  training  of  nurses,  and  state  that 
its  avowed  objects  are  to  obtain  (i)  State  Regis- 
tration for  the  trained  nurses,  (2)  the  protection  of 
the  interests  of  trained  nurses,  (3)  the  raising  of 
the  standard  of  training,  (4)  the  establishment  of 
a  uniform  curriculum  of  training  and  the  one- 
portal  examination,  (5)  the  establishment  of 
lectureships  and  scholarships. 

Whose  the  fault  for  this  deplorable  condition  of 
affairs,  that  all  these  reforms  have  not  long  ago 
been  instituted  ?  Certainly  not  that  of  the  State 
Registration  Party,  who  have  called  urgently  for 
one  and  air  through  their  organ,  The  British 
Journal  of  Nursing,  for  thirty  years  but  of  the 
lay  governors  of  hospitals,  and  Matrons  like  Miss 
Lloyd  Still,  who  have  opposed  by  every  means  in 
their  power  the  organisation  of  trained  nursing 
education,  and  registration  through  an  Act  of 
Parliamer.t,  and  who  have  signed  manifestoes 
without  end  to  Members  of  Parliament  and  the 
public,  stating  that : — 

"  We  believe  that  any  system  of  State  Registra- 
tion would  be  detrimental  to  the  public,  and 
harmful  to  the  nurses  themselves,"  and  further 

"  A  State  Register  of  Nurses,  far  from  being  a 
security,  to  the  public,  would  be  an  actual  source 
of  danger." 

No,  the  College  did  not  come  into  existence  to 
effect  the  State  Registration  of  Nurses.  It  came 
into  existence  to  attempt  to  circumvent  State 
Registration  by  a  voluntary  system  of  Registra- 
tion controlled  by  the  employers  of  nurses,  and 
only  recanted  when  its  promoters  found  we  State 
Registrationists  had,  by  thirty  years'  work  and  the 
expenditure  of  upwards  of  ;^2o,ooo,  convinced  the 
country  and  the  legislators  of  the  j  ustice  of  our 
cause.  Then  they  adopted  the  letter  of  registra- 
tion law  without  its  spirit. 

We  claim  a  just  Bill,  incorporating  self-determi- 
nation and  self-government.  The  College  Com- 
pany and  its  nominees  have  denied  this  funda- 
mental basis  of  good  government  and  have 
attempted  to  thrust  a  Bill  upon  us  incorporating 
a  lay  company'  and  its  tyrannical  Constitution  as 
the  General  Nursing  Council  of  our  profession. 
The  College  has  the  support  of  the  laity  who 
Control  the  large  Nursing  Schools   and   Nursing 


Institutions,  the  Anti-Registration  Party ;  their 
Bill  is  inspired  by  some  of  the  most  subtle  anti- 
feminists  in  our  midst,  and  their  claim  that  the 
government  of  the  College  is  democratic  is, 
presumably,  a  huge  joke. 

Take  a  few  of  its  provisions  : — 

2.  This  Council  has  power  : — 

(a)  To  appoint  any  persons  (whether  already 
members  or  not)  to  be  members  of  the  Council. 
(Article  37.) 

(b)  To  exclude  from  office  Matrons  of  Hospitals 
or  Superintendents  of  Nursing,  Sisters  or  Nurses 
who  are  not  engaged  in  the  active  practice  of  their 
profession.      (Article  35.) 

(0)  To  adopt,  if  thought  fit,  the  results  of  ex- 
aminations held  by  approved  Nursing  Schools  as 
sufficient  evidence  of  proficiency.  (Memo.  3 
(D.).) 

(d)  To  grant  certificates  .  .  .  Provided  that  the 
College  shall  not  grant  or  profess  to  grant  titles 
or  diplomas.     (Memo.   3  (E).) 

(e)  To  remove  from  the  Register  the  name  or 
names  of  any  person  or  persons  as  the  Council 
may   in   its   discretion  think   proper.      (Memo.    3 

(J)-) 

We  claim  professional  independence. 

We  take  exception  to  the  appeal  made  by  the 
British  Women's  Hospital  Committe'?  because 
(i)  as  professional  wom.en  we  object  to  be  made 
the  objects  of  a  War  Charity  by  a  self-appointed 
committee  of  Society  women  and  actresses  who 
know  nothing  of  our  professional  needs,  (2)  because 
to  endow  a  lay  Company  of  employers,  the  College 
of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  with  unlimited  funds  means  the 
subjugation  of  the  class  of  working  women  they 
are  attempting  to  control,  and  we  object  to  our 
independence  being  bought  up. 

Enough.  Our  American  readers  mil  not  have 
far  to  seek  to  realise  our  claim  that  if  these  anti- 
registrationists  are  converted  and  truly  penitent 
for  their  unreasoning  obstruction  to  nursing 
reform  in  past  years,  and  its  consequent  injury 
to  the  sick,  and  are  prepared  to  refund  to  working 
women  the  ;^20,ooo  they  have  spent  in  con- 
scientious agitation,  they  could  prove  their  bona 
tides  by  evincing  sympathy  with  oui  professional 
aspirations,  -without  adopting  our  programme,  and 
claiming  it  as  their  own. 

The  truth  is  the  attitude  of  the  Governors  and 
officials  of  our  Nurse-Training  Schools  is  British 
to  the  backbone.  We  are  in  the  aggregate 
creatures  of  habit,  a  dull,  worthy,  unimaginative 
people,  but  we  are  credited  with  being  honest. 

The  founders  of  the  College  must  repent  them  of 
their  stupidity  before  they  can  hope  to  inspire 
confidence  in  those  whose  ideas  they  have  ex- 
ploited with  such  avidity. 

Miss  Lloyd  Still  and  Miss  Amy  Hughes  are 
much  respected  ladies,  but  their  environment 
is  circumscribed.  They  look  down  on  mere 
mortals  from  the  heights  of  Olympus. 

We  claim  a  fair  field  and  no  favour. 

We  will  not  be  cooped  up  in  the  College 
compound. 


Jidy  13,   1918 


^be  Bntisb  3ournal  of  IRursina. 


3< 


A    LITTLE    BIT    OF    SUGAR. 


We  hope  we  shall  not  be  accused  of  undue 
vanity  if  we  reprint  the  following-  parag-raph 
from  the  "  Foreign  Department  "  of  the 
American  Journal  of  Nursing,  in  charg-e  of 
Lavinia  L.  Dock,  R.N.  ;  but  to  have  struggled 
for  the  past  thirty  years  for  professional  ideals 
in  an  antagonistic  and  reactionary  atmosphere 
at  home,  makes  the  appreciation  we  have 
always  received  abroad  doubly  sweet.  It  has 
been  the  "  spirit  "  which  has  sustained  the 
"  Dynamos  "  and  made  the  wheels  go  round. 

Our  Dear  Dynamos. 

For  many  years  we  have  been  in  the  habit  of 
calling  Mrs.  Bedford  Fenwick  and  Miss  Margaret 
Breay  afEectionately,  the/'  Dynamos,"  because  of 
their  unceasing  and  un,tiring  energy  in  all  the  mani- 
fold crises  met  with  in  the  process  of  conducting  a 
weekly  nursing  journaJ,  which  is  also  an  organ  of 
the  most  vital  propaganda — ^really  a  watch  tower 
quite  as  much  as  a  brilliantly-edited  magazine. 
The  chief  lady  dynamo,  Mrs.  Fenwick,  has  com- 
pleted, on  the  first  of  April  past,  her  fortieth  year 
of  professional  work,  sixteen  of  which  she  spent  in 
varied  pieces  of  active  nursing,  including  the 
matronship  in  one  of  England's  most  famous  hos- 
pitals, St.  Bartholomew's,  where  she  laid  the 
foundation  of  the  modern  democratic,  educational, 
enlightened  discipline  of  training-schools  as  against 
the  older  autocratic,  repressive  methods  ;  while 
her  last  twenty-four  year.=  of  the  most  intense  and 
unremitting  labours  for  the  advanced  education 
and  organisation  of  Aursco  in  self-governing  profes- 
sional bodies,  with  the  attainment  of  State  regula- 
tion of  nurses'  training  as  the  goal,  have  been  given 
their  special  fire  and  fervour  by  the  necessity  of 
combating  the  most  solid,  determined  and  obsti- 
nate hostility  to  the  economic  progress  of  women 
that  has  been  encountered  by  any  nurses  in  any 
otherwise  progressive  country.  We  do  not,  of 
course,  here  consider  those  countries  which  are  dis- 
tinctly unprogressive  as  regards  women.  In  these 
forty  years,  Mrs.  Fenwick  has  seen  her  ideals  sup- 
ported and  developed  in  many  countries,  and  these 
proofs  of  their  merit  have  given  her  courage  and 
joy  even  though  "  State  registration  still  hangs  in 
the  balance  "  in  Great  Britain. 

A  marvellous,  self-renewing  spring  of  energy  has 
been  hers.  She  writes  :  "  It  has  been  splendid  to 
have  been  given  health  and  strength,  energy  and 
spirit,  to  keep  the  cause  alive  for  all  these  years, 
and  to  realise  that  victory  is  at  hand."  Not  only 
on  these  well-known  lines,  but  in  mjrriad  ways  of 
civic  and  war  work  is  she  now  busy. 


THE  IRISH  NURSING  BOARD. 

The  first  of  the  three  yearly  elections  of  the 
Irish  Nursing  Board  was  held  in  the  Royal  College 
of  Surgeons  in  Ireland,  Dublin,  on  July  4th.  The 
voting  was  by  postal  ballot,  and  38  nurses  had 
been  nominated  to  fill  22  vacancies. 

The   following   22   names   received  the  largest 
number  of  votes,  and  were  dul)'  declared  elected  : — 
Miss    E.  T.  Bacon,  St.  Vincent's  Hospital. 
L.  Bradburne,  The  Meath  Hospital. 
Hon.  A.  L.  Brodrick,  Caher  Daniel,  co.  Kerry. 
Miss   T.  Doorly,  9,  Blackball  Place. 
,,       E.  Hezlett,  Richmond  Hospital. 
„       J.  Hughes,  Temple  Hill  Hosp.,  Blackiock. 
,,      M.  Huxley,  Elpis,  Lower  Mount  Street. 
„       J.  Jordan,  Mercer's  Hospital. 
,,       K.  Kearns,  29,  Gardiner's  Place. 
,,      M.  A.  Keating,  National  Maternity  Hosp. 
N.  McArdle,  Castle  Red  Cross  Hospital. 
Mrs.    F.  Manning,  Elpis,  Lower  Mount  Street. 
Miss   G.  O'Donel,  24,  Eccks  Street. 
„       M.  O'Flynn,  Cliildren's  Hosp.,  Temple  St. 
A.  M.  Phillips,  Dr.  Steevens  Ho.spital. 
C.  Pike,  38,  Ranelagh  Road. 
,,       A.  Carson  Rae,  34,  St.  Stepher's  Green. 
„       L.  Ramsden,  Rotunda  Hospital. 
,.,       A.  Reeves,  Royal  Victoria  Hospital. 

A.  S.  Rhind,  Cork  Street  Fever  Hospital. 
,,       E.  Sutton,  St.  Vincent's  Hospital. 

M.  Thornton,  Sir  Patrick  Dun's  Hospital. 
A  Meeting  of  the  Irish  Nursing  Board  was  held 
in  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  on  July  12th,  to 
elect  the  Committee. 

We  learn  that  certificated  Irish  Nurses  are  sup- 
porting this  movement  for  the  improvement  of 
their  professional  education  and  status  in  a  very 
satisfactory  manner,  and  many  intend  to  register 
as  soon  as  they  have  completed  their  three  years' 
training  and  have  obtained  their  Certificates. 


Twenty-five  teaching  Sisters  from  Roman 
Catholic  convents  in  Ontario  are  taking  a  special 
course  in  agriculture  at  Guelph  College.  This  is 
a  fine  example  to  thousands  of  idle  young  Soc'ety 
women  in  P^ngland. 


APPOINTMENTS. 

MATRON. 

Ilford  Maternity  Home. — Miss  Edith  Waring 
has  been  appointed  Matron.  She  held  the  position 
of  Ward  Sister  at  the  Chelsea  Hospital  for  Women. 

ASSISTANT     MATRON. 

St.    Mary,    Islington,     Infirmary,     Highgate     Hill, 

N.  19. — Miss  Jean  McKenzie  has  been  appointed 
Assistant  Matron.  She  was  trained  at  the  Toxteth 
Infirmary,  Liverpool,  where  she  was  afterward 
ward  and  theatre  Sister.  She  has  also  been  Night 
Sister  at  the  Mile  End  Military  Hospital,  and 
Assistant  Matron  at  the  Westminster  Infirmary. 
Hendon.  She  has  also  had  experience  of  District 
Nursing  as  a  Queen's  nurse. 

SISTER. 

General  Hospital,  Northampton. — Miss  Annie 
Askew  has  been  appointed  Sister.  She  was  trained 
at  the  Workhouse  Infirmary,  Portsmouth,  and  has 
been  Staff  Nurse  at  the  Royal  London  Ophthalmic 
Hospital,  and  Sister  at  the  Birmingham  Midland 
and  Eye  Hospital. 


33 


Jlbc  Britiab  3ournal  of  IRursino. 


July   13,    1918 


A    DESIRABLE    APPOINTMENT. 

A  desirable  appointment  in  the  nursing  world  is 
now  vacant  in  the  Cheltenham  Cjeneral  Hospital. 
For  particulars  in  regard  to  it  we  refer  our  readers 
to  our  advertisement  supplement. 

QUEEN    ALEXANDRA'S    MILITARY    NURSING 
SERVICE    FOR    INDIA. 

Miss  Helen  Dorothea  Campbell  and  Miss 
Margaret  Deans  Scott  have  been  appointed 
Nursing  Sisters  in  Queen  Alexandra's  Military 
Nursing    Service    for    India. 

QUEEN     VICTORIA'S    JUBILEE     INSTITUTE. 

Transfers  and  Appointments. 
Miss  Miriam  Booth  is  appointed  to  Charlton  ; 
Miss  Celia  R.  Clapson  to  South  Wimbledon  ;  Miss 
Agnes  C.  Cottrill  to  Brixton  ;  Miss  Mary  Crosse  to 
Leeds  (Armley)  ;  Miss  Ivy  A.  Fawkes  to  Man(  hes •■ 
ter  (Harpurhey)  ;  Mrs  Eva  Markby  to  Ports- 
mouth ;  Miss  Adelaide  J.  Pringle  to  Prestwich  ; 
Miss  Mary  F.  Ronchetti  to  Leeds  (Armley)  ;  Miss 
Janet  Wilcock  to  Radchffe ;  Miss  Edith  J. 
Woodhouse  to  Charlton. 


COLONIAL  NURSING  ASSOCIATION. 
Imperial  Institute,  S.W.  7. 

The  Committee  of  the  Colonial  Nursing  Associa- 
tion desire  to  notify  that  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Executive  Committee,,  held  at  the  Impierial 
Institute  on  Wednesday,  June  5th,  191 8,  the 
following  Resolution  was  unanimously  carried  : — 

"  That  from  and  after  the  date  of  the  next 
General  Meeting  (July  3rd,  191 8),  the  name  of 
the  Association  shall  be  the  Overseas  Nursing 
Association." 

By    Order    of    the    Committee. 

EDITH     CAVELL     HOMES. 

A  large  number  of  applications  are  being 
received  from  nurses  by  the  committee  of  the 
Edith  Cavell  Homes  of  Rest  for  Nurses,  of  which 
Queen  Alexandra  is  the  patron,  and  new  homes 
are  in  the  course  of  being  opened.  Funds,  are 
urgently  required.  Subscriptions  should  be  sent 
to  the  Hon.  Secretary,  25,  Victoria  Street,  S.W. 

PRACTICAL    POINTS. 

Vaseline  in  Ether  Anesthesia. 

"  M.P.A."  writes  in  the  American  Journal  of 
Nursing  :  "  CarboUsed  vaseline  applied  to  the 
nasal  niucosa  has  been  found  to  overcome  post- 
operative vomiting  and  to  do  away  with  the 
unpleasant  taste  of  ether  while  taking  it  and 
afterwards.  It  is  not  infallible,  but  in  a  number 
of  cases  it  has  been  most  successful  and  is  worth 
trying." 

AN     INTERESTING      ANNOUNCEMENT. 

Mr.  J.  S.  Wood,  the  Chairman,  has  purchased  the 
entire  interest  in  The  Gentlewoman  and  the  Press 
Printers,  Ltd.,  held  by  Mr.  Alex.  J.  Warden,  who 
has  now  no  connection  with  either  company. 


NURSING    ECHOES. 

The  Report  of  the  Treasurer  of  St.  Bartholo- 
mew's Hospital  for  1917  remarks  : — 

"  The  inadequate  and  unsatisfactory  housing 
of  the  Nurses  in  the  Hospital  is  a  subject  to 
which  I  have  referred  on  numerous  occasions, 
and  in  my  Report  for  1916  I  ex:pressed  the 
opinion  that  the  provision  of  a  suitable  Home 
must  be  dealt  with  immediately  upon  the  termi- 
nation of  the  war. 

"  I  fully  realise  that  the  task  of  raising  a 
large  sum  which  will  be  required  for  this  pur- 
pose will  be  an  extremely  difficult  one,  but  I 
would  urge  that,  as  a  preliminary,  a  Special 
Committee  should  be  appointed  forthwith  to 
consider  the  question  of  a  site,  arrange  for 
the  preparation  of  plans,  and  advise  as  to  the 
means  to  be  adopted  to  obtain  the  necessary 
funds  for  the  erection  of  the  building. 

"  The  urgency  of  this  matter  Is  naturally 
more  apparent  to  those  actively  engaged  In  the 
administration  of  the  Hospital,  and  I  venture 
to  think  the  views  I  have  expressed  will  be 
fully  endorsed  by  my  colleagues,  the  Almoners, 
and  by  those  members  of  the  Visiting 
Governors'  Committee  whose  duty  It  Is  to 
periodically  Inspect  the  existing  accommoda- 
tion." 

The  fact  Is  that  the  housing  ^f  the  Nursing 
Staff  at  St.  Bartholomew's  Hospital  Is  quite 
Inadequate  and  the  sanitary  arrangements 
obso'ete.  Upwards  of  thirty  years  ago  the 
question  of  providing  a  Nurses'  Home 
was  under  the  consideration  of  the  then 
Treasurer  and  Almoners,  and  that  a  catas- 
trophe from  fire  has  not  happened  Is  more 
from  good  luck  than  good  looking  for;  there 
has  been  more  than  one  narrow  escape.  Again, 
the  Nursing  School  attached  to  the  hospital  has 
been  most  seriously  handicapped  for  need  of 
proper  classrooms  and  teaching  facilities  for 
many  years  past.  The  neglect  of  the  Nurses* 
Interests  In  these  particulars  at  the  premier 
royal  hospital  In  the  Empire  Is  a  lesson  to  the 
community  that  no  class  of  worker  should  be 
entirely  left  to  the  mercy  of  Irresponsible 
employers,  however  benevolent  In  Intention. 
The  sooner  we  have  a  Ministry  of  Health, 
responsible  for  the  expert  Inspection  of  every 
Institution  where  sick  people  are  attended,  the 
better.  Generations  of  professional  women 
will  then  be  protected  from  the  control  of 
philanthropists  where  education  Is  concerned, 
and  conditions  of  housing  dangerous  to  life. 
His  Majesty  the  King,  who  Is  President  of  St. 
Bartholomew's  Hospital,  expressed  his  solici- 
tude for  the  health  and  comfort  of  Nursing 
Staffs   of    Hospitals    in    Lord    Stamfordham's 


July   13,    1918 


^be  Brittdb  3ournal  ot  Durema. 


33 


letter  to  the  Council  of  King  Edward's  Hospital 
Fund  for  London  in  December  last  :  it  is  doing 
His  Majesty  a  very  poor  service  to  permit  him 
to  run  the  risk  of  blame  for  neglect  and  injury 
to  the  devoted  nursing  staff  at  Bart's.  We 
hope  the  Governors  will  respond  whole- 
heartedly, as  suggested  by  Lord  Sandhurst,  as 
to  providing  a  new  Nurses'  Home. 


OUTSIDE    THE    GATES. 


We  are  glad  to  note  the  Nursing  Staff  are 
congratulated  on  the  honours  they  have 
received  for  war  work,  and  that  the  emolu- 
ments of  the  probationers  have  been  consider- 
ably increased.  The  Sisters  and  senior  officers 
are  generously  remunerated,  and  their  off-duty 
time  at  St.  Bartholomew's  Hospital  is  most 
liberal.  

The  Establishment  Committee  of  the  London 
County  Council  reported  to  the  Council  last 
Tuesday  that  they  have  not  deemed  it  desirable 
to  revise  the  scale  of  salaries  of  the  school 
nurses  in  the  Public  Health  Department  during 
the  war,  though  they  have  granted  war  wages 
of  9s.  a  week,  but  the  nursing  staff — 141  in 
number — have  submitted  a  petition  asking  that 
the  matter  may  be  reconsidered.  The  Com- 
mittee still  think  the  time  inopportune  for  a 
revision  of  the  scale,  but  consider  there  is 
justification  for  increasing  the  amount  of  war 
wages,  especially  as  there  has  been  a  consider- 
able number  of  resignations  among  the  staff  in 
order  to  take  up  more  remunerative  work. 
They  now  recommend  that,  as  from  the  ist 
July,  1918,  until  the  expiration  of  six  months 
after  the  declaration  of  peace,  the  war  wages 
of  9s.  a  week  granted  to  the  assistant  super- 
intendents of  school  nurses  and  the  nurses 
serving  on  the  permanent  staff  in  the  public 
health  department,  be  increased  by  ;^5o  a  year. 
This  recommendation  is  approved  by  the 
Finance  Committee,  and  provision  is  made  in 
its  estimates  for  the  necessary  increase  as  a 
matter  of  urgency. 


We  hear  from  several  Matrons  of  country 
hospitals  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  get 
suitable  trained  women  to  fill  the  positions  of 
sister  and  night  sister.  We  wonder  if  an 
increase  of  salary  to  ;^5o  annually  would  not 
meet  with  some  respKjnse.  Hospital  com- 
mittees should  realise  that  the  supply  of  really 
well-trained  and  first-class  women  is  not  at 
present  equal  to  the  demand.  The  law  of 
economics  demands  an  uprising  scale  of  re- 
muneration. The  new-laid  summer  penny  egg 
is  now  5d. ;  for  a  spring  chicken  anything  from 
los.  to  15s.  Either  you  must  pay  for  them  or 
go  without.     It  appears  a  simple  proposition. 


The  New  Register. 

The  new  Parliament  Bill  brings  the  next  genf  ral 
election  a  little  nearer,  for  it  is  understood  that 
tliis  Bill  will  be  the  last  of  the  series.  If  an  election 
is  to  take  place  before  the  end  of  the  year  a  great 
speeding  up  of  the  new  register  will  be  necessai-y 
Women  are  all  longing  for  a  new  Parliament  which 
they  have  helped  to  elect.  We  want  young  fresh 
men  {and  women,  if  we  may  have  them)  full  of 
patriotism  and  energy.  We  want  to  set  to  and 
get  things  done  for  the  benefit  of  the  people. 
Make  Sure. 

The  new  voters'  lists  are  being  posted  at  post 
offi.ces,  churches,  chapels,  and  public  buildings. 
All  qualified,  including  women  over  30,  should  see 
their  names  are  included.  If  not,  information 
must  be  given  to  the  local  registration  officer 
before  July  17. 

We  Offer  Sympathy. 

We  ofEer  sincere  sympathy  to  our  American 
Sisters,  that  after  all  their  strenuous  work,  into 
which  many  of  them,  like  Lavinia  Dock,  have  put 
their  whole  heart,  the  requisite  two-thirds 
majority  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  was 
not  obtained  for  the  Woman  Suffrage  amendment 
to  the  Federal  Constitution,  in  spite  of  the 
president  having  openly  advocated  woman  suffrage 
for .  the  United  States,  as  part  of  the  creed  of 
democracy  for  which  the  war  is  being  fought.  A 
few  reactionary  Senators  have  turned  it  down, 
men,  we  learn,  described  as  "  crusted  Tories  and 
Junkers,  old  slave  holdero."  The  result  is  that, 
after  a  battle  of  nearly  thirty  years  to  get  the 
Federal  Amendment  through  Congress,  it  will  be 
necessary  for  the  women  to  begin  all  over  again 
at  the  next  session  to  put  the  measure  through 
the  lower  House.  Anyway,  these  "  old  slave 
holders  "  who  defeated  the  amendment  have  given 
abroad  in  enemy  countries  the  impression  that 
America  is  not  as  far  advanced  as  her  slogans  of 
democracy  would  indicate.  She  must  wipe  out 
this  impression  at  the  first  possible  opportunity. 

SANITAS. 

A  most  satisfactory  report  was  presented  at  the 
twentieth  ordinary  general  meeting  ot  the 
"  Sanitas  "  Company,  Ltd.,  on  July  3rd,  at 
Winchester  House,  Old  Broad  Street,  E.C.  The 
Chairman,  Mr.  C.  T.  Kingzett,  F.I.C.,  F.C.S.,  in 
moving  the  adoption  of  the  report  and  accounts 
said  that  the  business  of  the  company  had  been 
well  maintained.  In  some  directions  there  had 
been  great  extensions,  notwithstanding  the  diffi- 
culties attendant  upon  trading  in  these  days — the 
scarcity  of  materials,  difficulties  of  securing 
licences  to  obtain  them,  scarcity  of  freight,  deple- 
tion of  staff,  and  so  forth.  The  volume  of  trade 
had  nevertheless  increased  proportionately.  Both 
sales  and  profit  constituted  a  record  in  the  history 
of  the  company.  The  reserve  fund  has  been 
increased  by  over  £y,ooo,  and  the  total  dividend 
for  the  year  has  been  8  pei  cent. 


34 


ITbe  Sritteto  Sournal  of  Burdtna. 


July   13,   1918 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 

Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  Jar  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  ht 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents. 

WHY  NOT  STOP  THE  5ALE  OF  THIS 
MISLEADING    BADGE? 

To  the  Editor  o/The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — The  attention  of  the  Council 
of  the  Nightingale  Fund  has  been  drawn  to  the 
fact  that  a  trading  association  has  been  selhng  a 
badge  which  they  call  the  "  Nightingale  Badge," 
and  the  Council  feel,  therefore,'  that  they  ought  to 
explain  that  the  selhng  of  this  badge  is  not  author- 
ised by  them,  and  that  its  possession  does  not 
imply  that  the  owner  has  received  a  training  at 
the  Nightingale  School. 

It  would  appear  tha.t  the  badge  can  be  purchased 
by  any  nurse,  or  indeed  anyone,  if  she  wishes. 

.  My' Council,  therefore,  feel  it  right  to  make 
this  explanation  and  dicclaimer  in  response  to 
requests  that  have  come  to  them  from  influential 
quarters  in  the  nursing  world,  and  they  will  be 
much  obhged  if  3^ou  will  give  it  as  wide  pubUcity 
as  possible. 

I  am,  dear  Madam, 

Yours  faithfully, 

W.  H.  Bonham-Carter, 
Secretary  0/  the  Nightingale  Training 
School. 

[It  will  be  remembered  that  a  correspondent 
drew  public  notice  to  this  matter  in  this  Journal 
a  iew  weeks  ago.  At  the  request  of  the  Matron 
of  St.  Thomas'  Hospital  we  placed  further  informa- 
tion at  her  aisposal,  and  congratulate  the  Com- 
mittee of  the  Nightingale  School  for  Nurses  on 
disclaiming  responsibility  for  this  "Nightingale 
Badge."  For  the  protection  of  "Nightingales" 
we  suggest  the  Committee  should  take  steps  to 
prcA^ent  the  sale  *  f  this  "  badge,"  Avhich  any 
person  trained  or  not  can  buy,  and  wear.  It  is 
calculated  to  mislead  the  public. — Ed.] 

HUMILIATING     HUMBUG. 

To  the  Editor  0/  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 
Dear  Madam, — I  wonder  how  much  deeper  of 
the  cup  of  humiliation  the  nursing  profession  will 
have  to  drink — to  the  very  dregs  ?  I  happened 
to  walk  into  Waring  &  Gillow's  shop  the  other 
day,  where  I  saw  a  most  extraordinary  entertain- 
ment in  progress.  Miss  Elizabeth  Asquith  was 
exhibiting  a  wax  cioU,  which  she  informed  me 
represented  Queen  Alexandra  in  her  wedding 
dress.  Upon  further  questioning,  I  learned  that 
this  toy  was  to  be  raffled  for  "  The  Nation's  Fund 
for  Nurses,"  so  called.  I  gave  her  to  understand 
very  clearly  that  self-respecting  nurses  resented 
being  held  up  as  objects  of  charity.  I  further 
informed  her  that  the  only  thing  we  did  want 
was  what  her  father — when  Prime  Minister — had 
had  the  power  to  give  us,  and  had  refused,  namely, 


State  Registration ;  and  that  what  we  did  not 
want  was  that  she  should  patronize  the  nurses 
in  such  an  insulting  way  as  to  invite  raffling 
(gambling  is  the  most  honest  term)  over  a  wax  doll 
to  obtain  charity  money  for  trained  nurses. 
What  has  Miss  Asquith  to  do  with  the  Nursing 
Profession  I  should  much  like  to  know.  Instead 
of  this  unjustifiable  interference,  she  would  be 
better  employed  doing  some  work  of  national 
importance,  and  this  I  told  her  as  a  parting  word  of 
advice.  Where  is  the  esprit  de  corps  among  nurses 
if  they  can  tolerate  this  ignoble  treatment  of 
what  is  often  called  by  those  who  deUght  to 
humiliate  it — "  a  noble  profession"  ? 
Yours  indignantly, 

Beatrice  Kent. 
P.S. — I  am  in  perfect  sympathy  and  agreement 
with  Henrietta  Hawkins  in  the  views  she  expresses 
about  the  work  which  the  splendid  official  report 
of  the  work  of  the  Society  for  State  Registration 
represents,  and  I  enclose  a  donation  towards  the 
expenses  with  the  greatest  pleasure  and  gratitude. 

[Appreciation,  as  well  as  financial  support  for 
a  just  Bill,  is  most  welcome. — ^Ed,] 

A  QUESTION  OF  IMPORTANCE  TO  MENTAL 
NURSES. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — I  was  much  interested  in  Captain 
Kirkland-Whittaker's  remarks  at  the  Annual 
Meeting  of  the  Asylum  Workers'  Association  {The 
Asylum  News,  p.  18)  on  the  promotion  of  mental 
nurses  to  the  posts  of  Assistant  Matron  and  Matron, 
and  from  the  applause  they  received  it  would  appear 
that  the  sentiments  were  approved  of  by  the  whole 
meeting-.  It  is  interesting  to  record  that  he  repeats 
in  England  the  views  which  were  expressed  in 
Scotland  by  Dr.  Yellowlees,  of  Gartnavel  (the 
Father  of  the  Medico-Psychological  Association), 
so  long  ago  as  1898.  While  agreeing  with  Captain 
Kirkland-Whittaker  that  the  matron  of  an  Asylum 
ought  to  be  fully  qualified  in  her  profession,  and 
hold  both  the  Certificates  of  Hospital  Nursing  and 
of  Proficiency  in  Mental  Nursing,  he  thought  the 
best  matrons  were  those  who  had  first  been  mental 
nurses  and  had  subsequently  completed  their  train- 
ing in  the  wards  of  a  Greneral  Hospital.  The 
Asylum,  he  eloquently  said,  was  their  "  first  love," 
and  their  interest  in  work  of  this  kind  of  institution 
would  be  greater. 

Dr.  Yellowlees'  remarks  were  made  during  a 
discussion  on  the  training  of  hospital  nurses  in 
mental  work  for  the  purpose  of  fitting  them  to 
become  matrons  of  Asylums.  A  considerable 
number  since  1880  had  been  appointed  matrons  of 
Asylums  in  Scotland,  and,  owing  to  their  want  of 
training,  with  indifferent  success  in  many  cases. 
I  thought  this  defect  should  be  rectified,  and  I 
induced  the  first  hospital  nurses  to  enter  the  wards 
of  an  Asylum  in  the  year  1896.  The  prestige  of  the 
Asylum  service  was  then  so  low  that  it  took  nearly 
a  year  before  I  could  get  a  single  candidate.  Two 
others  came  shortly  afterwards.  All  three  became 
matrons  of  Asylums  within  three  years,  and  after 


The  Bntteh   Toumul  of  Nurtutg,  July  12,  tflS. 


"  Science  is,  I  b^eve, 
nothing  but  trained  and 
organized  common-sense, 
differing  from  the  latter 
only  as  a  veteran  may 
differ  from  a  raw  recruit: 
and  its  methods  diffe' 
from  those  of  common- 
sense  only  so  far  as  the 
Guardsman's  cut  and 
thrust  differ  from  the 
manner  in  which  a  savage 
wields  his  club." 

Professor  Huxley. 


The  Basis 
of 
Science 


BOOTS  PURE  DRUG  COMPANY  LIMITED  wish  to  draw  the 
attention  of  the  medical  profession  to  the  following  seven  scientific 
preparations.  Practitioners  who  endeavour  to  keep  abreast  of  the  times 
will  find  these  modern  antiseptics  of  superlative  value  in  general  practice. 


CHLORAMINE-T 

(p-lolutnt-todium-tulphochloramide). 

Dakin's  ideal  antiseptic,  of  wide  applicability  ia 
medicine  and  surgery. 

In  bottles  of  loz..  1/2;   4oz.,  3/6;  lib.,  12/6 

CHLORAMINE-T  GAUZE 

In  two  strengths,  containing  approximately  5% 
and  35%  Chloramine-T.  (5%  supplied  unlets 
otherwise  specified).  This  should  be  fixed  dry 
and  subsequently  moistened,  if  necessary,  when 
in  position. 

In  sealed  packages  only,  price  1/6  per  package. 

PROFLAVINE 

(3'6  diamino-acridint-tulphate). 
The  improved  Flavine  derivative. 

Equal  in  antiseptic  powers  to  Acriflavine,  and  in 
important  respects  superior,  being  markedly  less 
toxic  and  less  irritating.  Proflavine,  being  less 
costly  to  manufacture,  can  be  sold  at  a  substantially 
lower  price  than  Acriflavine. 

5  gram  bottle,  1/4 :  20  gram  bottle,  5/- 

HALAZONE  TABLETS. 


TABLETS  OF  CHLORAMINE-T 

One  tablet  dissolved  in  two  ounces  of  water  makes 
a  one  per  cent,  solution. 

Bottles  of  25.  8'75  grain  tablets,  1/2 

SO.     .,  „  ..        2/- 

100 3/9 

One  tablet  dissolved  in  ten  ources  of  water  makes 
a  one  per  cent,  solution. 

Bottles  of  12  43-75  grain  tablets,  1/10 

CHLORAMINE-T  CREAM 

Containing  approximately  one  per  cent.  Chlora- 
mine-T. Described  and  investigated  under  the 
name  of  Chloramine  Paste  by  Vincent  Daufresnc. 
Carrel,  Hartmann  and  others,  in  the  Journal  of 
Experimental  Medicine,  1917. 

In  Pots.    Trial  size,  9(L :  large  size,  2/6. 

TABLETS  OF  PROFLAVINE 

(lOilh  sodium  chloride). 

One  tablet  dissolved  in  four  fluid  ounces  sterile 
water  makes  1:1000  Proflavine  in   normal  salin*. 

Bottles  of  100  tablets,  3/6 


DAKIN'S   NEW  WATER   DISINFECTANT. 
Vidm  B.M.J.,  May.  1917. 


VU 


The  action  of  Halazone  is  positive,  and  may  be  relied  upon  for  crudest  waters.  Each  tablet  is  sufficient  to 
sterilize  one  quart  of  contaminated  water,  but  in  cases  of  extreme  contamination  a  second  tablet  may  be 
accessary.    Halazone  is  invaluable  for  those  on  active  service  overseas,  more  particularly  in  hot  climates. 

Bottles  of  100  tablets,  6d. 

Supplies  are  available  for  prescription  service  on  application 
through  any  of  the  branches  of  BOOTS  THE  CHEMISTS. 

Boots  Pure  Drug  Company  Limited 

MANUFACTURING   CHEMISTS    AND   MAKERS   OF   FINE   CHEMICALS. 
Head  Offices:    Station  Street.  Nsttingham.       JESSE  BOOT,  Managing  Director. 


36 


Z\)e  British  3ournal  of  flurginfi. 


July   13,    1918 


that  candidates  became  numerous.  The  full  double 
training  is,  of  course,  a  tremendous  advantage  to 
any  applicant  for  a  matron's  post.  No  person 
should,  however,  be  appointed  matron  of  an 
Asylum,  if  it  can  be  avoided,  who  does  not  hold  the 
Certificate  of  Proficiency  in  Mental  Nursing,  and 
the  training  which  was  instituted  in  1896  for  hos- 
pital nurses,  and  adopted  in  many  other  Asylums 
since  then,  obviates  the  necessity  of  doing  this. 

In  answer  to  Dr.  Yellowlees  I  replied  that  enter- 
prising and  intelligent  mental  nurses,  meeting 
hospital  nurses  in  the  wards  of  Asylums,  would  be 
induced  to  complete  their  training  in  Hospitals, 
and  would  in  their  turn  be  available  for  matrons' 
posts.  Also  that  the  status  of  Asylum  nurses  would 
be  improved  by  Hospital  nurses  working  in  the 
wards  of  Asylums.  My  surmises  both  proved 
correct.  Scores  of  my  nurses  have  taken  their  hos- 
pital training.  I  fancy  this  practice  is  more  pre- 
valent in  Scotland  than  in  England,  as  our  Asylums 
have  become  more  hospitalised  and  we  employ  more 
hospital  nurses  in  them.  The  result  of  this  is  that 
many  mental  nurses  who  have  completed  their 
double  training  in  hospitals  are  afterwards 
appointed  assistant  matrons,  and  some  do  ulti- 
mately become  matrons  of  Asylums.  Lately,  I 
think  four  out  of  five  assistant  matrons  at  the  West 
House  of  the  Morningside  Royal  Asylum  had  begun 
their  career  as  mental  nurses.  During  the  last 
three  years  three  at  least,  if  not  more,  of  my  former 
assistant  matrons,  who  started  as  mental  nurses, 
have  been  appointed  matrons  of  English  Asylums. 
More  mental  nurses  may  be  appointed  matrons  than 
Captain  Kirkland-Whittaker  suspects,  but  they 
usually  have  the  double  training,  which  we  all 
think  so  desirable.  In  any  case,  good  mental 
nurses  are  now  coming  into  their  own  in  this 
respect,  as  I  predicted  twenty  years  ago  they  would, 
and  the  status  of  mental  nurses  is  much  higher  now 
than  then. 

Hard  lines  still  occur,  as  when  a  faithful  experi- 
enced mental  nurse  is  passed  over  for  a  younger 
woman  who  holds  both  certificates.  Some  weight 
must,  of  course,  be  attached  to  the  possession  of 
the  second  certificate,  and  the  interests  of  the 
patients  and  the  institution  must  come  first.  One 
cannot  fail  to  sympathise  with  these  older  officials ; 
not  so  much,  however,  with  the  younger  generation 
of  rnental  nurses.  Those  of  them  who  are  enter- 
prising and  ambitious  should  know  by  this  time 
that  if  they  aspire  to  the  higher  posts  they  must 
complete  their  training  in  a  general  hospital.  If 
they  do  this,  there  are  many  I  know  of,  like  Dr. 
Yellowlees,  who  will  give  them  a  preference  when 
opposed  by  candidates  who  are  equally  qualified, 
but  whose  "  first  love  "  has  not  been  the  Asylum. 

I  do  not  think  there  is  any  diflficulty  such  as 
Captain  Kirkland-Whittaker  suggests  in  a  mental 
nurse  completing  her  training  in  a  general  hospital. 
My  experience,  which  is  not  exceeded  by  anyone, 
is  opposed  to  this.  She  must,  of  course,  resign 
her  asylum  post  after  obtaining  her  certificate, 
which  she  can  do  by  giving  a  month's  notice.  She 
will  find  she  will  have  less  difficulty  than  the  un- 
trained   woman    in   entering   a    Hospital,    as    the 


certificate  of  the  Association  which  she  possesses, 
•I  am  proud  to  say,  is  held  in  high  esteem.  The 
matron  of  the  Hospital  knows  that  she  is  not  a 
raw,  untrained,  ordinary  probationer.  If  she  has 
done  good  service  in  the  Asylum,  the  Superinten- 
dent and  the  Matron  will  help  her  to  enter  a 
Hospital. 

I  think  it  distinctly  hard  that  one  year  should  not 
be  deducted  from  the  three  required  for  Hospital 
training,  in  virtue  of  her  mental  certificate,  as  is 
done  when  a  hospital  nurse  enters  for  the  mental 
certificate.  This  point  has  already  been  brought 
by  the  Medico- Psychological  Association  to  the 
notice  of  the  College  of  Nursing,  and  the  favour 
will  no  doubt  ibe  obtained  in  time.  It  was  several 
years  before  the  Medico-Psychological  Association 
itself  granted  the  favour  to  hospital  nurses.  As  I 
was  the  first  to  train  hospital  nurses  in  Asylums,  I 
naturally  proposed  at  the  meeting  that  this  favour 
should  be  accorded  them,  but  I  underwent  the 
trying  experience  of  not  finding  anyone  to  second 
my  proposal.  Several  years  afterwards,  at  a  large 
meeting  in  London  at  which  I  was  present.  Dr. 
Mercier  made  a  similar  proposal,  and  he  not  only 
found  a  seconder,  but  his  motion  was  enthusias- 
tically carried  without  a  dissentient  voice.  His 
argument  may  have  been  as  lucid,  interesting,  and 
convincing  on  that  occasion  as  his  speech  was  at 
the  Annual  Meeting,  and  the  times  may  have  been 
ripe. 

I  am.  Madam,  &c., 
George  M.  Robertson,  M.Dt,  F.R. C.P.Ed., 
Physician-Superintendent  of  the 
Royal  Edinburgh  Asylum. 

KERNELS      FROM     CORRESPONDENCE, 

Self-supporting  Nurse  : — "  I  ventured  into  Self- 
ridges  the  day  last  week  that  actresses  and  others 
were  selling  tickets  for  the  Nation's  Fund  for 
Nurses.  I  told  one  lady  how  strongly  many 
nurses  objected  to  its  being  done  as  a  war  Charity. 
She  kept  repeating,  "  Nonsense,  Miss  Davies  must 
know  !  "  I  resented  this.  Who  is  Miss  Davies, 
and  what  has  she  to  do  with  my  freedom  of 
opinion  ?  She  is  neither  the  keeper  of  my  con- 
science nor  my  purse.  I  claim  the  right  to  form 
an,d  express  my  own  opinions.  To  the  little 
actress  in  question,  this  appeared  entirely  super- 
fluous." 

[It  would.— Ed.] 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITIONS. 

July  20th. — State  fully  how  you  would  disinfect 
a  bedroom  and  its  furnishings. 

July  27th. — What  are  the  chief  racial  poisons  ? 
What  steps  should  be  taken  to  prevent  and 
counteract  their  effects  ? 


OUR    ADVERTISERS. 

Do  not  omit  to  buy,  as  far  as  possible,  every- 
thing you  need  from  "Our  Advertisers,"  and  to 
recommend  them  to  your  friends.  They  are  all 
first-class  firms. 


July  13,  1918     {ibc  »rttl0b  3ournal  of  flur«lna  Supplement* 

The 


37 


THE  MIDWIVES'  ACT  AMENDMENT  BILL 

On  Tuesday,  July  and,  as  we  briefly  notified 
last  week,  the  House  of  Lords  resolved  itself  into 
Committee  to  consider  the  Midwives  Bill,  the  Earl 
of  Donoughmore  being  in  the  chair. 
Future  Revision  of  Constitution  of  Central 
Midwives'  Board. 

Clause  I  of  the  Midwives'  Act  Amendment  Bill 
is  important,  because,  if  passed  into  law,  it  confers 
on  the  Central  Midwives'  Board  of  England 
powers  which,  so  far,  it  has  not  possessed.  It 
provides  that  : — 

I.  (i)  The  Central  Midwives'  Board  may  at  any 
time  represent  to  the  Privy  Council  that  it  is 
expedient  to  modifj'  the  constitution  of  the 
Board,  either  by 

(rt)  increasing  or  diminishing  the  number  of 
persons    appointed  by  any  body   or  person  ;    or 

(6)  abolishing  the  power  of  appointment  by 
any  body  or  person  ;    or 

(c)  conferring  on  any  body  or  person  a  power 
of  appointment  of  one  or  more  persons  ;    or 

{d)  altering  the  term  of  office  or  quahfications 
of  any  members. 

The  Privy  Council  is  then  to  cause  such  repre- 
sentation to  be  laid  before  both  Houses  of  Parlia- 
ment ;  and,  if  within  forty  days,  either  House 
presents  an  address  to  His  Majesty,  declaring  that 
the  representation,  or  any  part  thereof,  ought 
not  to  be  given  effect  to,  no  further  proceedings 
shall  be  taken  in  respect  of  the  representation  in 
regard  to  which  the  address  has  been  presented ; 
otherwise,  it  shall  be  lawful  for  His  Majesty, 
by  Order  in  Council,  to  give  effect  to  the  same. 

This  provision  is  made  both  in  the  Midwives 
(Scotland)  Act,  1915,  and  the  Midwives  (Ireland) 
Act,  1918 ;  but  the  Amending  Bill  makes  no 
provision  for  "  bringing  the  English  Act  into  lino 
with  those  in  the  other  parts  of  the  United  King- 
dom," by  the  inclusion  of  certified  midwives 
upon  their  governing  body. 

A   Vital  Omission. 

This  omission  has  always  been  a  very  grave 
blot   upon  the  English  Act. 

In  the  Amending  Bills  introduced  into  the 
House  of  Lords  in  igio  by  Lord  Presidents  of  the 
Council,  first  Viscount  Wolverhampton  and  then 
Earl  Beauchamp,  steps  were  taken  to  rectify  it. 
Both  Bills  proposed  that  two  certified  midwives 
should  be  appointed  on  to  the  Central  Midwives' 
Board — one  by  the  Incorporated  Midwives'  Insti- 
tute, and  one  by  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion. During  the  passage  of  Earl  Beauchamp'g 
Bill  through  the  House  of  Lords,  the  representation 
of  the  Midwives'  Institute  was  increased  by  the 
addition  of  a  medical  representative,  and  that  of 
the  R.B.N. A.  was  (by  a  majority  of  six)  altered  to 
give  it  the  option  of  appointing  a  representative 


other  than  a  certified  midwife — though  Lord 
Beauchamp  opposed  the  amendment  on  the 
ground  that  out  of  a  Board  of  fourteen  appointed 
to  deal  with  midwives,  it  was  not  unreasonable 
that  two  of  the  members  should  be  midwives. 
Before  the  Bill  passed  into  law,  the  House  of 
Commons  of  1910  was  dissolved. 

The  Central  Midwives'  Board  for  Scotland 
consists  of  eleven  persons.  Three  of  these  are 
appointed  by  the  Lord  president  of  the  Council 
and  two  of  the  three  must  be  certified  midwives. 

The  Central  Midwives  Board  for  Ireland 
consists  cf  eleven  persons,  four  of  whom  are 
midwives. 

The  Central,  Midwives'  Board  for  England 
consists  of  nine  persons,  none  of  whom  need  be 
midwives. 

Why  should  not  the  Amending  Bill  provide 
for  the  addition  of  two  certified  midwives  to  the 
Board  ?  The  grievance  of  English  midwives  will 
be  accentuated  if  a  Bill  of  wnich  the  declared 
purpose  is  to  bring  it  into  line  with  those  in  other 
parts  cf  the  United  Kngdom  fails  to  do  so  in  this 
vital  particular.  It  is  a  point  which  midwives 
should  not  allow  to  be  lost  sight  of  in  the  House 
of  Commons,  and  should  urge  upon  their  local 
Members  of  Parliament — and  especially  upon 
Labour  Members. 

An  Amendment  was  adopted  on  July  2nd  to 
section  five  of  the  principal  Act.  This  section 
provides  that  the  Central  Midwives  Board  shall, 
as  soon  as  practicable  after  December  31st  in 
each  year,  publish  a  financial  statement,  and 
submit  a  copy  to  the  Privy  Council.  If  there  is 
any  balance  against  the  Board,  and  the  balance 
is  approved  by  the  Privy  Council  the  Board  may 
apportion  such  balance  between  the  councils  of 
the  several  counties  and  county  boroughs  in 
proportion  to  the  number  of  midwives  who  have  given' 
notice  during  the  year  of  their  intention  to  practise 
in  those  areas  respectivel\^  and  may  recover  from 
the  councils  the  sum  so  apportioned. 

The  amendment  provides  that  the  apportion- 
ment of  such  balance  shall  be  in  proportion  to  the 
population  of  those  counties  and  county  boroughs, 
according  to  the  returns  of  the  last  published 
census  for  the  time  being.  Tiiis  is  obviously  an 
improvement,  and  a  more  just  arrangement.  If 
the  basis  of  apportionment  is  the  number  of 
practising  midwives,  then  the  more  active  a  county 
or  county  borough  is  in  inducing  midwives  to 
practise,  the  larger  the  amount  of  the  subsidy 
which  can  be  recovered  by  the  Central  Midwives' 
Board,  while  a  slack  authority  gets  off  lightly. 

Section  3  makes  the  following  necessary  addition 
to  section  7  of  the  principal  Act : — • 

"  A  certificate  purporting  to  be  signed  by  the 
Secretary  of  the  Board  that  the  name  of  a 
woman  whose  name  appears  in  the  roll  of  mid- 


38         Jlbc  3Br!tl6b  3ournal  of  "Wurelnc  Supplement.     My  ^3,  1918 


wives  has  been  removed  from  the  roll  and  of  the 

date  of  such  removal  shall  be  evidence  that  such 

woman  is  not  certified  under  this  Act,  and  of  the 

date  as  from  which  she  ceased  to  be  so  certified." 

Section  4  makes  provision  for  the  payment  of 

reasonable  expenses  to  members  of  the  Board  in 

respect  of  their  attendance  at  meetings  on  a  scale 

approved  by  the  Privy  Council. 

Section  5  deals  with  the  annual  report  of  the 
Board  to  the  Privy  Council.  Such  a  report  is,  in 
fact,  already  made  by  the  Board.  The  section 
provides  that  it  shall  contain  "  such  particulars 
as  the  privy  Council  may  direct." 

Section  6  (i)  authorises  the  Central  Midlives 
Board  to  frame  rules  deciding  the  conditions  under 
which  midwives  may  be  suspended  from  practice 
and  includes  a  power  cf  framing  rules — 

(a)  Authorising  the  Board  to  suspend  a 
midwife  from  practice  in  lieu  of  striking  her 
name  off  the  roll  and  to  suspend  from  practice 
any  midwife  accused  before  the  Board  ot 
disobeying  rules  or  regulations,  01  of  other 
misconduct,  until  the  case  has  been  decided 
and,  in  the  case  of  an  appeal,  until  the  appeal 
has  been  decided. 

(&)  Authorising  the  local  supervising  authority 
which  takes  proceedings  against  a  midwife  before 
a  Court  cf  Justice,  or  reports  a  case  for  con- 
sideration by  the  Central  Midwives  Board,  to 
suspend  her  from  practice  until  the  case  has 
been  decided. 

At  present,  neither  the  Central  Midwives  Board 
nor  a  local  supervising  authority  has  power  of 
suspension  in  a  punitive  or  disciplinary  sense, 
though,  under  its  rules,  local  supervising  authori- 
ties may  suspend  a  midwife  from  practice  to 
prevent  the  spread  of  infection. 

Section  6  (2)  provides  that  when  a  case  has 
been  decided  in  favour  of  a  midwife  who  has 
been  suspended  from  practice  pending  its  deoisicn, 
the  Board,  or  local  supervising  authority  con- 
cerned, "  may,  if  they  think  fit,  pay  hor  such 
reasonable  compensation  for  loss  of  practice  as 
under  the  circumstances  may  seem  just" 

"  Breaking  a  Lance  for  the  Midwife." 
On  this  Clause,  he  Earl  of  Meath  moved  to 
delete  the  words  we  have  quoted,  and  to  insert 
"  shall  pay  her  reasonable  compensation  for  loss 
of  practice,"  because,  as  he  explained,  it  appeared 
to  him  there  is  a  want  of  elementary  justice  in  this 
second   sub-section. 

"  I  wish,"  he  continued,  "  to  breaks  lance  for 
the  midwife.  It  appears  to  me  she  is  hardly 
properly  treated.  You  give  power  to  the  Central 
Midmves'  Board  and  to  the  local  supervising 
authority  to  suspend  her,  but  if  it  is  proved  that 
she  is  innocent  it  would  be  only  justice  that  some 
reasonable  compensation  should  be  given  to  her 
for  loss  of  practice.  .  .  .  Once  upon  a  time,  Mr. 
Gladstone  said  that  we,  in  this  House,  lived  up  in 
a  balloon  ;  but  I  think  we  know  enough  of  affairs 
terrestrial  to  be  aware  of  the  fact  that  a  prosecutor 
is  not  likely  to  do  justice  to  a  defendant  it  it  is 


proved  that  the  defendant  is  innocent,  and  that 
the  prosecutor  is  the  very  last  person  to  give  com- 
pensation and  thus  be  hkely  to  stultify  himself." 

Viscount  Peel  said  he  did  not  think  the  noble 
Earl  ve^d  aisplay  any  anxiety  that  there  would 
not  be  plenty  of  noble  I^ords  in  that  House  who 
would  break  lances  on  behalf  of  midwives,  because 
in  his  experience,  they  had  many  strong  friends, 
rot  only  there,  but  in  +he  other  House.  He  was 
advised  that  the  particular  propo^^al  of  the  noble 
Lord  would  make  little,  if  any  difference  in  prac- 
tice. Further,  he  believed  it  would  be  far  better 
to  leave  the  whole  matter  to  the  fair  discretion  of 
the  Board.  He  hoped  the  noble  Earl  would  not 
press    his   amendment. 

The  Earl  of  Meath  said  the  noble  Viscount 
had  alluded  to  the  Central  Midwives'  Board,  but 
not  to  the  local  supervising  authority,  which  was 
the  body  least  likely  to  give  the  compensation 
needed. 

On  question,  the  Amendment  was  negatived 
and  Clause  6  agreed  to. 

{To  be  concluded.) 


NATIONAL    BABY    WEEK. 

Presiding  at  a  meeting  at  the  Central  Hall, 
Westminster,  during  Baby  Week,  Sir  Francis 
Champneys,  Chairman  of  the  Central  Midwives' 
Board,  advocated  a  closer  co-operation  between 
medical  practitioners  and  midwives  and  a  longer 
training  for  the  latter.  Their  status,  he  said 
must  be  increased  and  the  calling  made  more 
attractive.  He  also  spoke  of  the  great  future 
before  ante-natal  clinics  and  the  necessity  for  the 
provision  of  decent  houses — housing  conditions 
affected  the  health  of  mother  and  child  enormously. 

Pathological  Section  of  the  Exhibition. 

Admission  to  this  section  was  restricted  to 
doctors,  nurses,  midwives,  sanitary  inspectors, 
health  visitors  and  infant  welfare  workers.  Very 
terrible,  but  veiy  informing,  wore  some  of  the 
exhibits,  showing  various  diseases  and  abnor- 
malities,  including  the  ravages   of   syphilis. 


"ORDER   OF  THE    BRITISH    CRADLE." 

At  the  opening  of  a  day  nursery  at  Stuart 
Crescent,  V^ood  Green,  last  Saturday,  Mr.  Pett 
Ridge  said  that  while  a  great  many  Orders  had 
been  given  to  more  people  than  wanted  them,  no 
one  bad  thought  of  creating  the  Order  of  the  British 
Cradle,  to  be  given  to  mothers  who  brought  up 
their  children  well  under  difficulties.  A  small 
boy  of  three,  on  being  brought  one  day  to  a  Hoxtoa 
nursery,  cried  bitterly  when  his  mother  left  him. 
The  next  morning  the  mother  stayed  chatting 
with  the  sister  for  a  few  moments  to  break  the 
anguish  of  the  parting,  but  the  boy  glanced  up 
from  his  playthings  on  the  floor  and  said,  "  'Op  it, 
mother." 

We  don't  like  that  little  boy. 


THE 

A. 

WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 

aiE  MBMSXIKI  M^COIII 

EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


umo 


No.  1,581. 


SATURDAY,   JULY   20,    1918. 


Vol.    LXI 


EDITORIAL. 


FRANCE'S     DAY. 

REQUIEM    FOR    THE    FALLEN. 

"  Pray  for  my  soul.     More  things  are  wrought  by 
prayer  than  this  world  dreams  of.'' 

It  is  the  common  instinct  of  humanity  to 
honour  the  dead  who  have  fallen  gloriously 
in  battle,  or  have  died  in  the  defence  of  their 
country  of  wounds  and  sickness,  and  it  is 
the  practice  of  all  branches  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  from  primitive  times,  to  associate 
that  honour  with  prayers  for  the  departed. 

It  was  fitting  and  natural,  therefore,  that 
on  France's  Day  a  Solemn  Mass  of  Requiem 
for  the  Fallen  should  be  sung  at  the  Cathe- 
dral at  Westminster  for  the  French  soldiers 
and  sailors  who  have  fallen  in  the  war,  and 
the  great  congregation  which  filled  the 
Cathedral  to  overflowing  was  proof  that 
this  remembrance  of  their  dead  was  appre- 
ciated by  a  large  number  of  the  relatives 
and  friends  of  these  fallen  heroes. 

The  King,  Queen  Alexandra,  and  the 
Government  were  represented,  and  the 
Lord  Mayor  and  Sheriffs  attended  in  state, 
and  there  were  present  the  French  Ambas- 
sador and  the  full  staff  of  the  Embassy,  as 
well  as  many  of  the  Diplomatic  Corps,  the 
French  Commission,  the  French  Red  Cross, 
Members  of  Parliament  and  the  Consular 
Service,  Ministers  of  the  Allied  Countries, 
representatives  of  British  Overseas 
Dominions,  the  wives  of  French  soldiers, 
and  many  others. 

At  the  foot  of  the  Sanctuary  steps  was 
the  Catafalque  adorned  with  the  Tricolour. 
Around  it  burned  six  tall  candles,  and  by 
each,  erect  and  motionless,  stood  a  Zouave, 
in  his  striking  red  and  blue  uniform,  with 
fixed  bayonet,  and  facing  the  Catafalque 
w^as  an  officer  in  khaki,  with  red,  blue,  and 
gold  laced  cap.  Bishop  Butt,  the  celebrant, 
was  vested  in  black,  but  on  the  High  Altar 
burned  many  candles,  and  colour  was  the 


prevailing  note,  for  the  Cardinal  Arch- 
bishop wore  his  red  robes  and  cappa  magna, 
the  Metropolitan  Chapter  wore  exquisite 
rose-coloured  cappas,  and  the  Cathedral 
clergy  grey  silk. 

The  Zouave  band  played  before  the 
service,  and  then  was  silent  for  the  music 
of  the  Mass,  when  the  plain-song  melodies 
in  the  Mass  of  Anerio,  a  i6th  century 
composer,  were  sung  by  the  choir  under 
the  direction  of  Dr.  Terry  with  beautiful 
effect,  the  men's  and  boys'  voices  alternat- 
ing in  the  Dies  Irce. 

In  the  Offertorium  the  Zouave  Band 
played  a  fragment  from  Gounod's  Jeanne 
d'Arc  Mass,  and  at  the  Elevation  of  the 
Host,  signalized  by  fanfares  of  trumpets, 
the  Zouaves  at  the  Catafalque  presented 
arms,  and  the  officer's  sword  came  to  the 
salute. 

After  the  departure  of  the  Celebrant,  the 
Cardinal,  vested  in  cope  and  mitre,  and  the 
choir,  sang  the  Libera  Me,  and  then  with 
his  procession,  carrying  lighted  torches,  he 
came  down  to  the  Catafalque,  sprinkling 
and  censing  it  and  giving  the  Absolutions. 

Then  came  the  heart-stirring  roll  of  the 
drums,  which  re-echoed  through  the  Cathe- 
dral, the  Last  Post  sounded  by  the  buglers 
of  the  Grenadier  Guards,  and  the  "  Marche 
Heroique,"  rendered  with  consummate 
skill  and  inspiring  beauty  by  the  Zouave 
Band.  After  these  the  "Marseillaise" 
thrilled  the  great  congregation,  and  a  pro- 
foundly impressive  service  concluded  with 
the  National  Anthem. 

In  many  a  quiet  side  chapel  in  our 
churches  to-day  an  increasing  number  of  the 
faithful  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity, 
and  consolation,  afforded  them  of  praying 
for  their  dear  ones,  quick  and  dead,  in  the 
presence  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament. 

"To  souls  departed  in  the  fear  of  the 
Lord,  grant  refreshment  in  the  land  of 
peace,  Jesus,  God  of  life  and  death." 


40 


Hbe  Brltleb  Journal  of  'Rurstna. 


July  20,   1 918 


A   MINISTRY   OF   HEALTH. 


The  most  pressing  of  all  reconstructive 
problems  is  the  foundation  of  a  Ministry  of 
Health;  and  Major-General  Sir  Bertrand 
Dawson,  G.C.V.O.,  in  an  address  on  "  The 
Future  of  the  Medical  Profession,"  in  his 
Cavendish  Lecture  delivered  recently  before 
the  West  London  Medico-Chirugical  Society, 
emphasised  this  point. 

There  is,  he  said,  "  a  growing  appreciation 
of  the  fact  by  the  medical  profession  and  the 
public  that  much  disease  is  preventible;  a 
growing  sense  that  health  is  of  supreme  im- 
portance alike  to  the  State  and  the  individual ; 
that  the  best  means  for  preserving  health  and 
curing  disease  should  be  available  for  (not 
necessarily  given  to)  every  citizen,  irrespective 
of  his  position,  and  by  right  and  not  by 
favour. 

"  There  is  an  interesting  parallel  between 
provision  for  education  and  health,  both  as 
regards  historical  development  and  present 
needs.  Education  was  at  one  time  patchy, 
unorganized,  and  dependent  on  voluntary 
effort.  In  1870  Parliament  stepped  in,  with 
the  result  that  State  and  voluntary  education 
proceeded  side  by  side.  Since  then  the  State 
Service  has  gradually  overgrown  the  voluntary 
one,  because  it  has  been  recognized  that  educa- 
tion should  be  available  for  all,  that  the  State 
is  responsible  for  the  education  of  its  citizens, 
and  that  the  cost  is  too  great  to  be  supported 
by  fees,  or  by  voluntary  effort  alone.  This  cost 
is  in  part  defrayed  by  an  education  rate  charge- 
able on  householders,  and  Dr.  Gordon  Dill's 
suggestion  that  a  similar  rate  should  be 
charged  for  health  has  a  great  deal  to  recom- 
mend it ;  it  would  be  a  local  contribution  to  the 
cost,  and  would  not  be  altogether  an  additional 
burden,  for  its  application  would  soon  be 
followed  by  a  diminution  in  the  poor  rate. 

"  Health  organization  is  following  a  similar 
development,  though  tardily  and  at  a  distance. 
Yet  in  reality  health  is  a  more  fundamental 
need  than  education,  and  without  doubt  the 
two  together  form  the  foundation  stone  of 
the  State.  Notwithstanding  there  exists  no 
Ministry  of  Health,  and  even  now,  when  it  is 
proposed  to  form  one,  such  a  Ministry  is  to 
be  tied  f>oHtically  to  the  Local  Government 
Board." 

Sir  Bertrand  Dawson  considers  that  medical 
services  must  have  some  kind  of  State  aid  and 
central  control;  that  for  their  efficiency  they 
need  co-ordinated  effort  installed  in  specially 
equipped  institutions,  and  reaches,  by  what  he 


regards  as  the  irresistible  logic  of  facts,   the 
following  conclusions  : — 

1.  State  aid  :  central  control. 

2.  Co-ordinated  effort — team  work. 

3.  Development  of  institutions  specially  designed 
for  diagnosis  and  treatment,  styled  for  brevity 
institutional  treatment. 

To  the  foregoing  he  adds  a  fourth — that 
curative  and  preventive  medicine  are  no  longer 
separated  in  accordance  with  any  sound  prin- 
ciple, and  should  be  brought  together  in 
thought,  teaching,  and  organization. 

The  Administration  of  the  Medical 
Services. 

Conditions  he  regards  as  essential  to  any  plan 
are  that  "all  the  buildings  and  equipments, 
such  as  hospitals,  clinics,  laboratories,  neces- 
sary for  the  medical  services,  will  be  con- 
structed and  maintained  by  the  new  health 
authority.  They  would  be  available  for  all 
citizens,  though  in  practice  they  would  be  only 
partially  used  by  the  well-to-do.   .   .   . 

"All  professional  and  technical  questions 
must  be  determined  alone  by  the  doctors,  and 
administrative  questions  by  a  health  board  com- 
posed of  both  lay  and  professional  members. 
Neither  the  professional  nor  lay  members 
should  be  chosen  from  any  area  smaller  than 

a     county     or     large     borough Though 

granted  adequate  powers,  the  health  boards 
should  be  controlled  as  regards  larger  questions 
of  policy,  by  the  Ministry  of  Health. 

"  By  this  plan  of  choosing  big  areas  for  the 
Health  Board  electorate,  one  would  hope  to 
avoid  the  evils  of  local  politics  and  to  secure  a 
better  type  of  representative.  By  retaining  the 
determination  of  policy,  and  the  confirmation 
of  the  more  important  administrative  acts  at  the 
Health  Ministry,  one  would  secure  control  with- 
out over-centralization,   .   .   . 

"  But  whatever  the  actual  plan,  the  principle 
that  technical  matters  must  be  decided  by 
medical  men  must  be  adhered  to,  and  thus  one 
of  the  errors  of  the  Insurance  Act  put  right. 

"  The  practice  of  putting  the  skilled  under 
the  control  of  the  unskilled  must  cease.   .   .   . 

"  With  so  much  of  the  flower  of  our  manhood 
sacrificed  for  the  great  cause,  the  rearing  of 
a  healthy  race  has  become  a  supreme  necessity. 

"  The  Ministry  will  need  to  draw  to  its 
counsels  representatives  from  all  departments 
of  medicine,  both  preventive  and  curative,  and 
these  counsellors  must  have  real  power,  with 
direct  access  to  the  Minister,  in  Contrast  to  the 
baneful  tradition  at  the  Local  Government 
Board,  whereby  the  medical  officer  can  only 
advise  the  Minister  through  the  intermediary  of 
a  lay  official." 


July  20,   1918 


Zhc  Brttieb  3ournal  of  IRutBtna. 


41 


FOR  DAUNTLESS  FRANCE.* 


France,  dear  to  men  that  honour  human  things, 
To  have  helped  or  heartened  any  of  these  your  maimed 
And  homeless,  is  itself  felicity. 

— From  the  Dedication. 

"  For  Dauntless  France  "  !  The  heart  of  many 
an  EngUsh  nurse  who  has  worked  in  French 
hospitals  throbs  responsive  to  the  words  ;  for  her 
admiration  and  liking  for  the  French  poilu,  so 
brave,  so  gentle,  so  courteous,  so  grateful,  is 
unbounded,  and  she  desires  no  greater  privilege 


a  singularly  happy  one.  Let  us  say  at  once  the 
book  is  one  to  possess,  not,  like  so  many  war 
books,  one  to  be  read  with  enjoyment  and  then 
laid  aside.  Enjoyment  certainly,  may  be  pro- 
mised, but  as  a  history  of  the  work  of  Englishmen 
and  Englishwomen  for  the  dauntless  people  of 
France,  carefully  and  sympathetically  compiled, 
it  merits  an  abiding  place  on  our  bookshelves. 

His  Excellency  the  French  Ambassador,  M.  Paul 
Cambon,  who  contributes  the  preface,  writes  : — 

"  Le  budget  des  ceuvres  auxquelles  Mr.  Laurence 
Binyon  a  si  bien  rendu  justice,  en  dit  long  sur  la 
generosity    britannique.     Mais    il    ne    I'exprime 


"THE     WOUNDED     POILU."      By  JANE  DE  QLEHN  (Mrs.  Wilfrid  de  Qlehn.) 

Reproduced  from  Laurence  Binyon's  New  Book,  FOR  DAUNTLESS 
FRANCE,    by   kind   permission    of  Messrs,    Hodder    &    Stoughton, 


than  to  serve  him  till  peace  once  more  reigns  and 
■happily  he  no  longer  needs  her  skilled  services. 

"  For  Dauntless  France  "  is  the  title  chosen  by 
Mr.  Laurence  Binyon  for  his  book  compiled  for 
the  British  Red  Cross  Societies,  and  the  British 
Committee  of  the  French  Red  Cross,  which  con- 
tains an  account  of  Britain's  aid  to  the  French 
wounded  and  victims  of  the  war,  and  the  title  is 

*  By  Laurence  Binyon.  Hodder  &  Stoughton, 
St.  Paul's  House,  Warwick  Square,  London,  E.C.  4. 
ID?.  6d.  net. 


qu'en  termes  d' argent  et  de  materiel.  Les  pages 
qui  suivent  nous  montrent  I'ceuvre  admirable  des 
hommes  et  des  femmes  venus  de  Grande  Bretagne 
comme  a  une  sainte  croisade,  au  secours  de  leurs 
frdres  de  France.  Les  nurses  anglaises  qui  ont, 
des  le  premier  jour,  offert  le  secours  pr^cieux  de 
leur  experience  au  service  medical  franfais,  les 
ambulances  automobiles  qui,  equipees  en  Angle- 
terre,  montees  et  conduites  par  des  volontaires 
anglais,  ont  suivi  nos  armees  j usque  sur  la  ligne 
de  feu,  par  les  chemins  que  balayait  I'artillerie,  oA 
il  fallait  passer  de  nuii  et  sans  lumi^re  ;  les  groupes 


42 


Zbc  3Briti6b  3cnirnal  of  IRureing. 


July  20,   191 8 


de  Quakers  qui,  sans'^renoncer  a  leur  attitude 
traditionelle  a  regard|de  la  guerre  sont  venu 
r^construire  nos  villages  detruits,  et  soigner  les 
femmes  et  les  enfants  chasses  dc  leur  foyer  par 
I'invasion  ;  les  cantines  creees  sur  les  routes  ou 
s'6coule  le  flot  incessant  des  combattants  et  des 
blesses  ;  la  quantity  des  hopitaux  fondes,  recrut6s, 
entre-tenus  par  nos  amis  de  I'Empire  britannique, 
tout  cela  forme  un  tableau  auquel  I'auteur  a  su 
donner  la  grandeur  qui  lui  appartient.  Nous  ne 
souhaitons  qu'une  chose,  et  elle  est  facile  a  realiser  : 
c'est  que  son  livre  puisse  etre  lu  en  France 
comme  en  Angleterre." 

The  Call  and  the  Answer. 

Part  I  deals  with  the  Call  and  the  Answer,  and 
includes  three  chapters  "  The  Scene  Surveyed," 
"  A  Day's  Work  at  the  Office  of  the  Comite 
Britannique,"  and  "  British  Nurses  in  France  : 
The  French  Flag  Nursing  Corps." 

The  Scene  Surveyed  enables  us  to  look  down  as 
from  an  aerial  vantage-point  upon  the  regions  of 
Western  Europe — upon  a  world  at  war. 

"  That  scarred  line  from  Yser  to  Jura  attracts 
like  a  magnet ;  it  sucks  up  like  a  sponge.  All 
Europe  and  much  more  than  Europe  is  conscious 
of  it.  Not  a  hamlet  by  the  Atlantic  or  the  remote 
Pyrenees — not  a  village  in  the  British  Isles  but  has 
a  vision  of  it ;  and  far  away  in  the  South  Seas  and 
beyond  the  North  Atlantic  it  is  the  same.  To  it 
raen  and  women  are  sending,  sending,  sending. 
They  have  sent  sons  and  brothers,  lovers  and  hus- 
bands. They  have  sent  arms  and  ammunitions. 
They  are  sending  letters  and  little  gifts.  Those 
that  have  nothing  send  their  thoughts  and  their 
fears.  Could  we  use  that  other  vision  of  the  mind, 
we  might  see  those  thoughts,  prayers,  curses, 
apprehensions,  hopes  and  passionate  desires  flying 
in  that  one  direction  like  the  birds  that  fill  the  sky 
at  the  time  of  their  migration.  But  we  should  see 
also,  pressing  thither,  streams  of  embodied 
human  energy — passion  and  calculation  alike 
translated  into  active  force  and  absorbed  into  the 
momentum  of  a  single  will." 

Writing  of  the  British  workers  for  the  French 
soldier  Mr.  Binyon  says  that  when  they  have 
returned  to  their  homes  in  Britain  "  they  will 
testify  to  what  they  have  seen  and  known. 

"  They  will  have  learnt  that  Paris  is  not  France, 
and  that  the  tourist  of  other  days  but  rarely  came 
into  touch  with  the  true  French  nature,  with 
France  herself.  They  will  grow  to  understand  how 
fine  is  the  texture  of  human  qualities  and  human 
resources  which  underlie  French  history,  French 
art  and  civilisation,  and  which  have  made  the 
French  so  great  and  renowned  a  people." 

Of  the  British  nurses  in  French  hospitals  Mr. 
Binyon  writes  : — 

"  Who,  that  has  seen  them  at  work,  has  not 
admired  their  skill,  their  resource,  their  patient 
deftness  ?  They  have  behind  them  a  hard  and 
splendid  training,  which  ensures  that  only  enthu- 
siasts for  the  vocation  become  fully-qualified 
nurses.  Very  few  had  experience  of  war  and  the 
wounds  a  modern  war  produces ;  therefore  their 


interests  were  all  the  more  engaged.  But  it  is  not 
only  their  own  work  that  has  been  invaluable,  it 
is  the  training  they  have  given  to  others  less 
skilled.  For  under  the  nurses  or  sisters  work  the 
V.A.D.  probationers. 

"  The  V.A.D. s,"  says  a  surgeon,  "  are  un- 
doubtedly the  surprise.  They  are  splendid,  and  as 
probationers  vmder  trained  nurses  in  a  ward, 
nothing  that  I  can  say  is  good  enough  for  them." 

(We  wish  the  V.A.D.'s  were  always,  or  cora- 
monly,  content  with  the  position  of  probationers.) 
At  the  Office  of  the  ComitA  Britai^ique. 

The  day's  work  at  the  Office  of, the  Comity 
Britannique,  at  No.  9,  Knights  bridge,  S.  W.,  begins 
"  when,  at  a  punctual  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
the  purple-scarfed  Boy  Scout,  who  with  so  polite 
a  firmness  guards  the  door,  lets  in  the  arriving 
Director-General."  From  that  time  onwards  its 
manifold  activities  are  ceaseless. 

"  Seating  ourselves  beside  the  Director-General, 
and  looking  unabashed  over  his  shoulder,  we  get  a 
glimpse  of  his  morning's  correspondence.  It  is 
comprehensive  and  formidable." 

But  first  there  are  some  fifty  "  Ordres  de 
Mission  "to  be  signed,  those  valuable  vouchers 
which,  by  a  special  concession  to  the  Comite, 
enable  its  workers  to  travel  free  in  France. 

One  touch  will  amuse  trained  nurses. 

"  Two  drivers  Avrite  to  ask  about  their  passports, 
their  fiches  and  their  carnets.  The  fiche  is  a  paper 
of  identification;  but  I  dare  not  try  to  explain 
what  the  carnet  is  ;  it  is  just  a  little  Jjook  that  gives 
a  great  deal  of  trouble." 

We  cannot  even  peep  into  the  many  rooms, 
all  hives  of  industry,  in  this  busy  building,  but 
mention  must  be  made  of  the  room  on  the  ground 
where  the  President,  the  Vicomtesse  de  la  Panouse, 
reigns,  who,  Mr.  Binyon  explains,  "  holds  all 
the  threads  of  the  Comite  s  activities.  No  one 
is  so  intimate  with  the  condition  of  things  in 
France  ;  no  one  knows  better  the  real  needs  of  the 
sick  and  wounded  ;  and  with  her  large  sympathy 
with  the  Enghsh  people,  her  knowledge  of  the  right 
persons  to  do  the  right  things  on  both  sides  of 
the  Channel,  she  has  done,  and  continues  to  do, 
inestimable  service  to  the  cause  of  the  friendship 
between  the  two  nations." 

The  French  Flag  Nursing  Corps. 

We  congratulate  the  Sisters  of  the  French  Flag 
Nursing  Corps  on  being  accorded -the  position  of 
honour  in  the  book,  the  first  chapter  after  that 
on  the  office  in  London  being  devoted  to  their 
work ;  for  although  the  need  of  skilled  nursing  to 
mitigate  the  sufferings  of  the  French  wounded 
was  obvious  in  the  early  days  of  the  war,  the 
assistance  offered  by  this  Corps  was  discounten- 
anced and  discouraged  by  the  War  Office  and  the 
British  Red  Cross  Society,  and  it  was  not  until 
the  Director-General  and  the  president  of  the 
Comite  de  Londres,  now  the  Comite  Britannique 
of  the  French  Croix  Rouge,  recognising  the  value 
of  the  fine  work  of  the  Corps  in  the  French  Mil  tary 
Hospitals,  affiliated  it  as  a  department  of  its 
own  work,  that  the  Corps  received  the  appreciation 


July  20,   1 9 18 


^be  ©ritieb  3ournaI  of  IRursina* 


43 


and  sympathy  which  was  its  due,  and  its  services 
were  offered  as  a  gift  to  our  French  Allies. 

Mr.     Binyon     writes  : — 

"  There  was  unlimited  devotion,  immense 
eagerness  to  serve,  but  of  trained  and  expert  help 
there  was  an  inevitable  deficiency.  The  ladies  of 
Paris  staffed  the  Red  Cross  Hospitals,  and  did  all 
they  could.  It  was  the  same  in  other  towns. 
Some  of  the  most  devoted  nursing  work  in  those 
days  was  done,  let  it  be  recorded,  Dy  women  of  the 
streets.  But  the  crying  need  was  for  skill,  training, 
experience.  And  it  is  told  that  a-Frenchwoman 
who  knew  what  nursing  requirements  really  were, 
and  who  had  seen  a  well-appointed  English 
ambulance  train,  sat  and  wept  because  so  many 
of  her  dear  countrymen  lacked  the  comforts  and 
the  help  they  so  sorely  needed." 

It  was  then  that  an  Englishwoman  went  to  t  he 
head  of  the  French  Army  Medical  Corps,  and 
proposed  to  raise  the  Corps  of  fully-trained 
;^ritish  nurses,  known  as  the  French  Flag  Nursing 
Corps,  an  offer  which  was  eagerly  accepted. 

"  It  was  an  opportunity  for  testing  the  value  of 
skilled  nursing  in  war  time  ;  and  the  testimony  of 
the  French  doctors  and  surgeons  under  whom 
they  have  worked,  shows  what  precious  metal 
the  test  revealed." 

A  high  official  wrote ;  "  The  nurses  of  the 
French  Flag  Nursing  Corps  are  considered  by  the 
doctors  of  our  armies  as  assistants  of  the  first 
class,  and  their  presence  in  France,  in  a  number 
the  insufficiency  of  which  we  regret,  is  one  of  the 
most  touching  evidences  of  the  sympathy  of  the 
English  nation  towards  our  country." 
[To  be  concluded.) 


THE    ROYAL    RED    CROSS. 

The  King  conferred  the  Decorations  recorded 
below  on  the  following  ladies  on  July  loth,  at 
Buckingham  Palace  : — - 

Bar  to  the  Royal  Red  Cross, 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service. 
• — Matron-in-Chief  Caroline  Keer  (retired),  and  Matron 
Edith  Nixon. 

The  Royal  Red  Cross. 
First  Class. 

Queen  .Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service. 
— Acting  Matron  Bertha  Perkins. 
Second  Class. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Royal  Naval  Nursing  .Service. — 
Sister  Isabella  Long. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service 
Reserve. — Assistant  Matron  Nellie  Merriott,  Sister 
Sara  Barrowcliff,  Sister  Harriett  Perfrement,  Sister 
Elizabeth  Russell,  Sister  Lizzie  Varley,  Sister  Lillie 
Wright,  Sister  Lilian  Wynn,  and  Staff  Nurse  Grace 
Mannell. 

Civil  Nursing  Service. — Matron  Alice  Bayne,  Matron 
Edith  Blayney,  Matron  Elizabeth  Boath,  Matron 
Florence  Borton,  Matron  Adeline  Cable,  Matron 
Caroline  Catteix,  Matron  Emily  Carpenter-Turner, 
Lady  Superintendent  Lucy  Binns,  Assistant  Matron 
Sophia  Smith-Bevan,  Assistant  Matron  Kathleen  Comyn, 
Sister  Florence  Bingley,  Sister  Margaret  Birt,  Sister 
Gertrude  Bltler,  Sister  Cargill  Cameron,  Sister 
Elizabeth  Coath,  and  Sister  Sophie  Fry. 


British  Red  Cross  Society. — Matron  Alice  Bottomley, 
Matron  Frances  Brown,  Matron  Maria  Buxton,  Assist- 
ant Matron  Clara  Henderson,  Assistant  Matron  Lois 
Maksden,  and  Sister  Eliza  Workman. 

Voluntary  Aid  Detachment. — Mrs.  Agnes  Bayfield, 
Miss  Mary  Bell,  Mrs.  Gladys  Bei.lville,  the  Hon.  Mrs. 
Margaret  Birkin,  Mrs.  Katherine  Blatch,  Miss  Maud 
Blenkarn,  Miss  Ada  Boss,  Miss  Freda  Bowring.'Mts. 
Margaret  Bramley,  Miss  Edie  Brown,  Miss  Cicely 
Burbidge,  Miss  Ellen  Carrier,  Miss  Anna  Carter,  Mrs. 
Caroline  Clayton,  and  Miss  Claudia  Clowes. 

Q.ieen  Ahxandra  received  at  Marlborough 
House  the  members  of  the  military  and  civil 
Nursing  Services  after  the  investiture. 


The  King  has  been  pleased  to  award  the  Royal 
Red  Cross  to  the  undermentioned  ladies,  in 
recognition  of  their  valuable  Nursing  Services  in 
connection  vnih  the  war  : — 

Second  Class. 

Eager,  Miss  F.  E.,  Sister,  Queen  Mary's  Hospl.  for 
the  East  End,  Stratford;  Edgar,  Miss  A.,  Sister, 
T.F.N.S.,  4th  Sco.  Gen.  Hospl.  ;  Edwards,  Miss  E.  A., 
Supt.  of  Nurses,  Toxteth  Park  Mil.  Hospl.,  Liverpool; 
Edwards,  Mrs.  H.,  Matron,  Boothroyde  and  Longroyde 
Hospls.,  Brighouse,  Yorks ;  Elliott,  Miss  A.,  Sister, 
T.F.N. S.,  3rd  Northern  Gen.  Hospl.,  Sheffield;  Ell- 
wood,  Miss  P.  H.,  Sister,  Red  Cross  Hospl.,  Horncastle, 
Lines;  Elms,  Miss  J.,  Matron,  Sussex  Eye  Hospl., 
Brighton;  Epps,  Miss  E.  M.  T.,  Lady  Supt.,  Rauceby 
Hall,  near  Grantham,  S.  Lines;  Evans,  Miss  B.,  Supt. 
Nurse,  Jericho  Mil.  Hospl.,  Bury,  Lanes;  Evans,  Miss 
C,  Sister,  Aux.  Mil    Hospl.,  Tranmere,  Birkenhead. 

Fanning,  Miss  R.  G.,  Sister,'  Matron's  Asst., 
N.Z.A.N.S.,  No.  I  N.Z.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Brockenhurst, 
Hants;  Farmer,  Miss  A.,  Sister,  Cyngfeld,  Shrewsbury; 
Fakmer,  Miss  M.,  Sister,  Q  A^.LM.N.S.R.,  R.  Victoria 
Hospl.,  Netley ;  Fearon,  Miss  M.  L,  Nursing  Sister, 
Can.  Nursing  Service,  No.  11  Can.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Moore 
Barracks,  Shorncliffe ;  Fitzgerald,  Miss  N.  A.  L.,  Staff 
Nurse,  War  Hospl.,  Bradford  ;  Fricker,  Miss  M.,  Sister, 
N. Z.A.N. S.,  No.  2  N.Z.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Walton-on- 
Thames;  Fry,  Miss  S.  C,  Sister,  R  Sussex  County 
Hospl.,  Brighton  ;  Ferguson,  Mrs.  C.  F.,  Commdt., 
Bredbury  V.A.D.  Hospl.,  Tunbridge  Wells. 

Galbraith,  Miss  L.  E.,  Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing 
Service,  No.  4  Can.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Basingstoke,  Hants; 
Gale,  Miss  E.  G.,  Matron,  Hospl.  for  Sick  and 
Wounded,  Boscombe,  Hants;  Galloway,  Miss  J.,  Sister, 
Q.A.LM.N.S.R..  Queen  Alexandra  Mil.  Hospl., 
Grcsvenor  Road,  S.W.  i  ;  Galt,  Miss  C,  Nursing  Sister, 
Can.  Nursing  Service,  No.  15  Can.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Taplow, 
Bucks;  Gardiner,  Miss  M-.  Senior  Sister  i/c,  St.  John 
Ambulance,  Radcliffe ;  Gay,  Miss  F.  E.,  Sister, 
T.F.N. S.,  4th  Lond.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Denmark  Hill; 
Gibbon,  Miss  L.  C,  Matron,  R.  Infirmary,  Blackburn; 
Gibson,  Mrs.  L.  M.,  Matron,  Gatcombe  House,  Isle  of 
Wight;  GoosEMAN,  Miss  F.,  Asst.  Matron,  T.F.N. S., 
2nd  Western  Gen.  Hospl.,  Ducie  Avenue,  Manchester; 
Gordon,  Miss  J.  W.,  Sister,  R.  Infirmary,  Manchester; 
Gould,  Miss  I.  M.  H.,  Sister,  Pembroke  Aux.  Mil. 
Hospl.,  Lytham ;  Gowan,  Miss  F.  W..  Sister,  Mil. 
Orthopaedic  Hospl.,  Shepherd's  Bush,  W.  ;  Graham,  Mrs. 
E  S.  (Mrs.  W.  V.  Graham),  Matron,  Hdqrs.,  B.R.C.S.  ; 
Graham-Smith,  Miss  M.  M.,  Staff  Nurse,  Regent's  Park 
Hospl.,  Southampton  ;  Green,  Miss  L.  M.,  Sister,  Union 
Infirmary,  Darlington;  Green,  Miss  L.  E. ,  Matron, 
Ilford  Emergency  Hospl.,  Ilford ;  Griffiths,  Mrs.  L., 
Staff  Sister,  Aux.  Mil.  Hospl.,  Quarry  Place,  Shrews- 
bury. (To  be  continued.) 


44  Zbc  British  3ournal  of  IRursinQ.  My  20,  1918 

OUR   ROLL  OF  HONOUR.  NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 


Miss  Isobel  M.  Mackintosh,  A.R.R.C.,  Sister, 
Bermondsey  Military  Hospital. 

We  regret  to  have  to  record  the  death,  at  the 
early  age  of  31,  of  Sister  Isobel  Mackintosh,  who 
died  at  her  post  on  July  loth. 

Miss  Mackintosh,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Mr.  A. 
R.  Mackintosh,  of  Glenlyon  Lodge,  Nairn ,  and 
Kincorth,  Forres,  received  her  four  years'  training 
at  the  Prince  of  Wales's  General  Hospital,  London, 
and  almost  immediately  after  war  broke  out  she 
volunteered  for  active  service  at  the  Front.  From 
1914  to  1916  she  served  in  British  hospitals  at 
Wimereux,  Calais,  and  L-e  Touquet,  and  was 
recently  awarded  the 
Mons  Ribbon. 

In  1917  she  was  ap- 
pointed Sister-in-Charge 
of  one  of  the  medical 
blocks  at  Bermondsey 
Military  Hospital,  Lady- 
well,  .  where  her  death 
from  acute  influenzal 
pneumonia  took  place. 
She  had  had  a  number  of 
soldiers  Avith  influenza 
under  her  charge,  whom 
She  had  nursed  with  great 
devotion. 

Sister  Mackintosh 
(Sister  "Mac"  as  she 
was  affectionately  called) 
was  a  great  favourite 
with  staff  and  patients 
alike, 'and  acted  as  Night 
Superintendent  at  Lady- 
well  before  being  appoin- 
ted Sister-in-Charge.  She 
was  recently  awarded  the 
Royal  Red  Cross  {2nd 
Class)  for  her  valiiable 
services  during  the  war. 

The  large  attendance 
at  her  funeral  indicated 
how  deeply  she  was 
mourned.  The  medical 
and  nursing  staff  with  the  invalid  soldiers 
filled  the  hospital  chapel,  while  men  from 
her  own  wards  carried  the  cofl&n,  which  was 
draped  with  the  Union  Jack  and  covered 
with  floweis.  One  beautiful  ^vTeath  was  labelled 
"  from  the  '  Boys  '  of  D  Section,  in  grateful  and 
loving  memory." 


MI5S  ISOBEL  M.  MACKINTOSH,  A.R.R.C 


The  Training  of  V.A.D.  Members  as  Nurses. 
Mr.  W.  H.  Bonham-Carter,  Secretary,  Nightingale 
Training  School,  informs  us  in  the  following  letter 
of  the  terms  on  which  V.A.D.  members  will  be 
received  for  training  at  St.  Thomas'  Hospital  : — 

Dear  Madam, — The  conditions  under  which 
V.A.D.  Nursing  Members  ard  Special  Military 
Probationers,  who  have  served  in  military  nos- 
pitals  for  a  consecutive  period  of  not  less  than  two 
years,  who  are  considered  suitable,  and  who  desire 
to  become  trained  nurses  with  a  view  to  subse- 
quently entering  Queen  Alexendra's  Imperial  Mili- 
tary Nursing  Service,  have  now  been  defined.  Three 
years'  training  in  a  civil 
hospital  training  school 
being  a  necessary  con- 
dition, it  has  been  decided 
by  the  Committee  of 
the  Nightingale  Training 
School  at  St.  Thomas' 
Hospital  to  admit  such 
cardidates  under  the 
conditions  now  applying 
to  special  probationers 
but  without  payment  of 
the  usual  fees,  and  they 
will  therefore,  after  pa'^s- 
ing  the  short  preliminary 
training  in  the  Prelimin- 
ary School,  and  subject 
to  their  quaUfying  in  the 
usual  examinations,  re- 
ceive their  certificate  on 
the  completion  of  three 
years'  work  in  the  wards. 
I,  therefore,  crave  Ihe 
courtesy  of  your  columns 
to  maice  this  decision 
public. 

lam,  dear  Madam, 
Yours  faithfully, 
W.  H.  BoNHAM  Carter, 
Secretary,  Nightingale 

Trainim;  School. 


I  take  my  heart  in  my  hand,  I  shall  not  die 
but  live. 
Before  Thy  face  I  stand,  I  for  Tnou  caUest 
such. 
All  that  I  have  I  bring,  all  that  I  am  I  give ; 
Smile  Thou,  and  I  shall  sing,  but  shall 
not  question  much. 

C.  Rossetti. 


It  is  an  open  secret  that  it  was  the  influence 
brought  to  bear  through  the  British  Red  Cross 
Society,' Supported  by  the  Matrons  on  the  Army 
Nursing  Boards,  and  the  College  of  Nursing  Council, 
which  has  induced  the  Army  Council  to  issue 
Instruction  678,  styling  V.A.D.  nursing  members 
and  special  military  probationers,  when  they 
enter  a  general  hospital  for  training,  "  Pi-obationers 
for  Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing 
Service-"  and  giving  them  priority  of  promotion 
to  the  Service  when  trained. 

This  Instruction  will,  in  practice,  make  it  impos- 
sible for  civil  probationers,  even  with  four  years' 
certificates,  to  enter  this  Imperial  Nursing  Service 
for  years  to  come,  as  a  rota  of  V.A.D.s  after  three 
years'  general  training  will  be  kept,  and  if  no 
vacancy  exists  for  them  they  are  promised  future 


July  20,   1 91 8 


Hbe  aBrttieh  3ournal  of  fluretna. 


45 


vacancies  as  they  occur ;  so  that  practically 
Queen  Alexa,ndra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing 
Service  is  no  longer  open  to  the  whole  nursing 
profession,  as  all  Government  Nursing  Services 
should  be. 

Imagine  the  Army  Council  enforcing  an  Instruc- 
tion that  no  medical  practitioner  should  be 
permitted  to  enter  the  Royal  Army  Medical  Corps 
unless  he  had  worked  under  the  Red  Cross  Society 
or  the  Order  of  St.  John  during  the  war  !  Such  a 
Suggestion  for  men  would  not  be  tolerated  for  an 
hour. 

We  presume  trained  nurses  on  the  Reserves 
who  have  joined  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd., 
realise  that  its  promoters  have  helped  to  deprive 
them  of  military  promotion  in  three  years'  time 
and  used  their  influence  to  have  them  superseded 
by  V.A.D.s.  

The  Royal  Victorian  Trained  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion of  Australia  has  refused  to  consider  service  in 
a  military  hospital  as  supplementary  to  training 
schools  under  any  circumstances. 


CARE    OF    THE    WOUNDED. 


Brisoues. 

It  is  well  to  let  it  be  known  that  nurses  have  no 
right  to  wear  the  French  Military  Seivice  Brisque 
(gold  braid)  worn  by  soldiers. 

In  the  case  of  Nurses  working  in  the  French 
Military  or  Bene  vole  Hospitals  there  is  the 
"  Ensigne  de  Service  "  for  which  their  Med.  Chef 
cites  them.  This  consists  of  two  small  palm  leaves 
with  a  tiny  red  cross  in  the  centre.  The  leaves  are 
Bronze  for  one  year's  service,  Silver  for  two  years' 
service,  and  Gold  for  three  years.  With  the 
"  Ensigne  '/  is  given  a  short  citation  indicating  the 
length  of  service. 

In  the  case  of  Canteen  Workers,  whose  service  is 
as  a  rule  rather,  disconnected,  long  vacations  being 
taken  between  each  period  of  service,  there  does 
not  appear  to  be  any  distinguishing  Service  Badge. 


It  is  interesting  to  note  that  H.M.  the  King  of 
the  Belgians  has  conferred  upon  Miss  Edith  Mawe, 
of  Lee  Hurst,  Weston-super-Mare,  the  Medaille 
de  la  Reine  Elisabeth.  It  will  be  recalled  that 
during  the  dark  days  of  1914  and  the  early  part  of 
1915  a  great  many  wounded  Belgian  soldiers  were 
sent  to  this  countiy  to  be  cared  for.  At  this  time 
Miss  Mawe  was  Honorary  Lady  Superintendent 
of  the  Royal  West  of  England  Sanatorium, 
Weston-super-Mare,  and  800  of  the  Belgians  came 
under  her  care.  It  is  in  recognition  of  the  care 
bestowed  upon  these  men  that  the  medal  has  been 
conferred.  . 

The  same  honour  has  been  conferred  upon  Mrs. 
Bernard  Allen,  hon.  organizer  of  the  Belgian 
Hospital  Fund,  in  recognition  of  the  work  which 
she  has  done  since  January,  1915,  in  aiding  the 
military  and  ci\nl  hospitals  and  institutions  in 
France  and  Belgium ;  and  on  Mrs.  Rowland  Fisher 
in  recognition  of  her  work  in  establishing  and 
conducting  the  Belgian  Children's  Home  at  Alde- 
burgh,  Suffolk. 


A    ROYAL    GIFT. 

Since  our  last  issue,  the  King  and  Queen  of  the 
Belgians  have  flown  over  from  France  and  back 
again,  just  to  be  with  our  King  and  Queen  on  their 
Silver  Wedding  Day.  King  Albert  has  about 
him  so  much  of  the  glorious  tradition  of  a  fairy 
King  that  he  should  come  and  go  on  wings  is  all 
in  the  picture  ! 

The  Queen  of  the  Belgians,  before  leaving  Lon- 
don handed  to  Queen  Mary  ;^500,  with  the  request 
that  she  would  distribute  it  among  any  charities^ 
in  which  she  was  specially  interested. 

The  Queen  has  decided  to  allot  the  money  thtis  : 
— ;^ioo  each  to  the  War  Refugees  Committee  for 
the  Relief  of  Belgians  in  England,  Queen  Mary's 
Convalescent  Auxiliary  Hospital  for  Widows  of 
Soldiers  and  Sailors  at  Roehampton,  Queen  Mary's 
Hospital  at  Frognal,  Queen  Mary's  Royal  Naval 
Hospital  at  Southend,  and  Queen  Mary's  Hostels 
for  Nurses. 


Dr.  Mary  M'Neill,  of  the  Scottish  Women's 
Hospital  at  Saloiuca,  has  had  conferred  upon 
her  the  Order  of  St.  Sava  by  the  King  and  the 
Crown  Prince  of  Serbia  for  services  rendered  to 
sick  and  wounded  soldieis. 


The  following  British  women  motor  ambulance 
drivers  working  under  the  Red  Cross  in  France 
ha.ve  been  mentioned  in  French  Army, Orders,  and 
awarded  the  Croix  de  Guerre  for  bravery  during 
an  air  attack  : 

Miss  M.  Thompson,  First  Aid  Nursing  Yeo- 
manry, O.C,  M.A.C. 

Miss  M.  Lowson,  First  Aid  Nursing  Yeomanry, 
Sergt.,  M.A.C. 

Miss  M.  Mordaunt,  First  Aid  Nursing  Yeomanry, 
Sergt.,  M.A.C. 

The  brigade  order  citing  them  states  that  on 
May  1 8th,  during  a  bombardment  by  aeroplanes 
which  lasted  over  five  hours,  they  went  at  once 
to  the  point  of  danger,  and  picked  up  the  dead 
and  wounded  to  transport  them  to  hospitals. 
"  They  showed  absolute  disregard  of  danger,  and 
at  the  same  time  gave  to  all  the  finest  example  of 
courage  and  sang  Jroid." 


The  largest  American  military  hospital  in 
Great  Britain,  to  be  estabUshed  near  Southampton, 
will  accommodate  nearly  3,000  wounded.  The 
site  is  a  country  estate  of  186  acres,  formerly 
known  as  Sarisbury  Court.  The  central  building 
of  the  hospital  vnll  be  the  old  Manor  House, 
round  which  the  American  Red  Cross  is  building 
nearly  10  acres  of  frame  hutments.  There  will 
be  separate  buildings  for  the  medical  and  nursing 
staffs,  the  other  employees,  the  kitchens,  and  the 
operating  rooms,  and  a  large  isolation  hospital. 

Everything  is  planned  in  the  most  wonderful 
way. 


46 


Zbc  Brtti0b  3ournal  of  IRursing. 


July  20,   1 9 18 


The  10  acres  of  vegetable  gardens  will  be 
intensively  cultivated.  The  hospital  will  produce 
a  considerable  part  of  its  dairy  requirements,  its 
bacon,  and  its  eggs  and  poultry. 
:' i  Ambulances  will  bring  the  Anaerican  wounded 
from  the  piers  at  Southampton.  The  convalescent 
soldier  \vill  find  several  miles  of  sunny  or  shaded 
walks  without  going  outside  the  hospital  grounds. 

Captain  F.  Harper  Sibley,  of  the  Red  Cross, 
formerly  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
of  Rochester,  N.Y.,  who  has  been  in  charge  of 
the  American  Red  Cross  work  at  Southampton 
since  April,  is  supervising  the  construction  of  the 
hospital. 

Part  of  the  beds  will  at  first  be  placed  in  tents 
of  the  Bossoneau  type,  with  windows  set  in  the 
walls  to  make  them  light  and  airy  and  a  double 
roof  with  air-chamber  between  to  insulate  them 
from  the  heat  of  the  sun.  Seme  of  the  tents  may 
be  retained  for  convalescents  or  reserved  for 
emergencies. 

JOINT   WAR    COMMITTEE. 


THE  COLLEGE    OF    NURSING,   LTD., 
AND  AMERICAN  NURSES. 


The  following  Sisters  have  been  deputed  for  duty 
in  Home  Hospitals  : — 

Red  Cross  Hosp.,  Chippenham.— M.iss  C.  L.  Still. 

Barham  Lodge,   Weybridge.- — Miss  E.  Redmile. 

Dunraven  Castle  Red  Cross  Hosp.,  Bridgend. — 
Miss  P.  Palmer. 

Hanover  Park  V.A.  Hosp.,  Peckham. — Miss  A.  H. 
Murray. 

Weir  Hosp.,  Balham. — Miss  C.  A.  H.  Rhodes. 

Kingwood  Park  Hosp.,  Tunbridge  Wells.- — ^M'iss 
C.  C.  Krelle. 

V.A.  Hosp.,  Burnham- on- Crouch. — Miss  M. 
Johnston. 

Hosp.  for  Officers,  16,  Bruton  Street,  W. — ^M'iss 
E.  A.  Nurse. 

Park  House  Aux.  Hasp.,  Newbury. — ^Miss  E. 
Gribben. 

Brackenhurst  Hall  Aux.  Mil.  Hosp.,  Southwell. — 
Miss  L.  Poole. 

Hosp.  for  Facial  Injuries,  24,  Norfolk  Street. — 
Miss  M.  C.  Thompson. 

6,  Kensington  Terrace,  Newcastle- on- Tyne. — Miss 
E.  G.  EUiott. 

Beach  Red  Cross  Hosp.,  Holyhead. — Mi^  H.  A.  G. 
Hawley. 

Victoria  Aux.  Hosp.,  Stretfold,  Lanes. — ^Miss  E. 
Rycroft. 

V.A.  Hosp.,  Northwood,  Middlesex. — ^Miss  M.  B. 
May. 

Kempston  Red  Cross  Hosp.,  Bedford. — Miss  K. 
Aitken. 

Officers'  Red  Cross  Hosp.,  Worsley,  Lanes.- — Mrs. 
E.  L.  Lamb. 

De  Walden  Court,  Eastbourne. — Miss  M.  P.  Peter. 

Newnham  Paddox  Hosp.,  Lutterworth. — Mrs. 
M.  E.  C.  Swann. 

Kempston  Red  Cross  Hosp.,  Eastbourne. — Miss 
V.  Kendal. 

Auxiliary  Hasp.,  Bitterne,  Southampton. — Miss 
M.  G.  Welch. 


A    REPLY    TO    MISS    LLOYD    5TILL 
AND   MISS   AMY    HUGHES. 

The  following  article  appears  in  the  July 
number  of  the  American  Journal  of  Nursing  in 
the  Foreign  Department,  which  is  in  charge  of 
Miss  L.  L.  Dock,  the  Hon.  Secretary  of  the 
International  Council  of  Nurses. 

A  PERIL  TO  INDEPENDENCE  AND  SELF- 
GOVERNMENT. 

The  peril  to  the  independence  and  profes- 
sional self-government  of  English  nurses 
through  the  College.of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  of  which 
we  have  often  spoken  in  these  columns,  is 
growing  daily  more  imminent,  and  it  now 
concerns  American  nurses  more  closely  to 
understand  this  peril,  since  a  very  definite 
attempt  is  now  being  made  to  enlist  them  in 
support  of  the  College.  The  letter  in  its  behalf, 
which  appeared  last  month  in  the  Journal,  and 
the  suggestions  of  re-enforcement  of  its  struc- 
ture in  the  invitation  to  individual  Americans 
to  accept  associate  membership  in  the  College, 
are  indications  of  this  approach,  and  we  think 
it  is  highly  important  that  American  nurses 
who  may  be  asked  to  align  themselves  in  any 
way  with  the  College  should  understand  that 
if  they  do  so  they  will,  in  effect,  no  matter  how 
well-meaning  and  friendly  their  intentions,  be 
helping  to  strangle  their  British  Sisters'  long, 
hard  efforts  to  obtain  that  professional  freedom 
which  we  Americans  have  been  fortunate 
enough  to  obtain  for  ourselves.  No  American 
nurse  would  knowingly  do  a  thing  of  this  kind. 
Let  us  urge  them,  earnestly,  not  to  do  it  un- 
knowingly. Let  it  be  remembered  that,  in  the 
first  place,  the  alumnae  association  is  by  no 
means  the  accepted  starting  point  of  English 
nursing  organization,  as  in  this  country.  This 
grouping  of  graduates  by  their  schools,  which 
we  consider  so  necessary  as  the  first  step  in 
self-government,  has  never  been  liked  by  the 
conservative  hospital  managers  of  England 
and  their  matrons,  and  only  those  nursing 
schools  that  came  under  the  influence  of  Mrs. 
Fenwick,  the  late  Miss  Isla  Stewart,  and  their 
group  of  progressives  in  the  Matrons'  Council, 
developed  the  alumnae  association  under  the 
name  of  "  Nurses'  League." 

The  historic  school  at  St.  Thomas',  of  which 
Miss  Still  is  matron  (Miss  Still  is  one  of  the 
signers  of  the  letter  to  the  Editor  in  June),  has 
no  alumnae  association,  and  would  regard  the 
idea  with  the  utmost  disapproval.  Still  le'ss  do 
such  conservative  matrons  tolerate  the  idea  of 


July  20,  1 918 


(The  British  3ournal  of  IRureing. 


47 


their  nurses  (they  do  not  willingly  admit  that 
they  are  ever  "  graduates  "  or  free  from  school 
control,  but  like  to  keep  this  control  over  them 
for  life)  joining  general  societies,  such  as  the 
county,  city,  or  State  groups,  which  Americans, 
in  their  precious  freedom,  have  been  able  to 
build  up,  and  which  we  know  to  be  so  all- 
important  in  breaking  down  lines  of  narrow 
separation  and  bringing  all  together  in  one 
circle,  in  enabling  nurses  to  compare  their 
views  and  to  unite  their  strength  for  true 
standards  and  principles. 

How  far  should  we  have  progressed  in  State 
Registration  had  we  not  had  our  self-governed 
county  and  State  societies? 

When  such  matrons,  then,  talk  of  demo- 
cratic management  and  control,  it  simply  means 
that  they  do  not  understand  the  essence  of  such 
control,  since  their  own  nurses  have  never  been 
permitted  to  learn  it.  They  have  taken  up  the 
popular  catchwords  of  the  day,  no  doubt  in 
good  faith,  but  do  not  know  their  actual 
implications. 

The  structure  of  the  College  of  Nursing, 
Ltd.,  is  essentially  autocratic.  The  letter  itself, 
signed  by  Miss  Still  and  Miss  Amy  Hughes, 
shows  this,  as  it  is  perfectly  clear  therein  that 
this  College  Company  is  a  close  corporation. 


"THE  LANCET"  AND  THE  SOCIETY 
FOR  THE  STATE  REGISTRATION  OF 
TRAINED  NURSES. 


The  Leaflet  issued  by  the  Trained  Nurses' 
Protection  Committee,  exposing  the  autocratic 
Constitution  of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd., 
is  republished  in  the  American  Journal  of 
Nursing  in  support  of  Miss  Dock's  criticism. 


We  have  once  again  to  thank  Miss  Dock  for 
her  clear-sighted  and  courageous  advocacy. 
Many  years  ago  Miss  Dock  toot  the  trouble  to 
tour  Europe,  and  to  enquire  into  Nursing  con- 
ditions in  nearly  even.'  country.  Her  opinions 
are  not  formed  on  accounts,  "  biassed  "  or 
otherwise,  which  appear  in  the  press.  She  has 
studied  "  English  Nursing  Politics "  on  the 
spot,  and  is  fully  conversant  with  the 
antagonism  with  which  hospital  authorities  and 
their  discreditable  "  press  "  have  treated  the 
State  Registration  question  as  advanced  by 
what  she  terms  the  "  intelligentsia,"^ — that  is, 
by  the  women  who  years  ago  had  the  brains  to 
evolve  a  well-defined  policy  of  reform. 


AN      HfSTORICAL    SURVEY. 

Mrs.  Bedford  FeuAvick  has  consented  to 
repeat  her  address  to  the  National  Party,  "  An 
Historical  Survey  of  the  Registration  Move- 
ment," as  the  younger  generation  of  nurses 
have  had  little  opportunity  of  instruction  on  the 
question. 


In  its  issue  of  July  6th,  The  Lancet  published, 
in  an  article  on  "  Registration  of  Nurses," 
comments  on  the  conduct  of  business  at  the 
Annual  Business  Meeting  of  the  Society  for  the 
State  Registration  of  Trained  Nurses,  based  on 
misapprehension,  which  reflected  adversely  ou 
the  policy  of  the  Society. 

Having  pointed  out  that  Major  Chappie,  who 
is  in  charge  of  the  Central  Committee's  Bill,  was 
prepared  "  to  assist  in  3.x\  agreed  Bill  "  with 
the  Cxjllege  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  The  Lancet  remarked  : 

"  We  welcome  an  assurance  made  by  Mrs. 
Bedford  Fenwick  from  the  Chair,  speaking  on 
behalf  of  the  Society  for  the  State  Registration  of 
Trained  Nurses,  that  the  Society  has  never  been 
obstructionist ;  and  now  is  evidently  the  time 
to  give  practical  proof  of  this.  A  resolution  was 
passed  at  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Society  for 
the  State  Registration  of  Nurses,  and  sent  to  the 
Central  Committee  for  State  Registration,  which 
contained  a  clause  dissociating  the  Society  from 
the  College  of  Nursing.  The  afi&rmative  vote  was 
by  no  means  a  large  one,  but  an  amendment  to 
secure  freedom  frcm  '  the  dcmination  '  of  the 
College  of  Nursing,  '  without  dissociation  from 
it '  was  not  accepted  by  the  chair.  We  find 
this  attitude  hard  to  distinguish  from  obstruction  ; 
we  have  every  confidence  in  the  ability  of  nurses 
to  settle  their  own  polity  without  help  from 
outside  .  .  .  nothing  is  more  certain  than  that 
the  profession  of  nursing  is  likely  to  undergo 
profound  changes  wnthin  the  next  few  years ; 
and,  provided  that  it  is  placed  in  a  position  to 
manage  its  own  affairs,  plasticity  is  altogether 
desirable." 

As  quite  inadvertently,  no  doubt.  The" Lancet' s 
statement  was  calculated  to  give  a  wnrong.  im- 
pression, Mrs.  Bedford  Fenwick,  whose  conduct  of 
business  was  criticised,  sent  an  explanation 
to  The  Lancet,  too  late,  she  was  informed,  for 
insertion  in  its  issue  of  July  13th;  and  upon 
asking  that  it  might  appear  tliis  week,  she  has 
been    informed    that — 

"  We  shall,  of  course,  be  glad  to  insert  a  state- 
ment that  the  amendment  was  proposedjby  a 
person  not  a  member  of  your  Society  and  therefore 
not  accepted  by  you  as  Chairman.  I  fear  con- 
siderations of' space  will  hardly  permit  of  deahng 
with  the  other  matters  at  length,  especially  as 
they  would  give  rise  to  correspondence  for  which 
we  could  not  possibly  find  room." 

To  which  Mrs.  Fenwick  replied  : — 

"  I  much  regret  that  you  are  unable  to 'find 
space  for  my  letter  on  the  article  which  appeared 
in  The  Lancet  on  July  6th,  on  the  ,'  Registration 
of  Nurses,'  as  it  is  calculated  to  give  a  wrong 
impression,  so  far  as  the  policy  of  the  Society  is 
concerned,  and  al,so  of  my  ^ersona/Jattitude  and 


48 


Zbc  3Briti0b  3ournal  of  "Wureine, 


July  20,   1918 


conduct  of  business.  Frankly,  this  is  unfair. 
If  by  inadvertence,  reports  are  published  which 
are  not  correct,  the  person  named  should  have 
the  right  of  reply.  T  had  hoped  The  Lancet  would 
have  agreed  with  this  ethical  journalistic  stand- 
poi  nt.  From  the  lay  press,  generously  subsidised  by 
our  opponents,  we  have  ceased  to  expect  fair  play. 
"  I  shall  do  myself  the  justice  of  publisliing 
my  reply  to  The  Lancet  in  The  British  Journal 
OF  Nursing." 

Lette/  sent  to  the  Editor  of  "  The  Lancet  "  by  Mrs. 
Bedford  Fen  wick.  President  of  the  Society  for 
the  State  Registration  of  Trained  Nurses. 

Registration  of  Nurses. 

Sir, — I  observe  that  in  your  last  issue,  July  6th, 
you  refer  to  the  character  of  the  proceedings  at 
recent  meetings  of  the  College  ci  Nursing,  Ltd.,  and 
the  Society  for  the  State  Registration  of  Trained 
Nurses.  The  single  object  of  the  latter  Society 
since  its  inception  in  1902  has  been  "  To  obtain  an 
Act  of  Parliament  providing  for  the  Legal  Registra- 
tion of  Trained  Nurses,"  and  it  naturally  restricted 
itself  to  the  question  of  Nurses'  Registration  at  its 
annual  business  meeting. 

The  College  of  Nur.sing,  Ltd.,  which  purports  to 
control  Nursing  Education,  together  with  Registra- 
tion and  Discipline,  and  also  to  associate  the 
members  of  the  Nursing  Profession  under  its  direc- 
tion, at  its  recent  Conference  chose  a  wider  field  for 
discussion. 

As  you  refer  to  ray  statement'made  at  the  former 
meeting,  that  the  S'ociety  for  the  State  Registra- 
tion of  Nurses  had  never  been  obstructionist, 
adding,  "  now  is  evidently  the  time  to  give  prac- 
tical proof  of  this,"  I  feel  sure  you  will  grant  me 
the  opportunity  of  disabusing  your  readers  of  a 
wrong  impression. 

The  Society  for  the  State  Registration  of  Nurses, 
which  first  drafted  a  Nurses'  Registration  Bill, 
passed  in  1908  by  the  House  of  Lords,  and  read  a 
first  time  under  the  ten  minutes'  rule  in  the  House 
of  Commons  in  1914  with  a  majority  ot  229,  has 
stood,  and  will  continue  to  stand,  for  fundamental 
principles  of  good  government  in  any  Nurses' 
Registration  Bill  to  which  it  gives  its  support.  In 
opposing  five  successive  drafts  of  the  Bill  promoted 
by  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  we  have  so  far 
acted  in  protection  of  the  interests  of  the  Nursing 
Profession  as  a  whole,  the  four  vital  principles  for 
which  we  contend  having  been  omitted  from  the 
drafts.     Fighting  for  principles  is  not  obstruction. 

You  state  further  that  "  A  resoltition  was 
passed  .  .  .  and  sent  up  to  the  Central  Com- 
mittee for  State  Registration,  which  contained  a 
clause  dissociating  the  Society  from  the  Collegf 
of  Nursing  .  .  .  but  an  amendment  to  secure 
freedom  from  "  the  domination  "  of  the  Collqge  of 
Nursing  without  dissociation  from  it  "  was  rot 
accepted  by  the  Chair." 

May  I  explain  that  my  Society  is  not,  and  never 
has  been,  associated  with  the  College  of  Nursing, 
and  that  the  amendment  to  which  you  allude  was 
not  accepted  by  me  as  Chairman,  as  it  was  pro- 


posed by  a  person  who  was  not  a  member  of  the 
Society,  and  was  therefore  not  in  order. 

May  I  express  my  appreciation  of  your  state- 
ments "  w-e  have  every  confidence  in  the  ability  of 
nurses  to  settle  their  own  polity  without  help 
from  outside  .  .  .  and  "  Nothing  is  more  certain 
thar  that  the  profession  of  J  nursing  is  likely  to 
undergo  profound  changes  within  the  next  few 
years,  and,  provided  that  it  is  placed  in  a  position 
to  manage  its  own  affairs  plasticity  is  altogether 
desirable." 

It  is  this  power  of  self-determination  and  plas- 
ticity for  which  the  organised  Societies  of  Nurses 
grouped  in  the  Central  Committee  are  contending, 
and  which  will  be  rendered  impossible  if  the 
College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  and  its  present  restrictive 
and  inelastic  Memorandum  and  Articles  of  Associa- 
tion are  incorporated  in  an  Act  of  Parliament, 
bestowing  upon  it  powers  exercised  in  the  Medical 
Profession  by  three  separate  bodies,  wliich  main- 
tain the  balance  of  power  in  that  profession,  i.e., 
the  Royal  Colleges  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
(Education)  the  General  Medical  Council  (Regis- 
tration and  Discipline)  and  the  British  Medical 
Association  (free  action  in  the  body  politic). 

The  Constitution  of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd., 
(a  company  of  laymen)  is  calculated  to  establish  a 
Nursing  monopoly,  which  in  our  opinion  would 
undermine  the  professional  and  economic  inde- 
pendence of  the  Nursing  Profession. 

We  claim  in  our  Bill  a  democratic  and  inde- 
pendent Governing  Body  authorised  by  Act  of 
Parliament,  entirely  free  from  the  restrictive  Con- 
stitution of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  and  tliis 
principle  of  democratic  organisation  we  must  con- 
tinue to  support.  Hoping  for  the  sympathy  of 
The  Lancet  for  our  professional  claims. 
I  remain. 

Yours  faithfully, 

Ethel  G.  Fenwick, 

President. 


As  this  explanation  has  not  been  inserted,  the 
readers  of  The  Lancet  are  left  to  assume  that  the 
members  of  the  Society  for  the  State  Registration 
of  Trained  Nurses,  who  have  largely  inspired,  and 
paid  for,  the  campaign  for  nursing  reform  for  the 
protection  of  the  public,  and  the  nursing  profes- 
sion, are  contumacious  obstructionists,  and  its 
President  incapable  of  conducting  its  business 
without  prejvidice. 

A  most  unmerited  aspersion  upon  the  public- 
spirited  character  of  the  Society,  and  one  we 
cannot  permit  to  pass  without  protest. 


WEDDING     BELLS. 

At  the  reception  held  after  tlie  wedding  of 
Mr.  Cyril  Thatcher  to  Miss  Ethel  Benjamin, 
Assistant  Commandant  of  the  Women's  Legion, 
the  bride  was  presented  by  the  wife  of  the  Serbian 
Minister  A\dth  the  Order  of  th.e  Royal  Red  Cross  of 
Serbia,  in  recognition  of  hev  services  to  that 
country. 


July  20,   1918 


ZTbe  British  3ournarof  IRureing. 


49 


PROGRESS  OF  REGISTRATION  IN 
CANADA. 

The  Canadian  Nurse  publishes  the  good  news 
that  after  nearly  six  years  of  preparation  and 
attempts  to  get  it,  "  the  Nurses'  Registration  Act 
has  been  passed  in  British  Columbia,  and  she  now 
joins  the  rest  of  the  Western  Provinces  in  such 
recognition."  One  interesting  feature  about  the 
support  given  to  the  Bill  was  the  very  general 
feeling  among  members  that,  by  having  established 
aflfMiation,  the  evident  attempts  of  the  Graduate 
Nurses'  Association  to  help  the  smaller  hospitals 
formed  a  good  reason  for  passing  the  Bill.  The 
Bill  was  introduced  as  a  Public  Measure,  and  was 
generally  recognised  as  a  protection  to  the  public 
as  well  as  the  graduate  nurse. 

The  Act  seems  a  thoroughly  sound  one,  and 
follows  closely  the  principles  laid  down  in  the 
Central  Committee's  Bill  in  this  country — Indepen- 
dent Governing  Body,  three  years'  term  of  training, 
protected  title,  affiliation  of  special  hospitals,  and  a 
ten-dollar  {£2)  registration  fee.  Good.  Hearty 
congratulations  to  our  Canadian  colleagues. 


COLLEGE  OF  NURSING,  LTD. 

Centres  of  the  College  have  been  formed  at  Derby 
and  Bristol.  At  tne  latter  centre  Sir  Arthur 
Stanley  stated  that  the  local  centre  would  include 
the  adjoining  counties,  and  everything  would  be 
done  to  encourage  its  power  of  initiative.  At  the 
moment  they  were  not  bothering  about  big  build- 
ings in  London,  but  they  did  need  an  annual  income 
of  about  ;^5,ooo,  which  they  hoped  to  secure  by 
means  of  an  endowment  fund  of  ;^ioo,ooo.  Sir 
Arthur  then  announced  that  six  prominent  laj'-men 
had  consented  to  serve  on  the  finance  committee, 
so  the  system  of  placing  the  laity  in  charge  of  the 
money  means  placing  the  practical  contiol  of  these 
local  centres  in  their  hands.  Nothing  can  be  more 
stultifying  to  "  initiative  "  on  the  part  of  the 
nurses  than  to  deprive  them  of  the  financial  control 
of  their  own  affairs.  But  this  is  the  College  policy 
throughout.  There  is  no  truer  proverb  in  our 
language  than  "those  who  hold  the  purse-strings 
call  the  tune."  All  the  College  nurses  need  do  is  to 
toe  the  line. 


THE  IRISH  NURSING  BOARD. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Irish  Nursing  Board,  held 
on  July  i2th,  the  following  seven  members  were 
elected  by  ballot  as  the  Executive  Committee,  to 
hold  office  for  three  years  : — Miss"  Huxley,  Miss 
Carson  Rae,  Dr.  Kirkpatrick,  Miss  O'Flynn,  Miss 
Ramsden,  Miss  Reeves,  Miss  Kearns.  Colonel  Sir 
Arthur  Chance,  F.R.C.S.I.,  was  elected  Chairman 
of  the  Board  for  the  ensuing  year. 

The  Board  have  every  reason  to  be  satisfied  with 
the  first  year's  work.  Nurses  have  joined  in 
numbers,  fully  realising  the  value  of  a  strong 
Register  to  support  them,  and  of  the  Irish  Nursing 
Board  to  look  after  their  interests  when  Parliament 
grants  State  Registration  of  Nurses. 


PRESENTATION. 

Miss  Ellen  Chippindale,  on  leaving  the  Clapham 
Maternity  Hospital,  of  which  she  has  been  Matron 
for  six  years  and  Sister  for  five  years,  was  pre- 
sented, on  July  1 2th,  by  past  and  present  nurses 
with  a  silver  tea-tray  and  tea  kettle  and  stand. 

Her  departure  is  very  deeply  regretted  by  all 
who  have  worked  with  her  or  had  the  privilege  of 
training  under  her.      She  also  received  other  gifts. 


APPOINTMENTS. 

MATRON. 

District  Hospital,  Newbury.  —  Miss  Phoebe 
Jones  has  been  appointed  Matron.  She  -was 
trained  at  the  Royal  Infirmary,  Liverpool,  and 
has  been  Sister  at  No.  2  Red  Cross  Hospital, 
Rouen  ;  Night  Superintendent  at  tie  British  Red 
Cross  Hospital,  Netley  ;  and  Matron  at  Groesynyd 
Hospital,  Conway. 

NIGHT     SUPERINTENDENT. 

Welsh  National  Hospital,  Netley.— Miss  Emily  God- 
frey has  been  appointed  Night  Superintendent. 
She  was  trained  at  the  York  County  Hospital, 
and  subsequently  held  the  position  of  Sister  in 
the  same  institution,  and  that  of  Night  Super- 
intendent at  the  Royal  Infirmary,  Perth. 

THEATRE   SISTER. 

Nortli     Lonsdale     Hospital,     Barrow-in-Furness. — 

Miss  Alys  M.  Hatton  has  been  appointed  Theatre 
Sister.  "She  was  trained  at  the  Royal  Salop 
Infirmary,  Shrewsbury,  has  been  Night  Sister  and 
Sister  at  the  General  Hospital,  Walsall,  and  Sister 
at  the  Miller  General  Hospital,  Greenwich,  and 
at  the  Red  Cross  Hospital,  Sandivery,  Cheshire.; 
SISTER. 

W  Ormskirk  Military  Hospital.— Miss  Nellie  Walton 
has  been  appointed  Sister.  She  was  trained  in 
general  nursing  at  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  Halifax, 
and  in  Fever  Nursing  at  Mortrn  Banks,  KeigWey. 

SECOND     MASSAGE     SISTER. 

Leicester  Royal  Infirmary. — Miss  Ella  H.  Cozens 
has  been  appointed  Second  Massage  Sister.  She 
was  trained  a.t  Bristol  Royal  Infirmary,  and  holds 
the  certificate  of  the  incorporated  Society  of 
Trained  Masseuses. 

WELCOME  HELP. 

The  President  of  the  Society  for  the  State  Regis- 
tration of  Trained  Nurses  acknowledges  with 
thanks  the  following  donations  to  the  funds  of  the 
Societv  :--Miss  A.  E.  Hulme,  £s'y  Anon.,  £2; 
Miss  F.  Sleigh,  £1  is. ;  Mrs.  Turnbull,  £1  is.  ; 
Miss  M.  N.  Cureton,  £1  ;  Miss  E.  J.  Hurlston, 
£1 ;  Miss  J.  C.  Child,  £1  ;  Miss  Beatrice  Kent, 
los. ;  Mrs.  G.  F.  Wates,  los. ;  Miss  C.  A.  Little, 
9s. ;  Miss  L.  Huggins,  8s.  6d. ;  Miss  C.  MacGarthy, 
6s. ;  Miss  E.  Ross,  5s.  ;  Miss  Macvitie,  5s.  ;  Miss 
Lucy  Woodrow,  5s. ;  M'ss  Muriel  Withers,  5s. ; 
Miss  E.  Martin,  5s. ;  Miss  L.  M.  Havers,  3s.  6d. ; 
Miss  C.  Wright,  2s.  6d.  ;  Miss  F.  E,  Batt,  2s. ; 
Miss  M.  G.  Allibut,  is.  6d. ,-  Miss  McGimpsey,  is. 


^be  Bnti9l5  3ournal  of  murstng. 


July  20,   1 918 


NURSING    ECHOES. 


The  beautiful  verses  which  appear  in  this 
Journal  from  time  to  time,  signed  "  C.  B.  M.," 
are  written  by  the  sister  of  the  Editor.  We 
note  that  "  R-achel  Weeping  "  has  been  in- 
serted in  a  nursing  exchange  without  acknow- 
ledgment to  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 
We  are  glad  to  give  permission  for  our  exclu- 
sive contributions  to  be  re-published  by  profes- 
sional journals,  but  courtesy  and  the  law  of 
copyright  demand  that  their  source  should  be 
acknowledged. 


Mrs.  Baines  and  Miss  Imandt,  of  the  Society 
of  Women  Journalists,  are  to  be  At  Home  to 
meet  the  Colonial  Matrons-in-Chief,  at  2-4, 
Tudor  Street,  E.G.,  on  Thursday,  July  i8th, 
from  3.30—6.  We  surmise  this  will  be  a  very 
interesting  occasion.  We  have  quite  a  number 
of  nurse  journalists  in  these  days,  and  many 
of  our  matrons  have  quite  the  literary  touch. 
The  pre-war  teas  of  the  Society  of  Women 
Journalists  were  renowned.  Alas  !  we  fear  that 
delectable  raisin  cake  our  souls  loved  no  longer 
graces  the  menu.  Let  us  hope  good-fellowship 
continues  to  make  up  for  luxuries  of  a  more 
material  nature. 


The  Committee  of  the  County  Hospital, 
York,  has  decided  to  raise  the  salaries  of  the 
probationers  in  training  from  ^6,  ;£i2,  and 
£16  per  annum  to  ;^i8  and  ;^20  respectively. 
If  they  remain  on  for  special  experience  they 
will  be  paid  at  the  rate  of  jQ2/\.  for  the  first 
six  months,  and  of  jQ^o  for  the  time  they  act 
as  Sister.  The  Sisters'  salaries  start  at  £j\o, 
vi^ith  ;^5  war  bonus,  with  a  yearly  rise  up  to 


Dr.  H.  C.  Cameron,  the  examiner  of  proba- 
tioners at  the  Portsmouth  Infirmary,  has  re- 
ported very  favourably  on  their  standard  of 
knowledge. 

"  As  a  whole,"  said  Dr.  Cameron's  report, 
"  and  especially  in  the  second  and  third  years, 
the  standard  attained  by  the  nurses  was  uni- 
formly high — higher  than  I  have  met  with  else- 
where." 

The  Infirmary  Committee  has  decided  to 
admit  probationers  at  the  age  of  19  instead  of 
21,  owing  to  the  difficulty  in  obtaining  proba- 
tioners. 


having  a  wonderful  success.  ;^5,ooo  has  been 
raised,  and  a  capital  fund  of  ;;^io,ooo  is  aimed 
at.  Premises  have  been  obtained  at  206,  Bath 
Street,  Glasgow,  and  are  being  suitably 
equipped. 

Mrs.  Strong,  formerly  Matron  of  the  Royal 
Infirmary,  is  giving  much  personal  help  with 
the  organization,  and  Dr.  McGregor  Robertson 
is  encouraging  the  nurses  to  help  themselves. 
This  is  the  right  policy  where  professional 
women  are  concerned  if  success  of  the  right 
kind  is  to  be  attained. 


A  correspondent  sends  the  following  adver- 
tisement from  the  Glasgow  Herald: — 

PROBATIONERS  wanted  for  general  training, 
hospital,  60  beds  (North  of  England),  recog- 
nised as  a  training  school  by  the  College  of  Nursing ; 
applicants  must  be  strong,  well  educated,  age  20  to 
28;  salary,  first  year,  £15;  second,  £iy  ;  third, 
;^2o,  with  a  yearly  bonus  of  £5  ;  indoor  uniform 
provided  after  two  months. 

She  thinks  it  is  misleading  to  young  candidates 
for  training,  as  the  College  of  Nuising,  Ltd., 
cannot  possibly  know  anything  of  the  result  of 
the  teaching  and  training  at  this  hospital. 


THE   TRAINED  WOMEN    NURSES' 
FRIENDLY  SOCIETY. 


The  Scottish  Nurses'  Club  in  Glasgow,  pro- 
moted by  the  Scottish  Nurses'  Association,  is 


We  have  pleasure  in  informing  the  members 
of  the  Trained  Women  Nurses'  Friendly 
Society  that  their  Committee  (owing  to  careful 
management)  has  just  invested  ;^i,200  on 
behalf  of  their  Sick  Benefit  Fund,  so  that  now 
their  invested  savings  are  nearing  ;^5,ooo — a 
splendid  result.  This  proves  how  thrifty  women 
are  in  managing  public  money,  and  should 
encourage  trained  nurses  to  join  their  own  pro- 
fessional society,  and  help  to  pile  up  an  invested 
fund,  so  that  in  the  future  they  can  expend  the 
income  in  extra  benefits.  Each  member  should 
get  her  friends  to  join,  and  prove  women's 
capacity  for  financial  responsibility. 

Now  that  the  Insurance  Act  has  been 
amended,  the  bad  habit  of  omitting  to  give 
notice  to  the  Secretary  of  illness,  sometimes  for 
weeks  after  the  event,  must  be  discontinued  by 
Nurses,  as  they  are  only  to  receive  benefit  from 
the  day  following  that  on  which  notice  of  in- 
capacity is  given.  Thus  a  serious  loss  may  be 
sustained.  On  the  other  hand,  nurses  who  con- 
tinue to  break  the  law  must  expect  to  suffer 
for  it.  They  must  learn  to  be  business-like, 
and  not  treat  an  Act  of  Parliament  like  a  scrap 
of  paper. 


July  20,   1918 


^be  »ntl0b  3ournal  ot  'Kureina. 


5^ 


THE  OVERSEAS  NURSING  ASSOCIATION. 

The  twenty-second  annual  report  of  the 
Colonial  Nursing  Association  (now  the  Over- 
seas Nursing  Association)  states  that  in  the 
face  of  the  present  difficulties  it  was  hardly 
to  be  expected  that  any  new  developments  in 
the  work  would  take  place.  The  Committee 
are,  therefore,  pleased  to  record  that  in  three 
instances  requests  for  nurses  in  new  fields  of 
labour  ^have  been  met.  A  Matron  and  two 
nurses  have  been  supplied  to  the  British  Hos- 
pital, Lisbon ;  a  female  Head  Attendant  to  the 
St.  Anne's  Lunatic  Asylum,  Trinidad;  and  two 
nurses  for  Government  service  in  what  before 
the  war  was  German  East  Africa. 

The  Committee  continue  to  receive  encourag- 
ing reports  of  nurses  serving  abroad.  In 
Nyasaland  Miss  R.  Paterson,  Matron  of  the 
Government  Hospitals,  and  Nursing  Sister  A. 
Fallot  have  been  decorated  with  the  Royal  Red 
Cross,  and  were  mentioned  in  a  Dispatch  from 
Brigadier-General  Northey  "  for  their  splendid 
work  during  the  past  year."  Nineteen  addi- 
tional badges  for  meritorious  service  for  five 
years  and  upwards  have  been  awarded.  The 
Committee  record  with  deep  regret  the  death 
of  two  of  their  nurses  on  their  voyage  home  to 
this  country  on  leave.  Miss  M.  Graham,  from 
Southern  Nigeria,  was  a  passenger  on  the 
ss.  "  Abasso,"  torpedoed  on  May  17th,  and 
Miss  M.  Poulter  on  the  ss.  "Appapa,"  tor- 
pedoed in  December  last. 

Nothing  definite  appears  to  have  been  done 
towards  supplying  midwives  to  the  outlying 
districts  of  Canada,  concerning  which  proposal 
there  was  some  strong  criticism  expressed  from 
Canada  last  year.  The  report  states  : — "  It  is 
felt  that  this  matter  can  only  be  taken  in  hand 
in  compliance  with  the  wishes  of  the  Canadian 
Authorities,  but  active  steps  are  being  taken  to 
make  it  known  that  the  Association  is  anxious 
to  lend  its  aid  in  the  selection  and  provision  of 
nurse  midwives  from  the  Mother  Country." 

The  Dowager  Countess  Grey,  Miss  Amv 
Hughes,  and  Major  D.  K.  McDowell,  C.M.G.', 
R.A.M.C.,  have  been  elected  to  fill  vacancies 
on  the  committee. 


HOSPITAL    WORLD. 

In  consequence  of  the  increasing  number  of 
Child  Welfare  Centres  in  North  London,  the  Com- 
mittee of  the  Great  Northern  Central  Hospital, 
Holloway,  have  established  a  Consultative  Centre 
for  Children.  Consultations  mil  be  on  Wednesday 
and  Thursday  each  week,  when  children  referred 
from  any  Welfare  Centre  in  North  London  wall  be 
seen  by  appointment.  At  a  later  date  a  Clinic  for 
Children  will  be  inaucfurated . 


LONDON  HOSPITAL  NURSES. 

A  lively  correspondence  has  been  kept  up  in 
the  Times  on  the  "  farming  out  "  of  two  years' 
trained  nurses  at  the  London  Hospital,  sub- 
sequent to  Major  Chappie's  question  on  the 
subject  in  the  House  of  Commons. 

Lord  Knutsford,  the  Chairman,  and  a  keen- 
supporter  of  the  lucrative  intensive  system  of 
training  at  the  London  Hospital,  repeats  his 
convictions,  and  accuses  Major  Chappie  of 
trickery  in  the  House. 

Colonel  Maurice,  A. M.S.,  supports  in  a  well- 
reasoned  speech  the  sound  economic  claims  of 
Major  Chappie. 

Then,  of  course,  in  butts  Sir  Henry  Burdett, 
and  presumes  to  "  voice  the  wish  of  the  nursing 
profession,"  and  "  ventures  "  incidentally  "  to 
appeal  to  the  Chairman  of  the  London  Hos- 
pital "  to  do  justice  to  the  probationary  nurses 
under  his  control,  and  abandon  the  ambiguous 
system  of  giving  a  two  years'  certificate  of 
training,  and  supplementing  it  with  a  second  at 
the  end  of  two  years'  private  work — a  system 
Sir  Henry  has  supported  with  vehemence  in  his 
nurses'  papers,  especially  when  "  Bart's  " 
nurses  protested  against  the  depreciation  of 
their  three  years'  certificate,  when  a 
*'  Londoner  "  was  thrust  upon  them  as  Matron 
with  the  lower  qualification  ! 

Lord  Knutsford  returns  to  the  attack  on 
July  nth  and  i6th,  and  points  out  that 
neither  Sir  Henry  Burdett  nor  "  his  son-in- 
law,"  Colonel  Maurice,  "have  given  any 
reason  why  the  London  Hospital  should  change 
its  methods."  He  trot^  out  the  well-known 
fact  that  both  the  Matrons-in-Chief — in 
England  and  "France — of  Q.A.I.M.N.S.  are 
"  Londoners,"  but  fails  to  inform  the  public 
that  he  and  other  officials  of  the  London 
Hospital  have  seats  on  the  Nursing  Board 
which  made  these  appointments  !  As  the  dis- 
pute is  one  of  the  exploitation  of  the  Nursing 
Profession,  Lord  Knutsford  might  very  per- 
tinently have  invited  Sir  H.  B.  to  disclose  the 
profits  on  his  nurses'  papers,  and  prove  how 
entirely  disinterested  has  been  his  connection 
with  our  profession  for  the  past  thirty  years  ! 

Up  to  date  Major  Chappie  sits  on  velvet ;  he 
repeats  his  statements  categorically,  and  no 
fcne  can  disprove  them. 

Nurses  with  only  two  years'  experience  are 
certified  as  "  trained  "  and  "  farmed  out  " 
for  the  profit  of  the  charity,  under  a  contract 
for  a  further  two  years'  service. 

It  is  significant  that  the  emoluments  paid  to 
the  Matron  who  originated,  and  controls,  this 
profitable  business  are  considerably  in  advance 
of  those  of  any  other  Matron  in  the  kingdom. 


52  Zbc  »rttieb  3ournal  of  flurama.  ^"^y  ^°'  '9i8 

OUTSIDE    THE    GATES.  BOOK    OP   THE   WEEK. 


DIED     FOR    THEIR    COUNTRY. 

The  King  and  Queen  went  to  St.  Paul's  to  pray- 
on  July  13th,  with  over  4,000  Woolwich  munition 
workers. 

The  special  prayer  said  by  the  Bishop  of  South- 
wark  was  :  "  Almighty  God,  we  commend  into 
Thy  hands  of  mercy  the  souls  ol  our  brothers  and 
sisters  who  have  laid  down  their  li>'es  whilst 
devoting  their  skill  and  industry  to  the  service 
of  their  country.  Grant  that  they  may  be 
accounted  worthy  of  a  place  amongst  Thy  faithful 
servants  in  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  ;  ard  give 
both  to  tliem  and  to  us  forgiveness  for  all  our  sins 
and  increasing  understanding  of  Thy  will ;  for 
His  sake  Who  loved  us  and  gave  Himself  for  us. 
Thy  Son,   our  Saviour,   Jesus  Christ.     Amen." 

There  was  a  moment  of  great  emotion  when 
the  King  and  his  people  stood  and  listened  to  the 
"  Last  Post "  and  Reveille,  sounded  by  the 
trumpeters  of  the  Royal  Regiment  of  Artillery, 
"  as  a  tribute  to  those  who  in  Woolwich  munition 
factories  have  laid  down  their  lives  for  their 
country." 


The  House  of  Commons  accepted  without,  a 
division  the  second  reading  of  the  Government 
Bill  for  prolonging  the  life  of  Parliament  for 
another  six  months  to  January  30th,  1919- 
Then  it  is  to  be  hoped  this  tired  Parliament  will 
cease  to  exist,  and  women  have  a  chance  of 
recording  their  votes  for  men  of  a  very  difEerent 
type. 


ENEMY     ALIENS. 
A    CLEAN    SWEEP. 

Mrs.  Dacre-Fox,  the  organizer  of  the  enthusiastic 
mass  meeting  held  in  Trafalgar  Square  last  Satur- 
day in  support  of  a  "  clean  sweep  "  of  Germans  at 
large  and  in  office,  had  reason  to  be  w«ll  satisfied 
with  the  spirited  determination  it  evinced.  The 
speakers  used  good  old  Saxon  English,  and  the 
following  resolution  was  passed  with  loud  and  pro- 
longed acclamations  : — 

That  this  mass  meeting  regards  the  proposals 
made  by  the  Hofne  Secretary  on  Thursday  in  the 
House  of  Commons  as  futile  and  useless  to  deal 
with  the  alien  enemy,  and  refuses  to  accept  any 
such  compromise  on  the  part  of  the  authorities. 

It  demands  the  immediate  internment  of  all 
aliens  of  enemy  blood,  whether  naturalised  or 
unnaturalised,  the  removal  of  all  such  aliens  from 
every  Government  and  public  office,  and  calls 
•upon  the  Government  to  take  whatever  steps  are 
necessary  to  put  this  resolution  into  effect. 

When  the  resolution  was  carried,  Mcs.  Dacre-Fox 
said  she  would  ask  the  Prime  Minister  to  receive  a 
deputation  in  order  to  convey  to  him  the  determina- 
tion of  the  meeting  to  see  that  no  half-measures 
were  adopted  by  the  Government  in  the  treatment 
of  the  enemy  alien  f>eril. 


THE    SINQER.* 

There  is  enough  good  material  in  this  book  to 
make  two  stories  and  so  many  interesting  personali- 
ties that  it  is  impossible  tc  do  them  justice  in  a 
short  notice. 

Pauline,  the  singer,  is  the  central  figure  and  her 
career  is  full  of  interesting  details. 

It  was  when  singing  at  a  country  house  that  she 
fi.rst  met  Doctor  Carnovious,  who  opened  the  door 
for  her  to  all  that  her  ambition  had  dreamed  of. 
He  fell  in  love  with  her  voice,  with  her  beauty, 
with  everything  that  belonged  to  her  at  that  first 
meeting,  and  from  the  first  was  determined  to 
marry  her.  But  it  must  be  well  understood  that 
he  was  a  German,  that  the  time  was  that  prior  to 
the  war  and  that  he  was  in  England  studying 
coast  erosion.  It  was  he  who  procured  for  her  an 
introduction  to  the  great  Ottenscheiner,  who  in 
his  turn  introduced  her  at  the  German  Embassy. 
Although  Pauline  was  as  yet  unaware  of  any  deep 
feeling  for  Carnovious,  the  thought  of  another 
woman  in  the  field  of  his  favour  was  vagubly 
distasteful  to  her.  The  face  of  the  beautiful 
Baroness  whom  her  friend  Florrie  Keppel  had 
designated  '  a  cat,  but  a  beautiful  cat,"  persisted 
in  Pauline's  remembrance  when  that  of  others  to 
whom  she  had  spoken  was  blurred.  "  What  was 
she  to  Carnovious  or  he  to  her  ?  And  did  the 
answer  to  either  question  matter  to  her  who 
devoted  her  immediate  future  to 'art  ?  "  But  of 
course  she  married  him,  because  he  had  deter- 
mined that  she  should  do  so,  and  she  apparently 
was  quite  happy  with  him  until  she  regained  from 
him  by  a  trick  the  secret  code  of  the  disposal  of 
the  British  Navy,  which  the  beautiful  Baroness  had 
obtained  for  the  German  Secret  Service,  of  which 
she  and  Carnovious  were  illustrious  members. 
Pauline  loved  her  German  husband  (strange  as 
may  seem  to  us),  but  she  unhesitatingly  tricked 
him  when  the  honour  of  her  country  was  at  stake. 

He  condemned  her  to  die  by  her  own  hand  in 
consequence,  but  the  same  night  he  was  electro- 
cuted, in  his  study,  by  a  naked  wire  on  his  electric 
lamp.  Not  by  any  means  an  accident,  we  are  led 
to  believe. 

The  excitement  and  colour  of  beautiful  Pauline's 
career  is  balanced  by  that  of  the  super-mother, 
Mrs.  Barbacre.to  whom  we  are  introduced  at  the 
moment  that  she  has  selected  the  golf  course  as 
a  suitable  place  for  a  picnic  for  her  infant  son. 

Her  husband  was  a  novelist,  but  Mrs.  Barbacre's 
interests  were  somewhat  circumscribed.  At 
irregular  intervals  she  had  taken  an  interest  in  his 
later  books,  but  it  had  more  reference  to  their  sales 
than  their  composition.  It  will  be  possible,  there- 
fore, to  believe  that  when  Mr.  Barbaore  announced 
that  he  was  taking  lessons  in  golf,  she  did  not 
enquire  what  golf  was,  in  what  manner  it  was 
played,  or  where,  but  simply  said,  "  How  nice. 
You  might  pass  the  mustard." 

♦  By  W.  J.  Escott.    Blackwood  &  Sons,  London. 


The  British    Journal  of  Numng,  luly  20,  19lS. 


"  Science    is,    I    believe, 

nothing  but  trained  and 
organized  common-sense, 
differing  from  the  latter 
only  as  a  veteran  may 
differ  from  a  raw  recruit : 
and  its  methods  diffe' 
from  those  of  common- 
sense  only  so  far  as  the 
Guardsman's  cut  and 
thrust  differ  from  the 
manner  in  which  a  savage 
wields  his  club." 

Professor  Huxley. 


The  Basis 
of 
Science 


BOOTS  PURE  DRUG  COMPANY  LIMITED  wish  to  draw  the 
attention  of  the  medical  profession  to  the  following  seven  scientific 
preparations.  Practitioners  who  endeavour  to  keep  abreast  of  the  times 
will  find  these  modern  antiseptics  of  superlative  value  in  general  practice. 


CHLORAMINE-T 

(p-loluene-$odiam-tulphoehloramide). 

Dakin's  ideal  antiseptic,  of  wide  applicability  ia 
medicine  and  surgery. 

In  bottles  of  loz..  1/2:   4oz..  3/6:  lib..  12/C 

CHLORAMINE-T  GAUZE 

In  two  strengths,  containing  approximately  5% 
and  35%  Chloramine-T.  (5%  supplied  unlets 
otherwise  specified).  This  should  be  fixed  dry 
and  subsequently  moistened,  if  necessary,  when 
in  position. 

In  sealed  packaget  only,  price  1/6  per  package. 

y 

PROFLAVINE 

(TC  Jiamlno-aertdlne-iuIphaU). 
The  improved  Flavine  derivative. 

Equal  in  antiseptic  powers  to  Acrtflavine,  and  in 
important  respects  superior,  being  markedly  less 
toxic  and  less  irritating.  Proflavine,  being  less 
costly  to  manufacture,  can  be  sold  at  a  substantially 
lower  price  than  Acriflavine. 

5  Rram  bottle,  1/4 :  20  cram  bottle.  5/- 

HALAZONE  TABLETS. 


TABLETS  OF  CHLORAMINE-T 

One  tablet  dissolved  in  two  ounces  of  water  makes 
a  one  per  cent,  solution. 

Bottles  of  25,  8*75  grain  tablets,  l/t 

„        50,    „        „       „      il- 
„        100,    „         .,         ,.        8/9 

One  tablet   dissolved  in  ten  ounces  of  water  makes 

a  one  per  cent   solution. 

Bottles  of  12  43*75  grain  tablets.  1/10 

CHLORAMINE-T  CREAM 

Containing  approximately  one  per  cent.  Chlora- 
mine-T. Described  and  investigated  under  the 
name  of  Chloramine  Paste  by  Vincent  Daufresn*. 
Carrel.  Hartmann  and  others,  in  the  Journal  of 
Experimtnlal  Medicine,  1917. 

In  Pots.    Trial  size.  8d. ;  large  size.  S/8. 

TABLETS  OF  PROFLAVINE 

(with  todium  chloride). 

One  tablet  dissolved  in  four  fluid  ounces  sterile 
water  makes  1:1000  Proflavine  in   normal  salin*. 

Bottley  of  100  tablets.  S/6 


DAKIN'S   NEW   WATER   DISINFECTANT. 
Vidm  B.M.J..  May,  1917. 


^Vll 


The  action  of  Halazone  is  positive,  and  may  be  relied  upon  for  crudest  waters.  Each  tablet  is  sufficient  to 
sterilize  one  quart  of  contaminated  water,  but  in  cases  of  extreme  contamination  a  second  tablet  may  b« 
necessary.    Halazone  is  invaluable  for  those  on  active  service  overseas,  more  particularly  in  hot  climates. 

Bottles  of  100  tablets.  6d. 

Supplies  are  available  for  prescription  service  on   applieaUon 
through  any  of  the  branchet  of  BOOTS  THE.  CHEMISTS. 

Boots  Pure  Drug  Company  Limited 

MANUFACTURING   CHEMISTS    AND    MAKERS   OF   FINE   CHEMICALS. 
Head  Offices:    Station  Street.  Nettiogham.       JESSE  BOOT.  Managiag  Diraetac. 


54 


Z\)c  »rttl6b  3ournal  of  "Wurgina. 


July  20,   1 918 


So  it  came  to  pass  that  she  and  her  infant 
settled  to  their  picnic  upon  tue  golf  course. 

"  A  tall  gentleman  came  rapidly  up  to  her  and 
lifting  his  cap,  said  most  urbanely  : 

"  You'll  excuse  me,  madam,  but  might  I  remove 
your  chair  and  things  to  a  better  place  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all.  Oil,  don't  trouble,  please.  We 
are  quite  comfortable  here." 

"  But  the  danger,  madam,  to  your  little  boy  ! 

"  Cows  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Barbacre,  looking  round 
in  various  directions. 

"  No,  no,  madam  ;   golf  balls." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  she,  still  bewildered. 

"  This,  madam,  is  what  we  call  a  '  green,'  a 
little  over  hero  would  be  quite  safe." 

Pretty  httle  slangy  Patricia,  her  young  daughter, 
is  the  very  antithesis  of  her  matter-of-fact  mother, 
but  she  is  a  charming  little  person,  and  we  are 
glad  that  she  is  happy  with  Jules  at  last. 

"  Pat,  Cherie,  I  love  you  a  thousand  times  more 
than  anyone  else  in  the  world." 

Jules  sealed  the  betrothal,  and  so  did  she. 

"  How  could  I  ?  "  said  she,  blushing  furiously. 
"  Now  go  downstairs  and  face  the  music.  I  am 
going  to  change  my  face." 

"  Then  I  shan't  marry  you,"  said  Jules. 

H.  H. 


MISSING. 


Tell  me  he's  dead  or  dying ;  say  he  stands 

Seeking  for  guidance  the  warm  touch  of  hands. 

Doomed  in  an  instant  to  eternal  night, 

With  only  mind  and  memory  for  sight — 

For  I  could  cheer  him.— But,  Lord,  quench  this 

drought. 
The  unfathomable  immensity  of  doubt. 
Tell  me  he's  maimed  or  crippled,  torn  or  blind. 
Staring  through  eyes   that  show  his   wandering 

mind, — 
Tell  me  he's  rotting  in  a  place  abhorred, — 
Not  this,  not  this,  O  Lord  ! 

—From  Poems  by  Geoffry  Dearmer. 


WHAT    TO    READ. 

In  these  days  of  difficulty  in  getting  books 
it  is  well  to  know  of  the  best,  so  as  not  to  waste 
time  in  reading  rubbish.  Read,  if  you  can  get 
them,  "  General  von  Sneak,"  by  Robert  Blatcb- 
f  ord ;  "Towards  Morning,"  by  Miss  I.  A.  R. 
Wylie  ;  "  That  Which  Hath  Wings,"  by  Richard 
Dehan  ;  "  On  the  Edge  of  the  War  Zone,"  by 
Mildred  Aldrich  ;  "  Yellow  English,"  by  Dorothy 
Flatau ;  and  "  First  the  Blade,"  by  Clemence  Dane. 


COMING    EVENTS. 

July  25th. — Central  Midwives'  Board.  Monthly 
Meeting,  i.  Queer  Anne's  Gate  Buildings,  Dart- 
mouth Street,  S.W. 

August  15/.— Central  Midwives'  Boaid.  Exami- 
nation in  London,  Birmingham,  Bristol,  Leeds, 
Liverpool.     Oral  Examinatiion  a  tew  days  later. 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 

Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  jor  these  columns,  we  wish  U  to  h$ 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents. 

NATIONAL  BABY   WEEK. 
To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 
Dear  Madam, — On   behalf  of  National  Baby 
Week  Council  I  wish  to  thank  you  most  warmly 
for  the  generous  help  you  have  given  to  our  work. 
Free  publicity  at  a  time  like  this,  when  space 
has  to  be  so  severely  curtailed,  can  only  be  given 
at  the  cost  of  real  individual  sacrifice,  and  I  should 
like  you  to  realise  how  deeply  my  Committee 
appreciate  all  you  have  done. 
Yours  faithfully, 

Eric  Pritchard, 
Chairman  ot  the  Executive  Committee. 

THE   HEALTH  OF  THE    RACE. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Mapam, — If  Dr.  Truby  King  could  have 
brought  with  him  New  Zealand  skies,  open  spaces, 
healthy  homes  and  conditions  generally  prevailing 
there,  he  might  have  added  greatly  to  his  reputa- 
tion as  a  "  baby  saver  "• — a  title  which  is  being 
claimed  for  him  by  the  lay  press. 

But  the  world  is  as  it  is.  When  he  compares 
figures  and  conditions  in  his  own  country  and  in 
this,  he  will,  one  hopes,  admit  that  our  medical 
men  must  be  given  the  palm  for  the  reduction  of 
infantile  death  rate. 

They  have  improved  the  health  of  the  race 
in  spite  of  tiemendous  obstacles  ;  Dr.  Truby  King 
is  improving  it  by  harnessing  his  knowledge  to 
the  chariot  of  a  beneficent  nature  ;  aided  by  social 
conditions  which  are  the  outcome  of  experience 
for  which  we  are  still  paying  the  price. 
L.  E.  Sherliker, 
Member,  Royal  British  Nurses'  Assoc. 

A     "NURSE'S    BADGE"    MISLEADINQ. 

To  the  Editor  oj  'UnEBmrisH  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — Since  writing  to  you  my  letter 
with  reference  to  the  badge  which  was  being  sold 
as  the  "  Nightingale  Badge,"  I  have  been  in  com- 
munication with  the  Nurses'  Outfitting  Associa- 
tion, Ltd.,  which  was  selling  it,  and,  as  the  result 
of  my  protest,  they  have  agreed  in  future  to  drop 
the  word  "  Nightingale  "  irom  the  title  of  the 
badge  and  to  call  it  in  future  the  "  Nurses' 
Badge,"  and  they  have  added  that  the  badge  has 
always  been  sold  simply  as  a  distinguishing  mark 
for  nurses  in  general. 

Whilst  it  is  doubtful  whether  any  nurse  can  be 
advised  to  wear  such  a  badge,  which  implies  no 
certificate  of  efficiency  but  might  be  interpreted  as 
carrying  that  certificate,  I  think  it  is  fair  to  the 
Nurses'  Outfitting  Association  to  mention  that 
they  have  met  the  objection  to  their  using  the  title 
"  Nightingale."     Yours  faithfully, 

W.  H.  Bon  HAM  Carter. 
Secretary  Nightingale  Training  School. 


July  20,  1918 


Hbe  Brttl0b  3ournal  of  Bureino. 


55 


WAS    IT    FAIR    TO    THE     SICK     NURSE? 

To  the  Editor  oj  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Madam, — On  a  recent  date,  the  Matron  of  a 
Nurses'  Home  in  London  called  at  a  Hospital 
seeking  advice  regarding  a  member  of  her  stalf, 
who  is  very  ill.  She  was  received  by  the  secretary 
of  the  hospital,  to  whom  the  details  of  the  case 
were  explained.  The  secretary  said  there  was 
no  bed  available  for  some  days,  and  in  any  case, 
the  only  suggestion  shi.  could  make  was  that  the 
pick  nurde  should  attend  at  the  out-patient  depart- 
ment on  Thursday  at  one  o'clock  (presumably 
with  other  casuals  !)  and  see  the  medical  officer 
then. 

Does  a  trained  nurse,  who  has  gone  under  in 
the  zealous  performance  of  her  duty  in  these 
strenuous  times,  not  merit  a  little  more  privacy 
and  delicacy  in  seeking  professional  advice  ? 
This  is  the  hospital  for  which  your  excellent 
Journal  asks  subscriptions  from  all  classes  of 
women  workers  to  perpetuate  the  undying  memory 
of  one  whom  all  professional  women  love,  and 
who  would  never  have  meted  out  such  casual 
.  courtesy  to  one  of  her  sisters. 

I  enclose  my  card,  and  remain, 

Another  Hard-working  Sister. 

[We  regret  to  hear  of  tins  treatment  of  a  sick 
nurse  at  a  Woman's  Hospital.  Our  expetience  at 
the  General  Hospitals  has  been  quite  otherwise. 
Sick  nurses  are  often  given  preference  before  the 
general  public,  and  leceive  ^-lie  very  best  of  care 
and  kindness.  Sometimes  we  have  asked  our- 
selves the  question  :  "  Are  medical  women  and 
women  hospital  offici.T.ls  as  sympathetic  towafvis 
nurses  as  men  ?  "  We  '='hould  be  pleased  to  heaf 
expert  opinion  on  this  point. — Ed.] 

HUMILIATINQ   HUiYlBUQ. 

To  the  Editor  oj  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — I  quite  agree  with  the  views 
expressed  re  "  Humiliating  Humbug,"  by  Beatrice 
Kent,  in  your  last  issue.  I  am  just  back  from 
France,  a  land  of  horror  and  sadness,  and  during 
my  absence  many  nursing  affairs  may  have 
changed.  I  do  not  krow,  but  one  thing  I  feel 
sure  about  is,  that  we  women  who  have  had  the 
honour  of  nursing  the  greatest  men  in  the  world, 
both  at  home  and  abroad,  do  not  want  patronage 
from  Miss  Asquith,  or  charities  such  as  the 
"  Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses." 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  trained  nurses  will  wake 
up  soon  and  let  the  nation  know  who  and  what 
we    are   in   this   great   country   of   ours.     Then, 

perhaps.  Miss  Asquith  will  understand  and 

leave  us  alone. 

Yours  faithfully, 

F.  M.  B., 

B.E.F. 

Queen  Mary's  Hostel  for  Nurses. 

[The  whole  War  Charity  scheme  to  finance  the 
College  has  been  manoeuvred  during  the  absence 
of  the  flower  of  the  nursing  profession  on  active 
service.  No  Bill  should  be  hurriedly  passed  in 
their  absence.^ — Ed.] 


KERNELS     FROM     CORRESPONDENCE, 

"  A  Sister  of  Sixty  "  writes  :  "  Gambols, 
indeed.  I  want  no  idle  Society  women  gambolling 
on  my  behalf.  Has  not  the  Premier  made  a  most 
touching  appeal  to  every  woman  who  has  the 
great  gifts  of  youth  and  strength  to  go  on  the 
land  and  save  the  harvest.  He  says,  '  the  harvest 
is  in  danger,'  owing  to  lack  of  labour,  and  '  there 
is  not  a  moment  to  lose.'  Let  young  women 
gambol  amongst  the  hay-cocks  and  the  corn 
stooks,  and  later  on  let  them  plough  and  sow 
and  spread  manure.  Forty  years  ago  I  could 
have  given  them  a  lead.  If  the  Queen  would 
express  her  displeasure  with  the  waste  of  time 
by  Society  girls,  and  the  Royalties  refuse  to  give 
their  patronage  to  '  gambols,'  they  would  set  a 
popular  example  and  discourage  these  merry 
mumrners.  Anyway  I  protest  with  you  that 
the  nursing  profession  should  be  used  as  their 
excuse   for   frivolity   and   self-indulgence." 


"Australian  Sister  "  writes : — "As  you  advised,  I 
attended  the  mass  meeting  in  Trafalgar  Square  on 
Saturday,  in  support  of  interning  Huns  high  and 
low.  The  speeches  were  hot  and  strong,  but  it  is 
a  pity  the  men  and  women  who  governed  this 
country  for  ten  years  before  the  war  were  not  in  thfe 
crowd  to  heai  what  the  man  and  woman  in  the 
street  think  of  them.  '  Hang  the  lot,'  was  the 
import  of  their  suggestions — and  in  very  ugly 
language  with  plenty  of  groans.  I  was  surprised 
and  pleased  to  hear  calls  for  '  Hughes.'  '  Give  us 
Hughes  !  '  '  Hughes  is  the  man  !  '  '  Hughes 
would  soon  settle  their  hash  !  "  I  gathered  some 
high-placed  alien  had  to  do  with  court-martials. 
This  seemed  infuriating  to  the  boys  in  blue.  '  Just 
you  wait  till  the  boys  come  home  ;  they'll  soon 
hoof  out  the  Hun  and  the  men  who  have  kept 
him  in  office  !  '  One  and  all  of  the  crowd  spoke 
of  brioery  and  corruption,  and  to  hear  them 
swear  that  oath  proposed  by  the  Mayor  of  Bury- 
St.  Edmunds  did  one's  heart  good,  and  the  women 
were  as  deep-throated  as  the  men." 


REPLIES    TO    CORRESPONDENTS. 

Correspondent,  Wimbledon. — The  names  of  lady 
chemists  who  take  pupils  in  dispensing  can  be 
obtained  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Pharmaceutical 
Society,  17,  Bloomsbury  Square,  W.C.  At  the  close 
of  a  three  years'  apprenticeship  the  student  can 
enter  for  the  "  Minor  "  examination  of  the  Phar- 
maceutical Society,  the  passing  of  which  gives  the 
legal  right  to  dispense  and  sell  poisons,  and  to  use 
the  title  of  "  Chemist  and  Druggist  "  or  "  Phar- 
macist." 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITIONS. 

July  Z']th. — What  are  the  chief  racial  poisons  ? 
What  steps  should  be  taken  to  prevent  and 
counteract  their  effects  ? 

August  yd. — How  may  the  play  of  children  be 
directed  so  as  to  be  a  means  of  education  ? 


5^         ^be  :Britt0b  3ournal  of  Burelnc  Supplement.      My  ^o,  1918 


THe   Midwife. 


THE     MmWIVES    ACT    AMENDMENT 
BILL. 

On  July  9th,  in  the  House  of  Ijords,  the  Report 
of  Amendments  to  the  Midwives  Bill  was  received. 
The  district  councils  are  evidently  still  struggling 
to  retain  the  right  to  act  as  Local  Supervising 
Authorities.  It  will  be  remembered  that  in  Com- 
mittee the  following  Amendment  was  inserted  at 
the  instance  of  the  Marquess  of  Salisbury  as 
"  Clause  12  ":— 

"  Section  nine  of  the  principal  Act  (which  enables 
county  councils  to  delegate  their  powers  and  duties 
to  district  councils)  shall  be  repealed."  An  amend- 
ment to  this  Clause,  moved  by  Lord  Salisbury,  has 
now  been  adopted  which  materially  weakens  it  : — 
"  Provided  that  where,  at  the  commencement  of 
this  Act,  any  powers  or  duties  have  been  delegated, 
such  delegation  shall  not  be  afifected. "  To  this 
amendment,  on  the  third  reading  of  the  Bill  on 
July  i6th.  Viscount  Peel  moved  a  further  one  :^ 
"  Unless,  on  the  representation  of  the  County 
Council  concerned,  the  Local  Government  Board 
otherwise  direct." 

The  existing  cases  of  delegation  affected  by  this 
amendment  are  four. 

The  Bill  was  read  a  third  time  and  passed. 

THE    MATERNITY    AND    CHILD 
WELFARE    BILL. 

The  Maternity  and  Child  Welfare  Bill  was 
debated  at  length  in  Committee  in  the  House  of 
Commons  on  July  gth,  and  read  a  third  time  and 
passed  in  that  House  on  July  12th.  The  long  dis- 
cussion in  Committee  centred  mainly  round  the 
question  whether  the  powers  given  under  the  Act 
should  be  conferred  on  both  large  and  small 
authorities,  or  whether  it  was  desired  to  limit  the 
use  of  these  powers  to  boroughs  of  more  than 
50,000  population.  Eventually  it  was  decided  that 
the  County  Councils  in  England  and  Wales  exer- 
cising powers  under  this  Act  or  under  Section  two 
of  the  Notification  of  Births  (Extension)  Act,  1915, 
should  establish  maternity  and  child  welfare  com- 
mittees, and  may  delegate  to  such  committees,  with 
or  without  restrictions  or  conditions,  as  they  think 
fit,  any  of  the  powers  under  either  Act,  except  the 
power  of  raising  a  rate,  or  borrowing  money. 

EUGENICS. 

A  selection  of  striking  posters  shown  at  the  recent 
Baby  Week  Exhibition  at  Westminster  were  illus- 
trative of  inheritance  of  ability,  inheritance  of 
defect,  causes  of  infant  deaths,  insanity  in  the 
relation  to  heredity ;  also  of  the  various  aspects  of 
syphilis^as  the  result  of  heredity,  of  infection,  &c. 
^and  a  study  of  worthy  parentage. 


BABIES    OF    THE     EMPIRE. 

On  Tuesday  in  last  week  the  Right  Honble. 
W  F.  Massey,  P.O.  (Prime  Minister  of  New 
Zealand),  presided  at  the  opening  of  the  Babies 
of  the  Empire  Mothercraft  Training  Centre, 
29  and  31,  Trebovir  Road,  Eail's  Court,  S.W.  The 
Babies  of  the  Empire  Society,  of  whicli  Lord 
Plunket  is  Chairman,  and  Dr.  F.  Truby  King, 
C.M.G.,  Medical  Director,  has  its  headquarters  in 
the  General  Buildings,  Aldwych,  W.C.  2.  Its 
objects  are  (i)  To  uphold  the  Sacredness  of  the 
Body  and  the  Duty  of  Health  ;  (2)  To  acquire 
accurate  information  and  knowledge  on  matters 
affecting  the  health  of  Women  and  Children  ,  and 
to  disseminate  such  knowledge  ;  and  (3)  To  train 
specially,  and  to  employ  qualified  nurses,  whose 
duty  it  will  be  to  give  sound,  reliable  instruction, 
advice  and  assistance  on  matters  affecting  the 
health  and  well-being  of  women,  especially  during 
pregnancy  and  while  nursing  infants  .  .  .  with 
a  view  to  conserving  the  health  and  strength  of  the 
rising  generation,  and  rendering  both  mother  and 
offspring  hardy,  healthy,  and  resistive  to  disease  ; 
(4)  To  cc-operate  with  any  present  or  future 
organisations  which  are  working  lor  any  of  the 
foregoing  or  cognate  objects. 

At  the  Mothercraft  Training  Centre  the  main 
idea  is  to  give  a  sound,  simple,  thorough  grounding 
in  the  every-day  needs  of  home  and  nursing.  The 
desire  is  to  make  the  course  practical,  helpful, 
and  domestic,  to  encourage  and  stimulate 
commonsense  and  resourcefulness,  and  to  render 
the  knowledge  conveyed  as  interesting  and  as 
widely  applicable  and  adaptable  as  possible.  The 
Matron  is  Miss  A.  Pattrick,  and  the  Staff  Sister 
Mrs.  Cowey. 

The  Care  of  Mother  and  Child. 
Under  the  auspices  of  the  London  County 
Council,  which  is  the  Local  Supervising  Authority 
for  midwives  in  the  county,  Dr.  Truby  King  ir, 
giving  two  courses  of  lectures  on  the  Care  of  Mother 
and  Child  vnth  special  reference  to  the  work  of 
midwives,  one  at  Birkbeck  College,  Bream's 
Buildings,  Fetter  Lane,  E.C.,  the  next  lecture  being 
given  on  July  22nd  at  4  o'clock.,  and  the  other  at 
Morley  College,  Waterloo  Road,  S.E.  i,  where 
lectures  will  be  given  on  July  i8th  and  24th  at 
4  o'clock.  They  will  be  illustrated  by  Lantern 
Slides  and  Practical  Demonstrations. 


A  report  compiled  by  the  Local  Government 
Board  on  information  derived  from  German  sources 
shows  that  the  fall  in  the  birth-rate  in  Germany 
during  the  three  years,  1915-17,  was  equivalent  to 
the  loss  of  2,000,000  babies. 


THE 


OPiiMi 


No.  1,582. 


SATURDAY,   JULY   27,    1918. 


Vol.    LXI 


EDITORIAL. 


THE   ARMY  SCHOOL  OF    NURSINQ    IN   THE 
UNITED  STATES. 

Immediately  America  came  into  the  War 
the  leading  nursing  experts  were  on  the 
qui  vive  to  evolve  a  plan  which  would  meet 
the  needs  of  the  stricken  troops  and  provide 
tbem  with  trained  skilled  nursing.  These 
ladies  had  watched  with  intelligent  interest 
the  progress  of  military  nursing  in  Europe, 
and  in  its  disorganised  methods  found  little 
to  emulate  outside  the  Imperial  and  Terri- 
torial Nursing  Services.  Beyond  these  well- 
disciplined  Services — our  amateur  Red  Cross 
nursing  system — placing  the  skilled  work  of 
the  professional  worker  under  the  direction 
of  the  untrained  commandant — was  con- 
demned in  toto.  The  Nursing  Department 
of  the  American  Red  Cross  is  superintended 
at  Washington  by  an  experienced  Matron, 
Miss  Jane  A.  Delano,  R.N.,  who  has  had 
the  very  best  medical  and  nursing  support 
in  the  further  organization  of  her  depart- 
ment, and  after  the  appointment  of  Miss 
Annie  Goodrich,  R.N.,  as  Chief  Inspecting 
Nurse  of  the  Army  Hospitals  in  the  Surgeon- 
General's  Office,  Washington,  D.C  ,  Miss 
Delano  and  Miss  D.  E.  Thompson,  R.N.,  of 
the  Army  Nurse  Corps,  U.S.A.,  have  worked 
to  evolve  a  complete  system  of  nursing  for 
the  Army  in  the  field. 

At  the  recent  Convention  at  Cleveland, 
two  important  Papers  were  presented — 
one  by  Colonel  W.  H.  Smith,  which  repre- 
sents Miss  Goodrich's  plan,  the  other, 
entitled  "  A  Nursing  Crisis,"  by  Dr.  Gold- 
water,  which  advocated  the  employment 
of  nurses'  aides  as  they  have  been  trained 
for  the  past  three  or  four  years  through  the 
educational  committees  of  the  Red  Cross. 
Great  satisfaction  has  been  given  through- 
out the  American  nursing  world  by  the 
authorization,  by  the  Secretary  of  War 
upon  the  recommendation  by  the  Surgeon- 


General  of  the  Army,  of  the  establishment 
of  the  Army  School  of  Nursing,  evolved 
by  the  leading  Nursing  Superintendents  and 
supported  by  Colonel  W.  H.  Sniith. 

This  School  will  put  into  operation  a 
plan  whereby  the  sick  and  wounded  men  in 
military  hospitals  will  receive  care  through 
the  method  that  has  been  found  most 
effective  in  the  civil  hospitals.  The  course 
is  to  extend  over  a  period  of  three  years. 

The  military  hospitals  will  provide  experi- 
ence in  surgical  nursing,  including  ortho- 
pedic, eye,  ear,  nose,  and  throat ;  medical^ 
including  communicable,  nervous,  and 
mental  disease.  Experience  in  the  dis- 
eases of  children,  gynecology,  obstetrics, 
and  public  health  nursing  will  be  provided 
through  affiliations  in  the  second  or  third 
year  course. 

Lectures,  recitations,  and  laboratory 
work,  will  be  given  in  the  required  subjects, 
each  hospital  assigned  as  a  training  camp 
having  its  staff  of  lecturers,  instructors,  and 
supervisors,  and  teaching  equipment.  To 
be  eligible  for  the  Army  School  of  Nursing 
candidates  must  be  between  2i  and  35 
years  of  age,  in  good  physical  condition, 
and  of  good  moral  character.  They  must 
be  graduates  of  recognised  high  schools  or 
present  evidence  of  an  educational  equip- 
ment. Credit  of  nine  months,  or  approxi- 
mately an  academic  year,  will  be  given  to 
graduates  of  accredited  colleges.  No  tuition 
fee  is  required. 

In  many  of  the  military  hospitals  are  to 
be  found  men  and  women  prominent  in  the 
medical  and  nursing  world  through  whom 
the  School  is  assured  of  a  strong  faculty, 
and  the  following  advisory  council  appointed 
to  advise  concerning  the  general  policy 
assures  its  success  :— 

Colonel  W.  H.  Smith,  chairman  ;  Colonel 
C.  L.  Furbush ;  Colonel  W.  T.  Longcope  ; 
Miss  M.  Adelaide  Nutting;  Miss  Lilian  D. 
Wald  ;  Miss  Anna  C.  Maxwell ;  Miss  Dora 


58 


Zbc  Brlttab  3ournal  of  •Rurelng. 


July  2j,   1918 


E.  Thompson,  the  Superintendent  of  the 
Army  Nurse  Corps  ;  Miss  Lenah  S.  Higbee, 
the  Superintendent  of  the  Navy  Nurse 
Corps  ;  Miss  Jane  A.  Delano,  the  Director 
of  the  Department  of  Nursing,  American 
Red  Cross  ;  the  President  of  the  American 
Nurses'  Association ;  the  President  of  the 
National  League  of  Nursing  Education  ; 
the  President  of  the  National  Organization 
of  Public  Health  Nursing;  and  the  Dean  of 
the  Army  School  of  Nursing. 

We  congratulate  the  Surgeon-General  on 
calling  to  his  aid  the  representatives  of  all 
the  leading  Nurses'  Organizations  in  the 
United  States.  Brains  and  Patriotism  count 
some  in  America  ! 

FOR  DAUNTLESS  FRANCE.* 

(Concluded  from  page  43.) 


THE    RECORD. 

"  Tne  Record "  (Part  II  of  Mr  Laurence 
Biuyon's  book)  deals  with  the  Convoys,  the 
Hospitals,  the  Canteens,  and  Relief  Work  in  the 
Devastated  Zones. 

The  Convoys. 

It  became  known  in  England  in  the  early  months 
of  the  war  that  more  ambulances  for  the  wounded 
were  urgently  required  for  the  French  Army's 
unprecedented  needs.  The  Automobile  Associa- 
tion at  once  appealed  to  their  members  to  provide 
touring  cars  which  might  be  converted  into 
ambulance  cars.  As  a  result  250  cars  were  ofEered 
and  about  200  were  found  suitable  for  conversion 
and  shipped  to  France,  and  a  large  number  who 
could  not  provide  cars  subscribed  over  ;^6,ooo. 
Of  one  mobile  unit  we  read  :  ' '  The  devoted  work 
of  the  unit  was  warmly  appreciated,  not  only  tor 
the  '  swiftness  and  comfort,'  with  which  the 
wounded  were  carried,  but  for  the  '  spontaneity 
and  warmth '  of  the  English  offers  of  aid.  A 
French  Army  doctor  wrote  to  thank  the  unit's 
commander  for  the  '  precious  help  '  it  had  given. 
The  British  ambulances  had  transported  more 
than  one  hundred  and  fifty  wounded  to  Amiens 
and  to  Doullens  in  three  days.  '  By  this  action,' 
the  doctor  wrote,  '  you  have  greatly  relieved  our 
own  convoys  and  secured  a  very  swift  and  con- 
tinuous evacuation  for  the  severely  wounded, 
some  of  whom,  I  do  not  scruple  tc  say,^  will  owe 
their  recovery  to  you.'  " 

Amongst  the  ambulances  which  have  done 
excellent  work  are  those  sent  out  by  members  of 
the  Society  of  Friends,  who  were  determined  to 
serve  their  fellowmen  in  the  struggle  though 
resolved  also  not  to  be  combatants.     Tne  pioneers 

•  By  Laurence  Binyon.  Hodder  &  Stoughton, 
St.  Paul's  House,  Warwick  Square,  London,  E.C.4. 
los.  6d.  net. 


of  the  unit  chose  tor  their  motto  "  Search  for  the 
work  that  no  one  is  doing  ;  take  it,  and  regularise 
it  later  if  you  can." 

Section  3  of  the  British  Ambulance  Committee 
has  always  been  attached  to  a  division  in  the 
Vosges.  "  The  Germans  were  continually  trying 
to  block  the  mountain  road  by  which  supplies 
came  up,  and  by  which  Section  3  carried  down  the 
wounded,  by  bursting  huge  shells  upon  it.  .  .  .  At 
one  of  the  corners  on  the  zigzag  bends,  directly 
under  the  fire  of  the  German  snipers,  one  man  of 
Section  3  was  killed  and  several  mere  were 
wounded.  To  prevent  repair  the  Germans  con- 
stantly burst  shrapnel  over  the  road.  But  in  spite 
of  everything  the  wounded  were  all  brought  down 
safely.  And  when  one  remembers  how  they  were 
formerly  carried  in  springless  carts,  taking  thirty 
hours  to  do  what  a  motor  ambulance  accomplished 
in  two  or  less,  it  is  easy  to  imagine  the  incalculable 
value  of  an  efficient  service  of  automobiles.  The 
protracted  anguish  of  the  long  ride,  with  the 
constant  result  of  septic  poisoning,  ended  fre- 
quently in  the  loss  of  lives  which  are  now  saved  bx 
speed." 

A  service  of  motor-cycle  side  cars  used  for  trans- 
porting the  wounded  over  tracks  where  the 
ambulances  could  net  run  have,  we  are  told, 
perhaps  saved  more  lives  than  even  the  motor 
ambulances.  They  are  able  to  gi  over  the  steepest 
and  roughest  roads,  and  the  Alpine  posts  or  field 
hospitals  on  the  Vosges  front  are  now  all  served  by 
them. 

In  transporting  wounded  from  Verdun,  Section 
17  found  that  for  men  in  a  state  of  exhaustion,  as 
they  often  were  when  they  came  down  from  the 
trenches,  to  travel  some  tharty  miles  in  the  lorries 
over  rough  roads  without  any  food  was  to  run  the 
risk  of  an  utter  collapse.  It  therefore  started  a 
soup  kitchen  which,  until  it  was  no  longer  required, 
was  kept  going  night  and  day.  Seventeen  thou- 
sand bowls  of  soup  were  given  out,  and  the  timely 
refreshment  made  a  great  difference  to  the 
wounded  and  worn-out  soldiers — in  some  cases, 
perhaps,  the  difference  between  life  and  death. 

In  the  battle  before  the  Cote  de  Poivre,  Section  i 
won  the  Croix  de  Guerre  for  the  convoy,  and 
Section  2  (which  had  had  four  of  its  men  wounded 
at  Verdun)  received  eight  Croix  de  Guerre  for 
individual  members,  and  one  M^daille  Militaire. 

We  can  only  mention  the  convoy  work  of  two 
groups  of  Englishwomen — the  First  Aid  Nursing 
Yeomanry  Corps  (members  of  whict  have  recently 
won  distinction  for  courage  and  sang  Jroid  under 
fire),  and  the  Hackett-Lowther  Unit  who  draw 
soldiers'  rations,  and  form  a  military  unit  like  the 
sections    which   have   been    described. 

The  Hospitals. 
A  Section  is  devoted  to  the  hospitals  and  the 
supply  depots,  for  the  Comite  Britannique — 
besides  sending  supplies  on  its  own  account — 
forwards  every  day  consignments  cf  supplies  of 
all  kinds  needed  by  the  hospitals — ^the  purely 
French  as  well  as  the  Anglo-French.  These 
supplies  come  to  the  Comit6,  not  only  from  all  parts 


July  27,   1918 


Zbc  Britieb  3ournal  of  IRurstng. 


59 


of  the  United  Kingdom,  but  from  Canada,  Aus- 
tralia, New  Zealand,  South  Africa,  India,  Ceylon, 
Singapore,  Trinidad,  Mauritius,  Newfoundland, 
Malta,   Gibraltar,   and  elsewhere. 

Tiie  French  War  Em:>rgency  Fund,  the  head- 
quarters of  which  are  at  44,  Lowndes  Square, 
London,  has  an  admirable  system  of  ascertaining 
the  needs  of  the  hospitals.  A  group  of  ladies 
in  the  provinces  of  France,  with  a  supply  of 
motor  cars  at  their  disposal  and  chosen  for  their 
knowledge  of  the  French  language  and  French 
ways,  have  a  headquarters  at  some  central  point 
cf  the  region  they  serve.  Each  of  these  delegates 
visits  all  the  hospitals  in  her  region,  interviews 
the  Medecin-chef,  the  heads  of  the  Pharmacie 
and  tne  Lingerie,  and  talks  to  the  nurses  ;  she 
is  thus  able  not  only  to  bring  away  a  precise 
list  of  what  each  hospital  requires,  but  to  form 
an  independent  opinion  of  its  merits  as  well  as 
its  needs.  The  lists  of  requirements  are  sub- 
mitted to  a  special  committee  at  Lowndes  Square  ; 
and  if  the  committee  is  satisfied  that  the  need 
is  real  and  urgent,  precisely  those  things  are 
packed   and  despatched  forthwith. 

For  "  Tne  Story  of  the  Hospitals  "  in  detail 
we  must  refer  our  readers  to  the  book  itself. 
We  would  fain  quote  from  it,  but  pressure  on  our 
space  forbids,  and  many  of  the  details  have  from 
time  to  time  been  already  related  in  this  Journal 

The  Day  of  an  Orderly. 

A  most  interesting  chapter  is  that  on  "  The 
Day  of  an  Orderly."  We  commend  it  to  Matrons 
and  Sisters.  They  may,  perhaps,  see  the  vocation 
of  ordeilyfroma  different  view  point  henceforth. 

One  of  the  duties  of  the  orderlies  is  to  take 
stretchers  to  the  wards  and  carry  the  patients 
to   the   operating   theatre.     The   orderly  writes  : 

"  Forty-eight  hours  ago,  perhaps,  or  less, 
this  man  was  lying  out  on  the  churned  and  shat- 
tered slopes  of  the  Mort  Homme  or  Cote  304.  .  .  . 
I  marvel  at  their  fortitude  and  elasticity.  .  .  . 
The  men  we  are  getting  now  are  mostly  Terri- 
torials, between  thirty  and  forty  in  age,  who 
have  been  flung  into  the  furnace  of  Verdun. 
And  splendidly  have  they  quitted  themselves. 
These  solid,  sunburnt,  quiet  men — no  light  weight 
on  a  stretcher — seem  to  belong  to  the  very  core  of 
the  nation  which  so  indomitably  and  tenaciously 
is  holding  the  gate  of  Fiance  against  the  colossal 
blows  of  the  German  armies.  They  are  taciturn, 
with  gentle  voices  ;  but  they  will  stand  to  the 
last  for  '  all  they  have  and  are  '  ;  they  will  flinch 
from  nj  suffering  or  calamity  to  save  their  beloved 
country.  It  is  for  them  mere  matter  of  course  ; 
yet  they  hate  the  war.  .  .  . 

"  Almost  all,  as  soon  as  they  are  under  the 
anaesthetic,  go  back  to  the  battlefield ;  and  you 
will  hear  sometimes  the  yell  of  the  charge — 
'  Courage,  les  gars  !  En  avant,  la  baionette  !  ' — 
and  the  soldiers,  hearing  the  cry  ring  out  through 
the  window,  will  listen  with  2  kind  of  fascination. 
'  That's  just  how  it  is  when  we  attack.'j  they 
will  say.'  " 


The  orderly  thus  concludes  a  modest  and  most 
interesting  record :  "  Having  set  down  these 
common  tasks  which  make  up  the  crdorly's  day, 
I  feel  half  ashamed  at  proffering  so  trivial  a 
recoid,  when  the  real  work  of  the  hospital,  the 
work  of  the  doctors  ana  nurses,  who  have  not  only 
hard  labcurs  to  perform  with  their  trained  skill, 
but  endless  anxious  responsibilities,  is  the  story 
that  ought  to  be  t'jld.  Alas  !  I  have  not  the 
knowledge  for  the  telling  of  it ;  I  have  only 
boundless  honour  and  admiration  for  them  and 
their  wonderful  work.  We  ordeilies  have  glimpses 
only  of  what  that  work  means,  what  lives  it  saves, 
what  suffering  it  alleviates.  We  see  rather  the 
human  side  ;  yet  that  is  my  excuse  for  these 
pages,  since  I  hope  they  may  reflect  something 
of  the  qualities  of  the  Poilu  whom  we  love,  as  we 
have  learnt  to  know  him  in  his  hour  of  trial  and 
suffering  ;  gentle  in  speech,  courteous  in  bearing, 
constant  in  fortitude,  fervent  in  the  faith  of  his 
country's    cause." 

The  Canteens. 

A  very  important  and  valuable  branch  of  the 
Red  Cross  work  done  by  the  Bn'tish  for  the  trench 
wounded  is  that  of  the  canteens.  Qiite  eaily 
in  the  war,  we  are  told,  ap  organization  for 
providing  canteens  for  the  refreshment  of  the 
sick  and  tired  soldiers  was  set  on  foot  in  Paris 
by  a  patriotic  Frenchman,  called  '  L'OEuvre  de  la 
Goutte  de  Cafe.'  It  was  on  a  small  scale  on 
account  of  the  limited  funds  available  ;  but  the 
first  canteens  which  it  started  were  so  greatly 
appreciated  and  so  obviously  needed  that  the 
founder  of  the  CEuvre  and  his  wife,  whose  hearts 
were  very  much  in  the  work- — looked  about  for 
means  to  extend  it."  The  Preside nte  of  the  Comite 
Britannique  was  appealed  to.  She  had  a  great 
desire  to  further  the  work  and  it  occurred  to  her 
that  here  was  at  once  an  outlet  for  the  enterprise 
and  enthusiasm  of  Englishwomen  who  wanted 
to  serve  France  in  some  way  and  yet  had  no 
sptcific  training  or  qualification,  and  a  golden 
occasion  for  furthering  the  friendship  of  the  two 
countries.  So  it  came  to  be  arranged,  by  mutual 
consent,  that  the  Comite  Britannique  should 
undertake  the  setting  up  of  additional  canteens, 
and  should  provide  their  personnel.  The  work 
they  have  done  has  been  invaluable. 

The  Algerian  Arabs,  we  are  -told,  especially 
appreciate  the  coffee,  as  most  of  them  keep  strictly 
to  their  religion  and  never  drink  the  wine  which 
is  served  out  in  the  barrack  rations.  The  most 
pathetic  men  are  the  Senegalese,  as  they  under- 
stand very  little  French,  and  seem  to  be  like  little 
children,  drawn  into  a  vortex  which  they  do  not 
understand.  Like  children,  though,  they  are 
made  very  happy  by  veiy  small  things. 

Elsewhere  in  the  book  the  story  is  recalled  of  a 
Senegalese  found  wandering  stark  naked  by  a 
corporal,  who  proceeded  to  arrest  him.  "  But  it 
is  all  right,  said  the  Senegalese,  "  we  have  had 
leave  to  go  out  in  mufti." 


6o 


Zrbc  Britleb  3ournal  of  IRurstn^. 


July  2j,  jgiS 


■i*i*ii.S^rf  Relief  Work. 
!  The  chapter  on  "  Relief  Work  in  the  Devastated 
Zones  "  is  concerned  chiefly  with  the  labours  of 
the  Society  of  Friends.  As  part  of  the  schemes 
for  providing  employment,  sewing  and  embroidery 
classes  have  been  started  and  materials  provided. 
One  mother  told  how  she  heard  her  daughters,  as 
they  sat  over  their  new  found  occupation,  singing 
for  the  first  time  since  the  war  began.  And  a 
child  of  seven  confided  gravely  :  "  Pour  les 
6raigr6s,  vous  savez,  c'est  d6solant ;  mais,  avec 
la  broderie,  on  s'ennuiera  moins." 

Impressions. 

Part  III  gives  us  a  series  of  impressions  from 
a  variety  of  points  of  view,  all  interesting.  In 
"  A  Thought  for  the  Future  "  we  read  :  "  France, 
like  other  nations,  has  experienced  what  the 
sinister  phrase-makers  of  Prussia  call  '  peaceful 
penetration.'  She  has  experienced  a  foreign 
infiltration,  professedly  friendly,  the  extent  and 
volume  of  which  she  never  suspected  till  suddenly, 
in  a  night,  she  wok©  to  find  those  myriad  dwellers 
in  her  cities  and  country  towns,  industrious  and 
ingratiating,  useful  and  well-behaved,  were  smiling 
thieves  of  her  secrets,  priers  into  her  resources 
and  her  weaknesses — ^returning  in  helmet  and 
uniform  as  swaggering  conqueiors  to  the  h^mes 
where  they  had  been  trusted  and  subservient, 
the  implements  of  a  patient  and  laborious 
perfidy." 

Part  IV  contains  a  statistical  index,  a  list 
of  war  hospital  supply  depots,  and  a  list  of  over 
7,000  British  subjects  who  have  gone  abroad  on 
Red  Cross  and  kindred  war  work  for  the  French 
up  to  December  31st,  1917.  An  admirable 
arrangement  is  that  names  are  not  mentioned  in 
the  text,  but  in  the  statistical  index  at  the  end 
of  the  book  full  credit  is  given  to  the  workers. 

The  literary  skill,  the  painstaking  research, 
and  the  sympathy  with  dauntless  France,  which 
go  to  the  making  of  this  book,  command  our  whole- 
hearted admiration  ;  and  we  offer  our  sincere 
congratulations  to  Mr.  Laurence  Binyon  on  his 
work.  The  charming  illustrations  add  to  its 
interest.     It  is  a  book  to  buy  and  treasure. 

E.   G.  F. 


THE    ROYAL    RED    CROSS, 


The  following  ladies  were  decorated  by  the 
King  at  Buckingham  Palace,  on  July  17th  : — 

THE    ROYAL    RED    CROSS. 

First  Class. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service. 
— Acting  Matron  Helena  Hartigan. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Military  Nursing  Service  for  India. 
— Lady  Superintendent  Clara  Cusins. 

Second  Class. 
Q.A.I.M.N.S.R. — Sister  Hilda  Connell,  Sister  Anne 
Dawe,  Sister  Rosina  Hook,  Sister  Helen  Paterson,  and 
Staff  Nurse  Christina  Gunn. 


T.F.N. S. — Matron  Alexandra  Connon,  Sister  Elsie 
Blackburn,  and  Sister  Anne  Musson. 

Civil  Nursing  Service. — Matron  Mary  Cort,  Matroo 
Helen  Crockwell,  Matron  Catherine  Davies,  Matron 
Elizabeth  Davies,  Matron  Edith  Williams,  Assistant 
Matron  Annie  Cottrell,  and  Sister  Ellen  Dean. 

British  Red  Cross  Society. — Matron  Anne  Campbell, 
Matron  Lottie  Darley,  Matron  Kate  Jones,  and  Sister 
Alicia  Cullinan. 

V.A.D. — Miss  Gwendolyn  Crawford,  Lady  Cros- 
FiELD,  Miss  Ethel  Crump,  Miss  Maud  Heathcote,  Miss 
Agnes  McDermott,  and  Mrs.  Edith  Marsden. 

Almeric  Paget  Military  Massage  Corps. — Sister 
Margery  Cook. 

Canadian  Army  Nursing  Service.— -Sister  Mary  All- 
wood,  Sister  Anna  Bruce,  Sister  Elizabeth  Campbell, 
Sister  Katherine  De  Vellefeuille,  Sister  Margaret 
Fearon,  Sister  Lillie  Galbraith,  Sister  Cicely  Galt, 
Sister  Alice  Grindlay,  Sister  Phylis  Guilbride,  Sister 
Alice  Hogarth,  Sister  Isabel  Holden,  Sister  Mary 
Hubbs,  Sister  Edith  Lumsden,  Sister  Jean  Lyall,  Sister 
Helena  MacCallum,  Sister  Mary  MacLeod,  Sister 
Theodora  McKiel,  Sister  Annie  McNicoL,  Sister  Martha 
Morton,  Sister  Mina  Mowat,  Sister  Cecil  Oatman, 
Sister  Mae  Prichard,  and  Sister  Mary  Quigley. 

Queen  Alexandra  received  the  Matrons  and 
Sisters  at  Marlborough  House  after  the  Investiture. 


'^'  The  King  has  been  pleased  to  award  the  Royal 
Red  Cross  to  the  undermention^ed  ladies,  in 
recognition  of  their  valuable  nursing  services  in 
connection  with  the  war. 

Se,cond  Class. 

Grimbly,  Miss  K.  A.,  Staff  Sister,  Coulsdon  and 
Parley  Mil.  Hospl.,  Purley ;  Grindlay,  Miss  A.  M., 
Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing  Service,  West  Cliff  Can. 
Eye  and  Ear  Hospl.,  Folkestone;  Guilbride,  Mrs.  P., 
Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing  Service,  No.  11  Can.  Gen. 
Hospl.,  Moore  Barracks,  Shorncliffe;  Gunn,  Miss  J., 
Sister  i/c,  Handsworth  Aux.   Hospl.,  Birmingham. 

Hacgar,  Miss  L.,  Nurse,  Broadwater  Hospl.,  Belstead 
Road,  Ipswich;  Hall-Houghton,  Miss  M.,  Sister, 
T.F.N. S.,  Bishop's  Knoll  Sec,  2nd  Southern  Gen. 
Hospl.,  Stoke  Bishop,  Bristol;  Harrower,  Miss  M.  I., 
Asst.  Matron,  Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.,  University  War  Hospl., 
Southampton;  Hatton,  Miss  K.,  Sister,  Weir  Red  Cross 
Hospl.,  Balham,  London  ;  Hayhurst,  Miss  A.,  Nursing 
Sister,  Can.  Nursing  Service,  No.  10  Canadian  Gen. 
Hospl.,  Brighton  ;  Heberden,  Miss  I.  M.,  Asst.  Matron, 
Great  Northern  Central  Hospl.,  Holloway  Road,  N.  ; 
Hemmens,  Miss  A.  A.,  Sister,  T.F.N.S.,  3rd  Western 
Gen.  Hospl.,  Cardiff;  Henderson,  Miss  F.  E.,  Sister, 
T.F.N. S.,  sth  Lond.  Gen.  Hospl.  (St.  Thomas's), 
Lambeth,  S.E.  i  ;  Henrici,  Miss  M.  L.,  Matron,  The 
Cottage,  Fleetwood  Road,  Southport ;  Henstock,  Miss 
H.,  Sister,  T.F.N. S.,  3rd  Northern  Gen.  Hospl.,  Shef- 
field; Hepherd,  Miss  M.  I.,  Nurse,  White  Cross  Mil. 
Hospl.,  Warrington;  Heyde,  Mrs.  E.,  Matron,  Bal- 
gowan  V.A.D.  Hospl.,  Beckenham ;  Hickling,  Miss 
C.  J.,  Matron,  Red  Cross  Hospl.,  Long  Eaton;  Hill, 
Miss  L.,  Asst.  Matron,  Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.,  Belmont 
Prisoners  of  War  Hospl.,  Sutton  ;  Hocknell,  Miss  E., 
Sister,  Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.,  Military  Isolation  Hospl., 
Aldershot ;  Hodge,  Mrs.  E.  C,  Matron,  Passmore 
Edwards  Hospl.,  Middlesex;  Hodges,  Miss  F.  M.,  Lady 
Supt.,  Baptist  School  Red  Cross  Hospl.,  Yeovil; 
Hogarth,  Miss  A.  G. ,  Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing 
Service,  No.  16  Can.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Orpington,  Kent; 
Holden,  Miss  1.,  Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing  Service, 
No.  13  Can.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Hastings;  Howard,  Miss  S., 


July  z'j,  1918 


Cbe  British  3ournaI  of  iRurstna. 


6x 


Sister,  Northern  War  Hospl.,  Duston,  Northampton; 
HuiJBS,  Miss  M.  B.,  Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing 
Service,  Granville  Can.  Spec.  Haspl.,  Buxton;  Hughes, 
Mrs.  E.,  Sister,  Red  Cross  Hospl.,  Winchester  ;  Hughes, 
Miss  F.  G.,  Staff  Nurse  (A. /Sister),  Mil.  Hospl.,  Endell 
Street,  Long  Acre,  W.C.  2  ;  Hunt,  Miss  M.,  Matron, 
Welbeck  Abbey  Aux.  Hospl.,  Worksop,  Notts;  Huson, 
Miss  A.  R.,  Sister  i/c,  St.  John's  Relief  Hospl., 
Harrow;  Huston,  Miss  A.,  Nursing  Sister,  Can. 
Nursing  Service,  No.  4  Can.  Gen.  Hospital,  Basingstoke, 
Hants. 

Iffland,  Mrs.  M.,  Matron,  City  and  County  Infirmary, 
Londonderry;  Ind,  Miss  H.  P.,  Matron,  Gen.  Hospl., 
Stratford-on-Avon ;  Ingles,  Miss  A.  C,  Sister  i/c, 
N.Z.A.N.S.,  No.  I  N.Z.  Gen.  Hospl.  (Forest  Park  Sec- 
tion), Brockenhurst,  Hants ;  Inman,  Miss  G.,  Sister, 
Huddersfield  War  Hospl.  ;  Irwin,  Miss  K.  F.,  Matron, 
Red  Cross  Hospl.  for  Officers,  4,  Percival  Terrace, 
Brighton. 

Jack,  Miss  C,  Sister,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R.,  ist  Birming- 
ham War  Hospl.,  Rednall ;  Jackson,  Miss  K.  P.,  Sister, 
Naunton  Park,  Cheltenham;  James,  Mrs.  A.,  Joint 
Commdt.,  Aberdare  and  Merthyr  Red  Cross  Hospl., 
Merthyr  ;  Johnson,  Miss  M.,  Matron,  Standswood  Aux. 
Hospl.,  Fawley,  Hants;  Johnston  {n&e  Walker),  Mrs. 
L.,  Sister,  T.F.N.S.,  E.  Leeds  War  Hospl.,  2nd  Northern 
Gen.  Hospl.  ;  Jones,  Miss  E.  C,  Matron,  Kingston, 
Surbiton,  and  District  Red  Cross  Hospl.,  London; 
Jones,  Mrs.  E.  R.  G.,  Commdt.,  Y.M.C.A.  Hospl., 
Swansea  ;  Jones,  Miss  M.  A.,  Sister,  Bethnal  Green  Mil. 
Hospl. 

Kaye,  Miss  A.,  Matron,  Loughborough  Gen.  Hospl., 
Leic ;  Kennedy,  Miss  M.  C,  Nursing  Sister,  Can. 
Nursing  Service,  No.  15  Can.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Taplow, 
Bucks;  KiDSON,  Miss  S.  E.  A.,  Matron,  St.  Luke's  War 
Hospl.,  Halifax;  Knapton,  Miss  E.  B.,  Matron,  School 
Hill  Aux.  Hospl.,  Lewes. 

i^o  be  continued.) 


FRENCH  FUQ  NURSING  CORPS. 


We  congratulate  the  Corps  on  the  honour- 
able recognition  of  the  Sisters  attached  to 
Ambulance  12/2. 

Mentioned  in  Despatches. 
The  following  Sisters  have  been  mentioned  in 
Despatches  "  for  courage  and  devotion  "  during 
the  retreat : — Sister  EUen  Bennett,  Sistei  Annie 
Mackinnon,  Sister  Dora  T.  Simpson,  Sister  Mary 
Richard,  Sister  Lucy  B.  Giles,  Sister  Annie  B. 
Banks,  and  Sister  Gladys  Hawthorne. 

Croix  de  Guerre. 
Sister  Annie  Mackinnon  has  been  decorated 
with  the  Croix  de  Guerre — which  makes  the  third 
Croix  awarded  to  members  of  the  Corps — Sister 
Hilda  Gill  and  Sister  Madeleine  JafEray  having 
been  decorated  in  19 17. 


A  member  of  12/2  Ambulance  writes  : — "  I 
know  you  will  be  pleased  to  hear  that  one  of  our 
Unit,  Sister  Mackinnon,  has  this  afternoon  been 
decorated  with  the  Croix  de  Guerre.  We  are  all 
delighted  that  one  of  our  number  hcis  received  so 
great  an  honour. 

"  It  was  a  great  surprise  to  all  of  us,  as  we  had 
heard  nothing  about  it  till  this  afternoon,  when 
we  were  called  to  the  hospital  where  the  Med. 


Principal  is,  and  learned  on  arrival  what  was  to 
take  place.  First  our  Med.  Chef  was  decorated 
with  the  Croix  de  Guerre,  then  Sister  Mackinnon, 
for  our  Unit,  a.nd  two  infirmi^res,  a  Dame  de  France 
and  an  American,  and  all  our  names  were  men- 
tioned to  the  General." 

THE    CITATIONS. 

Mrs.  Bedford  Fenwick,  as  Hon.  Superintendent 
of  the  Corps,  has  received  the  following  official 
notification  from  Le  M^decin  Inspecteur  Lasnet, 
Medecin  de  I'Arm^e,  approved  by  le  General 
Commandant  en  Chef,  notifying  the  award  of  the 
Croix  de  Guerre  to  Sister  Mackinnon,  together 
with  a  copy  of  the  Citation. 

Secteur  178.  Q.  G.  le  i4ljuillet,l  1918. 

Madame  la  Pr6sidente, — 

Je  me  permets  de  vous  addresser  ci-joint~le 
releve  des  citations  a  I'ordre  du  Service  de  Sante 
qui  viennent  d'Stres  accordees  aux  Dames  Infir- 
mi^res  de  votre  Societe  a  I'occasion  de  leur  d^voue- 
ment  et  de  leur  energie  pendant  les  penibles 
operations  du  repli  de  I'Aisne  du  27  Mai  au  5  Juin. 

Leur  attitude  a  ete  tr6s  belle  et  je  vous  suis 
reconnaissant  de  vouloir  bien  me  donner  des  co'la- 
boratnces,  de  pareille  valeur. 

Avec  les  felicitations  que  je  vous  presente  en 
cette  occasion,  je  vous  prie  de  vouloir  bien  agreer, 
Madame  la  Pr6sidenfe,  I'assurance  de  mes  senti- 
ments respectueux  et  tout  devoues. 

Lasnet. 

Citations 
A  I'ordre  du  Service  de  Sante  de  I'Armee  accordees 
au  personnel  des  Dames  InfirmiSres  de  la  Society 
"  French  Flag  Nursing  Corps." 

Miss  Mackinnon  Annie  (Ambulance-  12/2). — 
"  Infirmi^re  qui,  dans  les  circonstances  difficiles 
du  repli  de  I'ambulance,  sous  la  fusillade  ennemie, 
a  continue  a  soigner  malades  et  blesses  jusqu'4 
la  derni^re  minute,  avec  un  courage  et  un  sang- 
froid reraarquables,  conformant  ainsi  les  qualit6s 
que  tous  ses  chefs  lui  ont  reconnues  depuis  trois 
annees  qu'elle  se  d6voue  aux  soldats  frangais  (27- 
28  Mai)." 


Le  Medecin  Inspecteur  Lasnet  also  sends  a 
copy  of  the  Citation  of  Miss  Marion  Pill,  who  has 
also  been  decorated  with  the  Croix  de  Guerre : 

Miss  Pill  Marion  (Equipe  Chirurgicale  299/A). 
— "  L'^quipe  chirurgicale  299/A  compos^e  de  .  .    . 


"  Miss  Pill  Marion — 

"  A  eu  le  27  Mai,  au  poste  chirurgical  avanc6  de 

X oii  elle  fitait  detach6e,  une  attitude 

digne  des  plus  grands  eloges  prodiguant  ses  soins 
aux  blesses  sous  un  tir  de  barrage  extrSmement 
violent,  se  refusant  k  chercher  un  abri  et  contri- 
buant  pas  sa  belle  tenue  a  maintenir  le  calme 
parmi  le  personnel  et  les  blesses." 


the  British  Journal  of  Nursing  ofEers  warm 
congratulations  to  both  ladies. 


62 


^be  British  3ournal  of  IRurstng. 


July  27,  1918 


CARE    OF    THE    WOUNDED. 


The  MACKINNON  Hospital. 

When  Captain  Mackinnon,  of  the  London 
Scottish,  went  on  active  service  in  the  early  days 
of  the  war  his  wife  opened  their  house  at  46, 
Queen's  Gate  Terrace,  S.W.,  for  the  reception  of 
woimded  officers.  In  a  few  weeks'  time  Captain 
Mackinnon  was  amongst  those  who  fell  in  defence 
of  King  and  Empire,  and  of  the  freedom  of  the 
world,  and,  ever  since,  Mrs.  Mackinnon  has  main- 
tained their  house  as  an*  officers'  hospital  of 
twenty  beds.  1^ 

The  Sister-in-Charge  is\ Sister  Jones-Evans, 
trained  at  the  Salop 
Royal  Infirmary, 
Shrewsbury,  who  shares 
the  day  duty  w^ith  Sister 
Holland,  trained  in  the 
same  institution.  Sister 
Dixon  is  on  night  duty, 
and  seven  V.A.D.'s,  in- 
cluding two  of  Mrs 
Mackinnon's  sisters, 
complete  the  staff.  ^  f"-  < 

Most  comfortable  and 
restful  the  hospital 
seems  to  be.  On  the 
ground  floor  is  a  ward 
wliich  opens  into  a 
lounge.  The  walls,  grey 
in  colour,  tone  admir- 
ably with  the  pretty 
flowered  curtains,  and 
each  white  bed  has  an 
eider-down  covered  with 
bright  pink  silk,  the 
effect  of  which  is  char- 
ming, and  this  colour 
scheme  is  carried  out 
throughout  the  house. 
On  the  floor  above  the 
French  windows  of  the 
ward  open  on  to  a  wde 
balcony,  where  are  com- 
fortable chairs  in  which 
the  more  convalescent  patients  can 
enjoying  the  fresh  air. 
officers'  dining-room,  with 
has  been  arranged  beyond 


SISTER    JONES-EVANS. 


rest   while 
On  this  floor,  also,  is  the 
service   room,  which 
A  gas  stove  has  been 


installed,  and  a  sink  for  washing  up,  and  other 
conveniences  added  to  make  tbe  service  of  food 
as  easy  and  perfect  as  possible. 

On  the  floor  above  is  the  operating  theatre, 
which  is  fitted  very  completely  with  up-to-date 
fixtures,  appliances,  and  instruments. 

There  are  also  two  single  wards  used  for  cases 
requiring  special  attention  and  quiet,  or  for  such 
potentates  as  colonels,  who  like  a  room  to  them- 
selves. 

On  the  ground  floor,  at  the  back  of  the  house,  is  a 
room  used  by  the  nursing  staff ;  all  the  rest  are 
given  up  to  the  patients.     It  has  French  windows 


opening  on  to  a  small  garden,  a  fact  fully  appre- 
ciated by  the  three  months'  old  puppy — a  Clumber 
spaniel — whose  handsome  ears  dip,  to  their 
detriment,  into  the  saucer  of  tea  which  he  so 
appreciates. 

That  the  hospital  serves  the  purpose  for  which  it 
is  designed  is  amply  evinced  by  the  way  in  which 
departing  convalescents  express  the  hope  that  if 
they  are  again  returned  to  "  Blighty  "  for  treat- 
ment they  may  find  themselves  once  more  within 
its  hospitable  doors.  It  must  be  a  satisfaction 
to  their  hostess  that  its  work  is  so  appreciated. 

Food  for  the  mind  as  well  as  care  of  the  body 
is  a  great  need  of  our  wounded  and  convalescent 
soldiers,  and  the  excel- 
lent example  set  by  the 
Great  Northern  Central 
Hospital,  in  organizing 
a  series  of  lectures  for 
soldiers  warded  there, 
might  well  be  followed 
by  many  other  hospitals. 

"  Liberty." 

The  lecture  of  this 
series  for  Friday,  July 
1 2th,  was  given  by  Mr. 
Shadrach  Hicks,  Prin- 
cipal of  the  Shoreditch 
Technical  Institute.  Mr. 
Hicks  said  that  liberty 
was  orie  of  the  spiritual 
forces  which  had  moved 
men  to  noble  and  useful 
deeds  through  all  ages. 
He  said  that  it  was  a 
ver3'^sti  ongquality  inthe 
character  of  the  very 
earliest  inhabitants  of 
these  islands,  and  traced 
its  influence  upon  the 
history  and  develop- 
ment of  the  .  British 
people  from  the  early 
days  of  the  Witan  to 
the  present.  He  rightly 
drew  attention  to  the  great  Charter  of  1215,  and 
said  that  on  that  reck  had  been  built  not  only 
British  liberty,  but  also  that  of  the  Great 
American  Republic,  as  well  as  of  our  Dominions 
beyond  the  Seas. 

The  future  of  the  country  was  in  the  balance, 
and  liberty  in  its  widest  and  best  sense  would 
enable  the  people  to  produce  a  better  standard 
of  living  and  to  develop  personal  character 
and  the  material  resources  of  the  Empire  to  their 
fullest  extent.  The  men  expressed  their  grateful 
thanks  to  Mr.  Hicks,  who  promised  to  deal  on  a 
subsequent  date  with  a  similar  subject. 

Mr.  F.  Hammond,  F.R.I.B.A.,  delivered  the 
usual  weekly  lecture  in  the  Military  Annexe, 
on  Friday,  July  19th.  His  subject,  wnich  was 
illustrated  by  slides  kindly  lent  by  the  Ministry 


July  27,  igi8 


Zbc  Brtti9b  3ournal  of  flureing. 


63 


of  Pensions,  was  "  The  After-Care  of  Dischaiged 
Disabled  Soldiers  and  Sailors  " — a  national  ques- 
tion of  first  importance. 


IN    A    RUSSIAN    DISPENSARY. 


The  time  is  8  a.m.,  the  day  Friday,  the  market 
day  of  the  large  Russian  \illage  where  the  Enghsh 
doctor  and  nurse  are  in  sole  charge  of  a  district  of 
60,000  people ;  in  area  about  the  size  of  Wales. 
The  season  is  Avdnter,  consequently  the  outside 
temperature  is  well  below  zero,  and  inside,  thanks 
to  the  splendid  Russian  stoves,  of  a  warmth  and 
comfort  utterly  unknown  in  England,  where  we 
still  live  under  the  delusion  that  our  climate  is  a 
mild  one. 

The  nurse  looks  out  through  the  living-room 
■window  and  notices  that  already  a  long  string  of 
sledges  drawn  by  small,  shaggy  horses,  whose 
coats  are  white  with  hoar-frost,  are  waiting  outside 
the  dispensary.  IVIarket  day  is  our  busiest  time. 
Everyone,  sick  or  well,  who  comes  in  to  buy  and 
sell  makes  it  a  point  of  etiquette  to  go  and  see  the 
English  doctor  and  try  and  wheedle  from  him 
some  much-coveted  "  mas  "  (ointment)  or  "  kaple  " 
(drops),  while  we  shrewdly  suspect  that  our 
waiting  room  is  made  the  dumping  ground  for  the 
old  grannies  and  grandpas  whose  relatives  want 
to  get  rid  of  them  while  they  do  their  business 
elsewhere.  We  live  in  a  wooden  house,  sur- 
rounded by  blocks  of  buildings,  one  of  which  is 
our  hospital,  another  the  Aptek  or  dispensary. 
They  are  all  about  100  yards  from  the  house,  and 
it  is  necessary  to  put  on  high  felt  boots,  a  sheep- 
skin coat,  and  a  thick  shawl  over  one's,  cap  to  run 
even  that  short  distance  in  the  icy  cold. 

In  the  dispensary  there  is  already  a  crowd  of 
moujiks  similarly  clad.  The  Austrian  dispenser 
has  been  giving  out  tickets  in  rotation,  with  a 
sharp  eye  on  the  bright  boys  of  the  village,  who 
are  shrewd  enough  to  arrive  very  early  for  tickets 
and  then  sell  their  places  to  late-comers  at  a 
handsome  profit  ! 

The  doctor  and  nurse  by  now  have  picked  up 
sufficient  Russian  to  cope  with  the  patients  with- 
out an  interpreter,  and  enough  experience  to  tell, 
as  they  survey  the  crowd,  that,  as  usual,  they  fall 
into  three  classes — the  chronics,  the  certificate 
hunters  and  the  really  ill.  The  last-named  are  the 
smallest,  and,  in  the  eyes  of  the  other  patients,  the 
most  negligible  class.  The  Russian  peasants 
firmly  boheve  that  a  headache  of  30  years'  standing 
(and  they  will  tell  you  quite  seriously  that  they 
have  had  one  continuously  for  that  period)  is  far 
more  worthy  of  attention  than  a  hieh  fever  of  only 
three  days'  duration. 

But  let  us  begin  work,  and  see  some  typical 
instances  of  the  thoree  classes  for  ourselves.  A 
little  Polish  refugee  girl  named  Dunia  is  our  door- 
keeper, a  by  no  means  easy  post.  Directly  she 
unbolts  the  portal  that  separates  the  doctor's 
little  room  from  the  waiting-room  a  noise  rather 
like  a  menagerie  assails  our  ears,  and  the  call  of 


"  Number  One  "  is  a  signal  for  Nos.'  8,  19  and  40 
to  try  and  push  their  way  in.  Dunia  valiantly 
forces  them  back,  and  repeats  the  call  for  "  No.  i." 
This  time  No.  10 "  comes  forward  triumphantly, 
certain  that  he  will  be  entirely  acceptable. 
"  Where  is  No.  i  ?  "  repeats  our  handmaid  firmly. 
"  She  has  gone  out  to  the  market,  but  I  am  her 
uncle,  I  will  do  as  well ;  I  can  tell  you  all  about 
her,"  remarks  a  peasant  hopefully.  Much  surprised 
is  he  when  his  helpful  ofEer  is  refused  and  No.  2  is 
called.  Enter  No.  2  supporting  an  aged  grandma 
on  one  arm  and  in  the  other  carrying  a  stout 
infant,  two  children  clinging  to  the  skirts  of  her 
sheepskin  coat.  With  a  quick  sleight-of-hand 
movement  she  drops  one  ticket  into  the  bowl  placed 
for  the  purpose  and  faces  us  with  a  guileless  smile. 
"  Four  more  tickets,  please,"  says  the  doctor,  weU 
versed  by  now  in  the  wiles  by  which  many  a 
woman  has  endeavoured,  under  only  one  ticket, 
to  obtain  advice  and  medicine  for  an  entire  family, 
some  of  whom  were  not  even  present  !  "I  don't 
understand,"  replies  the  culprit  innocently.  But 
this  excuse  will  not  wash.  "  Well  thou  under- 
standest,  thou,"  retorts  the  stern  Dunia,  and  the 
protesting  family  retires  to  obtain  the  needful 
tickets  from  the  Austrian  dispenser.       g  T  W.     ! 


OUR   ROLL   OF    HONOUR. 

Djed. 
Ross,  S:ster  A.  J-,  Can.  Nursing  .Service. 


STAR    OF   MONS. 

Some  of  those  entitled  to  the  Star  of  Mons  have 
now  received  it,  as  well  as  the  ribbon  which  has 
already  been  widely  distributed,  so  we  may  hope, 
shortly,  to  see  nurses  wearing  this  much-coveted 
emblem. 


A  TRUE  TALE  WITH  A  MORAL. 

"  I  Could  111  Spare  It." 

District  Nurse  visiting  house  oj  very  poor  patient. 

Patient  (cheerfully)  :  "  Oh  !  nurse,  I've  given 
a  shilling  to  your  Fund." 

Nurse  (puzzled)  :  "My  Fund  !  WTiat  do  you 
mean,   ^frs.   Smith  ?". 

Patient :  "  Why  the  Fund  that  they  are  collect- 
ing for  the  nurses,  wot  you  will  have  some  of." 

Nurse  :  "  Oh  !  you  mean  the  Nation's  Fund 
for  Nurses,  I  expect.  No  ;  I  don't  approve  of  the 
way  that  it  is  raised  at  all.  I  shall  have  none 
of  it,  and  I  am  quite  sure  you  have  many  other 
things  to  do  with  your  money." 

Patient  (crestfallen)  :  "  Oh  !  nuise,  I  would 
never  have  given  to  it  if  I'd  'ave  known.  I  could 
do  very  well  with  that  shilling.  But  you've  been 
rare  and  good  to  me,  and  you  would  never  have 
anything  off  of  me,  and  I  thought  it  was  a  chanst 
to  give  you  somethin*.  But  I'd  never  have 
given  it  if  I  hadn't  have  ;thought  you'd  get  some 
of  it,  for  I  could  ill  spare  it." 


64 


Jlbc  British  Journal  of  TRureina. 


July  2j,  1918 


Ropal  Brltisl)  nurses'  Hssoclatlott* 


(Incorporated  Dp 


Ropal  Charter) 


THIS   SUPPLEMENT   BEING   THE    OFFICIAL    ORGAN    OF    THE    CORPORATION. 


LETTER  ACKNOWLEDGING  THE  CON= 
GRATULATIONS  OF  THE  MEMBERS 
OF  THE  ROYAL  BRITISH  NURSES' 
ASSOCIATION  ON  THE  OCCASION  OF 
THEIR  MAJESTIES'  SILVER  WEDDING. 


Buckingham  Palace, 

July  6th,  1918. 
Madam, — I  am  commanded  to  beg  Your 
Royal  Highness  to  be  so  good  as  to  convey  to 
the  Members  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses' 
Association,  of  which  Your  Royal  Highness  is 
President,  the  expression  of  the  sincere  thanks 
of  the  King  and  Queen  for  the  kind  message 
of  congratulation  and  good  wishes  on  Their 
Majesties'  Silver  Wedding,  communicated 
through  Your  Royal  Highness  on  behalf  of  the 
Members  and  also  in  the  name  of  the  Honorary 
Officers  of  the  Council. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be.  Madam, 

Your  Royal  Highness'  humble  and 
obedifent  servant, 

Stamfordham. 
H.R.H.  the  Princess  Christian. 

A  PROPOSED  CONFERENCE  ON 
PRESENT-DAY  NURSING  PROBLEMS. 


The  Council  of  the  Corporation  have  under 
consideration  arrangements  for  holding  a  Confer- 
ence in  the  autumn,  which  will  deal  chiefly  with 
the  problems  of  the  day  in  so  far  as  they  affect 
fully  qualified  nurses. 

ROYAL  BRITISH  NURSES' ASSOCIATION. 


It  has  been  suggested  that,  in  one  of  the  early 
issues  of  the  new  ofl&cial  organ  of  the  Association, 
a  very  brief  account  should  be  given  of 
the  oidinary  work  of  the  Corporation,  apart 
from  the  other  business — lectures,  meetings,  &c. 


which  it 'undertakes  from'time  tc  time.  Repeat- 
edly it  has  been  stated  by  the  promoters  of  the 
College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  that,  until  this  company 
wa;  founded,  there  was  no  organisation  of  nurses 
and  we  hear  references  frequently  to  the 
"  inspiration  "  which  led  to  its  foundation.  A 
short  scrutiny  of  its  activities  up  to  the  present 
will  serve  to  show  that,  apart  from  its  form  of 
incorporation  and  the  methods  adopted  to  finance 
it,  its  founders  ought  to  have  offered  their  "  grate- 
ful acknowledgments  "  to  those  of  the  R.B.N. A. 
so  far  a?  any  "  inspiration  "  or  imagination  is 
concerned.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  the 
College  cannot  claim  to  be  one  of  the  nurses' 
organisations,  for  its  Council  is  representative 
only  of  the  employers  of  the  nurses,  so  that 
the  independent  working  nurses  have  no  voice 
in  the  management  of  the  company.  Under  the 
by-laws  of  the  R.B.N. A.  equal  representation  is 
given,  on  the  governing  body,  to  medical  men, 
to  matrons  and  to  the  working  nurses,  and 
therefore  it  is  the  fault  of  the,  nurr^e?  themselves 
if  they  do  not  take  their  share  in  the  management 
of  their  own  affairs  and  make  gocd  use  of  the 
powers  placed  in  their  hands  by  Royal  Charter. 
In  the  Council  and  Executive  Committee  no 
expression  of  opinion  is  given  more  courteous 
consideration  or  receives  more  ready  sympathy 
than  when  it  comes  from  ore  of  the  elected  nurses. 
The  Register. 
The  Association  has  kept  a  Register  of  Nurses 
since  1890,  ?nd  on  this  are  entered  full  particulars 
of  the  training  and  qualifications  of  those  whose 
name-:  are,  for  the  time  being,  irscribed  thereon. 
The  fee  for  registration  has  been  temporarily 
reduced  to  five  shillings  in  order  to  make  it  easily 
possible  for  all  fully-qualified  nurses  to  belong  to 
the  Association  and  to  use  the  Royal  Charter  for 
their  own  benefit,  and  that  of  their  lellow  workers. 

Membership. 
Duly  qualified  medical  men,  matrons  and 
".uperintendents  of  nurses  and  those  nurses  whose 
names  have  been  placed  on  the  Register  of  the 
Corporation  are  eligible  for  election  as  members 
of  the  Corporation.  In  accordance  with  By-law 
VIII,  the  annua)  subscription  is  five  shillings. 
For  life  membership  a  single  payment  of  two 
guineas  is  necessary. 


July  27,   1918 


^be  British  3ournal  of  IRurstUG. 


65 


Badge. 
We  give,  in  the  present  issue,  a  reproduction 
of  the  pretty  badge  worn  by  the  members  of  the 
Roj^al  British  Nurses'  Association.  That  of 
H.R.H.  the  President  is  of  gold,  while  past  and 
present  members  of  the  General  Council  wear  a 
silver  badge ;  the  ordinary  member's  badge  is  of 
bronze.     In  each  case  the  design  is  the  same. 

Diploma  in  Nursing. 

The  Corporation  grants  a  Diploma  in  Nursmg 
to  such  fully  qualified  nurses  as  pas?  a  higher 
examination  in  nursing.  '  The  Royal  British 
Nurses'  Association  is  the  only  organisation 
which  grants  this  honour,  and,  therefore,  it  takes 
precedence,  in  the  nursing  world,  as  an  educational 
and  academic  body  at  the  present  time. 
State  Registration. 

The  Association  is  a  constituent  part  of  the 
Central  Committee  for  the  State  Registra- 
tion of  Nurses  and  is  therefore  one  of 
those  societies  which  for  years  have  been  pro- 
moting the  Bill  for  State  Registration.  Through 
its  representation  on  that  Committee  the  powers 


THE   BADGE. 

and  prestige,  given  by  the  Royal  Charter,  are  used 
in  support  of  a  Bill  in  every  way  just  both  to  the 
public  and  the  nurses. 

Co-operation  between  the  Members. 

There  are  two  Private  Nurses'  Co-operations  in 
London  which  are  maintained  solely  for  Registeied 
Members  cf  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Association  ; 
the  Members  of  those  societies  receive  the  full  fees 
charged  for  their  services  less  a  small  commission 
for  working  expenses.  The  Association  also  finds 
a  considerable  number  of  permanent  appointments 
for  its  members  throughout  the  yeai ,  and  in  regard 
to  this  it  often  has  the  co-operation  of  the  members 
themselves,  as  nurses  who  are  giving  up  their 
posts  frequently  put  those  responsible  for  appoint- 
ing their  successors  into  communication  with  the 
Secietary.  The  Australian  Branch  of  the  Asso- 
ciation also  has  a  flourishing  private  staff,  and 
Members  goirg  out  from  the  parent  Association 
frequently  find  employment  through  this. 
Benevolence. 

The  Helena  Benevolent  Fund  is  maintained  by 
the  nurses  for  their  fellow-members  in  times  of 


sickness  and  distress,  as  also  is  the  Princess 
Christian  Settlement  Home  for  Aged  Members  of 
the  Corporation.  Each  nurse  theie  has  a  pretty 
room  of  her  own  for  the  nominal  rent  of  4s.  4d. 
annually.  

ROYAL     RED     CROSS. 

We  learn  with  pleasure  that  the  Royal  Red 
Cross  has  been  awarded  to  Sister  Sarah  Ellen 
Howard  and  that  she  has  beer  commanded  to 
attend  at  Buckingham  Palace  on  the  31st  inst.  in 
order  to  receive  this.  Miss  Howard,  in  addition 
to  her  certificate  in  Gereral  Training,  holds  one 
in  Midwifery,  and  has  been  a  Member  since  1910. 
She  has  always  been  enthusiastic  in  her  efforts  to 
attain  to  the  highest  possible  standard  in  her 
professional  work  and  we  congratulate  her  warmly 
upon  this  well-earned  award.  j  . 

AN     APPRECIATION.3 

We  note  with  pleasure  that,  in  its  report  for 
1917,  the  Middlesex  Hospital  pays  a  well-earned 
tribute  to  Miss  Langridge,  an  early  Member  of  the 
Royal  British  Nurses'  Association.  The  report, 
in  placing  on  record  an  appreciation  of  her  twenty 
years'  work,  states  that  this  was  "  marked  by 
intense  devotion  to  the  patients  under  her  care 
and  all  her  actions  were  influenced  by  a  sincerity 
of  purpose  and  a  true  spirit  of  helpfulness  which 
brought  bodily  comfort  and  ease  of  mind  to  many 
who  turned  to  her  in  their  hour  of  trial.  She 
was,"  adds  the  report,  "  an  ideal  Sister  m  every 
sense  of  the  word." 

NOTICES    TO    THE    MEMBERS. 

Members  are  requested  to  return  all  books 
borrowed  from  the  Library  not  later  than  31st 
inst.,  and,  as  is  customary,  the  Library  will  be 
closed  during  the  month  of  August. 

The  Club  Room  at  10,  Orchard  Street  is  open  to 
Members  from  10  a.m.  until  4  p.m.  Various 
nursing,  medical  and  lay  periodicals  are  available 
for  the  use  of  Members  there,  but  they  cannot  be 
circulated  from  the  ofl&ce  by  post. 

Members  are  requested  to  send  at  once  to  the 
OfiS.ce  of  the  Corporation  notices  of  new  appoint- 
ments, changes  of  address,  &c.,  in  order  that  those 
may  be  inserted  on  the  Register  and  Membership 
Roll. 

Members  may  arrange  to  have  their  letters 
addressed  to  the  office  and  forwarded  to  them,  and 
those  residing  abroad  may,  by  special  arrange- 
ment with  the  Secretary,  use  the  telegraphic 
address  for  communicating  with  their  friends. 

Application  forms  for  Registration  and  Member- 
ship can  be  obtained  from  the  Secretary,  10, 
Orchard  Street,  Portman  Square,  W.  i. 

DONATIONS    RECEIVED. 

The  Honorary  Treasurer  acknowledges  with 
thanks  donations  from  the  following : — S.  W. 
Harrison,  Esq.  (per  Mrs.  Reikes),  £5  5s.  ;  Mrs. 
Charles  Hughes.  £5  ;  Mrs.  Martin,  £1  is.  ;  Mrs. 
Raikes,  £1  is.  ;  Miss  Hutton  (perM'ss  Cattell),  £l. 
(Signed)  Isabel  Macdonald, 

Secretary  to  the  Corporation. 


66 


^bc  Britieb  3ournal  of  'Wureing. 


July  27,   1918 


THE  SOCIETY  FOR  THE  STATE  REGIS- 
TRATION OF  TRAINED  NURSES. 


A  Meeting  cf  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Society  took  place  on  July  2nd  at  431,  Oxford 
Street,    W.     Mrs.    Bedford    Fenwick   presided. 

The  Sixth  and  Seventh  Drafts  of  the  Nurses' 
Registration  Bill  drafted  by  the  College  of  Nursing, 
Ltd.,  were  considered  clause  by  clause. 

The  Committee  recognised  that  the  firm  attitude 
of  the  Central  Committee  in  maintaining  the  vital 
principles  of  just  legislation  in  the  Nurses'  Regis- 
tration Bill  drafted  by  it  in  19 10,  has  apparently 
convinced  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  that  no 
agreement  between  the  two  Bills  was  possible 
until  it  recognised  the  determination  of  the  State 
Registrationists  to  oppose  any  attempt  to  govern 
the  Nursing  Profession  without  adequate  repre- 
sentation. 

'.Ihus,  the  College  Council  (the  Nurses  have 
never  been  consulted  in  meeting  assembled)  has 
inserted  provisions  in  the  recent  drafts  of  its 
Bill  ; 

(i)  P'or  the  direct  representation  of  the  organised 
Nurses'  Societies  on  the  Provisional  Council  to 
frame  the  rules. 

(2)  For  the  security  of  representation  of  the 
Registered  Nurses  on  the  Permanent  Council. 

(3)  For  a  term  of  three  years'  trainmg  and 
examination  under  a  definite  curriculum  prescribed 
by  the  Council  after  the  three  years'  term  of  grace. 

(i.)  'f  he  Committee  objected  to  the  College  of 
Nursing,  Ltd.,  being  incorporated  in  the  Bill  under 
its  existing  Memorandum  and  Articles  of  Associa- 
tion and  empowered  to  govern  the  whole  Nursing 
Profession  in  the  United  Kingdom,  as  it  is  a  lay 
Corporation,  and  gives  undue  power  of  control 
to  the  Nurse- Training  Schools  over  registeied 
Nurses,  for  whom  they  are  not  financiallj^  respon- 
sible. The  Committee  cla'ms  for  the  Profession 
of  Nursing  an  independent  governing  Body  in  the 
General  Nursing  Council,  with  no  ultimate  power 
and  control  behind  it,  such  as  the  Bill  secures  for 
the  College  of  Js'ursing,  Ltd. 

(2)  The  Committee  also  strongly  deprecates 
the  undermining  of  the  status  of  the  General 
Register  of  three-years'  trained  general  nurses 
by  the  Clause  in  the  College  Bill,  providing  for 
the  institution  of  Supplementary  Registe^js  of 
Specialists  —  such  as  Children's  Nurses,  Fever 
Nurses,  Tuberculosis  Nurses,  Maternity  Nurses, 
tS:c. — as  such  registers  would  be  compiled  for 
the  benefit  of  institutions  and  employers,  and  not 
of  nurses  themselves,  who,  semi-trained,  would 
be  ii^eligible  for  promotion  to  the  best  work  and 
pay. 

(3)  The  Committee  also  took  exception  to 
preferential  treatment  for  nurses  on  the  register 
of  the  College  of  Nursing  when  a  Bill  becomes 
law.  It  agreed  that  all  trained  Nurses  should 
have  equal  rights  to  registration  during  the 
term  of  grace. 


The  Committee  intends  to  uphold  these  vital 
principles. 

The  Committee  received  A\ith  deep  regret  the 
resignation  of  Miss  Elinor  Pell-Smith,  who  had 
been  the  delegate  of  the  Roya.l  Infirmary  Leicester 
Nurses'  League  far  a  number  of  years. 

It  was  proposed  from  the  Chair  that  a  sincere 
vote  of  thanks  be  sei;t  to  Miss  Pell -Smith,  thanking 
her  for  her  very  valuable  services  during  the  long 
time  she  had  been  on  the  Committee,  and  ex- 
pressing the  regret  of  the  Committee  in  losing 
her  most  kind  help.  Triis  was  unai;imously 
agreed  to. 

Miss  Irene  Sunmer,  who  had  been  appointed 
to  represent  the  Royal  Infirmary  Leicester 
Nurses'  League,  was  present,  and  received  a 
cordial    welcome. 

New  members  were  elected. 

Margaret  Breay, 

Hon.  Secretary. 


LONDON  HOSPITAL  NURSES. 


Major  Chappie,  M.P.,  has  given  notice  in  the 
House  of  Commons  of  the  following  motion  : — 

"  That  the  system  carried  on  at  the  London 
Hospital,  under  which  nurses  are  taken  from 
their  training  in  the  wards  at  the  end  of  their 
second  year,  sent  out  to  attend  private  cases, 
paid  at  the  rate  of  13s.  per  week  while  they 
receive  £2  2s.,  the  hospital  appropriating  the 
difference  of  29s.  per  week  earned  by  them,  is 
adopted  by  no  other  great  hospital  in  Britain, 
gravely  interferes  with  the  professional  training 
in  the  wards  of  such  nurses  during  their  third 
and  most  important  year,  and  is  a  cruel 
exploitation  of  women  for  the  sake  of  pecuniary 
gain,  and  this  House  calls  upon  the  Govern- 
ment to  introduce  legislation  to  remedy  the 
abuse." 

Lord  Knutsford  has  again  written  to  the 
Times  denying  the  truth  of  Major  Chappie's 
statements,  and  Sir  Henry  Burdett  has  cast  his 
sucking  dove  attitude,  and  now  states  that 
Lord  Knutsford's  reply  to  his  letter  **  is  mere 
camouflage." 

But  whilst  these  well-known  exploiters  of  the 
nursing  profession  fly  at  one  another's  throats, 
the  nurses  themselves  either  remain  dumb,  or 
their  opinions  are  excluded  from  the  discussion 
as  usual. 

The  nursing  profession  at  large  are  some- 
what out  of  patience  with  London  Hospital 
nurses.  They  are  not  children,  and  it  is  time 
they  realised  that,  by  accepting  unjust  con- 
ditions, they  injure  their  colleagues  as  a  whole  : 
(i)  by  undermining  the  recognised  nursing 
standard  of  three  years'  training;  and  (2)  by 


July  27,  1918 


ZTbe  Biitisb  3ournal  of  IRursing. 


67 


themselves,  insufficiently  trained,  competing 
with  their  efficiently  trained  colleagues  in 
private  nursing  for  the  same  fees,  and  thus  sap- 
ping their  economic  status.  To  be  plain,  this 
conduct,  in  trade-union  parlance,  constitutes  the 
"blackleg,"  and  it  is  high  time  conscientious 
and  courageous  members  of  the  nursing  staff 
at  the  London  Hospital  made  it  plain  to  the 
Matron  and  Committee  that  they  can  no  longer 
tolerate  being  placed  in  such  an  invidious  posi- 
tion. It  is  now  upwards  of  a  quarter  of  a 
century  since  the  redoubtable  Miss  Yatman 
exposed  this  commercial  system  of  exploiting 
the  nurses'  training  and  earnings  at  the  London 
Hospital  before  a  Select  Committee  of  the 
House  of  Lords,  and  although  the  late  Lord 
Kimberley  described  it  as  "  almost  fraudulent," 
social  influence  has  been  p>ermitted  by  Parlia- 
ment to  continue  it  till  this  day.  London  Hos- 
pital Sisters  and  Nurses,  we  your  colleagues 
call  upon  you  to  come  out  and  purge  the  pro- 
fession of  the  abuses  to  which  you  have  so  long 
submitted — to  our  injury  as  well  as  your  own. 

The  medical  staff  also  might  give  a  helping 
hand. 


APPOINTMENTS. 


THE  COLLEGE  OF  NURSING  LTD ,    AND 
LONDON   HOSPITAL   STANDARDS. 

It  should  be  of  interest  to  nurse  members  of 
the  College  to  realise  that  in  defining  standards 
for  the  College  **  Register,"  a  special  clause 
was  inserted  to  include  London  Hospital 
nurses,  "  with  two  years^  training  and  two 
years'  service."  Thus  the  College  Council 
protects  the  commercial  interest  of  the  Hospital, 
as  against  that  of  its  exploited  probationers. 
As  the  whole  Council  is  comp>osed  of  hospital 
officials  (including  employers),  the  danger  of 
their  policy  in  this  instance  is  apparent. 

This  is  why  the  indep>endent  Nurses' 
Organizations  demand  an  independent  and 
representative  Governing  Body,  and  mean  to 
work  for  it. 

Many  of  their  members  feel  that  the  Matrons 
on  the  Council  have  failed  to  protect  their 
professional  interests. 

THE   SHEFFIELD  CENTRE. 

A  Centre  of  the  College  of  Nursing  is  beirg 
formed  in  Sheffield,  and  iMiss  Hancox,  of  tte 
Queen  Victoria  Nursing  Association,  Glossop  Road, 
Sheffield,  and  Miss  Bolton,  of  the  Jessop  Hospital, 
have  consented  to  act  as  Hon.  Secretaries. 

We  hope  these  ladies  have  read  the  Memorandum 
and  Articles  of  Association  of  the  College,  and  are 
prepared  to  have  them  eliminated  from  the  Bill. 
We  make  this  remark  because  we  have  never  yet 
met  a  nurse  member  who  has  seen  the  consti- 
tution to  whJoh  she  has  subscribed. 


NIGHT     SISTER. 

Bridge  of   Weir  Consumption    Sanatoria,  Scotland. 

— ^liss  Eleanor  Harvey  has  been  appointed 
Nignt  Sister.  She  was  trained  at  the  Leeds 
Township  Infirmary,  and  has  held  the  position  of 
StafE  Nurse  in  that  institution,  and  at  the  Leeds 
Sanatoiium,    Gateforth. 

SISTER. 

Tlie  Sanatorium,  Middlesborougb.  —  Miss  A. 
Lilley  has  been  appointed  Sister.  She  was  trained 
at  the  South  Shields  Borough  Hospital,  and  has 
beenvStaff  Nurse  at  Deans  Hospital  in  the  same 
place,  and  Night  Charge  Nurse  at  the  West  Lane 
Hospital,  Middlesborough. 

General  Hospital,  Nottingham. — ^Miss  J.  Morgan 
has  been  appointed  Oatpatient  Sister.  She  was 
trained  at  the  General  Hospital,  Wolverhampton, 
and  has  been  Night  Sister  at  the  General  Hospital, 
Weston-super-Mare,  and  Ward  Sister  and  Sister 
in  the  X-Ray  Department  at  the  Hospital, 
Rugby. 

HOUSEKEEPING    SISTER. 

General  Hospital,  Nottingham.  —  Miss  Edith 
Gethinghas  been  appointed  Housekeeping  Sister. 
She  was  trained  at  the  East  Suffolk  Hospital, 
Ips^\'ich,  where  she  has  held  the  position  cf  Out- 
patient Sister.  She  has  also  been  Night  Sister 
at  the  Royal  Gwent  Hospital,  Newport ;  and  had 
housekeeping  training  at  the  Norfolk  and  Norwich 
Hospital. 

QUEEN     VICTORIA'S    JUBILEE     INSTITUT^. 
Transfers  and  Appointments. 

Miss  Helena  Mathieson  is  appointed  to  Norfolk 
N.F.  as  Assist.  Co.  Superintendent ;  Miss  Ethel 
Daniells  to  High  Wycombe  ;  Miss  Constance  M. 
Deering  to  Hampstead  Garden  Suburb ;  Miss 
Margaret  Heritage  to  Chatham ;  Miss  Edith 
Matthews  to  Hampstead  ;  Miss  Edith  A.  Richard- 
son to  Brixton.     ' 


"THE   MECCA   OF   THE    THRIFTY." 

The  establishment  of  Thomas  Wallis  &  Co.,  Ltd., 
Holborn  Circus,  London,  E.C,  is  a  well-krown 
landmark  to  Londoners,  for  there  are  few  busses 
plying  on  the  main  route  from  the  City  tc  the 
West  End  which  do  not  draw  up  in  front  of  it. 
The  firm  have  for  many  years  been  contractors 
for  hospital  furnishing,  and  recently  they  were 
selected  to  furnish  the  Edith  Cavell  Home  for 
Nurses  at  the  London  Hospital.  It  has  also  an 
extensive  clientele  in  connection  with  its 
department  for  Nurses'  Uniforms  and  Oatfits ; 
and  the  reasonable  prices  which  prevail  have 
earned  for  it  the  sobriquet,  "  The  Mecca  of  the 
Thrifty." 

■  •  « 

Among  the  gifts  at  Queen  Mary's  Royal  Naval 
Hospital,  Southend,  was  a  cheque  for  ^loo  from 
Queen  Mary. 


68 


CDC  3Sritt6h  3ournal  of  Bursiufl. 


July  27,  1 9*1 8 


NURSING    ECH0ES. 


ihe  Council  of  yueen  Victorias  jubilee 
Institute  for  Aurses,  in  their  Report  lor  the 
year  191 7  to  the  l^atron,  iner  iviajesty  Queen 
Alexandra,  report  "  satisfactory  progress,  not- 
withstanding- the  extremely  airacult  conditions 
caused  by  the  war.  1  ne  chief  oevelopments 
have  again  been  in  connection  with  the  work  in 
country  districts  and  with  the  County  iNursing 
Associations  in  particular;  but  a  considerable 
increase  has  been  shown  in  the  number  of 
Associations  affiliating  with  the  desire  to 
employ  Queen's  Nurses;  and  no  doubt  the 
number  would  have  been  larger  had  it  not  been 
for  the  shortage  of  nurses.  At  the  end  of  the 
year,  592  Queen's  Nurses  were  on  leave  for 
service  in  connection  with  the  war,  and  the 
supply  of  candidates  for  training  shows  no 
improvement.  Every  effort  is  Deing  made 
to  secure  the  services  of  nurses  who  are 
not  required  for  war  nursing,  but  the  number 
of  these  available  is  small,  and  it  is  not  antici- 
pated that  there  will  be  any  great  increase  until 
the  war  ceases.  Steps  are  under  consideration 
to  organize  the  training  of  more  Queen's 
Nurses,  so  that  the  machinery  may  be  in  order 
when  nurses  are  set  free  from  War  Service. 

"  The  Local  Government  Board  has  again 
co-operated  with  the  Nursing  Associations,  by 
means  of  the  grants  given  for  midwifery  work, 
with  the  object  of  securing  the  provision  of  a 
satisfactory  service  of  midwives  for  country 
districts.  It  is  essential  that  there  should  be 
an  adequate  supply  of  well-trained  and  efficient, 
midwives  to  check  the  wastage  of  infant  life. 
.  .  .  These  nurses  can  also  act  as  school  nurses 
and  health  visitors." 


The  supply  of  efficient  midwives  is  most 
essential,  but  unless  they  are  trained  as  nurses, 
and  conform  to  the  standard  for  Queen's 
Nurses,  i.e.,  three  years'  general  and  six 
months'  district  training,  they  should  not,  in 
our  opinion,  be  enrolled  in  Nursing  Associa- 
tions with  the  prestige  of  the  Queen  Victoria's 
Jubilee  Institute  for  Nurses.  Their  work  is 
sufficiently  extensive  and  important  to  be 
organized  in  County  Midwifery  Associations, 
whether  under  the  authority  of  the  "  Queen's  " 
or  otherwise.  "  Village  nurse-mid  wives  "  have 
their  status  under  the  Midwives'  Act,  but  their 
nursing  is  an  amateur  and  unknown  quantity, 
and  the  suggestion  that  these  midwives  can  act 
as  school  nurses  is  not  one  which  can  be 
supported. 

It  is  disquieting  to  find  that  the  number  of 
"  Village  Nurses  "  employed  by  County  Nurs- 


ing Associations  affiliated  to  the  Institute  is 
1,327,  while  the  total  number  of  Queen's 
Nurses  in  England  on  December  31st,  1917, 
was  1,357,  including  Queen's  Nurses  who  are 
undertaking  duty  in  connection  with  the  war, 
of  whom  there  were  592  in  the  United  King- 
dom. The  total  number  of  Queen's  Nurses  in 
the  United  Kingdom  on  December  31st,  1917, 
was  2,056. 

There  have  been  two  new  features  in  the 
constitution  of  the  Council  appointed  by  Queen 
Alexandra  during  the  year.  For  the  first  time 
the  Superintendents  of  the  Training  Homes, 
and  the  Superintendents  of  the  County  Nursing 
Associations  have  each  been  allowed  to  appoint 
a  representative. 


Her  Royal  Highness  Princess  Louise  visited 
the  Kensington  Infirmary  on  Friday  last,  and 
expressed  her  warm  admiration  at  all  she  saw. 
The  Princess  was  received  by  the  Chairman, 
the  Chaplain,  and  the  Matron.  After  visiting 
the  beautiful  Church  of  St.  Elizabeth,  Her 
Royal  Highness  passed  through  the  wards,  and 
chatted  with  the  patients. 


The  "  At  Home "  to  meet  the  Colonial 
Matrons-in-Chief,  held  by  the  Society  of 
Women  Journalists  at  3-4,  Tudor  Street,  E.C., 
on  July  i8th,  was  a  great  success.  Mrs.  Baines 
and  Miss  Imandt  were  the  hostesses,  and 
together  with  the  President,  Miss  Billington, 
welcomed  the  guests.  Australia,  Canada,  New 
Zealand,  South  Africa,  and  the  United  States 
of  America  were  represented,  and  we  noticed 
all  sorts  of  interesting  people  present,  including 
leading  wx>men  journalists,  all  apparently 
warmly  interested  in  cementing  friendship  with 
our  overseas  nurses,  whilst  the  Matrons-in- 
Chief  expressed  the  opinion  that  "  it  does  us 
a  lot  of  good  to  come  into  touch  with  all  these 
bright  women — whose  sphere  of  w^rk  is  dif- 
ferent to  our  own.  We  are  apt  to  get  a  bit 
narrow  in  the  nursing  world."  We  are  bound 
to  admit  we  found  nothing  narrow  in  the  views 
of  our  overseas  Matrons,  who  one  and  all 
appear  inspired  not  only  with  professional  zeal, 
but  with  a  liberal  outlook  on  life. 


The  Asylums  and  Mental  Deficiency  Com- 
mittee of  the  London  County  Council  reported 
at  its  meeting  on  Tuesday  that  as  a  war 
measure  it  has  been  necessary  to  employ 
women  on  agricultural  and  farm  work  at  the 
mental  hospitals.  Some  nurses  have  been  so 
employed,  and  have  received  a  special  rate  of 
pay  while  doing  farm  work.  As  there  is  such 
difficulty   in  obtaining  nurses,   and  as   it  now 


July  27,   1918 


^be  Xritiab  3ournal  ot  Durema. 


69 


seems  possible  to  obtain  from  other  sources 
the  services  of  women  for  work  on  the  land,  the 
committee  think  it  undesirable  to  second  nurses 
wholly  for  farm  work,  and  have  directed  that 
they  shall  no  longer  be  so  employed. 


THE  PAPAL  SCHOOL  OF  NURSING. 


The  Committee  have  gfanted  extra  duty  pay 
to  a  large  number  of  members  of  the  nursing 
staff  at  the  Banstead  mental  hospital. 


The  Hon.  Albinia  Brodrick's  pamphlet,  "Pro- 
fessional Development  and  Organization,"  is 
on  sale,  price  2d.,  at  the  office  of  the  National 
Union  of  Trained  Nurses,  46,  Marsham  Street, 
London,  S.W.  i,  the  keynotes  of  which  are 
Democracy,  Comradeship,  Organization.  Every 
nurse  should  own  it,  study  it,  and  live  up  to  it. 


Miss  Grace  Ross  Cadell,  L.R.C.P., 
L.R.C.S.,  late  of  Edinburgh,  left  ;^i,C)Oo  to 
the  Queen's  Nurses  in  Scotland,  and  ;^3oo  to 
the  Leith  Branch  of  the  Queen's  Nurses — a 
legacy  which  will  bring  comfort  to  many  a  sick 
body. 

■    m   ■ 

LEGAL     MATTERS. 

A  case  involving  important  prmciples  was 
recently  brought  by  the  Norfolk  Nursing 
I'ederation,  in  regara  to  a  broken  agreement, 
the  defenaant  bemg  Miss  Kose  Snellmg,  of 
20,  Junction  Road,  Aorwich. 

Mr.  F.  A.  bainbndge  said  the  Federation 
was  a  charitable  institution,  to  obtain  suitable 
candidates  and  train  them  as  village  nurses. 
The  vice-presidents  were  ladies  and  gentlemen 
of  leading  position  and  standing  in  Norfolk. 
There  were  two  agreements,  one  for  training 
at  Plaistow,  under  which  ;£2^  os.  iid.  was 
claimed  for  non-fulfilment.  Under  the  second 
the  defendant  was  "  to  become  a  trained  nurse 
at  the  Norwich  Isolation  Hospital,"  but  left 
before  completing  her  training. 

The  judge  held  that  the  first  agreement  could 
not  stand.  It  was  superseded  by  the  second. 
In  this  he  gave  judgment  for  30s. 

The  necessity  for  the  statutory  definition  of 
a  standard  of  what  constitutes  a  trained  nurse 
is  manifest  in  this  case.  Certainly  training  at 
Plaistow — for  the  most  part  in  district  mid- 
wifery— and  in  a  fever  hospital,  does  not  do  so. 
*^  Ladies  and  gentlemen  of  leading  position  " 
would  do  well  to  refrain  from  interfering  with 
the  economic  and  professional  standards  of 
■candidates  for  a  skilled  profession,  unless 
they  are  prepared  to  enforce  a  just  standard  of 
training,  which  qualifies  the  nurses  for  their 
resp>onsible  duties,  and  enables  them  to  com- 
pete with  others  in  the  open  market. 


VVe  quote  the  following  interesting  article 
on  the  Papal  Nursing  School  from  The 
Universe  of  a  recent  issue.  1  he  training  of  nuns 
in  the  science,  in  conjunction  with  the  practice, 
of  nursing,  is  one  of  the  most  progressive  and 
necessary  reforms  amongst  Religious  Orders. 
We  know  how  in  the  past  the  good  Sisters  in 
hospitals  have  excelled  in  the  care  of  the 
cuisine  and  the  linen ;  for  the  future  every 
facility  should  be  provided  for  them  to  care 
intelligently  for  the  body  in  health  and  disease. 

"  Ihe  autumn  and  winter  course  of  training 
for  outside  pupils  at  the  Papal  School  of 
Nursing,  our  Rome  correspondent  writes,  has 
come  to  its  conclusion  with  the  examinations 
at  the  end  of  Lent,  and  after  Holy  Week  the 
Spring  course  opens.  The  existence  of  this 
school  is  still  unknown  to  the  majority  of 
Catholics,  yet  its  institution  ranks  easily  among 
the  greatest  works  of  Pius  X's  Pontificate.  As 
the  founder  and  organiser  of  the  school  said 
to  me  on  the  morning  when  she  was  kind 
enough  to  take  me  over  it :  '  How  many  people 
are  aware  of  the  fact  that  His  Holiness  Pius  X 
collected  the  Statutes  and  Constitutions  of 
every^  religious  nursing  Order  in  the  Church,  in 
order  to  study  the  best  means  of  providing 
facilities  for  their  members  to  follow  a  modern 
training  and  pass  up-to-date  examinations 
while  yet  living  in  accordance  with  their  rule, 
and  that  the  record  of  this  research  is  filed  in 
the  secret  archives  of  the  Congregation  of 
Religious?  ' 

This  is  briefly  the  history  of  the  school.  In 
1904  (during  the  first  year  of  Pius  X  Pontifi- 
cate) a  certain  French  lady,  who  had  devoted 
her  life  to  hospital  organisation  in  her  own 
country  and  had  just  completed  the  foundation 
and  equipment  of  the  Hopital  St.  Joseph  in 
Paris,  was  paying  her  annual  visit  to  Rome. 
In  a  private  audience  she  asked  a  blessing  on 
her  work,  of  which  she  gave  an  account  to  His 
Holiness.  The  Holy  Father,  after  enquiring 
into  every  detail,  asked  her  to  stay  in  Rome 
and  take  charge  of  a  training  school  he  wished 
to  organise,  in  which  members  of  religious 
Orders  could  obtain  an  up-to-date  training  in 
the  right  spiritual  conditions.  This  she  was 
unable  to  do,  but  she  promised  to  return  the 
following  year,  when  she  would  have  finished 
the  work  she  was  engaged  on  in  France.  She 
was  true  to  her  word,  and  in  1906  the  school 
was  opened  on  a  very  modest  scale  in  tem- 
porary quarters  in  the  PratL  It  grew  and 
prospered,  and  in  1912,  funds  being  assured, 
its  own  building  was  begun  under  the  shadow 


70 


JLbc  Xritt0D  3ourtuil  of  Vlurdina* 


July  27,  1918 


of  St.  Peter's  next  to  but  independent  of  the 
Hospital  of  Sta.  Marta.  The  outbreak  of  the 
war  has  temporarily  suspended  the  progress  of 
fitting  up  the  building,  as  the  quarters  which 
were  destined  to  the  '  in  patients  '  have  been 
handed  over  to  the  *  Cross  of  Malta  '  for 
wounded  soldiers,  but  the  work  of  the  dis- 
pensary is  in  full  swing.  There  is  a  resident 
staff  of  trained  nurses  in  charge,  working 
under  some  of  the  best  doctors  here,  and 
already  representatives  of  twenty-seven  dif- 
ferent nursing  Orders  have  gone  through  their 
training  there.  The  dispensary  is  always 
crowded  with  *  out  patients  '  of  every  age  and 
sex,  and  suffering  from  every  variety  of  human 
complaint.  The  operating-rooms,  sterilisation 
plant,  bandage  department,  sanitation,  &c., 
are  irreproachable,  and  the  names  of  the 
doctors  in  attendance  warrant  the  excellence  of 
the  surgery.  After  the  war  there  will  be  accom- 
modation for  in-patients  under  medical  and 
surgical  treatment,  with  a  larger  operating 
theatre  and  more  extensive  accommodation  for 
the  subjects  under  training.  It  will  then  be 
possible  to  receive  at  least  two  members  of 
any  given  Order  to  ensure  the  maintenance  of 
their  religious  life.  The  chapel  is  already  in 
use,  and  on  its  wall  hangs  the  autograph 
blessing  and  approval  of  the  present  Holy 
Father.  There  is  also  a  course  of  training  in 
dispensing  and  first  aid  for  ladies  and  girls. 
The  course,  theoretical  and  practical,  is  con- 
ducted by  excellent  doctors  and  lasts  four 
months ;  it  is  concluded  by  an  examination,  on 
passing  which  a  certificate  is  granted. 

The  attention  of  His  Holiness  Pope  Pius  X 
was  first  drawn  to  the  need  of  a  reform  In  the 
practical  training  of  the  older  nursing  Orders 
by  the  fact  that  while  he  was  still  Patriarch  of 
Venice,  a  surgeon  In  one  of  the  hospitals  there 
protested  against  the  removal  of  one  of  the 
nuns  assisting  in  the  operating  theatre,  for  the 
reason  that  no  one  of  the  other  sisters  was 
capable  of  replacing  her  In  the  theatre." 


OUTSIDE  ITHE    GATES. 

|THE  f  ENEMYlfALIEN     DANGER. 

•  Now  that  the  people  are  beginning  to  realise  the 
fine  mesh  of  the  financial  net  in  which 
Hun  bankers  and  millionaires  in  this  country  are 
strangling  our  national  life  and  liberties — and 
what  the  "  Hidden  Hand  "  really  means— they 
are  becoming  inspired  witt  a  deep  and  smouldering 
fury  against  the  political  system  which  has  placed 
the  Empire  in  such  danger,  and  are  slowly  but 
surely  rousing  themselves  to  action.  The  Prime 
Minister  has  refused  to  receive  a  deputation  on 
the  enemy  alien  question,  proposed  by  Mrs.  Dacre 
Fox  ;   and  on  Sunday,  this  valiant  lady,  speaking 


to  a  great  meeting  in  Hyde  Park,  said,  "  for  the 
first  time  since  the  war  broke  out  there  was  an 
open  fight  between  the  British  public  and  German 
influence  at  work  in  this  country.  We  had  to 
make  a  clean  sweep  of  all  persons  of  German  blood, 
without  distinction  of  sex,  birth-place  or  nation- 
ality. Any  person  in  this  country,  who  was 
suspected  of  protecting  German  influence,  should 
be  tried  as  a  traitor  and,  if  necessary,  shot.  The 
Home  Office  was  impregnated  with  German 
influence  and  the  Foreign  Office  used  men  pro- 
tected by  the  Hom^  Office."  Mrs.  Dacre  Fox 
announced  she  had  booked  the  Royal  Albert  Hall 
for  a  national  demonstration  on  the  subject 
on  Tuesday,  July  30th,  at  7.30  p.m.,  and  a 
sympathiser  present  offered  ;^ioo  towards  the 
expenses.  Mr.  R.  Wilson,  Secretary  of  the  British 
Empire  Union,  said  that  Sir  George  Cave  (the 
Home  Secretary),  raust  be  made  to  understand 
that  unless  he  applied  drastic  legislation  he  would 

be  impeached.  -* 

We  learn  that  there  is  a  type  of  enemy  blood 
against  whom  strong  precautions  are  needed. 
Tnis  is  the  British-born  son  of  German  parents. 
It  may  have  been  only  by  accident  that  his 
birth  took  place  in  this  country.  He  has  not  to 
be  registered  with  the  police  or  submit  to  any  of 
the  restrictions  imposed  on  his  parents  ;  and  there 
are  men  of  this  sort  doing  confidential  Government 
work  and  manning  the  Labour  battalions — safe 
from  the  bombs  and  bullets  of  their  blood  com- 
patriots. Recently  we  heard  of  one  of  these 
insolent  Huns  wearing  the  King's  uniform, 
during  leave,  boasting  of  what  "  they  intended  to 
do  after  the  war.  We  are  not  going  to  have 
Germany  isolated,"  he  boasted^ — "  we  hissed 
the  King's  portrait  on  the  cinema  screen  " — and 
"  you  English  ran  at  Cambrai  and  now  have  to  be 
stiffened  up  with  Frenchmen  at  the  front  " — 
and  more  of  such  blasphemy.  A  lady  present 
wrote  down  the  sayings  of  this  young  traitor  in 
khaki,  and  has  handed  them  to  the  right  quarter. 
But  is  there  a  right  quarter,  that  is  the  question  ? 

The  proposed  legislation  in  the  Naturalisation 
of  Aliens  Bill  is  weak  and  wobbling.  Not  to  our 
taste.     We  want  a  few  women  in  Parliament  to 

tone  it  up.  

WOMEN     IN    PARLIAMENT. 

It  is  stated  that  the  Labour  Party  are  determined 
to  force  a  decision  on  the  eligibility  of  women  for 
membership  of  the  House  of  Commons  before  the 
General  Election.  The  Executive,  by  endorsing 
the  candidatures  of  several  Labour  women  for 
industrial  constituencies,  have  staked  out  their 
claim.  They  have  decided  to  have  a  qualifying 
Bill  ready,  in  case  the  Law  Officers  should  advise 
the  Government  that,  under  the  present  law, 
women  are  not  eligible  for  membership  of  the  House 
of  Commons. 

The  National  Labour  Party  have  officially 
endorsed  the  prospective  candidature  of  Miss 
Macarthur  for  the  Stourbridge  Division  at  the 
next  election. 


tf 


The  Brtttah  Journal  <^  Numng,  July  27,  1918. 


"  Science  is,  I  beliere, 
nothing  but  trained  and 
organized  common-sense, 
differing  from  the  latter 
only  as  a  veteran  may 
differ  from  a  raw  recruit : 
and  its  methods  diffe' 
from  those  of  common- 
sense  only  so  far  as  the 
Guardsman's  cut  and 
thrust  differ  from  the 
manner  in  which  a  savage 
wields  his  club." 

Professor  Huxlty. 


The  Basis 
of 
Science 


BOOTS  PURE  DRUG  COMPANY  LIMITED  wish  to  draw  the 
attention  of  the  medical  profession  to  the  following  seven  scientific 
preparations.  Practitioners  who  endeavour  to  keep  abreast  of  the  times 
will  find  these  modern  antiseptics  of  superlative  value  in  general  practice. 


CHLORAMINE-T 

(p-loIutnc-i»Jlum-tulphochloramide). 

Dakin's  ideal  antiseptic,  of  wide  applicability  la 
medicine  and  surgery. 

In  bottles  of  loz..  1/2:  4oz..  3/6:  lib..  lS/6 

CHLORAMINE-T  GAUZE 

In  two  strenKths,  containins  approximately  5% 
and  35%  Chloramine-T.  (5%  supplied  unless 
otherwise  specified).  This  should  be  fixed  dry 
and  subsequently  moistened,  if  necessary,  when 
in  position. 

Im  scaled  packagea  only,  price  1/6  per  package, 

PROFLAVINE 

(3'6  diamino-acridine-iulphatt). 
The  improved  Flavine  derivative. 

Equal  in  antiseptic  powers  to  Acriflavine,  and  In 
important  respects  superior,  being  markedly  less 
toxic  and  less  irritating.  Proflavine,  being  less 
costly  to  manufacture,  can  be  sold  at  a  substantially 
lower  price  than  Acriflavine. 

5  gram  bottle.  1/4 :  20  gram  bottle.  5/- 

HALAZONE  TABLETS. 


TABLETS  OF  CHLORAMINE-T 

One  tablet  dissolved  in  two  ounces  of  water  makes 
a  one  per  cent,  solution. 

Bottles  of  25,  8*75  grain  tablets,  1/9 
50,     „  „         „        2/- 

100 3/9 

One  tablet  dissolved  in  ten  ounces  of  water  makes 
a  one  per  cent  solution. 

Bottles  of  12  43-75  grain  tablets.  l/IO 

CHLORAMINE-T  CREAM 

Containing  approximately  one  per  cent.  Chlora- 
mine-T. Described  and  investigated  under  the 
name  of  Chloramine  Paste  by  Vincent  Daufresne. 
Carrel,    Hartmann    and   other*,  in   the  Journal  ajf 

Etperimtntal  Medldne.  1917. 

In  PoU.    Trial  size.  Bd. :  large  size.  1/S. 

TABLETS  OF  PROFLAVINE 

(wilh  sodlam  chloride). 

One  tablet  dissolved  in  four  fluid  ounces  sterile 
water  makes  1:1000  Proflavine  in   normal  satins. 

Bottles  of  100  tablets.  S/6 


DAKIN'S   NEW  WATER   DISINFECTANT. 
Vida  BM.J..  May.  1917. 


The  action  of  Halazone  is  positive,  and  may  be  relied  upon  for  crudest  waters.  Each  tablet  is  sufficient  to 
sterilize  one  quart  of  contaminated  water,  but  in  cases  of  extreme  contamination  a  second  tablet  may  b« 
necessary.    Halazone  is  invaluable  for  those  on  active  service  overseas,  more  particularly  in  hot  climates. 

Bottles  of  100  tablets,  6d. 

Supplies  are  a'vailahle  for  prescription  service  on  application 
through  any  of  the  branche*  of  BOOTS  THE.  CHEMISTS. 

Boots  Pure  Drug  Company  Limited 

MANUFACTURING   CHEMISTS    AND   MAKERS   OF  FINE   CHEMICALS. 
Head  OWcee :    Station  StrMt.  NoMiasham.       JESSE  BOOT.  Manasiac  Dir« 


^^ 


ITbc  Brltlsb  3ournal  of  *Wur0lna. 


July  27,  #918 


BOOK    OP  THE   WEEK. 


"TOWARDS    MORNING."* 

This  book  may  be  compaiod  to  a  film — a 
terrible,  realistic  series  of  moving  pictures,  which 
is  marshalled  before  our  fascinated  eyes  with 
r..lentloss  force. 

It  may  awaken,  perchance,  for  the  first  t^rae, 
our  pity  for  the  unfortunate  victims  of  the  German 
military  systeAi,  as  page  after  page  depicts  for  us 
the  remorseless  crushing  of  the  individual  into  the 
powder  that  is  destined  to  cement  the  nation,  or, 
to  use  the  simile  of  the  author,  "  the  cog  mattered 
only  so  long  as  it  served  its  purpose — it  was  the 
machine,  the  machine  that  mattered  always." 

To  illustrate  this  system,  this  amazingly  strong 
book  has  been  produced,  which  follows  from  the 
cradle  to  the  grave,  nay  even  while  the  child  was 
yet  in  its  mother's  womb,  one  unit  of  that  vast 
army  which,  after  long  years  of  hke  preparation, 
have  been  ruthlessly  sacrificed  to  satisfy  the 
insolent  claims  of  the  War  God. 

The  Herr  Amtshreiber  is  awaiting  with  nervous 
expectation  the  advent  of  his  first  born.  He 
himself  had  never  been  a  success.  How  this  is 
he  doesn't  know.  "  My  Bureau  Chief  doesn't  like 
me.  I  don't  know  why.  I  have  always  done  my 
best."  "" 

On  the  other  hand  his  brother-in-law  was  a 
great  man-  He  had  no  sympathy  with  the 
expectant  parents  at  the  supreme  crisis. 

,"  Women  have  to  go  through  with  it.  It's  their 
duty.  They  were  made  for  it.  Mustn't  make  a 
fuss.  We  fight — they  bear  children.  Na  gut,  it 
must  be  a  boy,  then.  You  kn-^w  the  good  ola 
custom,  the  first  child  to  the  Kaiser.  A  fine  boy. 
See  to  it,  my  dear  fellow." 

The  young  Helmut  was  ten  when  he  first  went 
to  the  Gymnasium,  and  the  sufferings  of  the 
unhappy,  nervous  child  on  the  first  day  there  and 
the  cynical  callousness  which  was  meted  out  to 
him  could  not  fail  to  raise  the  compassion  of  the 
hardest  heart.  His  return  home  to  his  mother  in 
the  evening  is  told  with  a  brevity  and  force 
that  is  a  good  example  of  the  fine  work  of  the 
writer. 

"  Well,   Helmut." 

He  did  not  answer,  and  she  took  off  the  bright 
yellow  cap  of  the  Lower  Fifth  and  ran  her  hand 
with  a  caress  over  the  close -cropped  head.  "  Why, 
you're  going  to  be  a  real  man,  Helmut"  She 
helped  him  to  unstrap  his  books.  There  were  ten 
of  them.  He  had  got  to  take  everything  that  was 
in  those  dull  covers  and  squeeze  them  in^o  his 
head.  And  his  head  ached  now,  as  if  it  were  full 
to  overflowing. 

Suddenly  he  turned,  and  there  was  a  note  of 
quivering  hysteria  in  the  boy's  voice. 

"  And  shall  I  never  play  again,  mother  ?  " 

For  a  moment  they  stared  at  each  other. 
There  was  an  aghast  look  on  the  woman's  dull, 

♦  By  I.  A.  R.  Wylie.  (Cassell  &  Co.,  London.) 


pale  face.     She  turned  away,  as  though  there  were 
something  in  his  eyes  she  could  not  meet. 

"  You  must  be  a  man,  Helmut,"  she  said 
quietly.     "  Life  isn't  a  game." 

He  was  ten  years  old  when  he  found  out  that 
life  wasn't  a  game. 

And  the  end  of  it  all  was  that  he  failed  to  pass 
the  necessary  examiration  and  was  compelled  to 
enlist  as  an  ordinary  soldier.  We  suppose  one 
must  be  a  German  lad  of  the  better  class  to 
appreciate  what  the  humiliation  of  that  would 
mean. 

We  cannot  give,  for  want  of  space,  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  cruel  twenty-four  hours'  march,  to 
satisfy  the  ambition  of  rival  divisions  whose 
officers  had  laid  a  bet  on  the  endurance  of  their 
respective  men. 

It  was  Viet  Thomas  who  told  them — 

"  If  we  don't  play  up  it  will  cost  our  little  ofi&cers 
fifty  bottles  oi  fizz.  You'll  see  how  they'll  houn  d 
us  along.  Of  course  you  know  it's  all  uhofi&cial  ; 
but  you  know  what  that  means.  If  we  win,  the 
Herr  Oberst  can  begin  thinking  about  himself  as 
brigadier.  If  we  don't,  he'll  wake  up  one  morning 
with  a  top-hat  on." 

It  was  the  little  Herr  Leutnant  MulJer  that 
first  spoke  words  of  kindness  and  encouragement 
to  Helmut,  which  for  one  brief  evening  lifted  him 
out  of  liis  sullen  despair.  The  little  Leutnant  was 
killed  in  a  duel  next  morning  at  dawn.  Helmut 
recalled  a  voice  he  had  heard  say,  "  We'll  get  our 
little  Muller  out  poon — freeze  him  out,  or  kick  him 
out ;  somehow.     You'll  see  !  " 

So  they  drove  the  body  of  ^  the  httle  Leutnant 
home. 

Johan  cried.  The  tears  splashed  on  to  his  tunic, 
and  made  big  stains  on  the  blue  cloth. 

But  Helmut  did  not  cry.  His  eyes  were  empty 
— stupid-looking. 

That  night  he  succumbed  for  the  fir.^t  time  to  the 
bestial  pleasures  of  his  companions,  because  his 
loneliness  and  isolation  were  more  than  he  could 
bear.  After  his  rapid  descent  into  brutality  it  is 
said  of  him,  "  There  were  .-tains  on  the  field  grey 
uniform,  grotesque  stains  on  the  peaceful  face  half 
hidden  on  the  curve  of  his  arm.  It  was  as  though 
while  he  slept,  an  enemy  had  wilfully  besmeared 
him." 

And  the  end  of  it  all  was — 

"  Helmut  Fclde,  at  dawn,  for  disobedience  in 
the  face  of  the  enemy." 

But  Helmut  by  this  very  disobedience  made 
,  good,   and  the  incidents  connected  with  it  are 
stirring  and  pathetic  beyond  description. 

The  relating  of  the  grinding  to  powder  of  this 
human  sou!  is  no  mere  figment  of  the  imaginat'on, 
it  is  rather  the  play  of  the  imagination  around 
facts  ;  but  it  is  an  embodiment  of  the  sy.^tem  which 
no  fiction  can  over-estimate— the  relentless  Jugger- 
naut wnich,  please  God,  we,  in  our  turn,  are  out  to 
crush. 

This  book  should  be  read  with  sympathy  and 
understanding. 

H.  H. 


July  27,  1918 


^be  3Br(tt0b  3onrnal  of  IRuretno. 


73 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 

Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  Jor  these  columns,  we  wish  tt  to  bt 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents. 

RENDER  TO    C/ESAR,  &c. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing- 
Dear  Madam, — I  have  to  thank  one  of  your 
correspondents  for  a  most  gratifying  reference 
to  the  work  done  at  the  North  IsHngton  Maternity 
Centre,    in  your  issue  of   July   6th. 

In  justice  to  the  founder  and  other  pioneer 
workers  to  whom  the  credit  of  the  success  is  really 
due,  I  feel  ccrapelled  to  rectify  the  mis-statement 
in  connection  with  the  Infant  Welfare  Ward, 
wliich  is  not  under  my  charge.  The  whole 
department,  which  is  re-opening  on  the  24th 
on  an  enlarged  scale,  will  have  a  complete  resi- 
dential staff,  and  the  late  Superintendent  of  the 
North  Islington  Maternity  Centre  has  been 
appointed  Matron  of  the  American  Infant  Welfare 
Wards,  by  which  title  it  will  be  known  in  future. 
The  work  of  the  wards  wiH  be  of  immense 
benefit  to  the  residents  of  this  district  who  attend 
our  Centre,  and  we  workers  hope  to  co-operate 
most  cordially  for  the  general  good  of  Welfare 
Work.  ,  y^  Yours  sincerely, 
-V      ■  •      • '  '  ■'  I  G.  Le  Geyt, 

6,  Manor  Gardens,  Superintendent. 

HoUoway  Road,  N.  i. 


WANT     OF     CONSIDERATION. 

To  the  Editor  oj  The  British  Journal  ofNursing. 

Dear  Ma  dam,- — A  couple  of  weeks  ago  The 
British  Journal  of  Nursing  reported  that  Major 
Chappie  recently  asked  in  the  House  of  Commons 
whether  any  advance  had  been  made  in  the  mess 
allowance  to  nurses  to  meet  the  increased  cost  of 
food.  To  this  it  was  possible  to  answer  truthfully 
in  the  affirmative,  but  is  it  not  time  that  the 
Government  increased  their  nurses'  uniform 
allowance,  which  remains  still  at  the  pre-war 
figure  of  ;^8  per  annuni„  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
all  materials  and  also  dressmaking  cost  almost 
twice  as  much  as  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  ? 
And  does  there  exist  anywhere  in  this  country 
a  class  of  employment  where  salaries  have  not 
been  largely  advanced  to  moet  the  enormous 
increase  in  the  cost  of  living  ?  Yet  the  Govern- 
ment has  not  raised  by  one  penny  the  salaries  of 
its  nurses,  except  to  those  who  sign  a  contract  for 
the  duration  of  war,  and  the  many  women  who, 
on  account  of  home  and  other  responsibilities,  are 
unable  to  agree  to  such  a  contract  must  continue 
to  struggle  along  with  an  income  which  in  pre-war 
days  was  hardly  sufficient. 

I  shall  be  grateful  if  you  will  give  publicity  to 
this  letter,  as  I  know  there  are  many  members  of 
the  Army  Nursing  Service  who  feel  strongly  the 
want  of  consideration  shown  to  them  in  these 
matters.     I  enclose  my  card  and  remain. 

An  Army  Sister. 


A     VEXATIOUS     ARRANGEMENT. 

To  the  Editor  oj  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — I  should  be  very  glad  if  any  of 
your  readers  could  enlighten  me  as  to  the  following 
point.  AH  nurses  who  have  joined  the  Royal 
National  Pension  Fund  for  Nurses,  and  getting  an 
annuity,  have,  as  you  know,  every  month  to  send 
a  doctor's  certificate  and  a  clergyman's  certificate. 
This,  surely,  especially  for  nurses  living  in  a 
country  district,  is  a  little  humiliating  as  it  means 
that  their  business  is  more  or  less  known.  Is 
there  any  obscure  reason  for  the  multiplication  of 
these  signatures,  for  it  surely  is  a  waste  of  time  for 
the  clergyman  and  doctor — though  that  is  not  my 
point.  My  point  is,  that  surely  every  nurse 
getting  a  pension  naturally  feels  she  would  like  to 
keep  her  affairs  private,  and  the  getting  signatures 
every  month  seems  to  me  an  unnecessary  bringing 
to  light  of  her  own  business. 

If  you  could  find  space  in  your  valuable  paper 
for  my  letter  I  should  be  very  gratof ul. 
Yours  truly, 

M.  Shepherd, 
Trained  Nurse,  C.M.B.  Cert. 

[This  system  is  surely  annoying,  especially  as 
nurses  insured  in  the  N.P.F.N.  have  paid  in  full 
for  their  annuities,  which  are  not  pensions. — Ed.] 


KERNELS     FROM    CORRESPONDENCE, 

From  a  Sister  in  France  : — ■"  For  the  first  time 
I  have  seen  '  A  History  of  Nursing  '  (Nutting  & 
Dock).  What  a  mine  of  wealth  to  explore  !  Why 
did  I  never  hear  of  this  greatest  of  educational 
works  in  my  training  school  (Guys)  ?  " 

[Because  our  tfaining-schools  have  hitherto  been 
too  narrow  in  their  outlook  to  teach  nursing 
history,  and,  incidentally,  because  you  have'not 
read  a  professional  Journal — ^The  B.J.N.  ! — which 
keeps  you  in  touch  with  professional  affairs. — Ed.] 

From  a  Sister  in  Savoy.—"  We  follow  with 
interest  the  professional  struggle  in  the  B.J.N. 
...  It  seems  incredible  that  outsiders  should 
consider  themselves  capable  of  directing  our 
profession.  What  would  some  of  our  interfering 
friends  think  if  we  offered  to  stage  manage  some 
of  their  productions.  Our  profession  is  indeed 
fortunate  in  having  you  at  its  head  to  fight  its 
battles,  otherwise  without  your  leadership  T  do  not 
,  now  where  we  should  be  landed." 


OUR     PRIZE     COMPETITION. 

We  regret  that  no  prize  competition  has  this 
week  been  received  which  comes  up  to  the  standard 
which  justifies  us  in  awarding  a  prize.  No  doubt 
all  nurses  are  just  now  very  busy,  and  those  who 
are  not  working  at  full  pressure  are  taking  a  well- 
earned  rest. 

QUESTIONS. 

August  10th. — What  have  you  learnt  of  new 
nursing  methods  in  a  Military  Hospital  ? 

August  ijth. — What  is  pernicious  anaemia  ? 
How  have  you  seen  it  treated  ? 


74         (Tbe  3Britl0b  3ournal  of  Buretnc  Supplement.      My  27, 19^^ 


The  Midwife. 


THE  MIDWIVES'  ACT  AMENDMENT  BILL. 


I       ■■'::  '{Concluded  from  page  38) 

I  When  the  Midwives  Act  Amendment  Bill 
(|pmes  on  in  the  House  of  Commons,  two  points 
in  particular  will  need  careful  watching,  (i)  As 
we  have  already  pointed  out  that  "  to  bring  the 
English  Act  into  line  with  those  in  other  parts 
01  the  United  Kingdom,"  which  is  the  intention 
of  the  Bill  as  declared  in  its  memorandum, 
provision  must  be  made  for  adding  midwives  to 
the  Central  Midwives  Board.  (2)  The  final  form 
of  Clause  12.  It  wiir  be  remembered  that  the 
Marquess  of  Salisbury,  when  the  Bill  was  before 
the  House  of  Lords,  secured  an  Amendment 
providing  that  "  Section  nine  of  the  principal 
Act  (which  enables  county  councils  to  delegate 
their  powers  and  duties  to  district  councils) 
shall  be  repealed."  This  was  quaUfied  later  by 
the  addition  of  the  words  "  Provided  that  where 
at  the  commencement  of  this  Act  any  powers  or 
duties  have  been  delegated,  such  delegation  shall 
not  be  affected,  unless,  on  the  representation  of 
the  County  Council  concerned,  the  Local  Govern- 
ment Board  otherwise  direct."  This  provision 
affects  four  district  councils.  Any  further  attempt 
at  weakening  Lord  SaUsbury's  mendment  in 
the  House  of  Commons  must  be  strenuously 
resisted. 

TIffi  MATERNITY  AND  CHILD  WELFARE 
BILL. 


The  committee  stage  of  the  Maternity  and  Child 
Welfare  Bill  in  the  House  of  Loids  is  down  for 
Thursday,  July  25th. 


NATIONAL  BABY  WEEK. 


A  meeting  of  the  Council  was  held  at  the 
Armitage  Hall,  224,  Great  Portland  Street,  on 
Tuesday,  July  23rd.  The  chair  was  occupied  by 
Dr.  Eric  Pritchard,  Chairman  of  the  Executive 
Committee,  in  the  regretable  absence  of  Major  the 
Hon.  Waldorf  Astor,  Whose  duties  as  Parlia- 
mentary Secretary  to  the  Ministry  of  Food,  to 
which  office  he  has  j  ust  been  appo  inted,  were  too 
pressing  to  admit  of  his  being  present.  It  was 
quite  obvious  that  those  present  in  the  body  of  the 
hall  were  animated  by  a  spirit  of  enthusiasm  and 
hope,  which  augurs  well  for  the  future  welfare  of 
mothers  and  babies  in  particular  and  for  the  health 
of  the  nation  in  general.  They  were  not  merely 
lookers-on,  but  social  workers  taking  a  deep 
interest  in  this  work  of  great  national  importance, 
which  was  shown  by  the  lively  discussion  which 
followed  upon  speeches  recommending  a  Ministry 


of  Public  Health.  The  following  reports  were 
submitted  .-—That  of  the  Executive  Committee 
by  Mrs.  H.  B.  Irving  (Hon.  Sec.)  That  of  the  Hon. 
Treasurer,  by  Dr.  Eric  Pritchard,  in  the  absence 
of  Sir  Edward  Pen  ton.  -That  of  the  Jewel  Fund 
Administrative  Committee,  by  Miss  Halford. 


The  National  Baby  Week  Council  is  doing  good 
service  in  publishing  a  series  of  pamphlets  bearing 
upon  its  work.  Included  in  these  are  four  lectures 
to  which  reference  has  already  been  made  in  this 
journal.  "  National  Baby  Week,  from  the  Work- 
ing-class Mother's  Point  of  View,"  by  Mrs.  H.  B. 
Ii-ving  ;  "  The  Factors  of  Infant  Mortality,"  by 
Dr.  C.  W.  Saleeby,  F.R.S.E.,  F.Z.S.  ;  "  Civic  Re- 
sponsibility with  regard  to  Child  Welfare,"  by  Di. 
Harold  Scurfield,  D.P.H.,  and  "  Baby  Week  :  its 
Objects  and  its  Future,"  by  Miss  Alice  Elliott. 
"  The  Nation's  Wealth  "  is  a  Composite  Message 
from  the  Well  Wishers  of  the  Campaign,  incluaing 
General  F.  Foch.  The  most  vital  message  is  from 
a  working  woman  in  St.  Pancras,  and  most  nurses 
and  midwives  will  agree- with  her  when  she  says, 
"  People  that  do  not  know  much  about  children 
should  not  be  allowed  to  give  advice."  The 
message  sent  two  months  ago  by  the  late  Lord 
Rhondda  has  a  special  interest.  He  wrote  :  "  The 
care  of  the  children  is  a  sacred  duty  we  owe  to 
those  who  are  giving  their  lives  for  us  at  the  Front, 
and  we  can  best  help  our  country  in  these  critical 
times  by  helping  the  children.   .  .  . 

"  The  estabhshment  of  a  Ministry  of  Health, 
which  would  do  much  for  the  nation's  children  and 
coming  generations  is  an  object  for  whicn  all  well- 
wishers  of  the  Empire  should  work,  and  one  for 
which  I  hope  we  shall  not  have  long  to  wait." 

Alas,  Lord  Rhondda  did  not  live  to  see  the  reform 
he  so  earnestly  desired.  We  agree  with  the 
National  Baby  Week  Council  that  the  best 
memorial  to  his  memory  would  be  the  immediate 
establishment  of  a  Ministry  of  Health. 


WORD  FOR  THE  WEEK. 

"  To  those  who  say  that  an  abundant  supply 
of  cheap  juvenile  labour  is  necessary  to  industry 
we  answer  '  Hands  off  the  children  !  '  They  are 
the  nation  of  the  future.  They  ought  to  be 
regarded  as  potential  parents  and  potential 
citizens,  not  to  be  sacrificed— as  they  have  been 
in  the  past — to  the  temporary  convenience  of 
industry  and  to  considerations  of  private  profit. 
Industry  exists  for  human  beings,  not  human 
beings  for  industry  and  if  the  exigencies  of 
employers  and  the  welfare  of  the  children  conflict, 
then  the  former  must  give  way  to  the  latter,  not 
the  latter  to  the  former. "^ — Mr.  Arthur  Henderson, 
M.P. 


WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 

HI  irailEXlI€  MBCOl 

EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


No    1,583. 


SATURDAY,   AUGUST    3,    1918. 


Vol.    LXI 


EDITORIAL. 


REMEMBRANCE    DAY. 

The  Lord  Mayor  of  London  rightly  inter- 
preted the  national  feeling  when  he  pro- 
posed "  that  Great  Britain  should  pause  for 
a  moment  in  the  midst  of  the  great  struggle 
to  turn  to  the  past  four  years,  and  reconse- 
crate itself  in  the  memory  of  those  high 
traditions,  to  the  demands  of  the  future." 

So  it  comes  to  pass  that,  throughout  the 
Empire,  Sunday,  August  4th,  will  be  kept 
as  "  Remembrance  Day."  We  shall  have 
in  remembrance  our  fighting  men,  our  sick 
and  wounded,  our  prisoners  of  war,  and 
surely  our  nurses,  and  our  women's  army. 

The  Roll  of  Honour  of  members  of  our 
profession  who  bravely  and  simply  have 
laid  down  their  lives  in  the  cause  of  the 
world's  freedom,  is  a  long  and  growing  one. 
We  will  have  them  in  remembrance  proudly 
and  gracefully  on  Sunday  next,  and  year  by 
year  ns  "  Remembrance  Day  "  comes  round. 

At  the  instance  of  the  Prime  Minister  a 
solemn  service  of  intercession  will  be  held 
on  Sunday  morning  at  St.  Margaret's, 
Westminster,  the  parish  church  of  the 
Royal  Palace  of  Westminster.  Apart  from 
its  special  intention,  it  will  be  of  historical 
interest,  as  the  King,  accompanied  by  the 
Queen,  will  attend,  and  it  will  be  the  first 
occasion  in  English  history  on  which  the 
Sovereign  has  officially  attended  Divine 
Service  at  the  head  of  His  Lords  and 
Commons. 

In  the  afternoon  there  will  be  a  service 
in  Hyde  Park,  where  a  Floral  Shrine  will 
be  erected,  which  it  is  hoped  may  be  visited 
by  Their  Majesties.  These  War  Shrines  will 
be  a  feature  of  the  day,  and  will  be  erected 
in  the  market  places,  or  at  the  town  halls 
in  provincial  towns,  so  that  floral  offerings 
may  be  made  in  honour  of  the  dead.  These 
will  afterwards  be  collected  by  volunteers, 
and   boy   scouts,    and    taken   to   the    local 


military  hospitals.  A  short  service,  at 
which  the  Bishop  of  London  will  be  the 
preacher,  and  a  mass  meeting  will  be  held, 
when  the  following  resolution  will  be  pro- 
posed, and  subsequently  despatched  to  the 
Prime  Minister  :^ 

"  That  the  citizens  of  London  here  assembled  on 
Remembrance  Day,  August  4th,  1918,  silently 
paying  tribute  to  the  Empire's  sons  who  have 
fallen  in  the  fight  for  freedom  on  the  scattered 
battlefields  of  the  woi Id-war,  whether  on  sea  or 
shore,  and  mindful  also  of  the  loyalty  and  courage 
of  our  sailors,  soldiers,  airmen,  and  men  of  the 
Mercantile  Marine  every  day  and  everywhere,  and 
those  who  are  working  on  the  munitions  of  war 
and  helping  in  other  ways  for  the  preservation  of 
civilisation,  unanimously  resolve  to  do  all  that  in 
their  power  lies  to  achieve  the  ideals  on  behalf  of 
which  so  great  a  sacrifice  has  already  been  made." 

Of  those  who  most  need  our  thoughts, 
our  sympathy,  and  our  practical  help,  the 
prisoners  of  war  surely  come  first,  and  the 
suggestion  of  the  Duke  of  Connaught  that 
the  collections  made  in  the  churches  on 
Sunday  next  should  be  given  in  whole,  or  in 
part,  to  our  prisoners  of  war  in  enemy  hands 
will  be  widely  approved. 

PANSIES  FOR  THOUGHTS. 

The  simple  heartsease  is  by  common 
consent  the  flower  of  remembrance.  Why 
should  we  not  adopt  it  as  the  flower  of 
Remembrance  Day,  and  wear  "  Pansies  for 
Thoughts  "  on  Sunday  next,  and  every  year 
when  the  Day  comes  round  in  honour  of  our 
heroes  and  heroines,  living  and  departed  ? 

There  is  no  flower  more  appealing  than 
the  heartsease,  and  in  its  manifold  variety 
it  presents  a  diversity  of  colour  and  form 
to  suit  all  tastes.  Far  and  wide  let  us  wear 
the  emblem,  and,  more  important  still,  let 
us  cultivate  and  cherish  the  attribute  of  the 
heartsease.  The  world  never  needed  those 
who  possess  it,  and  the  power  of  communi- 
cating its  secret  to  others  more  than  at  the 
present  time. 


76 


(Lbe  Bruisb  3ournal  of  iRurstng. 


August  3,   1918 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITION. 


now    MAY    THE   PLAY    OF   CHILDREN    BE    DIRECTED 
50    A5    TO    BE    A    MEAN5   OF    EDUCATION? 

We  have  pleasure  in  awarding  the  prize  this 
week  to  Miss  Emilie  Mona  Clay,  Colwyn 
Crescent,  Rhos-on-Sea,  North  Wales. 

PRIZE     PAPER. 

In  the  year  1837,  Friedrich  Froebel  opened 
his  first  Kindergarten  at  Blankenburgh.  The 
idea  of  using  play  for  educational  ends  was 
carried  out  by  him  in  that  early  infants'  school. 

It  was  Friedrich  Froebel  who  first  thought 
of  educational  play,  that  is,  of  so  using  the 
natural  characteristic  of  the  child  in  loving 
play,  to  teach  the  child  what  it  is  good  for  him 
to  know. 

Froebel's  explanation  of  why  he  thought  it 
important  to  use  play  educationally  would  be 
something  like  this  : — 

It  is  the  child's  nature  to  play  ;  it  will  be  easiest 
to  teach  a  child  through  play  because  the 
child  loves  to  play. 

By  using  nature  and  natural  means,  the  child 
will  learn  unconsciously. 

Play  is  a  means  of  expression.  This  is  import- 
ant, because  at  an  early  age  the  child 
expresses  himself  more  through  actions  than 
words. 

Play  is  the  child's  world. 

For  these  and  other  reasons,  having  regard 
to  child  psychology,  -it  is  important  to  use 
nature  and  what  is  natural  to  meet  our  ends 
educationally. 

Thus,  if  we  want  a  child  to  realise  some  of 
life's  activities — the  work  of  the  baker,  the 
shoemaker,  the  blacksmith,  and  so  forth — we 
do  not  take  a  book  and  read  to  the  child  a  dis- 
course on  the  work  of  the  baker,  the  shoemaker, 
the  blacksmith,  we  follow  nature,  and  we  pic- 
ture out  through  play  the  activities  of  these 
tradesmen.  Or,  again,  we  may  be  wishing  to 
draw  a  child  to  close  realisation  of  the  beauties 
of  nature,  as  in  the  life  of  the  butterfly,  the 
squirrel,  the  bee,  the  daffodil.  To  do  this  we 
may  dramatise  simply  through  play  the  simple 
facts  of  nature  :  the  butterfly's  beautiful  trans- 
formation, the  life  of  the  squirrel  in  saving 
food,  the  wonders  of  bee  life,  the  daffodil  with 
other  bulbs,  and  the  future  of  that  brown- 
looking  object. 

Through  nature  play  the  child  sees  his  own 
life  reflected  in  some  life  outside  his  own,  and 
the  plays  or  simple  dramatisations  make  sure 
his  knowledge  about  the  animal  life  so  near 
him.  This  kind  of  acquisition  is  the  "  learn 
by  doing "   which   does   not   merely   apply   to 


children's  play,   but  is  the  great  fundamental 
principle  in  all  teaching. 

The  child  who  has  pictured  out  the  activities 
of  the  baker,  the  shoemaker,  the  blacksmith — 
or  represented  through  play  some  of  Nature's 
wondrous  lore — will  not  forget  the  knowledge 
gained  in  this  way.  Such  knowledge  will  be 
the  child's  very  own  in  a  more  far-reaching 
sense  than  it  could  possibly  be  were  the  child 
only  told  about  the  baker,  the  shoemaker,  the 
blacksmith,  or  about  the  butterfly,  the  bee,  or 
the  daffodil,  the  squirrel,  and  soon. 

Educational  play  is  learning  by  doing ;  it  is 
using  something  so  natural  to  the  child,  the 
love  of  play  and  activity  and  dramatisation,  to 
impart  that  knowledge  which  in  after  years 
will  be  added  to  and  glorified. 

Froebel  says  in  connection  with  hand  plays  : 
If  your  child's  to  understand 

Things  which  other  people  do. 
You  must  let  his  tiny  hand 

Carry  out  the  same  thing  too. 

The  hand  plays  were  instituted  as  the  earliest 
form  of  educational  play.  In  these  the  child 
imitated  the  actions  of  the  "  other  people  "  and 
of  Nature's  phenomena,  as  the  turning  round 
of  a  weather  vane  through  the  action  of  the 
wind,  an  unseen  force  which  the  child  cannot 
see,  but  an  early  indication  of  the  law  of  cause 
and  eff'ect,  though  not  clear  to  the  child  at  the 
moment. 

Some  have  been  heard  to  say  that  '•'  educa- 
tional play  "  is  over-directed.  It  should  not 
be  this  in  the  hands  of  a  skilful  teacher.  She 
should  tell  the  children  in  simple  words  the 
facts  that  need  representing,  and  leave  the 
representation  to  them.  She  should  simply 
change  the  centre  of  interest  for  the  children 
if  the  play  is  degenerating  into  uselessness,  but 
she  should  not  be  the  director  of  the  play. 

As  cannot  be  too  often  said,  "  educational 
play  ' '  is  only  really  successful  when  the  teacher 
simply  remains  the  inspirer,  but  not  the 
manager  of  a  game. 

Educational  play  is  a  great  factor  in  educa- 
tion of  an  all-round  character,  more  than  merely 
the  imparting  of  facts  and  giving  knowledge, 
it  may  be  a  means  of  moral  training  untold.  It 
may  well,  help  to  make  citizens  as  well  as 
professors  ! 

HONOURABLE    MENTION. 

The  following  competitors  receive  honourable 
mention  : — Miss  M.  M.  G.  Bielby,  Miss 
R.  E.  S.  Cox,  Miss  O.  M.  Balderton,  Miss  C. 
Wright,  Mrs.  Farthing. 

QUESTION   FOR   NEXT    WEEK. 

What  have  you  learnt  of  new  nursing 
methods  in  a  military  hospital  ? 


August  3,   1918 


^be  Britisb  3ournal  of  fluraino. 


77 


MEDICAL    MATTERS. 


FEBRIS    WOLHYNICA. 

A   perfect   maze   of   publications,    long   ana 
short,   with  this  heaaing  has  appearea  in  the 
Grerman  and  Austrian  meciical  press,  says  tne 
British     Medical     Journal,     which     has     been 
drenched  with  a  sort  of  printer's  drum  fire  on 
this    subject.      Out   of    tnis    tangle,    Dr.    Oluf 
Ihomsen,   of   the   Serum    Institute  of  Copen- 
hagen, has  picked  out  the  most  salient  features 
of  a  disease  which  was  practically   unknown 
before  the  war,   except  to  Polish  physicians, 
who  seem  to  have  regarded  it  as  a  form  of 
malaria.       Early    in     1916    the    disease    was 
observed   in  soldiers  on   the  German   Eastern 
front.     Its  geographical  name,  Febris  wolhy^ 
nica,    was  as   misleading  as   its   symptomatic 
name,    Febris    quintana,    which    suggested    a 
variety  of  malaria,  for  it  was  observed  also  on 
the  Western  front,  and  no  bodies  resembling 
the  malarial  parasite  have  been  found  in  the 
blood,  and  laborious  searches  for  them  have 
been  made.     It  presents  many  of  the  charac- 
teristics of  trench  fever.     They  may,   indeed, 
prove  to  be  identical,  though  Wolhynian  fever, 
as  referred  to  by  certain  German  writers,  would 
appear  to  be  a  very  definite  fever,  with  a  far 
more    uniform    clinical    picture    than    that    of 
trench  fever.     According  to  Dr.  Thomsen,  the 
first  symptom  is  lassitude,  followed  in  a  day  or 
two  by  a  sudden  rise  of  temperature  to  about 
40°  C.      The  early  symptoms,   which  may  be 
preceded  by  rigors,  are  a  sense  of  great  heat 
and  profuse  sweating.     The  patient  is  giddy, 
and  his  muscles  feel  bruised.     A  very  charac- 
teristic and  most  unpleasant  symptom  is  pain 
in  the  legs,  especially  the  shins.     This  pain — 
gaiter  pain — is  often  worst  in  the  evening  or  at 
night,    and    is    stabbing,    boring,    or  burning. 
After  lasting  about  forty-eight  hours  the  tem- 
perature falls  almost  to  normal,  and  this  may 
be  the  end  of  the  attack.     It  may,   however, 
recur    as    often    as    ten    or    twelve    times,    at 
intervals  of  five  to  six  days.     These  intervals 
may  last  only  two  to  three  days,  or  may  be  as 
long  as  seven  to  eight.    The  prognosis  is  good, 
and  the  disease  is  seldom  if  ever  fatal.     Slight 
jaundice,  great  pallor,  herpes,  a  scarlatiniform 
or  small  papular  rash,  and  slight  enlargement 
of   liver  and    spleen    have    all   been  observed. 
There  is  an  absolute  and  a  relative  increase  in 
the  number  of  the  polymorphonuclear  neutro- 
phil leucocytes,  and,  after  two  or  three  attacks 
of  fever,   the  red  cells  may  show  slight  poly- 
chromasla.     The  disease  can  be  experimentally 
transmitted  to  man  by  lice,  which,  it  is  thought, 
are   probably   always   responsible   for   the  de- 
velopment of   the   disease    in   man.      Various 


bodies  have  been  found  in  the  digestive  system 
of  the  louse  and  in  the  blood  of  man,  but  the 
evidence  on  these  points  is  still  conflicting.  Xo 
satisfactory  treatment  has  yet  been  found. 

LICE  AND   DISEASE. 

In  connection  with  a  correspondence  on  the 
above  subject  apf>earing  recently  in  the  Times, 
the  Local  Government  Board  has  contributed 
an  interesting  note  : — 

Ihe  relation  between  trench  fever — and,  it 
may  be  added,  typhus  fever — and  body-louse 
infection  has  been  recognized  from  an  early 
period  in  the  war,  and  active  and  extensive  pre- 
cautions have  been  adopted  to  combat  pedicu- 
losis (lousiness)  in  camps  in  this  country  and 
abroad.  The  difficulties  of  "  delousing  "  have 
been  extremely  great,  especially  in  the  earlier 
days  of  rapid  mobilization,  when  arrangements 
for  personal  cleansing  and  disinfection  had  to 
be  rapidly  improvised.  At  present  such 
arrangements  are  fairly  complete  and  adequate 
for  military  needs.  It  is  noteworthy  in  this  con- 
nection that  few  if  any  cases  of  trench  fever 
have  originated  amongst  soldiers  in  home 
camps  or  billets.  The  same  holds  good  for 
civilians.  In  view  of  the  medical  publicity  given 
to  this  disease,  there  is  little  doubt  that  cases 
would  have  been  reported  had  they  occurred. 

In  Parasitology  for  April  and  May  of  this 
year.  Professor  Nuttall,  F.R.S.,  the  Quick 
Professor  of  Biology  at  the  University  of  Cam- 
bridge, has  published  the  results  of  investiga- 
tions in  which  he  has  been  engaged,  partially 
on  behalf  of  the  Local  Government  Board, 
during  the  last  three  years,  on  the  whole  ques- 
tion of  pediculosis.  In  this  publication  he  has 
added  considerably  to  our  previous  knowledge 
of  the  subject,  and  has  incorporated  a  full 
account  of  the  mass  of  work  which  has  been 
done  by  various  expert  workers  for  the  Armv 
Medical  Department.  The  practical  methods 
for  destroying  lice  and  their  eggs,  which  have 
been  adopted  on  a  large  scale,  with  excellent 
results,  in  military  camps  are  also  described.  .  . 
A  question  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  trench 
fever  has  been  under  consideration  by  the 
Local  Government  Board  in  connection  with 
complaints  from  different  parts  of  the  country 
as  to  the  unusual  prevalence  of  scabies  (itch). 
In  some  areas  in  which  scabies  has  been  particu- 
larly prevalent,  the  Board  have  consented  to  its 
being  made  temporarily  notifiable  as  part  of  the 
systematic  measures  proposed  to  be  undertaken 
to  control  its  spread.  In  the  same  connection 
the  Board  have  in  preparation  a  circular  letter 
to  all  local  authorities,  embodying  practical 
suggestions  for  the  control  of  the  parasites  of 
scabies  and  pediculosis.' 


78 


Cbc  Britieb  3ournal  ot  IRurstng. 


August  3,   1918 


THE    ROYAL    RED    CROSS, 


The  King  conferred  decorations  as  follows 
at  Buckingham  Palace,  on  July  26th  : — 

THE     ROYAL     RED    CROSS. 

First  Class. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service. 
— Sister  Margaret  Percival. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service 
Reserve. — Assistant  Matron  Mary  Chapman,  and  Sister 
Annie  MacLeod. 

Second  Class. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service. 
Sister  Jane  Galloway  and  Sister  Frederica  Roche. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service 
Reserve. — Matron  Margaret  Mullally,  Sister  Aggie 
DuRWARD,  and  Sister  Elizabeth  Wellkr. 

Civil  Nursing  Service. — Matron  Louisa  Denton, 
Matron  Jessie  Elms,  Matron  Elsie  Gale,  Matron  Lilian 
Gibbon,  Assistant  Matron  Edith  Draper,  Sister  Frances 
Eager,  Sister  Phoebe  Ell  wood.  Sister  Clara  Evans, 
Sister  Anne  Farmer,  Sister  Jean  Gordon,  Sister  Ida 
Gould,  Sister  Lavinia  Green,  Staff  Nurse  Norah  Fitz- 
gerald, Miss  Esther  Edwards,  and  Miss  Beatrice 
Evans. 

British  Red  Cross  Society. — Matron  Ethel  Graham, 
and  Sister  Ruby  Cockburn. 

Voluntary  Aid  Detachment. — Mrs.  Marguerite  Carra- 
BiNE,  Miss  Grace  Dodgson,  Mrs.  Margaret  Douglas, 
Mrs.  Annie  Dowson,  Mrs.  Ethel  Dugdale,  Mrs. 
Henrietta  Edwards,  Mrs.  Cecilia  Ferguson,  Mrs.  Lilian 
Gibson,  Miss  Theodora  Marsh,  Miss  Elsie  Rigby- 
Murray,  and  Miss  Millicent  Graham-Smith. 

Queen  ^Alexandra  received  at  Marlborough 
House  the  Members  of  the  Civil  and  Military- 
Nursing  Services  who  have  been  awarded  the 
Royal  Red  Cross,  subsequent  to  the  Investiture 
at  Buckingham  Palace. 

NURSING    SERVICES    IN    EAST  AFRICA. 

The  King  has  been,  pleased  to  award  the  Royal 
Red  Cross  to  the  following  ladies  of  the  Nursing 
Services  in  recognition  of  their  valuable  services 
with  the  British  Forces  in  East  Africa  : — 


Miss     R. 
E.A.N.S. 


First  Class. 
Paul,    A.R.R.C,     Sen. 

Second  Class. 


Nursing    Sister, 


Miss  M.  Arnold,  Sister,  S.A.M.N.S.  ;  Miss  J.  E. 
Brodie,  Sister,  North 'n  Rhod'n  Med.  Serv.  ;  Miss  E.  M. 
Campbell,  Staff  Nurse,  Q.A.LM.N.S.R.  ;  Miss  T.  A. 
Clavin,  Sister,  S.A.N.S.  ;  Miss  R.  Davy,  Staff  Nurse, 
Q.A.LM.N.S.R.  ;  Miss  V.  Donkin,  Sen.  Nursing  Sister, 
E.A.N. S.  ;  Miss  K.  F.  Duff,  Sister,  Q.A.LM.N.S.R.  ; 
Miss  A.  M.  Fletcher,  Staff  Nurse,  Q.A.LM.N.S.R.  ; 
Miss  H.  Franklin,  Staff  Nurse,  Q.A.LM.N.S.R.  ;  Miss 
D.  M.  Graves,  Staff  Nurse,  S.A.M.N.S.  ;  Miss  B. 
Hooper,  Sister,  S.A.M.N.S.  ;  Miss  A.  N.  Martin,  Sister, 
S.A.N.S.  ;  Miss  A.  M.  Sargent,  Actg.  Matron, 
Q.A.LM.N.S.R. 


The  King  has  been  pleased  to  award  the  Royal 
Red    Cross    to    the    undermentioned    ladies,    in 


recognition  of  their  valuable  nursing  services  in 
connection  with  the  war  : — 

Second  Class. 
Laing,  Miss  H.,  Matron,  Princess  Patricia's  Hospl., 
Bray,  co.  Wicklow ;  Lawson,  Miss  C.  A.,  Matron, 
'*  Sutherlands,"  Aux.  Hospl.,  Reading,  Berks;  Lawton, 
Miss  E.,  Sister,  Mil.  Hospl.,  Endell  Street,  Long  Acre, 
W.C.  2  ;  Learmouth,  Miss  E.  F.,  Nurse,  Ryecroft  Hall, 
Audenshaw;  Leavesley,  Miss  S.,  Staff  Nurse,  T.F.N.S., 
4th  North.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Lincoln;  Lindsay,  Miss  M.  O., 
Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing  Service,  No.  16,  Can.  Gen. 
Hospl.,  Orpington,  Kent;  Lindsay,  Miss  R.,  Sister  i/c 
St.  John's  V.A.  Hospl.,  Kingswood  School,  Bath; 
LiNTALL,  Miss  M.,  Anstie  Grange,  Dorking;  Llewellyn, 
Mrs.  H.,  Commndt.,  Coytrahen  Park  Red  Cross  Hospl., 
Tondu,  Glam.  ;  Lloyd,  Miss  S.,  Nurse,  3rd  Lond.  Gen. 
Hospl.,  Wandsworth,  S.W.  ;  Lovell,  Mrs.  A.  L.  S., 
Matron,  and  Officer  i/c,  Aux.  Mil.  Red  Cross  Hospl., 
Llanelly ;  Lovell,  Miss  L.  A.,  Sister,  T.F.N.S., 
2nd  Eastern  Gen.  Hospl.,  Division  i,  Brighton;  Lowe, 
Miss  A.  M.,  Sister,  T.F.JN.S.,  ist  Eastern  Gen.  Hospl., 
Cambridge;  Lumsden,  Miss  E.  E.,  Nursing  Sister,  Can. 
Nursing  Service,  No.  5  Can.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Kirkdale, 
Liverpool ;  Lyall,  Mrs.  J.  D.,  Sister,  Can.  Nursing 
Service,  Can.  Red  Cross  Spec.  Hospl.,  Buxton,  Derby- 
shire. 

Maccallum,  Miss  H.  B.,  Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing 
Service,  West  Cliff  Can.  Eye  and  Ear  Hospl., 
Folkestone;  MacDermott,  Miss  A.,  Sister,  Beech  House 
Aux.  Hospl.,  16  and  18,  The  Avenue,  N.W.  6;  Mac- 
gregor.  Miss  J.  K.,  Matron,  Dalmeny  House  Hospl., 
Edinburgh;  MacIntyre,  Miss  M.  F.,  Sister,  T.F.N. S., 
3rd  Lond.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Wandsworth,  S.W.  ;  Macleod, 
Miss  M.  E.,  Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing  Service,  No.  9 
Can.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Shorncliffe ;  Marr,  Miss  E.,  Sister, 
R.  Infirmary,  Sunderland;  Marsden,  Mrs.  E. ,  Matron, 
Beech  House  Aux.  Hospl.,  16  and  18,  The  Avenue; 
Matthews,  Miss  O.,  Staff  Nurse,  Q.A.LM.N.S.R.,  S. 
African  Mil.  Hospl.,  Richmond;  Mayne,  Mrs.  C, 
Matron  and  Theatre  Sister,  Flanders  and  Brooklands  ; 
McDowell,  Miss  A.,  Sister,  Q.A.LM.N.S.R.,  Mil. 
Hospl.,  York;  McGlashan,  Mrs.  M.  H.,  Sister-in- 
Charge,  Mil.  Hospl.,  Newhaven,  Sussex;  McKiel,  Miss 
T. ,  Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing  Service,  No.  13  Can. 
Gen.  Hospl.,  Hastings;  McNicol,  Miss  A.  H.,  Nursing 
Sister,  Can.  Nursing  Service,  No.  11  Can.  Gen.  Hospl., 
Moore  Bks.,  Shorncliffe;  Merriott,  Miss  N.,  Asst. 
Matron,  Q.A.LM.N.S.R.,  Mil.  Hospl.,  Frees  Heath, 
Salop;  Messum,  Miss  A.  M.,  Matron,  Kent  and  Canter- 
bury Hospl.  (Civil);  Michelmore,  Mrs.  E.,  Masseuse, 
Alton  Red  Cross  Hospl.,  Hants;  Miller,  Miss  E.  A., 
Asst.  Matron,  T.F.N. S.,  ist  Lond.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Camber- 
well ;  Milnes,  Miss  M.,  Nurse,  V.A.  Hospl.,  Torquay; 
Moffat,  Miss  A.,  Hermitage  Aux.  Hospl.,  Lucan, 
Dublin;  Money,  Miss  G.,  Matron,  Field  House,  Daisy 
Hill,  Bradford ;  Mooney,  Miss  L.  (Sister  Alphonsus), 
Head  Sister  and  Theatre  Sister,  Mapperley  Hall  V.A.D. 
Hospl.,  Nottingham;  MoOre,  Miss  E.  M.,  Sister, 
T.F.N.S.,  5th  Northern  Gen.  Hospl.,  Leicester;  Morris, 
Miss  J.  G.,  Asst.  Matron,  Mil.  Orthopaedic  Hospl., 
Shepherd's  Bush,  W.  ;  Morton,  Mrs.  F.  A.,  Matron  and 
Lady  Supt.,  Mil.  Hospl.,  Scarborough;  Morton,  Miss 
H.,  Sister,  Edinburgh  War  Hospl.,  Bangor,  W.  Lothian  ; 
Morton,  Miss  M.  Y.  E.,  Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing 
Service.  No.  16  Can.  Gen,  Hospl.,  Orpington,  Kent; 
MosELEY,  Miss  E.,  Matron,  T.F.N.S.,  Oakbank  War 
Hospl.,  3rd  Sco.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Glasgow;  Mowat,  Miss 
M.,  Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing  Service,  No.  11  Can. 
Gen.  Hospl.,  Moore  Bks.,  Shorncliffe;  Mullally,  Miss 
M.,  Matron,  Q.A.LM.N.S.R.,  Mil.  Hospl.,  Buttevant, 
Co.  Cork;  Murray,  Miss  C,  Sister-in-Charge,  Cuerden 
Hall  Hospl.,  Bamber  Bridge. 


August  3,   1918 


{[be  Britidb  3ournal  of  'nuremo. 


79 


NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 


The  Go  vendors  of  St.  Bartholcmjw's  Hospital 
have  decided,  vnth  many  other  general  hospitals, 
to  admit  for  training  a  limited  number  of  nursing 
members  of  voluntary  aid  detachments  and  special 
military  probationers  who  have  satisfactorily 
completed  not  less  than  two  consecutive  years' 
work  in  a  military  or  an  auxiliary  hospital.  The 
hospital  certificate  of  training  will  be  granted 
after  the  passing  of  the  final  examination  on  the 
completion  of  three  years'  training,  the  fourth 
year  of  the  usual  course  being  excused.  Regular 
probationers  are  now  received  at  St.  Bartholo- 
mew's Hospital  at  the  age  of  21. 

An  Injustice  to  Regular  Probationers. 

As  the  fourth  year's  work  exacted  by  the 
training  schools  is  one  of  service  and  not  of  training, 
this  is  a  fair  arrangement ;  but  where  regular 
probationers  will  suffer  is  that  those  who  train  in 
hope  of  making  military  nursing  their  career, 
will,  in  the  future,  be  exclu^ded  from  the  Imperial 
Kursing  Service,  as  the  new  Instruction  678, 
recently  adopted  by  the  Army  Council,  promoted 
by  the  British  Red  Cross  Society  and  the  Nursing 
Board,  provides  for  priority  of  promotion  to  the 
Service  for  members  of  voluntary  aid  detachments 
and  special  military  probationers,  who  are  to  be 
admitted  to  our  large  training  schools  on  the 
privileged  three  yeaas'  term.  This  is  specially 
unjust  to  those  regular  probationers  who  have 
entered  for  four  yeais'  training  and  service  this 
year. 

But  throughout  this  war,  members  of  the 
Nursing  Profession  have,  by  the  unfortunate 
influence  of  the  Matron-io-Chief  of  the  Joint  War 
Committee,  been  treated  with  a  lack  of  recognition, 
to  which  it  is  surpiising  that  they  should  have 
submitted. 

Instruction  678  is  the  latest  evidence  of  the 
danger  of  the  control  of  our  professional  standards 
by  lay  persons  of  social  influence,  the  leisured 
wealthy,  and  their  subservient  of&cials. 

What  next  ?  First  the  "  serf  clause  "  ;  now  the 
most  honourable  service  under  the  State  closed 
to  open  competition.  As  we  trained  nurses  are 
compelled  to  pay  the  taxes  to  support  the  War 
Office,  we  must  place  our  opinion  on  record  con- 
cerning this  class  job. 


The  Ulster  Nurses'  Unit,  since  their  hospital  at 
Lyons  was  closed,  have  been  working  with  an 
American  ambulance  on  the  Western  front,  but 
they  are  anxious  not  to  lose  their  identity,  and 
an  appeal  for  funds  is  being  made  This  Unit  has 
had  a  strenuous  time.  They  were  close  to  the 
battle  for  an  important  point,  and  their  hospital 
drew  the  usual  attention  from  the  Germans. 
Finally,  they  got  orders  to  evacuate  in  the  night, 
packed  all,  and  arrived  safely  at  the  next  point, 
where   they   are   now    in    charge,    after    almost 


miraculous  escapes.  Every  window  broken  and 
roofs  moved  by  injuries  to  the  walls,  yet  the  only 
building  completely  destroyed  was  their  goods 
store  and  the  only  lives  lost  by  bombardment  were 
seven  horses  close  outside  the  nurses'  quarters. 
The  Germans  fired  on  them  while  removing  the 
stretcher  cases,  and  on  the  doctors,  and  again  on 
the  orderlies  finally  clearing  off.  Ulster  nurses 
who  would  like  to  j  oin  the  unit  should  apply  to  the 
Matron,  Samaritan  Hospital,  Belfast.  They  must 
speak  French  fluently,  and  n'ot  object  to  hard  work 
and  some  discomforts. 


Miss  Dora  E.  Thompson,  Chief  of  the  American 
Army  Nurse  Caravan  Corps,  whose  hospitals  are 
mounted  on  motor  trucks  and  trailers,  is  organising 
staffs  of  fifty  nurses  for  each  unit,  who  will  go  up 
within  five  miles  of  the  fighting  lines  when  their 
caravans  respond  to  emergency  calls.  Each  unit 
is  planned  to  be  equivalent  to  an  evacuation 
hospital,  and  the  nurses  are  each  given  the  field 
Idt  of  an  officer,  prepared  to  camp  where  night 
finds  them. 

Real  Good  Work. 

Sister  Mary  Walker,  holder  of  the  Serbian  Croix 
de  Charit6,  a  former  student  of  the  Keighley  Girls' 
Grammar  School,  gave  an  address  at  the  Keighley 
Temperance  Institute  recently  on  the-  work 
of  the  Scottish  Women's  Hospital  in  Serbia  and 
Corsica.  Sii-  John  Clough  (chairman  of  the 
Governors)  presided  over  a  large  audience,  and 
Serbian  national  soDgs  were  sung  by  girls  of  the 
Grammar  School.  Sister  Walker,  who  expressed 
her  pleasure  at  being  able  to  come  back  to  Keighley 
again,  outUned  the  work  of  the  Scottish  Women's 
Hospitals  with  the  Belgian  and  French  armies, 
and  subsequently  with  the  Serbians.  After  the 
retreat  from  Serbia  she  and  another  nurse  attached 
themselves  to  the  women's  hospital  wnich  went 
out  with  the  Salonika  Expeditionary  Force. 
\Vhite  aprons  and  caps  were  synonyrnous  with 
nursing  in  England,  but  not  so  in  Serbia,  where 
they  had  no  water  to  wash  in,  snow  up  to  the  hips, 
and  blocks  of  ice  over  the  only  well  in  the  village. 
In  the  hospita'  itself  they  hed  no  means  of  obteiin- 
ing  heat,  and  the  hot- water  bottles  put  in  bed  at 
5  o'clock  at  night  were  frozen  at  10.  Around  the 
compound  wolves  gathered  at  night. 

Sister  Walker  spoke  of  the  removal  of  the  hos- 
pital to  Salonika,  and  subsequently  to  Corsica, 
where  they  bad  10,000  refugees  under  their  care. 
In  Corsica  100  babies  were  born,  and  only  three 
died.  Here  mothers  were  getting  the  ideas  of 
Western  and  particularly  British  civilisation  on 
the  rearing  of  children,  sanitation,  and  personal 
hygiene,  so  that  when  the  Serbian  nation  was 
rebuilt  its  sai  itary  systems  would  be  founded  upon 
British  and  French  examples.  The  Serbian  people 
generally  were  greatly  interested  in  Britain,  and 
when  they  got  back  to  tneir  own  land  there  would 
be  an  opening  for  British  trade  provided  our 
manufacturers  offered  to  Serbia  the  goods  she 
wanted. 


8o 


Zbc  British  3oiirnal  of  IRurstn^. 


August  3,   1918 


FRENCH  FUQ  NURSING  CORPS. 


CORDIAL     CONGRATULATIONS    FROM     HIS 
EXCELLENCY  THE   FRENCH  AMBASSADOR. 

Madame  la  Vicorritesse  de  la  Panouse,  the 
Pr6sidente  of  the  Comit6  Britannique  de  la 
Croix  Rouge  Fran9aise,  has,  on  behalf  of  His 
Excellency  M.  Paul  Cambon,  French  Ambassa- 
dor to  the  Court  of  St.  James',  and  the  whole 
Comit^  conveyed  to  the  Sisters  of  the  French 
Flag  Nursing  Corps  attached  to  Ambu- 
lance 12/2,  very  hearty  congratulations  both 
upon  the  honour  which  the  French  Government 
has    conferred    upon    them,    and    upon    their 


former,  when  Matron  of  Ambulance  Mobile  No.  i, 
earned  the  affection  of  every  member  of  the  Corps 
with  whom  she  came  in  contact,  and  is  a  shining 
example  of  what  a  military  nurse  should  be. 
She  is  back  in  her  old  place  and  everyone 
delighted  to  have  her  there.  A  Sister  writes  : — 
"  When  our  nice  General,  whom  we  have  known 
for  so  many  years,  recently  asked  us  to  a  theatrical 
performance,  and  particularly  asked  as  many  of 
us  as  possible  to  come,  it  was  a  wonderful  sight  to 
see  all  our  '  Poilus  '  in  their  azure  blues  and 
various  uniforms  in  this  pretty  theatre  ;  the  coup 
d'ceil  would  have  made  a  wonderful ,  painting. 
The  General  had  Miss  Warner  in  his  box,  and  he 
tcld  her  he  was  glad  to  see  us  all  back  with  them, 
and  hoped  we  should  never  leave  them  again.     It 


MI5S    MITCHELL.  AND    MIS5    WARNER,  5ISTERS    HANNINQ,   JONES    AND   QILL,     F.F.N.C, 

AMBULANCE.    16/21. 


admirable  devotion  to  duty  which  has  earned 
distinction  for  them,  for  the  Corps,  for  the 
Comit6,  and  for  their  country,  and  has  wished 
them  Godspeed  in  their  beneficent  service. 

The  seven  Sisters  will,  we  feel  sure,  value 
deeply  this  expression  of  appreciation  upon  the 
part  of  the  French  Ambassador  and  the  Comit6 
Britannique. 


Miss  Martha  Oakley- Williams,  R.N.S.,  has 
joined  the  Corps  and  has  been  posted  to  Lisieux, 
which  is  now  in  the  war  zone. 


Miss  Warner  and  Miss  McMurrich  have  rejoined 
Ambulance  16/21,  and  with  the  three  F.F.N.C. 
Sisters  ^re  happily  reunited  in,  their  work.     The 


is  so  nice  to  be  amongst  old  friends  and   to    be 
appre.  iated. 

"  Oil  July  4th  Miss  Warner  gave  a  party  to  the 
patients,  which  was  a  great  success,  a  very  nice 
dejeuner,  and  surprise  bags  for  all,  which  they 
greatly  enjoyed.  Our  surprise  came  later  when 
one  of  the  patients  came  forward  and  presented 
the  American  and  English  nurses  each  with 
wonderful  bouquets  of  crimson  ramblers,  lupins 
and  Easter  lilies  tied  with  "  Entente  "ribbon.  He 
made  a  most  charming  speech.  He  said  he 
wished  to  present  the  flowers  to  each  of  us  in  the 
name  of  the  patients,  on  this  great  day  of  Inde- 
pendence, and  said  how  much  tliey  all  appreciated 
their  English  and  Ameiican  brothers  having  come 
to  fight  by  their  side  for  the  great  cause  of 
Humanity,  and  for  Libeity,  and  Justice  and 
Right,   and  that  he  also  wished  to  thank  '  les 


August  3,   1 91 8 


ZTbe  3Brtti6b  3onrnal  of  IRurstuG. 


az 


bonnes  Damps  Infixraidres  Auglaises  et  Americaines 
pour  tout  leurs  grands  d^vouements  et  soins 
minuteuses  qu'elles  donneut  k  nous  tous,'  a 
most  beautiful  and  touching  speech.  They  gave 
a  sounding  '  Vive  TAngleterre '  and  '  Vive 
TAmerique  '  to  end  up  with.  They  really  are 
wonderlu],  our  Poilus.  1  don't  think  anyone 
knows  how  truly  wonderful  they  are  apait  from 
then  splendid  gallantry  ori  the  battlefield." 


"As  you  have  shown,  since  the  very  beginning  of 
the  war,  so  much  understanding  and  real  sympathy 
with  Fra^nce,  I  only  wish  you  could  see  the  joy  of 
these  dear  people  since  the  push  back  began," 
writes  a  Sister  in  the  war  zone.  "  Young  men 
a.nd  old  go  rollicking  by,  .l?.ughing  and  singing, 
with  garlands  of  flowers  round  tfteir  necks,  their 
camions  decorated,  an'd  the  horses — flower-decked 
too — prance  along  as  proud  as  can  be,  entirely  in 
the  know. 

With  what  marvellous  courage  the  French  have 
borne  their  burden  in  these  black  years  !  Is  it  any 
wonder,  now  that  they  know  that  the  tide  has 
turned — for  indeed  the  beginning  of  the  end  is  here 
and  now — ^that  their  spirits  rise,  and  after  super- 
human restraint  they  let  themselves  go  ? 

To  see  these  flower-decked  warriors  on  the  war- 
path fills  one  with  exultation.  We  know  victory 
will  be  their  rewajd. 

We  have  heard  much  of  supermen.  The  real 
supermen  in  this  war  are  not  the  brutes  who  ha.ve 
wallowed  in  carnage,  but  the  wonderful  patriots 
who,  in  resisting  them,  have  all  these  yea.rs  kept 
their  coura.ge,  and  their  faith,  and  their  spirits,  and 
their  souls — all  alive,  red  hot,  in  spite  of  hell  let 
loose,  the  murder  of  their  dear  ones,  the  dbvasta- 
tion  of  their  homes,  and  the  ruin  of  their  glorious 
mctouments.    ^  ^        ■ 

'We  British  Nurses  rejoice  to  serve  men  of  such 
mettle." 


CARE    OF    THE    WOUNDED. 


Mr.  Laurence  PhiUpps,  brother  of  Lord  St. 
Davids,  has  given  ^15,000  towards  homes  for 
paralysed  Welsh  Service  men. 

Sir  William  Osier,  Regius  Professor  of  Medicine 
at  Oxford  University,  unfuiled  the  American 
flag  at  the  new  hospital  for  United  Stales  soldiers 
at  Portsmouth. 


In  an  inspiring  speech  at  the  annual  meeting 
of  the  Order  of  St.  John,  the  Viceroy  referred 
to  the  magnificent  result  of  "  Our  Day  "  appeal — 
122  lakhs  {;^8i3,333).  The  attacks  by  the  Germans 
on  hospitals  provided  an  additional  reason  for 
ungrudging  help  to  the  Red  Cross.  If  the  need 
arose,  he  would  not  hesitate  to  make  another 
appeal  to  India,  confident  that  she  would  again 
rise  to   the   height   of   her   opportunities. 

The  Vicomtesse  de  la  Panouse  writes  to  the 
press  to  express  to  the  generous  people  of  Great 


and  Greater  Britain  her  heartfelt  thanks  for  their 
splendid  response  to  the  appeal  for  help  on  France's 
Day.  We  are  pleased  to  learn  that  the  gifts  aro 
likely  to  exceed  those  of  last  year. 


The  largest  purely  American  hospital  near 
London  will  be  located  in  the  grounds  of  Richmond 
Park,  on  land  given  for  this  purpose  by  the  King. 
The  hospital  itself  is  to  be  a  g^ ft  from  the  British 
Red  Cross.  It  will  stand  in  one  of  the  finest 
sylvan  sites  in  this  country,  situated  on  high 
ground  and  commanding  an  unequalled  view  of  the 
Thames  Valley  and  the  historic  countryside. 
It  is  intended  tha  c  the  institution  shall  be  the  finest 
example  of  a  hut  hospital  which  can  be  built  in 
the  light  of  the  experience  gained  since  the  war 
broke  out.  Wounded  Americans  in  hospital  in 
Great  Britain  are  visited  weekly  by  American 
women,  more  than  600  of  whom  in  all  parts  of 
England  are  now  enrolled  in  the  "  Care  Com- 
mittee "  of  the  American  Red  Cross.  For,  con- 
valescent soldiers,  the  "  Care  Committee  "  co- 
operates with  the  British  Hospitality  Committee 
in  organizing  excursions,  teas,  thea.tre  parties, 
and  similar  entertainments. 


M.  Clemenceau  has  awarded  the  Legion  of 
Honour  and  the  Croix  de  Guerre  to  Miss  Fraser, 
a  British  motor-driver,  who  was  wourded  while 
in  the  exercise  of  her  duties.  The  award  was 
a.ccompanied  by  the  following  glowing  tribute  to 
the  act  of  gaJlantry  which  earned  her  these 
decora.tions  :  "  Ordered  to  transport  wounded, 
she  accomplished  her  mission  under  a  violent 
bombardment,  and  though  sustaining  two  very 
serious  wounds  during  the  journey  she  had  the 
superb  courage  to  run  200  yards.  On  collapsing 
from  wea,kness,  she  was  transported  to  hospital 
to  undergo  an  operation,  but  insisted  upon  not 
being,  attended  to  before  the  wounded  for  whom 
she  was  responsible." 


Steel  traps,  equipped  with  spiings  of  bone- 
crushing  strength  and  j  agged  teeth  two  inches  long, 
are  being  used  by  the  Germans  to  catch  patrols  in 
"  no  man's  land."  Corporal  Leonard  Manser, 
U.S.  Army,  relates  how  he  discovered  one  at 
night  -in  an  unnamed  American -held  sector  and 
brought  the  tiap  to  their  trenches.  The  con- 
trivance is  three  feet  long,  and  ha.s  ja.ws  eighteen 
inches  wide,  with  teeth  two  inches  long.  It  is 
designed  to  give  the  victim  great  pain  and  make 
liim  call  for  help.  This  a.ttracts  bis  comrades, 
who  become  targets  for  a  German  macMne-gun 
fusillade,  which  results  in  the  anrihilatioc  of  the 
entire  party. 

When  wc  were  young  we  were  greatly  interested 
in  the  pictures  of  Chinese  tortures  which  vsed 
to  Hne  the  wa.lls  in  descending  to  the  dark  and 
gruesome  Chamber  of  Horrors  a.t  Madame  Tous- 
saud's.  But  why  go  so  far  afield  as  China  to  seek 
for  hideous  cruelty  ?  Germany  is  comparatively 
close  aivd  could  evidently  give  points  to  the 
heathen  Chinee. 


82 


Zbc  Sritt0t)  3ourtuil  of  flurdina. 


August  3,  1918 


NIGHTINGALE  NURSING  IN  FRANCE. 


PROGRESS    AT    THE    MAISON     DE    SANTE 
PROTESTANTE,    BORDEAUX. 

Of  all  the  world's  nursing  pioneers  since  the 
days  of  Florence  Nightingale,  none  has  perhaps 
had  a  harder  fight  than  Dr.  Anna  Hamilton  of 
Bordeaux.  Of  her  truly  it  can  be  said,  "  a  prophet 
is  not  without  honour,"  &c.,  and  the  reputation 
of  the  work  she  has  been  doing  for  18  years  is  now 
returning  to  France  via  the  U.S.A.  As  the  U.S. 
delegates  land  in  Bordeaux  and  visit  the  one  school 
of  nursing  run  nn  Nightingale  lines,  they  are  all 
astonished  that  such  a  splendid  work  has  not  had 
better  recognition,  and  the  French  are  astonished 
that  a  work  which  has  been  quietly  (and  almost 
unnoticed  in  their  midst)  establishing  itself  should 
be  so  well  known  in  the  States. 


example.  After  visiting  the  School  Major  Cabot 
asked  Dr.  Hamilton  how  much  it  cost  to  train  a 
nurse.  He  was  told  £1 10,  and  he  has  sent  her  that 
amount  and  the  following  charming  expression  of 
appreciation  : — 

"  '  1  believe  your  training  school  is  not  only  the 
best  in  Fiance,  but  one  of  the  best  in  the  world. 
With  more  money  and  a  better  hospital  it  could 
become,  under  your  management,  the  best.  I 
congratulate  you.  Richard  C.  Cabot.'  " 

The  scholarship  so  graciously  bestowed  by 
Major  Cabot  has  been  won  by  Mdlle.  Guelfucci  of 
Card. 

Miss  Emily  Kemp,  who  has  been  such  an 
indefatigable  worker  for  the  French  wounded 
since  the  beginning  of  the  war,  has  sent  Miss  Grace 
Ellison  .^100  to  train  a  nurse  tor  three  years  at 
Dr.  Hamilton's  hospital  at  Bordeaux.     Miss  Kemp 


NEW     DIPLOMEES    OP    THE    MAISON    DE    SANTE    PROTESTANTE. 


We  have  received  an  interesting  account  of  the 
recent  examinations  for  the  Nursing  Diploma  at 
this  school,  when  all  the  senior  pupils  weru 
eminently  successful. 

New    Diplom^es    of    the    Maison    de    Sante 
protestante,  bordeaux. 

Mdlle.  Long  (Nice),  Mdlle.  Casalis  (Paris),  Mdlle. 
Harrioo  (Port  Menois,  Finisterre),  Mdlle.  S61zer 
(Jonina,  Algeria),  Mdlle.  Midas  (Royau),  Mdlle. 
Coste  (St.  Etienne),  Mdlle.  Laverniez  (Clermont 
Ferrand),  Mdlle.  Chareusol  (St.  Croix  Voltee 
Frangais),  Mdlle.  Bravois  (Bonforitz,  Algeria), 
Mdlle.  Mentello  (Nice). 

The  examinations  in  which  Major  Richard 
Cabot  (Massachusetts  Hospital,  Boston),  Med. 
Chef  of  the  great  American  Hospital  at  Talence, 
took  part,  were  held  in  public,  and  the  day  ended 
with  a  deUghtful  dinner  and  concert.  Miss  Grace 
Ellison,  who  was  present,  writes  : — 

"  I  have  so  often,  in  the  '  B.J.N.'  spoken  of  the 
Americans   as   a   practical   people.     Here  is   an 


is  much  in  sympathy  with  this  plan  for  training 
nurses,  especially  when  the  candidates  are  what 
we  in  Great  Britain  call  "  the  right  sort."  So 
many  daughters  of  French  Protestant  pastors 
wish  to  take  up  nursing  as  a  profession,  but  their 
parents  have  not  been  able  to  pay  the  fees  ;  it  is 
for  women  like  these  that  Miss  Kemp's  money  will 
be  used  in  memory  of  Miss  Lydia  Kemp,  her 
sister,  who  has  just  died  and  who  worked  inde- 
fatigably  for  the  sick  and  poor  and  blind. 

By  and  bye  it  is  hoped  to  build  and  endow 
a  beautiful  hospital  and  Nursing  School  at  Baga- 
telle, the  property  left  by  INIdlle.  Bosc  to  the 
Maison  de  Sante  Protestante  at  Bordeaux. 
Under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Anna  Hamilton  this 
school  has  always  been  organised  on  the  Nightin- 
gale principles  of  nursing,  and  we  hear  that 
it  is  probable  that  the  now  school  will  be 
known  as  the  Florence  Nightingale  College  of 
Nursing.  ;^ioo,ooo  could  accomplish  magnificent 
results  if  only  it  was  to  hand.  We  have  great 
hopes  for  the  future. 


August  3,   igi8 


(Tbe  ©ritteb  3ournal  of  TFluretno. 


83 


LONDON    HOSPITAL    SYSTEM. 


How  It  Injures  the  Profession. 

In  the  House  of  Commons,  on  Thursday, 
July  i8th,  Major  Chappie  aiked  the  Under- 
Secretary  of  State  for  War  (i)  whether,  in  appoint- 
ing nurses  to  the  nursing  staff  of  the  Army,  any 
discrimination  is  made  against-  nurses  trained  in 
hospitals  that  farm  out  their  nur-cs  after  the 
end  of  their  second  yeai's  training,  taking  them 
away  from  their  training  in  the  wards  and  paying 
them  13s.  per  week  while  they  are  earning  £2  2s. 
for  the  hospital.  (2)  whether  the  certificate 
given  to  nurses  at  the  end  of  their  second  year's 
training  in  the  London  Hospital  is  accepted 
by  the  Army  nursing  authorities  as  qualifying  for 
appointment  to  the  Army  nursing  staff  ? 

Mr.  Macpherson,  in  replying,  said  :  The  regula- 
tions regarding  the  qualifications  for  appointment 
to  the  Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military 
Nursing  Service  provide  that  a  candidate  must 
possess  a  certificate  of  not  less  than  three  years' 
training  and  service  in  medical  and  surgical 
nursing  in  a  civil  hospital  having  not  less  than 
100  beds.  Time  spent  in  private  nursing  is  not 
allowed  to  count  towards  the  qualifying  period  of 
three  years'  training.  The  answer  to  the  second 
question  is  in  the  negative. 

Major  Chappie,  on  July  25th,  asked  the  Under- 
Secretary  of  State  for  War  whether  the  certificate 
of  training  given  by  the  London  Hospital  is 
accepted  as  qualif^nng  for  appointment  to  the 
Army  Nursing  Service ;  whether  the  certificate 
states  that  the  nurse  has  had  not  less  than  three 
years'  training  in  the  hospital ;  whether  he  is 
aware  that  nurses  in  the  hospital  are  taken  from 
their  training  in  the  wards  and  are  sent  out  at  the 
end  of  their  second  year  to  nurse  private  cases 
for  the  purpose  of  appropriation  by  the  hospital 
of  not  less  than  29s.  per  week  of  their  earnings 
and  not  for  professional  training  ;  and  whether 
if  time  spent  in  private  nursing  is  not  allowed 
to  count  towards  the  qualifying  period  of  three 
years'  training,  any  steps  are  taken  to  discover 
what  period  of  the  years  of  training  in  the  case 
of  a  London  Hospital  nurse  applying  for  a  post 
in  the  Army  Nursing  Service  have  been  spent  in 
private  nursing  ? 

Mr.  Macpherson  said  :  In  reply  to  questions 
by  my  hon.  and  gallant  friend,  on  Thursday  last, 
I  stated  what  certificate  of  trainirfg  must  be 
possessed  by  candidates  for  appointment  to 
Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing 
Service.  Steps  are  always  taken  to  ascertain 
thata  nurse  has  completed  the  ileCessary  training. 

And  so  the  principle  at  issue — of  justice  to  the 
worker — is  befogged  every  time. 

The  fact  is  that  Miss  Liickes,  the  Matron  of  the 
London  Hospital,  is  permtited  to  use  the  nurses 
as  she  chooses — as  one  does  the  lint  and  the 
bandages  I  If  she  elects  to  send  thf  m  out  private 
nursing  to  make  money  for  the  hospital,  she  may 
do  so,  and  thus  disqualify  them  for  aU  the  higher 


positions  in  the  profession  for  which  a  three  years' 
certificate  of  training  is  obligatory. 

But  as  the  London  Hospital  has  always  had  so 
much  influential  representation  on  the  Nursing 
Board  of  Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  IVliUtary 
Nursing  Service  the  rules  continue  to  provide 
a  loophole  for  the  admission  of  London  Hospital 
nurses  with  a  two  years'  certificate  and  service. 

It  is  high  time  all  these  iriegularities  and  privi- 
leges for  the  London  Hospital  were  abolished. 

The  London  should  train  a.nd  certificate  its 
nrrses  after  a  three  years'  systematic  training  in 
the  wards  ;  it  should  shut  down  its  "  nurse  farm  " 
or  work  it  on  the  co-operative  plan  for  the  benefit 
of  members  of  the  nursing  staff  who  have  gained 
a  thiee  years'  certificate.  Thousands  of  pounds 
would  be  thus  paid  to  the  workers  instead  of  in 
support  of  the  charity,  and  to  provide  huge 
salaries  for  senior  officials. 

The  Nursing  Board  of  Q.A.I.M.N.S.  should 
cease  to  pander  to  the  commercial  regime  of  the 
London  Hospital,  establish  the  standard  of  the 
three  years'  certificate,  c.nd  cease  to  recognise 
"  service,"  whatever  that  may  mean.  Incident- 
ally, the  senior  and  best  paid  pests  in  the  service 
should  not,  in  the  future,  be  reserved  for  London 
Hospital  trainees,  who  carry  on  the  obsolete 
traditions  of  their  Alma  Mater. 


GIVING  DIRECTIONS  TO  PARLIAMENT. 

In  discussing  the  Maternity  and  Child  Welfare 
Bill  recently  in  Committee  in  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, the  Chairman  ruled  out  of  order,  on  the 
ground  that  it  would  be  giving  directions  to 
Parliament  in  regard  to  future  legislation,  a  new 
clause,  which  Sir  W.  Cheyne  and  Major  Hills  had 
given  notice  of  their  intention  to  propose,  pro- 
viding that  on  the  appointment  of  a  Minister  of 
Public  Health,  the  powers  and  duties  conferred  and 
imposed  by  the  Bill  on  the  Local  Government 
Board  or  on  the  President  thereof  should  be  tians- 
ferred  forthwith  to  the  Minister  of  Public  Health. 

We  have  pointed  out  the  unparUamentary 
proceeding  of  the  Council  of  th'^  College  of  Nursing 
in  pledging  Parliament  in  their  prospectus  to 
nurses  as  an  inducement  to  register  with  the 
College— 

(i)  "If,  therefore"  (the  prospectus  states),  "you 
are  on  the  College  Register  you  will,  automatically, 
and  without  further  fee,  be  placed  upon  the  State 
Register,  when  the  '  Nurses  Registration  Bill '  is 
passed." 

Thousands  of  nurses  have  been  induced  to  join 
the  College  on  this  printed  promise,  which  is 
"  giving  directions  to  Parliament  in  regard  to 
future  legislation  "  concerning  which  it  has  never 
been  consulted,  and  which  it  may  very  naturally 
repudiate. 

Miss  Matheson,  the  Secretary  of  the  Irish  College 
Board,  in  her  pamphlet,  is  even  more  unconstitu- 
tional in  her  pie-crust  pledges. 

Parliament  is  very  jealous  of  its  prerogatives,  as 
people  presuming  to  deal  with  legislation  shojuld 
be  well  aware. 


84 


TLl)c  Britisb  3ournal  of  "Wursino. 


August  3,   1 91 8 


THE  BANNER  OF  QUEEN  ALEXANDRA'S 
IMPERIAL  MILITARY  NURSING  SERVICE 

Queen  Alexandra,  accompanied  by  the  Princess 
Victoria,  was  present  on  Monday  at  a  service  for 
the  dedication  of  the  banner  of  Queen  Alexandra's 
Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service,  which  was 
hung  in  the  Royal  Albert  Hall  on  the  occasion  of 
the  commemoration  of  the  First  Seven  Divisions, 
which  was  held  in  the  Chapel  of  the  Queen 
Alexandra  Military  Hospital,  Millbank. 

The  banner  was  handed  over  to  the  custody  of 
Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing 
Service. 

The  service  was  conducted  by  the  Archdeacon  of 
London  (the  Venerable  E.  E.  Holmes),  the  Rev.  R. 
Bartlett  (Chaplain  to  Queen  Alexandra  Hospital 
for  the  Nursing  Service),  and  the  Rev.  J.  C. 
Knapp  (Chaplain  to  the  Queen  Alexandra  Military 
Hospital). 

Queen  Alexandra  afterwards  visited  the  sick  and 
invalid  nurses  who  are  patients  in  the  hospital. 


OUR    ROLL    OF    HONOUR. 

NURSING    SERVICE. 
Wounded. 
Wright,  Sister  M.,  B.R.C.S. 


THE    MILITARY  MEDAL. 

The  London  Gazette  of  July  30th  publishes  the 
names  of  38  ladies  (mostly  trained  nurses)  who 
have  been  awarded  the  Military  Medal  for  dis- 
tinguished services  in  the  field,  in  connection 
with  the  bombin,!^  of  hospitals  in  France. 


APPOINTMENTS. 

MATRON. 

General  Hospital,  Cheltenham. — ^Miss  L.  C.  Fox- 
Da.vies  ha.s  been  appointed  Matron.  She  was 
trained  at  the  General  Hospital,  Birmingham,  and 
has  held  the  positions  of  W?jd  Sister,  Thea,tre 
Sister,  Xight  Sister,  and  Home  Sister  at  the 
General  Hospital,  Cheltenham. 

Home  of  Recovery,  Allerton  Tower,  Liverpool. 
—  IVIiss  Grace  C.  May  wood  has  been  appointed 
Matror.  She  was  trained  at  ^he  Manchester 
Royal  Infiirna.ry,  and  has  been  Assistant  Matron, 
British  Red  Cross  Hospital,  Xetley  ;  Matron,  Ufra- 
combe  Private  Nursing  Home  ;  and  was  for  three 
years  previous  to  taking  up  wa.r  work,  on  the  Staff 
of  the  London  Association  of  Nurses. 

THEATRE   SISTER. 

Royal  Albert  Edward  Infirmary,  Wigan.  —  Miss 
Henrietta  Follevaag  has  been  appointed  Theatre 
Sister.  She  was  trained  at  the  Royal  Albert 
Edward  Infirmary,  and  has  done  private  nursing. 

SISTER. 

Royal  Albert  Edward  Infirmary,  Wigan. — Miss  S.  A- 
Eddy  has  been  appointed  Sister.  She  was  trained 
at  the  Royal  Infirmary,  Shefl&cld. 


"  BRITISH    NURSES  AND  THEIR  FIGHT 
FOR  FREEDOM." 

Under  the  above  heading  the  American  Journal 
of  Nursing  just  to  hand  publishes  an  admirable 
letter  by  Miss  Beatrice  Kent,  placing  clearly  before 
our  American  colleagues  the  situation  in  this 
country  in  regard  to  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd., 
and  British  nurses.  Trained  nurses  in  this  country 
owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  the  editor  of  our  con- 
temporary for  the  space  she  has  devoted  to  making 
the  position  plain  to  our  American  colleagues,  and 
to  Miss  L.  L.  Dock  and  Miss  Beatrice  Kent,  most 
forceful  of  advocates,  for  their  articles. 


NOCTURNE. 

{In  a  Nursing  Home.) 

Grey  scudding  clouds  and  a  sodden  sky, 
The  distant  sound   of  the  rolling  sea. 

And   on   my   back  in   ray   bed  I  lie, 
Counting  the  hours  to  early  tea. 

The  trees  outside  fling  back  and  fro, 
Whipt   by    the   early   morning   wind  ; 

And  Time  is  moving  remarkably  slow, 
And  night  is  long   and  far  from  kind. 

And   all  the  ghosts   of  long  ago. 

They  gather  around  with  much  to  say  ; 

They   gather   around   and   bother   me   so. 
And  the  bed  feels  hard — I  wish  it  were  day. 

The  stars  grow  faint  and  the  sky  grows  light, 
The  first  tram  rumbles   along   its  way  ; 

Past  and  gone  is  the  weary  night,     . 

And — surely   that   is   nurse   with   the   tray. 

^M.    MOLLETT. 

NO  FLOWERS  BUT  A  CROWN. 

{Lines  beneath  a  picture  of  our  Lord ;    quoted  in  a 
recent  sermon  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  the  Bishop  oj  Edinburgh.) 

I   said,     "  let   me   walk   in   the   fields  "  ; 
He  said,     "  nay,   walk  in  the  town  "  ; 
I   said,     "  there  are  no  flowers   there  "  ; 
-    He  said,    "  no  flowers  but  a  crown  "  ; 
I   said,     "  but  the   skies  cire  black, 
There   is  nothing   but   noise   and   din  "  ; 
Biit  He  wept  as  He  sent   me  back, 
"There   is   more,"     He   said,     "there   is   sin." 

I   said,     "  but   the   air   is.  thick. 

And  fogs  are  veiling   the  sun  "  ; 

He  answered,     "  yet  hearts  are  sick, 

And   souls  in  the   dark   undone." 

I   said,     "  I  shall   miss   the   light, 

And.  friends  will  miss  me,   they  say  "  : 

He   answered   me,     "  choose  to-night. 

If   /  am   to   miss  you,    or   they." 

I  pleaded  for  time  to  be  given  ; 

He  said,     "is  it  hard  to  decide  ? 

It  will  not  seem  hard  in  Heaven 

To    have   followed   the   steps   of  your    Guide." 

Then  into  His  hand  slipped  mine 
And  into   my   heart  came   He. 
And  I  walked  in  the  light  Divine 
The  path  I  had  feared  to  see. 

{From    "Nurses  Near  and  Far.'')] 


August  3,   1918 


Ebe  Britlsb  3ournal  of  iRursinQ. 


85 


NUkSiNG    ECHOES. 

The  Report  of  Lady  Minto's  Indian  Nursing 
Association  for  191 7  records  the  retirement  in 
May  of  Mrs.  Davies,  Chief  Lady  Superinten- 
dent of  the  Association  since  its  earliest  days, 
and  the  appointment  of  Miss  R.  E.  Darbyshire, 
R.R.C.,  as  her  successor.  It  places  on  record 
that  Mrs.  Davies'  zeal  and  devotion  have 
proved  of  the  greatest  service,  and  the  perfect 
order  in  which  she  left  the  affairs  of  the  head 
office  is  an  eloquent  testimony  to  her  business 
capacity  and  years  of  hard  work. 

A  scheme  has  been  inaugurated  for  maintain- 
ing small  nursing  homes,  principally  for 
maternity  cases,  in  Simla  and  Delhi.  It  is 
anticipated  that  these  Homes  will  meet  a  real 
need. 

The  Chief  Lady  Superintendent  states  in  her 
report  that  the  greatest  difficulty  encountered 
during  the  year  has  been  the  serious  depletion 
of  the  nursing  staff,  and  the  impossibility  of 
supplying  the  needs  of  the  Association  from 
England.  Though  short-handed  the  branches 
have  done  a  great  deal  of  good  work,  and  seven 
members  of  the  staff  loyally  remained  on  after 
the  expiration  of  their  contract,  in  spite  of  the 
attractions  of  other  branches  of  their  profes- 
sion. 

The  fees  charged  to  patients  have  been  raised 
by  I  rupee  per  diem,  and  the  salaries  of  the 
nursing  staff  raised.  The  Lady  Superinten- 
dents of  the  Provincial  branches  receive  an 
additional  30  rupees  per  month,  Sisters  an 
increase  of  10  rupees  per  month  in  the  third  and 
fourth  year,  and  a  further  increase  of  10  rupees 
a  month  in  the  fifth  year  of  service. 

The  commencing  salaries  of  Nursing  Sisters 
have  also  been  increased  to  90  rupees  a  month, 
increasing  annually  till  135  rupees  a  month  is 
reached  in  the  tenth  year. 

The  rules  relating  to  the  engagement  and 
employment  of  Nursing  Sisters  have  been 
revised,  and  those  relating  to  agreement,  dis- 
cipline, and  refunds  made  somewhat  more 
stringent. 

The  value  of .  the  skilled  help  of  trained 
Sisters  cannot  be  too  highly  estimated,  and 
there  is  evidence  that  they  are  appreciated. 
Thus  in  connection  with  the  Rajputana  Branch 
the  reports  of  medical  officers  and  patients  are 
said  to  be  invariably  commendatory  and  fre- 
quently laudatory.  "  Anxiety  disappears  when 
your  well-trained  Sisters  take  charge  of  a  case  " 
is  a  typical  instance. 

As  usual,  the  report  is  admirably  produced 
and  illustrated. 


organized  by  Miss  Charlotte  M.  Markwick,  and 
sent  to  the  Governors  of  the  Victoria  Infirmary, 
Glasgow,  the  scale  of  the  salaries  of  the  nursing 
-staff  has  been  substantially  raised  : — 

In  the  I  St  year  from     ...     £12 — ;£i6. 

In  the  2nd  year  from      ...     £16 — £20. 

In  the  3rd  year  from      ...     ;^2o — £2^. 

In  the  4th  year  from     ...     £^0 — £^0. 

For  the  Sisters  from  ...  ;,^45 — ;)^6o. 
There  are  other  points  which  the  nurses 
would  like  to  bring  before  the  Governors,  but 
are  hampered  in  their  action  for  lack  of  legal 
advice.  This  is  one  of  the  things  which  they 
hope  may  be  made  available  when  their  new 
Club  is  opened  in  Bath  Street. 


We  are  glad  to  learn  that,  owing  to  a  Petition 


We  are  always  seeing  nonsensical  para- 
graphs in  the  quack  nursing  press  and  else- 
where, making  statements  about  our  views  and 
opinions,  which  we  have  never  expressed — • 
penny-a-line  trash  which  presumably  is  good 
enough  for  the  type  of  p>erson  who  reads  these 
unprofessional  publications. 

If  anyone  cares  what  we  think,  and  wishes 
to  know  what  we  say,  we  advise  them  to  sub- 
scribe to  this  Journal.  They  would  then  not 
be  fobbed  off  with  twaddle. 

LEAGUE  NEWS. 

The  second  number  of  the  League  News  of 
the  Royal  Infirmary,  Bradford,  just  issued, 
contains  many  interesting  items,  including  a 
Foreword  by  Major  Phillips,  Hon.  Surgeon  to 
the  Infirmary,  who,  talking  on  Reconstruction, 
says  that  one  feels  quite  sure  that  after  the 
war,  as  before  it,  and  during  it,  there  will  be 
reason  to  be  proud  of  the  work  of  nurses,  and 
that  any  woman  who  takes  up  that  work  will 
•be  employing  herself  in  a  profession  in  which 
she  can  find  occupation  for  all  that  is  in  her. 
The  fortunate  people  in  the  world  are  surely 
those  whose  work  is  also  their  hobby.  The  first 
essential  of  a  hobby  is  that  its  possibilities  can 
never  be  exhausted ;  it  must  be  an  El  Dorado 
which  is  unattainable.  .  .  .  The  zest  of  the 
business  lies  in  the  fact  that,  however  splendid 
the  collection  may  be,  it  is  always,  will  always 
continue  always  to  be  possible  to  improve  it. 
And  so  with  nursing.  There  are  many  nurses 
who  know^  a  tremendous  lot  about  nursing.  It 
has  been  my  privilege  to  know  not  a  few  nurses 
whose  work  has  been  just  splendid  ;  but  there 
has  never  been  a  nurse  who  was  a  perfect  nurse 
in  the  sense  that  she  knew  all  there  was  to 
know  about  nursing. 

Amongst  the  letters  from  nurses  that  by  Miss 
M.  Wroe  on  A  Visit  to  Seville  is  specially 
interesting. 


86 


^be  Britieb  3ournal  of  flureinfi. 


August  3,   1918 


A     MODERN     INDUSTRY. 


THE  PREPARATION  OF  CONDENSED  MILKi 

Most  people  are  familiar  with  the  appearance  of 
a  tin  of  Kestl^'s  milk,  for  this  far-famed  brand 
is  used  all  over  the  world  ;  but  probably  compara- 
tively few  people  know  precisely  of  what  this  milk 
consists  or  how  it  is  prepared.  ^ 

It  was  my  good  fortune  to  see  the  process  under 
ideal  conditions  at  the  Aylesbury  Condensery, 
one  of  the  most  important  of  the  English  factories 
of  the  Nestle  and  Anglo-Swiss  Condensed  Milk 
Company,  St.  George's  House,  6  &  8,  Eastcheap, 
London,  E.C. 

An  hour's  run  from  London  with  only  a  stop  at 
Harrow,  with  its  far-famed  hill  and  steeple- 
crowned  church,  brought  us  to  Aylesbury,  the 
courty  town  ot 
Buckingham- 
shiie,  with  its 
interesting  mar- 
ket-place where 
stands  conspic- 
uous the  virile 
statxi'e,in  bronze, 
of  John  Hamp- 
den, known  to 
fame  as  ttie 
Buckingham- 
shire patriot 
who  refused  to 
pay  the  '  ship 
money  '  levied 
by  Charles  1,  and 
whose  honour- 
able public  and 
private  life  was 
ended  at  Chal- 
grove  Field 
where  he  fell 
mortally  wound- 
ed in  a  skirmish 

with  the  King's  troops  under  Prince  Rupert. 
The  verdure  of  the  surrounding  country  and 
the  luxuriance  and  beauty  of  the  creepers  on 
many  of  the  houses  of  Aylesbury  made  one  realize 
that  the  valley  in  which  it  is  situated  must  be 
ideal  for  dairy  purposes,  and  one  was  not  surprised 
at  its  widespread  reputation  as  a  centre  of  dairy 
farming. 

Manifestly,  the  Anglo-Swiss  Milk  Company  did 
wisely  to  plant  a  Condensery  just  here. 

Its  object  is,  of  course,  to  procure  fresh,  rich 
milk,  and  to  preserve  it  under  hygienic  conditions 
in  portable  form,  so  that  it  can  easily  be  trans- 
ported far  and  wide. 

Milk,  as  originally  drawn  from  the  cow,  contains 
approximately  87.55  per  cent,  of  water  ;  therefore, 
if  you  can  eliminate  a  considerable  proportion 
of  that  water,  which  can  be  replaced  by  the 
consumer  before  use,  you  have  solved  the  problem 
of  portability  and  easy  distribution,  and  this  is 
what  is  done  so  successfully  at  Aylesbury,     The 


AYLESBURY    CONDENSERY,   FROM  THE    OFFICE   GARDEN. 


full-cream  condensed  milk  sert  out  from  the 
factory  contains  only  24  per  cent,  water,  the 
odd  63  per  cent,  being  extracted  in  the  process 
of  condensation. 

Many  things,  however,  must  contribute  to  the 
perfection  of  the  finished  product ;  and  essentially 
the  quality  and  purity  of  the  milk  condensed. 
Therefore,  supervision  by  the  management  begins 
before  the  milk — drawn  as  by  a  magnet  from  the 
surrounding  farms — enters  the  factory  gates, 
and  inspectors  frequently  visit  the  farms  under 
contract  to  supply  the  factory  with  milk,  so  as  to 
ensure  that  only  milk  of  fine  quality,  dealt  with 
under  sanitary  and  hygienic  conditions,  is  used. 

It  is  interesting  to  see  the  milk  arriving  at  the 
Condensery  in  great  cans,  and,  contrary  to  one's 
pre-conceived  ideas,  not  measured,  but  weighed, 
in  huge  copper  pans,  so  that  the  ?mount  sent  in 
by  each  farmer  can  be  correctly  estimated  ;   from 

these  it  passes 
on  to  a  reservoir, 
from  which  it  is 
pumped  up  into 
grea,t  tanks. 

One  next^saw 
the  care  with 
whichthe  empty 
cans  a,re  treated 
before  being  re- 
turned to  the 
farmers.  First 
t  h'  e  y  are 
t  hor  o  u  g  hly 
cleansed  in  hot 
water  by  brush- 
es, one  of  which 
rotates  inside, 
and  the  other 
scrubs  the  out- 
side of  the  can, 
which  is  then 
turned  upside 
down  and  a 
jet  of  steam 
sprayed  into  it. 

To  return  to  the  milk.  On  leaving  the  re- 
ceiving tanks  it  is  raised  to  a  temperature  suffi- 
ciently hot  to  dissolve  the  sugar  which  is  added  to 
it  as  a  preservative,  although  the  "  Ideal  Milk," 
the  brand  supplied  to  the  Navy  and  Army  has  no 
sugar  or  other  preservative  added.  It  is  found  in 
practice,  however,  that  when  used  for  infant 
feeding,  the  sweetened  milk  ordinarily  gives  the 
best  results.  In  these  days  of  the  strict  rationing 
of  sugar,  to  pass  through  a  room  containing  sack 
upon  sack  of  glistening  white  sugar,  is  calculated 
to  arouse  feelings  of  envy,  but  the  whole  of  the 
supplies  to  the  Nestle's  Factories  are  "  controlled." 
After  the  addition  of  the  sugar  the  milk  is  passed 
through  a  series  of  fine  sieves,  so  that  any  fibre  or 
other  foreign  body  inadvertently  introduced  from 
the  sugar  bags  is  refmoved. 

Condensing. 
Then  comes  the  all-important  process  of  .con- 
densing.    For  this  purpose  the  hot  milk  is  drawn 


August  3,  1918 


(The  British  Sournal  of  IRurema. 


87 


into  copper  condensing  pans  from  which  the  air  is 
exhausted,  and  which  contain  a  series  of  copper 
coils  heated  by  steam,  by  which  means  the  milk  is 
raised  to  boiling  point.  But,  it  must  be  realised, 
for  it  is  very  important,  that  in  a  vacuum  the  milk 
boils  at  about  half  the  temperature  at  which  it 
would  do  so  if  ti  eated  in  the  ordinary  way,  and, 
therefore,  is  not  heated  sufficiently  to  destroy  the 
vitamines  which  are  so  essential  if  it  is  to  be  relied 
upon  as  the  sole  food  of  the  growing  infant.  In 
the  condensing  pans  a  considerable  proportion  of 
the  water  in  the  milk  is  converted  into  steam  and 
removed  in  this  form,  to  be  later  cooled  and  re- 
converted into  water.  It  will  be  thus  realised  that 
Nestle's  Milk  is  simply  pure  milk,  sweetened  and 
condensed,  and  that  its  thickness  is  due  solely  to 
the  extraction  of  water,  and  not  to  the  addition  of 
any  thickening. 

When  the  milk  has  been  condensed  it  is  trans- 
ferred from  the  condensing  pans  to  large  cans,  and 
cooled  down  in  large  tanks  of  cold  water,  by  a 
method  which  ensures  that  the  cooling  shall  be 
uniform.  The  process  is  now  complete,  and  it  is 
put  up  in  tins  by  deft-handed  girls. 

The  tins  are  made  on  the  premises,  and  the 
process  is  an  inteiesting  one.  First  the  sheets  of 
tin  are  cut  the  required  length  by  machinery,  and 
each  stiip  soldered  to  form  the  bodj'  of  the  can. 
The  top  and  the  bottom — ^with  a  small  hole  for 
filling  the  tin  later — are  also  stamped  out.  These 
are  then  soldered  together  ard  the  can  is  ready  for 
filling,  but  first  i+  is  tested  to  see  if  it  is  airtight,  and 
any  defect  in  the  soldering  is  remedied  by  hand. 
The  tins  are  then  filled  and  soldered,  labelled, 
wrapped  in  paper,  and  packed  in  wooden  boxes, 
also  made  on  the  premises. 

Nurses  travelling  with  patients  by  sea  would 
be  well  advised  to  take  with  them  a  supply  of 
Nestle's  Milk,  as  it  is  often  a  very  great  difficulty 
to  obtain  fresh  milk  for  invalids. 

In  addition  to  Nestle's  Milk,  their  Milkmaid 
Brand  Cafe  au  Lait  is  made  at  the  Aylesbury 
Factory,  and  we  see  the  green  coffee  berries  roasted 
to  a  deep  brown  over  the  glowing  embers  in  a  great 
furnace  by  giils  who  carefully  watch  and  turn 
them.  They  are  then  ground,  and  the  strong 
cofEee,  when  made,  added  in  proper  proportions  to 
the  milk,  which  is  then  condensed.  Cocoa  and 
milk  is  another  "  Milkmaid  Brand." 

Is  it  now  clear  to  our  readers  that  Nestle's  Milk 
is  pure,  rich  milk  from  which  nothing  has  been 
eliminated  but  water — so  that  it  may  be  the  more 
easily  transported — under  the  most  hygienic  con- 
ditions, and  to  which  nothing  has  been  added 
except  piure  sugar  ?  It  follows  that  it  must  be  a 
boon  indeed  to  those  mothers  who  are  unable  to 
nurse  their  own  children,  and  whose  milk  supply 
is  of  uncertain  purity. 

If  we  consider  the  average  milk  supply  of 
London,  foi  instance,  the  method  of  its  transporta- 
tion for  long  distances  in  cans  of  uncertain  cleanli- 
ness, in  hot  trains,  audits  subsequent  exposure  on 
the  counters  of  shops  and  elsewhere,  we  must 
realise  that  Nestle's  milk,  prepared  under  such  con- 
ditions as  I  have  described,  is  an  infinitely  safer  and 


more  reliable  preparation  to  use  than  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  milk  supply  of  the  metropolis.* 

The  firm,  in  "  Nestle's  Baby  Book,"  issues 
anniaUy  some  very  valuable  information  on  the 
subject,  with  the  testimony  of  thousands  of 
mothers  who  have  used  Nestle's  Milk  for  their 
children.  In  eight  years  3,572  children  were  thus 
reported  on.  Investigation  showed  that  of  this 
number  73  had  died  from  disease,  7  from  accidents, 
25  were  unwell  at  the  time  the  report  was  made, 
and  3,467  children  were  in  perfect  health.  To 
accurately  appraise  this  most  remarkable  record 
is  must  be  iememb6red  that  in  a  considerable 
proportion  of  these  cases  the  children  were  given 
Nestl6's  Milk  practically  as  a  last  resort,  when  no 
other  food  could  be  tolerated,  and  that  the  average 
mortality  of  town-born  children,  between  the  ages 
of  one  and  five  yeais,  is  one  in  six.  The  pictures 
of  the  children  with  which  the  book  is  abundantly 
illustrated,  also  show  how  bonnie  are  many  of  the 
.children  brought  up  on  Nestle's  Milk. 

A  particularly  interesting  book  at  the  present 
time  published  by  the  firm  is  "  Heroes  All."  It 
must  be  remembered  that  Nestle's  Milk  has  now 
been  on  the  market  for  over  fifty  years,  therefore 
many  babies  brought  up  upon  it  have  long  since 
grown  to  man's  estate.  "  Heroes  All  "  is  a  selec- 
tion of  voluntary  testimony  from  mothers  of  men 
fighting  for  their  country  in  the  Great  "War.  In 
addition  to  its  valuable  testimony  to  the  virtue  of 
Nestl6's  Milk,  the  collection  of  so  many  portraits 
of  our  gallant  soldiers  and  sailors  must,  in  years 
to  come,  form  a  valuable  historical  record. 

A  word  of  caution  is  necessary.  When  I  speak  of 
Nestl6's  Milk  as  a  valuable  and  reliable  substitute 
for  breast  feeding  when  this  is  impossible,  I  mean 
Nestle's,  and  not  any  other  brand  of  condensed 
milk.  Nestl6's,  as  I  have  shown,  is  a  full-cream 
milk  scientifically  condensed.  But  from  some 
brands  of  condensed  milk  placed  on  the  market 
the  cream,  or  a  large  proportion  of  it,  has  been 
extracted  before  it  has  been  condensed.  A  baby 
brought  up  on  such  milk  would  not  thrive,  any 
more  than  it  would  if  fed  with  uncondensed  skim 
milk. 

Of  course,  Nestle's  Milk  has  a  much  wider  sphere 
of  usefulness  than  the  feeding  of  infants,  witness 
the  fact  that  the  "  Ideal  Milk  "  is  supplied  to  the 
Services  in  large  quantities,  besides  being  greatly 
in  demand  by  the  general  public.  Lastly,  I  must 
mention  that  the  Nestle's  Anglo-S-wiss  Condensed 
Milk  Company  were  eight  or  nine  years  ago 
granted  the  Royal  Warrant  of  Appointment,  an 
honourable  recognition  which  its  services  to  the 
community  have  certJiinly  merited.  j^j    g 


Mrs.  Hayes  Fisher  opened  Parkside  Orthopaedic 
Hospital  for  Wounded  Officers,  Ravenscourt  Park, 
Hammersmith,  on  July  25th. 


•  According:  to  77ie  Times  of  July  31st,  the  Hammersmith  Public 
Health  Committee  states  that  "there  is  evidence  to  prove  that 
milk  is  deliberately  and  scientifically  reduced  to  the  lowest  possible 
standard  so  far  as  fatty  substances  are  concerned.' 


^be  British  3ournal  of  TRursino, 


August  3,   1918 


OUTSIDE    THE    GATES. 


THE    ENEMY    ALIEN     DANGER. 

There  is  no  doubt  in  the  minds  of  those  who 
attended  the  Internment  of  Enemy  Aliens  Meeting 
in  Hyde  Park  last  Sunday  that  the  Government  is 
playing  with  fire,  in  not  carrying  into  efifect  the 
will  of  the  people  in  the  most  drastic  manner. 
The  people  has  now  made  up  its  mind  that  for  the 
safety  of  the  Realm  all  enemy  aliens  of  every  class, 
rich  and  poor,  should  be  placed  behind  barbed  wire, 
and  the  uncontrolled  rage  of  a  mob  of  some 
hundreds  of  persons  in  the  Park,  from  whom  the 
police  had  to  rescue  a  dissenting  German,  proves 
thai;  its  patience  is  used  up,  and  that  the  devilish 
devices  of  barbarians  are  no  longer  to  be  tolerated. 
What  with  the  torture  of  our  defenceless  prisoners, 
the  wholesale  violation  of  women  and  children,  the 
murder  of  our  seamen  nurses,  and  doctors,  man- 
traps and  other  villainy,  the  British  public  is  now 
thoroughly  roused,  and  all  feeble  fumblers— other: 
wise  professional  politicians— will  rue  the  day  d 
they  continue  their  effete  treatment  of  these 
insolent  traitors. 


The  House  of  Lords  in  its  debate  echoed  public 
opinion.  "  Denaturalise  them  all,  remove  them 
from  high  places,  from  the  Privy  Council,  Parlia- 
ment, and  Government  Departments  "—that  is  the 
sound  advice  of  Lord  St.  Davids,  and  many  noble 
Lords  supported  him. 

An  Insult  to  every  Soldier  and  Officer  in 

His  Majesty's  Service. 
In  the  Commons  Mr.  Swift  MacNeill  asked  the 
Prime  Minister  whether  Mr.  Felix  Cassel,  K.C., 
had  resigned  or  intimated  his  intention  of  resigning 
the  position  of  Judge  Advocate-General,  to  which 
he  was  appointed  in  1916;  and,  if  so,  whether, 
regard  being  had  to  the  fact  that  the  Judge 
Advocate-General  was  the  president  of  the  judicial 
department  of  the  Army  and  the  sole  representative 
of  the  Government  in  all  military  proceedings 
before  general  Courts-martial,  maintaining  the 
interests  of  the  Crown  and  prosecuting,  either  in 
person  or  by  deputy,  in  the  Sovereign's  name,  and 
that  all  matters  arising  out  of  the  administration 
of  martial  law,  including  the  examination  of  the 
sentences  of  Courts-martial  and  the  reporting 
thereon  to  the  Crown,  come  under  his  supervision, 
the  new  occupant  of  the  position  of  Judge-Advo- 
cate-General would  not,  whatever  might  be  his 
qualifications,  be  a  person  of  enemy  alien  birth  or 
origin. 

The  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  replied  that 
Mr.  Felix  Cassel  had  not  resigned. 

After  which  Mr.  MacNeill  very  pertinently  asked  : 
Is  the  right  hon.  gentleman  aware  that  having  a 
gentleman  of  alien  origin  and  birth  in  full  com- 
mand of  Courts-martial  is  an  insult  to  every  soldier 
and  officer  in  His  Majesty's  Service? 

It  is  more  than  that — it  is  an  insult  to  every 
patriotic  person  of  British  blood  in  the  Empire. 


As  the  Aliens  Advisory  Committee  set  up  by  the 
Government  is  to  sit  in  camera,  and  the  public  pre- 
vented from  knowing  the  whole  truth,  it  is  pro- 
posed to  form  a  new  Parliamentary  Watch  Com- 
mittee, and  also  to  .establish  local  vi'atch  com- 
mittees. This  is  very  significant.  If  we  remember 
aright,  it  was  the  Committees  of  Public  Safety 
which  took  the  law  into  their  own  hands  during 
the  Terror.  Well,  we  have  had  enough  of  the 
Terror,  and  we  mean  to  protect  ourselves  from  the 
crafty  treachery  of  the  thousands  of  Huns  in  our 
midst,  especially  from  the  result  of  their  system  of 
"peaceful  penetration,"  which  spells  bribery  and 
corruption. 

■  •  ■  — 

BOOK    OP   THE   WEEK. 


"ON  THE  EDGE  OF  THE  WAR  ZONE.".* 

Those  of  us  who  read  with  pleasure  and  gratifica- 
tion "  A  Hill -top  on  the  Marne,"  will  welcome 
the  new  volume  by  Miss  Mildred  Aldrich,  in  which 
she  relates  the  continuance  of  her  most  interest- 
ing experiences  within  the  war  zone,  in  her 
little,  hitherto,  peaceful  retreat,  "  The  Crest  "  on 
the  hill-top. 

This  very  talented  lady  has  not  only  had  almost 
a  unique  position,  but  is  able  to  give  her  impres- 
sions of  three  years  in  a  most  attractive  and  yet 
quite  natural  way.  This  is,  perhaps,  explained 
because  the  book  consists  of  letters  written  by 
her  to  a  friend  in  America.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  Miss  Aldrich  is  herself  of  American  birth. 
This  volume  has  the  advantage  of  a  charming 
little  drawing  of  "  La  Creste  "  on  the  title-page, 
and  also  a  map  of  the  surrounding  neighbourhood, 
so  that,  with  the  aid  of  them,  added  to  her  graphic 
description,  we  are  able  in  some  measure  to  picture 
to  ourselves  the  incidents  so  charmingly  recorded. 
The  period  covered  is  from  that  immediately 
following  the  battle  of  the  Marne  to  the  entering 
in  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes. 

Her  little  French  friend,  Mdlle.  Henriette, 
proposes  "  that  I  should  harness  Ninette  and  go 
with  her  to  the  battle-field,  where,  she  said,  they 
were  sadly  in  need  of  help.  At  first  it  seemed 
to  me  that  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  go,  and 
go  quickly.  But  before  she  was  out  of  the  gate, 
I  rushed  after  to  tell  her  I  knew  they  did  not  want 
an  old  lady  like  me,  very  unsteady  on  her  feet, 
absolutely  ignorant  of  the  simplest  rules  of  '  first 
aid,'  that  they  needed  tried  and  efficient  people, 
and  that  we  could  not  lend  efficient  ani,  but 
should  be  a  nuisance. 

"  She  argued  that  we  could  hunt  for  the 
dead  and  '  carry  consolation  to  the  dying.'  I  was 
afraid  I  was  going  to  laugh  at  the  wrong  moment. 
The  truth  was  I  had  a  sudden  vision  of  my  chubby 
self — me,  who  cannot  walk  half-a-mile  or  bend 
over  wdthout  getting  palpitation — stumbling  in 
my  h'gh-heeled  shoes  over  fields  ploughed  by 
eavalry  and  shells,  brearthlessly  bent  on  carr^nngf 

*  By  Mildred  Aldrich.  London  :  Constable  & 
Co. 


August  3,   1918 


Hbe  British  3ournaI  of  iRursino. 


^89 


-consolation  to  the  dying."  This  decision  of  hers 
was  eminently  right  and  she  found  much  more 
suitable  and  efficacious  means  of  ministering  to 
the  army  in  her  own  little  house  en  the  hill-crest. 

Here  is  a  moving  picture  of  a  burying-ground 
at  Chambry  : — "  First  the  graves  a,re  scattered, 
■for  the  boys  lie  buried  just  where  they  fell,  cradled 
in  che  bosom  of  the  mother  country  that  had 
nourished  them  and  for  whose  safety  they  had  laid 
down  their  lives.  As  we  advanced  they  became 
more  numerous,  until  we  reached  a  point  where  as 
iar  as  we  could  see  in  eveiy  direction  floated  little 
tricolour  flags,  like  fine  flowers  in  the  landscape. 
.  .  .  Here  and  there  was  a  haystack  with  one 
grave  beside  it  and  again  there  w^ould  be  one 
almost  encircled  with  tiny  flags  which  said : 
'  Here  sleep  the  heroes.'  Xt  was  a  disturbing  and 
a  thrilling  sight.  I  give  you  my  word,  as  I  stood 
there  I  envied  them.  It  seemed  to  me  a  fine 
thing  to  lie  out  there  in  the  open  in  the  soil  of  the 
field  their  death  has  made  holy,  the  duty  well 
^one,  the  dread  over.  You  may  know  a  finer 
way  to  go.  I  do  not.  Surely,  since  Death  is,  it 
is  bettei  than  dying  of  age  between  clean  sheets." 

Further  on  in  the  book  she  says  :  "  The  only 
other  thing  1  have  done  this  month  which  could 
-interest  you  was  to  have  a  little  tea-party  on  the 
lawn  for  the  convalescent  boys  of  our  ambulance, 
who  were  '  personally  conducted  '  by  one  of  their 
nurses. 

"  When  I  got  them  grouped  round  the  table 
in  the  shade  of  the  big  clump  of  lilac  bushes,  1 
was  impressed,  as  I  always  am  when  I  see  numbers 
of  common  soldiers  together,  with  the  fact  that 
no  other  race  has  such  intelligent,  such  really 
well-modelled  faces  as  the  French.  Tt  is  so  rare  to 
see  a  fat  face  among  them.  When  the  nurse 
looked  at  her  watch  and  said  it  was  time  to  return 
to  the  hospital,  ss  they  must  not  be  late  for  dinner, 
they  all  rose.  The  law  student  came,  cap  in  hand, 
and  thanked  me  for  a  pleasemt  afternoon,  and 
every  man  imitated  his  manners  with  varying 
degrees  of  success  and  made  his  little  bow,  turning 
back  to  wave  their  caps  as  they  went  round  the 
corner." 

She  has  some  charming  young  officers  billeted 
on  her  from  time  to  time,  and  she  describes  the 
manner  in  which  she  is  requested  to  ofEer  her 
hospitality. 

"  It  was  just  after  lunch  on  Sunday — a  grey, 
cold  d^y,  which  had  dawned  on  a  world  covered 
with  frost — ^that  there  came  a  knock  at  the  salon 
door.  I  opened  it  and  there  stood  a  soldier  with 
his  hand  at  salute,  who  said  :  '  Bon  jour,  madame, 
avez  vous  un  lit  poui  un  soldat  ?  ' 

"  \\Tien  you  are  to  lodge  a  soldier  in  a  house 
so  intimately  arranged  as  this  one  is,  I  defy  anyone 
not  to  be  curious  as  to  what  the  lodger  is  to  be 
Hke. 

"  There  stood  a  tall,  straight  lad,  booted  and 
spurred,  with  a  crop  in  one  gloved  hand,  and 
the  other  raised  to  hig  fatigue  cap  in  salute,  and 
a  smile  on  his  bonny  face.  Of  course,  in  twenty- 
four  hours  he  became  the  child  of  the  house.  I 
feel  Uke  a  grandmother  to  him.     As  for  Amelie, 


she  falls  over  herself  trying  to  spoil  him  and 
before  the  second  da-y  he  became  '  Monsieur 
Andre  '  to  her.  Catch  her  giving  a  boy  Hke  that 
his  military  title,  though  he  takes  his  duties  most 
seriously." 

This  is  really  a  charming  volume  and  we  hope 
that  Miss  Aldrich  vdW  be  inspired  to  give  her 
experiences  of  the  fourth  year  of  the  war  and  that 
there  may  never  be  a  fifth  for  her  to  experience. 

H.  H. 

LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 

Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  jor  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  bt 
distinctly  understood  that  we  d-o  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents. 


WE  NIGHTINGALES   KNOW  BETTER. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Editor,— -We  nurses  desire  to  thank  you 
for  youi  speedy  publicity  concerning  the 
Nightingale  badge,  and  on  reaching  the  proper 
authoiities,  viz.,  Mr.  Bonham  Carter. 

Personally,  I  was  roused  to  jealou.sy  and  indigna- 
tion (having  been  trained  as  a  Nightingale  proba- 
tioner) when  first  I  noticed  it  worn  by  a  midwife 
with  a  few  months'  training  and  passing  as  a 
qualified  nurse  here.  We  Nightingales  know- 
better,  nothing  of  the  kind  having  ever  been 
issued  from  the  training  school  to  its  probationers. 

I  can  give  a  further  instance  of  a  village  nurse 
half  a  mile  from  my  district  boundary,  who  w^as 
discharged  by  her  committee  for  misconduct.  The 
same  always  paraded  the  badge.  AH  qualified 
nurses  here,  and,  universally,  I  venture  to  add,  will 
be  indebted  to  you  for  your  exposure  of  the  de- 
grading use  to  which  our  Lady  of  the  Lamp's 
symbol  has  been  subjected. 

Again,  I  thank  you  in  the  name  of  all  the  pro- 
fession around  this  district  for  sending  that  shaft 
home. 

I  am,  yours  faithfully, 

Isabel  Nicoll, 
Queen's    Nurse,     Member     Society    for 
State  Registration  of  Nurses,' National 
Union  of  Nurses,  &c. 

Hensingham, 

Nr.  Whitehaven. 


WANT    OF    CONSIDERATION. 

To  the  Editor  of  Hhjl  British  Journal  ofNursing. 

Dear  Madam, — I  was  much  interested  in  the 
letter  which  appeared  in  your  last  number  on  the 
subject  of  the  pay  of  Aim^^  Nurses  and  signed  "  An 
Army  Sister,"  and  I  can  endorse  every  word  she 
says. 

I  should  like  particularly  to  draw  attention  to 
the  salaries  which  the  War  Office  pays  the  Matrons 
employed  in  the  larger  Territorial  Hospitals  at 
home,  and  which  constitute  a  genuine  hardship. 
Many  of  these  ladies  gave  up  good  civil  posts  in 


90 


Zbc  Brttieb  3ournal  of  IRurgfuG. 


August  3,  1918 


order  to  fulfil  their  engagements  to  the  War  Office 
when  war  broke  out,  an  d  have  been  working  at 
high  pressure  for  the  last  foui  years.  The  majority 
of  them  are  in  charge  of  hospitals  of  anything 
between  t.ooo  and  2,000  bedi,  and  few,  if  any,  even 
now  receive  as  much  as  ;^i50  per  annum.  When 
it  is  remembered  that  these  posts  ave  only  tem- 
porary, that  there  is  no  pension  attached  to  them, 
and  no  certainty  of  post-war  employment,  it  will 
be  seen  how  unfavourably  they  compare  with  civil 
matronships,  even  in  small  hospitals,  where  the 
work  and  responsibility  are  infinitely  less  and 
where  the  position  is  an  assured  and  permanent 
one. 

I  should  like  to  add  that  so  far  the  yearly  bonus 
to  which  all  members  of  the  Territorial  Force 
Nursing  Service  are  entitled  by  the  terms  of  their 
enrolment,  has  been  paid  only  to  those  members 
who  have  been  invalided  from  the  service,  and  it 
now  transpires  that  if  from  any  cause,  except  ill- 
health,  a  member  resigns  before  the  end  of  the 
war  she  will  forfeit  every  penny  of  it. 

If  you  can  find  room  for  this  letter  in  your 
widely-read  journal  I  shall  feel  grateful. 
Yours  faithfully, 

A  Civilian  Matron. 


THE    V.A.D.     QUESTION. 

To  the  Editor  0/  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — May  I  give  a  concrete  instance 
in  support  of  the  view  that  cemi-trained  nurses 
might  be  held  to  resemble,  and  possibly  be  tieated 
like.  Territorial  officers.  In  the  second  year  of 
the  war  I  had  much  to  do  with  the  practical 
training  and  the  supervision  of  a  band  of  enthusi- 
astic V.A.D.s.  One  of  the  best  was  the  sister 
of  the  local  draper,  who  himself  enlisted  in  the 
Territorial  battalion,  and  in  less  than  six  months 
earned  a  commission.  He  was  a  very  gallant  and 
efficient  young  officer  and  did  valuable  service 
before  he  gave  his  life  for  his  country.  Had  he 
lived,  he  would,  after  the  war,  have  re+urned  to 
his  business  in  the  same  simple  spirit  in  which  he 
left  it  (and  practised  it  when  on  leave  !).  The 
sister  yearned  to  serve  hef  country  in  the  same 
way.  Sjie  could,  by  an  effort,  have  been  spaied 
from  home  for  a  year  or  so,  or  as  we  then  hoped' 
for,  the  "  duration  of  the  war,"  and  consulted  me 
many  times  as  to  how  she  might  at  once  get  some 
real  nursing  to  do.  As  far  as  she  went  she  was 
very  good,  and  had  worked  hard,  but  the  three 
years'  compulsory  training  was  quite  impossible 
for  her  ;  .  and  if  she  eventually  went  as  a  special 
militaiy  probationer  (for  I  have  now  lost  sight  of 
hei),  I  suppose  after  one-and-a-half  or  two  years 
she  is  still  one  I  If  all  the  nursing  energies  of  the 
country  were  managed,  as  you  suggest,  by  one 
cential  authority,  no  doubt  these  piobkms  would 
be  solved  and  waste  cf  human  material  avoided  ; 
but  it  would  (shall  we  say  it  will  ?)  be  a  colossal 
task.  I  was  much  amused  to  find  tnat  one  of 
my    English-speaking    friends,     who    has    beer 


diligently  reading^the  back  numbers  of  the  B.  J.N., 
now  talks  glibly  about  Vads  (as  one  syllable)  ! 
I  am,  yours  faithfully, 

"  Red  Cross  Worker." 
Lyceum,  Floience. 


KERNELS     FROM     CORRESPONDENCE, 

"  Soldiers'  Friend  "  writes  :  "  Can  nothing  be 
done  to  supply  sick  soldiers  with  more  food  ? 
In  the  hospital  1  visit  men  have  a  hght  tea  at 
4.30  and  nothing  more  till  breakfast  at  7.30  next 
morning.  Also  convalescent  soldiers  I  entertain 
are  all  hungry.  How  would  our  political  man- 
darins get  on  without  their  substantial  luncheon 
and  good  dinner  at  8  p.m.  ?  " 


A  Sister  ol  Thirty  : — "  A  Sister  of  Sixty,"  is  the 
right  sort.  Since  reading  her  letter,  as  I  am  to 
have  my  holiday  in  August,  I  have  offered  to  work 
on  the  land.  I  feel  suie  I  could  help  with  the 
harvest,  and  as  I  love  all  animals  should  like  to 
keep  them  clean  and  feed  them.  I  have  nothing 
but  contempt  for  all  these  young  society  women 
who  pose  as  patriots,  but  take  care  never  to  do  a 
bit  of  real  hard  work  for  our  country  at  this  crisis. 
'  Meirry  Mummers  '  is  a  very  good  description  of 
them,  and  our  onct  self-respecting  profession  is 
the  sentimental  peg  and  excuse  for  their  silly 
'  gambols.'  We  owe  '  Beatrice  Kent '  a  vote  of 
thanks  for  her  out-spoken  courage'.  Let  us  hope 
Miss  Asquith  and  her  companions  will  take  it  to 
heart.  Anyway  we  nurses  have  no  respect  for 
waste  of  time  on  social  functions  by  young  women 
able  to  work.  Conscription  of  young  unmarried 
women  is  what  we  approve." 


»  *  I 


OUR     PRIZE     COMPETITION. 

QUESTIONS. 

August  10th. — What  have  you  learnt  of  new 
nursing  methods  in  a  Military  Hospital  ? 

August  I'jth. — What  is  pernicious  anaemia'? 
How  have  you  seen  it  treated  ? 


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first-class  firms. 


August  3,  1918  (Tbe  BrltlBb  3ottrnal  of  «ur«tno  Supplement. 

The   Midwife. 


>9i 


CENTRAL  MIDWIVES'  BOARD  (ENGLAND) 


MONTHLY    MEETING. 

The  Monthly  Meeting  of  the  Central  Midwives' 
Board  was  held  at  i,  Queen  Anne's  Gate  Buildings, 
Westminster,  on  Thursday,  July  27th,  Sir  Francis 
Champneys  presiding. 

A  letter  was  received  from  the  Secretary  of  the 
Association  for  Promoting-the  Training  and  Supply 
of  Midwives,  enclosing  for  the  information  of  the 
Board  a  copy  of  a  revised  edition  of  the  Associa- 
tion's , proposals  for  a  State  Midwifery  Service,  a 
summary  of  which  we  give  in  this  issue. 

In  reference  to  the  application  of  a  candidate  for 
the  Board's  Examination,  it  was  resolved  that  she 
be  required  to  satisfy  the  Board  that  she  is  not  an 
enemy  alien  before  admission  to  the  examination. 

A  letter  was  read  from  the  Medical  Officer  of 
Health  for  the  County  of  Durham,  raising  various 
points  in  connection  with  the  relation  of  medical 
practitioners  to  both  certified  midwives  and  uncer- 
tified women  in  their  practice. 

The  letter  concluded  : 

"  I  am  afraid  that  there  is  no  doubt  it  is  a 
common  practice  in  many  parts  of  the  county  for 
the  doctors,  especially  in  these  times  of  stress,  not 
to  trouble  to  attend  normal  confinements  if  they 
know  that  an  uncertified  woman  is  present,  though 
they  attend  later  and  sign  the  maternity  benefit 
certificate.  They  thus  tacitly  encourage  practice 
by  uncertified  women,  and  enable  them  to  carry  on 
a  practice  to  the  detriment  and  discouragement  of 
any  trained  midwives  in  the  district." 

PENAL  CASES. 

A  Special  Meeting  of  the  Central  Midwives  Board 
was  held  at  i,  Queen  Anne's  Gate  Buildings,  West- 
minster, on  Wednesday,  July  24th,  at  10.30  a.m., 
when  the  charges  against  a  number  of  midwives 
were  considered,  with  the  following  results  :■ — 

Struck  Off  the  Roll  and  Certificate  Cancelled. — 
Ellen  Beesley  (No*.  12400).  Alice  Jemima  Burnett, 
L.O.S.  Cert.  (No.  17397),  Sarah  Ann  Dean  (No. 
18278),  Hannah  Hammond,  C.M.B.  Examination 
(No.  41 1 17),  Mary  Jane  Hartley  (No.  20537), 
Clarissa  Lister  (No.  15068),  Sarah  Moxon  (No. 
2219),  Rebecca  Taylor  (No.  7240),  Gertrude  Davies 
(No.  29355),  '^^^  Rawlings  (No.  9709). 

Severely  Censured. — Henrietta  Haycock,  C.M.B. 
Exam.  (No.  30190). 

Adjourned  for  Report  in  Three  and  Six  Months. 
— Lucy  Lake  (No.  2519),  Charlotte  Major,  C.M.B. 
Exam.  (No.  41223). 

There  were  several  defended  cases.  The  charges 
against  one  midwife  included  her  carrying  in  the 
bag  containing  her  appliances  a  "  pig's  black 
pudding." 


PROPOSALS    FOR    A    STATE-AfDED 
MIDWIFERY  SERVICE.  >    ;.-> 


In  September  last  we  discussed  at  some  length 
the  Proposals  for  a  State-aided  Midwifery  Service 
in  England  and  Wales  embodied  in  a  Memoran- 
dum by  the  Association  for  Promoting  the  Training 
and  Supply  of  Midwives  as  a  basis  for  necessary 
legislation.  This  Memorandum  has  now  been 
revised,  and  we  publish  below  the  Summary  of  tlie 
proposals.  We  hope  later  to  discuss  them.  "* 
Summary.  ' 

(i)  The  greatest  need  in  maternity  and  infant 
welfare  is  to  secure  an  efficient  midwifery  service 
in  all  parts  of  the  country,  so  that  the  most  con- 
gested areas,  where  the  rate  burden  is  most  severely 
felt,  shall  not  be  left  with  a  defective  service.' 

(ii)  At  present,  though  there  are  enough  mid- 
wives  competent  to  give  efficient  midwifery 
services,  the  fees  obtainable  dre  too  small  to  enable 
them  to  earn  an  adequate  livelihood.  It  is,  there- 
fore, necessary  that  every  midwife  attending  a, con- 
finement must  be  secured  an  adequate  fee;  this  is 
put  at  25s.  .  " 

(iii)  In  order  that  the  areas  most  difficult  to  serve 
shall  not  be  left  without  these  services,  it  is  neces- 
sary that  the  requisite  sum  for  paying  this  fee  shall 
be  provided  from  the  Exchequer,  and  not  be  met 
from  local  rates. 

(iv)  The  fee  of  the  midwife  must  be  guaranteed, 
and  must  not  depend  upon  the  ability  or  willinfg'ness 
of  the  patient  to  pay. 

(v)  The  Exchequer  money  should  be  disbursed 
through  an  efficient  Local  Body,  which  must  super- 
vise the  systematic  provision  of  midwives  for  the 
area ;  this  body  must  be  the  same  as  that  which  is 
responsible  for  the  inspection  of  midwives  under 
the  Act. 

(vi)  The  scheme  must  include,  and  be  conditional 
upon,  the  provision  of  greatly  improved  arrange- 
ments for  the  inspection  of  midwives  everywhere. 

(vii)  The  scheme  must  be  accompanied  by  suffi- 
cient Exchequer  money  for  the  payment  of  requisite 
fees  for  doctors  called  in  to  abnormal  cases  by  mid- 
wives  under  the  C.M.B.  rules. 

(viii)  These  various  items  point  to  a  sum  of  about 
;£,  1,000,000  per  annum  being  sufficient  in  England 
and  Wales ;  its  provision  is  intended  to  secure 
efficient  midwifery  services  for  every  confinement 
in  England  and  Wales  where  the  income  is  too 
small  to  meet  the  charges  involved. 

(ix)  The  provision  of  Exchequer  money  for  giving 
an  increased  maternity  benefit  in  cash,  or  for 
giving  cash  allowances  to  the  mother,  would  not 
meet  the  needs  of  the  situation,  since  this  does  not 
secure  that  any  efficient  services  are  provided;  but 
the  present  proposals,  by  securing  efficient  mid- 
wifery services  in  every  case,  guarantee  that  the 
whole  of  the  money  provided  from  the  Exchequer 


9a        Jliyc  :Brltl6b  Journal  of  'Huretnc  Supplement.   ^"«^"^*  3,  1918 


is  expended  directly  upon  provision  of  services  that 
immediately  affect  the  w^elfare  of  mother  and 
infant. 

VERDICT  OF  WILFUL  MURDER. 

The  adjourned  inquiry  as  to  the  cause  of  the 
death  of  Kenneth  Cedric  Goodman  at  the'Syden- 
ham  Infant  Welfare  Centre,  on  July  19th,  was 
resumed  by  Mi",  H.  R.  Oswald  on  Tuesday  at 
Lewisham. 

Miss  Payne,  the  Superintendent  of  the  Centre, 
explained  that  the  w^orst  kind  of  wasting  and 
prematurely-boru  infants  were  taken,  and  those 
suffering  from  digestive  disorders ;  no  other 
diseases  were  admitted.  Had  she  received  Nurse 
Thompson's  references  before  engaging  her  she 
would  not  have  done  so. 

The  medical  officer  at  the  Centre,  Dr.  Gladstone, 
said  after  his  attention  was  called  to  Goodman's 
case  he  discovered  the  double  fracture  of  the  skull 
spoken  of  by  Colonel  Toogood  in  his  evidence  last 
week. 

Nurse  Eva  Grace  Thompson,  who  was  cautioned 
by  the  Coroner,  stated  that  she  had  charge  of 
Goodman  and  four  other  children  during  the  night 
of  June  4  th.  She  denied  striking  the  child  on  the 
head.  When  she  handed  him  over  to  the  day  staff 
on  the  morning  of  June  5th  he  was  quite  normal, 
and  she  could  not  account  for  the  fractures  of  the 
skull  and  the  three  bruises.  She  denied  that  she 
took  drugs  or  intoxicants. 

The  Coroner  informed  the  jury  that  in  the  early 
days  of  June  six  children  were  found  injured  at 
the  Centre,  and  four  had  died — one  from  double 
pneumonia.  Another,  still  alive,  had  a  fractured 
skull,  and  the  sixth,  also  alive,  had  a  fracture  of 
the  arm  and  a  dislocation  of  the  collar-bone. 

The  jury  returned  a  verdict  of  wilful  murder 
against  Nurse  Thompson,  who  was  airrested  in 
court  and  committed  for  trial. 

£300  DAMAGES  FOR  MIDWIFE. 

Damages  were  assessed  by  a  Sheriff's  jury  at 
;^30o  at  Green  Street  Courthouse,  Dublin,  as 
reported  in  the  General  Advertiser,  in  a  case  in 
which  Mary  Anne  Herbert  a  midwifery  nurse  of 
Rush,  claimed  ;^i,ooo  damages  from  M.  Sigman, 
40,  Lower  Clanbrassil  Street,  dairy  proprietor,  for 
injury  to  herself  and  her  bicycle  by  the  negligent 
driving  of  a  horse  and  trap  on  January  20th.  Mr. 
Gavan  Duffy  (instructed  by  Messrs.  Corrigan  & 
Corrigan),  for  the  plaintiff,  said  the  plaintiff's  right 
arm  was  broken,  and  the  defendant  made  no 
defence  or  offered  no  apology.  Dr.  M'Elhinney, 
Meath  Hospital,  said  the  plaintiff  would  not  be 
able  to  do  her  duties  for  two  years. 

LECTURES  TO  NURSES  ON   VENEREAL 

DISEASES. 

The  course  of  free  lectures  to  nurses  on  Venereal 
Diseases  at  St.  Paul's  Hospital,  Red  Lion  Square, 
by  Mr.  Leonard  Myer,  F.R.C.S..  met  a  great  need, 
judging  by  the  large  and  increasing  numbers  of 
nurses  who  attended  each  week. 


NATIONAL  BABY    WEEK   COUNCIL. 

In  our  last  issue  we  drew  attention  to  the  fact 
that  an  interesting  meeting  of  the  National  Baby 
Week  Council  took  place  at  the  Armitage  Hall  last 
week.'  h:  The  point  of  greatest  interest — ^to  which, 
for  lack  of  space,  we  were  unable  to  refer  at  the 
time — was  the  follovidng  resolution  : — 

"  That  the  National  Baby  Week  Council,  whilst 
a,pproving  the  objects  of  the  Maternity  and  Child 
Welfare  Bill,  deplores  the  continued  sacrifice  of  the 
nation's  present  health  and  future  life,  to  Depart- 
mental Vested  Interests,  calls  upon  the  Government 
to  establish  a  Ministry  of  Health  without  further 
delay,  and  at  no  distant  date  ;  and  that  the  Council 
approach  its  affiliated  organisations  with  a  view  to 
a  free  discussion  of  this  important  subject,  and  to 
carry  on  a  co-ordinated  propaganda  and  campaign 
in  favour  of  a  Ministry  of  Health  during  the  coming 
autumr." 

The  italics  are  ours.  The  important  and  signifi- 
cant point  about  it  is,  that  although  one  member 
suggested  as  an  amendment,  that  the  words  "  De- 
partmental Vested  Interests  "  should  be  deleted, 
as  being  too  strong,  and  another  seconded  it,  w^hen 
the  Chairman  put  it  to  the  vcte  the  meeting 
w^as  solidly  in  favour  of  having  the  words 
retained.  W(  see  in  this  the  first  fruits  of  the 
movement  for  social  and  political  purity,  and  are 
ercouraged  thereby.  Those  who  are  awakened 
have  begun  to  "  march  breast  Jorwdrd." 


AMERICAN     HELP     FOR    MOTHERS. 

The  American  Red  Cross  has  allocated  the  sum 
of  ;^5,ooo  to  the  National  League  for  Health, 
Maternity,  and  Child  Welfare,  to  promote  the 
establishment  of  maternity  centres  and  day 
nurseries  in  areas  where  much  war  wx)rk  is  being 
done. 


Mrs.  Whitelaw  Reid,  chairman  of  the  London 
Chapter  of  the  American  Red  Cross,  on  July  24th, 
opened  the  new  buildirgs  for  the  crdche  at  the 
North  Islington  Maternity  Centre,  arranged  by  the 
Committee  of  the  American  Infant  Welfare  Centre. 
The  buildings  are  at  9,  Manor  Gardens,  Holloway 
Road,  Islington. 


THE     BEST. 

"  We  all  hfve  held  in  fee  ore  woman's  heart : 
Have   all   been   pillowed    on    one  woman's 

bieast, 
Have  knelt  and  worshipped  at  one  woman's 

kneec — 
A  mother's.    If  this  be  the  only  part 
We  have  learned  of  woman's  lov-^^,  it  is  the 
best." 

A  G.  Sherriff. 

From  "A   Sonnet  to  Mother-love." 


No.  1,584. 


SATURDAY,   AUGUST    10,    1918. 


Vol.    LXI. 


EDITORIAL. 


THE  UNCHANGING  RESOLVE  OF  THE 
BRITISH  EMPIRE. 

Three  messages  stand  out  amongst  those 
delivered  on  the  fourth  anniversary  of  the 
entrance  of  the  British  Empire  into  the  War  ; 
that  of  his  Majesty  the  King  to  the  Heads 
of  AlHed  countries,  that  of  the  Bishop  of 
London,  representative  of  the  Church, 
deHvered  at  the  morning  service,  on  Sunday, 
at  St.  Paul's  to  the  great  congregation 
which  filled  the  Cathedral  to  the  doors,  and 
that  of  the  Prime  Minister,  representative 
of  the  State,  delivered  in  sealed  packets  and 
read  on  Saturday  evening  to  audiences  in 
the  theatres  and  elsewhere. 

The  King's  Message  to  the  Heads  of 
Allied  Countries. 

On  this  the  fourth  anniversary  of  the  day 
on  which  my  country  joined  in  the  great 
conflict  which  still  distracts  the  world  it  is 
my  privilege  to  convey  to  you  my  greetings, 
and  to  emphasize  once  again  the  unchang- 
ing resolve  of  the  British  Empire  to  concen- 
trate its  entire  energy  upon  a  victorious 
conclusion  of  the  struggle.  Thanks  to  the 
determination  of  our  peoples  and  the 
splendid  achievements  of  our  brave  sailors 
and  soldiers,  I  feel  confident  that  the  dawn 
of  a  victorious  peace  is  not  far  distant. 

"  Go    FoRWA*RD." 

The  Bishop  took  for  his  text  the  words 
"  Wherefore  criest  thou  unto  me  ?  Speak 
unto  the  children  of  Israel  that  they  go 
forward."  He  spoke  of  the  necessity  and  the 
power  of  prayer,  and  said : — 

"  Prayer  which  is  to  move  the  world 
must  be  accompanied  by  the  resolute  action 
which  attests  its  sincerity — back  to  the 
desk  to-morrow  or  after  the  needed  holiday  ; 
out  into  the  battlefield  again  after  the  pre^ 
cious    days    of   leave  ;      on    to  the   land  to 


gather  in  the  harvest.  Away  with  all 
doubts  and  all  fears,  all  croakers,  and  all 
those  who  weaken  the  knees  of  the  valiant. 
Be  strong  and  of  good  courage  ;  be  not 
afraid  and  be  not  dismayed ;  the  Lord  shall 
fight  for  you." 

"Hold   Fast." 

The  Prime  Minister's  Message  to  the 
Nation  was  "  Hold  Fast."  He  wrote  in 
part : — 

"  The  message  which  I  send  to  the  people 
of  the  British  Empire  on  the  fourth  anni- 
versary of  their  entry  into  the  war  is 
'  HoW  Fast.' 

"  We  are  in  this  war  for  no  selfish  ends. 
We  are  in  it  to  recover  freedom  for  the 
nations  which  have  been  brutally  attacked 
and  despoiled,  and  to  prove  that  no  people, 
however  powerful,  can  surrender  itself  to 
the  lawless  ambitions  of  militarism  without 
meeting  retribution,  swift,  certain,  and 
disastrous,  at  the  hands  of  the  free  nations 
of  the  world.  To  stop  short  of  Victory  for 
this  cause  would  be  to  compromise  the 
future  of  mankind." 

The   War   Shrine. 

Thousands  of  people  who  worshipped  in 
the  churches  and  chapels  in  the  morning 
were  present  at  the  blessing  by  the  Bishop 
of  London  of  the  War  Shrine  in  Hyde  Park 
in  the  afternoon,  and  placed  there  their  floral 
offerings  in  remembrance  of  the  valiant 
men  and  women  with  the  Expeditionary 
Force,  the  sick  and  wounded,  the  prisoners 
and  captives  and  the  heroic  dead.  The 
shrine  still  remains,  close  to  the  Marble 
Arch  and  to  Park  Lane,  that  great  highway 
of  traffic  where  all  may  see,  testifying  to 
the  affectionate  remembrance  of  the  Nation 
for  those  who  in  concert  with  our  Allies  are 
keeping  the  flag  of  freedom  aloft  on  land, 
on  sea,  and  in  the  air. 


94 


Q:be  Brttlsb  3ournal  of  Burslnfl. 


August  lo,   1918 


LABORATORY  WORK  FOR  WOMEN. 


By  A.  Knyvett  Gordon,  M.B.,  B.C., 
B.A.  Cantab. 

Some  years  ago,  when  in  charge  of  a  large 
hospital,  it  was  my  duty  to  examine  candidates 
for  the  post  of  probationer  nurse.  The  standard 
was  high,  because  I  did  not  accept  anyone 
whom  I  thought  would  be  likely  to  break  down 
anywhere  on  training  :  consequently  many, 
~  otherwise  of  excellent  physique,  were  rejected 
on  account  of  slightly  deformed  feet  or  varicose 
veins. 

I  have  often  wondered  what  became  of  these 
girls,  many  of  whom  must  have  had  a  natural 
aptitude  for  medical  work  of  one  kind  or 
another,  and  it  is  a  pity  that  they  should  be 
lost  altogether  to  the  profession.  Nowadays, 
however,  they  need  not  be,  and  I  think  that 
the  opening  that  awaits  them  in  the  laboratory 
is  perhaps  insufficiently  realised.  Let  me,  then, 
briefly  describe  the  position,  and  then  put  in  a 
plea  for  the  pathologist  who  requires  their 
services. 

Until  recently,  pathology  was  a  science  of  its 
own,  and  it  got  its  facts  mainly  from  the 
examination  of  tissues  removed  in  the  theatre 
and  from  the  performance  of  post-mortem 
examinations ;  the  pathologist  himself  was 
often  a  man  without  very  much  clinical  inclina- 
tion, and  was,  anyhow,  concerned  more  with 
the  advancement  of  science  than  with  the  treat- 
ment of  the  particular  patient. 

Small  blame  to  him  !  The  science  he  loved, 
however,  gave  him  scarcely  a  living  wage,  and 
certainly  led  to  no  pecuniary  or  social  advance- 
ment, and  very  seldom  was  he  permitted  to  see 
the  practical  result  of  his  work.  So,  many 
brilliant  men  were  lost  to  science  by  being 
pitchforked  into  gieneral  practice  by  the  force 
of  circumstances. 

Gradually,  however,  the  barrier  between  the 
clinician  and  the  pathologist  was  broken  down, 
and  a  new  department  of  clinical  pathology 
'came  into  being.  By  this  I  mean  that  the 
pathologist  was  called  in  during  the  life  of  the 
patient  to  find  out  what  he  could  from  examina- 
tion of  any  material  he  could  collect,  instead 
of  having  simply  to  find  out  after  death  how 
the  horse  had  been  stolen  !  Of  the  value  of  this 
co-operation,  the  diagnosis  of  diphtheria  and  of 
phthisis  by  the  detection  of  the  characteristic 
microbes  in  the  throat  and  sputum  are  good 
examples. 

This  child  of  the  alliance  grew  apace,  until 
the  facilities  for  diagnosis  afforded  by  the 
laboratory  were  demanded  not  only  by  the 
practising  clinician,   but  even  by  his  patient. 


This  necessitated  a  considerable  increase  both 
in  the  number  of  laboratories  and  in  the  statl 
which  each  employed. 

Then  came  the  war,  and  everybody  knows 
how  incalculable  has  been  the  value  of  labora- 
tory work,  not  only  in  the  treatment  of  the 
wounded,  but  also  in  the  prevention  of  sickness 
which  in  former  campaigns  was  more  deadly 
than  the  weapons  of  the  foe.  On  their  return 
to  civil  practice  many  medical  men  now  serving 
will  demand  the  laboratory  facilities  which  they 
have  enjoyed  in  the  field  for  all  classes  of  their 
patients,  and  it  is  evident  also  that  in  any 
schemes  for  improvement  of  the  national  health 
research  must  find  a  place. 

In  the  past,  pathology  has  almost  entirely 
been  confined  to  men,  though  I  have  often 
thought — and  taught — that  this  was  unneces- 
sary. Women  are  eminently  fitted  for  patho- 
logical work,  and  nowadays  they  are  taking  to 
it  in  increasing  numbers. 

In  a  laboratory  there  are  two  classes  of 
worker  :  the  qualified  pathologist,  who  has 
passed  through  the  whole  medical  curriculum, 
and  the  technical  assistant ;  it  is  the  latter  which 
we  will  now  consider.  What  sort  of  life  will  the 
worp.an  aspirant  lead,  and  what  advantages 
does  the  career  hold  out? 

Well,  in  the  first  place  she  need  not  be 
physically  robust ;  the  hours  of  duty  are  not 
excessive,  and  she  can  sit  or  stand  at  her  work 
at  will.  Consequently  her  night's  rest  is  not 
broken  by  the  cry  of  the  aching  back  or  the 
incipient  flat  foot. 

Then  she  earns  a  living  wage  from  the  start, 
and  at  once  begins  to  take  a  hand  in  the  fasci- 
nating work  of  finding  out  what  is  wrong  with 
the  patient. 

If  she  can  afford  it,  there  is  distinct  advan- 
tage in  taking  a  preliminary  course  of  instruc- 
tion in  Bacteriology  and  Chemistry  at  one  of 
the  teaching  centres  in  London  or  elsewhere, 
but  this  is  not  essential,  and  she  can  start,  if  she 
prefers  it,  on  the  lowest  rung  of  the  ladder  in 
the  laboratory  itself. 

Probably  she  begins  by  spreading  films  of 
pus,  sputa,  and  so  on,  and  later  on  perhaps 
staining  them  for  the  pathologist  to  examine. 
At  this  stage  she  also  learns  something  about 
microscopy  itself. 

Pathologists  are  often  chatty  souls,  and  in 
the  intervals  between  one  specimen,  or  batch, 
and  the  next,  are  usuallv  keen  on  teaching. 
Generally  they  are  also  enthusiasts,  and  their 
reminiscences  and  day  dreams  are  often 
fascinating. 

Then  she  learns  the  gentle  art  of  glass-blow- 
ing, and  it  is  extra,ordinarv  how  skilful  many 
girls  become  at  this  in  a  very  short  time.     It  is 


August  lo,   1918 


Zbc  British  3ournal  of  IRumug. 


95 


important,   for  well-made   apparatus  tends   to 
careful  work. 

Then  there  is  the  department  of  chemical 
pathology,  where  she  learns  not  only  how  to 
make  up  solutions,  but  also  the  elements  of 
chemistry,  beginning  with  simple  urine-testing, 
and  going  on  to  the  chemical  part  of  the 
analysis  of  drinking-water  and  foods.  Then 
she  learns  how  to  cut  and  stain  sections  of 
tumours  and  of  organs  removed  post-mortem, 
and  also  the  details  of  bacteriology,  such  as  the 
sowing  of  culture  media  with  discharges  from 
wounds,  &c.,  and  observing  what  comes  up. 
Incidentally,  this  is  a  type  of  gardening  quite 
as  fascinating  as  the  tending  of  the  fashionable 
allotment.  And  so  she 
goes  on  in  a  daily  task 
that  is  never  dull  because 
it  is  always  lit  up  by 
flashes  of  light  from  the 
pathological  elysium 
where  the  answers  to  the 
eternal  problems  are  kept. 

All  this  makes  for  an 
atmosphere  of  comrade- 
ship. I  never  knew  any- 
one give  themselves  airs 
in  a  laboratory  for  very 
long.  In  fact,  swagger 
is  impossible,  if  only  be- 
cause in  research  every- 
one is  always  making 
mistakes,  or  perhaps  I 
should  say  following 
temporarily  the  wrong 
byroad. 

The  only  essential  pre- 
liminary qualifications 
are  keenness — and  this  is 
the  most  important  of  all 
— and  a  certain  degree  of 
natural  dexterity.  For 
the  hopelessly  awkward 
and  heavy  fingered  the 
laboratory  has  no  place. 

Then  the  candidate  must  not  be  absolutely 
hopeless  at  **  Figures."  Lat'er  on  she  will  have 
to  work  out  chemical  reactions  and  statistics, 
and  if  this  has  to  be  done  by  counting  her 
fingers  she  will  be  left  behind  in  the  race.  But 
the  majority  of  girls  nowadays  have  these 
qualifications — ^and  especially  for  those  who 
prefer  mental  to  physical  work,  a  laboratory 
career  offers  many  and  interesting  possibilities. 


NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 


We  are  indebted  to  the  courtesy  of  the  edilor  of 
the  Scots  Pictorial  for  our  portrait  of  Miss  Mary 
Courtnay,  Matron  of  Montgreenan  Auxiliary 
Hospital,  Kilwinning,  who  was  recently  decorated 
with  the  Royal  Red  Cross. 


MISS     MAkY    COURTENAY,     R.R.C., 
Matron,  Montgreenan  Auxiliary  Hospital,  Kllwlnnlngr, 


At  an  Investiture  held  In  the  Quadrangle  of 
Buckingham  Palace  on  July  31st,  the  King  con- 
ferred the  following  decorations  :■ — 

ROYAL     RED     CROSS. 

First  Class. 
Territorial  Force  Nursing  Service. — Assistant  Matron 
Ada  Taylor. 

Civil  Nursing  Service. — Assistant  Matron  Isabel  Kemp, 
Sister  Elizabeth   Macaulay. 

Canadian  Army  Nursing 
Service. — Matron  Myra  Good- 

EVE. 

Second  Class. 
Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial 
Military  Nursing  Service 
Reserve.  —  Sister  Georgina 
Hester,  Sister  Florence 
Hughes,  Sister  Clara  Robin- 
son, Sister  Amy  McDowell, 
Staff  Nurse  Mercy  Huffer, 
Staff  Nurse  Euphemia 

Loraine,   and   Miss  Margaret 

PlERSON. 

Territorial  Force  Nursing 
Service.  —  Sister       Charlotte 

FlTZMAYER. 

Civil  Nursing  Service. — r 
Matron  Ethel  Carew-Hodge, 
Matron  Marianne  Iffland, 
Matron  Phillimore  Ind, 
Matron  Kathleen  Irwin, 
Matron  Mabel  Johnson, 
Matron  Amy  Kaye,  Matron 
Ellen  Kidson,  Matron 
Blanche  Knapton,  Matron 
Edith  Wake,  Matron  Marie 
Wheeler,  Assistant  Matron 
Isabel  Heberden,  Sister  Ellen 
Howard,  Sister  Gertie  Inman, 
Sister  Minnie  Jones,  and 
Mrs.  Marian  McGlashan. 

British   Red   Cross   Society. 
— Matron  Mabel  Hunt,  Sister 
Jessie      Gunn,      Sister      Kate 
Hatton,  and  Sister  Kathleen  Nixon. 

Voluntary  Aid  Detachment. — Miss  Kate  Bishop,  Mrs. 
Sibyl  CocKBURN,  Miss  Lily  Haggar,  Mrs.  Evelyn  Heyde, 
Miss  Catherine  Hickling,  Miss  Mabel  Hodges,  Miss 
.\my  HusoN,  Miss  Kate  Jackson,  Mrs.  Agnes  James, 
Mrs.  Eva  Jones,  and  Miss  Gertrude  Mirrington. 

Canadian  Army  Nursing  Service. — Sister  Alba 
Andrew,  Sister  Irene  Brady,  and  Sister  Sophie 
Hoerner. 

THE   MILITARY   MEDAL. 
Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service 
Reserve. — Sister  Mary  Brown. 


Messrs.  Debenham  &  Freebody  have  given 
up  two  of  their  large  workrooms  in  Welbeck 
Street  to  the  West  End  Hospital.  They  wilj  be 
known  as  the  Debenham  wards. 


At  the  opening  of  Australia  House  by  the  King 
on  Saturday  last.  Head  Sister  Ida  O'Dwyer* 
Australian  Army  Nursing  Service,  R.R.C.,  was 
presented  to  the  King  and  Queen. 


96 


Jlbc  British  3ournal  of  IRursmg. 


August   lo,    1918 


THE   MILITARY  MEDAL. 

FOR    DISTINQUISHED    SERVICES     IN     THE 
FIELD. 

A  special  supplement  to  the  London  Gazette 
issued  on  July  30th  states  that  the  King  has 
approved  the  award  of  the  Military  Med?l  to  the 
under-mentioned  ladies  for  distinguished  services 
in  the  field.  In  each  case  the  act  of  bravery 
recorded  was  performed  during  enemy  air  raids 
on  hospitals  : — • 

Sister  C.  L.  A.  Robinson,  A.R.R.C,  Q.A.I. M.N. S.— 
A  stationary  hospital  was  struck  by  four  bombs  from 
an  enemy  aeroplane  and  one  wing  was  practically  cut 
in  two,  many  patients  being  /buried  in  the  debris.  Sister 
Robinson,  at  very  great  personal  risk,  went  in  amongst 
the  ruins  to  assist  in  recovering  the  patients,  quite  re- 
gardless of  danger,  her  one  thought  being  the  rescue 
of  the  patients.  She  displayed  magnificent  coolness  and 
resource. 

A. -Sister  N.  Galvin.  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R. — Four  enemy 
bombs  were  dropped  on  the  building  occupied  by  the 
hospital,  causing  much  damage  to  the  ward  in  which 
Sister  Galvin  was  on  night  duty.  She  remained  in  the 
ward  attending  to  the  sick,  several  of  whom  were 
wounded,  and  carried  on  her  work  as  if  nothing  had 
happened.  She  displayed  the  greatest  coolness  and 
devotion  to  duty. 

A. -Sister  M.  M.  de  Guerin,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R.— The 
building  occupied  by  the  hospital  was  hit  by  four  bombs,, 
which  cut  in  two  the  ward  in  which  Sister  Guerin  was 
on  night  duty.  Several  patients  were  wounded 
and  buried  in  the  debris  of  the  destroyed  building,  but 
she  remained  on  duty  in  her  ward,  displaying  the  greatest 
coolness  and  courage  in  attending  to  the  wounded  and 
helping  to  rescue  the  buried. 

Sister  L.  A.  Wilkinson,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R.— Although 
her  ward  was  demolished,  she  continued  to  attend  to 
the  wounded  whilst  the  raid  was  still  in  progress. 

Staff  Nurse  B.  Dascomue,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R. —Her 
ward  being  destroyed  by  a  bomb  and  herself  wounded, 
she  insisted  on  remaining  at  her  post  and  attending  to 
the  wounded. 

Sister  (A.-Matron)  L.  M.  M.  Toller,  R.R.C, 
Q.A.I.M.N.S. — When  the  sisters'  quarters  were  wrecked 
and  nurses  wounded,  Sister  Toller  collected  the  staff  and 
placed  them  in  comparative  safety.  By  her  fine  example 
she  undoubtedly  saved  life. 

Staff  Nurse  A.  M.  McGrath,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R.— In 
charge  of  a  ward  of  serious  cases.  She  showed  through- 
out a  quiet  confidence  and  set  a  fine  example  during  a 
most  critical  period. 

Sister  M.  E.  Davis,  Q.A.I.M.N.S. — When  the  sisters' 
quarters  were  wrecked  and  bombs  were  falling,  she 
showed  a  fine  example,  and  assisted  materially  in  control- 
ling the  situation  and  attending  to  the  sisters  who  were 
wounded. 

Staff  Nurse  S.  D.  ^tuNRo,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R.— An 
enemy  air  raid  wrecked  three  of  her  wards.  She  showed 
coolness  and  contempt  of  danger  and  a  solicitude  for  her 
patients  which  Jkvas  invaluable. 

Staff  Nurse  K.  R.  Lowe,  T.F".N.S. — Bombs  destroyed 
a  large  portion  of  the  ward  in  which  she  was  on  night 
duty,  wounding  and  burying  many  of  the  patients.  She 
continued  to  carry  out  her  duties  with  great  composure, 
and  showed  much  resourcefulness  in  looking  after  the 
injured. 

Miss  M.  Thompson,  F.A.N.Y.,  Miss  W.  M.  Elwes, 
F.A.N. Y.,  Miss  E.  A.  Courtis,  F.A.N.Y.,  Miss  M. 
Richardson,  F.A.N.Y.,  Miss  M.  O'Connell-Bianconi, 
F.A.N. Y.,  Miss  H.  M.  Dickinson,  F.A.N. Y.,  Miss  E.  B. 
Callander,  F.A.N.Y. — .All  these  lady  drivers  were  out 
with  their  cars  during  the  raid,  picking  up  and  in  every 


way  assisting  the  wounded  and  injured.  They  showed 
great  bravery  and  coolness,  and  were  an  example  to  all 
ranks. 

Miss  K.  M.  Freshfield,  V.A.D. — The  ward  in  which 
she  was  working  was  destroyed  by  a  bomb,  but  she 
continued  to  attend  to  her  patients,  and  was  herself  veiy 
severely  wounded. 

Miss  L.  A.  Gregory,  V.A.D. — Her  ward  was 
destroyed  by  bombs,  but  she  insisted  on  remaining  at  her 
post,  and  attended  the  wounded  during  the  progress  of 
the  raid. 

Miss  K.  Farling,  Miss  S.  Dickson,  Miss  J.  Pennell. 
Miss  M.  Davidson,  B.R.C.S.  (V.A.D.).— All  these  lady 
drivers  were  out  with  their  cars  during  the  raid,  picking 
up  and  in  every  way  assisting  the  wounded  and  injured, 
and  showed  great  bravery  and  coolness,  and  were  an 
example  to  all  ranks.  They  also  carried  to  safety  and 
helped  in  every  way  many  French  civilians. 

Miss  W.  A.  Brampton,  B.R.C.S. — This  lady  continued 
at  duty  throughout  the  raid,  although  the  ward  in  her 
charge  w^as  almost  completely  wrecked,  several  patients 
killcKi,  and  she  herself  was  wounded. 

Miss  D.  M.  L.  Crewdson,  B.R.C.S.  (V.A.D.).— 
Although  herself  wounded,  this  lady  remained  at  duty 
and  assisted  in  dressing  the  wounds  of  patients. 

Commandant  W.  E.  S.  Mount  Batten,  B.R.C.S. — 
She  superintended  the  work  of  the  convoy,  drove  an 
ambulance  car  herself  during  the  raid,  and  by  her  cool- 
ness and  disregard  for  her  own  safety  ensured  the  prompt 
removal  of  the  wounded  to  hospital. 

Sub-Section  Leader  G.  M.  Cuthbert,  B.R.C.S. — She 
showed  exceptional  coolness  and  courage  in  directing  her 
section.  . 

Section  Leader  G.  F.  Johnston,  B.R.C.S. — She 
directed  her  section  with  coolness  and  courage  under 
very  trying  circumstances. 

Senior  Section  Leader  J.  V.  Mellor;  B.R.C.S. — She 
showed  exceptional  courage  and  efficiency  as  senior 
section  leader. 

Nurse  M.  G.  Campbell,  B.R.C.S. — During  a  raid 
buildings  were  set  on  fire.  She  moved  about  in  full  glare, 
regardless  of  imminent  danger,  taking  patients  to  safety, 
and  inspiring  confidence  in  all. 

V.A.D.  M.  Cavanaoh,  St.  John's  Ambulance  Brigade. 
— Miss  Cavanagh  was  in  charge  of  four  wards,  two  of 
which  were  entirely  wrecked.  She  continued  to  perform 
her  duty  ;  in  addition  was  very  active  in  removing  the 
wounded  to  a  place  of  comparative  safety. 

Nurse  E.  Hounslow,  A.R.R.C,  St.  John's  Ambu- 
lance Brigade. — A  bomb  fell  between  two  of  her  wards 
and  injured  many  patients.  She  behaved  with  the  utmost 
coolness,  and  set  a  fine  example,  attending  wounded 
under  most  trying  circumstances. 

Asst.  Matron  M.  Chittock,  St.  John's  Ambulance 
Brigade  Hospital. — She  displayed  great  presence  of 
mind,  and  instilled  courage  and  confidence  throughout 
a  very  trying  time. 

Matron  C.  E.  Todd,  St.  John's  Ambulance  Brigade 
Hosoital. — She  moved  freely  about  the  wards  during  the 
brmbinrf,  encouraging  the  sisters  and  patients,  ar-"  dis- 
played great  braver>'  and  presence  of  mind  throughout. 

Sister  G.  Warner,  St.  John's  Ambulance  Brigade 
Hospital. — She  displayed  the  utmost  coolness,  and  main- 
tained a  cheery  spirit  throughout,  showing  great  braverv. 

Sister  J.  Bemrose.  St.  John's  Ambulance  Brigade 
Hospital. — She  showed  disregard  of  danger,  and  con- 
tinued to  attend  the  wounded  in  her  charge  during  the 
heavy  bombardment. 

Sister  M.  McGinnis,  St.  John's  Ambulance  Brigade 
Hospital. — She  showed  great  courage,  took  charge  of  a 
word,  and  sustained  her  patients. 

Sifter  M.  H.  Ballance,  St.  John's  Ambulance  Brigade 
Hospital. — Her  fortitude  and  courage  were  most  con- 
spicuous.    She  devoted  herself  entirely  to  her  patients. 


August  lo,   1918 


ITbe  British  3ournal  of  IRureinQ. 


97 


CARE    OF    THE    WOUNDED. 


.  PARKSIDE    ORTHOP/CDIC   HOSPITAL, 
RAVENSCOURT    PARK,    HAMMERSMITH. 

In  any  kind  of  weather  this,  the  newest  of 
auxiliary  war  hospitals,  would  have  been 
attractive,  but  on  a  warm  summer  day,  with  the 
breath  of  the  flowers  sweetening  the  air,  and  the 
bright  sunlight  making  everything  look  cheerful, 
the  impression  left  on  the  mind  of  the  visitor  was 
pai  ticularly  pleasant.  It  stands  in  two  acres  of 
ground  and  is  approached  by  a  shady  avenue  of 
beautiful  old  sycamore  trees.  It  is  a  handsome, 
well-built, commodious  house,  admirably  adapted 
to  its  present  purpose.  The  need  of  a  hospital  of 
this  sort  for  officers  has  long  been  felt  ;  the  In- 
firmary in  Ducane  Road  is  used  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  men  only,  requiring  orthopaedic  treat- 
ment. It  seems  that  it  was  only  necessary  to 
m.ention  the  fact  to  the  Mayor  of  the  Borough 
(Alderman  H.  Foreman,  O.B.E.,  J. P.)  for  the  idea 
to  materialise.  It  is  owing  to  his  great  generosity 
and  that  of  Mrs.  Foreman  that  Parkside  has  been 
acquired,  redecorated  and  furnished  to  accom- 
modate thirty  officers  besides  the  staff.  No.expense 
has  been  spared  in  making  it  as  cheerful,  cosy  and 
comfortable  as  money  plus  a  kind  heart  could 
make  it.  There  may  be  hospitals  as  nice,  but  it  is 
certain  there  could  not  be  any  nicer. 

There  is  uniformity  \\dthout  monotony. 
Polished  floors  everywhere  ;  a  mat  of  artistic 
colouring  beside  each  bed,  white  embroidered 
coverlet,  with  an  eiderdown  quilt  on  each  bed,  and 
each  of  a  different  coloured  silk.  Shot  silk 
appeared  to  be  the  favourite.  White-painted 
lockers  with  glass  tops,  upon  each  of  which  stands 
an  electric  lamp  with  a  shade  of  the  same  colour 
and  material  as  the  quilt.  Harmony  and  propor- 
tion spell  art,  and  this  is  evident  everywhere,  and 
is,  we  were  told,  the  taste  of  the  Mayoress.  The 
wars  are  distempered  in  a  soft  shade  of  grey.  The 
architect  is  to  be  congratulated  upon  the  liberal 
provision  of  window  space  ;  had  he  designed  the 
house  for  the  purpose  he  could  not  have  done 
better. 

The  lavatory  and  bathroom  accommodation  is 
abundant,  also  sluices  far  bedpans,  &c. 

A  winter  garden  or  conservatory  is  used  as  a 
lounge  and  smoke  room.  There  is  a  large  and 
handsomely  furnished  dining  room  for  the  officers 
on  the  ground  floor,  and  the  same  in  the  basement 
for  the  V.A.D.  staff.  The  resident  staff  consists 
of  the  Matron,  Miss  Dible,  and  one  Sister  ;  also 
the  cook.  Thirty-six  V.A.D-s  come  in  in  three 
shifts  of  twelve.  These  as  well  as  the  Com- 
mandant are,  of  course,  non-resident. 

The  sitting  room  for  the  officers  is  as  comfortable 
as  the  rest  of  the  house.  The  piice  de  resistance 
there  is  a  splendid  new  Grafonola,  the  gift  of 
Messrs.  Watsons,  Sons  &  Room.  There  is  a  good- 
sized  vegetable  garden,  which  is  not  the  least  of 
the  many  attractions  of  the  hospital. 

We  are  greatly  indebted  to  Miss  Dible  for  her 
courtesy  in  showing  us  this  admirable  hospital. 


Many  generous  people  have  given  handsome 
subscriptions,  but  many  more  would  be  gratefully 
accepted. 

The  hospital  was  opened  on  Thursday,  July  25th, 
by  Mrs.  Hayes  Fisher,  accompanied  by  the  Right 
Hon.  W.  Hayes  Fisher,  President  of  the  Local 
Government  Board.  .  g_  jj. 


FRENCH  FUQ  NURSING  CORPS. 


.    What  The  "  Times  "  thinks  of'Our  Work 

i        ^^  *    "^t:  AND  Policy.    •   * 

"  The  French  Flag  Nursing  Corps,  wtich  has 
supplied  from  100  to  200  of  the  best  trained  British 
nurses  for  FrenchArmy  hospitals,  since  1914,  came 
into  prominence  in  the  recent  retreat  from  the 
Cherain  des  Dames,  where  they  gave  an  example  of 
their  mettle  by  sticking  to  their  posts  till  all  the 
wounded  were  evacuated,  and  only  escaped  as 
the  Germans  entered  the  hospitals.  These  British 
women,  scattered  in  twos  and  threes  in  great 
military  hospitals  throughout  France,  have  raised 
the  whcle  standard  of  nursing  and  made  thousands 
of  friends  for  us — friends  who  will  not  forget." 


The  good,  kind  "  Henriette,"  femme  de  manage 
at  Verneuil,  is  now  a  refugee  in  Savoy.  She  was 
in  attendance  on  the  Sisters  at  the  old  Chateau  to 
the  last  day  when  the  retreat  began.  A  Sister 
writes  : — "  Poor  girl,  she  was  very  good  to  us, 
and  has  lost  everything  Would  it  be  possible  to 
send  her  a  gift  of  clothing  or  any  help  ;  they  are 
glad  oi  such  gifts.  I  send  you  her  address." 
Poor  Henriette  I  Well  we  remember  her  and  the 
lovely  dejeuner  she  prepared  for  us  the  happy 
day  we  visited  the  Sisters  in  their  romantic 
surroundings.  Very  happy  we  should  be  to 
forward  her  a  gift  of  clothing,  if  any  kind  friend 
will  help  to  make  up  a  parcel.  We  could  do  with 
a  tidy  coat  and  skirt,  two  pairs  of  warm  stockings, 
a  good  pair  of  boots,  a  waim  petticoat,  under- 
linen,  and  seme  tidy  aprons,  and  any  useful 
additions.  "  Henriette  "  is  tall  and  stout  and 
requires  garments  of  ample  proportions.  It 
would  be  nice  to  send  her  a  parcel  from  "  Friends 
in  England  "  now  she  is  far  from  ner  home.  Let 
us  hope  it  may  not  be  for  long  ;  but,  alas  !  we 
know  the  devastation  of  the  fair  land  of  France, 
where  the  hoof  of  the  Hun  has  passed.  Please 
address  gifts  to  the  Editor,  431,  Oxford  Street, 
London  W.,  marked  "  For  Henriette." 


A  Sister  in  the  war  zone  writes: — -"We  are 
having  very  bad  nights,  as  we  have  nightly  visits 
from  the  Boches.  We  get  big  rushes  of  wounded 
when  the  brutes  have  gone.  .  .  .  Nearly  all  our 
windows  have  gone,  and  some  of  our  wounded 
have  been  cut  with  the  falling  glass.  My  flat  has 
its  disadvantages,  so  I  lie  down  on  any  spare  bed 
in  the  hospital,  dressed  of  course.  .'  .  .  The  hospital 
where  we  are    working    was  a  mill   before  the 


98 


(The  Brttiab  3ournal  of  IRursiuG. 


August  lo,   1918 


Ropal  BrItisI)  Rurses'  ilssociation. 


(Incorporated  Dp 


Ropal  Cbarten) 


THIS   SUPPLEMENT   BEING   THE'  OFFICIAL    ORGAN    OF    THE    CORPORATION. 


THE  TRAINING  OF  CHILDREN  OF  FROM 
TWO  TO  FIVE  YEARS  OF  AGE. 


Synopsis  of  a  Lecture  given  at  Woolwich  under 
the  auspices  of  the  City  Parochial  Charities 
by  Miss  Kate  C.  Atherton,  M. R.B.N. A., 
Medallist  of  the  Royal  Sanitary  Institute. 

In  commencing  a  very  interesting  lecture  on 
"The  Training  of  Children,"  Miss  Atherton 
drew  attention  to  the  fact  that,  although  one 
cannot  change  the  nature  of  a  child,  much  can 
be  done  by  careful  training  and  by  environment 
so  to  direct  his  tendencies  that  his  character  will 
be  such  as  to  help,  and  not  to  hinder  him,  in  the 
battle  of  life,  and  to  make  him  in  every  sense  a 
useful  member  of  the  community.  Undue 
repression  in  the  training  of  children  is  just 
as  harmful  as  over-indulgence  ;  to  this,  as  well 
as  to  a  shock  or  perhaps  some  nervous  condi- 
tion in  childhood,  mental  trouble  in  after  life  is 
not  infrequently  traceable.  Children  have  the 
same  emotions  as  older  people— love,  jealousy, 
hope,  and  fear — and  it  is  to  be  remembered  that 
a  child  who  has  a  great  capacity  for  love  has 
often  a  similar  capacity  for  jealousy,  so  that 
his  very  love  for  others  may  indirectly  be  made 
the  cause  for  stimulating  a  tendency  to 
jealousy,  and  may  give  rise  to  a  great  deal  of 
unhappiness,  and  even  to  ill-health.  A  child, 
being  immature,  is  very  crude  and  simple,  and 
one  of  the  first  lessons  to  teach  him  is  that 
of  obedience.  This  can  often  be  practised  as 
a  game,  and,  where  there  are  two  children,  they 
can  compete  as  to  who  will  perform  the  com- 
mand most  quickly.  In  this  exercise  care  must 
be  taken  not  to  carry  it  to  the  point  of  fatigue. 
Drill  answers  much  the  same  purpose  for  older 
children.  Organised  exercises,  as  soon  as  the 
child  is  able  to  perform  these,  are  very  bene- 
ficial ;  they  improve  physical  development,  lead 
to  unfolding  of  the  mind,  cause  the  child  to 
realise  that  there  is  a  right  way  and  a  wrong 


way  of  doing  the  simplest  thing,  and  uncon- 
sciously they  develop  in  the  child  the  habit  of 
doing  promptly  what  he  is  told. 

Observation  is  of  the  greatest  importance  in 
those  to  whom  there  is  entrusted  the  care  of 
child  life ;  in  fact,  to  deal  successfully  with 
children  one  must,  so  to  speak,  become  a  child, 
must  observe  and  understand  to  the  utmost 
possible  extent  the  psychology  of  the  child 
mind.  By  observations  and  comparisons  we 
arrive  at  conclusions  which  help  us  to  under- 
stand each  individual  child.  Take  fjr 
instance,  the  immoral  child.  Very  often  he  will 
be  found  to  be  in  some  respect,  perhaps  only  ^n 
a  very  minor  degree,  physically  defective.  It  is 
wrong  to  train  such  a  child,  or  one  whose  health 
is  not  good,  on  the  same  lines  as  a  normal  child. 
In  such  cases  suggestion  often  plays  a  very 
important  part  in  the  training.  Then  there  is 
the  rheumatic  child,  constantly  quarrelling  and 
"grizzling";  in  all  probability  he  is  nervous, 
delicate,  timid,  and  difficult  to  please,  but  rarely 
actually  ill.  Such  children  should  be  treated 
with  the  greatest  consideration,  but  should  be 
encouraged  to  mix  much  with  other  children, 
or  they  are  apt  to  develop  into  the  "  mother's 
darling  "  type,  and  to  become  an  affliction  alike 
to  themselves  and  their  elders.  In  studving 
children  always  observe  the  signs  of  nutrition, 
expression,  movement,  and  posture.  Fatigue, 
for  instance,  is  often  indicated  by  posture.  Ask 
a  tired  child  to  extend  the  arms  on  a  level  with 
the  shoulders,  and  it  will  invariably  happen  that 
the  arms  will  droop  and  the  thumbs  hang  down. 

Self-control  and  independence  should  be 
cultivated  in  children.  A  well-managed  child 
in  this  respect  is  usually  a  well-balanced  adult 
in  later  life.  Regularity  is  really  the  keynote 
to  successful  training,  and  indeed  applies  to  a 
period  previous  to  the  actual  birth  of  the  child; 
we,  who  have  much  to  do  with  welfare  work, 
are  constantly  impressing  upon  the  mother  the 
importance  of  regular  habits  during  pregnancy. 


August  lo,   1918 


Zbc  16i1ti6b  3ournal  of  IRursino. 


9$ 


Out  of  regular  habits  self-control  is  evolved, 
and,  in  order  to  develop  independence,  never  do 
for  a  child  what  he  is  quite  capable  of  doing-  for 
himself;  rather,  indeed,  he  should  be  encour- 
aged to  do  things  for  those  around  him. 
He  will  enjoy  performing  little  duties,  and  even 
the  boys  should  be  taught  to  help  in  the  home ; 
this  will  teach  them  to^use  their  hands,  and  will 
sharf>en  their  faculties.  It  is  impossible  to 
overrate  the  pleasure  a  child  has  in  using  his 
hands,  and  it  is  never  too  early  to  teach  him 
to  handle,  to  grasp,  and  later  to  pile  up  and 
throw  about  his  toys  Complaints  are  some- 
times made  about  the  "  destructiveness  "  of 
children,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  some- 
times this  arises  from  the  mere  desire  to  be 
creative,  and  then  it  should  be  encouraged 
rather  than  otherwise.  Those  of  us  who  have 
worked  among  children  in  the  hospitals  and 
elsewhere  often  hear  the  demand,  "  more  pic- 
tures, more  scissors,  and  some  paste,  please." 

Some  children  have  a  great  difficulty  in  being 
accurate,  and  this  must  not  be  confused  with 
lying,  for  they  are  often  delighted  to  relate  an 
experience  which  is  really  all  imagination.  In 
such  cases  the  child  should  be  taught  to  explain 
that  he  is  "  only  pretending." 


AN  ATTRACTIVE  CLUB  FOR  NURSES. 


Members  coming  up  to  town  for  the  holidays 
frequently  write  to  enquire  where  they  can  find 
a  comfortable  and  central  club  at  which  they 
may  stay.  They  will  find  nowhere  more  plea- 
sant quarters  than  the  Kensington  Gardens 
Nurses'  Club,  57,  Kensington  Gardens  Square, 
W.  It  is  within  easy  reach  of  all  the  important 
parts  of  the  city,  and  the  Principal  of  the  Club, 
Miss  B.  Cave,  had  a  very  intimate  knowledge 
of  club  life  and  the  requirements  of  private 
nurses  before  ever  she  established  her  own  very 
popular  club.  Its  rooms  are  large,  airy,  and 
very  tastefully  furnished,  Ajhile  the  numerous 
contrivances  for  adding  to  the  convenience  and 
comfort  of  the  nurses,  and  the  exactitude  with 
which  their  telephone  messages  are  attended 
to,  add  very  much  to  the  value  of  the  club  as  a 
residential  one  for  private  nurses.  One  much- 
travelled  nurse  expressed  the  view  that  she  had 
never  sojourned  in  any  club  where  the  atmo- 
sphere seemed  more  homelike  or  offered  a 
greater  sense  of  freedom. 

Miss  Cave  is  a  MembeV  of  the  Royal  British 
Nurses'  Association  and  of  the  Incorporated 
Society  of  Trained  Masseuses,  and  her  club  is 
one  of  the  very  few  large  clubs  for  nurses  in 
London  which  has  a  trained  nurse  at  its  head. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 

THE  BADGE  OFMEMBERSHIP  OFTHE  ROYAL 
CHARTERED  CORPORATION  OF  NURSES. 

To  the  Secretary,  R.B.N.A. 
Dear  Madam, — I  have  seen  a  picture  of  the  badge 
of  our  Association  in  the  official  organ,  and  I  should 
like  to  draw  attention  to  the  fact  that  all  the 
members  should  make  a  point  of  wearing  it  who 
can.  I  often  meet  nurses  from  our  Association,  and 
we  always  recognise  one  another  as  fellow  members 
through  our  badge.  I  have  heard  of  two  of  our 
members  who  met  out  on  the  Rockies,  and  one  was 
able  to  give  the  greatest  help  to  the  other,  when, 
but  for  the  R.B.N. A.  badge,  they  would  never  have 
known  that  they  were  members  of  the  same  body, 
or  even  fellow  nurses.       j  g,^^    ^.j, 

H.  Mac  WILLIAM, 
M.R.B.N.A. 
A    KIND    THOUGHT. 

To  the  Secretary,  K.B.N. A. 

Dear  Madam, — A  few  days  ago  I  heard  of  a 
member,  suffering  from  an  incurable  disease,  who 
felt  the  keenest  disappointment  because  she  could 
not  afford,  owing  to  the  expenses  of  her  illness,  to 
take  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing,  as  she  had 
been  in  the  habit  of  doing  our  monthly  paper.  Her 
subscription  was  promptly  paid  for  her  by  another 
member,  but  I  hear  that  there  are  quite  a  number 
of  the  old  nurses  who  find  the  cost  of  a  weekly  paper 
too  much  for  their  slender  incomes. 

\\  e  have  had  to  discontinue  the  Recluse  Club 
since  the  war  began.  Might  I  suggest  that  it  now 
bo  revived  for  a  slightly  different  purpose  than  its 
original  one — that  of  supplying  our  old  members 
with  an  illustrated  paper  each  week?  We  used 
to  subscribe  a  shilling  annually,  and  I  think  it 
would  be  nice  if  we  young  members  could  link  up 
and  subscribe  the  same  amount  again,  just  to  pre- 
vent the  old  members  who  helped  to  found  the 
Association,  and  who  have  belonged  to  it  for  so  long, 
from  feeling  shut  out  or  left  behind.  Seven  of  us 
could  keep  one  old  nurse  in  touch  with  it  right  to 
the  end  in  this  way,  and  I  know  that  it  is  a  real 
grief  to  some  to  feel  that  they  will  no  longer  have 
their  Nurses'  Journal  each  month. 

The  President's  letter  has  given  us  all  pleasure, 
and  I  for  one  warmly  endorse  what  she  says  about 
welcoming  other  nurses  to  a  share  in  our  Charter. 
I  am  glad,  too,  that  you  have  made  this  new 
arrangement  about  the  official  organ,  for  many  of 
Us  have  been  very  indignant  about  the  one-sided 
propaganda  for  the  College  in  the  other  papers.  I 
hope  that  other  nurses  will  follow  the  example  of 
the  R.B.N. A.  members  and  "  wake  up." 
I  am,  &c., 

V.  M.  Cobbett, 
M.R.B.N.A. 

Application  forms  for  registration  and  member- 
ship can  be  obtained  on  application  to  the  Secretary, 
R.B.N..\  ,  10,  Orchard  Street,  Portman  Square, 
W.  I. 

(Signed)     Isabel  Macdonald, 

Secretary  to  the  Corporation. 


loo 


TLbe  Britteb  Journal  ot  TRursmg, 


August  lo,   1918 


LONDON    HOSPITAL    SYSTEM. 


THE    GRAVE    OF    FLORENCE 
NIGHTINGALE. 


In  the  House  of  Commons  on  July  31st  Major 
Chappie  asked  the  Uuder  Secretary  for  War 
whether  the  certificate  of  training  presented 
in  evidence  of  qualification  by  London-^  Hospital 
nurses  applying  for  posts  in  the  Army  Servdce 
states  that  the  nurse  has  had  three  years'  training 
in  the  hospital  or  only  two  years'  training  ? 

Mr.  Macpherson  replied  that  steps  are  always 
taken  to  ascertain  that  a  nurse  has  completed  the 
necessary  period  of  training  and  service  in  the 
wards.  In  reply  to  Sir  C.  Henry  he  said  that 
there  was  no  differentiation  in  the  nurses  that 
come  from  the  London  Hospital  and  from 
others. 

Major  Chappie  then  said  :  "  Is  the  Right  Hon. 
gentleman  aware  that  he  told  us  that  a  three 
years'  certificate  of  training  is  necessary  for 
appointment  to  the  Army  Nursing  Service,  and  I 
ask  him  in  the  present  question,  does  the  London 
Hospital  certificate  of  training  say  two  years  or 
three  years  ?  " 

Mr.  Macpherson  replied  :  "I  cannot  add  any- 
thing to  the  answer  I  have  given,  but  I  would  like 
to  point  out  that  the  three  years  includes  two 
years'  training  and  one  year's  service  in  the 
wards." 

Pressed  "further  by  Major  Chappie,  Mr. 
Macpherson  said  :  "  We  are  satisfied  in  every  case 
with  the  nurse  who  comes  from  the  London 
Hospital,  or  any  other  hospital,  if  she  has  com- 
pleted the  necessary  period  of  training  and  service 
in  the  ward." 

Thus,  though  the  London  Hospital  certifies  its 
nurses  at  the  end  of  two  years,  the  War  Office 
requires  that  they  shall  serve  another  year  in  the 
wards  before  they  are  eligible  for  Queen 
Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service, 
which,  presumably,  indicates  that  it  does  not 
consider  a  nurse  certified  at  the  end  of  two  years 
adequately  qualified. 

Major  Chappie  also  asked  the  President  of  the 
Board  of  Education  whether  nurses-trained  at  the 
London  Hospital  have  been  appointed  to  any 
posts  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Board.  Before 
putting  the  question  he  also  asked,  as  a  point  of 
Order,  why  the  following  words  were  deleted  from 
the  question  :  "  Whether  he  is  aware  that  nurses 
at  the  London  Hospital  are  taken  from  their 
training  in  the  wards  and  sent  out  to  do  private 
nursing  at  the  end  of  their  second  year,  receiving 
13s.  per  week,  while  the  hospital  draws  riot  less 
than  29s.  per  week  profit  from  their  earnings  ;  and 
whether  he  will  see  that  no  nurses  are  appointed 
from  hospitals  that  exploit  their  nurses  in  this 
way  "^with  those  words  deleted  the  question  is 
meaningless  ?  " 

The  Speaker  replied  that  the  \vords  were  in  the 
nature  of  giving,  and  not  asking,  information  to 
a  Department  which  was  not  responsible  for  it, 
and  further  that  the  Board  of  Education  had  no 
control  over  the  training  of  nurses  at  the  London 
or  any  other  hospital. 


"  A  Londoner,"  who  appealed  recently  in 
the  Telegraph  for  support  for  the  Gold  and 
Silver  Fund  of  the  British  Red  Cross  Society, 
should  know  his  London  and  his  nursing 
history  better  before  he  conjures  up  the  soul  of 
Florence  Nightingale  in  support  of  the  appeal. 
He  (oris  it  she?)  writes  : — 

"  Among  your  tarnished  treasures  you  will 
find  gold  bracelets  that  even  for  your  husband's 
sake  you  could  never  wear  again,  and  that 
hitherto  you  have  never  dared  to  get  rid  of. 
To  day  the  soul  of  Florence  Nightingale  cries 
to  you  insistently  that  the  Red  Cross  can  best 
be  helped  by  those  very  discarded  trinkets  that 
meant  so  much  to  the  women  of  her  own 
generation.  There  were  life  and  labour  in  the 
trenches  of  that  day  too.  From  her  grave  in 
the  Abbey  she  will  thank  you — if  it  is  thanks 
you  ask  for." 

"  A  Londoner  "  will  search  in  vain  amongst 
the  graves  of  the  great  ones  of  the  earth  in  the 
Abbey  at  Westminster  for  that  of  Florence 
Nightingale.  The  nation  would  willingly  have 
paid  that  last  tribute  to  her  genius,  but  Miss 
Nightingale  expressly  directed  in  her  will  that 
her  funeral  should  be  of  the  quietest  possible 
character,  and  those  who  wish  to  stand  beside 
her  grave  must  make  a  pilgrimage  to  the  quiet 
little  Hampshire  town  of  Romsey,  and  thence 
drive  deep  into  the  heart  of  the  country  across 
the  lovely  river  Test,  and,  if  they  can  get  p>er- 
mission  from  the  present  owner,  through 
Embley  Park,  close  under  the  windows  of 
Embley  House,  which  Miss  Nightingale  in  her 
ardent  girlhood  would  like  to  have  converted 
into  a  hospital,  and  so,  through  deep  hedge- 
rows, till  they  come  to  the  tiny  village  of  East 
Wellow,  and,  arrived  at  its  typically  English 
church,  with  its  high-pitched,  red-tiled  roof, 
and  black  wooden  tower,  pass  through  the 
turnstile,  at  the  side  of  the  lych  gate,  to  the 
Nightingale  tomb.  On  three  of  the  sides  of 
this  are  inscribed  the  names  of  Miss  Nightin- 
gale's father,  mother,  and  sister  respectively. 
The  fourth  panel  bears  the  simple  inscription  r 

+ 

F.  N. 

Born  12. May,  1820. 
Died  13  August,  1910. 

It  faces  the  church  where  Miss  Nightingale  so 
often  worshipped.  She  is  still  remembered  by 
old  inhabitants,  and  on  the  dav  of  her  funeral 


August  lo,   1918 


CTbe  Brlti0b  3ournal  of  TRureino. 


lOI 


a  former  porter  at  Romsey,  then  blind,  who 
knew  her  at  Embley,  begged  to  be  led  on  the 
platform  to  hear  the  footsteps  of  the  bearers 
"  bringing  her  home  "  ;  the  coffin  was  preceded 
by  six  old  tenants  and  workmen  on  the  Embley 
estate  who  knew  her,  and,  in  the  porch  of  the 
church,  as  the  procession  passed  in,  stood  John 
Kneller,  a  Crimean  veteran  who  served  in  the 
trenches  at  Sevastopol,  and  was  for  three 
months  in  the  hospital  at  Scutari,  and  familiar 
with  the  sight  of  "  The  Lady  of  the  Lamp  "  on 
her  night  rounds.  j^    ^ 

OUR   ROLL  OF  HONOUR. 

NURSING    SERVICE. 

Died. 
Hills,  Sister  M.  E.,  T.F.N.S. 

Miss  Hills,  who  was  trained  at  St.  Bartholomew's 
Hospital,  London,  had  a  charming  personality 
and  was  much  loved  by  the  staff  and  patients  of 
the  53rd  General  Hospital,  B.E.F.,  France,  to 
which  she  was  attached,  and  where  she  was  very 
happy  in  her  work. 

The  following  announcement  appeared  in  the 
Daily  Orders  of  the  53rd  General  Hospital  on 
July  24th  :— 

"  The  Commanding  Officer  much  regrets  to 
announce  the  death  of  Miss  M.  E.  Hills,  Sister 
T.F.N.S.,  which  took  place  in  Queen  Alexandra's 
Military  Hospital,  London,  on  July  22nd,  1918. 

"  Sister  Hills  was  called  up  for  duty  at  the  ist 
London  General  Hospital  on  March  31st,  191 6, 
and  served  there  until  she  came  out  for  duty  with 
No.  53  General  Hospital  on  April  24th,  191 7.  She 
was  at  once  posted  to  Calais  and  rejoined  this  Unit 
on  October  13  th,  191 7. 

"  As  Sister-in-Charge  of  Wards  7  and  8,  as 
Night  Sister,  and  again  as  Sister-in-Charge  of 
Hut  No.  7,  she  endeared  herself  to  all  who  had 
the  privilege  of  working  with  her  or  under  her,  and 
the  patients  under  her  charge  had  something  more 
than  respect  and  regard  for  her. 

"  Skilful,  kind,  capable  and  devoted  to  her 
work,  her  death  is  a  great  loss  to  No.  53  General 
Hospital,  and  the  sympathies  of  all  ranks  will  go 
out  to  Miss  Hills'  relatives  and  friends  in  their 
bereavement."  , 

Amongst  the  floral  tiibutes  sent  was  one  from 
the  nursing  staff  of  the  53rd  General  Hospital,  a 
copy  of  the  Badge  of  the  Territorial  Force  Nursing 
Service  in  scarlet  and  white  flowers. 

A  memorial  service  was  held  in  the  Church  Tent 
at  the  53rd  General  Hospital  on  July  5th. 


MASQUERADED  AS  A  V.A.D.  NURSE. 


The  sinking  of  the  Australian  Ambulance 
Transport,  Warilda,  carrying  some  600  seriously 
wounded  men,  adds  to  the  heavy  score  to  be 
settled  with  an  inhuman  foe  when  the  day  of 
reckoning  comes.  It  is  feared  that  over  100  of 
those  on  board  lost  their  lives,  the  majority  being 
wounded  helpless  soldiers.  Amongst  the  drowned 
is  Mrs.  Long,  Chief  Controller,  Q.M.A.A.C.    ' 


The  suspicious  conduct  of  a  woman  wearing  the 
uniform  of  a  V.A.D.  nurse  on  the  occasion  of  the 
arrival  of  a  trainload  of  wounded  at  the  Victoria 
Station  lecently  attracted  attention,  and  the  sequel 
was  that  at  the  Nottingham  Guildhall  she  admitted 
that  she  had  no  right  to  appear  in  such  a  dress. 

She  was  Emma  Elizabeth  Hunt,  of  Kirkstead 
Terrace,  Kirkstead  Street,  and  Captain  J.  A.  H. 
Green,  prosecuting,  explained  that  the  woman  was 
noticed  by  Dr.  T.  Lindley,  who  was  in  charge  of 
the  special  constables.  Asked  to  produce  her 
certificate,  she  was  unable  to  do  so.  On  her 
uniform  were  brass  shoulder  titles  indicating  that 
she  was  a  member  of  the  Notts.  20th  Detachment, 
which  had  no  existence.  She  gave  a  false  address, 
but  was  tiacked  to  her  real  one  by  a  detective,  to 
whom  she  stated  that  she  had  been  admitted  as 
a  member  of  a  detachment  by  Mrs.  Coulby.  A 
week  or  tf  n  days  previously  she  had  been  seen  at 
the  Midland  Station  dancing  about  with  soldiers  in 
uniform,  and  kissing  them  "  Good-bye."  Empha- 
sising the  necessity  that  tailors  and  drapers  should 
take  care  not  to  supply  the  uniform  to  unauthorised 
people.  Captain  Green  pointed  out  that  otherwise 
no  end  of  mischief  might  arise. 

Defendant  was  sent  to  prison  for  14  days. 

If  this  masquerader  had  worn  the  uniform  of 
the  trained  staff  of  the  General  Hospital,  Notting- 
ham, she  might  have  kicked  capers  from  now  till 
Doomsday,  as  the  civil  professional  nurse's 
uniform  is  not  protected  by  law. 


APPOINTMENTS. 

MATRON. 

County  Hospital,  Ayr. — Miss  I.  M.  Crichton 
has  been  appointed  Matron.  She  was  trained  at 
Chalmers  Hospital,  Edinburgh,  and  has  held  the 
position  of  Sister  at  the  West  Kent  Hospital, 
Maidstone,  and  of  Staff  Nurse  at  the  Edmonton 
General  Hospital 

NURSE  MATRON. 

Infectious  Diseases  Hospital,  Montrose.  —  Miss 
A.  R.  Hay  has  been  appointed  Nurse  Matron. 
She  was  trained  at  the  Alloa  Infectious  Diseases 
Hospital,  and  at  the  Royal  Infirmary,  Halifax. 

CHARGE     NURSE. 

Tlie  Infirmary,  Lichfield. — Miss  G.  M.  Foster 
has  been  appointed  Charge  Nurse.  She  was 
trained  in  the  same  institution. 

QUEEN    ALEXANDRA'S   IMPERIAL    MILITARY 
NURSING    SERVICE. 

Miss  D.  M.  Priestley  to  be  Staff  Nurse. 


PRESENTATION. 

On  leaving  Kensington  Infirmary  to  take  up 
work  as  a  Chaplain  to  the  Forces  the  Rev.  A.  Lom- 
bardini  was  the  recipient  of  many  gifts,  including  a 
dressing  case  from  the  Nurses'  League,  and  a 
fountain  pen,  and  field  water  bottle  from  the 
patients. 


I02 


^be  »nti9b  3oiirnal  of  l^ursing. 


August  lo,   1918 


NURSING    ECHOES. 


The  Lord  Mayor  of  Norwich  has  announced 
that  Queen  Alexandra  has  consented  to  open 
the  new  Edith  Cavell  Memorial  Home  at 
Norwich,  a  decision  which  will  give  great 
pleasure  to  many  nurses. 


The  Royal  Sanitary  Institute,  90,  Bucking- 
ham Palace  Road,  London,  S.W.  i,  has 
now  issued  its  prospectus  for  its  autumn 
courses  of  lectures  for  the  examinations  for 
Women  Health  Visitors,  School  Nurses,  and 
Maternity  and  Child  Welfare  Workers,  begin- 
ning on  Wednes- 
day, September 
i8th,  and  Monday, 
September  23rd,  at 
6  p.m.  Candidates 
must  possess  a 
nursing  qualifica- 
tion before  enter- 
ing for  these  ex- 
aminations. Not 
only  is  the  know- 
ledge obtained  by 
attendance  at  these 
lectures  and  de- 
monstrations valu- 
able to  its  posses- 
sor, including  in- 
■  struction  on  many 
subjects  not  dealt 
with  in  the  ordi- 
nary curriculum  of 
a  nurse's  training, 
but  the  certificates 
awarded  to  suc- 
cessful candidates 
after  the  examina- 
tion held  at  the  end 
of  the  courses,  are 
definite  assets,  as 
the  Women  Health 
Visitors  and  School 
Nurses'  certificate 
of  the  Royal  Sani- 
tary Institute  is 
recognized    by    the 

Local  Government  Board  as  qualifying  for  the 
appointment  of  Health  Visitor,  and  that  in 
school  hygiene  is  accepted  by  the  Education 
Committee  of  the  London  County  Council  and 
other  large  towns  as  a  qualification  for  certain 
appointments. 


MISS  CARRIE    M.  HALL,    R.N., 
Chief  Nurse  for  the  American  Red  Cross  in  Great  Britain. 


Cross  Society  at  Colebrook  Lodge,  West  Hill, 
Putney  Heath.  The  house,  which  belongs  to 
Colonel  Ryan,  will  accommodate  twenty-five 
nurses,  stands  in  three  acres  of  lovely  grounds, 
and  is  ideal  for  the  purpose.  By  and  by, 
when  the  nurses,  now  for  the  most  part  full  of 
energy,  are  feeling  the  strain  of  war  work  and 
the  need  of  rest  and  recuperation,  the  hos- 
pitality of  Colebrook  House  will  be  welcome 
indeed.  At  present  it  is  under  the  direct  charge 
of  Miss  Carrie  M.  Hall,  R.N.,  Chief  Nurse  for 
the  American  Red  Cross  in  Great  Britain,  but 
she  hopes  to  delegate  this  duty  as  the  demands 
on  the  Horre  become  more  strenuous. 

By  permission  of 
Mr.  Frank  M. 
America,  Director 
on  Information  of 
the  American  Rpd 
Cross  in  London 
(the  headquarters 
of  which  are  at 
40,  Grosvenor 
Gardens,  S.W.), 
and  by  the  courtesy 
of  the  Editor  of  the 
Gentlewoman,  we 
are  able  to  publish 
the  accompanying 
portrait  of  Miss 
Carrie  Hall,  taken 
in  her  office  at 
Headquarters.  It 
will  be  remembered 
that  about  a  year 
ago  Miss  Hall 
came  over  in 
charge  of  the  Har- 
vard Unit,  which  has 
seen  active  service 
in  France,  and  her 
experience  in  this 
connection,  as  well 
as  her  administra- 
tive work  as  Super- 
intendent of  Nurses 
at  the  Peter  Bent 
Brigham  Hospital, 
Boston,  U.S.A.,  arc 
excellent  qualifications  for  her  present  posi- 
tion, which  demands  a  woman  of  tact,  profes- 
sional skill,  and  experience.  On  the  wall 
behind  her  desk  hangs  a  large  map  of  Northern 
France,  of  the  details  of  which  Miss  Hall 
has  an  intimate  knowledge. 


A  Convalescent  Home  for  American  nurses, 
of  whom  there  are  some  500  now  working  in 
this  country,  exclusive  of  the  thousands  in 
France,  has  been  opened  by  the  American  Red 


Sir  William  Treloar,  who  has  done  so  much 
for  tuberculous  children,  by  founding  the  hos- 
pital at  Alton,  announces  further  developments 
in  prospect  at  Hayling  Island. 


August  lo,   1918 


Zbc  British  3ournal  of  IRurstnQ. 


103 


NURSES' 


MISSIONARY 

[Contributed.] 


LEAGUE. 


Another  Nurses'  Missionary  League  Camp — this 
time  arranged  to  suit  dwellers  in  the  North.  It 
was  with  feelings  of  great  equanimity  I  embarked 
from  Ireland  and  wended  my  way  to  Mottram-St. 
Andrew,  Cheshire.  I  was  rejoicing  in  the  thought 
that  I  was  an  outsider  going  to  have  a  good  time 
as  such,  looking  on,  and  finding  pleasure  in  the 
observance  of  others  from  a  nice,  quiet  corner— so 
I  told  myself.  But — and  such  a  big  but — little 
by  little  my  idea  fell  to  pieces,  as  I  realised  I  was 
not  to  be  an  island  out  on  my  own,  but  a  member 
of  a  very  happy,  gladsome  community.  My  dis- 
illusionment commenced  at  the  station,  where  I 
was  met  by  the  sister  of  our  hostess  who  handed 
my  belongings  to  the  official  for  delivery  and  we 
set  off  together  for  the  Camp.  The  country  was 
charming,  and  every  few  moments  one  felt  it 
impossible  to  be  silent  and  had  to  e^jclaim  about 
the  beauty  of  it  all.  As  we  neared  Green  Dais  we 
were  met  by  our  indefatigable  hostess  and  secre- 
tary, who  extended  me  a  very  warm  welcopie. 
How  at  home  I  felt  ;  the  "corner  "  was  quietly 
disappearing. 

Arrivals  continued  at  frequent  intervals  What 
a  joyful  whirl  of  excitement  meeting  everyone  ; 
parties  on  the  road  coming  up,  crossing  others  on 
the  way  down  to  meet  still' further  comers  from 
hospitals,  &c.,  there  being  but  one  small  regret — 
you  could  not  be  going  both  ways  at  once. 

We  quickly  shook  into  our  places,  and  our  daily 
course  took  shape.  Early  tea  and  the  energetic 
hurried  off  to  try  to  raise  an  appetite  (none  too 
difficult  to  woo)  for  breakfast.  We  laughed  and 
chatted  over  this  meal,  plans  were  discussed, 
arrangements  made  for  meeting  those  who  could 
only  pay  short  visits,  objects  of  interest  to  be  seen 
&c.  After  singing,  reading  and  prayers,  we  all 
hastened  out  of  doors,  returning  at  noon.  We 
then  assembled  for  a  Bible  study.  On  three 
occasions  we  were  led  by  Mrs.  Kirk  [nSe  Stubbs)- 
These  studies  were  most  helpful  as  each  was  asked 
to  take  part  if  inclined.  No  hesitation  was  felt  in 
the  asking  of  questions  or  testifying  to  any  passage 
that  had  been  in  any  wise  illumined. 

After  dinner  at  i  p.m.,  we  followed  our  own 
devices,  whether  resting,  walking,  reading, 
writing  or  sewing.  We  were  such  a  jolly,  happy 
lot.  Tea  at  four  o'clock  was  served  out  of  doors 
if  weather  permitted.  Conversation  then  fre- 
quently ensued  on  missionary  subjects,  Mrs. 
Kirk  telling  of  her  hospital  experiences  in  China, 
from  whence  she  had  recently  returned.  She  was 
brimming  over  with  interest,  and  we  all  felt 
how  very  delightful  it  was  to  listen. 

One  also  who  came  from  Ceylon  and  India 
could  find  an  audience  at  any  moment  to  talk 
over  the  methods  of  work,  &c.,  among  the  many 
varied  nationalities  there  found,  each  of  which  is 
of  intense  interest  from  the  missionary  point  of 
view. 

Our  camp  (as  the  outsider  in  the  corner  now 


calls  it)  has  been  a  great  help  all  round.  One 
feels  freshened  and  restored  in  every  way — mind, 
body,  soul  and  spirit.  We  felt  it  was  good  to  be 
here,  even  for  a  short  time. 

I  would  like  to  refer  to  the  kindness  of  the 
curate  of  the  pai"ish  church,  who  welcomed  us  to 
all  the  services  and  arranged  for  a  special  earlv 
celebration,  where  we  could  all  unite  and  renew 
our  vows  to  Christ  our  Head,  pledging  ourselves 
to  be  His  faithful  servants  and  followers  to  our 
life's  end.  Then  again  we  would  thank  the  Rev. 
H.  E.  Stevens,  who,  though  greatly  pressed  for 
time,  came  over  to  the  camp  and  held  a  short 
service. 

Our  farm  friends  were  most  kind  in  seeing  to 
our  bodily  wants.  In  these  days  of  permits, 
ration-cards,  &c.,  one  cannot  enlarge  upon  it, 
but  sit  down,  marvel,  and  be  thankful.  Our 
happy  week  came  to  an  end  all  too  soon,  but  one 
and  all  echo  the  words  of  the  old  toast  :  "  To  our 
next  merrie  meeting." 


DORMIQENE. 

We  have  received  several  inquiries  from  our 
readers  concerning  this  drug,  and  a  London 
phvoician  to  whom  we  referred  the  question  has 
been  good  enough  to  answer  as  follows  : — Dor- 
migene  used  to  be  known  and  was  widely  used 
under  the  trade  name  of  "  Bromural."  It  is,  in 
simple  language,  a  bromide  valerian  combination 
and  I  have  found  it  valuable  in  nerve  cases  as  a 
very  efficient  sedative.  Especially  in  the  ex- 
tremely troublesome  series  of  nervous  and  organic 
congestions  associated  with  the  menopause  in 
women,  and  due  of  course  to  the  presence  in  the 
body  of  the  blood  previously  lost  each  month  and 
the  consequent  stress  on  the  circulation.  I  have 
found  that  Dormigene  is  more  useful  than  the 
ordinary  bromides  of  potash  or  ammonium,  which 
have  for  so  many  years  been  our  great  resource  in 
medicinal  treatment  of  these  ca,ses.  Moreover 
Dormigene  does  not  seem  to  me  to  exert  either  the 
depressing  effects  which  bromides  so  often  cause, 
nor  do  patients  while  taking  it  seem  to  suffer  from 
the  acne  eruptions  which  are  so  frequent  and 
troublesome  a  consequence  of  a  continued  bromide 
couise.  T  have  not  used  this  drug  as  a  hypnotic 
and  cannot  therefore  give  3'ou  any  opinion  on  that 
point  ;  but  as  a  matter  of  fact  I  have  found  the 
bromides  in  nerve  cases  only  act  as  sleep  pro- 
ducers when  given  in  large  doses,  and  I  have,  there- 
fore, come  to  rely  on  such  drugs  as  trional  for  that 
purpose. 

■  •  ■ 

Gen.  Sir  Arthur  S:oggett,  K.C.B.,  K.C.M.G., 
K.C.V.O.,  has  joined  the  Board  of  Bovril,  Ltd. 
Sir  Arthur  was  Director-General  of  the  Army 
Medical  Service  from  June  ist,  1914,  to  June  ist 
1918,  and  from  October,  1914,  to  June  ist,  1918, 
was  Director-General  of  the  British  Armies  in 
France  and  Chief  Commissioner  of  the  Order  of 
St.  John  of  Jerusalem  and  the  British  Red  Cross 
Societies. 


I04 


JLbc  Briti0b  3ournal  of  'Wursina. 


August  lo,   1918 


WELL  EARNED  DISTINCTION, 

The  King  has  conferred  on  Dr.  Alfred  Cox  the 
Order  of  the  British  Empire  and  the  rank  of 
Member  of  the  same  Order  on  Miss  Laurence. 

At  the  Annual  Representative  Meeting  of  the 
British  Medical  Association  Dr.  Garstang,  chair- 
man of  the  Medico-Political  Committee,  referred 
to  the  fact  that  as  a  result  of  Dr.  Cox's  work  for 
the  Central  Medical  War  Committee  he  had  been 
honoured  by  the  King,  and  proposed  a  vote  of 
very  hearty  congratulations  to  Dr.  Cox,  and  also 
of  congratulations  to  Miss  Laurence,  whose  work 
had  been  of  great  value  to  the  office.  This  was 
warmly  seconded  by  Dr.  Jenner  Verrall,  and 
acknowledged  by  Dr.  Cox. 


BOOK    OF   THE   WEEK. 


KAREN.* 

"  I  am  going  to  Germany,"  I  said  looking  up 
from  my  letters, 

"  What  for  ?  "  said  Dad.  He  never  wasted 
words. 

"  Eugenie  Gutheim  is  going  to  be  married,  and 
wants  me  to  come  to  her  wedding.  I  promised  her 
I  would  if  she  won  her  bet." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  saying  she  has  won  her 
bet  I  " 

"We  had  a  bet  together  when  she  left  school. 
I  said  she  would  marry  a  business  man,  and  she 
said  she  would  marry  an  officer,  however  difficult 
it  was." 

"  Why  should  it  be  difficult  ?  " 

"  Because  the  Gutheims  are  Jews.  Eugenie  told 
me  that  no  officers  visited  at  their  house.  Yet  she 
has  pulled  it  off." 

This  conversation  gives  Ihe  key  to  the  eventful 
visit  of  Kaien  to  Germany  prior  to  the  war.  It 
was  in  the  train  between  Cologne  and  Reichen- 
stadt  that  she  met  the  German  officer  that  she 
afterwards  married.  There  was  a  great  gulf  fixed 
between  the  vulgar  Gutheims  and  the  noble  family 
of  Karen's  fianc6,  and,  of  course,  this  made  com- 
plications from  the  outset.  Added  to  this,  Oscar 
Strauss,  upon  whom  Emma  Gutheim  had  set  her 
somewhat  heavy  affections,  had  chosen  to  regard 
Karen  attentively  whilst  he  sang,  "  Du  bist  wie  eine 
Blume."  The  result  was  a  violent  outburst  from 
Emma  and  the  return  of  Karen  to  England.  This 
Nvas  before  her  engagement  to  Graf  Wolfram. 

Karen,  however,  got  a  great  deal  of  amusement 
out  of  the  affaii. 

"  To  watch  Frau  Gutheim  and  Eugenie  conduct 
Emma's  love  affairs  was  like  watching  an  old- 
fashioned  play,  or  reading  an  old-fashioned  novel 
in  which  characters  play  their  part  with  a 
simplicity  w?  cannot  achieve.  I  began  to  wonder 
why  Herr  Strauss  hesitated  over  the  word  that  was 
to  make  him  the  happiest  man  till  Eugenie  told  me 

*By  Mrs.  Alfred  Sidgwick.  Collins,  Sons  &  Co. 
London. 


he  was  waiting  for  the  betrothal  ring.  It  would 
arrive  shortly  from  Reichenstadt,  and  at  the  same 
time  there  would  be  a  moon. 

"You  see,"  she  said,  "one  morning  he  will 
receive  a  sealed  packet,  and  after  supper  he  will 
Suggest  to  Emma  that  it  is  a  glorious  night." 

"  Supposing  it  rains,"  I  suggested. 

"  Then  he  will  find  sohie  other  plan,  Oscar  is 
highly  ingenious  and  original." 

"  Did  he  sing  "  Du  bist  wie  eine  Blume  "  to 
Emma  ? 

"  He  did  at  our  house,  about  six  weeks  ago,  it 
was  highly  exciting." 

Karen's  own  wedding  took  place  in  England, 
and  she  returned  with  her  husband  to  life  in  a 
German  noble  family,  where  we  are  glad  to  say  she 
held  her  own. 

The  Grafin  was  large,  fair  and  dignified.  The 
Graf  stared  at  my  maid  and  said  in  a  tone  of 
surprise  : 

"  Who  is  this,  then  ?  " 

"  Its  only  Wil kins,  my  maid." 

Wilkins  was  devoted  to  me  and  an  excellent 
maid,  but  she  had  her  tiresome  side,  and  when  I 
told  her  to  say  "  Ja,"  as  if  she  meant  "  Yes,"  had 
bridled  in  an  irritating  way  and  pointed  out 
that  she  had  been  taught  to  consider  "  Yah  " 
a  vulgar  expression  only  used  by  the  lower  classes. 

"  Of  course,  you  mustn't  put  your  tongue  out 
and  say  it  in  a  defiant  tone,"  I  explained.  "  You 
must  say  '  Ja,'  gently  and  firmly  when  you  want 
a  thing.  When  you  don't  want  it  you  say 
'  Nein.'  " 

"  Nein,"  echoed  Wilkins,  "  what  a  peculiar 
language.     Why  not  ten  ?  " 

I  told  her  she  must  expect  that  everything 
would  be  a  little  different,  but  she  had  only 
replied  that  she  supposed  German  gentry  were  like 
gentry  everywhere  else  and  knew  what  was 
expected.' 

Wilkins  was  whole-hearted  in  her  dislike  of 
everything  German,  in  which  matter  she  showed 
her  power  of  perception,  even  in  those  pre-war 
days. 

"  I  had  to  speak  to  the  Grafin  and  explain  to 
her  that  Wilkins  was  used  to  tea  and  bread  and 
butter  at  half-past  seven,  porridge,  tea,  bacon  and 
marmalade  at  nine,  and  a  solid  early  'dinner  at 
one,  and  that  she  would  feel  faint  if  she  were 
supplied  with  less  than  this. 

"  Then  let  her  feel  faint,"  said  the  Grafin  "  such 
demands  I  will  not  satisfy." 

So  I  had  to  wrap  up  this  ultimatum  in  different 
language  and  deliver  it  to  Wilkins  as  best  I  might.' 

Once  more,  we  have  brought  into  prominence 
the  cruelty  of  the  educationeJ  methods  applied  to 
German  boys  as  exemplified  in  little  Max.  The 
book  ends  with  the  death  of  Wolfram  and  the 
escape  of  Karen  and  Wilkins  from  the  German 
frontier  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war.  Wolfram 
it  must  be  admitted,  had  some  good  points  ;  but 
we  are  glad  that  the  concluding  pages  leave  Karen 
happily  married  to  a  True  Blue. 

H.  H. 


August   lo,    1918 


(Tbe  British  3ournal  of  IRursina. 


?o3 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 

Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  Jot  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  h$ 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents. 

RECONSTRUCTION  IN  THE  NURSINQ 
PROFESSION. 

To  the  Editor  o/The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Madam, — So  much  interest  is  being  shown  in 
the  problems  connected  with  the  re-building  of 
the  nation  that  I  feel  this  is  not  an  inappropriate 
moment  to  draw  the  attention  of  your  readers 
to  an  important  movement  in  the  organisation 
of  the  nursing  profession,  which  has  been  develop- 
ing for  a  number  of  years.  The  essence  of  the 
movement  makes  it  unostentatious  and  un- 
clamorous  for  assistance,  but  that  very  fact 
will  enlist  the  sympathy  of  those  who  believe  in 
sound  organisation  and  self-respecting  effort. 

I  need  say  nothing  in  these  days  about  the 
immense  importance  to  the  community  of  the 
nursing  profession,  and  I  merely  allude  to  it  in 
order  to  show  that  this  being  so,  it  is  also  a  matter 
of  real  interest  to  the  public  that  nurses  should  be 
organised  on  right  lines.  As  stated  in  a  recent 
publication  :  "  All  the  proposals  which  are  con- 
nected with  the  re- organisation  of  public  health 
must,  for  their  efficient  treatment,  depend  greatly 
upon  the  work  of  nurses." 

An  upward  turning  point  comes  in  the  history 
of  a  profession  when  its  members  realize  that 
the  responsibility  for  its  development  rests  on 
"their  shoulders.  Those  who  have  studied  the 
histoiy  of  the  medical  profession  know  what  a 
great  influence  for  good  was  brought  to  bear 
when  the  rank  and  file  of  medical  men  banded 
themselves  together  into  the  British  Medical 
Association.  The  keynote  of  such  an  organisation 
is  that  the  responsibility  for  a  profession  shall  be 
shouldered  by  the  profession  itself.  Self-respect, 
self-government,  self-development,  self-support. 
The  National  Union  of  Trained  Nurses  has  had 
for  a  number  of  years  a  system  of  Branch  organisa- 
tion, providing  for  post-graduate  lectures,  oppor- 
tunities for  discussion  and  practical  demonstra- 
tion. It  assists  its  members  with  free  legal  and 
professional  advice.  It  upholds  the  interests 
of  nurses  in  Parliament  and  on  public  bodies. 
It  runs  an  employment  bureau  for  nurses  which 
has  proved  to  be  of  great  value.  Many  nurses — 
members  and  non-members — ^have  expressed  their 
appreciation  of  the  friendly  welcome  and  expert 
advice  they  receive  at  the  Central  Office,  46, 
Marsham  Street,  "Westminster. 

The  Society  has  a  very  carefully  thought  out 
democratic  constitution  and  is  managed  entirely 
by  members  of  the  profession  on  the  system  of 
local  representation  on  a  central  body.  It  is  run 
on  practical  business  lines  for  the  benefit  of  nurses, 
but  it  has  from  the  beginning  always  borne  the 
good  of  the  country  in  mind,  thus  avoiding  cne 


of  the  great  pitfalls  of   similar  organisations — a 
narrow  professionalism. 

The  National  Union  of  Trained  Nurses  is 
affiliated  to  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Association, 
which  is  the  only  society  of  women  possessing  a 
Royal  Charter,  with  the  powers  that  result 
therefrom. 

The  members  of  the  public  who  understand 
the  importance  of  professional  development  will 
be  glad  to  realize  the  existence  of  so  soundly 
organised  a  society  for  nurses  and  will  doubtless 
give  it  their  support,  and  nurses  should  join  in 
large  numbers  to  give  it  the  strength  necessary  to 
carry  out  its  reason  for  existence.  The  body 
which  will  administer  the  affairs  connected  with 
State  Registration  must  be  one  representing  all 
nursing  interests,  and  a  bill  safeguarding  this  has 
for  years  been  before  Parliament,  but  it  is  of  the 
utmost  importance  that  there  should  be  a  strong 
society  such  as  the  National  Union  of  Trained 
Nurses — representing  trained  professional  opinion 
— in  existence,  both  whilst  the  bill  is  being  con- 
sidered and  after  the  Act  comes  into  force,  in  order 
that  the  beneficent  effect  of  a  wide  range  of  free 
opinion  may  be  brought  to  bear  op  all  matters 
affecting  the  profession. 

All  information  can  be  procured  from  the 
Secretary,  46,  Marsham  Street,  Westminster, 
S.W.  I.  Yours  faithfully, 

E.  L.  C.  Eden. 

A    VEXATIOUS    ARRANGEMENT. 

To  the  Editor  of  HviiE  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 
Dear  Madam, — In  answer  to  your  correspondent 
re  R.N.P.F.  annuitants,  I  should  like  to  state  the 
annuitant  has  no  need  to  send  either  doctor's  or 
clergyman's  certificate  in  acknowledgement  ot  her 
quarterly  allowance.  It  is  sufficient  for  her 
receipt  paper  to  be  signed  by  someone  who  knows 
her  personally,  and  who  will  also  witness  her  sig- 
nature, which  implies  that  she  is  alive.  Therefore 
there  is  no  need  for  publicity  in  respect  to  her 
private  aftairs.  Neither  is  Income  Tax  deducted 
from  her  annuity.  The  amount  of  her  annuity 
must  be  recorded  in  the  ordinajy  way  if  she  is 
lia.ble  to  Income  Tax  duty.  A  special  certificate 
was  sent  out  last  Maixh  to  be  signed  by  others 
than  friends,  but  that  is  the  only  occasion  I 
know  of. 

One  of  the  Second  Thousand. 


OUR     PRIZE     COMPETITION. 

QUESTIONS. 

August  lyth. — What  is  pernicious  anaenva  ? 
How  have  you  seen  it  treated  ? 

August  24 /A. — ^What  points  would  you  observe 
in  paying  an  ante-natal  visit  to  an  expectd.nt 
mother  ?  What  would  you  impress  upon  the 
patient  ? 

OUR    ADVERTISERS. 

Do  not  omit  to  buy,  as  far  as  possible,  every- 
thing you  need  from  "  Our  Advertisers,"  and  to 
recommend  them  to  your  iriends.  They  are  all 
first-cJass  firms. 


'o^        Zbc  :3Brltt0b  3ournal  of  "Kureinc  Supplement,   "^"sust  lo,  1918 


The   Midwife. 


CENTRAL  MIDWIVES'  BOARD  (ENGLAND) 

EXAMINATION     PAPER. 

The  following  are  the  questions  set  at  the 
examination  of  the  Central  Midwives  Board 
(England)  at  the  London  and  Provincial  Centres  on 
August  1st : — - 

1.  Describe  the  relative  positions  of  the  cont€  nts 
of  the  female  pelvis,  illustrating  your  answer  with  a 
diagram. 

2.  What  investigation  would  you  n:i,ake  of  a 
patient  at  the  seventh  month  who  engages  you  to 
attend  her  in  her  confinement  ?  Under  what 
circumstances  would  you  advise  the  patient  to  see 
a   doctor  ? 

•3.  What  is  meant  by  presentation  and  prolapse  of 
the  cord  ?     How  would  you  treat  these  conditions  ? 

4.  What  are  the  causes  of  subinvolution  of  the 
uterus,  and  what  symptoms  accompany  it  ? 

6.  What  is  the  best  method  of  feeding  an  infant, 
and  why  ?  Describe  the  care  of  the  breasts  of  the 
nursing  mother. 

5.  What  is  the  importance  of  irregular  bleeding 
from  the  vagina  in  a  woman  aged  fifty  ? 

I    m   ■ 

CENTRALMIDWIVES' BOARD  (SCOTLAND) 

T'he  Examination  of  the  Central  Midwives' Board 
for  Scotland,  held  on  July  29th  last,  simultaneously 
in  Edinburgh,  Glasgow  and  Dundee,  has  concluded 
with  the  foil  owing  results  : — 

LIST  OF  SUCCESSFUL  CANDIDATES. 

'  Edinburgh. 

Miss  Elizabeth  Baxter,  Mrs.  Henrietta  G. 
Deller,  Miss  Helen  O.  Driver,  Miss  Margaret  J. 
Elliot,  Mrs.  Jemima  M.  Ferguson,  Miss  Barbara 
Galloway,  Miss  Helen  Grant,  Miss  Esther  J.  Hewes, 
Miss  Margaret  C.  McCIuskie,  Miss  Mary  Missett,' 
Miss  Jeanie  M.  Motson,  Mrs.  Annie  F.  Tait,  Miss 
Isabella  N.  Wanless,  Mrs.  Ellen  G.  Watson,  Miss 
Jemima  Young. 

Glasgow. 

Mrs.  Mary  A.  Ablett,  Miss  Alexandrina  Ander- 
son, Mrs.  Elizabeth  Foster,  Miss  Annie  Eraser, 
Miss  Bridget  Gavin,  Miss  Mary  L.  W.  Hall,  Miss 
Annie  Hardie,  Miss  Elizabeith  F.  Horn,  Miss  Helen 
L.  Hosie,  Miss  Elizabeth  Kay,  Miss  Jessie  Kelso, 
Miss  Mary  King,  Miss  Isabel  W.  McCIymotit,  Miss 
Catherine  McGillivray,  Miss  Catherine  M.  Mclnnes, 
Mrs.  Jeanie  McLellan,  Miss  Catherine  McMillan, 
Miss  Mary  Munn,  Miss  Lizzie  G.  Polwart,  Mrs. 
Beatrice  A.  Reid,  Miss  Margaret  B.  Summers,  Miss 
Susan  Turner,  Mrs.  Jessie  Wi'liamson. 

DUNUEE. 

Miss  Davina  B.  Anderson,  Miss  Magdalena  M. 
Baxter,  Miss  Barbara  W.  Craigen,  Miss  Janet  M. 
Drummond,  Miss  Margaret  M.  Dunn,  Miss  Emily  I. 
Gilbert,  Miss  IsabeUa  Gordon,  Miss  Charlotle 
McGregor,  Miss  Annabella  Mackay,  Miss  Isabella 
McKenzie, 


EXAMINATION     PAPER. 

The  following  are  the  questions  set  at  the 
examination  of  the  Central  Midwives  Board  for 
Scotland  on  July  29th  : — 

1.  Define  the  third  stage  of  labour.  Give  its 
management  when  normal  and  mention  the  com- 
plications which  may  occur. 

2.  What  medical  conditions  must  the  midwife 
inquire  into  on  the  occasion  of  her  first  visit  after 
labour  {a)  as  regards  the  mother,  and  (6)  as  regards 
the  new-born  infant  ? 

3.  If  a  patient  has  bleeding  from  the  uterus 
about  the  seventh  month  of  pregnancy,  what  may 
it  be  due  to,  and  what  arc  the  risks  to  her  and  to 
the  foetus  ? 

4.  What  do  you  understand  by  prolapse  of  the 
umbilical  cord  ?  How  would  you  manage  such  a 
case  until  the  doctor  arrived  ? 

5.  In  a  private  house  what  methods  would  you 
use  and  how  would  you  proceed  to  sterilise  and 
disinfect  the  following  : — Your  hands,  surgical 
instruments,  and  the  patient  ? 

6.  State  the  cases  in  which  a  midwife  must  seuu 
notification  as  soon  as  possible  to  the  Local  Super- 
vising Authority  according  to  the  Rules  of  the 
Central  Midwives  Board. 

FIRST  VACANCY  IN  THE  SCOTTISH   BOARD. 

We  regret  to  announce  that  Sir  Robert  Kirk 
Inches,  who  had  been  present  and  taken  an  active 
interest  in  the  meetings  of  the  Board  on  the 
'Jhursday  afternoon,  died  suddenly  on  Friday 
morning.  Sir  Robert  Inches  was  elected  by  the 
Convention  of  Royal  Burghs  of  Scotland  as  its 
representative  on  the  Board,  when  it  was  consti- 
tuted on  February  i8th,  1916.  He  was  appointed 
Convener  of  the  Finance  Committee,  an  office 
which  he  discharged  with  much  acceptance.  His 
shrewdness  and  business  ability  were  highly  ap- 
preciated by  the  Board,  and  his  relations  with  his 
colleagues  were  at  all  times  of  the  kindliest  and 
most  genial  character. 

THE    PSYCHOLOGY  OF    MOTHERHOOD. 

An  exceedingly  interesting  meeting  of  the 
Workers  Section  of  the  A.I.W.M.C.  was  recently 
held  at  the  National  Institute  of  Public  Health 
(by  kind  permission  of  the  secretary). 

The  speaker  was  Dr.  Jessie  Murray,  and  she 
came  to  talk  about  the  "  I'sychology  of  Mother- 
hood," a  subject  that  is  of  great  interest  to  those 
who  are  working  amongst  mothers.  Dr.  Murray 
gave  an  interesting  account  of  the  development 
of  the  human  organism,  and  then  went  on  to  an 
absorbing  analysis  of  the  present-day  mother.  The 
discussion  afterwards  was  keen,  and  in  answer  to 
questions  that  followed,  sonic  further  points  were 
elucidated.  The  thanks  of  the  meeting  to  the 
lecturer  were  proposed  by  Miss  Atherton  and 
seconded  by  Miss  E  .ot. 


THE 

WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 

rME  MMHSIIKl  ll^€01 

EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


No.  1,585. 


SATURDAY,   AUGUST    17,    1918. 


Vol.    LXI. 


EDITORIAL. 


THE  SOUL  OF  NURSING. 

We  can  hardly  touch  upon  any  question 
of  social  reform  which  does  not  affect  the 
work  and  the  interests  of  intelligent,  edu- 
cated nurses,  for  the  term  "  trained  nursing  " 
has  an  ever-widening  meaning  and  scope, 
and  its  aims  are  preventive  as  well  as 
curative. 

Nurses  of  the  present  day  have  a  much 
greater  knowledge  of  the  evil  in  the  world 
than  those  of  the  past,  That  bare  fact 
shows  very  significant  and  important  pro- 
gress ;  because,  with  wider  knowledge  of 
existing  evil,  comes  the  stronger,  more 
passionate  aspiration  to  abolish  it,  and  to 
make  our  beloved  country  cleaner,  and  there- 
fore healthier  and  happier.  We  are  well 
aware,  for  instance,  of  the  widespread 
evil  caused  by  the  preventable  infection  of 
venereal  disease.  We  are  up  against  that 
accusing  fact,  also  that  in  spite  of  the 
numerous  public  health  agencies,  that  are 
doing  such  excellent  work,  these  prevent- 
able things  are  not  prevented.  Neverthe- 
less, there  is  another  side  to  the  melancholy 
picture,  which  fills  us  with  encouragement 
and  hope.  Endued  with  power  that  comes 
of  knowledge  and  adequate  training,  nurses 
are  beginning  to  realize  themselves.  When 
all  stultifying  limits  and  barriers  to  progress 
are  removed,  and  the  full  powers  of  nurses 
(more  especially  social  service  nurses)  are 
liberated,  the  opportunities  of  our  profession 
will  be  boundless. 

There  is  a  beautiful  expression  in  a  well- 
known  hymn; — '*fire  of  love."  It  is  just 
this  fire  of  love — love  for  our  fellow-crea- 
tures which  is  the  highest  form  of  love, 
which  impels  enlightened  men  and  women, 
whose  consciences  are  aroused  to  a  sense 
of  their  corporate  responsibilities  as  their 
weaker  brothers'  and  sisters'  "  keepers,"  to 
desire  more  power  to  do  'more  and  more 


good  in  the  world,  which  is  "  white  already 
to  harvest."  The  one  supreme  hindrance 
to  progress  which  has  for  so  many  years 
strangled  endeavour,  and  stultified  effort, 
has  now  been  removed.  Women  are  now 
enfranchised  citizens.  All  conscientious 
nurses  endued  with  the  "fire  of  love  "  and 
having  the  necessary  qualifications  will 
realize  that  they  dare  not  repudiate  their 
responsibilities  in  this  matter.  They  are 
fully  aware  also  of  the  high  privilege  of 
having  a  voice- — through  their  representa- 
tives— in  the  Councils  of  the  Nation. 

Questions  of  public  health  are  now  being 
recognized  as  \itally  important  to  the 
future  welfare  of  our  great  Empire,  and  tlje 
next  Parliament — the  first  that  will  be 
elected  by  the  people  (women  as  well  as 
men)  will  have  to  deal  with  them,  and  none 
will  be  more  competent  than  well-trained, 
educated  nurses. 

Hitherto  the  emphasis  upon  the  work  and 
usefulness  of  nurses  has  been  placed  too 
much  upon  the  heart,  and  too  little  upon 
the  head.  We  do  not  mean  for  a  moment 
to  minimize  the  importance  of  the  former, 
the  highest  qualities  of  the  heart  are  needed, 
but  an  understanding  heart  is  what  is  most 
required.  A  woman  who  is  all  heart  and 
has  no  head  will  make  as  bad  a  nurse  as 
the  one  who  is  unbalanced  in  the  other 
direction.  The  soul  of  nursing  consists  of 
wisdom,  understanding,  counsel,  strength 
and  knowledge,  combined  in  a  well-balanced 
whole. 

Thus  equipped,  and  with  the  opportunities 
and  powers  referred  to  above,  we  believe 
that  trained  nurses  will,  in  the  near  future, 
take  a  large  share  in  the  reforms  and 
destinies  of  their  country.  The  way  will 
not  be  easy,  the  path  will  not  be  smooth. 
There  will  be  vested  interests  and  other 
antagonisms  to  combat,  but — 
"  I  hold  that  it  becomes  no  man  to  nurse  despair. 

But  in  the  teeth  of  clench'd  antagonisms 

To  follow  up  the  worthiest  till  he  die." 


io8 


^be  Britteb  Journal  of  *Rur0tnQ. 


August  17,   1918 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITION. 

WHAT    IS    PERNICIOUS    AN/EMIA?    HOW    HAVE   YOU 
SEEN    IT    TREATED? 

We  have  pleasure  in  awarding  the  prize  this 
week  to  Miss  Alice  M.  Burns,  East  Suffolk  and 
Ipswich  Hospital,  Ipswich. 

PRIZE     PAPER. 

Pernicious  anaemia  is  a  somewhat  obscure 
disease  of  the  blood.  It  resembles  simple 
anaemia  in  that  it  produces  the  symptoms  of 
unhealthy  pallor,  breathlessness,  languor, 
debility,  and  constipation,  and  differs  from  it 
in  that  it  is  associated  with  a  diminution  and 
also  enucleation  of  the  red  blood  corpuscles 
which  would  seem  to  destroy  their  capacity  for 
holding  iron  and  attracting  oxygen,  for  iron, 
so  valuable  in  the  treatment  of  simple  anaemia, 
is  of  no  avail  in  these  cases. 

The  disease  is  a  very  insidious  one,  and  said 
to  be  invariably  fatal,  though  periods  of 
improvement  may  be  looked  for. 

How  I  have  seen  it  treated: — (i)  Drugs, 
(2)  bone  marrow,  (3)  rest,  (4)  good  food, 
(5)  fresh  air. 

,(i)  We  give  first  place  to  drugs,  and  one 
drug — arsenic — because  they  would  seem  to 
arrest  the  destruction  of  the  blood  elements. 
It*may  be  given  as  a  simple  mixture,  but  is  now 
usually  given  by  either  intravenous  or  intra- 
muscular injection  in  the  form  of  Salvarsan  or 
its  English  substitute  Galyl  (20  to  40  c.c.gs.). 

(2)  Bone  marrow  is  looked  upon  as  a  source 
of  supply  of  new  red  blood  corpuscles,  and  is 
often  given  in  sandwiches. 

(3)  Rest  is  esssential,  in  the  later  stages  in 
bed.  The  heart  is  always  overtaxed  in  these 
cases,  and  may  give  out  under  strain. 

(4)  Good  food  of  an  easily  digested  char- 
acter should  be  abundant,  and  the  patient's 
appetite  fostered,  although  unfortunately  in 
the  nature  of  the  disease  he  cannot  take 
advantage  of  all  he  eats. 

One  investigator  has  discovered  that  the 
blood  destruction  is  greatly  diminished  by  the 
use  of  a  farinaceous  diet  and  increased  by 
nitrogenous  foods. 

(5)  I  have  placed  fresh  air  last  because, 
since  the  blood  is  deficient  in  haemoglobin  and 
iron,  the  patient  can  only  derive  a  minimum 
of  benefit  from  oxygen,  yet  it  goes  witout  say- 
ing that  he  should  be  placed  in  a  position  to 

-obtain  that  minimum  without  loss  of  time. 

These  patients  come  to  suffer  great  exhaus- 
tion and  emaciation,  and  require  unwearying 
care  in  the  keeping  of  the  bed  clean  and  the 
skin  whole,  and  the  relieving  of  painful 
symptoms  which  are  the  outcome  of  their 
enfeebled  conditions. 


HONOURABLE   MENTION. 

The  following  competitors  receive  honour- 
able mention  : — Miss  Ethel  E.  Hall,  Miss  E.  F. 
Thompson,  Miss  M.  Robinson,  Miss  B.  James, 
Miss  A.  M.  M.  Cullen.    Miss  Ethel  Hall  writes  : 

It  is  probable  that  a  group  of  diseases  are 
collected  together  and  called  pernicious  anaemia 
because  the  blood  changes  are  similar  in  all 
of  them.  The  usual  type  is  generally  fatal, 
and  may  occur  both  in  men  and  women  after 
the  age  at  which  chlorosis  is  common ;  and  its 
chief  characteristic  is  failure  to  improve  under 
iron,  which  often  proves  of  benefit  in  ordinary 
anaemia.  The  cause  o<"  it  is  not  yet  known,  but 
it  follows  many  conditions  in  which  the  system 
is  depressed  either  physically  or  mentally. 

The  disease  is  a  very  insidious  one,  the 
patient  gradually  becoming  weak  and  blood- 
less, and  the  colour  of  the  skin  is  yellowish, 
the  mucous  membranes  are  also  pale,  there 
is  marked  shortness  of  breath  on  exertion,  due 
to  the  fact  that  there  is  but  little  haemoglobin 
to  carry  oxygen  to  the  tissues,  the  blood  thus 
requiring  much  more  aeration  in  the  lungs  than 
usual.  There  is  often  severe  and  distressing 
palpitation  of  the  heart,  and  the  sufferer  is 
feeble,  languid,  and  incapable  of  physical  or 
mental  exertion  of  any  kind.  Constipation  is 
often  a  marked  feature,  also  pain  after  food, 
with  constant  attacks  of  diarrhoea  and  vomit- 
ing, or  both,  but  there  is  no  marked  wasting. 
There  is  often  fever,  the  urine  is  dark  in  colour, 
and  there  may  be  tenderness  of  the  bones. 
Changes  also  occur  in  the  retina,  and  death 
usually  ensues  from  exhaustion.  Another 
special  feature  is  the  iiability  to  haemorrhages. 

QUESTION    FOR   NEXT    WEEK. 

What  point  would  you  observe  in  paying  an 
ante-natal  visit  to  an  exi>ectant  mother?  What 
would  you  impress  upon  the  patient? 


RECTAL  FEEDING. 

An  article  on  this  subject  in  the  Journal  of 
the  American  Medical  Association  says  that  as 
there  is  no  proof  that  the  colon  possesses 
adequate  digestive  capacity,  all  food  introduced 
by  way  of  the  rectum  should  be  completely  pre- 
digested.  Flesh  and  eggs  are  undesirable 
because  of  their  tendency  to  putrefy.  Milk  is 
comparatively  free  from  this  disadvantage,  and 
appears  to  be  the  ideal  source  of  protein  for  a 
nutritive  enema.  It  should  be  fresh  and  un- 
boiled, thoroughly  p>eptonized  and  pancrea- 
tized.  It  should  be  skimmed,  as  fat  introduced 
into  the  colon  is  useless  and  may  be  harmful. 
Glucose  in  solution  supplies  carbohydrate  in  an 
available  form.  Strained  fruit  juice  may  supply 
desirable  salts  to  a  limited  extent.. 


August  17,   1918    • 


^be  Brtti0b  3ournal  of  IRuraina* 


109 


NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 


RECOGNITION   OF  HOME   HOSPITAL   WORK. 

The  names  of  a  very  large  number  of  ladies 
have  been  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  Secretary 
of  State  for  War  for  valuable  nursing  services 
rendered  in  connection  with  the  war.  The  lists 
are  issued  from  the  War  Office  under  dates  August 
loth  and  1 2th. 

AFRICAN    CAMPAIGN. 

Gen.  Deventer's  List  of  Mentions. 
East  Africa. 
The  names  of  the  following  have  been  brought 
to  the  notice  of  the  Secretary  of  State  for  War 
by  Lieutenant- General  Sir  J.  L.  van  Deventer, 
K.C.B.,  Commanding-in-Chief,  British  Forces, 
East  Africa,  for  distinguished  services  during  the 
operations  from  May  30th  to  December,  1917, 
described  in  his  dispatch  of  January  21st,  191 8  : — 

NURSING    SERVICES. 

Imperial  Section. 
CoRMACK,  Miss  J.,  Sister,  N.Z.A.N.S.  ;  Roberts,  Miss 
F.  N.,  Sister  (A./Matron),  R.R.C.,  Q.A.I. M.N. S. 
Thornborrow,  Miss  M.  A.,  Staff  Nurse,  T.F.N. S. 
Townley,  Miss  E.  J.,  Staff  Nurse,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R. 
Watson,  Miss  E.  N.,  Staff  Nurse,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R. 
Wreford,  Miss  K.  E.,  Staff  Nurse,  T.F.N. S. 

South  African  Section. 
FitzHenry,   Miss   D.,   Sister,   S.A.M.N.S.  ;   Lambert, 
Miss  J.,  Sister,  S.A.M.N.S. 

East  African  Section. 
Brown,  Mrs.   N.  M.,  Hon.  Nurse,  E.A.N.S.  ;  Dray- 
ton,  Miss  L.   A.,  Nursing  Sister,   E.A.N.S.  ;  Sheldon, 
Miss  A.,  Nursing  Sister,  E.A.N.S. 

Norforce. 
Spendler,  Miss  F. ,  Sister,  Nyasaland  Fd.  Force  Med. 
Serv.  ;  Wilson,  Miss  R.  L.,  Sister,  Northern  Rhodesia 
Med.  Serv. 

Italian  Mission. 
Gundene,  Nursing  Sister. 

THE    V.A.D. 

The  Surrey  Branch,  British  Red  Cross  Society, 
have  passed  the  following  resolution  : — 

"  That  in  view  of  the  lajge  number  of  other 
services  now  open  to  women,  it  is  essential  for 
maintaining  the  personnel  of  Voluntary  Aid 
Detachments  that  service  in  such  detachments 
should  be  placed  on  a  more  satisfactory  basis. 
That,  as  a  step  in  this  direction,  the  opinion  of 
this  branch  is  that  approved  whole-time  service 
in  auxiliary  hospitals,  for  a  specified  period,  should 
be  reckoned  to  excuse  some  portion  of  the  training 
of  such  members  as  professional  nurses  in  general 
civil  hospitals." 

Lord  Ashcombe,  Chairman  of  the  Surrey 
County  Committee,  writing  from  Denbies,  Dorking, 
says  in  the  Times  that  concessions  of  this  kind 
have  already  been  made  by  at  least  four  of  the 
great  hospitals  of  this  category  in  London,  but, 
the  Committee  feel  that  the  principle  should  be 


universally  adopted  by  civil  hospitals  in  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland.  They  know  that  views  of  a 
like  nature  are  largely  shared  by  other  county 
branches  and  persons  connected  therewith,  but 
that  there  are  difficulties  in  the  way  of  their 
expression.  They  are  prepared  to  take  the  lead 
in  a  movement  to  forward  this  purpose  if  sufficient 
Support  is  forthcoming,  and  ask,  therefore  that 
those  in  sympathy  with  them  in  this  respect  will 
communicate  with  the  Secretary,  Surrey  Branch, 
British  Red  Cross  Society,  13,  Charterhouse 
Street,   E.C.  1. 

We  have  always  foreseen  that  the  claim  would 
be  made  that  war  service  should  rank  as  sytematic 
training  in  nursing,  but  it  has  not  been  organised 
as  such,  and  cannot,  therefore,  be  rightly  so 
regarded. 

THE    EDINBURGH     BRANCH    OF    THE 
BRITISH    RED    CROSS    SOCIETY. 

The  following  appointments  have  been  made  by 
the  Personnel  Committee  of  the  Edinbuigh  Branch 
of  the  British  Red  Cross  Society  during  the  past 
ha' f -year  : — Miss  Maiy  Gordon  Smith, Kippenross 
Hosp'.,  Dunblane;  Miss  McBain,  Edenfield  Hosp., 
Fife  ;  Mrs.  Allan,  Edinburgh  War  Hosp.,  Bangour ; 
Mrs.  Green,  Battery  Hosp.,  Dunbar ;  Miss  Macleod, 
Edinburgh  War  H:)sp.,  Bangour;  Miss  Gordon, 
St.  Leonard's  Aux.  Hosp.,  Edinburgh;  Miss  Stobo, 
Bowhill  Officers'  H:!sp.,  Selkirk;  Miss  Gray,  St. 
Leonard's  Hosp.,  Edinburgh ;  Miss  Farquhar, 
D  mgallon  Hosp.,  Oban  ;  Miss  Mitchell, Edinburgh 
War  Hosp.,  Bangour;  Mrs.  King,  Mayfield  Aux. 
Hosp.,  Edinburgh ;  Miss  Jennings,  Hopeton 
H  mse H  ^sp. ,  South  Queemferry  ;  Miss  E.  Forsyth, 
Marchhall  H  )sp.,  Edinburgh  ;  Miss  McBain,  Leven 
H^sp.,  Fife;  Miss  F.  Cameron,  Tillyiie  Hosp., 
Milnathort ;  Miss  Methven,  Coldingham,  Berwick- 
shire ;  Mrs.  Macdonald,  Ceres  Aux.  Hosp.,  Fife ; 
Miss  D  )ig,  Castle  Milk  H  )sp.,  D  amfries ;  Miss  A.  B  . 
Watscn,  Ranfurly  H:)sp.,  Bridge  of  Weir;  Miss 
Tnomson,  Ranfurly  Hosp.,  Bridge  of  Weir  ;  Miss 
Lorimer,  Bowhill  Hosp.,  Selkirk  ;  Miss  E. 
Chowler,  Polkemmet  Hosp.,  Whitburn ;  Miss 
Cowan,  Tayside  Aux.  Hosp.  ;  Miss  Hastie,  May- 
field  Aux.  Hosp.,  Edinburgh;  Miss  Torrens, 
Wemvss  Castle  Hosp.,  Fife ;  Miss  Tcrriss,  Eden- 
field H  Jsp.,  Fife  ;  Miss  Field,  D  'nblane  War  Hosp. ; 
Miss  Janet  D'ckson,  DjJmeny  House  Hosp.  ;  Miss 
Belcher,  The  Gables,  Gullane ;  Miss  Campbell, 
Whitehill  Aux.  Hos.,  Rosewrll ;  Miss  C.  M.  Grant, 
Dunblane  War  Hosp.  ;  Miss  Campbell,  Morelands, 
Peebles  ;  Miss  Gillon,  Wemyss  Castle  Hosp.,  Fife  ; 
Miss  F.  Urquhart,  Royal  Naval  Hosp.,  Peebles  ; 
Miss  Binnie,  Whitehill  Red  Cross  Hosp  ,  Rose- 
well  ;  Miss  Locke,  Lochiel  Hosp.,  Banavie,  Fort 
William;  Miss  Belcher,  Kippenross  H^sp.  Dun- 
blane ;  Miss  M.  Thomas,  Coldingham,  Berwick- 
shire ;  Miss  Wray,  Miss  Grant,  Miss  Field  and  Miss 
Pearce,  D  JUb'ane  War  Hosp.  ;  Miss  Maude  Martin 
Craiglockhart  War  Hosp.,  Slateford,  Edinburgh 
Miss  Macdonald,  Dunblane  War  Hosp.  ;  Miss 
Ruddock,  Marchhall  Aux.  Hosp.,  Edinburgh. 


JIO 


Cbe  British  3ournal  of  mursing. 


August  17,   1918 


THE    ROYAL    RED    CROSS/ 


The  King  has  been  pleased  to  award  the  Royal 
Red  Cross  to  the  undermentioned  ladies  in  recog- 
nition of  ^their  valuable  nursing  services  in  con- 
nection   with  the  war. 

Second  Class. 

NippARD,  Mrs.  E.,  Matron,  Alderney  Isolation  Hospl., 
Newtown,  Dorset;  Nutsey,  Miss  E.  M.,  Sister, 
N.Z.A.M.S.,  No.  2  N.Z.  Hospl.,  Walton-on-Thames. 

Oatman,  Miss  C.  M.,  Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing 
Service,  No.  4.  Can.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Basingstoke,  Hants; 
O'DoNOGHUE,  Miss  A.,  Matron,  Kitebrook,  Moreton-in- 
Marsh  ;  O'Neill,  Miss  M.,  Matron,  Southgate  Aux.  War 
Hospl.,  Grovelands,  Southgate;  O'Neill,  Miss  M.  E., 
Matron,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R.,  Mil.  Hospl.,  Woking,  Surrey; 
O'Sullivan,  Miss  J.,  Matron,  Quarry  Hill  V.A.D. 
Hospl.,  Tonbridge. 

Palmer,  Miss  H.  S.,  Sister,  Thorncombe  Mil.  Hospl., 
Bramley ;  Parker,  Mrs.  C.  E.,  Sister,  Gifford  House 
Aux.  Hospl.,  Roehampton,  London;  Parkins,  Miss 
"M.  F.,  Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing  Service,  I.O.D.E., 
Can.  Red  Cross  Hospl.  for  Officers,  i,  Hyde  Park  Place, 
W.  i;  Paten,  Miss  E.  M.,  A./Matron,  Aust.  A.N.S,, 
2nd  Aust.  Aux.  Hospl.,  Southall,  Middlesex;  Paterson, 
.  Miss  H.  C,  Sister,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R.,  Central  Mil. 
Hospl.,  Heme  Bay;  Williams,  Mrs.  J.  P.,  Commdt., 
Sandy  Hospl.,  Beds;  Peebles,  Miss  J.  M,,  Matron,  R. 
Infirmary,  Stirling;  Peel,  Miss  A.  M.,  Matron,  Gerstley- 
Hoare  Hospl.  for  Officers,  53,  Cadogan  Square,  London  ; 
Percy,  Lady  V.  A.,  Matron,  Mil.  Hospl.,  Alnwick; 
Perrin,  Miss  H.,  Sister,  Aust.  A.N.S. ,  No.  3  Aust.  Aux. 
Hospl.,  Dartford,  Kent;  Perry,  Miss  M.,  Sister, 
T.F.N. S.,  5th  Northern  Gen.  Hospl.,  Leicester;  Peter, 
Miss  M.,  Sister,  Brompton  Mil.  Hospl.,  East  Yorks ; 
Peter,  Miss  P.,  Matron,  Hdqrs.,  B.R.C.S.  ;  Pettigrew, 
Miss  E.,  Asst.  Matron,  Catterick  Mil.  Hospl.,  Yorks; 
Philip,  Miss  A.  T.,  Matron,  Forres  Aux.  Hospl.,  Moray- 
shire ;  Philp,  Miss  E.  K.,  Matron,  St.  Leonards  Stone- 
haven Red  Cross  Aux.  Hospl.,  Kincardineshire;  Picker- 
ing, Mrs.  A.  M.,  Commandant,  Arnold  Hospl.,  Don- 
caster,  Yorks;  Pinnock,  Mrs.  R.  H.,  Commandant, 
Warden  House  Hospl.,  Deal;  Pitts,  Miss  R.,  Nurse, 
Hart  House  Hospl.,  Burnham,  Somerset ;  Porter,  Miss 
E.  A.,  Matron.  Banbury  Red  Cross  Hospl.,  Banbury, 
Oxfordshire;  Price,  Miss  E.,  A./Matron,  Highfield  Mil. 
Hospl.,  Liverpool;  Prichard,  Miss  M.  A.,  Nursing 
Sister,  Can.  Nursing  Service,  No.  10  Can.  Gen.  Hospl., 
Brighton;  Prowse,  Miss  M.  T.,  Sister-in-Charge,  Bram- 
hall  and  Cheadle  Hulme  Aux.  Mil.  Hospl.,  near  Stock- 
port; PuGH,  Mrs.  E.  M.,  Sister,  Woolton  Aux.  Hospl., 
W.  Lanes  ;  Pumphrey,  Miss  L.,  Matron,  Queen's  Hospl., 
Birmingham;  Purcell,  Miss  L.  E.,  Nurse,  V.A.D. 
Hospl.,  Exmouth ;  Purdie,  Miss  N.  M.,  Matron, 
Brabyns  Hall,  Marples  Bridge,  Cheshire. 

Quigley,  Miss  M.  E. ,  Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing 
Service,  Granville  Can.  Spec.  Hospl.,  Buxton;  Quinn, 
Miss  A.,  Sistcr-in-Charge,  Spencer  Street  Aux.  Hospl., 
Keighley,  Yorks. 

Radcliffe,  Miss  G.  S.,  Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing 
Service,  No.  16  Can.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Orpington,  Kent; 
Rainbow,  Miss  H.  K.,  Night  Sister.  Brook  War  Hospl., 
Woolwich;  Ramsbotham,  Mrs.  E.  M.,  Sister-in-Charge, 
Rcdburn  War  Hospl.,  Eastbourne;  Ramsden,  Miss  G., 
Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing  Service,  No.  12  Can.  Gen. 
Hospl.,  Bramshott,  Hants;  Rigby-Murray,  Miss  E., 
Matron,  V.A.D.  Hospl.,  Hatton  Grange,  Shifnal,  Shrop- 
shire ;      Ridgevvell,      Miss      L.      M.,      Staff      Nurse, 


Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.,  King  George's  Hospl.,  Stamford 
Street,  London;  Roberts,  Mrs.  F.,  Matron,  Holmfirth 
.Aux.  Hospl.,  nr.  Huddersfield ;  Robertson,  Miss 
C.  C.  B.,  Sister,  Aux.  Mil.  Hospl.,  Moor  Park,  Preston  ; 
Roche,  Miss  F.,  Sister,  Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.,  Queen 
Alexandra's  Mil.  Hospl.,  Grosvenor,  S.W.  i  ;  Rogers, 
Miss  A.,  Sister,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R.,  Pavilion  Gen.  Hospl., 
Brighton;  Romer,  Miss  H.  E.,  Asst.  Matron,  T.F.N. S., 
3rd  Sco.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Glasgow;  Rooke,  Miss  R.  M., 
Asst.  Matron,  Q.A.I. M.N. S.,  Mil.  Hospl.,  Park  Hall 
Camp,  Oswestry;  Rose,  Miss  E.,  Matron,  Wych  Red 
Cross  Hospl.,  Forest  Row,  Sussex;  Rose,  Mrs.  M.,  Asst. 
Matron,  T.F.N.S.,  ist  Scot.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Oldmill  Sec- 
tion, Aberdeen;  Rowlands,  Miss  B..  Commdt.,  St. 
Pierre's  Red  Cross  Hospl.,  Cardiff;  Russell,  Miss  A., 
Sister,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R.,  Mil.  Hospl.,  Dover  ;.  Russell, 
Miss  E.,  Sister,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R.,  Mil.  Hospl.,  Prees 
Heath,  Salop. 

Sadler,  Miss  M.  T.,  Sister,  Mil.  Hospl.,  Alnwick; 
Saunders,  Miss  M.  A.  G.,  Matron,  Plas  Tudno,  and  St. 
Tudno  Aux.  Hospl., Llandudno,  Carnarvon  ;  Scott,  Mrs. 
M.,  Sister,  Red  Cross  Hospital,  Christchurch,  Hants; 
Shield,  Mrs.  M.,  Matron,  20th  Durham  V.A.  Hosp., 
St.  Gabriel's,  Sunderland;  Short,  Miss  B.,  Nursing 
Sister,  Exeter  War  Hospl.,  No.  i  Section;  Siddells, 
Miss  F.,  Sister,  N.Z. A.N.S.,  No.  i  New  Zealand  Gen. 
Hospl.,  Brockenhurst,  Hants;  Sinclair,  Mrs.  J., 
Commdt.,  Red  Cross  Hospl. ,  Maesteg  ;  SLAYDEN.Mrs.  E., 
Sister,  County  Hospl.,  Lincoln  ;  Slocock,  Miss  R.,  Sister, 
Harnham  Red  Cross  Hospl.,  Salisbury;  Slocombe,  Miss 
J.,  Masseuse,  V.A.  Hospl.,  Totnes  ;  Smith,  Mrs.  E.  M., 
Theatre  Sister,  Myrtle  Aux.  Hospl.,  Liverpool;  Smith, 
Miss  G.  E.  S.,  Sister,  T.F.N. S.,  2nd  Sco.  Gen.  Hospl., 
Craigleith;  Smith,  Miss  L.  G.,  Sister,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R., 
Mil.  Hospl.,  Fort  Pitt,  Chatham;  Smith,  Miss  M.  E., 
Matron,  Lady  Forester  Hospl.,  Much  Wenlock,  Shrops.  ; 
Smith,  Miss  M.  L.,  Matron,  Burntwood  Red  Cross 
Hospl.,  Surrey;  Smith,  Miss  M.  E.,  Matron,  Red  Cross 
Hospl.,  Leek,  Staffs;  Smith,  Miss  S.  E.,  Sister,  V.A.D. 
Hospl.,  Coalville,  Leics';  Smythe,  Miss  I.,  Sister, 
Q.A.I. M.N.S.R.,  Stoke-on-Trent  War  Hospl.,  New- 
castle, Staffs  ;  Spanner,  Miss  G.  L.,  Nursing  Sister,  Can. 
Nursing  Service,  No.  12  Can.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Bramshott, 
Hants;  Stein,  Mrs.  M.  McK.,  Asst.  Commdt.  and 
Sister-in-Charge,  Park  House  V.A.  Hospl.,  Shipston-on- 
Stour;  Stevens,  Miss  G.  A.  B.,  Matron,  Aux.  Mil. 
Hospl.,  Frodsham,  Ches.  ;  Stevenson,  Miss  L.  C, 
Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing  Service,  No.  10  Can. 
Gen.  Hospl.,  Brighton;  Strike,  Miss  M.,  Sister, 
Q.A.I. M.N. S.R.,  Mil.  Hospl.,  Belton  Park,  Grantham; 
Sword,  Miss  J.  E.,  Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing 
Service,  No.  12  Can.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Bramshott,  Hants. 


Miss  Kate  Maxey,  who  gained  the  Militr.ry 
Medal,  the  Red  Cross  Medal,  and  the  Mens  Ribbon, 
has  been  presented  with  a  silver  set  of  salts  and 
spoons,  inrecogrition  of  her  heroic  work  in  France, 
by  the  Spennymoor  Ambulance  Brigade  and 
Nursing  Division.  She  was  wounded  by  hostile 
aircraft  when  in  charge  of  a  hospital  in  France. 


The  Military  Medal  won  by  Sister  McGinnis  was 
awarded  her  for  conspicuous  bravery  and  devotion 
to  duty  during  attacks  by  Germans  on  a  St.  John 
Ambulance  Brigade  Hospital  from  May  19th  to 
June  1st.  Miss  McGirnis  was  on  the  staff  of  the 
City  of  DubUn  Nursing  Institution  before  joining 
the  Red  Cross  at  the  outbreak  of  war,  and  has 
served  over  three  years  in  France. 


August  17,   1918 


^be  British  3ournal  of  iRui'smg. 


Ill 


AMERICAN  RED  CROSS  NAVAL  HOSPITAL, 

ALDFORD  HOUSE,  PARK  LANE,  W. 


One  of  the  latest  American  Red  Cross  Hos- 
pitals in  this  country,  and  the  first  devoted  to 
the  needs  of  the  sick  and  wounded  of  its  Navy, 
is  Aldford  House,  erected  on  a  unique  site  in 
Park  Lane,  where  it  occupies  an  entire  block. 
It  has  been  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the 
American  Red  Cross  by  Mrs.  Frederick  Guest, 
wife  of  Captain  Guest,  M.P,,  and  accom- 
modates 50  patients — men  on  the  ground  floor, 
officers  above. 

The  nursing  staff,  who  are  members  of  the 


its  purpose ;  damask  panels  on  the  walls  have 
been  covered  up  by  calico  stretched  over  them, 
and  the  ceiling  in  the  operating  theatre  has 
been  subjected  to  the  same  treatment. 

One  ward  on  the  ground  floor  opens  on  to  a 
verandah,  where  chairs  can  be  placed,  over- 
looking Park  Lane.  Its  pretty  pink  quilts  and 
screens  give  it  a  very  attractive  appearance. 
In  the  opposite  ward  the  quilts  are  white,  and 
the  screen-covers  a  rosy  pink.  The  hospital 
has  a  garden  of  quite  considerable  size  for 
London — an  invaluable  asset,  especially  for 
sailors,  not  used  to  Jiving  within  four  walls. 
It  even  boasts  of  a  rabbit-hutch  and  rabbits. 

There   is  also   a   winter  garden,   where  the 


Miss  Powell,  R.N.  Mi'ss  Akroyd,  R.N.  Mrs.  Bucking- 

Miss  Lamb,  R  N.  Dr.  McGrath.  Miss  Taylor,  R.N.      Miss  Fifield,  R.N.  ham,  R.N. 

[Photo,  Bassano.]  (Matron.) 


NURSING    STAFF  OF  TMB    AMERICAN    RED   CROSS    NAVAL    HOSPITAL. 


American  Red  Cross,  a're  all  Registered 
Nurses,  and  proud  of  the  fact.  Most  of  them 
have  been  war  nursing  for  two  or  three  years, 
and  have  served  in  Mesopotamia,  'Gallipoli, 
East  Africa:,  and  France,  as  well  as  in  hospitals 
in  this  country.  The  Matron,  Miss  Catherine 
Taylor,  was  trained  at  St.  Luke's  Hospital, 
New  York,  by  Miss  Anna  W.  Goodrich,  for 
whose  personality  and  work  she  has  unbounded 
admiration.  The  V.A.D.s  undertake  pantry 
work  and  kindred  duties,  but  do  no  nursing. 

The  medical  officers  are  Dr.  L.  W.  McGrath 
and  Dr.  Agnew,  both  of  the  United  States 
Naval  Corps. 

The  house,  with  its  central  airy  hall,  and 
wide  shallow  staircase,  is  very  well  adapted  for 


patients  can  sit  when  the  weather  is  unsuitable 
for  life  in  the  open  air. 

On  a  level  with  the  floor  above  is  a  wide  roof 
'garden,  where  long  chairs  can  be  set,  and  from 
which  an  extensive  and  charming  view  is 
obtained. 

The  hospital,  which  for  the  first  years  of  the 
war  was  used  for  British  patients,  .has  only 
been  open  as  an  American  hospital  for  seven  or 
eight  weeks.  The  cases  admitted  are  at  present 
chiefly  medical,  accident,  and  operation  ones. 

Miss  Taylor  wears  the  dainty  white  uniform 
of  the  Chief  Nurses  of  the  American  Red  Cross, 
with  the  distinguishing  black  band  and  tiny 
red  cross  on  the  cap.  The  other  members  of 
the  staff  wear  grey. 


113 


JLbc  Britteb  3ournal  of  IRursing.  ^"^"^*  ^7,  1918 

CARE    OF    THE    WOUNDED.  SOCIAL  SERVICE. 


The  Queen,  accompanied  by  Princess  Mary, 
visited  the  Brook  War  Hospital  on  Wednesday 
in  last  week  and  spent  a  long  time  in  the  wards. 
Her  Majesty  was  received  by  the  President  of  the 
Local  Government  Board,  the  Chairman  and  the 
Vice-Chairman  and  Clerk  of  the  Metropolitan 
Asylums  Board.  Major  Swainston,  Acting  Senior 
Medical  Officer,  and  Miss  E.  M.  Baum,  the  Matron. 

Her  Majesty  has  also  visited  Queen  Mary's 
Hospital  at  Stratford,  the  Pavilion  General 
Military  Hospital  at  Brighton,  and  the  Hospital 
for  Sick  Children,  Great  Ormond  Street,  where 
she  saw  Princess  Mary  at  work  in  the  wards. 


In  a  Summary  of  Work  of  the  Joint  War 
Committee  of  the  British  Red  Cross  Society 
and  the  Order  of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem  in  England, 
the  Commissioner  of  the  Committee  in  France 
and  Belgium — Colonel  the  Hon.  Sir  Arthur 
Lawley,  K.C.M.G. — ^writes  of  Ambulance  Train, 
No.  16  :— 

No.  16. — ^The  following  extracts  referring  to 
this   train  will   be   of   interest : — 

"It  is  not  long  since  that  I  recommended  to 
your  notice  the  excellent  behaviour  of  this  unit 
on  the  night  of  the  26th-27th  March,  1918.  I  then 
particularly  drew  attention  to  the  gallantry 
and  courage  shown  and  efficient  work  done  by 
the   Sister-in-Charge   and   Q.M.-Sergt 

"  This  time  .  .  .  No.  16  Ambulance  Train 
arrived  at  ...  in  the  midst  of  an  air  raid. 
'  A  '  Coach  got  a  direct  hit  from  a  large  bomb, 
wrecking  it  and  setting  the  stores  on  fire — the 
details  of  the  damage  done  will  have  been  made 
known  to  you. 

"  The  Sisters  were  taken  out  of  the  cutting 
and  placed  under  a  hedge.  I  then  returned  to 
the  train,  where  Q.M.-Sergt.  had  already  engaged 
the  men  in  trying  to  extinguish  the  fire  ;  in  this 
he  was  ably  assisted  by  one  volunteer.  .  .  .  The 
burning  coach  was  disconnected  by  this  officer 
and  Q.M.-Sergt.  .  .  .  while  I  directed  the  engine- 
driver  what  to  do.  The  engine-driver  and  fireman 
had  remained  at  their  post — ^the  brakesman  had 
disappeared. 

"  It  must  be  remembered  that  this  was  carried 
out  while  the  raid  was  still  in  progress  and  'planes 
humming  overhead,  three  out  of  the  four  injured 
men    assisting    at   the    salvage. 

"  The  personnel  to  a  man  did  their  very  best." 


Colonel  Sir  E.  W.  D.  Ward,  Director-General  of 
Voluntary  Organisations,  asks  for  strong  walking 
sticks  foi*  the  use  of  wounded  soldiers,  for  which 
he  continues  to  receive  large  and  increasing 
demands.  It  is  necessary,  if  these  requests  are  to 
be  fully  and  punctually  met,  that  he  should  receive 
a  far  larger  number.  If  householders  will  made  a 
point  of  sending  one  good  strong  walking-stick  to 
the  Comforts  Dep6t,  45,  Horseferry  Road,  West- 
minster, S.W.  I,  the  required  number  will  be 
secured. 


The  American  Red  Cross  has  not  only  allocated 
;^5,ooo  to  the  National  League  for  Health,  Mater- 
nity, and  Child  Welfare,  4,  Tavistock  Square, 
London,  W.C.  i,  to  establish  and  maintain  infant 
welfare  institutions  for  a  year,  but  has  also  given 
it  ;£io,ooo  for  maternity  hostels.  It  is  hoped  to 
establish  one  in  each  of  the  three  kingdoms  and 
one  in  London,  in  addition  to  ante-natal  clinics 
and  factory  crSchesc"  in  various  parts  of  the  country. 
An  emergency  home  for  babies  and  two  day 
nurseries  for  children  of  the  professional  classes, 
whose  mothers  are  obliged  to  work  to  supplement 
their  Army  and  Navy  allowances,  are  also  to  be 
set  up  in  London.  Offers  of  empty  houses  are 
invited. 


The  report  on  the  working  of  the  Tuberculosis 
Department  started  at  the  Great  Northern  Central 
Hospital — ^by  arrangement  with  the  Islington 
Borough  Council  in  May,  191 7 — shows  that, 
during  the  year  ended  April  30th  last  841  cases 
from  the  northern  half  of  the  borough  were 
treated,  and  that  there  were  3,472  attendances. 
In  addition,  1,510  visits  were  made  to  patients' 
homes,  and  a  considerable  number  of  contacts 
examined.  This  appears  to  be  a  very  satisfactory 
report  of  the  first  year's  working  of  the  new 
dispensary. 

THE     PASSING     BELL. 

We  regret  to  record  the  death  on  August  ist, 
at  the  Bradford  Royal  Infirmary,  of  Miss  Janet 
McGill,  of  93,  Horton  Lane,  since  1894  'the  much 
valued  matron  of  the  Bradford  District  Nursing 
Association,  a  branch  of  the  Nursing  Institu- 
tion in  Manningham.  The  Home  became  a 
separate  institution  in  1904.  The  funeral  took 
place  on  the  5th  inst.  at  the  Scholemoor  Cemetery , 
a  short  service  having  previously  been  held 
at  the  Home.  Both  services  were  conducted  by 
the  Rev.  C  Stewart  Douglas,  Vicar  of  Thornbury, 
Amongst  many  who  sent  wreaths  were  the  members " 
of  the  committee,  the  stafi,  the  house  surgeon,  the 
matron  and  nursing  staff  of  the  Royal  Infirmary. 

Miss  McGill  was  widely  known,  respected,  and 
loved  by  the  sick  poor,  and  her  death  is  a  great 
loss  not  only  to  the  Association  but  to  the  whole 
city.  She  was  a  good  organiser,  kind  and  sympa- 
thetic. Her  whole  life  was  centred  in  her  work, 
and  her  activities  were  not  confined  to  nursing. 
She  was  especially  interested  in  getting  patients 
away  for  a  change  of  air,  and  took  endless  trouble 
to  accomplish  this. 

OUR    ROLL    OF    HONOUR. 

Nursing  Service. 
Wounded. 
Watkins,  Sister  E.  F.,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R. 

Died. 
Young,  Miss  M.  C,  V.A.D. 


August  17,   1918 


TTbe  British  3ournal  of  mursiiiG. 


"3 


QUEEN    VICTORIA'S    JUBILEE 
INSTITUTE. 


NURSING    ECHOES. 


Her  Majesty  Queen  Alexandra  has  been  gra- 
ciously pleased  to  approve  the  appointment  of  the 
following  to  be  Queen's  Nurses,  to  date  July  ist 

England. — James,  Gladys  L.  H.  ;  Rider,  Grace: 
J.  E.  ;  Fitzpatrick,  A.  T.  ;  Kemp,  Rose  E.  ;  Burgon, 
Jane  ;  Gough,  Hilda  S.  ;  Robson,  Gladys  S.  ; 
Sliotter,  H.  A. 

Wales. — ^Jones,  Janet ;  Owen,  Gwladys., 

Scotland. — Coghlan,  Annie  ;  Dewar,  Jessie  ; 
Macfarlane,  Sarah  ;  McLellan,  Ellen ;  McPhee, 
Mary  ;  Swanson,  Margaret  S.  ;  Walsh,  Marian  ; 
Graham,  Margaret  G.  ; 

Ireland. — Collery,  Nora  ;  O'Doherty,  Sarah  T.  ; 
Phelan,  Glare. 

Transfers  andJAppointments. 

Miss  Selina  Collier  is  appointed  to  Worcester 
C.N. A.  as  Assistant  Superintendent  and  Training 
Sister  ;  Miss  Minnie  A.  E.  Banks,  to  Margate  ; 
Mrs.  Ada  Bulkeley-Jones,  to  Garston  ;  Miss  Kate 
Clarkson,  to  Irlam  ;  Miss  Gertrude  M.  Eraser,  to 
Southall-Norwood  ;  Miss  Evelyn  I.  Gallacher,  to 
Dorking  ;  Miss  Louie  C.  Lakin,  to  Horsham  ;  Miss 
Grace  McCulloch,  to  South  Wimbledon  ;  Miss  Lucy 
McKinlay,  to  Horsham  ;  Miss  Alice  J.  Maclachlan, 
to  Crook  ;  Miss  Emily  M.  Scott,  to  Wolverton  ; 
Miss  Ethel  Thompson,  to  Brownhills. 


APPOINTMENTS. 

MATRON. 

Mowsley  Sanatorium  (Leicestershire  County 
Council). — ^Miss  Jennie  Cardwell  Alcock  has  been 
appointed  Matron.  She  was  trained  at  the 
Crumpsall  Infirmary,  Manchester,  and  has  been 
Sister-in-Charge  of  the  New  Hospital  for  Con- 
sumption, Kimberworth,  Yorkshire,  and  Matron 
of  the  Hinckley  Tuberculosis  (Roadenhoe)  Dispen- 
sary. 

NATIONAL    UNION    OF    TRAINED    NURSES 

Some   Recent   Appointments   Made   Through 

THE  N.U.T.N.  Employment  Centre. 

Norfolk  War  Hospital,  Thorpe,  Norwich. — Ward 
Sister,  Miss  E.  P.  Dailington. 

Women's  After  Care  Hostels. — ^Miss  Percival. 

Addington  Park  War  Hosp.,  Croydon. — Ward 
Sister,  Miss  A.  M.  Mann. 

Exeter,  No.  II  Military  Hosp. — ^Ward  Sister, 
Miss  Ethel  A.  A.  Moon. 

St.  Mary's  Nursery  Training  College. — ^Nurse, 
Mrs.  Eliz.  Johnson. 

Exeter  No.  i  Hosp. — ^Night  Superintendent, 
Miss  A.  Mackinnon. 

Queen  Mary's  Aux.  Mil.  Hosp.,  Roehampton 
House. — ^Night  Charge  Sister,  Miss  S.  E.  McCracken. 

5^  Mark's  Hasp.,  City  Road. — ^Night  Sister,  Miss 
Sillers. 

The  London  Temperance  Hospital. — ^Night  Staff 
Nurse,  Mrs.  M.  M.  Clarke. 


The  interest  aroused  by  the  paper  on 
"  Laboratory  Work  for  Women  "  by  Dr. 
Knyvett  Gordon,  which  we  published  last  week, 
proves  that  the  scientific  side  of  their  work 
is  attractive  to  a  proportion  of  members  of 
the  nursing  profession.  For  such  nurses 
the  British  Scientific  Products  Exhibition, 
organized  by  *  the  British  Science  Guild, 
199,  Piccadilly,  W.,  and  opened  on  Monday, 
last  at  King's  College,  in  the  Strand,  will  hold 
attractions,  and  is  undoubtedly  instructive,  and 
as  it  remains  o'pen  until  September  7th  there 
are  opportunities  of  a  visit  for  all. 

The  aim  of  the  Exhibition  is  to  stimulate 
public  interest  and  confidence  in  the  capacity  of 
British  Science,  combined  with  industrial  enter- 
prise, to  secure  and  maintain  a  leading  place 
amongst  progressive  nations,  and  the  object  is 
the  full  development  of  our  mental  and  material 
resources.  As  Professor  Gregory  pointed  out 
in  an  address  given  at  the  Exhibition,  in  purely 
scientific  research  of  initiative  quality  we  have 
been  the  pioneers  ;  where  we  have  been  deficient 
is  in  the  practical  use  of  the  results  obtained. 
In  short,  we  need  close  association  between 
the  creative  investigator,  the  industrial  re- 
searcher who  seeks  to  apply  knowledge  to 
useful  ends,  and  the  artisan,  whose  work  is 
constructive  arid  technical. 

Amongst  the  exhibitors  are  firms  of  such 
world-wide  repute  as  Me.srs.  Burroughs  Well- 
come &  Co.,  Messrs.  Allen  &  Hanburys,  and 
Boots  Pure  Drug  Company,  Ltd.,  all  of  whom 
have  exhibits  cf  exceptional  interest. 

The  dominant  note  of  Messrs.  Burroughs 
Wellcome  &  Co.  's  exhibit  is  struck  by  the  series 
of  specimens  showing  the  synthesis  of  "  Khar- 
si  van  "  and  "  Neokharsivan,"  which  were  the 
first  British  products  to  take  the  place  of 
German  salvarsan  and  neosalvarsan. 

An  exhibit  which  opens  up  to  nurses  a  vista 
of  an  interesting  hobby,  which  may  also  be  a 
work  of  national  utility,  is  that  arranged  by 
Mrs.  Grieve,  F.R.H.S.,  who  has  a  School  of 
British  Medicinal  and  Commercial  Herb  Grow- 
ing at  the  Whins,  Chalfont  St.  Peter,  Bucks, 
which  represents  an  organized  determination  to 
recapture  from  Germany  and  Austria  the  Herb 
Growing  Industry,  which  those  countries  have 
won  from  Great  Britain.  Before  the  war  we 
spent  annually  ;^2c>o,ooo  on  importations  of 
drug-yielding  Herbs  which  we  could  have 
grown.  What  more  interesting  for  a  nurse 
living  n  the  country  than  the  cultivation  of 
medicinal  herbs?  It  is  further  of  interest  to 
know  that  the  demand  for  properly  trained  herb 


114 


HDc  British  3ournal  of  TRursmQ, 


August  17,   1918 


growers  far  exceeds  the  supply,  and  good  posts 
are  obtainable  for  students  when  proficient. 

The  Council  Meeting  of  the  Metropolitan 
Hospital  Sunday  Fund  have  unanimously 
approved  the  report  of  the  Committee  of  Dis- 
tribution, and  have  directed  the  awards  recom- 
mended to  be  paid.  The  sum  available  this  year 
(;£85,652)  is  a  record  one,  exceeding  the  largest 
previous  total  by  ;£i5,ooo..  It  includes  a  gift 
of  ;£5>ooo  from  the  American  Red  Cross 
Society,  and  £2, ^^2  from  St.  Mark's,  North 
Audley  Street,  the  largest  sum  ever  received 
from  one  London  church,  and  £76  collected  in 
pence  from  St. 
Andrew's,  Lam- 
beth, a  very  poor 
parish. 

Seven  and  a 
half  per  cent,  of 
the  •  total  sum 
available  for  dis- 
tribution is  ap 
propriated  to  the 
purchase  of  sur- 
gical appliances 
during  the  ensu- 
ing year,  and  2^ 
per  cent,  for  dis- 
t  r  i  c  t  nursing 
associations. 

The  following 
are  the  awards 
to  Nursing  Asso- 
ciations :  —  Bel- 
vedere, Abbey 
Wood,  £g; 
Brixton,  ;^36 ; 
Central  St.  Pan- 
c  r  a  s,  -^45; 
Charlton  and 
Blackheath,  ;^9 ; 
Chelsea  and 
Pimlico,  £iS; 
Hackney,  £63; 
Ham  mersmith, 
;^8i ;      H  a  m  p- 

stead,  £27;  Isleworth,  ;^i8;  Kensington, 
£81;  Kilburn,  £g;  Kingston,  ^45;  Lambeth 
Road  (Catholic),  ;£i8;  Metropolitan  (Blooms- 
bury),  £63;  St.  Olave's  (Bermondsey),  £36; 
Paddington  and  Marylebone,  £63 ;  Plaistow, 
£72]  Plaistow  (Maternity),  £72;  Ponders  End, 
Enfield,  &c.,  ;Ci8;  Rotherhithe,  £27;  Shore- 
ditch,  £72;  Sick  Room  Helps  Society,  £g', 
Sidcup,  £g;  Silvertown,  ;;(;i8;  South  London 
(Battersea),  £54 ;  Southwark,  £36 ;  South 
Wimbledon,  £27 ;  Tottenham,  £27 ;  West- 
minster, £26;  Woolwich,  £63;  East  London, 


Sisters  Gregory,  Steinhofi,  Green  and  Burke, 

Sisters  Burton,  Klein  and  Kmc, 

Sisler  Beck 

AT    THE    JAMSETJI     JIJIBHAI     HOSPITAL.     BOMBAY. 


£iS5  ;  North  London,  ;£8i ;  Ranyard  Nurses, 
£5U-  

Our  illustration  on  this  page  shows  a  group 
of  Sisters  at  the  Jamsetji  Jijibhai  Hospital, 
Bombay,  a  hospital  which  owes  its  foundation 
to  the  munificence  of  Sir  Jamsetji  Jijibhai,  a 
Parsi  gentleman  in  Bombay. 

How  many  English  nurses  know  anything 
of  the  Parsis,  a  community  of  Persian  origin, 
their  customs,  their  faith,  their  family  life 
based  on  the  patriarchal  system,  the  astuteness 
of  their  men,  the  beauty  of  their  women? 

It    was    on    a 

■ journey     to     the 

East  that  the 
writer  first  got 
to  know  a  Parsi 
family.  Were  it 
not  for  their 
Oriental  dress, 
their  olive-tinted 
CO  m  p 1 e  xions 
might  be  taken 
for  those  of 
Spaniards  o  r 
Italians,  but  the 
quaint,  stiff, 

shiny  black  hats 
of  the  men,  not 
unlike  a  bishop's 
m'tre  without 
the  point,  and 
the  rich  graceful 
saris  of  the 
women,  indicate 
u  n  m  i  s  t  akably 
their  Oriental 
extraction.  A 
Parsi  girl, 
lovely,  graceful, 
modest,  is  .  a 
thing  of  beauty, 
though  early 
middle  age  prob- 
ably finds  her 
slimness  a  memory  of  the  past. 

The  group  of  hospitals  in  Bombay,  including 
St.  George's  (the  European  Hospital),  the 
Jamsetji,  and  the  Cama,  a  women's  hospital 
with  a  school  of  midwifery  recognized  by  the 
Central  Midwives  Board  in  this  countrj-,  in 
which  the  Sisters  of  the  All  Saints  Community 
did  such  valuable  pioneer  work,  have  turned 
out  many  well-trained  nurses,  European, 
Eurasian,  and  native.  For  those  who  intend  to 
work  subsequently  in  India,  the  training  given 
in  these  hospitals  is  specially  valuable,  as  they 


August  17,   1918 


dbe  Britieb  3ournal  of  IRurstno. 


"5 


not  only  receive  a  good  professional  education, 
but  become  acquainted  with  the  conditions  of 
life  of  those  amongst  whom  they  will  subse- 
quently work,  and  how  to  deal  with  the 
problems  which  will  confront  them. 

THE  HOSpItAL  laundry. 

Most  of  the  provincial  general  hospitals  havt 
their  own  steam  laundry  attached  in  the  grounds, 
the  working  and  welfare  coming  under  the 
Nursing  department.  The  ideal  laundry  building 
is  still  to  be  planned,  by  the  woman  who  knows 
its  resources  best,  but  until  Utopia  arrives 
■what  is  at  present  in  working  order  must  be  utilized 
to  the  best  and  fullest  advantage. 

The  Staff. — The  Board  of  Trade  considers  that 
i:o  each  500  articles  one  worker  must  be  allowed. 
This,  taken  all  round,  is  a  fair  division,  and, 
Tvith  care,  should  work  easily  and  well. 

All  laundry  workers  come  under  the  control 
■of  the  same  Board,  they  must  work  for  the 
prescribed  hours  with  stated  times  for  meals, 
their  Sundays  must  be  free  and  Bank  Holidays 
-counted  as  holidays. 

As  a  rule  the  hospital  laundry  workers  prefer 
to  be  free  from  noon  on  Saturday  until  Monday 
morning,  with  hours  off  two  evenings  during  the 
week,  which  enables  them  to  get  away  from  the 
lieat  and  noise  of  the  laundry. 

A  weU-trained  and  experienced  head  laundress 
who  though  not  required  to  run  the  machinery 
thoroughly  understands  it,  is  absolutely 
necessary,  She  arranges  and  controls  the  work 
•of  the  laundry,  keeping  to  the  special  time  table 
which  is  as  a  rule  drawn  up  by  the  Matron  or  her 
^Assistant  as  best  capable  of  taking  in  all  the  work 
of  the  week.  Her  work  consists  of  sorting,  pack- 
ing, checking,  superintending  the  calender  and 
collar  machines,  and  personally  attending  to  the 
work  of  the  patients,  officers,  nurses  and  maids. 

It  is  better  for  the  laundry  staff,  if  possible 
to  have  their  own  sleeping  apartments  apart 
from  the  ordinary  staff,  and  to  have  separate 
meals  The  hospital  provides  them  with  uniform 
?nd  clogs  for  the  wash-house,  and  with  mack- 
intosh aprons  to  protect  them  whilst  actually 
washing  the  clothes,  • 

^  For  a  hospital  of  120   beds   and   the  necessary 

staff,  .  one    head    laundress     and     four     maids, 

engineer  and  stoker  should  be  ample — the  weekly 

average  of  articles  washed  making  a  total  of  3,800. 

The   Building. — Tlvis   ought   to   be   well    apart 

from  the  main  building  so  that  the  smoke  from 

the  stoke  house  and  the  noise  of  the  plant  will 

not  disturb  the  patients.     A  prepared  footpath 

should  lead  to  it  so  that  the  staff  in  all  weathers 

■  can  go  and  come  easily.  The  machinery,  should  be 

well  arranged  so  that'each  stage  of  the  process  may 

be  got  through  in  the  best  possible  manner — 

washers,  hydros,  drying-room,  calender,  mangle, 

ironers,  all  following  in  their  various  degrees  of  use. 

The  ironing  stove  should  not  be  in  the  same 

-department  as   that    where    the    actual    ironing 


is  done,  as  even  with  the  aid  of  asbestos 
screens,  ventilation,  and  electric  fans,  the  heat 
in  the  summer  months  rises  in  a  surprising  way. 

There  should  be  pigeon-holes  specially  marked 
for  each  department  and  numerous  laundry 
baskets  and  trollies  to  hold  the  clothes 

Superintendent. — Under  this  heading  comes  the 
work  of  checking  and  entering  all  articles  sent  by 
the  wards,  nursing  department,  home,  house, 
maids,  &c 

The  special  books  are  returned  to  the  Matron's 
ofi&ce  weekly  to  be  gone  through  and  all  missing 
articles  reported.  When  possible,  it  is  best  for 
the  Assistant  Matron  to  obtain  daily  a  list  from 
the  Ward  Sisters  and  check  this  with  that  of  the 
head  laundress. 

Where  a  venereal  clinique  is  attached  to  the 
Out-Patients'  Department,  specially  marked  linen, 
which  is  treated  in  the  same  manner  as  that  of 
infectious  cases  is  the  best  and  safest  method. 

Each  day  has  its  special  work,  the  Nurses'  and 
house  linen  being  done  on  days  which  are  not 
set  apart  for  the  ward  linen. 

The  theatie  washing,  which  in  most  busy 
general  hospitals  is  a  very  heavy  item,  should  be 
done  daily  and  returned  at  a  stated  time  for 
sterilization,  this  also  applies  to  ward  draw  sheets 
and  children's  sundries. 

Stores. — These  are  called  weekly,  preferably  on 
Saturday,  so  that  the  soap  may  be  melted,  starch 
prepared,  and  soda  portioned  out,  ready  for  the 
new  week's  work. 

In  a  hospital  where  all  garments  are  plainly 
and  clearly  marked  and  stocktaking  is  undertaken 
frequently  there  is  very  little  trouble  from  lost 
articles.  M.  K.   S. 


The  Law  Ofl&cers  of  the  Crown  have  expressed 
the  opinion  that  a  woman  is  not  entitled  to  be  a 
candidate  for  Parliament,  but  jMr.  Bonar  Law, 
replying  to  questions  in  the  House  of  Commons, 
stated  that  the  introduction  of  legislation  to  make 
this  legal  would  be  considered  by  the  Government, 
and  admitted  that  when  the  question  of  extending 
the  Parliamentary  Franchise  to»women  was  under 
discussion  it  was  repeatedly  said  that  when  they 
gave  the  franchise  to  women  they  could  not  refuse 
their  admission  to  the  House, 


Mr.  Bonar  Law,  replying  in  the  House  of 
Commons  to  Colonel  Sir  J.  Craig  (Down,  E.,  U.), 
also  said,  if  there  was  a  general  desire  he  wovld 
be  glad  to  arrange  an  opportunity  after  the  recess 
for  a  discussion  on  the  question  of  opening  the 
available  galleries  of  the  House  to  women  and 
men  impartially. 


The  Home  Secretary  has  expressed  himself  in 
entire  sympathy  with  the  proposal  for  the  forma- 
tion of  a  body  of  women  police,  and  also  of  the 
establishment  of  women  special  constables  during 
the  war,  and  promised  a  deputation,  introduced  by 
Lord  Sydenham,  to  consider  the  whole  project 
with  a  view  to  its  development. 


ii6 


^be  British  3ournal  of  "Kurgiug. 


August  17,   1918 


BOOK    OF   THE   WEEK. 


THE    GIRL    FROM    KURDISTAN.* 

Miss  Kerruish  will  be  remembered  as  the  author 
of  '•'  Miss  Haroun  Al-Raschid,"  which  book  won 
the  thousand  guinea  competition  cfEered  by 
Messrs.  Hodder  &  Stoughton  ;  so  her  present 
novel,  dealing  with  Persian  customs  and  intrigue 
must  command  our  attention.  Those  who  are 
acquainted  with  the  position  of  European  govern- 
ment officials  in  the  east  will  be  aware  that  their 
position  is  often  one  that  requires  very  careful 
handling,  and  it  is  from  this  point  that  the  book 
under  consideration  is  written. 

The  opening  chapter  describes  the  position  of  a 
young  Armenian  lad,  from,  "  forgetting  he  had  a 
knife  in  his  hand  when  he  struck  a  man  and  God 
decreed  that  his  neck  vein  should  be  cut.  The 
blood  ran  all  over  my  hand — see,  all.  And  his 
brother  said  he  would  ki  1  me.''  He  was  rescued 
from  the  infuriated  relative  by  Europeans  in  a 
barouche  dri\ien  by  a  Cossack  coachman.  Escort- 
ing it  was  a  yelling  and  threatening  mob  of  street 
roughs,  slipshod  policemen  and  a  few  respectable 
but  enraged  men  of  the  better  class  and  the 
inevitable  rabble  of. urchins.  Two  figures  emerged 
and  stepped  out  for  the  Toup.  The  larger  was 
a  big  man  of  five-and-thirty,  undeniably  British, 
his  ruddy  curls  prematurely  grizzled  at  the  temples, 
his  eyes  choleric  by  habit.  He  led  his  companion 
by  one  gloved  finger  hooked  in  a  greasy  collar. 

"  The  very  shadow  of  the  Pearly  Gun  is  Basr 
(refuge),"  said  the  European.  He  swung  a  foot 
back  and  shot  his  charge  sprawling  into  the 
sanctuary. 

He  then  made  his  stately  way  back  to  the 
carriage.     The  ladies  were  comparing  torn  flounces. 

"  No  garden  party  after  all,  and  a  nasly,  dirty 
criminal  sitting  on  my  feet  all  the  way  from 
Shim! ah  Gate." 

It  was  unconventional  Janet  Macroy,  who  got 
herself  into  a  nasty  hole,  by  her  friendship  with 
Hajji  Jaffier,  the  chief  of  a  tribe,  who  was  kept 
in  Teheran  by  the  Shah  as  a  hostage  for  its  good 
behaviour. 

"  The  Hajji  Khan  was  hawking  and  interrupted 
his  sport  to  put  me  on  the  road,"  Janet  explained 
to  Perdita,  as  she  made  the  introductions. 

The  Khan  stroked  down  the  diminutive  falcon 
that  was  perched  on  his  wrist  and  broke  in  depreca- 
tingly.  What  was  a  lifetime's  sport  compared  to 
the  least  service  to  the  Shehzadeh  Khanoum  ?  So 
he  demanded,  and  vowed  furthermore  that  the 
joy  of  meeting  her  had  cured  him  of  several  speci- 
fied diseases." 

Self -wiled  Janet,  although  long  resident  in  the 
East,  chose  to  ignore  the  gulf  that  separates  East 
from  West,  but  in  justice  to  her  she  was  unaware  of 
the  havoc  her  friendship  with  the  Eastern  caused  in 
the  breast  of  his  little  wife.     By  strategy  Janet's 

^  By  Jessie  Douglas  Kerruish.  (Hodder  & 
Stoughton,  London.) 


friends  contrive  a  meeting  between  her  and  the 
little  heart-broken  woman. 

"  You  are  a  Hakim  Khanoum,  yea,  and  a  white 
sorceress.  I  can  see  it  in  your  eyes.  You  will 
give  me  a  philtre,  a  love  potion  ?  " 

She  fell  full  length  and  kissed  Janet's  shoes,  not 
knowing  her  identity. 

"  The  smallest  Ferenghi  philtre  would  bring  him 
back.  It  is  a  Ferenghi  woman  who  hath  led  him 
away,  and  may  Allah  send  her  swiftly  to  his 
kindled  fire.  And  may  he  furthermore  make 
every  Ferenghi  golden  hair  of  her  a  serpent  to 
gnaw  the  black  Ferenghi  heart  of  her  to  the  last 
sounding  of  Serafil's  Wakening  Trump. 

Janet  Macroy,  one  of  the  best  of  women  at 
heart,  once  having  grasped  the  situation  dealt 
with  it  thoroughly. 

"  Thou  hast  something  better  than  spells,"  she 
said.  "  Thy  little  one  doth  but  reckon  her  age 
in  days.  Take  her  and  cherish  her,  O  my  sister, 
that  when  he  returns  she  may  be  a  sweet  comfort 
to  him,  and  a  rosy  link  between  ye  twain." 

She  further  assures  Hajji  Khan  :  "  A  Christian 
gentlewoman  does  not  wed  a  Muslim.  I  never 
dreamed  thou  wouldst  entertain  such  a  thought. 
Hear  thee  that  for  it,  I  will  have  nothing  more 
to  do  with  thee,  and  leave  thee  to  do  to  me  as 
thou  wilt." 

"  Do  you  deem,  I  may,  as  I  can,  cast  dirt  on  your 
name  in  the  ears  of  Teheran  ?  " 

But  though,  for  political  reasons,  he  did  not  dare 
to  take  this  step,  Janet  came  near  to  being  ostra- 
cised for  her  foolishness,  and  it  required  all  the 
finesse  of  her  friends  to  prevent  ugly  consequences. 

But  as  her  friend,  Madame  Ecroy  said  :  "  Janet 
is  always  rather  fine  when  she  really  knows  what 
she  is  doing." 

We  feel  sure  that  this  story,  that  brings  so 
vividly  the  atmosphere  of  the  East  around  us, 
will  be  welcomed  by  many  readers  who  are  wearied 
by  the  commonplace,  H.  H. 


THE  LAY  OF  THE  LAZY  NUR5E. 

Breathes  there  a  nurse  with  soul  so  dead 
Who  never  to  herself  hath  said  : 
"  To-morrow  morning  I  will  rise 
Before  the  sun  lights  up  the  skies. 
Soon  as  the  calling  maid  shall  ring, 
Before  the  birds  begin  to  sing, 
Fresh  as  a  lark  I  shall  awake ; 
An  early  morning  walk  I'll  take." 
And,  when  at  an  unearthly  hour 
Next  morn,  the  maid  with  awful  power 
Makes  noise  enough  to  stir  the  dead, 
And  wake  the  nurse  upon  her  bed. 
Breathes  there  a  nurse,  I  now  repeat, 
Who  wouldn't  send  her  twenty  feet, 
Then  back  beneath  the  counterpane 
With  restful  sigh  doze  off  again  ? 

(With  apologies  to  Scott.) 

E.  E.  Thirkell. 
In  the  Journal  of  the  Leeds  Township 

Infirmary  Nurses  League. 


The  British    Toumal  c/  Nurttng,  August  17,  191S. 


"  Science  is,  I  believe, 
nothing  but  trained  and 
organized  common-sense, 
differing  from  the  latter 
only  as  a  veteran  may 
differ  from  a  raw  recruit ; 
and  its  methods  diffe' 
from  those  of  common- 
sense  only  so  far  as  the 
Guardsman's  cut  and 
thrust  differ  from  the 
manner  in  which  a  savage 
wields  his  club." 

ProfeiioT  Huxley. 


The  Basis 
of 
Science 


BOOTS  PURE  DRUG  COMPANY  LIMITED  wish  to  draw  the 
attention  of  the  medical  profession  to  the  following  seven  scientific 
preparations.  Practitioners  who  endeavour  to  keep  abreast  of  the  times 
will  find  these  modern  antiseptics  of  superlative  value  in  general  practice. 


TABLETS  OF  CHLORAMINE-T 

One  tablet  dissolved  in  two  ounces  of  water  makes 
•  one  per  cent,  solution. 

Bottles  of  25.  8*75  grain  tablets,  1/2 
50.    .,         „         ,.        2/- 

100 3/9 

One  tablet  dissolved  in  ten  ounces  of  water  m^fkes 
a  one  per  cent   solution. 

Bottles  of  12  43-75  grain  tablets,  1/10 

CHLORAMINE-T  CREAM 

Containing  approximately  one  per  eent.  Chlora- 
mine-T.  Described  and  investigated  under  the 
name  of  Chloramine  Paste  by  Vincent  Daufresne, 
Carrel.  Hartmann  and  others,  in  the  Journal  «/ 
Experimtnlal  Medicine,  1917. 

In  PoU.    Trial  size.  9d. ;  large  sice,  3/6. 

TABLETS  OF  PROFLAVINE 

(with  todium  chloride). 

One  tablet  dissolved  in  four  fluid  ounces  sterile 
water  makes  1:1000  Proflavine  in   normal  saline. 

Bottles  of  100  tablets,  S/6 

DAKIfTS   NEW  WATER   DISINFECTANT. 
Vidm  BMJ.,  May,  1917. 

The  action  of  Halazone  is  positive,  and  may  be  relied  upon  for  crudest  waters.  Each  tablet  is  sufficient  to 
sterilize  one  quart  of  contaminated  water,  but  in  cases  of  extreme  contamination  a  second  tablet  may  be 
necessary.    Halazon^  is  invaluable  for  those  on  active  service  overseas,  more  particularly  in  hot  climates. 

Bottles  of  100  tablets.  6d. 

Supplies  are  available  for  pretCTiplion  aeroice  on  application 
through  any  of  the  hranchet  of  BOOTS  WM  CHEMISTS. 

Boots  Pure  Drug  Company  Limited 

MANUFACTURING    CHEMISTS    AND   MAKERS   OF   FINE   CHEMICALS. 
He«d  Offices:    Station  Street.  Notttnsham.        JESSE  BOOT.  Managing  Direc(«r. 


CHLORAMINE-T 

(p-loluene-iodium-tulphoehloramide). 

Dakin's  ideal  antiseptic,  of  wide  applicability  is 
medicine  and  surgery. 

In  bottles  of  loz..  1/2;   4oz..  3/6;  lib..  12/S 

CHLORAMINE-T  GAUZE 

In  two  strenfcths,  containins  approximately  5% 
and  35%  Chloramine-T.  (5%  supplied  unless 
otherwise  specified).  This  should  be  fixed  dry 
and  subsequently  moistened,  if  necessary,  when 
in  position. 

In  sealed  packages  only,  jfiict  1/6  per  package. 

PROFLAVINE 

(3'6  diamino-aertdlnt-iulphale). 
The  improved  Flavine  derivative. 

Equal  in  antiseptic  powers  to  Acriflavine,  and  in 
important  respects  superior,  being  markedly  less 
toxic  and  less  irritating.  Proflavine,  being  less 
costly  to  manufacture,  can  be  sold  at  a  substantially 
lower  price  than  Acriflavijie. 

5  Kram  bottle,  1/4 :  20  gram  bottle.  5/- 

HALAZONE  TABLETS. 


ii8 


Ebe  Brttieb  3ournal  ot  flureing. 


August  17,   1918 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 

Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  for  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  b$ 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents. 

A     CERTIFICATE    OF     EXISTENCE. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  MadahI, — In  your  issue  of  The  British 
Journal  of  Nursing  (July  27th),  I  saw  a  letter, 
complaining  of  hardship  imposed  on  the  annui- 
tants of  R.N. P.F.N.  It  sounded  so  unlike  that 
valuable  fund  that  I  cut  it  out  and  asked  what 
it  meant.  I  enclose  Mr.  Dick's  reply  and  should 
be  so  glad  if  you  would  make  it  public  in  your 
valuable  paper.  What  a  pity  nurse  did  not  find 
out  facts  before  rushing  into  print. 

I  wish  some  of  the  letters  about  the  "  Merry 
Mummers  "  could  be  copied  into  the  daily  papers, 
so  th^t  the  public  could  see  what  nurses  think 
of  those  who  are  dragging  down  an  honourable 
profession  as  an  excuse  to  show  off  and  gambol, 
and  this  while  the  greater  number  of  the  profes- 
sion are  living  and  sometimes  dying  for  the  men 
who  are  bleeding  for  their  country.  Is  there  no 
way  in  which  we  can  stop  this  "  War  Charity  "  ? 
Believe  me.  Yours  sincerely, 

S.    SULIVAN, 

Harrow.  Member  R.B.N.A. 

Letter  to  Miss  Sulivan  from  the  Secretary 
R.N.P.F.N. 
Dear  Madam, — ^The  cutting  which  you  enclose 
contains  a  misrepresentation  of  the  facts. '  It  is 
quite  untrue  that  we  requiie  our  annuitants  each 
month  to  send  a  doctor's  certificate  and  a  clergy- 
man's certificate.     The  facts  are  these  : — 

About  six  months  ago  we  requested  our  annui- 
tants, for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  Fund, 
to  obtain  a  Certificate  of  Existence,  signed  by  a 
professional  or  other  responsible  man  to  the 
effect  that' she  was  alive  at  the  date  of  signing  the 
certificate.  This  formality  was  for  the  satis- 
faction of  our  actuaries,  and  was  a  measure  framed 
in  the  interests  of  the  policy-holders  of  the  Fund. 
It  may  not  be  necessary  to  trouble  the  annuitants 
again,  at  any  rate  not  for  some  considerable  time. 
In  the  ordinary  course,  all  we  require  the  Nurse 
to  do  is  to  sign  a  receipt  for  the  quarterly  instal- 
ment of  her  pension  in  the  presence  of  a  witness. 
Yours  faithfully, 

Louis  H.  M.  Dick, 

Secretary. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — I  have  been  much  interested  in 
the  two  letters  published  in  your  Journal  as  to 
the  new  condition  to  be  complied  with  before 
annuitants  of  the  R.N-.P.F.  for  Nurses  receive  their 
annuity. 

I  was  requested  last  March  to  get  a  signature 
from  magistrate  or  doctor,  &c.,  to  say  that  I  was 
alive.  I  did  nothing  that  time.  In  June  no 
cheque  was  sent,  but  another  request  for  a  certifir.,. 


cate  of  existence.  I  wrote  and  declined,  and  gave 
as  one  reason  for  my  refusal  that  I  did  not  wish 
to  add  to  the  conditions  under  which  I  joined, 
especially  as  this  would  be  so  burdensome.  I 
received  another  letter,  arguing  the  point  and 
saying  the  condition  was  covered  by  Article  5, 
which,  however,  simply  says  that  in  the  first 
instance  the  applicant  must  satisfy  the  Council 
that  she  has  given  correct  dates,  and  so  on,  at 
first,  before  any  payment  can  be  made,  and  (here 
your  second  correspondent  has  not  taken  in  what 
will  be  asked  of  her)  that  they  will  not  ask  again 
for  another  certificate  till  September — ^just  three 
months  later. 

I  wrote  again,  saying  it  was  not  worth  my  while 
for  ;^io  a  year  to  undergo  the  worry  and  incon- 
venience entailed,  but  that  if  they  were  doubtful 
as  to  my  existence  they  could  pay  the  amount  due 
into  my  bank,  and  it  was  paid. 

The  absurdity  of  it  is  that  the  annuity  had 
never  been  paid  without  the  signature  of  a  witness, 
and  either  my  partner  or  our  secretary  witnessed 
my  signature.  One  can  only  suppose  that,  though 
women  really  have  a  vote  now,  that  the  Pension 
Fund  Council  still  do  not  consider  a  woman's 
signature  to  be  a  trustworthy  voucher,  and  the 
hardship  of  it  is  that  nurses  living  in  places  where 
everyone's  business  is  known  will  be  obliged 
to  ask  outside  people  for  signatures,  thereby 
admitting  them  to  a  knowledge  of  their  private 
affairs. 

Yours  faithfully, 

Christina  Forrest, 
Matron  Victoria  and  Bournemouth 

Nurses'  Institute. 

A     CHANGE     NEEDED. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — In  the  early  days  of  the  war  a 
large  number  of  Nurses  were  sent  to  the  Mediter- 
ranean, Egypt,  and  later  to  India. 

Last  week  I  was  speaking  to  a  medical  man 
heme  frcm  there,  and  he  informed  me  that  their 
lot  is  a  very  hard  one. 

Three  years  in  a  climate  to  which  they  were 
unaccustomed  coupled  with  constant  strain  of 
hard  and  anxious  work,  unhealthy  surroundings, 
has  reduced  them  to  a  pitiable  state,  which  calls 
for  immediate  attention. 

They  beg  for  a  change  to  Europe,  or  even  to 
Egypt,  but  no  notice  is  taken  of  their  request. 

I  am  sure  it  is  only  necessary  to  call  the  atten- 
tion of  the  higher  authorities  at  home  to  this  in 
order  to  bring  about  amelioration  of  the  condition 
of  those  devot^3d  women.  Perhaps  some  Member 
would  raise  the  matter  by  question  in  the  House  of 
Commons  '  Faithfully  yours, 

London, W.' I." '^''^''  M.  C.  W. 


OUR 


PRIZE     COMPETITION. 

QUESTIONS. 

August  315^. — ^Mention  some  of  the  principal 
disorders  of  the  nervous  system,  and  the  duties  of 
thienuirg^Jer  reg^d  to  tbem. 


August  17,  1918  zbc  Britlab  3ournal  of  fluraina  Supplement 

The  Midwife. 


"9 


IS  A  SPECIAL  TRAINING  FOR  TEACHERS 
DESIRABLE  ?  * 

By  Miss  M.  Olive  Haydon. 
The  certificated  teacher  is  a  feature  of  modern 
times,  we  have  the  certificated  teacher  of  massage, 
cookery,  laundry,  and  other  aits  and  crafts  ;  the 
teaching  of  practical  midwifery  is  on  the  same 
lines  as  these,  but  on  a  higher  plane — a  higher 
plane  because  indifferent  bad,  or  careless  teaching 
may  endanger  the  lives  of  mothers  and  babies. 
At  present  practical  teachers  of  midwifery  have 
to  satisfy  the  Central  Midwives  Board  as  to  their 
experience,  their  management  of  their  practice, 
their  character,  and  their  wilUngness  to  give 
adequate  instruction  to  the  pupils.  All  these  are 
admirbale  in  themselves,  and  necessary,  but  it 
does  not  follow  that  such  an  approved  teacher 
has  the  gift  or  ability  for  imparting  her  knowledge. 
It  is  as  much  a  fallacy  that  any  skilful  midwife 
can  teach  as  it  is  that  every  mother  has  an  instinc- 
tive knowledge  of  how  to  manage  a  baby. 

There  are  a  few  gifted  persons  who,  without  any 
special  training  for  teaching  do  it  inspiringly, 
originally,  and  brilliantly  ;  they  are  not  always 
the  most  learned  in  theory,  but  they  are  usually 
people  with  love  and  enthusiasm  for  their  work, 
progressive,  and  intensely  interested  in  "  leading 
out  "  the  mental  and  physical  capacities  of  their 
fellows.  The  born  teacher  loves  the  pupil  to  excel 
in  his  or  her  work,  and  even  to  excel  him  or  her. 
There  are  exceptional  pupils  who  have  previously 
beeii  educated  in  other  branches  of  work  who 
iearn  without  teaching.  But  such  teachers  and 
pupils  are  rare. 

In  the  educationallworld  it  is  coming  about 
more'  and  more  that  a  high  degree  is  not  sufficient 
to  secure  a  good  post  as  teacher,  unless  its 
possessor  has  also  taken  a  course  of  practical 
training  as  a  teacher. 

There  are,  it  must  be  confessed,  men  and 
women  who  would  never  make  good  teachers  what- 
ever courses  they  followed  ;  th^re  are  the  "  born  " 
teachers  who  might  profit  httle  by  them  ;  midway 
is  the  mass  of  average  ability  who  greatly  profit 
by  such  courses.  The  majority  of  practical 
teachers  of  midwifery  would,  I  think,  welcome  a 
special  training  for  their  difficult  and  delicate 
task,  and  would  do  their  work  better  if  they  were 
more  conversant  with  the  principles  that  underlie 
successful  teaching,  had  some  knowledge  of 
psychology,  were  conversant  with  the  methods 
of  men  and  women  who  stand  out  as  great 
teachers. 

The  teaching  of  practical  midwifery  is,  in  many 
respects,  similar  to  the  teaching  of  little  children — 

♦  A  Paper  read  at  the  Conference  for  Teachers 
of  Pupil  Midwives,  Midwives'  Institute,  London, 
May  30th,  1918, 


the  training  of  the  senses  to  observe  accurately, 
manual  training,  the  training  in  expression  of  sense 
impressions,  in  making  discoveries,  and  in  applying 
common    sense    and    such    knowledge    as    they 
possess,  practically.     Every  teacher  of  midwifery _ 
would  do  well  to  study  the  work  of    such  people 
as  Froebel,  Rousseau,  James,  Montessori.     There 
are  latent  capacities  in  everyone  that  only  need 
suitable  environment  and  opportunities  to  develop, 
and  our  problem  as  practical  teachers  is  how  l>est 
to  deal  with  each  individual.     Personally  I  found 
Madame   Montessori's   book   a  great   inspiration 
and    encouragement ;     she    thought    out    good 
methods  for  educating  feeble-minded  and  back- 
ward children,  and  met  with  wonderful  success. 
Most  of  us  are  backward,  and  many  of  us  are 
comparatively  feeble-minded  (I  mean  in  contrast 
to  what   we    might   be),  and    certainly  many  of 
our  pupils,  owing  to  the  stupid  way  they  have  been 
taught  in  earlier  years,   are  poor  material.     In 
desperation  we  are  apt  to  perpetuate  bad  methods, 
learning    by    rote,    unintelligent    swallowing    of 
information,  slavery  to  printed  matter,  incapacity 
for  retaining  whatever  is  not  written  down,  &e. 
A  German  girl  once  said  to  me,  "  in  England  it  is 
always   '  schreiber,    schreiber  '    (write,    write)  ;  in 
Germany  our    professors  say  '  denken  '     (think). 
They  do  not  all  do  so.     We  teachers  are  faithful 
to    Madam   How.       We    are    afraid    of    Madam 
Why? 

practical  teachers  of  midwifery  have  much  the 
same  job  as  the  N.C.O.s  of  the  Army.  They  may 
be  weak  on  strategy,  history,  mathematics,  but 
they  have  been  through  the  mill ;  they  know 
"  how  "  things  should  be  done,  if  they  do  not  know 
"  why."  So  the  teacher  of  practical  midwifery 
usually  knows  how  to  manage  normal  pregnancies, 
labour,  or  puerperia  ;  although  she  may  know 
little  of  embryology,  bacteriology,  and  other 
sciences.  The  N.C.O.  who  was  progressive 
enough  to  study  theory,  would  probably  get  a 
commission  ;  why  should  not  the  practical  teacher 
of  midwifery,  who  studied  theory  more  advanced 
than  that  required  to  be  certified,  be  promoted  ? 

I  understand  that  in  Scotch  universities  it  is 
the  custom  for  aspiring  graduates  to  take  students 
foo:  coaching  outside  the  university  ;  if  they  gain 
a  reputation  as  able  men,  they  are  likely  to  be 
offered  a  chair  in  the  university  with  wider 
opportunities.  I  like  to  look  forward  to  a  time 
when  the  Midwives'  Institute  will  be  the  College 
of  Midwifery,  with  the  ablest  professors  to  pilot 
it,  and  midwives,  who  have  distinguished  them- 
selves as  teachers,  will  have  opportunity  to  help 
practically  juniors  and  midwives  who  are  keen 
to  train  pupils. 

This  Conference,  brief  as  it  is,  may  be  regarded 
as  a  course  for  practical  teachers,  for  its  aim  is  to 
inspire  higher  ideals.  We  hope  that  it  may  be 
held  yearly  in   different   centres.     The   demon- 


I20 


dbe  jBrltieb  3ournal  of  Duretnc  Supplement  ^"5^"^*  ^7,  1918 


strations  and  clinics  are  not  simply  to  give  informa- 
tion, but  to  demonstrate  good  methods  of  con- 
ducting the  same. 

-  We  are  specially  privileged  to  have  lectures 
from  the  leading  teachers  of  midwifery  to  pupil 
midwives  ;  they  cannot  fail  to  '  inspire  us  to 
remodel  our  practical  teaching  in  some  cases, 
to  realize  how  great  a  factor  is  the  personality  of 
the  teacher,  and  to  aspire  to  educate  individually, 
more  truly  and  thoroughly,  each  pupil  that  comes 
to  us  to  be  initiated  into  an  art  and  science  of 
which  we  ourselves  feel  that  there  is  much  yet 
to  be  perfected,  to  be  discovered,  to  learn. 

The  question  as  to  whether  some  test  of  the 
midwife's  ability  to  teach  practical  midwifery  is 
desirable  is  an  open  one.  Personally,  I  think  an 
oral  and  practical  examination,  which  should 
include  a  demonstration,  a  clinic,  and  the  taking 
of  a  coaching  class,  would  be  excellent.  We  are 
all  apt  to  grow  stale — to  get  "  sick  of  perpetual 
pupil  "  (to  modify  Lamb's  phrase),  and  we  can 
only  improve  the  education  of  our  pupils  by 
improving  our  own  education.  We  ought  to  do 
that  practically  at  every  case  we  conduct,  if  we 
put  our  minds  into  it.  New  acquisition  of  know- 
ledge will,  in  many  cases,  make  us  better  midwives, 
and  better  teachers,  and  if  there  is  anything  to 
be  said  for  a  higher  theoretical  examination, 
demanding  a  wider  knowledge  of  maternity  and 
child-welfare  than  is  required  to  become  qualified 
as  a  midwife,  it  is  that  it  will  stimulate  our  lazy 
brains  and  keep  us  from  numbness  and  rust, 
"  the  arch  foe  of  women." 


BILL   TO    AMEND    THE    MIDWIVES 
ACT,   1902. 

On  Thursday,  August  8th,  in  the  House  of 
Commons  (the  day  on  which  the  House  adjourned), 
,the  Bill  to  amend  the  Midwives  Act,  1902,  was 
presented  by  Mr.  Hayes  Fisher,  President  of  the 
Local  Government  Board,  on  behalf  of  theGovern- 
ment,  and  read  a  first  time. 

Mr.  Bonar  Law,  replying  to  Mr.  Herbert  Samuel, 
stated  that  when  the  House  reassembled  on 
Tuesday,  October  15th,  the  Bill  would  be  taken. 

THE    MATERNITY    AND    CHILD 
WELFARE   BILL, 

The  Maternity  and  Child  Welfare  Bill,  "  An 
Act  to  make  further  provision  for  the  Health  of 
Mothers  and  Young  Children,"  has  now  passed 
both  Houses  of  Parliament.  It  provides  that 
"  any  local  authority  within  the  meaning  of  the 
^Notification  of  Births  Act,  1907,  may  make  such 
arrangements  as  may  be  sanctioned  by  the  Local 
Government  Board  for  attending  to  the  health  of 
expectant  mothers  and  nursing  mothers,  and  of 
children  who  have  not  attained  the  age  of  iive 
years,  and  are  not  being  educated  in  schools 
recognised  by  the  Board  of  Education." 

The  Bill  has  received  the  Royal  Assent. 


CENTRAL    MIDWIVES    BOARD    FOR 
SCOTLAND. 

Report  on  the  Work  of  the  Board. 

The  Report  on  the  work  of  the  Central  Mid- 
wives  Board  for  Scotland  for  the  year  ended 
March  31st,  1918,  and  presented  to  both  Houses 
of  Parliament  by  command  of  His  Majesty,  is  now 
published,  and  may  be  purchased  through  any 
booksellers  or  directly  from  H.M.  Stationery 
Office,  Imperial  House,  Kingsway,  London,  W.C.  2, 
price  id.  net.     The  following  items  are  of  interest — 

Midwives'  Roll. 

The  total  number  of  enrolments  is  made  up  of 
1,351  by  certificate,  1,695  ^^  bona  fide  practice, 
and  264  after  passing  the  Examination  of  the 
Board. 

The  returns  made  by  the  Local  Supervising 
Authorities,  under  Section  16  (6)  of  the  Act  show 
that  to  date  1,408  midwives  notified  their  intention 
of  practising,  and  the  names  of  these  women  have 
been  prefixed  by  a  star  in  the  Roll. 

Financial  Statement. 

The  work  of  the  Board  has  been  carried  out  in 
an  efficient  and  economical  manner.  A  credit 
balance  has  been  carried  forward  to  next  year 
without  requiring  any  levy  on  the  Supervising 
Authorities. 

Voluntary  Resignations. 

Certain  enrolled  midwives  have  resigned  volun- 
tarily on  the  ground  of  old  age,  ill-health,  or 
inability  to  comply  with  the  rules,  and  have  applied 
to  have  their  names  removed  from'the  Midwives' 
Roll. 

The  Board  have  instructed  that  their  names 
should  be  retained  in  the  Roll  with  a  special  mark 
in  order  that-  they  may  still  be  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  Local  Authority,  with  a  view  t© 
discontinuance  of  any  practice  whatever  under 
"  cover  "  of  a  medical  practitioner,  so  that  the 
recommendation  of  the  General  Medical  Council 
in  this  respect  may  be  given  full  effect. 

Maternity  and  Child  Welfare  Schemes. 

The  Board  has  bepn  consulted  in  regard  to  the 
position  of  Health  Visitors,  who  are  not  inspectors 
of  midwives,  attending  and  advising  in  the 
management  of  the  mother  or  infant  in  a  con- 
finement case,  where  there  is  a  certified  midwife 
in  attendance,  and  recommendations  have  been 
made  to  the  Supervising  Authorities  whereby 
full  co-operation  of  the  existing  organisations  is 
secured  for  the  benefit  of  the  mother  and  the 
child. 

THE    MIDWIVES*    (IRELAND)   ACT. 

At  the  recent  election  held  pursuant  to  thfe 
provisions  of  the  Midwives  (Ireland)  Act,  1918, 
the  following  four  registered  medical  practitioners 
were  elected  to  act  on  the  Central  Midwives  Board 
for  Ireland  : — Sir  Andrew  J.  Home,  Sir  William 
J.  Smyly,  Sir  John  William  Byers,  and  Professor 
Henry  Corby. 


[lOOMLo'llISiG 


WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 

TME  MHHSIIKI  MECOMB 

EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


No.  1,586. 


SATURDAY,  AUGUST   24,    1918. 


Vol.    LXI. 


EDITORIAL. 


THE   KINQS   VISIT  TO    FRANCE. 

The  King,  after  his  recent  visit  to  the 
Army  in  France,  in  the  course  of  a  letter 
addressed  to  Field-Marshal  Sir  Douglas 
Haig,  warmly  congratulating  him  and  the 
troops  that  have  fought  so  magnificently 
under  his  command  on  the  triumphant  issue 
of  the  recent  operations,  wrote  : — 

"  I  gratefully  recognise  that  this  high 
moral  is  in  part  the  outcome  of  a  hearty 
co-operation  between  the  fighting  Army 
and  the  great  organisations  behind  the  line  ; 
the  transport  service  by  land  and  sea  ;  and 
those  vast  industries  in  which  the  men  and 
women  at  home  maintain  the  supplies  of 
food  and  munitions  of  war. 

*'  It  was  a  pleasure  to  me  to  find  from 
the  admirable  condition  of  the  horses  and 
mules  of  the  various  units  I  inspected  that 
the  new  Armies  fully  uphold  our  national 
reputation  as  good  horse-masters. 

"  Of  the  hospitals,  their  efficiency,  skill, 
devotion,  and  untiring  efforts  of  the  staffs, 
I  cannot  speak  in  too  high  praise. 

"  I  realise  with  thankfulness  all  that  is 
done  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  troops 
by  the  chaplains  of  the  different  denomina- 
tions. 

"  I  return  home  with  feelings  of  profound 
admiration  for  our  Armies,  convinced  that 
in  union  with  those  of  the  Allied  nations, 
we  shall,  with  God's  help,  secure  a  vic- 
torious peace  worthy  of  the  noble  sacrifices 
maiie ;  a  peace  which  must  be  a  surety  to 
coming  generations  against  sufferings  such 
as  the  present  world  has  endured  through- 
out these  years  of  relentless  war." 

His  Majesty  visited  several  hospitals  and 
casualty  clearing  stations  near  the  fighting 
line  and  his  visit  was  the  source  of  much 
pleasure  to  both  patients  and  staffs  of  these 
institutions. 


A     MINISTRY    OF     HEALTH. 

At  the  instance  of  the  Prime  Minister, 
the  National  Memorial  which  urged  the 
immediate  establishment  of  a  Ministry  of 
Health  as  an  urgent  war  measure  has  been 
laid  before  the  Committee  of  Home  Affairs. 
The  Home  Secretary,  in  a  communication 
to  Sir  Kingsley  Wood,  states  that  the 
Committee  have  recently  been  considering 
the  details  of  the  scheme,  and  that  the 
object  of  the  Committee  is  to  provide  for 
the  establishment  of  a  Ministry  with  as 
complete  powers  as  possible. 

The  President  of  the  Local  Government 
Board,  who  is  a  member  of  the  Committee, 
has  also  announced  that  the  Committee  are 
about  to  conclude  their  deliberations, 
and  that  the  scheme  is  practically  com- 
pleted. 

It  is  expected  that  the  Bill  will  be  intro- 
duced at  the  beginning  of  the  next  Parlia- 
mentary Session. 

No  class  of  the  community  realise  the 
necessity  for  a  Ministry  of  Health  more 
keenly  than  the  trained  nurses  in  the 
three  kingdoms,  whose  work  is  largely  con- 
cerned with  the  prevention  as  well  as  the 
cure  of  disease,  and  the  maintenance  of 
health.  Sir  Charles  Booth  in  his  "  Notes 
on  Social  Influences  "  in  the  last  volume 
of  "  Life  and  Labour  of  the  People  of 
London "  wrote  in  reference  to  district 
nursing,  "  It  is  almost  true  to  say  that 
wherever  a  nurse  enters,  the  standard  of 
life  is  raised  "  and  Dr.  Thomas,  at  the  last 
Conference  of  the  National  Union  of  Trained 
Nurses,  said  that  the  devoted,  unflinching, 
steady,  educational  pressure  of  the  L.C.C. 
School  Nurses  was  revealed  by  the  improv- 
ing figures  year  by  year,  even  in  war  time, 
when  the  chances  of  infection  are  multi- 
plied a  thousandfold  by  the  close  proximity 
of  the  hugger-mugger  life  of  trench  and 
camp  to  the  homes  of  the  people. 


122 


Jlbc  Brltteb  3ournal  of  •Rursme. 


August  24,   1918 


NURSING   AS  A   FIELD   OF   NATIONAL 
SERVICE. 


THE    UNITED     STATES    STUDENT     NURSE 
RESERVE. 

The  pamphlet  by  Miss  Isabel  M.  Stewart, 
R.N.,  M.A.,  Assistant  Professor  In  the 
Department  of  Nursing  and  Health  at 
Teachers'  College,  Columbia  University, 
U.S.A.,  on  the  above  subject,  is  a  personal 
message  from  the  Committee  on  Nursing, 
General  Medical  Board,  Council  of  National 
Defence,  Washington,  D.C.,  addressed  to  all 
young  women  of  America  who  are  well  educa- 
ted, physically  capable,  ahd  otherwise  able  to 
put  their  full  time  and  energy  into  some  definite 
form  of  national  service. 

The  pamphlet  is  in  support  of  the  Government 
call  for  25,000  young  women  between  the  ages 
of  19  and  35  to  join  the  United  States  Student 
Nurse  Reserve,  and  hold  themselves  in  readi- 
ness to  train  for  service  as  nurses,  and  has  been 
forwarded  to  us  by  the  courtesy  of  Dr.  Franklin 
Martin,  member  of  the  Advisory  Commission 
of  the  Medical  Section  of  the  Council  of 
National  Defence. 

In  a  recruiting  leaflet,  which  is  a  reprint  of 
matter  included  in  Miss  Stewart's  pamphlet, 
it  is  pointed  out  that  the  war  is  creating  an 
unprecedented  demand  for  trained  nurses. 
Only  those  who  have  taken  the  full  training 
course  are  eligible  for  service  with  the 
American  Forces  overseas.  Their  places  must 
be  filled  by  student  nurses  enrolled  for  the  full 
training  course.  Every  young  woman  who 
enrols  in  the  United  States  Student  Nurse 
Reserve  is  releasing  a  nurse  for  service  at  the 
Front,  and  swelling  the  home  army  which  must 
be  relied  on  to  act  as  the  second  line  of  hospital 
defence.  Upon  the  health  of  the  American 
people  will  depend  the  spirit  of  their  fighting 
forces. 

The  need  of  the  1,579  nurses'  training 
schools  in  the  United  States  is  as  great  and 
imperative  as  that  of  the  Army  School  of 
Nursing.  Those  who  enrol  for  these  schools 
will  be  assigned  as  vacancies  occur. 

The  enrolment  card  will  indicate  two  classes 
of  registrants — Preferred  and  Deferred.  The 
Preferred  class  will  be  those  ready  to  accept 
assignment  to  whatever  hospital  the  Govern- 
ment directs  them,  although  they  may  state 
what  tiaining  school  they  prefer  to  be  sent  to. 
I'he  Deferred  class  is  composed  of  those  w^ho 
limit  their  pledge  of  service,  i.e.,  who  will  not 
engage  to  go  except  to  certain  hospitals.  This 
class   is   intended  largely   for  those  who,    for 


family  reasons,  cannot  accept  training  at  a 
distance  from  their  homes.  Those  who  register 
in  the  Deferred  class  will  be  assigned  only  after 
the  Preferred  class  is  exhausted. 

The  Government  relies  on  the  patriotism  of 
those  who  enrol  to  fill  out  Preferred  cards  if 
they  possibly  can,  thus  volunteering  to  go 
where  they  are  most  needed. 

Nobody  will  be  assigned  to  any  schools 
whose  conditions  of  training  are  not  approved 
by  the  State  Board  of  Nurse  Examiners. 

After  stating  the  terms  of  training,  what  the 
training  course  prepares  for,  and  the  earning 
capacity  of  the  student  after  graduation,  as  well 
as  referring  to  the  honourable  nature  of  the 
nursing  profession,  the  recruiting  leaflet  con- 
cludes : — 

"  Enrol  at  the  nearest  recruiting  station 
established  by  the  Woman's  Committee  of  the 
Council  of  National  Defence." 

The  Committee  on  Nursing,  whose  message 
is  voiced  by  Miss  Stewart,  assume  at  the  out- 
set that  the  person  to  whom  it  is  addressed  is 
not  simply  a  dabbler,  or  a  sentimental  dreamer, 
but  a  serious,  practical,  patriotic  girl  or 
woman,  sincerely  anxious  to  throw  her  energies 
and  her  abilities  into  some  form  of  work  that  is 
really  going  to  count.  Her  brothers  and 
friends  have  been  called  into,  the  Army  and 
Navy,  and  are  now  getting  ready  for  a  long 
period  of  hard  and  dangerous  service  for  their 
country.  That  the  girl  is  just  as  ready  as  they 
are  to  give  up  her  own  personal  pleasures  and 
pursuits  and  accept  any  of  the  sacrifices  that 
may  be  called  for,  but  that  she  does  not  want 
to  squander  her  energy  and  waste  her  time 
in  futile  and  unproductive  forms  of  effort. 
That  she  wants  to  know  how  she  can  get  into 
a  real  job. 

Miss  Stewart  then  proceeds  to  show  what 
a  nurse  can  do  for  her  country^  the  need  of 
recruits  for  the  nursing  army,  the  importance 
of  thorough  training,  how  the  student  recruit 
helps  her  country,  what  the  training  of  the 
nurse  offers,  and  the  opportunities  for  service 
after  graduation.  She  closes  with  the  informa- 
tion already  referred  to  in  connection  with  the 
recruiting  leaflet. 

There  is  an  Appendix  of  Information  for 
College  Graduates  Desiring  to  enter  Schools 
of  Nursing.  A  special  three  months'  nursing- 
preparatory  course  is  offered  this  year  to 
graduates  of  recognized  colleges  at  Vassar 
College,  University  of  Cincinnati,  and  else- 
where, the  object  of  which  is  to  provide  an 
intensive  preliminary  training  in  subjects 
which  are  usually  taken  up  in  the  early  part  of 
the  hospital  training  course. 


August  24,  1918 


ITbc  Brtttsb  3ournal  of  IRurstng. 


"3 


THE  ROYAL  AIR  FORCE  NURSING 
SERVICE. 


It  is  fitting  that  the  Royal  Air  Force,  "  the  last 
creation  of  the  fighting  forces  of  the  world,"  should 
have  its  own  Nursing  Service,  which  will  build  up 
its  own  traditions. 

The  appointment  of  Miss  L.  E.  Jolley  as  Matron- 
in-Chief  of  the  Service  foreshadowed  its  develop- 
ment, and  Miss  Jolley  is  now  prepared  to  receive 
applications  from  nurses  who  desire  to  join  its 
ranks. 

The  rates  of  pay  are  as  follows  : — 

Staff  Nurses. — ;^40  per  annum,  rising  by  annual 
increments  of  j^2  los.  to  ;^45. 

Sisters. — ;^5o  per  annum,  rising  by  annual  incre- 
ments of  ;^5  to  ;^6o. 

Superintending  Sisters. — ;^6o  per  annum,  rising 
by  annual  increment  of  -^5  to  ^JS- 

Matrons. — ^j^  per  annum,  rising  by  annual 
increments  of  ;^io. 

There  is  no  provision  for  Assistant  Matrons,  but 
the  Superintending  Sisters  will  have  charge  of 
units. 

The  Nursing  Service  will  have  a  uniform  of  its 
own,  and  those  members  who  sign  on  for  the 
duration  of  the  war  will  receive  an  extra  bonus  of 
;6'2o  per  annum. 

xApplication  for  particulars  should  be  made,  in 
the  first  instance,  to  the  Secretary,  Air  Ministry, 
Strand,  VV.C.  2. 

The  Service  will  assuredly  be  a  popular  one,  for 
the  splendid  work  of  the  gallant  airmen  who  guard 
our  coasts,  and  keep  watch  over  the  safety  of  the 
metropolis  in  the  air,  that  lesser  folk  may  sleep 
securely,  commands  both  admiration  and  gratitude, 
and  the  privilege  of  serving  those  who  are  sick  or 
wounded  is  one  which  should  be  very  highly 
esteemed.  So  far  the  scope  of  the  Service  is  re- 
stricted to  the  United  Kingdom,  as  provision  is 
made  in  the  military  hospitals  abroad  for  the  recep- 
tion of  airmen  in  need  of  medical  and  nursing  care. 

THE    ROYAL    RED    CROSS. 

The  King  has  been  pleased  to  award  the  Royal 
Red  Cross  to  the  following  ladies  in  recognition  of 
their  valuable  services  in  con»ection  with  the 
\vc,r  : — 

Second  Class. 
Talbot,  Mrs.  K.  H.  E.,  Trained  Matron  and 
Gommdt.,  24th  Durham  V.A.  Hospl.,  Middleton  St. 
George,  Durham;  Taylor,  Mrs.  B.  D.,  Sister,  Ridley 
House  Hospl.,  Carlton  House  Terrace,  S.W.  ;  Taylor, 
Miss  D.,  Staff  Nurse,  Hooton  Pagnell  Hall  Aux.  Mil. 
Hospl.  (V.A.D.),  Doncaster;  Taylor,  Mrs.  M.  A.  J., 
Matron,  Belmont"  Aux.  Mil.  Hospl.,  Anfield,  Liverpool  ; 
Taylor,  Miss  M.  E.,  Sister,  T.F.N. S.,  ist  Eastern  Gen. 
Hospl.,  Cambridge;  Taylor,  Miss  N.  H.  R.,  Nurse,  The 
Norlands  Aux.  Hospl.,  Erdington,  Birmingham; 
Thomas,  Mrs.  A.,  Sister,  Highbury  Aux.  Hospl.,  Bir- 
mingham; Thomas,  Miss  G.  M.,  Sister-in-Charge, 
Temple  Road  Aux.  Mil.  Hospl.,  Birkenhead  Section, 
ist  West  Gen.  Hospl.  ;  Thompson,  Mrs.  A.  M.,  Sister, 
Northd.     War     Hospl.,     Gosforth,     Newcastle-on-Tyne ; 


Thompson,  Miss  B.  M.,  Sister,  T.F.N.S.,  1st  West 
Gen.  Hospl.,  Fazakerley,  Liverpool;  Thompson,  Mrs. 
L. ,  Matron,  The  Woodlands,  St.  John's  Aux.,  South- 
port;  TiMBRELL,  Miss  A.  M.,  Matron,  Lowestoft  and  N. 
Suffolk  Hospl.  ;  Tollemache,  Lady  W.,  Commdt.,  Peck- 
forton  Castle  and  Bunbury  Hospls.,  Ches.  ;  Topham, 
Miss  K.,  Sister,  T.F.N.S.,  Becketts  Park  2nd  Northern 
Gen.  Hospl.  ;  Tosh,  Miss  F.  M.,  Matron,  Q.A.LM.N.S. 
(ret.).  Mil.  Hospl.,  Sheerness ;  Townsend-Whitling, 
Mrs.  J.  G.  M.,  Matron,  Cottesbrook,  Northar^ts  Aux. 
Mil.  Hospl.  ;  Tracy,  Miss  M.,  Matron,  Sedgeley  Hall, 
Prestwich ;  Tuknbull,  Miss  J.  H.,  Matron,  Carrick 
House  Aux.   Hospl.,  Ayr. 

Verdin,  Miss  E.  G.,  Commdt.,  Winsford  Lodge  Aux. 
Hospl.,  Winsford,  Cheshire. 

Wake,  Miss  E.  E.  P.,  Matron,  Garswood  Hall  Hospl., 
W.  Lanes;  Walker,  Miss  A.,  Matron,  Didsbury  Lodge, 
Didsbury  ;  Walker,  Miss  A.,  Sister,  Red  Cross  Hospl., 
The  Chalet,   Hoylake  ;  Walker,  Miss  C,  Niirse,  Park- 
field,     Crumpsall ;     Walker,      Mrs.      P.,     Sister     i/c, 
Q.A.LM.N.S.  (ret.),  Post  Office  Hospl.,  20,  Kensington 
Palace    Gardens,    W.    8;    Walters,    Miss    H.,    Matron, 
Southport  Infirmary;  Walton,  Miss  B.,  Matron,  Shen- 
stone    House,    Higher    Broughton ;    Warrington,    Miss 
E.    M.,    Asst.    Nurse,    King   George's   Hospl.,    Stamford 
Street,  London,  S.E.  i  ;  Watt,  Miss  C,  Matron,  Wool- 
ton  Conv.   Institution,  West  Lanes  ;  Webb,  Miss  F.  A., 
Sister,     Q.A.I. M.N.S.R.,     Wharnecliffe     War     Hospl., 
Sheffield;  Weller,  Mrs.  E.  M.,  Sister,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R., 
Frensham  Hill  Mil.    Hospl.,   Farnham,  Surrey;  Welli- 
come,  Miss  M.  A.  M.,  Matron,  Malmesbury  Red  Cross 
Hospl.,    Wiltshire;    Wellsted,    Miss    A.    M.,    Matron, 
T.F.N. S.,  5th  South.  Gen.  Hospl.,  Favvcett  Road  Sec, 
Portsmouth;  White,   Miss  A.   E.   N.,  Sister,  T.F.N. S., 
2nd  South.    Gen.   Hospl,   Bristol  R.    Infirmary,   Bristol; 
White,    Miss    E.,    Matron,    T. F.N. S.,    Cowley    Sec.    of 
3rd    South.    Gen.    Hospl.,    Oxford;    White,    Miss    M., 
Nursing  Sister,  Can.  Nursing  Service,  No.  11  Can.  Gen. 
Hospl.,  Moore  Barracks,  Shorncliffe  ;  Whitehead,  Miss 
E.   J.,   Sister,   Woodlands,  Wigan  ;  Whitting,   Miss  M. 
de   G.,    Sister   i/c,    Colliton    V.A.    Hospl.,    Dorchester; 
Wilding,    Miss   E.    A.,    Matron,    Rudyford,    Nelson,    E. 
Lanes;  Wilkinson,   Miss  M.   E.,  Nursing  Sister,   Can. 
Nursing    Service,    No.    15    Can.    Gen.    Hospl.,    Taplow, 
Bucks;   Williams,    Mrs.    E.,   Joint   Commdt.,    Aberdare 
and  Merthyr  Red  Cross  Hospl.,  Merthyr ;  Williamson, 
Miss  S.  A.,  Sister,  North 'd  War  Hospl.,  Gosforth,  New- 
castle-on-Tyne;  Willis,   Miss  E.,   Sister,  T.F.N. S.,  N. 
Evington    Mil.     Hospl.     (5th    North.     Gen.),    Leicester ; 
Wilson,  Miss  A.  M.,  Commdt.,  the  Red  Cross  Hospl., 
Melton,  Suffolk;  Wilson,  Mrs.   B.  M.,  Nursing  Sister, 
Can.   Nursing  Service,  No.   14  Can.  Gen.   Hospl.,  East- 
bourne; Winch,  Miss  M.  E.,  Sister,  Salisbury  and  Dist. 
Joint     Isolation     Hospl.,     Salisbury;    Windemer,     Miss 
M.    E.,    Freemasons'  War   Hospl.,   237,    Fulham   Road, 
Chelsea,    S.W.  ;   Wood,    Miss   A.    E.,   Sister,   T.F.N. S., 
3rd   West.    Gen.    Hospl.,    Cardiff;   Woodfin,    Miss   M., 
Sister,  Aux.   Mil.   Hospl.,   Moor  Park,   Preston;  Wood- 
ward,   Miss    M.,    Matron,    Aux.    Mil.    Hospl.,    Billinge 
Orrell,    near    Wigan;    Woolley,    Mrs.     F.     G.,     Hon. 
Matron,    Mil.     Hospl.,    Kingston-on-Thames;    Wright, 
Miss  L.,  Sister,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R.,  Reading  War  Hospl., 
Reading;  Wynne,  Miss  E.  A.,  Matron,  R.  Berks  Hospl., 
Reading;    Wright,    Miss    M.    A.,    Sister,    N.Z.A.N.S.* 
No.  3  N.Z.  Hospl.,  Codford;  Wyld,  Miss  K.  M.,  Sister, 
Melksham   Red   Cross   Hospl.,   Wilts;  Wynn,   Miss   L., 
Sister,    Q.A.I. M.N.S.R.,  Mil.  Hospl.,  Bagthorpe,  Notts. 
Yapp,    Miss    C.    S.,    Matron,    Lake    Hospl.,    Ashtoni 
under-Lyne,     Lanes;     Young,     Miss     A.      P.,     Sister, 
Q.A.I. M.N.S.R.,     No.     i     Mil.     Hospl.,     Canterbury; 
Young,  MrS.  M.,  Sister,  Norfolk  and  Norwich  Hospl  , 
Norwich;  Younge,   Miss  C,   Sister,   N. Z.A.N. S.,   N.Z. 
Convalescent  Hospl.,   Hornchurch. 


134 


JLl)C  Britieb  3ournal  of  fluraing. 


August  24,  1918 


CARE    OF    THE    WOUNDED. 


The  Hotel  Petrograd,  North  Audley  Street,  W., 
has  been  procured  by  the  Office  of  Works,  on 
behalf  of  the  Wax  Office,  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
verting it  into  a  hospital  for  the  Canadian  Forces. 
The  hotel  is  of  modern  construction,  and  very 
Suitable  for  the  purpose  for  which  it  has  been 
acquired. 


of  her  sales  on  the  Flag  Day,  and  will  also  receive 
an  official  letter  of  thanks  from  the  Italian  Red 
Cross. 


It  is  announced  in  the  official  organ  of  the 
British  Red  Cross  Society  that  after  careful 
consideration  of  the  sites  available  in  the  royal 
parks  for  the  hospital  which  is  to  be  presented 
to  the  American  Red  Cross  by  the  Joint  War 
Committee  of  the  British  Red  Cross  Society  and 
the  Order  of  St.  John,  the  one  finally  selected  is  in 
Richmond  Park.  The  original  intention  was  to 
place  the  hospital  in  Windsor  Great  Park,  and 
His  Majesty  the  King  had  graciously  consented  to 
give  a  site  in  that  park  for  the  purpose,  but  it 
was  found  impossible  to  carry  out  this  intention, 
owing  to  difficulties  of  drainage,  clay,  soil,  &c. 
The  site  which  has  now  been  selected  in  Richmond 
Park  is  pronounced  by  the  War  Office  and  other 
experts  to  be  satisfactory  in  every  way.  It 
stands  high  ;  it  is  on  gravel  soil ;  water,  gas,  and 
electric  light  are  easily  procurable ;  and  it  is 
within  a  mile  of  two  stations  on  the  main  line 
from  Southampton.  The  Office  of  Works  has 
undertaken  the  construction,  the  necessary  funds 
being  provided  by  the  Joint  War  Committee. 
Work  will  begin  at  once,  and  it  is  hoped  that  a 
hospital  may  be  provided  within  the  next  few 
months  which  will  be  worthy  of  the  acceptance 
of  the  American  Red  Cross  and  of  the  American 
sick  and  wounded  for  whom  it  is  intended. 


General  Humbert,  in  command  of  the  Third 
French  Army,  has  conferred  upon  Section  2  of 
the  British  Ambulance  Committee  the  rare 
distinction  of  the  Croix  de  Guerre  with  Palm. 

In  a  despatch  of  July  3rd  the  General  wrote  : 
"  Attached  to  the  division  since  January,  1917, 
the  Section  has,  under  the  orders  of  it^  command- 
ant, aroused  universal  admiration,  especially 
during  the  operations  from  June  gth  to  13th,  1918 
(at  Ribecourt).  In  spite  o*  the  fact  that  several 
of  the  ambulances  were  injured  by  the  bombard- 
ment, the  work  o^^  evacuating  the  wounded  never 
ceased,  the  cars  continuing  to  fetch  the  wounded 
from  the  most  advanced  and  dangerous  posts, 
close  to  the  enemy." 

The  distinction  can  only  be  awarded  by  a 
general  in  command  of  an  army.  The  Section 
are  entitled  to  paint  it  on  their  ambulances. 


It  is  also  announced  that  a  new  problem  in 
hospital  work  was  presented  to  the  American 
Red  Cross  in  Great  Britain  recently  by  the  large 
number  of  small  camps  of  American  soldiers, 
particularly  aviators,  which  have  been  opened  in 
various  parts  of  the  British  Isles.  These  camps  are 
too  small  to  require  the  installation  of  a  large 
hospital,  but  there  are  frequent  cases  of  illness  or 
accident,  and  the  camps  are  generally  situated  at 
points  far  distant  from  the  regular  military 
hospitals.  The  problem  has  been  met  by  the 
establishment  in  each  camp  of  a  small  "  tent 
hospital,"  where  American  soldiers  suffering  from 
minor  ailments  can  be  cared  for  satisfactorily. 
More  than  fifty  of  these  tent  hospitals  have  been 
set  up  in  various  small  American  camps  during 
the  past  few  weeks,  each  accommodating  from 
four  to  ten  patients. 

The  Italian  Red  Cross  Committee,  2,  Albemarle 
Street,  Piccadilly,  W.  i,  is  extremely  anxious  to 
secure  names  of  ladies  who  will  be  willing  either 
to  take  charge  of  dep6ts  or  to  act  as  .sellers  on 
the  Flag  Day  on  September  25th.  Each  seller 
will  be  subsequently  notified  as  to  the  amount 


The  public  will  learn  with  relief  that  our  hospitals 
at  the  Front  have  been  placed  some  distance  from 
the  fighting  units.  They  are  clearly  marked,  and, 
of  course,  when  bombed  were  intentionally 
attacked.  By-the-bye,  we  hear  that  the  German 
aviation  officer  who  was  taken  prisoner  after  the 
wholesale  slaughter  at  Etaples  and  warded, 
demanded  to  be  at  once  taken  to  a  place  of  safety, 
and  hysterically  resented  the  chance  of  death  at 
the  hands  of  his  cowa,rdly  compatriots  ! 


IN    GRATEFUL    MEMORY. 

A  vase  of  red,  pink,  and  mauve  carnations,  and 
spikes  of  red  and  white  gladioli,  with  delicate  green 
fern  fronds,  before  the  War  Shrine  in  Hyde  Park, 
on  Saturday  last,  attracted  considerable  attention. 
Attached  to  the  flowers,  by  a  ribbon  of  the  national 
colours,  was  a  black-edged  card  bearing  in  Queen 
Alexandra's  handwriting  the  words  :  "In  grateful 
memory  to  our  brave  and  splendid  soldiers  who 
gave  their  lives  for  King  and  country.  God  bless 
them  all. — From  Alexandra." 


OUR   ROLL    OF   HONOUR. 

nursing  service. 

Died. 

We  regret  to  record  the  following  death  in  the 
Nursing  Service. 

Kemp,  Staff  Nurse  C.  M.  F.,  Q.A.I.M.N.S.R. 


WEDDINQ     BELLS. 

A  marriage  has  been  arranged,  and  will  very 
shortly  take  place,  between  the  Rev.  George 
Berens-Dcwdeswell,  Rector  of  Foot's  Cray,  Kent, 
and  Miss  Eveleen  M.  Hunter,  Matron  of  the  Cray 
Valley  Hospital,  St.  Mary  Cray.  We  wish  them 
every  happiness. 


August  24, 1918  ^be  Brlti0b  3ournal  of  IRursinfl. 


125 


THE  SCHOOL  NURSE. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  and  important 
developments  of  civic  and  social  service  in  con- 
nection with  nursing  is  that  of  the  work  of  the 
School  Aurse,  ano  no  one  is  better  able  to 
"  survey  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  the 
nurse  in  the  maintenance  of  health  and 
physical  perfection,  and  in  the  prevention  of 
disease  among  school  children,"  than  Mrs. 
Struthers,  R.N.,  who,  as  Miss  Lina  Rogers, 
was  Superintendent  of  School  Nurses,  first  in 
New  York  City,  and  afterwards  at  Toronto. 

In  a  book  bearing  the  name  of  "  The  School 
Nurse,"  published  by  Messrs.  G.  P.  Putnam's 
Sons,  24,  Bedford  Street,  Strand,  London, 
W.C.,  price  9s.  net,  Mrs.  Struthers  deals  with 
many  aspects  of  school  nursing  from  the  point 
of  view  of  the  expert.  As  she  herself  tells  us 
in  her  preface,  "  school  nursing  is  still  in  its 
infancy,  and  many  changes  in  methods  are  to 
be  expected,  but  the  underlying  essentials — 
child  love  and  preservation  of  child  health — 
will  exist  as  long  as  child  life." 

"It  is,"  says  Mrs.  Struthers,  "  very  gener- 
ally believed  that  so-called  medical  inspection 
of  schools,  or,  more  properly  speaking,  health 
supervision  of  school  children,  is  of  recent 
origin  ;  that  it  is,  in  fact,  one  of  the  progressive 
measures  of  this  century — an  outcome  of  the 
newly  aroused  social  conscience.  Neverthe- 
less, medical  inspection  of  schools  dates  back 
to  the  palmy  days  of  the  ancient  Greeks  and 
Romans.  Under  these  ancient  and  warlike 
people,  the  State  trained,  educated,  and 
developed  the  child  for  his  place  in  life.  With 
them,  however,  the  chi'd  was  first  the  child  of 
the  State,  and  secondly  the  child  of  his  parents, 
and  to  the  State  his  physical  training  was  more 
important  than  his  mental  training,  because  the 
chief  duty  of  the  State  was  to  prepare  the  man 
for  war. ' ' 

The  Policy  of  Exclusion. 

Mrs.  Struthers  traces  the  successive  steps 
in  connection  with  the  medidkl  supervision  of 
schools  and  school  children  of  recent  years. 
In  the  nineteenth  century  this  only  meant 
exclusion  from  school  for  communicable  or 
loathsome  diseases,  and  but  little  attention 
was  paid  to  the  child  after  exclusion.  In  most 
instances  the  parents  failed,  through  ignor- 
ance, to  obtain  the  necessary  treatment,  and 
he  was  even  allowed  to  play  on  the  street  with 
other  children  after  school  hours,  thereby 
making  of  no  avail  the  first  act  of  exclusion. 

The  Policy  of  Cure. 
"  The  advent  of  the  school  nurse  brought  a 
radical  change  in  the  methods  of  dealing  with 


diseased  children.  Instead  of  being  excluded 
and  neglected  they  were  treated  by  the  school 
nurse.  Many  cases  were  treated  in  the  schools 
without  danger  of  contagion  to  other  children. 
The  nurse  visited  the  homes,  pointed  out  to 
parents  the  dangers  of  such  maladies,  and 
specially  interested  the  mother  in  getting  the 
children  well.  The  trained,  and  let  us  add 
the  kindly  arid  diplomatic,  nurse  became  the 
guide,  philosopher,  and  friend  of  the  family. 
The  school  nurse  who  fails  to  get  into  intimate 
touch  with  the  family  must  confess  she  has 
failed  in  her  first  mission.  As  a  result  of  the. 
nurse's  work,  school  attendance  increased  fifty 
per  cent.  Interested  and  regular  attendance 
took  the  place  of  exclusion  and  truancy." 

The  Policy  of  Prevention. 

"  During  the  last  ten  years  the  important 
outcome  of  the  school  health  work  has  been 
the  emphasis  placed  uj>on  a  policy  of  preven- 
tion. It  is  just  the  old  story  that  prevention 
is  better  than  cure ;  that  education  is  better 
than  reformation.  ...  At  the  present  time, 
therefore,  health  education  is  the  fundamental 
basis  of  all  school  health  work.  To  cure 
disease  or  remove  physical  defect  is  a  neces- 
sary but  incidental  part  of  the  work.  The 
factors  of  greatest  importance  to  the  child's 
future  welfare  are  wholesome  food,  proper 
clothing,  personal  cleanliness,  physical  drill 
and  play,  and  plenty  of  fresh  air  in  school  and 
home.  Unfortunately  many  have  been  slow  to 
recognize  that  this  last  policy  should  ,be  the 
primary  function  of  the  school  in  health  work." 

Mrs.  Struthers  gives  the  history  of  the 
development  of  school  nursing  both  in  America 
and  in  this  country.  She  details  the  organiza- 
tion of  a  system  of  health  supervision  of  school 
children,  and  gives  suggestive  rules. 

A  very  interesting  section  is  the  description 
of  the  little  mothers'  classes  and  school,  and  of 
baby  clinics,  organized  for  the  purpose  of 
teaching  little  girls  with  younger  brothers  and 
sisters  how  to  take  care  of  their  charges. 
Admirable  illustrations  show  these  little 
mothers  as  interested  audiences  at  demonstra- 
tions of  bedmaking,  of  the  baby's  bath,  and  of 
putting  baby  to  bed.  Considerable  space  is 
devoted  to  the  Forest  School  at  Toronto,  and 
the  uselessness  of  trying  to  cram  a  child's  head 
full  of  knowledge  when  the  body  is  enfeebled, 
poorly  nourished,  or  sick,  is  emphasised. 

A  study  of  Mrs.  Struthers'  lucid  and  in- 
teresting exposition  of  the  purpose  of  school 
nursing  should  do  much  to  create  a  sym- 
pathetic understanding  of  the  needs  of  school 
children  and  of  the  high  value  in  the  body 
politic  of  the  work  of  school  nurses. 


136 


ZTbe  Britteb  3ournal  of  IRureina. 


August  24,  1918 


Ropal  BritlsD  nurses'  Ussociatioti. 


(Incorporated  bp 


|\  Ropal  CDarten) 


THIS   SUPPLEMENT   BEING   THE    OFFICIAL    ORGAN    OF    THE    CORPORATION. 


COMPOUND    FRACTURES    OF    THE 
HUMERUS. 

PART  I— SPLINTS. 

BY  Miss  M.   C,   SiNZiNiNEX,   A.R.R.C 
Diploma  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  A  ssociation  ; 
Matron  of  Queen  Alexandra' s  Hospital  for  Officers. 

The  aim  in  cases  of  compound  fractures  of  the 
humerus  is  to  get  the  arm  into  a  comfortable 
position  with  the  ends  of 
the  bone  in  apposition 
by  means  of  a  splint,  the 
arrangment  of  which 
must  give  free  acccess  to 
the  wound  for  purposes  of 
dressing  and  drainage, 
and  at  the  same  time 
enable  the  patient  to  be 
nursed  and  to  move 
about  in  bed  in  comfort. 

At  Queen  Alexandra's 
Hospital,  Highgate,  a 
great  number  of  very 
badly  fractured  humeri 
have  been  successfully 
treated.  In  many  of 
these  cases  the  bone 
has  been  so  badly  shat- 
tered that  months  (and 
in  some  cases  a  year) 
have  elapsed  before  all 
the  dead  bone  has  come 
away,  and  until  this  has 
taken  place  the  wounds 
will  not  heal  satis- 
factorily nor  will  the 
fracture  firmly  set.  The 
wounds  are  usually  kept 
open  by  means  of  drainage 
tubes,  as  there  is  always 
sepsis  where  there  is  dead 

bone.  Mr.  Herbert  Paterson  (the  surgeon-in- 
charge)  has  brought  out  a  very  good  splint  for  use 
in  fractures  of  the  humerus  or  elbow  joint,  and  it 
has  been  in  use  at  Highgate  for  over  three  years. 
It  is  based  on  the  Thomas's  principle  of  extension, 
but  the  forearm  is  held  at  right  angles  to-  the 
upper   arm,   instead   of  being   out  straight,    the 


Fia.  I.— PATERSON'S  SPLINT  FOR  FRACTURE 
OF  HUMERUS  OR  ELBOW  JOINT. 


former  position  being  much  more  comfortable  for 
the  patient,  A  padded  ring  fits  round  the  top  of 
the  humerus,  and  is  pressed  well  up  into  the 
axilla,  two  bars  are  carried  down  from  either  side 
of  this  ring,  parallel  to  the  upper  arm,  and  are 
joined  by  a  cross  piece  below  the  elbow.  About 
half-way  down  the  inner  bar  is  a  space  arranged 
for  the  forearm  by  dropping  the  bar  for  the 
distance  of  4  in.  to  5  in.,  thus  H  P  From 
this  dropped  piece  two  bars  extend  at  right  angles 
and  between  them  the 
forearm  rests,  this  also  is 
joined  under  the  wrist 
by  a  cross-bar  to  which 
a  movable  hand  piece  is 
attached.  This  is  fastened 
on  by  means  of  a  screw 
and  can  be  raised  or 
lowered  at  will.  It  is 
usually  kept  raised  so  as 
to  prevent  wrist-drop, 
but  it  can  be  lowered 
right  down  for  purposes 
of  movements  and  mas- 
sage to  hand  and  wrist. 

In  the  case  of  a  com» 
pound  fracture,  the 
method  of  extension  is 
always  a  dif&culty,  as  so 
often  the  wounds  occur 
just  where  the  pull  is 
most  needed.  When  it 
has  been  impossible  to 
put  an  extension  on  the 
upper  arm,  a  very  good 
pull  has  been  maintained 
by  an  extension  round 
the  forearm  to  the  lower 
part  of  the  splint  below 
elbow  but  on  the  side 
nearer  hand  (see  fig.  i, 
A.).  When  this  method 
of  extension  is  employed  the  wTist  must  be 
fixed  by  means  of  a  firm  bandage  or  buckle 
and  strap  to  the  upper  bar  of  forearm  piece 
at  B.,  until  such  time  as  an  extension  can 
be  put  on  the  upper  arm.  Various  armlets,  to 
fit  on  part  of  the  upper  arm  and  part  of  the  forearm 
have  been  devised,  but  nothing  has  been  found 


August  24,  1918 


Zbc  British  3ournal  of  IRurslno, 


127 


to  be  so  satisfactory  as  the  old-fashioned  stirrup 
made  of  strapping  with  block  and  cord.  Armlets, 
however  tightly  laced,  seem  to  have  a  way  of 
slipping,  and  when  tightJy  faslert d  Ihey  cut  inlo 
the  bend  of  the  elbow  and  also  impede  the  circula- 
tion of  the  forearm. 

Even  with  a  good  pull  from  the  axilla  to  the 
end  of  the  splint,  supports  are  necessary  at 
intervals  under  the  arm  from  the  axilla  to  the 
elbow.  The  most  suitable  material  for  this 
purpose  is  rubber,  as  it  can  be  easily  cleansed 
and  boiled  when  it  comes  in  contact  with  discharges 
from  the  wounds.  Old  inner  tubes  of  motor 
tyres,  cut  to  the  required  size,  are  cheap,  strong 
and  serve  the  purpose  well.  These  supports  used 
to  be  held  in  place  by  very  strong  spring  letter 
clips  ;  but  as  time  progressed,  these  became 
unobtainable  and  safety-pins  were  used,  the 
difficulty  in  pushing  these  through  the  tough 
rubber  resulted  in  more  than  one  pricked  and 
septic  finger.  Then 
studs  (fig.  I,  C.) 
were  made  all  down 
the  bars  on  the  new 
splints  on  which  to 
fasten  the  rubbers. 
The  rubber  is 
nicked  with  a  sharp 
knife  in  two  or 
three  places  and 
pressed  over  the 
studs  on  the  inner 
bar  of  the  splint  ; 
then  it  is  brought 
under  the  arm  and 
over  the  outer  bar 
between  the  splint 
and  the  arm,  drawn 
up  to  the  requisite 
tightness,  nicked 
again  where  the 
studs  indicate  by 
bulging  through 
the  rubber,  and 
slipped  over  them, 
the  elasticity  of 
the  tyre  securing.it.  The  studs  are  made  thinner 
at  the  part  nearer  the  splint  to  prevent  the  rubber 
slipping  over  and  coming  o|f.  By  this  means 
the  rubbers  can  be  taken  on  and  off  with  perfect 
ease  when  once  the  holes  have  been  made.  For 
drv:ssing  purposes  only  one  side  of  the  rubber  need 
be  detached  from  the  studs.  If  several  rubbers 
have  to  be  used,  it  is  wise  to  move  only  one  at  a 
time,  as  if  too  much  support  be  taken  away  at 
once  the  fracture  may  sag  and  get  out  of  position 
and  also  cause  great  pain  to  the  patient. 

The  cords  of  the  extension  are  passed  through 
a  screw  pulley,  which  hooks  over  the  cross  bar 
at  D.  in  fig.  i.  This  can  be  loosened  or  tightened 
by  means  of  a  key. 

This  splint  can  be  worn  by  a.  patient  who  is 
able  to  walk  about,  the  weight  being  supported 
by   an  ordinary   arm  sling.     When  the  fracture 


FIQ.  2. 


-FRACTURE   BED 
FOR   SLINGING 


has  set  firmly,  the  arm  is  either  put  on  a  straight 
upper  arm  splint  or  put  in  plaster,  the  latter 
method  being  used  where  there  has  been  great 
loss  of  bone. 

This  splint  is  slung  by  means  of  cords,  pulleys 
and  weights  (sufficient  to  balance  the  arm)  to  a 
bar  crossing  the  patient's  bed  (see  fig.  II).  By 
this  means  the  patient  is  able  to  move  about  in 
bed  quite  easily  and  can  balance  the  arm  himself 
at  any  height  that  is  most  comfortable.  These 
fracture  beds  are  fitted  with  two  bars,  so  that 
either  a  left  or  right  arm  or  leg,  or  both,  may  be 
slung,  the  bars  also  providing  an  attachment 
to  which  the  flask  of  lotion  may  be  hung. 

DONATIONS    RECEIVED. 

The  Honorar\'^  Treasurer  acknowledges  with 
thanks  donations  from  the  following: — 

Misses  A.  E.  and  E.  A.  Boldero,  15s.  ;    Miss 
A.  E.  Billet,  5s.  ;  Miss  Cruickshank,  2s.  6d.  ;   Mrs. 

Allan  Robert-son 
2s.  6d.  ;  Miss  A. 
Brentans  is.  ;  Miss 
B.  Carter,  is.  ;  Miss 
E.  Cowlan,  is.  ; 
Miss  M.  Ellis,  is.  ; 
Miss  M.  Lawford, 
IS.  ;  Miss  M.  Little- 
dale,  IS.  ;  Miss  L. 
Pettigrew,  IS.  ;  Miss 
K.  Rushton,  is.  ,• 
Mi33E.  Stan  den.  is. 

THE  THANKS  OF 
THE  MAYOR  OF 
BIARRITZ  TO  AN 
ENGLISH  NURSE. 

Miss  Constance 
Clarke,  m.r.b.n.a., 
Matron  of  an 
American  Hospital 
at  Biarritz,  has  re- 
ceived a  letter  from 
Senator  Forsan, 
Mayor  of-  Biarritz, 
thanking-  her  ■  for 
the  "  enlightened  zeal  "  with  which  she  has  accom- 
plished the  administrative  work  of  the  hospital,  and 
conveying-  an  expression  of  gratitude  from  the 
municipality  of  that  town  for  the  long  months . 
during  which  she  has  devotedly  served  the  cause 
of  humanity. 

OBITUARY. 

.It  is  with  regret  that  we  have  to  report  the  death 
of  Miss  Mary  Frost. 

Miss  Frost  was  trained  at  University  College 
Hospital,  and  was  for  a  considerable  number  of 
years  on  the  staff  of  Great  Ormond  Street  Hospital 
for  Children.  For  many  years  she  has  been  an 
inmate  of  the  Princess  Christian  Settlement  Home. 

(Signed)   ,  Isabel  Macdonald, 

Secretary  to  the  Corporation. 


,   SHOWING  DOUBLE  BARS 
ARMS  AND  LEGS. 


izB 


Zbe  Britieb  Journal  of  IRuretna; 


August  24,  1918 


A  SUPREME  MOMENT. 


Work  was  heavy  and  hands  were  few  in  a  pro- 
vincial hospital  where  I  had  gone  to  take  tem- 
porary duty  for  three  months  ;  in  a  wcrd,  we  were 
understaffed.  I  was  at  once  the  Night  Nurse  and 
Night  Sister  on  the  male  side  of  the  hospital. 
Accidents  I  also  had  to  admit,  there  being  no  night 
porter,  and,  if  necessa.ry,  prepare  the  theatre  for 
operations. 

There  was  the  usual,  busy,  ra,pid  routine  of 
hospital  work,  only  ra^ther  more  so  than  usua-lly 
falls  to  the  lot  of  one  nurse.  L  had  no  time  to  sit 
still  and  think  enviously  of  those  who  were 
spending  the  night  in  the  conventional  way,  a.nd 
deplore  the  anomaly  of  night  nuirsing-  I  wa.s,"at 
any  ra.te,  spared  the  insidious  tempta-tion  of 
sleepiness,  which,  in  spite  of  the  sust?.ining  cup  of 
tea,  will  assail  the  tired  Night  Nurse  if  she  has  not 
much  to  do.  "  Nurse,  will  you  get  the  isola.tion 
ward  ready  at  once,  please  for  a.  bad  ca.se  of 
diphtheria — a  boy,  seven  yeajrs  eld — tracheotomy 
will  be  performed  in  the  wajd  directly  he  a.rrives,  in 
about  an  hour's  time,  and — will  you  take  the 
case  ?  " 

It  was  the  house  surgeon  who  spoke. 

I  replied  in  the  affirmative,  and  then  asked 
tentatively  how  my  work  was  to  be  done.  The 
best  arrangement  possible,  under  the  circum- 
stances, was  made,  a.nd  I  was  left  free  for  my  new 
and  responsible  duty.  There  is  no  such  thing  really 
as  monotony  in  hospital  life — tha,t  word  should 
never  find  a  place  in  a  nurse's  vocabulary,  it 
savours  of  lack  of  imagination  and  sympathy  on 
her  part,  who  would  do  well  to  remember  that 
what  is  an  "  interesting  case "  to  her,  spells 
something  very  different  to  the  object  of  her 
interest. 

Nevertheless,  an  emergency  case  is  the  trained 
nurse's  opportunity  and  should  not  be  discounted. 
But  this  in  parenthesis. 

To  get  the  fire  lit,  bed  made,  tent  erected,  kettle 
half  filled  with  boiling  water  and  put  in  motion, 
and  to  make  preparations  necessajy  for  the  opera.- 
tion  and  for  the  nursing  of  such  a  case  did  not  take 
very  long. 

One  gla.nce  at  the  poor  little  sufferer  convinced 
me  tha.t  it  wa.s  p.  very  bad  case ;  the  child  was  in 
extremis,  semi-suffocated  by  the  cruel  disease  so 
often  chajacterised  by  the  appearance  of  mem- 
brane of  a  more  or  less  glutinous  nature  which 
attacks,  and  adheres  to,  the  throa.t  and  nasal 
passages 

The  Surgeon  arrived  a.lmost  simultaneously,  and 
the  operation  was  performed  at  once.  The 
immediate  result  of  the  incision  into  the  trachea 
was  a  rush  of  confined  air,  and  with  it  a  splutter 
of  mucus.  The  relief  was  instantaneus,  and  the 
look  of  strain  and  suffering  on  the  little  face  was 
replaced  by  one  of  comparative  comfort  and  ease. 
Johnny,  however,  was  in  a  critical  condition,  and  I 
watched  him  anxiously  for  eighteen  hours,  keeping 
the  tube  clear  and  giving  constant  nourishment, 
disinfecting  and  cleansing  the  throat,  &c. 


For  tha.t  and  the  two  following  nights  he  did 
fairly  well,  and  so  I  believed  and  hoped  he  would 
wea,ther  the  storm.  On  the  third  night,  or  fourth 
-7-1  cannot  cleajly  remember — a,ll  went  well  for 
the  first  few  hours,  his  breathing  and  his  strength 
well  maintained.  Suddenly,  without  any  wammg 
a.t  all,  there  appeared  to  be  an  interruption  in  the 
brea,thing  of  a  very  serious  nature,  and  poor  little 
Johnny  was  threa.tened  with  suffocation,  due  to 
the  fact  that  a  piece  of  membranous  matter  had 
become  dislodged,  and  wa.s  blocking  the  trachea 
below  the  tube;  As  long  a.s  I  live  I  shall  never 
forget  that  poor  child's  face  ;  it  wa.s  transfigured  ; 
his  eyes,  big  with  terror,  were  turned  to  me  in 
agonised  mute  appeal,  while  he  clenched  his  fists 
and  kicked  out  his  legs  with  the  force  of  impotent 
frenzy.  It  was  obvious  that  removing  the  tube 
would  be  of  no  ava.il,  the  tube  was  clear. 

For  a  moment  my  own  helplessness  was  borne 
upon  my  mind  with  sickening  dread.'  Must 
I  watch  the  poor  little  fellow  die  !  There  was 
only  one  thing  to  be  done,  and  if  that  failed 
nothing  could  save  him — artificial  respiration. 
I  took  the  arms  and  brought  them  above  the 
head  ;  in  bringing  them  down  to  the  sides,  I 
pressed  against  the  ribs  to  force  the  obstruction 
upwards  if  possible.  Hearing  a.  nurse  pass  the 
door,  I  asked  her  to  call  up  the  house  surgeon 
at  once  ;    he  appeared  immediately. 

"  I  can  do  nothing  more  than  you  are  doing 
yourself,"  he  said,  and — unwilling,  I  suppose, 
to  watch  what  seemed  to  be  inevitable — he,  half- 
reluctantly,  left  the  ward.  Time  cannot  be 
measured  in  such  supreme  moments  of  life  ;  it 
materialises  to  the  overwrought  brain  and  merges 
into  tangible  torture.  Obviously,  no  length  of 
time  can  elapse  in  a  case  like  this.  After  the 
house  surgeon  had  left  the  ward,  the  child  became 
slightly  easier  •  soon  he  began  to  cough  and 
I  caught  sight  of  something  appearing  at  the 
mouth  of  the  tube  and  was  just  about  to  seize  it 
with  the  forceps,  holding  my  own  breath  in  the 
extremity  of  my  suspense,  when,  with  inspiration, 
it  disappeared  down  the  tube  again.  However 
the  worst  was  over  and  the  child  could  draw  his. 
breath.  I  waited  anxiously  with  forceps  in  hand, 
watching  the  tube  as  a  cat  watches  a  mouse-hole, 
with  a  wildly-beating  heart.  Another  cough  and 
I  had  caught  the  thing,  the  cruel  thing  that  had 
nearly  cost  my  little  patient  his  life.  A  large 
thick  glutinous  piece  of  deadly  membrane.  No 
sooner  had  the  obstruction  been  removed  than 
the  child  closed  his  eyes,  breathed  easily  and 
slept  with  all  the  anguish  that  had  distorted  his 
face  gone.  I  looked  at  the  sleeping  boy  and 
then  at  the  thing  I  held  in  the  forceps,  and  my 
eyes  filled  with  tears — ^tears  of  joy — as  the  tension 
of  my  brain  was  relaxed  and  I  realized  that  my 
efforts  to  save  the  child's  life, had,  under)  God, 
not  been  in  vain.  I  put  it  into  a  bottle  containir  g 
methylated  spirit,  I  held  it  up  to  the  light  and 
looked  at  it  again  with — oh  !  what  different 
feelings.  It  was  in  the  right  place  now,  not  in 
the  wrong — that  made  all  the  difference.  Now 
it  was  a  bacteriological  specimen  !     I  looked  at  it 


August  24, 1918         (jbe  Brtttfib  Sournal  of  IRuremo. 


I29i 


again,  almost  with  affection,  for  had  it  not  nega- 
tively saved  my  little  patient's  life  ?  The  house 
Surgeon  returned  just  at  the  moment  of  my 
triumph  ;  he  was  surprised  to  find  the  child 
sleeping  and  breathing  normally.  I  held  the 
little  bottle  up  to  him  with  a  triumphant  smile  ; 
he  understood  and  gave  an  answering  smile  and 
went  back  to  bed.  Easy  respiration  was  estab- 
lished after  that,  and  there  was  no  recurrence 
of  the  impediment.  _      Beatrice  Kent. 


NURSES'     REGISTRATION    ACT    IN 
BRITISH    COLUMBIA. 

It  is  with  pleasure  we  record  that  the  Graduate 
Nurses'  Associat'on  of  British  Columbia  have 
secured  the  passage  of  their  Nurses'  Registration 
Bill.  Hearty  congratulations.  In  this  connection 
Miss  H.  L.  Randa^,  Editor  of  the  Canadian 
Nurse,  in  a  letter  to  Miss  Beatrice  Kent,  writes  : 
"  I  feel  very  strongly  that  we  should  give  all  the 
help  we  can  to  your  efforts  to  secure  Registration 
of  Nurses,  as  we  have  it  over  here — a  matter  for 
the  nurses  alone  and  not  of  the  laity.  We  have 
in  British  Columbia  just  got  our  Provincial  Act 
passed  after  six  years  of  work.  Then,  when  all 
Provinces  have  their  own  Acts,  we  can  formulate 
one  Dominion  Act  with  a -very  good  chance  of 
passing  it,  particularly  as  we  have  Dominion 
franchise." 


APPOINTMENTS. 

MATRON. 

County  Hospital,  Ayr. — Miss  I.  M.  Crichton, 
who  has  been  appointed  Matron  of  the  County 
Hospital,  Ayr,  sends  us  the  following  details  of 
her  professional  career.  She  was  trained  at 
Chalmers'  Hospital,  Edinburgh ;  was  Charge 
Nurse  at  the  Victoria  Infirmary,  Glasgow  ;  and 
Theatre  and  X-Ray  Sister,  Hovsekeeper  and 
Assistant  Matron  at  Chalmers'  Hospital.  She 
has  not  held  appointments  at  the  West  Kent 
Hospital,  or  the  Edmonton  General  Hospital. 

SISTER. 

General  Hospital,  Nottingham.  —  Miss  Alice 
Russell  has  been  appointed  Sister.  She  was 
trained  at  the  Infirmary,  East  Dulwich  Grove,  and 
has  been  Sister  in  a  Women's  Surgical  Ward  at 
the  Royal  West  Sussex  Hospital,  Chichester. 


PRESENTATION. 

At  the  Central  Military  Hospital,  Fulford, 
York,  on  August  13th,  Miss  Kathleen  Holmes, 
the  retiring  Matron,  who  is  to  resume  nursing 
on  the  Western  Front,  was  presented  with  a  tea 
service  on  salver,  a  rose  vase,  a  button-hook,  and 
a  shoe  lifter,  all  in  solid  silver,  the  gifts  of  the 
nursing  and  medical  staff  of  the  hospital  and 
the  annexe  at  Haxby  Road.  Another  gift  from 
the  annexe  took  the  form  of  a  piece  of  china 
beautifully  designed  to  represent  a  wounded 
soldier.     At  the  base  was  one  word,  "  Blighty." 


NURSING    ECHOES. 


An  urgent  appeal  is  made  in  the  current,  issue 
pf  the  Queen's  Nurses'  Magazine  to  all  who  are 
interested  in  its  continuance.  Owing  to  the 
war,,  and  the  large  number  of  Queen's  Nurses 
on  active  service,  some  hundreds  of  sybscribers 
have  ceased  to  take  the  Magazine,  and  of  the 
rest  no  less  than  208  have  not  yet  paid  for  the 
current  year,  though  they  have  given  no  notice 
of  a  wish  to  discontinue.  Many  others  have 
not  paid  for  191 7.  The  cost  of  paper  and 
printing,  as  everyone  knows,  has  increased  to 
an  alarming  extent,  and  unless  present  readers 
discharge  their  obligations,  and  unless  the 
number  of  subscribers  is  substantially  enlarged 
quite  quickly,  the  Queen's  Nurses'  Magazine 
must  cease  publication  forthwith. 


The  dissertation  on  "  Sister,"  by  Corporal 
Ward  Muir,  R.A.M.C.  (T.),  of  the  3rd  London 
General  Hospital,  in  that  entertaining  and 
interesting  book,  "The  Happy  Hospital," 
published  by  Messrs.  Simpkin,  Marshall,  Kent 
&  Go.,  Ltd.,  sums  up  the  position  with  an 
insight  so  keen,  and  a  humoift-  so  incisive,  as 
to  give  both  Sister  and  Staff  Nurse  pause  for 
thought.     Mr.  Ward  Muir  writes  : — 

"  There  is  a  deal  of  difference,  in  hospital, 
between  the  word  Sister  and  the  word  Nurse. 
Sister  is,  of  course,  a  Nurse.  But  Nurse  is 
not  a  Sister.  However,  there  is  nothing  to 
prevent  you  calling  Nurse  '  Sister ' — provided 
that  Sister  herself  is  not  at  your  elbow.  If  she 
is,  you  had  better  be  careful,  both  for  your 
own  sake  and  for  Nurse's. 

"  Some  wearily-wase  orderlies,  and  many 
patients  of  experience,  apostrophise  all  the 
female  officials  of  a  hospital  as  '  Sister.'  The 
plan  has  its  merits.  .  .  .  Apart  from  the  fact 
that  it  can  offend  none,  and  will  cajole  not  a 
few,  some  universal  appellation  of  this  sort  is 
— the  soldier  finds — almost  a  necessity  in  his 
constant  dealing  with  women  who  are  strangers 
to  him. 

"  He  comes  in  contact  with  a  host  of  women, 
especially  after  he  is  wounded ;  not  only 
nursing  women,  but  women  on  the  ambulances, 
women  who  serve  refreshments  at  halting 
places,  women  clerks  who  take  his  particulars, 
women  who  trace  casualties,  women  who 
transact  postal  errands,  and  so  on.  .  .  .  To 
address  them  each  indiscriminately  as  *  Miss  * 
is  absurd  ...  *  Madam  '  is  pedantic.  '  Nurse  * 
is  in  many  instances  manifestly  ridiculous ;  vou 
cannot  call  a  clerical  V.A.D.  or  a  Y.M.C.A. 
waitress  '  Nurse.'  So,  by  a  process  of  elimina- 
tion, '  Sister  '  is  reached. 


^30 


ZTbe  Brttidb  3ournal  of  l^ur^tng. 


August  24,  1918 


"  Thus  it  comes  to  pass  the  Mile.  Peroxide 
of  the  Frivol  Iheatre  who  takes  a  turn  at 
ladling  out  cups  of  cottee  in  a  railway-station 
canteen  (with  a  press  photographer  handy) 
finds  that  the  mud-stained  Tommies  are  say- 
ing, '  Another  slice  of  cake,  please,  Sister, '  or 
'  Any  fags  for  sale  here.  Sister?  '  The 
Duchess,  too,  who  is  cutting  bread-and-butter 
hears  herself  hailed, by  the  same  designation. 
And  if  both  Miss  Peroxide  and  the  Duchess  are 
not  flattered  (and  maybe  a  little  moved,  too),  I 
should  be  surprised. 

"  For  really,  you  know,  '  Sister '  is  the 
happy  word.  It  fits  the  situation — all  such 
situations.  Wouldn't  it  be  possible  to  add  one 
perfect  touch  :  that  our  women  comrades 
should  drop  into  the  habit  of  addressing 
us  as  '  Brother  '  ?  Officers  and  men  alike — 
'  Brother  '  !  It  would  be  a  symbol,  this,  of 
what  the  war  ought  to  mean  to  us  all  :  a  fine 
collaboration  of  high  and  low,  equals  in 
endeavour.   .   .   . 


"  When  I  was  first  put  into  a  ward  to  serve 
as  an  orderly  I  was  instructed  beforehand  that 
the  only  person  to  be  entitled  Sister  was  the 
goddess  with  the  iStripes.  Eager  to  be  correct, 
I  addressed  the  Statt  Nurse  as  '  Nurse.'  At 
once  I  divined  there  was  something  wrong. 
Her  lips  tightened.  In  a  frigid  voice  she 
informed  me  of  the  significance  of  the  Cape  : 
all  Cape-wearers  held  a  status  equivalent  to 
that  of  a  commissioned  officer  in  the  army, 
and  must  be  treated  as  such  by  privates  like 
myself.  All  Cape-wearers  were  to  be  accorded 
the  proper  courtesies  and  addressed  as  Sister. 
Furthermore,  the  speaker,  realising  that  I  was 
a  new  recruit,  and  therefore  perhaps  ignorant, 
would  have  me  know  that  all  Cape-wearers  had 
undergone  certain  years  of  training.  .  .  .  The 
speaker  concluded  by  a  sketch  of  her  past 
career — I  was  held  up  in  the  mid^t  of  an  urgent 
job  to  hearken  to  it — ^and  a  rough  estimate  of 
the  relative  indispensability  of  the  female  as 
compared  with  the  male  staff.  Finally  I  was 
dismissed  with  an  injunction  to  hurry,  and 
finish  my  incompleted  task. 

"  *  Very  good.  Sister,'  I  replied. 

"  Half  an  hour  later,  in  a  pause  in  the  morn- 
ing's rush,  I  was  beckoned  aside  into  the  ward 
kitchen  by  Sister  herself.  She  gently  apprised 
me  that,  as  I  was  a  new  recruit,  she  thought 
perhaps  I  was  not  yet  aware  of  the  accurate 
modes  of  address  and  the  etiquette  customary 
in  a  military  hospital.  Etcetera,  etcetera.  She 
had  overheard  me  call  the  Staff  Nurse 
'  Sister.' 


"  Enough.  One  may  smile  at  these  exhibi- 
tions of  feminine  human  nature  (and  I  could 
match  them,  absolutely,  on  the  male  side),  but 
when  all  is  said  and  done  '  Sister  '  is  a  beautiful 
title,  and  most  of  the  women  who  receive  it — 
whether  correctly  or  because,  by  war  service, 
they  have  had  it  bestowed  upon  them — richly 
deserve  it  as  a  token  of  gratitude  and  honour. ' ' 


The  trustees  of  the  Scottish  Nurses'  Club 
have  purchased  and  are  equipping  premises  at 
205,  Bath  Street,  Glasgow.  The  office-bearers 
appointed  are  the  Marchioness  of  Ailsa,  Presi- 
dent ;  Mrs.  J.  W.  Stewart,  Vice-President ; 
Convener,  Mrs.  David  M'Cowan;  Vice-Con- 
vener, Mrs.  J.  F.  Pollock ;  Hon.  Secretary  and 
Treasurer,  Sir  John  S.  Samuel ;  Law  Agent, 
Mr.  Thomas  Stark  Brown.  The  Club  has  no 
official  connection  with  any  organization  of 
nurses ;  the  management  will  be  in  the  hands 
of  five  representatives  of  the  trustees,  and 
individual  nurses. 


EARNEST   WORKERS  NEEDED. 


Emphasising  the  need  for  recruits  for  Queen 
Mary's  Army  Auxiliary  Corps  {alias  the  "  Waacs  ") 
the  Times  says  that  "  thousands  of  women  are 
needed  where  hundreds  only  are  coming  forward. 
The  appeals  from  the  different  commands  are 
piteous.  One  commanding  officer  who  had  been 
promised  a  large  contingent  set  to  work  and  had 
the  pleasantest  portion  of  his  camp  fenced  off  and 
labelled,  '  Q.M.A.A.C.  only.'  He  had  a  garden 
laid  out,  had  provided  dining-rooms,  recreation- 
rooms,  sleeping  huts,  and  everything  of  the  best. 
As  he  looked  sadly  over  the  silent  result,  he  said, 
'  These  are  my  "  Waackeries,"  but  where  are 
my  "  Waacs  ?'  "  '  You  can  see  them  any  after- 
noon from  three  to  six  on  the  river,'  was  the 
cynical  reply  of  one  who  knew,  '  they  haven't 
joined  up  yet.' 

"  There  are  still  thousands  of  idle  women  and 
girls  in  the  country.  Some  of  them,  perhaps,  do  a 
little  occasional  voluntary  work,  but  the  a,verage 
of  their  hours  of  industry  is  not  great.  The 
controllers  of  the  Q.M.A.A.C,  howeve-,  do  not 
despair,  and  a  big  recruiting  '  push  '  has  been 
begun,  with  a  change  of  method. 

"  A  valuable  adjunct  to  recruiting  will  be  an 
official  film  which  is  being  prepared  and  will 
presently  be  shown  throughout  the  countty.  It  is 
called  '  The  Life  of  a  Waac'  It  will  show  her 
from  the  time  she  enlists,  her  life  in  Connaught 
Club,  her  work  when  training  at  a  great  military 
centre,  and  finally  her  embarcation  for  France. 
Later,  it  is  hoped  that  oversea  films  will  be  pre- 
pared showing  how  the  women  live  and  work  at 
the  great  bases  and  how  they  help  to  send  more 
men  up  the  line  by  doing  work  which  in  war  time 
men  ought  not  to  do." 


August  24,  1918 


^l>e  British  3ournal  ot  TluretnG. 


Ill 


BOOK    OP  THE   WEEK. 


"THE     NURSERY."* 

Mr.  Eden  Phillpotts  needs  no  recommendation, 
and  no  introduction.  He  is  always  worth  reading. 
He  most  often  deals  with  primitive  and  lawless 
men  and  women,  but  he  would  lose  much  of  his 
power  and  charm  if  he  attempted  to  lead  his 
readers  by  conventional  paths.  "  The  Nursery  " 
is  an  Essex  story  and  the  local  colour  is  one  of  its 
chief  attractions. 

Aveline,  the  young'widow,  who  turned  out  not 
to  be  a  widow  at  all,  appeared  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Colchester  to  follow  her  profession  of  a 
painter.  None  knew  from  where  she  came,  or 
aught  of  her,  save  that  she  was  a  beautiful  woman. 
Her  entry  into  the  village  life  was  marked  by  her 
rescuing  a  love-sick  girl  from  suicide  in  the  River 
Colne,  and  afterwards  her  consequent  close  friend- 
ship with  the  girl.  The  incident  also  provided 
an  introduction  to  the  village  circle,  for  Margery 
came  of  decent  people  and  was  well  known  in  the 
neighbourhood.  Aveline's  first  coveted  subjects 
for  a  picture  were  the  tramps,  who  play  a 
prominent  part  in  the  story. 

"  Both  man  and  woman  were  somewhat  extra- 
ordinary figures,  and  both  smoked  pipes.  The 
woman  bore  the  marks  of  beauty  in  ruins.  She 
might  have  been  forty-five,  and  was  tanned  brick- 
red  by  exposure.  Her  eyes  were  bright  and  of 
the  darkest  brown  ;  on  her  head  she  wore  a 
bedraggled  hat,  with  one  great  turkey  feather  set 
bolt  upright  upon  it ;  her  hair  was  cut  short,  and 
her  thin  bosom  was  buttoned  up  in  an  old  Norfolk 
jacket.  Her  dress  of  withered  brown  ended  in 
a  fringe  of  rags. 

The  man  accosting  Aveline  Brown  says  : — 
"Me  and  Emma  was  wondering  what  you  were 
up  to." 

"  I'm  going  to  paint  a  picture." 
"  Why  ?  "  asked  the  man. 
"  I  live  by  it." 

"  Can't  say  as  I've  see  you  before,  have  you, 
Emma  ?  " 

"  I'm  a  newcomer  to  Colchester." 
"  We're  very  well    known — famous,  in   fact," 
explained  Emma. 

"  But  our  liking  for  fresh  air  and  objection  to 
what  they  calls  '  honest  toil'  makes  us  a  people 
apart,"  drawled  the  man.  "  I'm  William  Ambrose 
and  she's  Emma  Davey,  better  known  as  '  Marma- 
lade Emma,'  owing  to  a  misunderstanding  at  the 
grocer's." 

The  brother  of  the  male  tramp  was  Aubrey 
Parkyn  Ambrose,  described  by  Emma  as  the 
"  biggest  nursery  man  in  Colchester.  Worth 
hundreds  of  thousands,  I  daresay — and  the 
Mayor  of  Colchester  this  year  into  the  bargain." 

"  I'm  the  thorn  in  his  flesh,"  declared  the 
tramp.  He  certainly  was  !  If  Mr.  Phillpotts 
can  draw  the  disreputable  tramp  true  to  life,  he 
is  no  less  successful  when  he  paints  nature  in  more 

♦  By  Eden  Phillpotts.    (London  :  Heinemann.) 


attractive  form,  and  his  description  of  the  summer 
glory  in  the  nursery  garden  glows  with  colour. 

It  was  while  strolling  in  the  gardens  that 
Aveline  met  Peter  Mistley,  who  was  to  play  a 
great  part  in  her  life. 

He  was  the  designer  of  the  water  garden. 
Aveline  asks  if  she  may  sketch  there.  "  I'd  love 
to  try  this  lakelet,  but  I  expect  it  would  beat 
me,"  she  confessed  !  "  D'you  know  the  under- 
lying gold  in  it  ?  But  you  made  it,  so  no  doubt 
you  do.  It's  gold.  You  feel  it  more  than  you  can 
see  it,  but  it's  there  soaking  everything.  It  actu- 
ally flashes  out  on  a  dead  water-lily  leaf,  or  the 
edge  of  a  reed,  or  in  those  warm,  cloudy  masses 
of  plume  poppy  beyond." 

Oyster-dredging  at  Brightlingsea  is  yet  another 
aspect  of  industry  from  this  versatile  pen,  and  it 
is  possible  to  learn  a  great  deal  on  this  subject 
from  Mr.  Rebow.  Of  the  human  interest,  it  is 
impossible  to  justify  Aveline's  treatment  of  Peter 
Mistley,  for  she  married  him  well  knowing  that 
her  husband  was  alive,  but  the  war  solved  the 
problem  of  their  relationship,  as  it  has  solved 
many  other  problems. 

Even  Marmalade  Emma  contrives  to  be  pathetic, 
and  she  laments  faithfully  her  disreputable 
partner,  whose  terrible  death  is  depicted  in 
characteristic  fashion. 

"  Of  course,"  she  said,  "  we  shan't  tramp  no 
more,  nor  nothing  of  that.  But  he  believed  we 
should  meet  again  ;  he  often  said  he'd  be  terrible 
bored  till  I  came  to  him.  He'll  be  changed,  but 
I  hope  not  too  much  changed."  Her  simple 
faith  is  not  shared  by  Aveline,  who,  speaking  of 
Peter's  death  with  the  tramp — rin  the  familiar 
fashion  that  Mr.  Phillpotts  makes  natural — says, 
"  He  must  have  known  that  if  he  ever  really  came 
back  that  it  would  be  ages  before  he  could  trust 
me  or  respect  me  any  more.  And  no  doubt  he 
felt  the  game  wasn't  worth  the  candle. 

"  If  you  could  only  feel,  same  as  I  do  that  you're 
going  back  to  him — if  he's  happy,  then  it's  your 
place  to  be  content." 

But  Aveline  had  the  one  adventure  that  Peter 
Mistley  had  declared  that  everyone  needed, 
although  it  spelt  disaster  for  herself  and  the 
man  she  professed  to  love.  H.H. 


LIFE. 

I  play  with  life  on  different  days 

In  different  moods, 
Sometimes  my  wayward  spirit  sti-ays 

In  wonderful  solitudes. 
Sometimes  I  seek  the  crowded  ways 

Of  the  world's  gay  multitudes. 

Sometimes  my  soul  is  fierce  and  mad 

As  a  winter  sea ; 
Sometimes  my  soul  is  brave  and  glad, 

And  the  hours  are  good  to  me. 
But  often  enough  it  is  tired  and  sad. 

Poor  waif  of  eternity ! 
— From  Rainbows,  bv  Olive  Custance. 


Hjz 


Jlbc  Britieb  3ournal  of  "Wurelnfi. 


August  24,  1918 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 

Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  for  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  be 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents. 

CERTIFICATE    OF    EXISTENCE. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — ^As  one  who  has  from  time  to 
time  vouched  for  the  existence  of  annuitants  of 
the  R.N.P.F.N.,  as  well  as  witnessed  the  signature 
on  receipt,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  know  why  the  receipt 
had  to  be  returned  to  the  office  before  the  dispatch 
of  cheque.  Should  not  the  endorsement  of  cheque 
to  order  satisfy  the  actuaries  and  protect  the  fund, 
besides  being  businesslike,  even  in  transactions 
with  women  struggling  to  live  for  the  remainder 
of  their  days  on  a  small  income  ?  Postage  counts, 
particularly  in  these  days  when  a  bonus  is  missed. 
Yours  truly, 

Clara  Lee. 

Letch  worth. 

NURSERY    SCHOOLS. 
To  the  Editor  0}  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — Mr.  H.  A.  L.  Fisher,  at  the 
opening  of  the  Summer  School  for  Teachers  of 
Young  Children  at  the  Westfield  College,  Hamp- 
stead,  in  referring  to  tho  Nursery  School,  said 
this  opens  the  way  for  "  free  voluntary  experi- 
ment," and,  it  seems,  he  desires  "  suggestions 
and  offers  from  people  especially  interested." 

As  a  nurse  who  wishes  her  profession  to  take 
a  definite  form,  and  to  command  the  same  respect 
and  similar  remuneration  from  the  Government 
and  other  employers  as,  for  instance,  the  teaching 
professson,  I  object  to  the  proposition  that  we 
should  offer  ideas  founded  upon  our  knowledge 
and  training  to  authorities  who  did  not  heed  our 
claims  that  this  knowledge  and  training  was 
essential  to  the  success  of  the  scheme.  In  my 
opinion  the  time  has  gone  by  for  impressing  the 
Ministry  of  Education  with  our  views.  Tne 
Nursery  Schools  are  to  be  schools.  Well,  so 
be  it. 

Why  should  our  services  always  be  regarv^iCd 
as  something  to  be  had  for  mere  asking  ? 

Because  we  have  hitherto  placed  such  little  value 
nn  them  ourselvss. 

However,  I  am  happy  to  say  that  there  is  to 
be  plenty  of  scope  for  the  ideas  of  nurses  in  their 
own  recognised  sphere,  by  the  spurt  given  to  the 
day  nursery  with  the  passing  of  the  Child  Welfare 
Bill. 

Let  our  best  nurses  interest  themselves  more 
in  the  development  of  public  health  work,  and 
take  their  proper  place  in  it,  and  we  will  prove 
that  our  services  are  worth  true  recognition,  and 
are  no  longer  to  be  classed  with  voluntary  efEorts 
and  benevolent  societies.  Then,  indeed,  will 
nursing  rank  with  other  professions  and  be  able 
to  claim  its  dues, 

Yours  faithfully, 

Mosside,  M/C  Theresa  McGrath, 


THE     HOSPITAL     LAUNDRY. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — I  was  glad  to  see  in  The  British 
Journal  of  Nursing  last  week  an  article  on  "  The 
Hospital  Laundry,"  for  in  my  experience  the  sub- 
ject is  one  concerning  which  the  knowledge  of  most 
nurses  is  sadly  deficient.  Yet,  whether  we  consider 
it  from  .the  point  of  view  of  the  nurse  who  is  often 
recklessly  lavish  of  clean  linen,  both  in  hospitals 
and  private  houses,  of  the  Sister  who  is  personally 
responsible  for  the  correctness  and  good  order  of 
the  supplies  of  her  ward  linen,  or  the  Matron  who 
should  know  approximately  the  average  number  of 
articles  required  to  supply  a  given  ward,  the  number 
which  should  be  sent  to  the  wash,  and  the  amount 
of  labour  and  materials  reeded  to  cope  with  them, 
the  question  of  the  laundry  is  all-important.  Linen 
may  be  damaged  or  ruined,  and  expenditure  in 
regard  to  the  laundry  be  greatly  in  excess  of  what 
is  necessary,  if  an  expert  and  vigilant  eye  is  not 
kept  on  all  these  departments.  Added  to  this,  most 
careful  checking  is  needed  when  the  clean  linen 
is  returned,  or  articles  may  disappear  and  not  be 
forthcoming  when  stock-taking  time  draws  on. 
Incidentally  I  may  mention  that  this  worry  is  mini- 
mised if  the  laundry  is  on  the  premises,  as  much 
closer  supervision  is  possible. 

Another  advantage  is  that  nurses  in  their  fourth 
year  can  act  as  assistant  to  the  Home  Sister,  or 
Assistant  Matron,  who  arranges  and  controls  the 
work  of  the  laundry.  This  makes  for  smooth  work- 
ing in  the  hospital  concerned,  and  the  experience 
is  invaluable  to  the  nurse  subsequently  if  she 
applies  for  an  administrative  post.  For  such  a  f>ost 
high  certificates  in  nursing,  indispensable  as  they 
are,  are  only  part  of  her  equipment.  Housekeeping 
experience,  a  knowledge  of  food  values,  and  of  the 
management  of  a  laundry,  also  count  for  much,  for 
she  may  have  to  supervise  and  control  both  these 
departments. 

I  am,  Dear  Madam, 

Yours  faithfully, 

Superintendent. 
A    CHANGE     NEEDED. 
To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing, 

Dear  Madam, — If  nurses  are  run  down  through 
length  of  service  in  an  enervating  climate,  they 
should  have  medical  advice,  and  it  should  be  fol- 
lowed. I  may  point  out,  however,  that  the  climate 
of  India  differs  widely,  and  that  a  visit  to  the  hills 
would  in  most  cases  meet  the  needs  of  the  situation. 
There  are  many  places  where  the  climate  is  as  tem- 
perate and  invigorating  as  that  of  the  Homeland. 
Yours  truly, 

Anglo-Indi.'vn. 


OUR     PRIZE     COMPETITION. 

QUESTIONS. 

August  ^isi. — Mention  some  of  the  principal 
disorders  of  the  nervous  system,  and  the  duties  of 
the  nurse  in  regard  to  them. 

September  yth.—What  are  the  principal  functions 
of  a  School  Nurse?  How  may  she  assist  in  raising 
the  standard  of  national  health  ? 


August  24, 1918  ziyc  Brttisb  Journal  of  f^ur^ina  Supplement. 

The 


13^ 


MATERNITY  AND  CHILD  WELFARE. 

By  direction  of  the  President  of  the  Local 
Government  Board  a  circular  has  been  addressed 
by  the  Secretary  of  the  Board  bringing  to  the 
notice  of  County  Councils  (other  than  the  L.C.C.) 
and  of  Sanitaiy  Authorities,  the  provisions  of  the 
Maternity  and  Child  Welfare  Act,  19 18,  which  has 
recently  been  passed.     The  circular  states  : — 

The  Act  widens  thepowersof  Local  Authorities 
in  the  matter  of  maternity  and  child  welfare.  It 
enables  them  to  make  such  arrangements  as  may 
be  sanctioned  by  the  Board  for  attending  to  the 
health  of  expectant  mothers  and  nursing  mothers 
and  of  children  who  have  not  attained  the  age  of 
five  years,  and  are  not  being  educated  in  schools 
recognised  by  the  Board  of  Education. 

A  Council  exercising  powers  under  the  Act 
must  appoint  a  Maternity  and  Child  Welfare 
Committee.  This  Committee  ma,y  be  special'y 
appointed  for  this  purpose  or  may  be  an  existing 
Committee  or  a  sub-Committee  of  an  existing 
Committee,  and  it  must  include  at  least  two 
women.  Subject  to  two-thirds  of  the  members  of 
the  Committee  being  members  of  the  Council, 
persons  specially  qualified  by  training  or  expeii- 
ence  in  subjects  relating  to  health  and  maternity 
who  are  not  members  of  the  Council  may  be 
appointed  as  members  of  the  Committee.  A 
Committee  appointed  under  the  section  may  also 
appoint  sub-committees  consisting  wholly  or 
partly  of  members  of  the  Committee.  Mr.  Hayes 
Fisher  considers  it  is  important  that  working 
women  should  be  represented  on  the  Committee. 
In  seeking  such  representatives  the  local  branches 
•of  working  women's  organisations  or  the  Standing 
Joint  Committee  of  Industrial  Women's  Organisa- 
tions, 33,  Eccleston  Square,  London,  S.W.  i, 
might  usefully  be  consulted. 

2.  The  Supreme  importance  of  Ma^erni.y  and 
Child  Welfare  work  at  the  present  time  needs  no 
•emphasis.  With  a  view  to  encovirrging  the 
.provision 'of  further  services,  which  exj^erience  has 
shown  would  be  of  value  for  cO' 'serving  infant  lives 
'and  health,  Mr.  Hayes  Fisher  has  obtained  the 
sanction  of  the  Treasury  to  a  considerable  exten- 
sion of  the  scope  of  the  Board's  grant. 

Regulations  under  which  grants  not  exceeding 
one-half  of  approved  net  expenditure  will  be  payable 
by  the  Local  Government  Board  to  Local  A  uthorities 
and  to  Voluntary  Agencies  in  respect  of  arrangements 
for  attending  to  the  health  of  expectant  mothers  and 
nursing  mothers  and  of  children  under  five  years 
of  age. 

I.  The    Local    Government    Board     will    pay 

grants   during   eaCh   financirJ   year,   commencing 

on  April  ist,  in  respect  of  the  following  services  : — 

(i)  The  salaries  and  expenses  of  Inspectors  of 

Midwives. 


(2)  The  salaries  and  expenses  of  Health  Visitors 
and  Nurses  engaged  in  Maternity  and  Child 
Welfare    work. 

(3)  The  provision  of  a  midwife  for  necessitous 
women  in  confinement  and  for  areas  which 
are  insufficiently  supplied  with  this  service. 

(4)  The  provision,  for  necessitous  women,  of  a 
doctor  for  illness  connected  with  pregnancy 
and  for  aid  during  the  period  of  confinement 
for  mother  and  child. 

(5)  The  expenses  of  a  Centre,  i.e.,  an  institution 
providing  any  or  all  of  the  following  ad  ivit  ics  : 
medical  supervision  and  advice  for  expectant 
and  nursing  mothers,  and  for  children  under 
five  years  of  age,  and  medical  treatment  at  the 
Centre  for  cases  needing  it. 

(6)  Arrangements  for  instruction  in  the  general 
hygiene   of  maternity  and  childhood. 

(7)  Hospital  treatment  provided  or  contracted 
f^r  by  Local  Authorities  for  complicated  cases 
of  confinement  or  complications  arising  after 
parturition,  or  for  cases  in  which  a  woman 
to  be  confined  suffers  from  illness  or  deformity , 
or  for  cases  of  women  who,  in  the  opinion  of 
the  Medical  Officer  of  Health,  cannot  with 
safety  be  confined  in  their  homes  or  such 
other  provision  for  securing  proper  conditions 
for  the  confinement  'of  necessitous  women  as 
may  be  approved  by  the  Medical  Officer  of 
Health. 

(8)  Hospital  treatment  provided  or  contracted 
for  by  Local  Authorities  for  children  under 
treatment. 

(9)  The  cost  of  food  provided  for  expectant 
mothers  and  nursing  mothers  and  for  children 
under  five  years  of  age,  where  such  provision 
is  certified  by  the  Medical  Officer  of  the 
Centre  or  by  the  Medical  Officer  of  Health  to 
be  necessary  and  where  the  case  is  necessitous. 

(10)  Expenses  of  creches  and  day  nurseries  and  of 
other  arrangements  for  attending  to  the 
health  of  children  under  five  years  of  age 
whose   mothers   go   out   to   work. 

.(i  i)  The  provision  of  accommodation  in  convales- 
cent homes  for  nursing  motheis  and  for 
children  under  five  years  of  age. 

(12)  The  provision  of  homes  and  other  arrange- 
ments for  attending  to  the  health  of  children 
of  widowed,  deserted  and  unmarried  mothers, 
under  five  years  of  age. 

(13)  Experimental  work  for  the  health  of  expect- 
ant and  nursing  mothers  and  of  infants  and 
children  UTider  five  years  of  age  carried  out  by 
Local  Authorities  or  voluntary  agencies  with 
the  approval  of  the  Board. 

(14)  Contributions  by  the  Local  Authority  to 
voluntary  institutions  and  agencies  approved 
under  the  scheme. 


'31        XLbc  :3Sr(ti9b  Journat  of  'Flurelnc  Supplement  ^«^"^^  ^4,  1918 


2.  Grants  will  be  paid  to  voluntary  agencies 
aided  by  the  Board  on  condition  : — 

(i)  That  the  work  of  the  agency  is  approved  by 
the  Board  and  co-ordinated  as  far  as  practic- 
able with  the  public  health  work  of  the 
Local  Authority  and  the  school  medical 
service  of  the  local  education  authority. 

(2)  That  the  premises  and  work  of  the  institution 

are    subject   to   inspection   by   any    of   the 
Board's  Officers  or  Inspectors. 

(3)  That    records    of    the    work    done    by    the 

agency  are  kept  to  the  satisfaction   of  the 
Board. 

3.  An  application  for  a  grant  mi.st  be  rna,de  on  a 
form  Supplied  by  the  Board. 

4.  The  Board  may  exclude  any  items  of  expendi- 
ture, which,  in  their  opir.ion,  should  be  deducted 
for  the  purpose  of  assessing  the  grant,  and  if  any 
question  a,Tises  as  to  the  interpretation  of  these 
Regulations,  1he  de- 
cision of  the  Board 
sha'l  be  final. 

5.  The  grant  paid 
in  each  financial  year 
will  be  assessed  on 
the  basis  of  the  ex- 
penditure incurred. 
on  the  service  in  1he 
preccdi-g  financial 
year,  and  wi'l  be,  as 
a  rule,  at  the  rate  of 
one-half  of  that  ex- 
penditure where  the 
services  have  been 
provided  with  the 
Board's  approval  and 
are  carried  on  to 
their  satisfaction. 
The  Board  may,  at 
their  discretion,  re- 
duce or  withhold  tic 
grant. 


interest  in  its  upkeep,  it  has  teen  thought  fitting 
that  the  memorial  shemld  take  thcshape  of  some- 
thing which  will  enrich  and  beautify  the  chapel 
which  would  thus  be  a  permanent  mark  of  her 
devotion  to  it. 

Donations  may  be  sent  to  the  Matron,  Miss  A. 
Blomfield  ;  the  Chaplain,  Rev.  E.  W.  French  ; 
or    the    Secretary,    Mr.    Arthur    Watls. 


THE  OPEN-AIK  SHELTER   IN   CONNECTION  WITH  THE 
COUNTESS  OP  ATHLONE'S  BABIES'  HOME. 


QUEEN     CHARLOTTE'S     HOSPITAL. 

Sister  Micdcalf  Memorial. 

We  arc  asked  by  Mr.  Arthur  Wp.t  s,  Secretary 
of  Queen  Charlotte's  Hospi'.al,  Marylcbone  Road 
N.W.,  to  notify  that  it  is  proposed  to  raise  a 
permanent  memorial  to  the  late  Sister  Medcalf" 
in  recogni'.ion  of  her  splendid  record  of  work 
at  Queen'  Charlotte's  Hospital.  She  was  a 
Sister  at  the  Hospital  for  over  twenty-feiur  years, 
and  from  1905  until  the  day  of  her  elcath  in 
Janua^'y  last  also  held  the  post  of  Assistant 
Ma'^ron. 

Sister  Medca'f  was  greatly  esteemed  by  a  large 
number  of  the  midwives  and  monthly  nurses 
trained  at  the  hospital,  aid  it  is  thought  there 
are  many  who  would  ^wish  to  be  identified  with 
such  a  memorial.  Any  subscrip'ion,  no  matter 
how    small,    wi'l    be    gladly    received. 

As  Sister  Medcalf  was  so  closely  identified  wiih 
the   chapel   services  and  took   such   a  care   and 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  TEETH. 

"  The  Story  of  the  Teeth  and  How  to  Save 
Them  "  is  the  title  of  an  instructive  and  interesting 
booklet  by  Dr.  Truby  King,  C.M.G.,  issued  by  the 
Babies  of  the  Empire  Society,  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Overseas  Club  anel  Patiiotic  League,  General 
Buildings,  Aldwych,  London,  W.C.  2. 

Writing  of  decay  of  the  teeth  D,-.  Truby  King 
says :  "  Docay  of  the  teeth  is  not  a  mere  chance  un- 
fortunate disability 
of  the  day ;  it  is  the 
most  urgent  and 
gravest  of  all  diseases 
of  our  time — a  more 
serious  national 
scojrge  than  cancer 
or  cons  ;mption.  In- 
elocd,  these  and  other 
diseases  would  be 
best  attacked  by 
establish ing  the 
strength  a.nd  resis- 
tivcness  of  the  whole 
human  organism  of 
which  the  mouth, 
ja.vs,  teeth,  and  nose 
are  the  gateways — 
*tho  gateways  to 
h<^r,lth  or  disease  ac- 
cording to  our  choice. 
Therefore,  the 
mother's  health  and 
habits  during  preg- 
nancy praxtica  ly  de- 
termine whether  her  baby's  first  set  of  teeth  are 
to  b3  strong  and  resistive  or  weak  and  subject  to 
decay.  In  the  next  stage  the  main  question  (in 
addition  to  fresh  air,  exercise,  &c.)  is  whether  the 
baby  is  suckled  or  bottle-fed  ;  and  in  the  third 
stage  whether  he  is  brought  up  luxuriously,  or 
with  a  Spartan  simplicity  anel  regulaity — ^fed  on 
food  needing  vigorous  mastication — not  coddled, 
spoiled,  or  pap-fed.  Thus  is  the  building  and 
destiny  of  the  permanent  teeth  also  an  intimate 
domestic  and  family  question.  Granted  sensible 
upbringing,  on  the  lines  indicatcel,  there  would  be 
no  grounds  for  any  anxiety  as  regards  the  future." 
1  m  « 

BABIES'  OPEN-AIR  SHELTER. 

Our  illustration,  forwhich  we  a-c  indebted  to  the 
courtesy  of  the  editor  of  The  Gentlewoman,  shows 
the  open-air  shelter  in  connection  with  the  Countess 
of  Athlone's  Babies'  Home.  It  is  an  interesting 
and,  we  do  not  doubt,  successful  experiment. 


THE 


§iiiiL°wmc 


WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 

ML  maMBwa  m^€mm 

EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


No.  1,587. 


SATURDAY,   AUGUST   31,    1918. 


Vol.    LXI. 


EDITORIAL. 


THE    RIGHTS    OF    TRAINED    NURSES. 

To  all  men  and  women  of  thoughtful 
and  receptive  minds,  the  war,  notwith- 
standing all  its  horrors,  has  been  a  useful 
if  stern  instructor.  Among  the  many 
valuable  lessons  learnt,  and  one  of  the 
most  outstanding,  is  the  value  of  intimate 
contact.  We  have  watched  with  the 
deepest  interest  the  ties  which  bind  the 
Mother  Country  to  the  Colonies  growing 
stronger  and  stronger.  It  has  strengthened 
our  patriotism  as  never  before  ;  it  has  given 
us  a  practical  interpretation  of  solidarity — 
which  we  badly  needed.  Speaking  broadly 
. — in  spite  of  strikes  and  rumour  of  strikes 
(perhaps  because  of  them)  —  we  are 
approaching  nearer  to  the  ideal  of  national 
solidarity.  Nearer,  but  not  very  near  even 
yet.  We  trained  nurses  might,  with  much 
profit,  take  the  signs  of  the  times  as  a 
parable  applicable  to  ourselves.  We  have 
Imperial  Conferences,  and  Inter-Allied  Con- 
ferences. The  deliberations  and  conclu- 
sions arising  therefrom,  constitute  a  force 
which  has  brought  us  within  sight  of  victory. 
L' union  fait  la  force.  There  is  not  the 
slightest  doubt  about  that  legend. 

This  intimate  contact  is  needed  in  the 
nursing  profession  in  order  to  make  it 
"  safe  for  democracy."  We  have  an  effec- 
tive plant  ready  at  hand.  We  have  our 
own  professional  societies,  well  organised 
and  properly  constituted.  We  have  self- 
governing  societies  of  certificated  nurses 
grouped  in  our  National  Council,  and  with 
other  National  Associations  we  are  grouped 
in  the  International  Council  of  Nurses,  and 
few  of  us  thus  associated  can  express  or 
perhaps  even  realize,  what  we  owe  to  its 
inspiration.  Again  we  have  the  Royal 
British  Nurses'  Association,  the  only  body 
of  nurses  to  possess  a  Royal  Charter,  of 
which  every  member  is.  justly  proud,  for  it 


confers  both  prestige  and  the  power  to  pro- 
mote good  constructive  work. 

No  progress  can  be  made  either  in  the 
government  of  a  country,  or  the  govern- 
ment of  a  profession,  where  the  workers 
are  denied  representation — adequate  repre- 
sentation— on  the  governing  body.  It  is 
further  necessary  that  nurses  should  realize 
the  historical  certainty  that  autocracy 
in  their  profession  will  die  hard,  and  that 
their  just  rights  can  never  be  sufficiently 
secured,  while  it  exists. 

Nevertheless,  with  unity,  determination 
and  solidarity  ultimate  victory  is  assured. 
The  true  spirit  of  liberty  is  never  defeated. 
Let  us  remember  that  we  are  fighting  in 
our  own  beloved  profession  (as  well  as 
throughout  the  civilised  world)  to  over- 
throw this  wrongful  power,  in  the  best 
interests  of  the  sick,  and  in  the  interests  of 
posterity.  A  careful  and  critical  study  of 
the  Bill  for  State  Registration  of  Nurses 
promoted  by  the  Central  Committee,  will 
abundantly  repay  those  who  are  interested 
in  nursing  politics, so  will  the  synopsis  printed 
inside  our  front  cover,  which  shows  what 
nurses  agree  to  who  sign  the  application 
form  for  Registration  and  Membership  of 
the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  the  idea  of 
self-government  has  found  expression  even 
in  prisons  :  in  some  parts  of  America  where 
prison  reform  is  far  advanced.  The  results 
have  been  all  that  could  be  desired.  The 
spirit  of  self-determination  pervades  the 
whole  world,  it  is  no  phantom  spirit.  It  is 
quietly,  though  insistently  palpable. 

The  lure  of  it  is  felt  by  all  the  most 
intelligent  nurses  in  this  country.  But 
nothing  worth  having  can  come,  or  will 
come,  by  lazily  wishing  for  it  only,  except 
in  fairy  tales.  If  workers  want  their  rights, 
they  must  assert  themselves  in  the  only 
practical  way — namely  by  working  for 
them,  and  working  for  them  in  conjunc- 
tion with  others.     Uunion  fait  la  force. 


136 


^be  »riti9b  3ournal  of  •Kurgino, 


August  31,   1918 


NURSES  TAKE   RANK  AS  OFFICERS. 

It  is  with  great  pleasure  that  we  draw  atten- 
tion to  the  announcement  in  the  regulations  for 
the  members  of  the  Royal  Air  Force  Nursing 
Service  published  on  pages  139  and  140,  that 
honorary  rank  as  officers  is  to  be  granted  to  the 
members  of  the  Service,  the  Matron-in-Chief 
as  major,  Matrons  and  Superintending  Sisters 
as  captains,  Sisters  as  lieutenants,  and  Staff 
Nurses  as  second-lieutenants. 

Nothing  could  make  the  Service  more 
popular,  or  conduce  more  to  its  efficiency  by 
attracting  a  high  type  of  nurse.  The  thanks 
of  the  nursing  profession  are  due  to  the  Air 
Ministry  for  conferring  on  the  members  of  the 
newest  Nursing  Service  the  rank  which  has  so 
far  been  withheld  from  the  members  of  the 
sister  Services. 


A    DEVICE    FOR    PREVENTION    AND 
TREATMENT  OF  ADENOIDS. 

Dr.  Isabel  Ormiston,  Medical  Inspector  of 
Schools,  Tasmania,  gives  in  the  Lancet  the 
following  interesting  description  of  a  device  for 
prevention  and  treatment  of  adenoids  : —      , 

When  in  1914  a  non-operative  method  of 
treating  adenoids,  discovered  by  Mrs.  E. 
Handcock,  was  brought  under  my  notice  I  was 
not  merely  sceptical,  but  openly  scoffed  at  the 
idea.  I  was  bound  to  admit,  however,  that 
after  two  years'  residence  in  a  children's  hos- 
pital and  three  years'  medical  inspection  of 
school  children  I  was  not  satisfied  with  the 
results  of  the  usual  operative  treatment;  as 
such  a  large  percentage  of  cases  remained 
mouth-breathers  and  continued  to  suffer  from 
nasal  catarrh.  In  many  cases  also  the  growth 
returned. 

Description  of  Method. 

This  new  treatment  consists  in  the  produc- 
tion of  a  sneeze  by  lightly  touching  the  nasal 
septum  near  the  tip  of  the  nose  with  a  slightly 
irritant  adhesive  powder,  made  from  powdered 
iris  root  and  soap.  The  powder  is  not  sniffed 
up  into  the  nose. 

The  effect  of  the  sneeze  is  to  expel  the  catarrh 
or  muco-pus  from  'the  nose  and  the  adjacent 
sinuses.  This  stimulation  should  be  repeated 
till  a  "  drv  "  sneezse  results.  The  free  flow  of 
lymph  which  accompanies  the  sneeze  acts  as  a 
most  efficient  washout,  and  no  doubt  acts,  too, 
as  a  natural  protective  fluid  against  the  bac- 
terial Invasion  present  in  adenoids. 

The  children  who  are  old  enough  to  blow 
their  noses  are  then  taught  a  handkerchief 
drill.     They  stand  in  line,  and  at  the  word  of 


command  they  grasp  the  bridge  of  the  nose  and 
raise  the  elbow  to  the  height  of  the  shoulder, 
and  then  blow  forcibly.  The  position  of  the 
elbow  automatically  expands  the  lungs  and 
ensures  a  strong  current  of  air  being  forced 
through  the  nose,  which  is  held  at  the  bridge 
to  prevent  pinching  of  the  nostrils. 

Results. 

Under  the  supervision  of  Dr.  Octavia  Levvin 
an  experimental  clinic  of  this  nature  has  been 
in  ex'stence  for  six  months  at  the  Roll  of 
Honour  Hospital  for  Children,  Harrow  Road. 
The  committee  is  so  satisfied  with  the  results 
that  it  is  to  be  continued  as  part  of  the  hospital 
routine. 

I  have  been  observing  this  simple  method  of 
treatment  for  the  past  four  years,  and  have 
found  the  results  most  gratifying.  The  first 
marked  improvement  is,  curiously  enough,  in 
the  digestive  system.  The  dyspepsia  and  con- 
stipation, which  are  so  common  an  accompani- 
ment of  adenoids,  are  the  first  symptoms  tb 
disappear.  Perhaps  some  student  of  reflex 
action  could  explain  this.  We  know  that  the 
nose  is  an  early  indicator  of  indigestion, 
alcoholism,  and  gout ;  so  perhaps  it  is  not  sur- 
prising if  the  digestive  system  can  be  reflexly 
affected  by  a  nasal  stimulus. 

Deafness  due  to  the  blocking  of  the  Eus- 
tachian tube  also  disappears  quickly. 

The  time  taken  for  the  shrinkage  of  the 
growth  varies.  Generally  speaking,  the  younger 
the  child  the  quicker  the  results.  A  great  deal 
depends  on  the  intelligence  of  the  mother,  as 
the  treatment  must  be  carried  out  every  day. 
In  older  children  and  adults  with  nasal  obstruc- 
tion a  certain  amount  of  manipulation  of  the 
head  and  neck  is  necessary  to  stimulate  the 
lymphatic  circulation. 

One  of  the  chief  advantages  of  this  form  of 
treatment  is  that  large  numbers  of  school 
children  should  be  treated  simultaneously  at 
little  cost.  School  nurses  could  be  quickly 
trained  to  carry  out  the  treatment  under  the 
supervision  of  the  medical  inspectors  of 
schools.  At  the  present,  when,  owing  to  the 
shortage  of  staff,  the  out-patients'  departments 
of  the  various  hospitals  find  it  impossible  to 
cope  with  the  number  of  cases  from  the  board 
schools,  it  seems  the  ideal  moment  to  introduce 
the  system  into  our  schools. 

A  clinic  has  lately  been  started  at  the  West- 
minster Health  Association,  Greek  Street, 
Soho,  where  the  enthusiasm  of  the  mothers 
over  the  improvement  in  their  children  is  most 
encouraging. 


August  31,   1918 


ZTbe  Britisb  3ournal  of  IRurstng, 


137 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITION. 

MENTION  SOME  OF  THE  PRINCIPAL  DISORDERS  OF 
THE  NERVOUS  SYSTEM.  AND  THE  DUTIES  OF 
THE  NURSE   IN  REGARD  TO    IHEM. 

We  have  pleasure  in  awarding  the  prize  this 
week  to  Miss  Mary  D.  Hunter,  Section  Hos- 
pital, Kineton,  near  Warwick. 

PRIZE     PAPER. 

There  are  so  many  nervous  disorders  that 
perhaps  the  easiest  method  of  mentioning-  some 
of  the  principal  ones  would  be  to  classify  them 
under  three  headings,  i.e.  : — 

1.  Disorders  of  the  brain  (organic),  such  as 
hemiplegia,  meningitis,  or  tumours  of  the 
brain. 

2.  Disorders  of  the-  spinal  cord,  such  as 
tabes  dorsalis,  anterior  jx>liornyelitis,  scoliosis. 

3.  Disorders  of  the  nerves  (functional),  such 
as  epilepsy,  chorea,  hysteria,  and  neurasthenia. 

The  duties  of  the  nurse  in  regard  to  them 
varies  considerably  in  the  different  diseases. 
But  in  any  case  the  first  thing  for  her  to  con- 
sider is  the  cause  (and  if  any  organic  disease 
is  present),  and  v/hat  steps  the  physician  is 
taking  to  remove  it  or  ameliorate.  So  much 
help  can  be  given  by  careful  and  intelligent 
nursing  in  these  cases.  Suggestion  plays  a 
very  important  part  in  the  nursing  of  all 
nervous  disorders,  and  it  is  absolutely  essential 
that  the  nurse  inspires  confidence  in  her 
patient. 

To  enumerate  the  nurse's  duties  more  fully 
and  draw  attention  to  the  various  methods,  I 
should  like  to  briefly  mention  a  few  in  connec- 
tion with  the  disorders  I  have  chosen  as 
examples. 

I — Disorders  of  Brain. 

Heyniplegia  and  Meningitis. — Guard  against 
bedsores  in  both  diseases,  and  give  great  atten- 
tion to  the  bowels.  Care  must  be  taken  that  the 
diet  is  easily  digested  and  nourishing.  Pain  is 
best  relieved  by  cold  applications  to  the  head. 
In  the  former  the  nurse  Should  try  by  careful 
treatment  to  prevent  fixation  of  joints  and 
faulty  pKJsition  of  limbs. 

Cerebral  Tumour. — The  intense  headache 
being  one  of  the  symptoms,  care  is  needed  in 
choosing  a  suitable  place  for  the  bed  :  in  the 
darkest  corner,  so  that  the  light  does  not  irri- 
tate the  eyes.  Absolute  quiet  is  essential  for  all 
brain  disorders,  and  the  nurse  would,  of  course, 
avoid  any  sudden  noise,  such  as  the  banging 
of  a  door. 

2 — Disorders  of  Spinal  Cord. 

Tabes  Dorsalis. — "  Lightning  pains,"  one 
of  the  many  distressing  symptoms,  may  be 
relieved    by    hot    fomentations,    massage,    or 


counter-irritants  of  some  kind.  *  Suitable  exer- 
cises to  correct  ataxia  need  to  be  practised 
daily.  Constipation  is  frequently  present,  so 
that  the  question  of  aperients  proves  a  trouble- 
some detail.  The  nurse  should  impress  upon 
the  patient  the  importance  of  micturition  at 
frequent  and  regular  intervals,  as  disorders  of 
the  bfadder  generally  arise  to  complicate 
matters.  Between  the  attacks  or  crises,  feed- 
ing up  is  required  to  make  up  for  the  loss  of 
strengi:h.  In  fact,  to  insist  on  a  quiet,  regular, 
abstemious  life  is  the  duty  of  the  nurse  in 
regard  to  this  disease. 

Anterior  Polio  myelitis. — The  most  essential 
matter  is  warmth,  which  is  best  obtained  by 
baths,  suitable  clothing,  and  gentle  rubbings. 
See  that  the  child  has  complete  rest  in  a  com- 
fortable position,  careful  feeding,  and  that  the 
bowels  are  kept  regular. 

Scoliosis. — Really  more  a  deformity  of 
growth  than  a  disease,  and  to  correct  this 
deformity  great  attention  must  be  paid  to  the 
clothing.  Suitable  exercise  and  correct  breath- 
ing are  also  duties  for  the  nurse  to  consider. 

3 — Disorders  of  Nerves. 

Epilepsy. — It  is  necessary  to  improve  the 
general  health  by  regular  hours,  suitable 
exercise  and  occupation,  and  most  careful  diet. 

Chorea. — Absolute  quiet  and  isolation  should 
be  insisted  upon — rest  being  so  important — 
combined  with  light  food.  The  greatest  care  is 
needed  in  restraining  the  child,  as  too  much 
restraint  may  do  more  harm  than  good.  The 
sides  of  the  bed  will  need  padding.  Proper 
nursing  eliminates  bed-sores.  As  arsenic  is 
the  drug  usually  given,  the  nurse  must  be  well 
acquainted  with  the  signs  of  an  overdose. 

Hysteria. — ^The  duty  of  the  nurse  is  to  gain 
the  patient's  confidence  and  make  use  of 
judicious  suggestion.  Weir-Mitchell  treatment 
is  often  most  successful.  Not  too  much  fuss 
must  be  made,  but  the  fact  that  it  is  a  definite 
disease  must  not  be  lost  sight  of,  and  the  nurse 
should  refrain  from  showing  any  impatience. 

Neurasthenia. — Due  to  some  shock  or  worry 
and  consequent  mental  strain,  and  therefore 
tact  and  sympathy  are  required  in  dealing 
with  these  cases.  The  nurse's  chief  duty  is  to 
ensure  rest.  There  is  usually  loss  of 
weight,  so  that  diet  must  be  considered  to  help 
improve  the  general  health.  A  marked  feature 
is  insomnia,  which  requires  great  ingenuity  on 
the  part  of  the  nurse  to  find  out  the  best  means 
of  inducing  sleep. 

HONOURABLE    MENTION. 

The  following  competitors  receive  honourable 
mention  : — ^Miss  Catherine  Wright,  Miss  Alice 
M.  Burns,  Miss  P.  Thomson,  Miss  J.  Robinson. 


138 


^be  Brltteb  Journal  of  "Kuretno. 


August  31,    1918 


NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 


SOUTH-WEST    AFRICAN    CAMPAIGN, 

List  of  Rewards. 
The  King  has  been  pleased  to  give  orders  for 
a  number  of  appointments  for  valuable  services 
rendered  in  connection  with  military  operations 
in  German  South-West  Africa.  Amongst  them 
is   the   following  : — 

ORDER    OF    THE    BRITISH    EMPIRE. 
Creagh,    Mrs.    Elizabeth   Rymer,    R.R.C.,    Matron-in- 
Chief,  South  African  Military  Nursing  Service. 

ROYAL     RED     CROSS. 

The  King  has  been  pleased  to  award  the  Royal 
Red  Cross  to  the  following  ladies  of  the  Nursing 
Services  in  recognition  of  their  valuable  services 
in  the  campaign  in  German  South- West  Africa, 
1914-1915  :— 

First  Class. 

Alexander,  Miss  I.  G.,  Matron,  S.A.M.N.S.  ;  Bester, 
Miss  H.  L.,  A.R.R.C,  Staff  Nurse,  S.A.M.N.S.  ;  Fynn, 
Miss  M.  A.,  A.R.R.C,  Staff  Nurse,  S.A.M.N.S.  ;  Weise, 
Miss  H.  H.,  A.R.R.C,  Nursing  Sister,  S.A.M.N.S.  ; 
Wessels,  Miss  E.  S.,  A.R.R.C,  Nursing  Sister, 
S.A.M.N.S. 

Second  Class. 

Burgess,  Miss  E.,  CmLD,  Miss  J.  C,  Ferguson,  Miss 
J.  M.,  Hawkes,  Miss  C  J.,  Newth,  Miss  A.  M., 
Pearson,  Miss  E.  M.,  Wilde,  Miss  B.  J.,  Wilson,  Miss 
E.,  Nursing  Sisters,  S.A.M.N.S.  ;  Krohn,  Miss  G., 
Landman,  Mrs.  J.  (tide  Patterson),  Van  Niekerk,  Miss 
D.  N.  K.,  Staff  Nurses,  S.A.M.N.S. 


A  special  supplement  to  the  London  Gazette 
contains  the  following  list  of  honours  and  awards 
for  valuable  services  with  the  British  Forces  in 
Mesopotamia  : — 

ROYAL     RED     CROSS. 

First  Class. 

CouLSON,  Miss  M.  G.,  Sister,  T.F.N.S.  ;  Earle,  Miss 
A.  L.,  Matron,  T.F.N.S.  ;  Gilmore,  Miss  M.  G.,  Matron, 
Q.A.M.N.S.L  ;  McNab,  Miss  M.  M.,  A.R.R.C,  Sister, 
Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.  ;  Rae,  Miss  M.,  Sister  and  Acting 
Matron,  Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.;  Wheeler,  Miss,  M.  K., 
Sister,  T.F.N.S.  ;  Wilkinson,  Miss  E.  S.,  Sister, 
Q.A.I.M.N.S.R. 

Second  Class. 

Argo,  Miss  M.  B.,  Staff  Nurse,  Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.; 
BoTTOMLEY,  Miss  C  M.,  Sister,  Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.  ; 
Crosbie,  Miss  M.  F.  D.,  Sister,  T.F.N.S.  ;  Curties, 
Miss  N.,  Sister,  T.F.N.S.  ;  Davies,  Miss  A.  M.,  Staff 
Nurse,  Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.  ;  Davies,  Miss  E.,  Staff  Nurse, 
Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.;  Emuss,  Miss  E.  A.,  Sister,  T.F.N.S.  ; 
Hartrick,  Miss  A.  L.,  Sister,  Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.  ;  Hun- 
stone,  Miss  M.,  Sister,  T.F.N.S.  ;  King,  Miss  E.  S., 
Staff  Nurse,  T.F.N.S.  ;  MacLean,  Miss  M.  E.,  Nursing 
Sister,  Q.A.M.N.S.L  ;  Marshall,  Miss  E.  O.,  Nursing 
Sister,  Q.A.M.N.S.L  ;  Reid,  Miss  A.  E.,  Staff  Nurse, 
Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.  ;  Robertson,  Miss  M.  A.,  Sister, 
Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.  ;  Seacombe,  Miss  B.  E.,  Sister, 
T.F.N.S.  ;  Wadsworth,  Miss  S.  E.,  Sister, 
Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.  ;  Wellington,  Miss  A.,  Staff  Nurse, 
Q.A.I.M.N.S.R. 

THE     MILITARY    MEDAL. 

It  is  announced  in  the  London  Gazette  of  August 
23rd  that  the  King  has  approved  of  the  following 


award  of  the  Military  Medal  for  distinguished 
service  in  the  Field  : — Staff  Nurse  Pearl  Eliza- 
beth Corkhill,  Aust.  A.N.S. — For  courage  and 
devotion  on  the  occasion  of  an  enemy  air-raid. 
She  continued  to  attend  to  the  wounded  without 
any  regard  to  her  own  safety,  though  enemy  air- 
craft were  overhead.  Her  example  was  of  the 
greatest  value  in  allaying  the  alarm  of  the  patients. 

Miss  M.  Adelaide  Nutting,  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Nursing  of  the  Council  of  National 
Defence  in  the  United  States  of  America,  in  making 
a  report  to  the  twenty-first  Annual  Convention  of 
the  American  Nursing  Association,  which  is 
printed  in  full  in  the  American  Journal  of  Nursing, 
outlined  the  adoption  of  a  very  statesmanlike 
policy  by  that  Committee.  She  said  :  "  Women 
will  ask  themselves,  '  What  else  is  there  that  needs 
to  be  done  that  anybody  could  do,  since  the  Red 
Cross  and  the  Army  and  Navy  are  taking  such 
care  of  the  whole  situation  ?  ' 

"  Now  this  Committee  on  Nursing  has  found 
that  while  the  Army  and  Navy  controlled  and  the 
Red  Cross  mobilised,  there  was  something  else  to 
be  done,  and  that  was  to  try  to  create  something 
to  take  the  place  of  that  which  was  being  called 
away.  Let  me  say  that  last  June  the  estimate 
was,  if  I  remember  right,  that  we  would  need 
something  like  10,000  nurses  for  the  Army  Nursing 
Service.  It  did  not  seem  to  us  that  to  find  10,000 
nurses  in  this  great  country  would  be  very  difiicult ; 
the  Red  Cross  already  had  about  ■that  number 
mobilised.  But  before  many  months  an  order  was 
made  that  said  the  United  States  Army  Nursing 
Service  is  going  to  want  37,500  nurses,  and  a  few 
weeks  ago  another  body  asked  for  an  allowance  of 
40,000  nurses. 

"  Now  it  is  perfectly  clear  that  if  we  were  going 
to  put  10,000  into  France  or  into  active  duty,  we 
could  not  pick  up  10,000  nurses  without  making 
10,000  vacancies,  because  nurses  do  not  belong  to 
the  idle  classes,  and  we  would  have  to  have  some 
way  of  replacing  those  nurses  at  their  posts, 
wherever  their  posts  might  be.  Therefore,  one 
of  the  first  things  to  be  done  was  to  try  to  find 
some  good  and  satisfactor\'  way  of  bringing  into 
our  schools  more  women  and  training  more  women, 
just  as  rapidly  as  was  practicable,  to  go  into  the 
places  left  vacant  by  those  nurses  who  were  called 
to  active  duty.  It  was  assumed  that  a  good  many 
of  the  posts  in  the  hospitals  would  be  filled  by 
senior  nurses." 

After  saying  that  with  a  very  considerable 
amount  of  effort  a  very  large  number  of  students 
Jiad  been  brought  into  the  training  schools, 
amounting  to  something  over  7,000,  Miss  Nutting 
pointed  out  that  the  vacancies  created  pressed 
most  hardly  on  the  training  schools. 

Chevrons  for  American  Nurses  on  Home 
Service. 

"  Some  of  you,  I  presume,  are  shortly  going  out 
of  the  training  schools,  some  of  you  have  come  out 
of  them,  many  of  you  will  face  what  seems  to  be 
the   great   choice   of  a  great   opportunity.     You 


August  31,  1918         xLhc  Britieb  3ournal  of  murstna. 


139 


will  represent,  over  there  in  France,  or  wherever 
you  go,  the  mothers,  sisters,  daughters  and  wives, 
and  you  take  your  places  beside  their  loved  ones 
that  they  would  so  gladly  take  if  they  could  go, 
and  all  the  world  is  looking.  .  .  .  Our  work  to-day 
presents  to  us  a  great  crisis,  and  I  know  the 
American  nurses  will  rise  fully  and  thoroughly  to 
meet  it.  Whether  you  will  choose  thethingyou  most 
want  to  do  or  whether  you  will  choose  the  thing 
that  most  needs  you,  it  will  be  an  honourable  thing 
for  any  young  woman  to  choose  to  remain  at  her 
post  as  teacher,  as  supervisor,  as  public  health 
nurse,  if  she  is  more  valuable  there,  and  if  those 
who  know  most  of  her  work  feel  that  she  can  do 
better  service  there  than  she  can  do  anywhere  else. 
A  very  conspicuous  insignia  to  show  that,  will  be 
given  to  those  nurses,  and  I  think  that  is  very 
necessary.  For  I  can  remember  well  as  the  war 
progressed,  both  in  England  and  here,  it  was  said 
a  young  man  to-day  does  not  like  to  be  seen  in  the 
streets  without  a  uniform.  If  you  wear  the 
chevron  it  explains  why  you  are  not  at  the  front. 
All  the  country  is  looking  to  you  with  the  greatest 
possible  afEection  and  with  the  greatest  possible 
confidence." 


THE  ROYAL  AIR  FORCE  NURSING 
SERVICE. 


Lieutenant-Colonel  C.  Yeatman,  in  command  of 
the  ist  Australian  Auxiliary  Hospital  at  Harefield 
Park,  near  Uxbridge,  writes  in  the  Boomerang  : — 
"  After  more  than  three  years'  service  in  the 
A.I.F.,  it  is  good  to  realise  that  in  all  this  time 
there  has  been  room  only  in  one's  mind  for  the 
deepest  feelings  of  pride  and  affection  for  men  of 
one's  race  and  country.  Appreciation  of  their 
soldierly  qualities  and  magnificent  achievement  in 
battle  does  not  exhaust  by  any  means  all  that  can 
be  said  or  written  of  them,  and  I  feel  it  a  p'-ivilege 
to  be  able  to  record  my  unbounded  admiration 
of  the  pluck  and  sticking  power  of  my  wounded 
or  :5ick  Australian  comrades,  and  the  triumphant 
will  which  gave  exhausted  and  sick  troops  in 
Gallipoli  the  power  to  stand  for  months  against 
superior  forces,  and  I  shall  never  lose  the  memory 
of  the  cheeriness  and  fortitude  of  my  emaciated 
and  worn-out  typhoid  and  dysentery  patients  in 
Cairo,  with  "  Gallipoli  faces  "  and  frames  of  a  sort 
to  make  one  weep,  but  with  an  unfailing  spirit 
which  made  one  happy  to  have, been  born  and  bred 
an  Australian.  Let  me  cite  the  case  of  a  boy 
who  in  some  manner  became  infected  with  small- 
pox. He  was  nursed  by  our  own  Sisters  at  the 
Fever  Hospital  at  Abbasia,  and  when  I  went  to 
visit  him  there,  though  he  could  not  see  me  and 
was  on  the  point  of  death,  this  poor,  whispering 
boy,  with  the  last  flicker  of  life,  had  only  words  of 
gratefulness  for  the  nurses  who  attended  him.  I 
have  the  same  sense  of  pride  in  the  qualities  of  the 
devoted  women  of  the  Australian  Army  Nursing 
Services  on  active  service,  and  it  is  no  unfounded 
or  biassed  statement  to  make  that  these  are 
appreciated  by  soldiers  of  expeditionary  forces 
other  than  Australians  as  they  are  by  members  of 
our  own  Impel  ial  Forces.  I  count  myself  fortu- 
nate beyond  measure  to  be  serving  in  this  great 
war  with  the  Australian  Imperial  Forces."  • 


The  following  are  the  necessary  qualifications 
and  conditions  of  service  for  members  of  the 
temporary  Air  Force  Nursing  Service  : — 

A.  cdNSTITUTION. 

(i)  Matron-in-Chief,  (2)  Matrons,  (3)  Superin- 
tending Sisters,  (4)  Sisters,  (5)  Staff  Nurses. 

B.  QUALIFICATIONS. 

A  candidate  for  appointment  in  the  Royal  Air 
Force  Nursing  Service  must  be  duly  qualified 
according  to  the  following  regulations  : — 

She  must  possess  a  certificate  of  not  less  than 
three  years'  training  in  a  civil  hospital,  having 
not  less  than  100  beds. 

She  must  be  of  British  parentage  and  between 
25  and  45  years  of  age,  single  or  a  widow. 

The  Matron-in-Chief  will  be  required  to  satisfy 
the  Advisory  Board  that,  as  regards  education, 
character  and  social  status,  the  candidate  is  a  fit 
person  to  be  admitted  to  the  Royal  Air  Force 
Nursing  Service.  f"' 

The  candidate  will  be  required  to  fill  in  and 
return  the  form  of  application  which  will  be 
forwarded  to  her,  together  with  the  following 
documents  : 

(a)  Certificate  of  birth,  or  if  this  is  not  obtainable, 
a  declaration  made  before  a  magistrate  by  one  of 
her  parents  or  former  guardians^  giving  the  date 
of  her  birth.  ' 

(b)  Certificate  of  training  (original  to  be  produced 
when  appearing  before  the'  Sub-Committee  of 
the  Advisory  Board). 

(c)  Medical  certificate. 
{d)  Dental  certificate. 

It  is  required  that  the  candidate  should  have 
been  vaccinated  within  the  last  two  years  and 
also  inoculated  against  typhoid  (A.  and  B.). 

f  r^F^C.' TERMS  ,OF  APPOINTMENT. 

Forms  of  Agreement  will  be  signed  by  candidates 
who  are  willing  to  serve  : — 

{A)  So  long  as  required  during  the  present 
emergency,  or  (B)  for  a  period  of  twelve  calendar 
irionths. 

D.  PAY  AND  ALLOWANCES. 


Initial 

Annual 
Incre- 
ment. 

Maxi- 

Wash- 

Uni- 

— 

Rate. 

mum. 

ing:. 

form. 

Matrons 

£7^* 

£10 

;^150 

^ 

Superintending 

3/6 

£8 

^•isters 

£60* 

£s 

£is 

\    per 

per 

Sisters 

i^5o 

£-. 

£eo 

week 

annum 

Staff  Nurses... 

£40 

£2  I  OS. 

£45 

^ 

•  And  chargfe  pay. 

When  quarters,  board,  fuel  and  light  are  not 
provided,  a  stated  allowance  is  made. 

A  gratuity  of  ;^2o  per  annum  is  allowed  to 
Sisters   and   Staff   Nurses   who   sign   Agreement 


I40 


Zbc  Britteb  3ournal  of  IRurstno. 


August  31,   1918 


Form  A.,  for  serving  as  long  as  required  during 
the  present  emergency. 

E.  LEAVE  OF  ABSENCE. 
Twe'nty-eight  days'  leave   of  absence  without 
deduction  of  pay  will  be  allowed  in  each  period 
of  twelve  months,  i.e.,  fourteen  days  on  completion 
of  each  six  months. 

F.  DRESS. 

The  members  of  the  Royal  Air  Force  Nursing 
Service  are  to  provide  themselves  with  the  follow- 
ing uniform  :— 

The  establishments  selected  to  supply  it  will 
be  intimated  to  them  on  application  to  the  Matron- 
in-Chief. 

Matron-in-Chief. 

Dress  :  R.A.F.  material,  faced  and  braidedj 
cape  :  R.A.F.  blue  cloth  ;  bonnet :  R.A.F.  blue. 

Matrons. 

One  winter  dress,  serge  R.A.F.  blue  ;    i  summer 

dress  (alpaca),  R.A.F.  blue  ;  6  muslin  caps  R.A.F. 

blue  ;  6  collars  (soft)  i^in.  turnover  ;  6  pairs  cuffs 

(soft)  I J  in.  turnover  ;  2  cloth  capes  R.A.F.  cloth  ; 

1  bonnet    R.A.F.  blue  ;    i  summer  cloak  (serge) 
and  I  winter  cloak  (serge),  R.A.F.  cloth  collars. 

In  hospitals,  where  Matrons  are  required  to 
nurse,  3  washing  dresses  and  5  aprons  should  be 
substituted  for  i  alpaca  dress. 

Superintending  Sisters  and  Sisters. 

One  winter  dress  and  i  summer  dress,  serge, 

R.A.F.  colour  ;  3  washing  dresses,  blue  cottoa  ; 

6  muslin  caps  ;  6  collars  (soft),  i  J-inch  turnover  ; 

6  pairs  cuffs  (soft),  ij-inch  turnover;  8  aprons; 

2  cloth  capes,  R.A.F.  cloth  ;  i  summer  hat,  straw, 
three-cornered  ;  i  winter  hat,  felt,  three-cornered. 

Staff  Nurses. 

One  winter  dress  ;  i  summer  dress  ;  3  washing 
dresses;  6  muslin  caps;  6  collars  (soft),  i^-inch 
turnover  ;  6  pairs  cuffs  (soft),  ij-inch  turnover  ;  8 
aprons  ;  2  cloth  capes. 

In  no  detail  whatsoever  may  the  approved 
uniform  be  altered  or  added  to. 

In  uniform,  no  furs,  ornaments  or  jewellery  are 
to  be  worn,  neither  coloured  shoes  nor  coloured  or 
fancy  stockings. 

Muslin  caps  are  not  to  be  worn  outside  the 
precincts  of  the  hospital. 

Waterproof  caps  of  regulation  material  and 
design  may  be  worn  in  bad  weather  in  place  of  hats. 

Waterproofs  may  be  worn  when  necessary,  but 
must  be  the  same  colour  as  the  uniform,  and  of 
trench  coat  design. 

G.  HONORARY  RANK. 

Honorary  rank  in  the  Royal  Air  Force  will  te 
granted  as  follows  : — 

Matrons-in-Chief  . .  Major. 

Matrons   . .  . .  . .   Captains. 

Superintending  Sisters  . .         „ 
Sisters       .  .  . .  . .   Lieutenants. 

Staff  Nurses       . .  . .  2nd  Lieutenants. 


CARE    OF    THE    WOUNDED. 


The  King  has  granted  unrestricted  permission^to 
Miss  Henrietta  Eraser,  Ambulance  Driver  attached 
to  Section  Sanitaire,  S.S.Y.  2,  to  wear  the  Cross 
of  Chevalier  of  the  Legion  of  Honour  with  the 
Croix  de  Guerre,  conferred  upon  her  by  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  French  Republic  in  recognition  of  her 
courageous  conduct  when  wounded  recently  while 
on  duty  ;  to  Miss  Muriel  Annie  Thompson,  First 
Aid  Nursing  Yeomanry,  to  wear  the  Cross|J]of 
Chevalier  of  the  Order  of  Leopold  II,  conferred 
upon  her  by  the  King  of  the  Belgians  in  recognition 
of  her  services  to  the  Belgian  sick  and  wounded  ; 
and  to  Miss  Frances  Elizabeth  Latham  to  wear  the 
Insignia  of  the  Fifth  Class  of  the  Order  of  St.  Sava, 
conferred  upon  her  by  the  King  of  Serbia  in  recog- 
nition of  her  services  to  the  Serbian  sick  and 
wounded. 


The  Lord  Mayor  has  undertaken  to  make  a 
special  appeal  to  the  City  of  London  for  funds  for 
the  British  Red  Cross  and  the  Order  of  St.  John  in 
connection  with.  Our -Day,  October  24th,  and  the 
collection  of  j^i, 000,00c  in  the  City  is  the  aim  of  his 
committee.  The  offices  of  the  City  appeal  are  at 
3,  Lombard  Street,  and  the  honorary  organising 
scretary  is  Mr.  J.  H.  Estill,  of  the  Port  of  London 
Authority. 


Miss  Emma  and  Miss  Kate  Lansing,  Sisters  of 
the  American  Foreign  Secretary,  who  are  serving 
with  the  American  Red  Cross,  have  been  men- 
tioned in  an  Order  of  the  Day  of  the  5th  French 
Army  for  courageous  conduct. 


More  than  6,000  women  motor-drivers  have  now 
been  enrolled  in  the  United  States  in  the  Women's 
Motor  Corps  of  the  Red  Cross.  These  women 
carry  all  official  telegrams  containing  information 
regarding  oversea  casualties  to  the  homes  of  the 
relatives  of  the  killed. 


President  Wilson  has  approved  the  suggestion  of 
the  Women's  Committee  of  the  Council  of  National 
Defence  that  relatives  of  American  soldiers  and 
sailors  lost  in  the  Service  wear  a  black  sleeve-band 
with  a  gold  star  for  each  member  of  the  family 
giving  his  life  for  the  defence  of  the  nation. 


OUR   ROLL   OF   HONOUR. 

We  regret  to  record  the  following  announce- 
ments in  the  Casualty  List. 

NURSING    SERVICE. 
Killed. 
Ingram,  Miss  E.  A.,  V.A.D. 

Died. 
Chapman,  Miss  M.  D.,  V.A.D. 

Wounded. 
Thompson,  Sister  M.  C,  St.  John  A.B. 
Harrison,  Miss  A,  V.A.D. 


August  31,   1918 


^be  Briti0b  3ournal  of  •Rurstno. 


141 


THE    COLLEGE    OF    NURSING,    LTD., 
AND    POOR    LAW    GUARDIANS. 


A  COLONIAL  OPINION. 


A  good  de  al  of  feeling  has  been  aroused  amongst 
Poor  Law  Guardians  by  the  Council  of  the  College 
of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  sending  the  following  circular  of 
inquiry  over  their  heads  to  the  Matrons  of  Poor 
Law  Infirmaries — as  in  this  breach  of  etiquette 
the  College  has  failed  to  recognize  that  the  Poor 
Law  Infirmaries  are  public  institutions  admims- 
stered  under  legal  rules,  and  the  Guardians  are  the 
authorized  channel  by  which  information  is 
officially  conveyed.  The  circular  has  also  been 
addressed  to  Matrons  of  voluntaiy  hospitals. 
No  doubt  in  both  cases  the  Matrons  will  obtain 
permission  from  their  Boards  before  complying 
with  the   demands   of  the    College. 

The  College  and  Hospital  Etiquette. 
The  College  of  Nursing,  Limited, 
6,  Vere  Street,  Cavendish  Square,  London,  W.  1. 
The  Matron, 

Dear  Madam, — The  objects  of  the  College  of  Nursing 
will  be  known  to  you  as  including  the  following  : — To 
raise  the  standard  of  training,  to  promote  a  uniform 
curriculum  and  one  portal  examination,  to  establish 
lectureships  and  scholarships,  and  to  make  and  maintain 
a  Register  of  Trained  Nurses. 

Up  to  the  present  the  Council  of  the  College  has 
largely  centred  its  activities  on  the  compilation  of  a 
Register  which  now  numbers  8,800  nurses,  and  the 
Registration  Committee  acknowledges  most  gratefully 
the  help  and  information  you  have  given  concerning 
applications  for  registration. 

The  Consultative  Committee,  appointed  to  consider  the 
curricula  of  Training  Schools,  now  appeals  to  you  for 
further  assistance  in  this  important  matter. 

Before  considering  any  plans  for  the  future,  the  wisest 
course  would  appear  to  be  to  ascertain  what  is  the  pre- 
sent curriculum  in  the  different  Nurse  Training  Schools, 
and  it  would  materially  assist  the  work  of  this  Com- 
mittee if  you  would  kindly  supply  the  information  re- 
quested on  the  following  form,  and  any  other  particulars 
you  may  have  that  would  be  helpful  in  the  matter. 

With  apologies  for  the  trouble  I  am  giving  you, 

I  remain,  yours  faithfully, 

M.  S.  RUNDLE,  Secretary. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  For  what  period  of  training,  or  periods,  do  you 
grant  your  Certificate  of  General  Nursing? 

2.  Is  sick  leave,  or  any  time  beyond  recognised  annual 
leave,  made  up  after  the  period  of  training? 

3.  What  Lectures  are  delivered  to  Probationers,  and 
if  you  have  a  Syllabus,  will  you  kindly  send  it? 

4.  Are  your  Nurses  instructed  in  Sick  Room  Cookery? 

5.  Are  the  Examinations  written  and  oral?  How  often 
are  they  held  during  the  period  of  training,  and  by  whom 
are  they  conducted? 

6.  What  Beds  have  you  besides  those  for  General 
Medical  and  Surgical  cases? 

7.  Are  any  facilities  offered  in  the  fourth  year  for  pre- 
paration in  special  branches  of  work,  e.g..  Massage, 
Midwifery,  &c.  ? 

Space  is  provided  for  the  answers,  and  for  the 
signature  thereto  of  the  Matix>n  or  Superintendent 
of  Nursing. 


The  following  letter  appears  in  the  issue  of  Una, 
the  official  organ  of  the  Royal  Victorian  Trained 
Nurses'  Association,  just  received  in  this  country  : 

To  the  Editor  of  "  Una.'' 

Dear  Sir, — I  notice  with  surprise  that  up  to  the 
present  time  you  have  not  in  our  nursing  journal 
attempted  to  voice  an  opinion  upon  the  College  of 
Nursing  which  is  now  being  launched  in  London 
by  Sir  Arthur  Stanley.  ...  It  is  of  real  live  interest 
in  the  nursing  circles  of  Great  Britain,  and  as 
fellow-nurses  I  think  it  is  about  time  we  roused 
ourselves  and  became  acquainted  with  the  facts. 

I  have  always  been  an  advocate  of  direct  repre- 
sentation upon  any  board  or  council  of  nurses.  I 
fail  to  see  how  any  lay  control  can  ever  be  the  right 
thing  in  -the  interests  of  the  nurses  themselves. 

Sir  Arthur  Stanley  holds  the  position  of  Trea- 
surer of  St.  Thomas'  Hospital  as  well  as  that  of 
Chairman  of  the  British  Red  Cross  Society.  His 
knowledge  of  the  nursing  profession  would  neces- 
sarily be  that  of  an  employer.  There  are  several 
matrons  of  large  hospitals  also  connected  with  the 
college.  This  I  do  not  consider  advisable,  as  after 
years  of  work  with  committees,  &c.,  they  more  or 
less  acquire  the  institutional  mind.  The  general 
nurse  wants  someone  in  power  who  will  be  able  to 
entertain  her  point  of  view  in  dealing  with  items 
of  nursing. 

Here  in  Victoria  the  personnel  of  the  Council  of 
the  R. V.T.N. A.  is  regulated  by  the  nurse  voters, 
who  elect  members  once  a  year.  A  few  are 
nominated  by  the  committees  of  the  special  training 
schools,  and  the  appointment  ratified  by  the 
Council.  In  most  cases  the  hospitals  suggest  their 
matrons. 

The  readers  of  Una  will  well  remember  the  firm 
stand  this  Council  took  when  the  then  Minister  of 
Health  decided  that  there  be  no  nursing  member 
upon  the  proposed  board  to  administer  the  State 
Registration  Bill  for  nurses  In  the  opinion  of 
those  best  qualified  to  know,  it  was  considered  that 
it  would  be  better  to  have  no  Bill  at  all  unless  the 
profession  to  be  governed  and  regulated  had  a  voice 
in  the  administration. 

When  I  was  in  London,  in  1912,  Mrs.  Bedford 
Fenwick  and  Dr.  Chappie — ^^who,  by  the  way,  was 
once  in  New  Zealand — were  working  for  their  Bill, 
which,  if  I  remember  rightly,  was  introduced  into 
the  House  of  Commons  by  our  present  Governor- 
General,  Sir  R.  Munro  Ferguson,  who  passed  it 
over  to  Dr.  Chappie  when  leaving  England.  The 
aims  and  ideals  of  their  proposed  Bill  seemed  much 
the  same  as  the  objects  we  are  striving  for.  As  a 
keen  registrationist  I  warmly  support  them  in  their 
efforts,  as  it  appears  to  be  the  best  course  to  uplift 
and  safeguard  the  nursing  profession.  I  hope  now 
that  90  many  nurses  are  eligible  as  women  voters 
they  will  strive  to  place  the  important  r61e  they  try 
to  maintain,  viz.,  the  health  of  a  nation,  before 
their  Parliamentary  representatives,  so  that  their 
services  may  become  more  efficient. — I  am,  &c., 

Gretta  Lyons. 


142 


ZDc  Britleb  Sournal  ot  flurelnfi. 


August  31,   1918 


REGISTRATION  PROPOSALS  IN 
VICTORIA. 

Bills  for  the  registration  of  nurses  and  of 
masseurs  will  be  introduced  into  the  State  Parlia- 
ment in  Victoria,  Australia,  in  the  forthcoming 
session.  It  is  proposed  that  the  Governing  Body 
under  the  Nurses'  Bill  shall  be  composed  of  repre- 
sentatives of  the  medical  and  nursing  professions, 
the  general  public,  and  the  Government. 


NURSING  ECHOES. 


LEGAL  MATTERS. 


Eva  Grace  Thompson,  of  Blackheath,  was  again 
brought  up  on  remand  at  Greenwich  last  week, 
charged  with  the  wilful  murder  of  Kenneth  Cedric 
Goodman,  an  infant  aged  eleven  weeks,  by  striking 
him  on  the  head,  on  or  about  June  4th,  at  the 
Sydenham  Infant  Welfare  Centre.  The  prisoner 
was  defended  by  Mr.  G.  W.  Jones,  and  Sir  Richard 
Muir  appeared  for  the  Director  of  Public  Prosecu- 
tions. Miss  Muriel  Payne,  the  Superintendent  of 
the  Centre,  said  that  the  prisoner,  a  trained  nurse, 
was  alone  in  charge  of  the  patients  for  several 
nights. 

Medical  evidence  was  given  by  Dr.  Gladstone, 
Medical  Officer  of  the  Centre,  and  Lieut. -Colonel 
F.  S.  Toogood,  R.A.M.C.,  in  reference  to  post- 
mortem examinations  on  various  children  at  the 
Centre  whose  skulls  were  found  to  be  fractured. 

The  prisoner  was  again  remanded. 

APPOINTMENTS. 


MATRON. 

Isolation  Hospital,  Mortlake,  S.W.  14.  —  Miss 
Mary  Grace  Lloyd  has  been  appointed  Matron. 
She  was  trained  at  Guy's  Hospital,  and  held 
various  positions  of  responsibility  before  being 
appointed  Matron  at  the  Accident  Hospital, 
Rhymney. 

SISTER. 

St.  Mary's  Hospital,  Plaistow,  E.  13.  —  Miss 
E.  E.  Hibberd  has  been  appointed  Sister  on  the 
Children's  Floor.  She  was  trained  at  the  Lewis- 
ham  Infirmary,  and  has  been  staff  nurse  at  the  St. 
Mary's  Hospital,  Plaistow. 


PRESENTATION. 

Miss  Gregory,  who  for  twenty-one  years  has 
held  the  position  of  Matron  at  the  Aldershot 
Hospital,  has  been  presented  by  the  management 
committee  with  a  solid  silver  Georgian  tea  service 
and  salver  ;  and  a  gold  watch  has  been  presented 
to  Mr.  W.  Wren,  its  Hon.  Secretary,  who  has  also 
been  associated  with  the  work  from  the  start. 


LAVENDER    BAGS    FOR    LINEN 
CUPBOARDS. 

The  Editor  will  be  pleased  to  distribute  lavender 
bags  to  military  hospitals  in  London,  if  friends 
have  any  to  spare.  Address  to  20,  Upper  Wim- 
pole  Street,  London,  W.  i. 


Members  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses' 
Association  will  have  a  specially  warm  welcome 
for  their  Secretary,  Miss  Isabel  Macdonald, 
who  returns  to  town  this  week,  and  who  has 
had  during  her  holiday  in  Scotland  an  experi- 
ence which  might  not  have  had  a  happy  ending. 
Miss  Macdonald  writes  : — "  We  had  a  very 
exciting  evening  yesterday  ;  we  went  out  to  fish 
without  boatmen,  and  one  of  the  worst  squalls 
the  boatmen  remember  on  the  loch  came  on 
unexpectedly.  Oars  were  no  more  useful  than 
teaspoons,  and  we  had  an  exciting  hour,  twenty 
minutes  of  which  was  a  very  grim  struggle. 
My  brother  said  that  had  it  been  a  nervous 
person  with  him  we  never  would  have  survived, 
for  every  time  the  boat  went  down  between  the 
vA'aves  the  least  excited  movement  would  have 
upset  it.  At  last,  after  a  terrific  struggle  on 
the  part  of  the  two  men,  we  managed  to  get 
the  boat  up  to  a  small  island,  climbed  over  the 
side  and  waded  in.  About  nine  it  seemed  a 
little  better,  so  we  made  for  the  Castle  (Loch 
Leven)  Island,  and  just  managed  to  reach  it, 
which  was  consoling,  as  it  meant  the  shelter  of 
the  ruin,  and  a  possible  fiire  if  we  had  to  spend 
the  night  out  there.  However,  a,  club  had  been 
watching  us  with  glasses  from  the  shore,  and 
later  two  boatmen  came  and  took  us  off,  but 
it  took  all  the  strength  of  them  and  the  other 
two  to  make  the  shore.  They  told  my  brother 
very  frankly  that  they  would  not  have  cared 
for  him  or  his  friend,  but  they  were  not  going 
to  let  the  '  leddy  '  spend  the  night  out  there  if 
it  was  possible  to  get  back,  so  don't  say  the 
age  of  chivalry  is  dead  while  there  are  boatmen 
on  the  Scottish  lochs  !  When  the  adventure 
was  over  it  was  entertaining,  but  at  one  stage 
we  thought  each  wave  would  capsize  the  boat, 
and  the  water  touched  my  fingers  as  I  held  on 
to  the  side." 


Nurse  Reid,  of  Dunleer,  has  just  tendered 
her  resignation  to  the  Ardee  Guardians,  after 
thirty  years'  service.  In  asking  a  super- 
annuation allowance,  she  stated,  says  the 
General  Advertiser,  she  had  not  had  an  increase 
in  her  salarv  all  that  time. 


Mr,  James  P.  Chrystal,  the  Chairman  of 
the  St.  George's  Hospital  Nursing  Association, 
Bombay,  in  moving  the  adoption  of  the  annual 
report  at  the  Annual  General  Meeting  of  sub- 
scribers, held  in  Killick  Buildings  on  June  loth, 
said,  in  part : — 

"  It  will  be  observed  from  the  report  that 
considerable  difficulty  is  being  experienced  in 


August  31,   1918 


Cbe  British  3ournal  of  iRursma. 


M3 


securing  suitable  probationers  for  training  in 
the  hospital,  and  also  in  maintaining  the 
numbers  on  the  Private  Nursing  Staff.  The 
chief  cause  for  the  former  difficulty  is  found  to 
be  the  wide  scope  of  better-paid  employment 
for  young  women  in  work  connected  with  the 
war  and  the  attractions  of  the  V.A.D.  work 
in  the  war  hospitals.  The  high  nursing  fees 
obtainable  from  the  public  by  private  nurses 
■working  on  their  own  make  it  more  profitable 
for  nurses  to  commence  nursing  independently 
whenever  they 
have  completed 
their  period  of 
training  and  ob- 
tained their  certi- 
ficates of  qualifica- 
tion. To  in  some 
measure  counter- 
act this  effect  the 
Committee  have 
recently  raised  the 
grades  of  salaries 
of  the  Private 
Nursing  Staff,  and 
they  hope  under 
the  new  schedule 
that  this  staff  may 
be  strengthened. 
To  meet  this  extra 
expenditure  and 
the  additional  cost 
o  f  maintenance 
due  to  a  depleted 
staff  it  has  been 
necessary  to  in- 
crease the  charge 
for  a  nurse  by 
Re.  I  per  day. 


"  During  the 
past  year  the  work 
in  the  wards  of  the 
hospital  has  been 
particularly  heavy 
and  arduous.  The 
small -pox  epi- 
demic and  other 
infectious        cases 

have  called  for  a  good  deal  of  isolated  nursing, 
which  throws  a  great  additional  strain  on  the 
staff,  and  I  desire  to  express  the  Committee's 
appreciation  of  the  devoted  manner  in  which  the 
nurses  have  met  the  extra  strain  thus  thrown 
upon  them. 


MISS    CHARLOTTE     RICHA\OND     MILL. 
Kaisar-i-Hind  Medal,  Matron  St.  Qeorge's  Hospital,  Bombay 


on  Miss  Mill,  the  Lady  Superintendent  of  St. 
George's  Hospital.  The  award  of  the  Kaisar- 
i-Hind  medal  is  a  high  mark  of  Government's 
appreciation  of  her  long  and  honourable  nurs- 
ing career  in  India.  Miss  Mill  was  brought  out 
to  India  with  one  of  the  first  drafts  of  Nursing 
Sisters  in  the  early  days  of  plague,  and  she 
remained  in  Government  service  till  1902,  when 
she  was  permitted  to  join  this  Association  as 
its  Lady  Superintendent  when  it  took  over  the 
nursing  of  the  hospital  from  the  Sisters  of  All 

Saints.  The  St. 
George's  H  o  s  - 
pital  Nursing 
Association  was 
the  first  of  all  the 
Nursing  Associa- 
tions in  India,  and 
Miss  Mill  was  con- 
sequently the  first 
Lady  Superin- 
tendent of  such  an 
Institution  in  this 
country.  Her 
administration  of 
the  nursing  staff 
during  the  last 
fifteen  years  has 
found  great  accep- 
tance with  the 
Committee  and 
the  surgical  and 
medical  officers  at 
the  hospital,  and 
her  sense  of 
equity  and  justice, 
combined  with  her 
ability  in  training 
the  nurses  under 
her  care,  has 
always  won  for 
her  the  staff's 
respect  and 
esteem.  It  there- 
fore gives  me 
great  pleasure  to 
take  this  opportu- 
nity of  conveying 
to  Miss  Mill  this 
Association's  warmest  congratulations  on  the 
public  recognition  which  her  services  have  so 
deservedly  received." 


"  I  cannot  conclude  my  remarks  without 
referring  with  peculiar  pleasure  to  the  honour 
which  has  just  been  conferred  by  Government 


The  Bloemfontein  Hospital  Board  has  (says 
the  South  African  Nursing  Record)  raised  the 
question  of  nurses'  hours,  and  considerable 
discussion  took  place  on  the  subject.  There 
seemed  to  be  a  general  agreement  that  some- 
thing on  the    lines   of  the    recent   Transvaal 


J  44 


Zhc  Brttteb  3ournal  of  iRursino. 


August  31,   1918 


Ordinance  was  required,  though  the  possibility 
of  three  eigfht-hour  shifts  a  day  was  also  men- 
tioned. Our  contemporary  continues  : — **  We 
are  greatly  averse  to  excessively  long  hours  for 
nurses,  and  we  think  that  they  could  in  many 
cases  be  shortened  with  advantage.  At  the 
same  time  we  should  not  like  to  see  a  matron's 
powers  in  this  direction  too  rigidly  limited. 
Off  and  on  duty  hours  could  well  be  adjusted 
to  meet  the  needs  of  the  institution  at  any  par- 
ticular time,  and  we  do  not  think  that  either 
nurses  themselves  or  the  public  will  deny  that 
it  should  be  the  privilege  of  the  administrative 
head  of  a  hospital  to  call  upon  the  staff  to  work 
overtime  if  the  welfare  of  sick  people  depends 
upon  it,  and  provided  that  justice  is  always 
done.  This  call  to  self-sacrifice  and  the  liability 
to  uncertain  and  exhausting  hours  is  one  of  the 
conditions  both  doctors  and  nurses  accept  when 
they  take  up  the  work,  and  is  part  of  the  dis- 
cipline of  our  profession.  We  know  that  both 
these  classes  of  workers  recognise  it  them- 
selves gladly." 

*' INTERN   THEM  ALL." 


No  one  who  watched  the  procession  which 
streamed  down  Oxford  Street  on  its  way  to 
Trafalgar  Square  last  Saturday  afternoon  after 
the  great  meeting  in  Hyde  Park,  to  demand  the 
internment  of  all  enemy  aliens,  naturalised  or 
unnaturalised,  could  be  in  any  doubt  as  to  the 
temper  of  the  People  on  this  question,  or  of  the 
wisdom  of  the  National  Party  in  organising  the 
demonstration. 

Brigadier-General  Page  Croft,  who  presided  at 
the  principal  platform  in  the  Park,  emphasised 
his  conviction  that  the  right  poUcy  is  to  "  intern 
thera  all."  And  the  Government  must  begin 
with  the  dangerons  wealthy  Hun.  Of  what  use  is 
it  to  penalise  the  poor  when  the  rich,  who  have 
bought  themselves  power,  and  who  consequently 
count,  are  at  large  ?  All  must  be  interned  in  the 
interests  of  national  safety. 

Mrs.  Dacre  Fox  was  as  emphatic  as  General 
Page  Croft.  She  was  "  out  for  the  internment  of 
every  alien  of  enemy  blood,  naturalized  or  un- 
naturalized." She  moved  the  following  resolution, 
which  was  carried  by  acclamation  at  all  five 
platforms  : — 

"  This  meeting,  representative  of  all  sections  of 
his  Majesty's  subjects  in  the  United  Kingdom 
and  the  British  Dominions  beyond  the  seas,  calls 
upon  his  Majesty's  Government  to  lose  no  further 
time  in  interning  every  enemy  alien;  in  de- 
naturalising those  naturalised  during  the  war  or 
ten  years  prior  thereto  ;  in  immediately  removing 
every  enemy  a'ien  irom  Government  employ- 
ment, and  generally  in  taldng  diastic  steps  to 
eradicate  all  enemy  influence  throughout  the 
country." 


Amongst  the  inscriptions  on  the  banners  borne 
in  the  procession  were  : 

"  Before  you  vote   for  a   Party  ask    where 

their  Funds  came  from." 
"  No    German   has   ever   subscribed  to   the 

National   Party,    can  other  Parties  say 

the  same  ?  " 
"The  National  Party  has  No  Secret  Funds." 

The  Monster  Petition  to  the  Prime  Minister, 
including  over  a  million  signatures,  was  presented 
at  No.  10,  Downing  Street  by  General  Page  Croft, 
who  subsequently  leported  the  result  to  the 
waiting  meeting  in  Trafalgar  Square,  on  which 
the  meeting  passed  a  resolution,  expressing  its 
regret  and  dismay,  that  the  message  of  the  Prime 
Minister  clearly  indicated  that  his  Majesty's 
Government  does  not  appreciate  the  deep 
National  feeling  with  regard  to  aliens  at  large. 
In  forwarding  the  resolution  General  Page  Croft, 
in  an  open  letter,  has  requested  the  Prime 
Minister  to  state  the  earliest  date  on  which  ho 
will  personally  receive  a  deputation,  and  adds  : — 

"  On  behalf  of  the  demonstrators  repre- 
senting the  National  Party,  the  British  Empire 
Union,  the  Discharged  Soldiers'  and  Sailors' 
Association,  and  many  other  kindred  bodies,  may 
I  take  this  opportunity  of  impressing  upon  you 
the  intense  feeling  which  exists  throughout  the 
country  on  this  subject,  and  my  fear  that,  unless 
immediate  steps  are  taken  to  intern  all  enemy 
aliens,  whether  rich  or  poor,  confidence  in  your 
Government  may  be  impaired  at  this  time  when 
nationa.l  unity  is  essential  if  complete  victory  is 
to  be  secured." 


FORT-REVIVER. 

Newman's  Fort-Reviver  is  a  beverage  which  has 
quickly  won  its  way  to  public  favour,  and  has  many 
points  to  recommend  it.  As  its  name  implies,  it  is 
a  stimulant,  and,  moreover,  a  stimulant  which  is 
non-alcoholic,  which  will  commend  it  to  a  large 
section  of  the  public.  If  taken  with  this  object  it 
should  be  undiluted,  but  it  is  also  a  pleasant  "  long 
drink  "  when  taken  with  aerated  water.  It  is 
obtainable  everywhere,  the  large-sized  bottles  being 
5s.  6d.,  and  the  smaller  3s.  gd.  If  any  difficulty, 
is  experienced  in  obtaining  it  application  should  be 
made  to  Messrs.  H.  &  C.  Newman,  London  Office, 
41  and  42,  Upper  Rathbone  Place,  W.  i. 

The  Great  Northern  Central  Hospital  has 
received  from  the  staff  of  the  Argentine  Estates 
of  Bovril,  Ltd.,  a  remittance  for  £^g,  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  Santa  Elena  Bed  in  the 
Hospital's  Military  Annexe,  Manor  Gardens — 
as  well   as   other   overseas   donations. 


The  Entente  Cordiale  has  found  recent  expression 
In  the  arrangements  made  with  Charing  Cross 
Hospital  for  the  reception  for  three  months  of 
French  nurses  endorsed  by  the  French  Red  Cross, 
so  that  they  may  get  an  insight  into  English 
methods. 


August  31,  1918 


(Tbe  3Brttt0b  3ournal  of  TRursino. 


^45 


OUTSIDE    THE    GATES. 


BOOK    OP  THE   WEEK. 


WOMEN. 

The  Deputy  Registration  Officer  at  Enfield, 
when  asked,  on  August  30th,  whether  nurses 
in  hospitals  or  institutions  who  had  separate 
sleeping  apartments  or  shared  rooms  in  common 
with  other  nurses  were  entitled  to  the  vote,  said 
that  unless  it  could  be  proved  that,  as  part  of  her 
contract  or  engagement,  a  nurse  was  definitely 
entitled  to  the  use  of  a  specific  room  and  could 
not  be  removed  without  due  notice,  she  could 
not  be  accepted  as  occupying  the  room  for  the 
purposes  of  the  Act. 


In  view  of  this  decision  it  is  extremely  in- 
teresting to  consider  the  usage  at  Charing  Cross 
Hospital  in  regard  to  the  nurses'  quarters. 

1.  All  the  nurses  have  latchkeys  to  the  Nurses' 
Home. 

2.  Every  nurse  has  a  bedroom  allotted  to  her 
when  she  enters  the  hospital  for  training,  and 
keeps  it  throughout  the  period  of  four  years, 
whether  on  day  or  night  duty,  except  in  a  very 
few  instances  when  a  nurse  asks  to  be  allowed  to 
change  her  room. 

3.  The  locks  on  the  bedroom  doors  are  similar 
to  those  on  hotel  doors.  If  a  nurse  takes  her 
key  out  of  her  bedroom  door  it  can  only  be 
opened  by  the  matron  with  her  pass  key,  and  by 
the  servant  of  the  landing  who  has  a  pass  key 
for  cleaning  purposes,  so  the  nurse's  room  is 
really  her  own. 

The  Town  Clerk  and  registration  officer  of 
Oxford  City,  M-.  Richard  Bacon,  had  an  important 
point  to  decide  in  the  revision  court  on  August  21st. 

A  number  of  the  wives  of  Oxford  Dons,  according 
to  the  Times,  claimed  to  be  on  the  lists,  but  the 
Town  Clerk  pointed  out  that  Section  257  of  the 
Municipal  Corporations  Act  provided  that  nothing 
in  that  Act  should  entitle  any  person  to  be  enrolled 
as  a  citizen  of  the  city  of  Oxford  by  reason  of  his 
occupation  of  any  rooms,  chambers,  or  premises 
in  any  college  or  hall  of  the  University .  Persons 
so  occupying  were,  prior  to  the  Act  of  1918,  placed 
on  the  Parliamentary  but  not  on  the  municipal 
list.  Unfortunately,  in  the  new  Act  the  lady's 
vote  depended  on  her  possessing  the  municipal 
vote,  either  in  her  own  right  or  that  of  her  husband. 
In  the  case  under  consideration,  if  the  Warden  of 
Wadham  admitted,  as  he  now  did,  that  he  was  not 
entitled  to  what  was  called  the  Local  Government 
vote,  which  was,  of  course,  here  the  burgess  vote, 
his  wife  lost  in  consequence  not  only  her  Local 
■Government  vote  but  also  her  Parliamentary  vote. 
That,  he  thought,  was  regrettable.  It  could  never 
have  been  intended  by  Parliament,  and  he  thought 
the  officers  of  the  Crown  in  drawing  the  Act,  or  the 
Parliamentary  draftsmen,  must  have  overlooked 
this  provision  in  the  Municipal  Corporations 
Act. 


"THAT    WHICH    HATH    WINGS."* 

A  book  by  Richard  Dehan,  author  of  "  The 
Dop  Doctor,"  is  certain  to  be  interesting  and 
arresting,  and  "  That  which  hath  Wings " 
is  true  to  type.  It  is  a  picture  of  Society  just 
before  and  during  the  war,  and  the  "  Dop  Doctor," 
now  established  in  a  fashionable  practice  in 
Harley  Street,  his  wife  Lynette,  and  their  boy 
Bawne — the  brave  Boy  Scout — play  a  prominent 
part  in  its  pages,  though  the  central  figures  are 
Francis  Athelstan  Sherbrand",  Viscount  Norwater, 
and  his  wife  Margot,  otherwise  known  as  "  Kit- 
turns." 

"  It  was  a  genuine  love-match,  Franky  being,  a 
comparatively  poor  Guardsman  with  only  two 
thousand  a  year  in  addition  to  his  pay  as  a  Second 
Lieutenant  in  the  Royal  Bearskin 's  Plain,  and 
Margot  a  mere  Cinderella  in  comparison  with 
heiresses  of  the  American  canned-provision  and 
cereal  kind." 

It  seemed  to  Franky  that  all  his  wooing  had 
been  done  at  Margot's  Club,  though  he  actually 
proposed  to  her  at  the  Royal  Naval  and  Military 
Tournament ;  "  and  Margot,  hysterical  with 
sheer  ecstasy,  as  the  horses  gravely  played  at 
push-ball,  had  pinched  his  arm  and  gasped  out 
'  Yes,  but  don't  take  my  mind  off  the  game  just 
now — these  dear  beasts  are  so  heavenly.'  " 

"  The  honeymoon  might  have  been  termed  ideal 
— and  four  subsequent  months  of  married  life 
proved  tolerably  cloudless — until  Fate  sent  a 
stinging  hailstorm  to  strip  the  roses  from  the  bridal 
bower,  and  an  unexpected,  appalling,  inevitable 
discovery  made  in  Paris,  in  the  Grande  Semaine, 
utterly  ruined — ^for  two  people — ^the  day  of  the 
Grand  Prix  " — for  Margot  made  the  discovery — 
which  she  deeply  resented — ^that  the  crown  of 
motherhood  was  to  be  hers. 

"  '  I  can't  bear  it  !  I  won't  bear  it  !'  Margot 
reiterated.  With  her  tumbled  hair,  swollen  eyes, 
pink  uptilted  nose,  and  little  mouth  and  chin 
that  quivered  with  each  sobbing  breath  intaken, 
she  looked  absurdly  babyish  for  her  twenty  years, 
as  she  vowed  wild  horses  shouldn't  drag  her  to 
Longchamps,  and  railed  against  the  injustice 
of  Fate. 

"  '  None  of  my  married  friends  have  had  such 
rotten  bad  luck,'  she  asserted.  She  stamped 
upon  the  velvety  carpet  and  flashed  at  Franky 
a  glance  of  imperious  appeal.  '  Not  Tota  Stannus, 
or  Cynthia  Charterhouse,  or  Joan  Delabrarld,  or 
anybody  !  Then  why  me  !  That's  what  I  want 
to  know  !  After  all  the  mascots  I've  worn,  or 
carried  about  with  me  .  .  .  Gojo  and  Jollikins, 
and  the  jade  tree-frog  and  the  rest  !  .  .  .  Every 
single  one  given  me  by  a  different  woman  who 
had  been  married  for  years  and  never  had  a  baby  ! 
This  very  day  I'll  smash  the  whole  lot  !' 

"  '  By  the  Great  Brass  Hat !' 

"  Franky  exploded  before  he  could  stop  him- 
self, and  laughed  till  the  tears  rolled  down.     So 

*  Wm.  Heinemann,  21,  Bedford  St.,  W.C.    7/-  net. 


146 


JLbc  British  3ournal  of  IRureing. 


August  31,   1918 


'  Gojo  '  the  black  velvet  kitten,  and  Jollikins, 
and  all  the  army  of  gadgets  and  netsukis 
crowding  Maxgot's  toilette  table  and  seer  Hair  e, 
down  to  '  Pat-Pat,'  the  bog-oak  pig,  and 
'  Ti-ti,'  the  jade  tree-frog,  were  so  many  in- 
surances against  the  Menace  of  Maternity.  By 
Jove  !  women  were  regular  children  .  .  .  And 
Margot  .  .  .  Nothing  but  a  baby  this  poor  little 
Margot — agoing,  in  spite  of  Jollikins  and 
Gojo,    to    have    a  baby  of   her  own. 

"  '  What  is  one  to  believe  ?  Whom  is  one  to 
trust  in  ?' 

"  '  Trust  in  .  .  .  My  best  child,  you  don't 
mean  that  you  believed  those  women  when  they 
told  you  that  such  two-penny  gadgets  could  work 
charms    of — ^that   or    any    other   kind  ?' 

"  '  Indeed,  indeed  they  do  !  Tota  Stannus 
was  perfectly  serious  when  she  came  to  my  boudoir 
one  night  at  the  club,  about  a  week  before  our — 
the  wedding.  .  .  .  She  said — I  can  hear  her  now  : 
Well,  old  child,  you're  to  he  married  on  Wednesday, 
and  of  course  you  know  the  ropes  well  enough  not 
towantany  tips  from  me.  .  .  .  Still — ' 

"  '  That  wasn't  overwhelmingly  flattering,' 
Franky  commented,  '  from  a  woman  twice  your 
age.     What   else   did   she   say  ?' 

"  '  She  said  I  must  be  aware,'  went  on  Margot, 
'  that  a  woman  who  wanted  to  keep  her  friends 
and  her  figure,  simply  couldn't  afford  to  have 
kids  !' 

"  '  And  you — ' 

"  Franky  no  longer  battled  with  the  grin  that 
would  have  infuriated  Margot.  Something  had 
wiped  it  from  his  face." 

More  revelations  from  Margot,  till  at  length 
Franky  said  :  "  Look  here,  this  is — strict  Bridge. 
Do  you  loathe  'em — ^the  kiddies — so  horribly  that 
the  idea  of  having  any  is  distasteful  to  you  ? 
Or  is  it — not  only  the — the  veto  it  puts  on  larking 
and  kickabout  and — ^the  temporary  disfigurement 
— ^you're  afraid  of — ^but  the — the — ^the  inevitable 
pain.  .  .  .  Tell  me  frankly."  He  waited  an  instant 
and  then  said  in  an  urgent  whisper  :  "  Answer 
me  !  .  .  .  For  God's  sake,  tell  me  the  frozen  truth, 
Margot !" 

Poor  Margot — ^thoughtless,  irresponsible  little 
humming  bird — ^faced  with  the  realities  of  life, 
confessed  to  her  dread  of  the  ugliness  of  the  thing 
and  her  fear  of  the  pain — the  awful  pain.  "  '  And 
besides — my  mother  died  when  I  was  born  !' 
Margot's  voice  was  a  fluttering,  appealing  whisper  ; 
her  great  eyes  were  dilated  and  wild  with  terror." 

Franky,  out  of  his  love  for  his  wife,  able  to 
understand  something  of  her  mental  outlook, 
agreed  that  he  was  frightfully  sorry  for  her. 
"  All  the  more  so  because  I  can't  help  being 
thundering  glad."  Then  he  explained,  "  It's  got 
to  do  with  the  Peerage  .  .  .  naturally  enough — 
I  want  a  boy  to  take  the  Viscounty  when  I  succeed 
my  father,  and  have  the  Earldom  when  I've 
absquatulated,  just  as  the  kiddy'U  want  one 
when  his  own  time  comes." 

Later,  at  the  sight  of  a  mother  and  her  babe  in 
the  public  park,  "  a  dimness  came  before  his 
vision,    and   it   was   as   though   dimpled   hands 


plucked  at  his  heart.  He  suffered  a  sudden  revul- 
sion strange  in  a  young  man,  so  modern,  so 
up-to-date  and  beautifully  tailored.  He  knew 
that  he  longed  for  a  son  most  desperately.  And 
the    devil    of    it    was — ^Margot    did    not." 

Fate  decreed  that  Franky  and  Margot  should 
witness  the  trial  ascent  with  a  French  pilot  of  a 
British  monoplane  (the  Bird  of  War),  fitted  with 
an  invention  which  the  French  experts  were  there 
to  test  with  a  view  to  purchase.  The  inventor 
was  on  the  ground,  for,  as  a  French  of&cer  politely 
explained,  "  despite  the  Entente  Cordiale,  it 
would  hardly  be  convenable  or  discreet  to  permit 
even  an  Englishman  to  fly  over  Paris  or  any  other 
fortified  City  of  France." 

Franky,  as  he  watched  the  Bird  of  War  through 
his  pocket  field  glass,  was  sensible  o*  a  thrill  behind 
his  immaculate  waistcoat. 

"  If  the  English  inventor  had  not  solved  the 
baffling  Problem  of  Stability,  he  had  come  un- 
commonly near  it,  by  the  Great  Brass  Hat.  And 
the  dud  heads  at  Whitehall  had  shown  the  door  to 
him  and  his  invention.  '  Good  Christmas  !  how 
like  'em  !  '  reflected  Franky,  lowering  the  glasses 
to  chuckle  and  looking  round  for  Margot." 

We  first  make  the  acquaintance  of  Count  von 
Herrnung,  who  is  to  play  a  prominent  part  in  the 
story,  at  a  dinner  at  the  Hotel  Spitz  in  the  Place 
Vendome,  where  he  had  the  insolence  to  propose 
that  the  guests — some  of  whom  had  been  "  rot- 
ting "  him — should  drink  a  toast  "  to  show  there  is 
no  ill  will.  ...  It  would  be  amusing  if  you  would 
all  join  me  in  drinking  to  The  I^ay." 

"  Lord  Norwater  (Franky),  lobster  red  and 
rather  flurried,  turned  to  von  Herrnung,  and  said 
not  loudly,  yet  clearly  enough  to  be  heard  by  every 
guest  at  the  table — 

"  '  Stop  !  Sorry  to  swipe  in,  Count,  but  you'd 
better  not  order  that  wine,  I  think  !  ' 

"  '  You  think  not  ?  '  asked  von  Herrnung  with 
coolest  insolence. 

"  '  I — don't  think  so  ?  I'm  dead  sure  !  '  said 
Franky,  getting  redder.  '  We  Britons  laugh  at 
brag  and  blufiing  ;  and  the  gassy  patriotism  shown 
by  some  foreigners  we're  apt  to  call  bad  form. 
We  abuse  our  Institutions  and  rag  our  Govern- 
ments ;  we've  done  that  since  the  year  One — far  as 
I  can  make  out.  And  when  other  people  do  it 
we  generally  sit  tight  and  smile.  We've  no  use 
for  heroics.  But  when  the  pinch  comes — it  ain't  so 
much  that  we're  loyal,  we're  Loyalty  ;  we're  it  1 — 
We're  ready  to  make  allowances — too  rottenly 
ready  sometimes.  But  I  read  off  the  iddy-umpties 
to  Full  Stop,  a  minute  back.  Count  vor  Herrnung, 
when  you  ask  English  ladies  and  Englishmen — two 
of  'em  in  the  Service — to  drink  that  toast  with 
you,  you  must  know  you're  putting  your  foot  in 
your  hat ! '  " 

That  night  the  Assassinations  at  Sarajevo  were 
announced  in  the  papers.  Berlin  had  had  the 
story  with  its  breakfast  rolls  and  hot  creamed 
coffee. 

So  the  basis  of  the  story ;  and  the  principal 
dramatis  persona — ^Lord  Norwater  and  Kittums, 
Sherbrand  (the  aviator  who  proves  to  be  Franky's 


August  31,  1918 


Zbc  ffiritisb  3ournal  of  'Wurelnfl. 


147 


cousin),  Dr.  Saxham  and  his  wife  and  boy. 
Count  von  Hermung,  Patrine  Saxham  (whose 
willing  weakness  was  the  cause  o*  so  much  sorrow 
to  herself  and  others)  play  for  us  the  drama 
which  keeps  us  absorbed  to  the  last  page. 

According  to  the  mental  outlook  of  the  reader, 
so  will  the  verdict  be.  Some  will  disapprove, 
some  will  regard  the  book  as  a  tract  more  powerful 
than  many  sermons.  None  can  be  indifferent,  for 
the  pen  of  Richard  Dehan,  which  made  "  The 
Dop  Doctor  "  one  of  the  outstanding  books  of  our 
time,  has  limned  for  us  a  living  and  glowing 
picture  of  current  events,  and  of  Society  in  the 
days  preceding  the  war,  which  will  be  read  by  the 
children  of  those  who  fought  the  great  fight,  when 
Blue  Books  are  buried  in  official  departments, 
and  lie  unread  on  the  shelves  of  the  British 
Museum.  So  much  greater  the  pity  that  the 
manner  in  which  the  Woman's  Suffrage  Movement 
is  presented  cannot  be  regarded  as  representing 
facts,  rather  they  are  so  distorted  as  to  be 
grotesque.  P.  G.  Y. 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 


WHAT  TO  READ. 

We  recommend  to  the  attention  of  our  readers 
Dr.  Miiehlon's  Diary,  published  by  Cassell  &  Co., 
Ltd.  (5s.  net),  as  a  book  to  be  read.  Dr.  Miiehlon 
at  the  outbreak  of  the  war  was  a  director  of 
Krupp's  works  at  Essen.  He  severed  his  connec- 
tion with  the  firm,  left  Germany,  and  settled  in 
Switzerland.    The  Diary  is  of  poignant  interest. 

They  should  also  endeavour  to  procure  a  copy  of 
a  pamphlet  entitled  "  Reality  :  the  World's  Search- 
light on  Germany,"  No.  135.  It  is  printed  by 
G.  Binney  Dibblee,  and  is  obtainable  in  England 
and  Wales  through  any  branch  of  W.  H.  Smith 
&  Son,  and  in  Scotland  through  any  branch  of 
John  Men-'ies  &  Co.,  Ltd. 


"RED-ROBED     FRANCE." 

The  Huns  stripped  off  my  own  green  gown 

And  left  me  stark  and  bare  ; 
My  sons,  they  spread  a  red  robe  down 

And  wrapped  me  in  it  there. 

The  garb  they  brought  was  red  as  blood — 

The  robe  was  red  as  flame  ; 
They  veiled  me  in  it  where  I  stood 

And  took  away  my  shame. 

Was  ever  web  so  costly  wove. 

Or  warp  so  glorious  spun  ? 
I'll  wear  no  vestments  prized  above 

That  wide  and  scarlet  one. 

Though  younger  sons  some  happier  day. 

Weave  me  a  fair  green  gown 
Anew,  or  bid  me  don  array 

Of  corn-ripe  gold  and  brown. 

The   names    (like   beads,    told   one   by    one) 

My  heart  will  still  repeat  ; 
Will  call,  with  tears,  each  dear,  dear  son 
Whose  red  robe  wrapped  my  feet. 

By  Charles  Buxton  Going,  in 
•  "  Everybody's  Magazine." 


Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  for  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  be 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents. 

NURSERY  SCHOOL. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — I  entirely  agree  with  Miss 
Theresa  McGrath  as  to  the  importance  of  nurses 
interesting  themselves  in  the  development  of  public 
health  work,  for  it  appears  to  me  that  such  wo.k 
is  of  more  far-reaching  importance  than  that  of 
any  other  department  of  nursing.  To  help  in  main- 
taining a  high  standard  of  health  is  even  niore 
worth  while  than  helping  to  cure  disease.  In  the 
latter  case  we  are  trying  to  mend  what  is  damaged : 
in  the  former,  to  maintain  what  is  f>erfect  in  a  state 
of  perfection.  The  repair  of  a  damaged  article 
may  be  carried  out  so  skilfully  that  few  people  can 
detect  the  flaw,  but  it  is  there  all  the  same,  and 
detracts  from  the  value  of  the  article  in  the  eye  of 
the  expert. 

In  the  same  way,  once  health  has  been  impaired 
it  is  never  quite  the  same  again ;  it  may  be  most 
skilfully  restored,  but  the  flaw  is  there.  For  this 
reason  it  seems  to  me  most  desirable  that  trained 
nurses  should  have  charge  of  the  infants  under  five 
in  nursery  schools.  These  years  are  supremely 
important  ones  in  the  life  and  development  of  the 
child,  and  the  daily  supervision  of  these  infants  by 
a  skilled  nurse  would  have  a  far-reaching  influence 
on  their  health  in  after  life.  What  more  worth 
while  to  a  nurse,  who  sees  things  at  their  true 
value,  than  to  fight,  in  the  interest,  not  alone  of 
the  individual  child,  but  of  posterity,  against  the 
onset  of  a  disease  such  as  rickets,  or  the  develop- 
ment of  tuberculosis?  Or,  again,  to  build  up  the 
health  of  the  child  with  a  bad  family  history,  so 
as  to  enable  it  to  offer  an  effective  resistance  to  the 
inroads  of  disease. 

In  work  of  this  kind  there  is  no  picturesque 
background,  no  spectacular  triumph,  but  nothing 
could  be  more  solidly  fruitful  in  good  result.  But 
if  the  importance  of  the  trained  nurse  as  a  factor 
in  preserving  the  health  of  young  children  is  recog- 
nized, then  the  most  skilled  workers  should  be 
secured,  and  they  should  be  paid  salaries  com- 
mensurate with  their  skilled  services.  It  is  unfor- 
tunately a  lesson  which,  as  a  nation,  we  are  very 
slow  to  learn,  where  women  are  concerned. 
Yours  faithfully. 

Public  Health. 


OUR     PRIZE     COMPETITION. 

QUESTIONS. 

September  yth. — What  are  the  principal  functions 
of  a  School  Nurse?  How  may  she  assist  in  raising 
the  standard  of  national  health? 

September  i^th. —  What  do  you  know  of  Exoph- 
thalmic Goitre,  its  symptoms  and  nursing  care? 


m8        Zbc  Br(ti0b  3ournal  of  'Rurelnc  Supplement,  ^'^s'^f  3^,  19^8 

The 


THE  CENTRAL  MIDWIVES  BOARD. 

At  the  Examination  held  by  the  Central  Mid- 
wives  Board  (England)  on  August  ist,  in  London 
and  the  provinces,  494  candidates  were  examined 
and  400  passed  the  examination.  The  percentage 
of  failures  was  19. 

HOSPITAL   TREATMENT   FOR  INFANTS 
AND    YOUNG    CHILDREN. 

The  Mansion  House  Council  on  Health  and 
Housing,  of  which  the  Lord  Mayor  is  president, 
has  recently  instituted  an  inquiry  as  to  the 
adequacy  of  hospital  accommodation  and  treat- 
ment for  infants  and  young  children  in  London. 

The  general  conclusion  is  that  there  is  an 
insufficiency  in  most  districts  for  the  institutional 
treatment  of  infants  and  young  children.  Except 
in  a  few  instances  that  deficiency  cannot  be  made 
good  by  existing  hospitals,  save  at  the  expense  of 
the  older  children.  In  some  cases  additional 
accommodation  could  be  provided  in  new  buildings 
if  funds  were  forthcoming. 

To  meet  the  need  it  has  been  suggested  to  the 
committee  that  wards  should  be  set  aside  for 
infants  and  young  children  in  existing  hospitals, 
or  small  local  wards  set  up  for  minor  ailments  ; 
that  each  infant  welfare  centre  should  have 
attached  to  it  a  residential  home  or  observation 
ward  for  delicate  babies  ;  that  open-air  schools 
should  be  provided  for  the  prevention  and  cure  of 
consumption  ;  that  minor  operation  cases  ought 
not  to  be  discharged  so  quickly  as  now  ;  that  delay 
in  performing  operations  should  be  prevented  and 
long  waiting  at  the  hospital  curtailed  ;  and  that 
facilities  should  be  available  for  daily  attendance 
for  simple  treatment  on  the  lines  of  school  clinics. 

In  regard  to  Poor  Law  Infirmary  facilities  the 
Council  consider  the  results  unsatisfactory  in  the 
case  of  delicate  babies.  They  think  the  Local 
Government  Board  and  Boards  of  Guardians 
might  consider  whether  the  arrangements  could 
not  be  improved. 

OPHTHALMIA     NEONATORUM. 

By  a  new  order  of  the  Scottish  Local  Government 
Board  cases  of  ophthalmia  neonatorum  become 
compulsorily  notified  in  Scotland  from  November 
ist,  next.  The  Board  advises  local  authorities 
to  take  counsel  with  their  Medical  Officer  of 
Health  so  as  to  ensure  skilled  attendance  for  every 
case  so  notified. 

VENEREAL    DISEASES. 

Much  attention  is  just  now  being  directed  to 
the  question  of  venereal  diseases,  owing  to  con- 
victions under  Clause  40D  of  the  Defence  of  the 
Realm  Act,  and  it  is  well  that  nurses  and  mid- 
wives  should  be  well  informed  as  to  their  chief 
symptoms.     These  were  well  described  recently 


by  Mr.  Leonard  Myer,  F.R.C.S.,  in  his  course  of 
lectures  at^t.  Paul's  Hospital,  Red  Lion  Square. 

Gonorrhoea,  he  said,  ran  a  rapid  and'  acute 
course,  the  incubatiOA  being  three  days,  and  it 
was  a  local  disease.. 

Syphilis,  on  the  other  hand,  was  always  chronic, 
its  incubation  was  three  weeks.  The  secondary 
stage  began  when  the  glands  unconnected  with,  the 
sexual  organs  became  enlarged,  e.g.,  those  in'  the 
bend  of  the  elbow. 

In  regard  to  the  early  complications  in  both 
sexes,  syphilis  had  very  few  comphcations, 
though  its  existence  predispostd  the  patient 
to  other  diseases,  i.e.,  phthisis,  malaria,  diabetes 
and  Bright'^  disease,  the  existence  of  the  last- 
named  also  precluded  the  patient  from  treatn^ent 
by  mercury. 

In  gonoirhoea  there  were  a  whole  host  of  com- 
plications, some  affecting  the  male  or  the  female 
only,  and  some  common  to  both  sexes. 

Some  of  those  common  to  both  sexes  were 
cystitis,  ophthalmia,  joint  affection,  meningitis 
peritonitis,  flat-foot  and  blood  poisoning. 

In  the  male,  orchitis,  acute  stricture,  prostatic 
abscess. 

?.   In  the  female  Bartolin's  gland  became  enlarged 
and  inflamed. 

USE    OF    ABORTIFACIENTS. 

The  Local  Government  Board,  in  their  Circular 
on  Maternity  and  Child  Welfare,  addressed  to 
County  Councils  and  Sanitary  Authorities,  state 
that  a  report  was  published  by  the  Privy  Council 
Office  in  19 10  on  the  practice  of  medicine  and 
surgery  by  unqualified  persons.  For  the  purpose 
of  that  Report  the  Board  obtained  some  particulars 
from  Medical  Officers  of  Health,  which  showed 
that  the  sale  of  drugs  intended  to  procure  abortion 
and  practice  by  abortion-mongers  was  prevalent  in 
many  parts  of  the  country.  From  information 
obtained  by  Medical  Inspectors  of  the  Board  in 
connection  with  their  inquiries  Into  Maternity  and 
Child  Welfare  work  and  from  other  material,  the 
Board  have  reason  to  fear  that  these  practices  con- 
tinue. One  of  the  drugs  most  commonly  employed 
for  this  purpose  Is  diachylon,  and  on  April  27th, 
1917,  an  Order  in  Council  was  made  adding  to  the 
list  of  poisons  for  the  purpose  of  Part  I  of  the 
Schedule  of  Poisons  "  lead  in  combination  with 
oleic  acid,  or  other  highly  fatted  acids,  whether 
sold  as  diachylon  or  under  any  other  designation 
(except  machine  spread  plasters)."  The  Board 
would  urge  every  Local  Authority  to  bring  this 
order  to  the  notice  of  the  druggists  and  of  the 
practising  midwives  In  their  area,  to  explain  to 
their  Health  Visitors  and  to  the  midwives  the  risks 
to  life  and  health  involved  In  the  use  of  diachylon, 
and  In  every  other  way  to  do  what  they  can  to  stop 
the  traffic  In  abortifacients  and  the  practice  of 
abortion-mongers  in  their  districts. 


THE 


iimi 


WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 


EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


No.  1,588. 


SATURDAY,    SEPTEMBER    7,    1918. 


vol.    LXI. 


EDITORIAL. 


A    MONUMENT    OF    GRATITUDE. 

We  print  in  our  correspondence  columns 
a  letter  from  the  Right  Hon.  John  Hodge, 
M.P.,  Minister  of  Pensions  and  Chairman 
of  the  Trustees  for  the  King's  Fund  for  the 
Disabled,  which  must  go  straight  home  to 
every  one  in  these  Realms,  who  lives  securely, 
because  others  have  barred  the  way  to 
invasion  by  fire  and  sword  with  their  flesh 
and  blood,  and  have  in  consequence  been 
disabled. 

Surely  the  first  instinct  of  gratitude  is  to 
see  that  the  men  who  have  thus  suffered  on 
our  behalf  shall  have  all  the  assistance 
possible  to  start  business  in  civil  life  once 
again.  So  urgent  is  the  need  for  this  that 
the  Minister  of  Pensions  began  last  year  to 
receive  contributions  to  a  Voluntary  Fund 
which  he  administered  himself,  the  primary 
object  of  which  was  to  help  discharged 
disabled  men  to  start  business  in  a  small 
way — and  roughly  2,000  men  and  a  number 
of  women  have  been  so  helped.  It  is  how- 
ever desirable  to  give  more  in  certain 
specified  cases  than  the  £25  hitherto  re- 
garded as  a  maximum. 

The  £11^,000,  which  Mr.  Hodge  col- 
lected without  any  special  appeal,  included 
£50,000  from  Sir  John  Leigh.  The  Willis 
James'  bequest  for  widows  and  dependants 
brought  ;{^i5,ooo,  the  Chapman  Fund 
£10,000  for  men  who  had  trained  under  the 
schemes  of  the  Ministry,  and  donations 
from  Mr.  Bosanquet  and  others  made  up  the 
balance.  Alongside  these  separate  Funds 
the  donations  were  received  by  the  Minister, 
until  the  whole  of  the  Funds  amounted  to 
about  £115,000  (a  large  part  of  this  money 
has,  of  course,  already  been  spent). 

The  King  then  took  an  active  interest  in 
the  matter,  and  decided  to  hand  over 
£53,000  (the  City  of  London  Silver  Wedding 


Gift)  and  £25,000  from  his  own  purse.  The 
Duke  of  Connaught  made  this  announce- 
ment at  the  Mansion  House  Meeting  on  the 
31st  July.  It  was  decided  that  the  Volun- 
tary Funds,  hitherto  under  the  control  of 
the  Minister,  should  be  known  in  future 
as  The  King's  Fund  for  Disabled  Officers 
and  Men,  to  be  administered  by  a  Com- 
mittee of  Trustees  appointed  by  the  King, 
and  with  the  patronage  of  His  Majesty, 
through  the  Ministry  of  Pensions  and  its 
local  War  Pensions  Committees. 

The  immediate  object  is  to  raise 
£3,000,000  to  continue  the  work  hitherto 
done  by  the  Minister's  Voluntary  Funds, 
but  on  a  more  generous  and  wider  scale. 
The  existing  funds  are  all  but  exhausted. 

The  weekly  number  of  applications  for 
grants  is  rapidly  growing,  and  has  already 
risen  to  close  upon  600.  Applications  for 
grants  must  be  made  to  the  Local  War 
Pensions  Committees  which  are  in  every 
district  throughout  the  country.  (Officers 
apply  direct  to  the  Ministry.)  The  Local 
Committee  sends  a  recommendation  if  the 
case  is  a  suitable  one,  and  the  Trustees  deal 
with  it.  A  large  staff  at  the  Ministry  is 
engaged  on  the  work,  and  the  applications 
are  expeditiously  dealt  with  without 
"  officialism  "  or  "  red  tape;"  Elasticity 
is  the  great  feature  of  the  Voluntary 
Scheme. 

The  need  for  the  Fund  is  urgent,  and 
already  the  most  beneficent  results  have 
been  obtained  in  resettling  men.  If  the 
taxpayers'  money  were  to  be  used  there 
would  require  to  be  rigid  regulations  of 
universal  application  bound  by  hard  and 
fast  rules  which  would  destroy  the  whole 
idea  of  this  scheme. 

We  hope  that  every  possible  support  will 
be  given  to  this  Fund,  to  help  our  disabled 
men  to  help  themselves — a  Fund  which  is 
not  intended  to  be  a  substitute  for  a  State 
Pension,  but  to  supplement  it. 


I50 


(Ibc  Britlsb  3ournal  of  "Wuretng. 


September  7,   1918 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITION. 


WHAT  ARE  THE  PRINCIPAL  FUNCTIONS  OF  A  SCHOOL 
NURSE?  HOW  MAY  SHE  ASSIST  IN  RAISING  THE 
STANDARD  OF  NATIONAL  HEALTH? 

We  have  pleasure  in  awarding-  the  prize  this 
week  to  Miss  Catharine  Wright,  Dryden  Road, 
Bush  Hill  Park,  Enfield. 

HRIZH      PAPER. 

The  principal  functions  of  a  school  nurse 
cover  a  wide  field  of  activities,  all  of  which  have 
for  their  object  the  raising  of  a  higher  standard 
of  health  among  the  school  children,  and  in 
following  up  this  ideal  many  other  branches  in 
connection  with  this  school  work  have  opened 
up,  so  that  the  school  nurse  of  to-day  has  the 
opportunity  of  using  her  trained  knowledge 
and  experience,  proving  an  invaluable  help 
towards  maintaining  a  national  standard  of 
health  and  fitness  amongst  the  school  children, 
many  of  whom  live  under  the  most  adverse  con- 
ditions of  poverty,  neglect,  and  ignorance. 

It  is  in  the  elementary  schools  of  the  London 
County  Council,  principally,  that  her  work 
begins,  and  usually  the  routine  visit  to  the 
school  is  notified  to  the  heads  of  the  school 
previously,  so  that  absentees  may  be  present 
for  the  nurse's  visit.  Once  in  each  term  every 
child  is  examined  for  cleanliness,  the  hair  and 
skin  are  inspected,  and  all  conditions  recorded. 
Verminous  children  are  excluded  :  visits  paid 
to  the  home,  and  the  parents  instructed  as  to 
the  best  method  of  cleansing.  If  this  cannot  be 
accomplished,  the  cleansing  process  may  be 
compulsory  under  the  Children's  Act.     ' 

Any  infectivity .  of  skin  is  noticed,  and  the 
children  referred  to  the  school  doctor,  who  will 
diagnose,  and  curative  treatment  then  follows 
at  a  clinic  or  treatment  centre. 

Any  eye  disease,  likely  to  be  infectious,  is 
also  referred  to  the  school  doctor,  and  the  same 
procedure  followed,  and  aural  disease  is  care- 
fully supervised  under  curative  treatment. 
This  entails  many  visits  to  the  homes  of  the 
children,  and  the  school  nurse  is  brought  into 
touch  with  the  family,  and  is  almost  invariably 
taken  into  confidence,  and  her  sympathy  and 
helpful  advice  readily  accepted. 

The  medical  inspections  are  of  great 
importance.  For  these,  the  selected  age- 
groups  of  children  are  prepared  by  weighing, 
measuring,  and  vision  testing,  an  accurate 
record  kept,  which  later  on  becomes  useful  for 
statistical  purposes.  The  parents  are  urged  to 
be  present,  and  here  again  the  school  nurse  is 
in  touch  with  them,  and  has  often  to  follow  up 
the    cases     for    curative    treatment,     getting 


vouchers  for  clinic  and  centre  or  hospital 
treatment,  watching  over  the  cases  until  they 
return  to  school. 

In  various  districts,  school  clinics  and  treat- 
ment centres  are  in  active  progress,  a  very 
large  number  of  defects  being  treated  with  the 
best  result,  supervised  by  the  school  doctors. 

Dental  centres  are  at  work,  the  school  nurse 
taking  duty  and  helping  the  doctor  and  dentist 
in  the  recovery  room.  The  X-ray  department 
of  a  treatment  centre  utilizes  the  school  nurse, 
she  preparing  the  heads  and  keeping  the 
children  in  suitable  positions  during  the  X-ray 
exposure.  On  certain  days  there  are  operations 
for  tonsils  and  adenoids,  the  school  nurses 
taking  duty  as  in  an  ordinary  operating  theatre. 

Mentally  and  physically  defective  children 
have  their  own  school  nurses,  who  well  under- 
stand the  supervision  and  care  these  children 
need. 

The  teachers  of  each  school  realise  how 
beneficial  the  work  of  the  school  nurse  has 
become,  and  the  heads  of  the  school  nurses' 
department,  realizing  the  many  problems  and 
difficulties  that  arise  in  this  kind  of  work,  are 
ever  ready  to  receive  and  give  suggestions 
bearing  on  these  difficulties. 

The  work  is  intensely  interesting,  and  may 
be  more  so,  if,  under  the  new  Education  Act, 
the  services  of  the  school  nurses  are  as  appre- 
ciated and  used  to  the  fullest  extent,  for  the 
younger  children  will  specially  need  trained 
knowledge,  and  the  older  children  guided  and 
taught  a  hygienic  value  of  themselves. 

With  this  wider  knowledge  the  standard  of 
national  health  will  be  on  a  good  basis,  which 
must  result  in  future  fitness  and  capacity  for 
the  girls  and  boys  who  are  to  be  the  parents 
of  the  future  generation. 

HONOURABLE   MENTION. 

The  following  competitors  receive  honourable 
mention  : — Miss  B.  Courtenay,  Miss  M.  James, 
Miss  P.  Thomson. 

QUESTION    FOR    NKXT    WEEK. 

What  do  you  know  of  ex-ophthalmic  goitre, 
its  symptoms,  and  nursing  care? 

We  desire  to  draw  the  attention  of  nurses  to 
the  Form  of  Petition  to  the  Prime  Minister 
which  appears  inside  the  front  cover.  Although 
the  principle  of  representation  of  the  organized 
Nurses'  Societies  has  been  inserted  in  the 
7th  draft  of  the  College  of  Nursing  Bill, 
"  there  is  many  a  slip  between  the  cup  and  the 
lip,"  and  the  more  representative  the  Petition 
the  more  influence  it  will  have  when  our  Bill  is 
before  Parliament. 


September  7,  1918       ^^e  Btltieb  Soumal  of  IRursing. 


^» 


NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 


The  many  friends  of  Miss  Violetta  Thurstan 
will  be  glad  to  learn  of  her  safe  return  to  this 
country  after  her  war  service  in  Serbia.  We 
learn  it  is  probable  that  after  a  rest  she  will  take 
up  interesting  work,  at  home. 


The  Hon.  Mrs.  Waldorf  Astor  appeals  for  the 
loan  or  gift  of  river  canoes  for  the  use  of  the 
Nursing  Sisters  and  staff  of  the  15th  Canadian 
General  Hospital,  Cliveden,  Taplow,  Bucks. 


Nurses  of  the  American  Army  have  now  been 
given  a  definite  status.  They  are  not,  how^ever, 
to  be  commissioned,  but  to  be  warranted,  as  are 
sergeants    and    non-commissioned   officers. 


A  Washington  message  says  that  orders  have 
been  issued  by  the  United  States  War  Department 
to  the  office  of  the  Surgeon-General,  which  will 
enable  coloured  nurses  who  have  been  registered 
by  the  American  Red  Cross  Society  to  render 
service  to  their  own  race  in  the  Army.  The 
nurses  will  be  assigned  to  the  hospitals  at  half-a- 
dozen  camps,  in  which  a  total  of  about  38,000 
coloured  troops  are  stationed.  General  Pershing 
has  been  asked  whether  the  services  of  coloured 
nurses  can  be  utilised  to  advantage  among  the 
American  Expeditionary  Forces. 


The  Nursing  Journal  of  India  says  :  "  Many 
names  can  be  added  to  our  list  of  heroine  nurses 
by  the  splendid  courage  of  those  women  who 
remained  at  the  post  of  duty  during  the  terrible 


THE  GARDEN  AT  COLEBROOK  LODQE.  PUTNEY  HEATH,  THE  AMERICAN  RED  CROSS  NURSES'  REST  HOUSE. 


The  Army  regulations  fixing  the  rank  of  officers 
in  the  Army  has  been  amended  by  the  insertion 
of  the  new  grade  of  "  nurse  "  below  the  grade  of 
cadet,  and  above  that  of  sergeant-major.  The 
nurses  are  thus  placed  in  authority  over  all  men 
in  the  enlisted  branch.  Many  of  the  nurses 
feel  they  should  have  commissioned  rank,  like 
their  Canadian  colleagues,  thus  giving  them 
authority  over  all  patients  in  military  hospitals. 


Our  illustration,  from  an  American  Red  Cross 
oflBcial  photograph,  gives  a  charming  impression 
of  the  delights  of  Colebrook  Lodge,  West  Hill, 
Putney  Heath,  the  American  Red  Cross  Rest 
House,  for  its  convalescent  nurses.  It  must 
surely  be  a  joy  to  convalesce  in  surroundings  so 
healthful  and  beautiful. 


air  raid  which  took  place  when  the  Germans 
bombed  one  of  our  military  hospitals  in  France. 
The  scene  of  the  disaster  was  a  big  hospital  camp 
composed  of  many  huts  and  known  to  the  enemy 
as  being  such,  not  only  by  its  conspicuous  marking 
with  the  Red  Cross,  but  they  had  often  seen  it.  The 
night  was  one  flood  of  brilliant  moonlight,  when 
squadron  after  squadron  flew  over  and  dropped 
large  bombs  on  the  huts,  which  were  nearly  full  of 
badly  wounded  men,  who  were  mostly  helpless  to 
assist  themselves  and  to  whom  movement  was 
agony  ;  some  of  the  raiders  flew  very  low  and  raked 
the  huts  and  staff  quarters  with  machine  guns. 
There  were  several  hundreds  of  casualties  amongst 
the  patients,  orderlies  and  nurses.  We  read  with 
pride  and  profound  emotion  the  description  of  the 
behaviour  of  the  nurses  under  the  terrible  ordeal." 


«5» 


TTbe  Britt0b  Journal  of  fJlurainfi. 


September  7,   1918 


GALLANT  SERVICE   IN  MESOPOTAMIA. 


FRENCH  FLAG  NURSING  CORPS. 


GENERAL  MARSHALL'S  LIST  OF  MENTIONS. 

War  Office,  August  2yth. 
The  Secretary  of  State  for  War  has  received  the 
following  dispatch  addressed  to  the  Chief  of  the 
General   Staff,    India,    by   Lieut.-General   W.    R. 
Marshall,  K.C.B.,  K.C.S.I.,  Commanding-in-Chief, 
Mesopotamia  Expeditionary  Force  : — 
General  Headquarters, 
Mesopotamian  Expeditionary  Force, 

April  15th,  1918. 
Sir, — ^With  reference  to  the  concluding  para- 
graph of  my  dispatch  dated  April  15th,  1918,  I 
have  the  honour  to  submit  herewith  a  list  of  names 
of  those  officers,  ladies,  non-commissioned  officers, 
and  men  serving,  or  who  have  served,  under  my 
command,  whose  distinguished  and  gallant  services 
and  devotion  to  duty  I  consider  deserving  of 
special  mention. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be.  Sir, 
Your  obedient  Servant, 
W.  R.  Marshall, 

Lieut.-General. 
Commanding-in-Chief,  Mesopotamian 
Expeditionary  Force. 

Queen     Alexandra's     Imperial     Military     Nursing 
Service. 
Walker,  Miss  M.,  Matron,  R.R.C. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing 
Service  Reserve. 
Argo,  Miss  M.  B.,  Staff  Nurse ;  Bottomley,  Miss 
C.  M.,  Sister;  Da  vies,  Miss  A.  M.,  Staff  Nurse;  Davies, 
Miss  E.,  Staff  Nurse;  De  Kock,  Miss  D.,  Sister; 
Hargraves,  Miss  D.  O.,  Staff  Nurse;  Hartrick,  Miss 
A.  L.,  Sister;  Lulham,  Miss  E.  V.  J.,  Staff  Nurse; 
Mark,  Miss  M.,  Staff  Nurse;  McGaughey,  Miss  M.  A., 
Sister;  McNab,  Miss  M.  M.,  Sister;  Millar,  Miss  L., 
Staff  Nurse  ;  Rae,  Miss  M.,  Sister  and  A. /Matron  ;  Reid, 
Miss  A.  E.,  Staff  Nurse ;  "Robertson,  Miss  M.  A.  A., 
Sister;  Stuart,  Miss  A.  L.,  Sister;  Wadsworth,  Miss 
S.  E.,  Sister;  Wellington,  Miss  A.,  Staff  Nurse; 
Wilkinson,  Miss  E.  S.,  Sister. 

Territorial  Force  Nursing  Service. 
CoULSON,  Miss  M.  G.,  Sister  ;  Crosbie,  Miss  M.  F.  D., 
Sister;  Curties,  Miss  N.,  Sister;  Earle,  Miss  A.  L., 
Matron;  Emuss,  Miss  E.  A.,  Sister;  Hunstone,  Miss 
M.,  Sister;  King,  Miss  E.  S.,  Staff  Nurse;  Mann,  Miss 
T.  J.,  Sister;  Potter,  Miss  M.  M.,  Sister;  Seacome, 
Miss  B.  E.,  Sister  ;  Wheeler,  Miss  M.  K.,  Sister. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Military  Nursing  Service,  India. 

Gilmore,  Miss  M.  G.,  Matron;  Maclean,  Miss  M.  E., 

Nursing  Sister;  Marshall,  M'ss  E.  O.,  Nursing  Sister; 

Wilson,  Miss  J.  S.  R.,  R.R.C.,  Senior  Nursing  Sister. 

Temporary  Nursing  Service,   India. 
Burke-Roche,  Miss  G.,  T./Matron;  Gaskin,  Miss  J., 
T. /Matron  ;  May,  Miss  T. ,  T. /Nursing  Sister  ;  Minchin, 
"Miss  L.  L.  M.,  T. /Nursing  Sister. 

Voluntary    Aid    Detachment. 
Martin,  Miss  C.  A. 

The  Scottish  Women's  Hospitals  have  received 
from  Major  Endicott,  American  Red  Cross  Com- 
missioner in  this  country,  the  first  instalment  of 
a  most  generous  grant  of  160,000  dollars. 


Miss  Has  well,  Matron  in^France,  has  taken  part 
in  the  Allied  Women  War  Workers'  Congress  in 
Paris,  which  we  hear  w-as  most  interesting,  and  a 
very  valuable  exchange  of  opinion  of  those  deeply 
interested  in  women's  part  in  organisation  and 
the  relief  of  suffering. 


Noteworthy  were  the  words  of  M.  Pichon, 
Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  who  represented  M. 
Clemenceau  at  the  great  meeting  at  the  Theatre 
Champs  Elys^es  and  who  asserted  that  women's 
work  is  inseparable  from  the  essential  work  of  the 
war.  He  paid  tribute  to  English  women  spending 
their  lives  in  succouring  those  in  the  invaded 
districts,  and  the  American  women,  who,  he  said, 
possessed  in  a  supreme  degree  the  idealism  which 
is  the  gift  of  their  race  ;  and  mentioned,  as  having 
earned  for  ever  the  admiration  and  gratitude  of 
the  nations — the  Queen  of  the  Belgians,  Sister 
Julie,  and  Edith  Cavell.  "  It  is,"  he  said  to  the 
members  of  the  Congress,  "  a  regular  revolution 
which  you  have  accomplished  in  placing  yourselves 
by  the  side  of  the  defenders  of  our  soil  and  our 
right,  and,  indeed,  everywhere  where  our  deliver- 
ance and  the  constitution  of  a  new  society  are 
being  worked  out.  In  the  new  society  woman 
will  no  longer  be  what  she  was  yesterday.  She 
will  no  longer  be  content  to  leave  to  man  affairs 
which  concern  her  as  much  as  him.  She  has 
acquired  in  the  struggle  a  new  role,  and  she  will 
have  had  such  a  part  in  the  liberation  of  the  world 
that  the  world  will  not  be  able  to  keep  her  separated 
from  the  defence  of  great  social  causes.  She  will 
have  penetrated  further  into  the  general  organisa- 
tion of  society,  which  will  have  been  saved  partly 
bv  the  action  which  she  has  exercised." 


We  hear  of  a  Med.  Chef  remarking  to  an  English 
lady  who  has  worked  with  him  for  over  a  year  : — • 
"  I  like  your  British  Nurses  ;  they  work  all  day, 
running  about  like  mice  ;  they  don't  talk,  and  they 
have  been  here  a  whole  fortnight  and  I  have  not 
been  called  upon  to  adjust  any  quarrel  !  " 

This  same  Med.  Chef  hopes  that  he  will  be  able 
to  have  F.F.N.C.  Sisters  to  work  with  him  for  the 
future.  

Sister  Dora  Simpson  has  been  awarded  the 
Medaille  des  Epidemics,  which  she  well  deserves, 
after  her  excellent  services  in  nursing  contagious 
diseases  in  the  war  zone. 


Members  of  the  French  Flag  Nursing  Corps  will 
leara  with  pleasure  that  although  General  Vicomte 
de  la  Panouse  is  relinquishing  his  post  as  Military 
Attache  to  the  French  Embassy  in  London,  the 
Vicomtesse  de  la  Panouse  will  continue  her  benefi- 
cent work  as  President  of  the  Comit6  Britannique 
of  the  Croix  Rouge  Francaise. 


An  interesting  report  of  Queen  Mary's  Hostels 
for  Nurses,  of  which  there  are  now  three,  has 
been  published. 


September  7,  1918       Q^bc  36ritt0b  Soumal  of  IJluretno. 


J53 


CARE    OF    THE    WOUNDED. 


THE  INFLUENCE  OF  COLOUR. 

As  some  people  have  greater  perception  of 
harmony  and  are  more  deeply  moved  by  "  con- 
cord of  Sweet  sounds  "  than  others,  so  some  are 
more  susceptible  to  the  influence  of  colour  and 
more  consciously  take  pleasure  in  its  efEects. 
Yet  subconsciously  there  are  probably  few  people 
who  are  not  influenced  by  it,  and  more  especially 
the  sick,  who  lie  day  after  day  in  the  same  sur- 
roundings, which  may  depress  them  and  retard 
their  recover^"-,  or  inspire  them  to  persevere  on 
the  road  to  recovery,  and  to-  regain  the  mental 
poise  and  concentration  which  for  a  time  they 
have    lost. 

Nurses  who  have  worked  in  a  hospital  where 
the  walls  are  a  drab  colour,  with  "perhaps  a  dado 
of  bro\vn  paint  chosen  for  its  enduring  quality, 
and  who  have  escaped  in  their  off  duty  time  to  the 
National  Gallery,  or  one  of  the  other  great  picture 
galleries,  as  a  relief  from  their  monotony,  will 
realize  their  effect  upon  the  mind,  and  the  im'por- 
tance  of  the  work  for  the  sick  and  wounded  of 
Mr.  P.  H.  Kemp  Prossor,  who,  having  studied 
"  colour-medicine  "  and  the  influence  of  colour 
on  children  and  adults,  is  so  convinced  a  believer 
in  its  benefits  that  he  has  closed  down  half  his 
house,  given  up  his  motor  car,  and  is  devoting 
himself  to  arranging  and  supervising  colour  wards 
in  military  hospitals.  Mr.  Pressor's  faith  ex- 
tends beyond  the  a;sthetic  effect  of  colour  to  its 
therapeutic  influence. 

"We  have  already  described  the  "  Colour  Ward  " 
in  the  McCaul  Hospital  for  Officers,  and  it  was 
recently  the  good  fortune  of  the  writer  to  visit 
Section  IV  of  the  Maudsley  Neurological  Clearing 
Hospital  at  Denmark  Hill,  where  shell-shock  and 
kindred  cases  are  received. 

Imagine  the  change  of  being  transported  from 
the  tortured  battle-grovinds  of  Europe,  desolate, 
and  reeking  with  the  carnage  of  war,  to  these 
wards  where  "  all  the  air  is  thrilling  with  the 
Spnng,"  for  that  is  the  message  of  Mr.  Kemp 
Pressor's  colour  wards,  and  the  colours  are  nicely 
adjusted  to  the  individual  neifeds.  The  ceilings 
are  in  every  case  a  soft  firmament  blue,  and 
there  are  wards  with  apple-blossom  pink  walls — 
so  many  people  need  pink,  says  Mr.  Prossor — 
with  anemone  mauve  curtains,  introducing  the 
note  of  concentration  and  maybe  Spring-green 
quilts,  the  bedsteads  being  painted  the  same 
colour,  even  the  regulation  army  lockers  are 
coloured  to  harmonize  ;  and  the  picture-frames 
are  the  same  tone  as  the  walls  ;  white  sheets  are 
not  yet  abolished,  but  that  may  come.  Incident- 
ally Mr.  Prosser  believes  that  much  of  the  bad 
eyesight  of  to-day  is  due  to  the  fact  that  so  many 
people  are  constantly  looking  at  white.  No 
browns  or  mauves  or  reds  are  permitted  ;  "  the 
men  have  seen  far  too  much  of  those  colours,"  says 
Mr.  Kemp  Prossor.  Just  at  that  moment  the 
discordant  note  of  red  is  introduced  in  the  regula- 
tion red-bordered  cape  of  the  Territorial  Sister, 


which  sets  one  wondering  why  the  War  Office  does 
not  invite  him  to  design  a  uniform  for  Sisters 
whose  work  lies  amongst  the  mentally  sick,  which 
shall  suggest  peace  and  not  war. 

Why  not  ? 

In  a  corridor  on  the  officers'  floor  one  gets  a 
charming  effect  of  sunlight  and  brightness.  But 
the  corridor  really  is  dark,  and  it  has  been  .obtained 
by  the  sunlight  yellow  curtains  to  the  window  at 
the  end,  and  will  be  further  accentuated  when  the 
walls  have  been  coloured  a  primrose  yellow. 

It  should  be  knowTi  that  Mr.  Kemp  Prossor 
is  prepared  to  supervise  a  colour  ward  in  any 
hospital,  and  under  no  circumstances  will  a  fee 
be  charged.  All  success  to  him  in  his  important 
contribution  to  the  work  for  the  healing  of  the  sick. 
He  tells  of  a  sleepless  patient  who  fell  asleep 
at  once  in  a  colour  ward,  and  a  letter  received 
from  a  sergeant  was  eloquent  in  appreciation  of 
the  benefit  he  had  received.  The  colours  are  all 
washable.  Lastly,  it  is  essential  that  they  should 
be  blended  "  with  brains."  ^  " 

Lest  it  should  be  thought  there  is  anything  new 
under  the  sun,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  Aristotle 
was  acquainted  with  the  therapeutic  influence  of 
colour. 

A  BLACKGUARD  NATION. 

The  German  Army  (says  the  British  Medical 
Journal),  which  we  are  often  told  is  one  with  the 
German  people,  is  filling  up  the  cup  of  its  iniquities. 
When  the  Germans  bombed  hospitals  the  excuse 
was  made  for  them  that  the  buildings  were  not 
properly  marked  with  the  Red  Cross,  though  the 
apologists  forgot  to  add  that  the  Germans  used 
the  Red  Cross  to  protect  their  corps  headquarters. 
A  month  or  two  ago  an  order  was  found  to  have 
been  issued  directing  troops  in  the  advanced  line 
to  shoot  down  stretcher  parties  collecting  the 
wounded,  not  so  much  with  the  object  of  killing 
them,  but,  as  was  explained,  to  ensure  that  the 
wounded  were  left  out  so  long  that  they  would  be 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  surgeon's  art.  In  this 
way  it  was  sought  to  diminish  allied  effectives. 
The  Ministry  of  Information  has  now  sent  through 
its  wireless  service  particulars  of  certain  gross 
outrages  committed  by  the  Germans  upon  British 
prisoners  and  wounded  in  March  last.  The  stories 
have  no  doubt  been  seen  by  all  readers,  and  it  is 
only  necessary  to  say  that  the  sworn  statements  of 
soldiers  belonging  to  a  Scottish  regiment  are  to  the 
effect  that,  under  the  orders  of  a  German  officer,  a 
a  soldier  who  accompanied  him  turned  a  stream  of 
liquid  fire  down  the  trench  in  which  prisoners  and 
wounded  (16  men,  of  whom  10  were  wounded)  had 
,  been  lined  up.  Some  of  the  unwounded  escaped, 
but  all  the  wounded  must  have  been  either  suffo- 
cated or  burnt.  The  British  Government  has 
caused  to  be  conveyed  to  the  German  Government 
a  protest  against  the  offences  described,  but,  as 
they  appear  to  be  part  of  a  deliberate  policy,  it  is 
hardly  to  be  expected  to  have  any  effect.  The 
Cologne  Gazette  recently  said  that  the  Germans 
are  a  blackguard  nation,  and  the  epithet  seems 
well  chosen. 


m 


Hbc  Brttieb  Journal  of  Bureing.       September  7,  1918 


Ropal  Britlsl)  nurses'  Hssociatloti. 


(Iticorporatea  Dp 


Ropal  Charten) 


THIS   SUPPLEMENT   BEING   THE    OFFICIAL    ORGAN    OF    THE    CORPORATION. 


COMPOUND    FRACTURES   OF    THE 
HUMERUS. 


By  Miss  M.  C.  Sinzininex,  A.R.R.C. 

Diploma  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Association  ; 
Matron  of  Queen  Alexandra's  Hospital  for  Officers. 

PART  II.— DRESSINGS  AND  DRAINAGE. 

In  cases  of  compound  fractures  the  wounds  are 
usually  kept  open  by  means  of  drainage  tubes. 
In  war  fractures  the  break  is  not  an  ordinary  one, 
but  in  most  cases  the  bone  is  badly  shattered,  and 
for  months,  possibly  a  year,  pieces  of  bone  that 
will  not  unite  die  and  consequently  come  aws.y 
or  have  to  be  removed,  so  there  will,  for  a  long 
time,  be  a  septic  wound,  as  where  there  is  dead 
bone  there  is  always  sepsis.  Experience  has 
shown  that  if  a  wound  be  allowed  to  close  too 
quickly  it  invariably  has  to  be  re-opened  to  admit 
of  the  removal  of  dead  bone. 

The  Carrell-Dakin  method  of  drainage  and 
irrigation  (not  the  solution)  was  used  at  Highgate 
long  before  it  penetrated  to  the  hospitals  in 
France.  At  first  normal  saline  was  run  through 
the  wounds  by  means  of  a  piece  of  bandage 
drawn  through  the  arm  and  out  at  the  counter 
opening,  the  solution  draining  into  a  pail  below. 
Later  on  small  bore  tubes,  tied  at  their  lower  ends, 
were  inserted  into  the  wounds,  and  an  antiseptic 
solution,  which  was  syphoned  from  an  overhanging 
flask,  was  run  into  the  wounds  at  intervals  of 
about  two  hours,  the  flow  b'eing  regulated  by  a 
screw  tap  on  the  connecting  tube. 

(It  is  important  in  inserting  the  tubes  to  see 
that  all  the  small  perforations  are  enclosed  in  the 
wound,  or  else,  when  the  tap  is  turijed  on,  the 
fluid  will  escape  before  it  reaches  the  depth  of  the 
sinus.) 

The  Carrell-Dakin  fluid  was  not  used  for  several 
reasons.  It  requires  very  expert  preparation, 
does  not  keep  good  for  many  days,  and  has  an 
injurious  effect  on  the  skin  around  the  wound, 
necessitating  a  protective  form  of  dressing  on  the 
surrounding  parts  before  the  solution  can  be  used. 
After  trying  various  antiseptic  solutions,  Mr.  H. 
J.  Paterson,  the  Honorary  Surgeon  in  Charge  at 
Highgate,  decided  on  using  a  preparation  of 
sodium  mono  borate.     This  can  be  easily  pre- 


pared from  the  .  crystals,  and '  will  keep  almost 
any  length  of  time,  so  that  a  large  quantity  can 
be  made  at  once.  Ninety  grammes  of  the  crystals 
are  dissolved  in  3,000  c.c.  of  warm  sterile  water, 
the  water  being  only  sufficiently  warm  to  melt 
the  crystals.  A  little  of  any  colouring  matter 
added  distinguishes  the  solution  from  saline  or 
any  other  fluids  in  stock.  Sodium  mono  borate 
is  not  nearly  so  expensive  as  the  Carrell-Dakin 
solution,  also  it  does  not  injure  the  skin  unless 
used  continuously  for  months,  when,  in  some  cases, 
the  patient  has  developed  a  kind  of  wound  eczema. 
A  change  ol  dressing  and  an  application  of  Cala- 
mine lotion  soon  relieve  matters.  Sodium  mono 
borate  encourages  a  goodly  flow  of  lymph  to  the 
wound  and  so  "  washes  it  out, ".carrying  with  it 
the  pus.  So  quick  and  effectual  is  its  action  that 
sometimes  within  twenty-four  hours  of  its  appli- 
cation thick  lymph  will  be  seen  mingling  with  the 
pus  which  is  draining  from  the  wound. 

A  solution  of  aluminium  acetate  was  also  tried, 
and  is  still  used  for  the  dressing  of  superficial 
wounds.  It  cleans  up  a  large  septic  area  in  a 
marvellously  short  time,  but  it  is  not  so  good  for 
irrigation  purposes,  as  it  seems  to  form  a  kind  of 
crust  in  the  wound  which  blocks  up  the  smaller 
perforations  of  the  tubes.  The  sodium  mono- 
borate  and  the  aluminium  acetate  are  both  used 
mixed  with  the  thick  medicinal  parafi&n,  and 
make  an  excellent  dressing  for  wounds  that  do 
not  need  drainage,  or  are  past  the  irrigation  stage. 
This  preparation  has  one  very  valuable  asset — it 
prevents  the  gauze  and  wool  from  sticking  to  the 
wound,  and  so  greatly  lessens  the  pain  and  dis- 
comfort of  a  dressing. 

In  these  days,  interest  is  centred  on  anti-sepsis, 
so  that  asepsis,  the  most  important  factor  of  all 
in  surgical  cases,  is  a  little  apt  to  be  pushed 
into  the  background.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind 
that  the  solutions  used  have  quite  enough  work 
to  do  to  kill  the  germs  which  are  already  in  the 
wound,  and  it  is  the  nurse's  business  to  see  that 
none  are  unnecessarily  added.  One  is  a  little 
apt  to  think  of  war  wounds  as  "  dirty  cases  " 
and  not  to  take  the  care  one  should  with  them. 
A  nurse  should  always  remember  that  she  is 
dealing  with  open  tissue,  and  her  surgical  cleanli- 
ness should  be  as  punctilious  as  if  she  were  dressing 
a  clean  abdominal  case. 


■September  7,  1918       ^f)e  Bttttsb  Joumal  of  •Rureing. 


155 


Another  important  point  which  should  be 
remembered,  especially  with  irrigation  cases, 
is  that  germs  travel  up  a  moist  track,  and  if, 
through  a  little  over  irrigation,  the  dressing 
becomes  wet  to  the  outside  and  has  to  be  packed, 
the  packing  should  be  done  with  sterile  pads  and 
surgically  clean  hands.  All  the  foregoing  may 
be  small  points  in  themselves,  but  they  are  links 
in  the  chain  that  draws  the  patient  to  re- 
covery. 

In  one's  pre-war  hospital  day€,  simple  fractures 
■were  the  rule,  compound  ones  the  exception.  Now 
the  position  is  reversed,  and  not  only  are  the 
majority  of  the  fractures  with  which  one  meets 
compound,   but  comminuted  as  well. 


APPOINTMENT. 

Miss  Florence  Carver  has  been  appointed 
Matron  at  the  Military  Hospital,  Palavas,  France, 
and  writes  that  she  finds  the  work  there  most 
interesting,  and  tells  of  the  splendid  surgery 
accomplished  in  this  French  hospital,  in  which 
there  are  a  hundred  and  fifty  beds.  Miss  Carver 
was  trained  at  St.  George's  Hospital  and  became 
a  member   of   the   Association   in    1905. 

MARRIAGE. 

On  Saturday,  August  24th,  Miss  Emily  Young 
was  married  quietly  to  Mr.  Ernest  Henry  Collins, 
of  35,  Bloomsbury  Square.  For  a  year.  Miss 
Young  has  been  working  for  the  Association  at  a 


HEADQUARTERS  OF  THE  SOUTH  AUSTRALIAN  BRANCH  OP  THE  R.B.N.A. 


The  treatment  of  compound  fractures  of  the 
humerus  and  their  attendant  wounds  is  an  especi- 
ally interesting  study.  The  arm  is  of  such 
inestimable  value  to  the  patient  that  there  is 
the  greatest  possible  satisfaction  in  saving  a  badly 
smashed  upper  limb.  Although  the  amputation  of 
a  leg  may  be  a  greater  shock  to  the  patient  at 
the  time  than  is  the  removal  of  an  arm,  the 
comparative  loss  in  after  life  between  the  two 
limbs  is  enormous.  A  man  with  two  arms  and  one 
leg  will  have  a  very  much  better  prospect  of  a 
useful  life  than  a  man  with  one  arm  and  two 
legs,  even  if  fitted  with  the  wonderfully  efi&cient 
artificial  limbs  that  are  now  in  use.  Therefore 
any  extra  trouble  and  patience  expended  in 
saving  an  arm  is  always  repaid. 


military  hospital  in  Yorkshire,  and  has  also  done 
a  considerable  amount  of  private  work  for  it. 
She  became  a  member  in  19 15. 

OBITUARY. 

It  is  with  regret  that  we  have  to  report  the  death 
of  Miss  Mary  Seamark. 

Miss  Seamark  died  in  the  Bush  Township  of 
Murat  Bay,  South  Australia,  in  .April  last.  She 
was  trained  at  St.  Thomas'  Hospital,  and,  after 
holding  several  appointments  in  England,  she  went 
out  to  South  Australia,  where  she  did  work  for  the 
Australian  Branch  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses' 
Association. 

(Signed)     Isabel  Macdonald, 

Secretarv. 


X56 


Zbc  Brittsb  3ournal  ot  TRursiUQ.       September  7,  1918 


APPOINTMENTS. 

MATRON. 

St.  John's  Hospital  Charity,  Winchester.  —  Miss 
Annie  Manning  has  been  appointed  Matron-  She 
was  trained  at  the  Hackney  Union  Infirmary, 
London,  and  has  been  Superintendent  Nurse  at 
Oulton  Infirmary,  near  Lowestoft,  and  at  the 
Union  Infirmary,  Basingstoke,  Hants. 

OUT-PATIENT    SISTER. 

Great   Northern    Central   Hospital,  HoUoway  Road, 

N. — Miss  Amy  Martin  has  been  appointed 
Outpatient  Sister.  She  was  trained  at  the  Royal 
Free  Hospital,  and  has  been  Sister  at  the  Royal 
Albert  Hospital,  Devonport ;  and  at  the  National 
Hospital,    Queen's    Square,    W.C. 

QUEEN    ALEXANDRA'S   IMPERIAL    MILITARY 
NURSING    SERVICE. 

Sister  Mrs.  E.  Grazebrook  resigns  her  appoint- 
ment (August  26th). 

THE    NATION'S   TRIBUTE   TO    IRISH 
NURSES. 

The  Fund  for  tha  Tribute  to  Irish  Nurses  is 
progressing  slowly,  not  more  than  half  the  amount 
required  being  so  far  subscribed.  The  Fuad, 
which  wi^l  be  administered  by  an  Irish  Committee, 
is  intended  to  benefit  civilian  as  well  as  war  nurses. 

LEGAL  MATTERS. 

The  trial  of  Eva  Grace  Thompson,  who  claims 
to  be  a  trained  nurse,  on  a  charge  of  wilful  murder 
will  take  place  at  the  Old  Bailey,  and  may  come  on 
for  hearing  next  week. 


MURSlNti    ECHOES. 


A  serious  charge  was  preferred  against  a  woman 
named  Tomkinson  at  the  West  Ham  Police  Court 
on  Monday,  namely  oi  attempting  to  procure 
abortion  in  six  cases.  She  is  not  a  certified  mid- 
wife, but  was  at  one  time  assistant  to  a  chemist. 

LECTURES    TO    MASSAGE    STUDENTS. 

Masseuses,  and  nurses  who  are  studying  for  their 
massage  certificates  •will  be  glad  to  know  that  a 
series  ©f  classes  in  Anatomy  for  Massage  Students, 
beginning  on  Monday,  October  7th,  have  been 
arranged  at  the  London  (Royal  Free  Hospital, 
School  of  Medicine  for  Women,  6,  Hunter  Street) 
Brunswick  Square,  W.C.  i.  Demonstrations  on 
the  cadaver  will  be  given  on  Mondays,  Tuesdays, 
Thursdays  and  Fridays  at  5.30  throughout  the 
Autumn  term,  under  -the  direction  of  Dr.  Mary 
Lucas-Keene,  and  Dr.  Joyce  Partridge.  Further 
particulars  may  be  obtained  from  Miss  L-  M. 
Brooks,  Warden  and  Secretary. 

RESIGNATION. 

Many  nurses  and  midwives  who  appreciate  the 
excellence  of  the  training  they  have  received  at 
the  Rotunda  Hospital,  Dublin,  under  the  able 
Superintendence  of  Miss  L.  Ramsden,  will  learn 
with  regret  of  her  resignation  of  this  important 
position,  after  over  20  years*  service  in  the  insti- 
tution, for  a  short  time  as  Assistant  to  Miss 
Hampson  and  then  as  Lady  Superintendent. 


At  the  recent  Annual  Meeting  of  Princess 
Christian's  District  I^ursing  and  Maternity 
Home  at  Windsor  a  letter  received  from  the 
Town  Clerk  of  Windsor  proved  how  much  the 
work  of  the  Home  is  appreciated  in  the  town. 

The  letter  stated  that  it  has  been  decided  to 
give  a  donation  of  ;^io  los.  per  annum  to  the 
funds  of  H.R.H.  Princess  Christian's  Mater- 
nity Home  as  a  recognition  of  the  excellent 
work  which  the  nurses  of  the  Home  are  doing, 
and  the  great  use  that  their  services  are  to  the 
poor  of  Windsor. 


We  continue  to  receive  enquiries  as  to  the 
prospects  for  those  who  undergo  a  course  of 
training  with  the  view  of  faking  up  laboratory 
work  as  described  'by  Dr.  Kynvett  Gordon  in 
this  Journal,  and  we  are  informed  that  Dr. 
Gordon  has  also  been  "  inundated  "  with 
enquiries.  After  a  course  of  training  extending 
over  three  months,  the  prospects  for  a  candi- 
date who  successfully  passes  the  subsequent 
examination  are  good,  as  she  would  probably 
easily  obtain  the  post  of  junior  assistant  at  a 
commencing  salary  of  ;^2  2s.  a  week. 


The  National  Union  of  Women 'Workers  of 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland  has  issued  a  pam- 
phlet on  the  National  Health  Insurance  Act  of 
1918,  which  sets  forth  clearly  and  concisely  the 
most  important  of  the  changes  effected  by  the 
Act.  Nurses  who  are  insured  under  the  Act 
would  do  well  to  obtain  and  study  this  leaflet. 
It  is  obtainable  from  Miss  Norah  E.  Green, 
Secretary  National  Union  of  Women  Workers, 
Parliament  Mansions,  Victoria  Street,  London, 
S.W.  I,  price  ^d.  per  copy,  or  id.  post  free, 
or  4s.  6d.  per  100,  post  free. 


The  question  as  to  whether  hospital  nurses 
who  have  latch  keys  are  entitled  to  the  Parlia- 
mentary Franchise  is  one  upon  which  a  decisive 
decision  should  be  obtained,  and  we  advise  all 
nurses  who  are  provided  with  latch  keys  to 
rrake  a  point  of  inquiring  from  the  proper 
authorities  whether  or  not  they  are  entitled  to 
a  vote.  We  learn  that  the  private  nurses  on 
the  staff  of  St.  John's  House,  Queen  Square, 
Bloomsbury,  each  have  the  use  of  a  latch  key 
when  in  residence  between  their  cases.  What 
is  the  position  in  this  case? 


At  Omagh  Revision  Sessions  the  claim  of 
Miss  L.  H.  Hayes,  Matron  of  the  Tyrone 
County  Hospital,  for  a  vote  out  of  apartments 
in   that   institution   was  admitted,    whilst   the 


September  7,  1918       ^j)e  BHtisb  Soumal  of  IRiirsino. 


»57 


claims  of  Sisters  Clarke  and  Brown,  one  of 
whom  belonged  to  each  side,  were  also  ruled 
on  without  prejudice,  but  the  claims  of  a  dozen 
of  the  regular  nursing  staff  were  disallowed. 


A  contemporary  says  : — '*  If  the  service 
franchise  does  not  apply  to' nurses,  it  is  difficult 
to  see  to  whom  it  would  apply,  and  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  nurses  in  hospitals  and  institutions, 
if  refused  their  vote  by  the  local  authority,  will 
appeal  to  the  county  court." 


It  is  stated  that  Lady  Rhondda  has  definitely 
decided  to  claim  a  seat  in  the  House  of  Lords 
as  a  peeress  in  her  own  right. 


SUMMER  SCHOOL  OF  CIVICS  AND 
EUGENICS,  1918. 


The  above  school,  held  in  Oxford  during  the 
last  fortnight  in  August,  proved  of  the  greatest 
interest  to  those  few  members  of  the  nursing 
and  midwifery  professions  able  to  attend,  among 
them  Miss  Olive  Haydon  (lately  Sister  Olive  of 
York  Road),  Miss  Palmer  (Senior  Health  Visitor 
for  Brighton),  Miss  Tipper  (Organiser  for  the 
National  Council  for  Combating  Venereal  Disease), 
and  several  members  of  the  National  Union  of 
Trained   Nurses. 

Beside  the  lectures,  a  considerable  number  of 
discussions — more  or  less  informal — were  held, 
on  such  subjects  as  "  The  Problem  of  the  Un- 
married Mother  and  Her  Child,"  "  Police  Women 
and  Women  Patrols  as  regards  Prostitution," 
"  Treatment  for  Habitual  Criminals,"  together 
with  countless  smaller  discussions  held  on  every 
opportunity  by  the  "  workers  "  themselves 
on  their  own  particular  subjects.  And,  as  one 
nurse  student  remarked,  "  No  matter  what 
subject  is  under  discussion,  nursing  seems  to 
come  into  it  ;  one  can  always  either  give  some 
special  piece  of  information  .required,  or  get 
information  oneself  on  some  point  that  has 
puzzled  one  in  dealing  with  social  problems." 

Certainly,  one  seldom  has  the  opportunity  of 
meeting  so  many  intelligent  and  keen  workeis — 
all  interested  in  the  same  great  subject,  namely, 
y  The  Betterment  of  the  Race  and  how  to  obtain 
it."  If  one  must  select  subjects  which  were  of 
special  interest  to  nurses,  those  on  Venereal 
Disease  and  the  great  campaign  to  educate  the 
civilian  population;  a.]so"  Fatigue  and  Efficiency 
by  Professor  Stanley  Kent,  showing  how  long 
hours  and  insufficient  rest  affect  the  output  of 
good  work,  came  home  to  many  a  nurse.  This 
subject  had  previously  been  dealt  with  in  a 
"  Psychology  Lecture,"  showing  a  series  of  most 
interesting  charts  and  experiments,  given  by 
Miss   May    Smith. 

If  one  may  ciiticise — "  The  Work  of  the  Oxford 


Infant  Welfare  Association,"  though  most  interest- 
ing as  given  by  Mrs.  Wells,  who  openly  stated  she 
was  only  an  amateur,  made  some  of  the  pro- 
fessional nurses  wish  the  lecture  had  been  given 
by  a  leader  on  the  subject — more  especially  as 
Sister    Olive    was    amongst   the    audience  !  ,.  i  ^, 

Both  Sister  Olive,  who  spoke  on  the  great 
need  of  an  expert  being  in  charge  of  and  giving 
all  the  advice  at  all  centres,  and  Miss  Cancellor, 
who  spoke  of  the  value  of  the  voluntary  workers 
being  trained  and  also  encouraged  to  learn  the 
management  of  infants,  so  that  the  centres  could 
spread  knowledge  into  the  nurseries  of  the  educated 
as  well  as  the  poor,  made  their  points,  and  were 
asked  many  questions  later  by  students  interested. 

Another  interesting  suggestion  was  made  by 
Mr.  Peake,  i.e.,  that  both  in  the  study  of  regional 
survey  and  in  the  collection  of  folk-lore.  Health 
Visitors  and  District  Nurses  would  find  a  great 
interest  and  also  be  able  to  collect  many  interesting 
facts  ;  he  suggested  that  folk-lore  societies  would 
be  very  pleased  to  send  particulars  and  forms  to 
any  nurses  ready  to  take  up  this  fascinating 
study. 

The  School  broke  up  with  a  delightful  im- 
promptu party  ;  with  "  Story-telling  "  at  its 
best,  by  Miss  Elizabeth  Clark,  and  lightning 
sketches  of  dream-creatures  seen  after  the  Biology 
Lectures,  given  by  another  talented  student, 
Professor  Laurie,  who  had  given  the  lectures, 
joining  in  the  laugh  more   heartily  than   anyone. 

If  the  Summer  School  meets  next  year,  nurses 
are  most  strongly  advised  to  take  this  chance  of 
meeting  so  many  other  workers  and  hearing  all 
the  most  recent  discoveries  made  on  all  social 
progress. 


WAR   NURSING. 

An  interesting  book  on  War  Nursing  by  Professor 
Richet,  of  the  University  of  Paris,  translated  by 
Helen  de  Vere  Beauclerk,  is  published  by  Messrs. 
Heinemann,  21,  Bedford  Street,  London,  W.C., 
price  3s.  6d.  It  deals  with  the  elementary  data 
of  medical  physiology,  and  the  subject  >  discussed 
ara  anti-sepis,anaesthesia,foods,  haemorrhage, fever, 
and  asphyxia.  It  is  primarily  intended  for  Red 
Cross  Workers,  and  is  admirably  designed  for 
this  purpose. 


A     WORD     TO    THE     WISE. 

Nurses  in  the  Marylebone  district  will  be  well 
advised  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  establishment  of 
Messrs.  Gayler  &  Pope,  Ltd.,  at  11 2-1 17,  High 
Street,  Marylebone,  W.  i,  w^here  are  to  be  found 
uniform  coats  and  cloaks  and  bonnets  to  suit 
diverse  tastes  and  purses.  The  present  is  an 
opportune  moment  for  the  renewal  of  uniform, 
both  because  the  advent  of  September  reminds 
us  that  it  is  time  to  think  about  winter  garments, 
and  also  because  prices  are  certain  to  mount 
higher  than  at  present,  and  the  wise  are  those  who 
provide  for  their  needs  forthwith. 


158 


^bc  British  3ournal  of  IRuretng.        September  7,  1918 


BOOK    OF   THE   WEEK. 


"CAPTAIN  DIEPPE."* 

It  is  a  long  time  sin.ce  we  have  enjoyed  any  long 
story  from  Mr.  Anthony  Hope's  pen. 

"  Captain  pieppe  "  is  a  romance  peculiar  to 
his  style,  and  written  with  his  peculiar  grace. 

It  is  not  perhaps  on  as  high  a  platform  of  merit 
as  some  of  his  earlier  works,  but  he  cannot  help 
being  charming,  nor  can  his  characters  fail  to 
either  attract  or  repel . 

"  Captain  Dieppe  "  is  full  of  improbabilities  and 
impossible  situations  ;  were  it  not  so  it  could  not 
be  the  product  of  Mr.  Hope's  pen.  Its  plot  is 
elusive,  and  dif&cult  to  bring  into  the  matter-of- 
fact  atmosphere  of  criticism. 

Who  and  what  Captain  Dieppe  was  doesn't  seem 
to  matter  much,  suf&ce  it  to  say  he  was  an  attrac- 
tive, so  it  is  implied,  gentleman  in  the  thirties, 
who  carried  on  his  person  papers  of  importance. 
Our  readers  will  learn  as  much  about  him  as  we 
know  ourselves  from  the  following  paragraphs. 

Fresh  from  the  failure  of  important  plans,  if 
not  a  fugitive,  still  a  man  to  whom  recognition 
would  be  inconvenient  and  perhaps  dangerous, 
with  fifty  francs  in  his  pocket,  and  his  spare  ward- 
robe in  a  knapsack  on  his  back,  without  immediate 
prospect  of  future  employment  or  replenishment  of 
his  purse,  he  marched  up  a  long,  steep  hill  in  the 
glowing  dusk  of  a  stormy  evening. 

The  Captain  whistled  and  sang.  What  a  fright 
he  had  given  the  ministers,  how  nearly  he  had 
brought  back  the  Prince,  what  an  uncommon  and 
intimate  satisfaction  of  soul  came  from  carrying 
under  his  wet  coat  lists  of  names,  letters  and  what 
not,  all  capable  of  causing  tremors  in  high  places. 
He  broke  off  whistling  to  observe  aloud  : 

"  Mark  this,  it  is  to  very  few  there  comes  a  life 
so  interesting  as  mine,"  and  his  tune  began  again 
with  almost  rollicking  vigour." 
Thus  Captain  Dieppe  ! 

The  drenched,  but  unquenchable  Captain  finds 
himself  shortly  afterwards  entertained  in  a  hand- 
some house,  and  quite  easily  became  the  guest  of 
the  young  Count  Fieramondi. 

"  Stay  with  me,"  said  the  Count,  "  for  to-night 
at  least,  and  as  much  longer  as  you  will.  Nobody 
will  trouble  you.  I  live  in  solitude,  and  your 
society  will  lighten  it.  Let  me  ring  and  give 
orders  for  your  entertainment." 

Dieppe  looked  up  at  him.  ,"  With  all  my  heart, 
dear  host.  Your  only  dif&culty  shall  be  to  get  rid 
of  me." 

He  was  accommodated  in  the  "  Cardinal's 
Room,"  which  his  host  informed  him  he  had 
himself  until  lately  occupied. 

"  I  left  it  owing  to — er — circumstances." 
"  His  Eminence  is  restless  ?  " 
"  I  beg  pardon  ?  " 
"  I  mean — a  ghost  ?  " 

"  No,  a  cat  I "  was  the  Count's  surprising 
answer. 

•  Skefl&ngton  &  Son,  Ltd.     6s. 


And  the  cat  was  connected  with  a  lady,  and  the 
lady  was  the  Count's  wife,  and  the  relations 
between  them  were  somewhat  strained. 

"  My  wife  and  I  are  not  in  agreement.  She 
lives  in  the  right  wing  with  two  servants,  and  I 
live  in  the  left  with  three." 

Captain  Dieppe  being  of  an  enquiring  turn  of 
mind  is  not  long  before  he  makes  {sub  rosa)  the 
acquaintance  of  the  lady  in  the  right  wing,  and 
the  meeting  is  described  in  Mr.  Hope's  best 
inconsequent  manner. 

"  Sir,"  said  a  timid  voice  at  his  elbow. 
Dieppe  shot  round,  and  then  and  there  lost  his 
heart.  One  sight  of  her  a  man  might  endure  and 
be  heart-whole — ^not  two.  There,  looking  up  at 
him  with  the  most  bewitching  mouth,  the  most 
destructive  eyes,  was  the  lady  he  had  seen  at  the 
end  of  the  passage 

"  Madame  la  Comtesse  ?  "  stammered  the 
dazzled  Captain. 

"  Yes,  yes  ;  but  never  mind  that.  Who  are 
you  ?  "  ■ 

"  My  name  is  Dieppe,  madame.  Captain 
Dieppe  at  your  service." 

As  the  gallant  Captain  had  surprised  an  inter- 
view between  the  lady  and  a  young  man,  evidently 
of  a  secret  nature,  he  is  sharply  rebuked  for  his 
blundering. 

"  Tell  me  what  I  must  do,"  implored  the  Cap- 
tain. 

She  looked  at  him  kindly,  partly  because  he 
w;as  a  handsome  fellow,  partly  because  it  was  her 
way,  and  she  said  with  the  prettiest,  simplest  air, 
as  though  she  were  making  the  most  ordinary 
request  and  never  thought  of  refusal : 

"  Will  you  give  me  fifty  thousand  francs  ?  " 
To  this  modest  request  the  Captain  replied  that 
he  had  but  fifty  in  the  world,  but  he  set  himself  to 
retrieve  the  compromising  papers  from  Paul  de 
Roustache,  by  more  exciting  and  decidedly  less 
dull  means  than  by  merely  paying  the  price  in 
cash. 

And  these  two  went  through  a  wild  adventure 
to  attain  their  object,  and  Dieppe  having  done  his 
part  handsomely  found  himself  in  the  extremely 
awkward  position  of  being  deeply  and  profoundly 
in  love  with  his  host's  wife. 

And  then  comes  the  grand  finale,  when  Dieppe 
discovers  that  his  charming  lady  is  not  the  Countess 
after  all,  but  her  cousin  ;  and  that  she  and  the  real 
Countess  have  for  involved  reasons  of  their  own 
been  hoaxing  both  him  and  the  Count. 

"  I  am  the  happiest  fellow  in  the  world,"  he 
declared  ;  "  and  that,"  he  added,  as  though  it 
were  a  rare  and  precious  coincidence,  "  with  my 
conscience    quite    at    peace." 

As  to  the  consciences  of  the  two  very  ingenious 
young  ladies — ^the  Countess  of  Fieramondi  and  her 
cousin.  Countess  Lucia — the  problem  is  more 
difi&cult.  The  Countess  never  confessed  and 
Lucia  never  betrayed  the  secret. 

What  their  secrets  really  amounted  to  we  must 
beg  our  readers  to  discover  for  themselves. 

H.  H. 


TTie  Prttish  Journal  of  jVurtmn,  Seistrmber  7.  19J8. 


"  Science  is,  I  believe, 
nothing  but  trained  and 
organized  common-sense, 
differing  from  the  latter 
only  as  a  veteran  may 
differ  from  a  raw  recruit : 
and  its  methods  diffc 
from  those  of  common- 
sense  only  so  far  as  the 
Guardsman's  cut  and 
thrust  differ  from  the 
manner  in  which  a  savage 
wields  his  club." 

Profeaor  Huxley. 


The  Basis 
of 
Science 


BOOTS  PURE  DRUG  COMPANY  LIMITED  wish  to  draw  the 
attention  of  the  medical  profession  to  the  following  seven  scientific 
preparations.  Practitioners  who  endeavour  to  keep  abreast  of  the  times 
will  find  these  modern  antiseptics  of  superlative  value  in  general  practice. 


TABLETS  OF  CHLORAMINE-T 

One  tablet  dissolved  in  two  ounces  of  water  makes 
•  one  per  cent,  solution. 

Bottles  of  25,  8*75  grain  tablets,  l/> 

50 2/- 

100 3/9 

One  tablet  dissolved  in  ten  ounces  of  water  makes 
a  one  per  cent,  solution. 

Bottles  of  12  43-75  grain  tablets,  1/10  . 

CHLORAMINE-T  CREAM 

Containine  approximately  one  per  cent.  Chlora- 
mine-T.  Described  and  investigated  under  the 
name  of  Chloramine  Paste  by  Vincent  Daufresne, 
Carrel,  Hartmann  and  others,  in  the  Journal  of 
Eiperimtnlal  MtJidne,  1917. 

In  Pots.    Trial  size.  9d. :  larce  size,  2/8. 

TABLETS  OF  PROFLAVINE 

(with  todium  chloriJt). 

One  tablet  dissolved  in  four  fluid  ounces  steriU 
water  makes  1:1000  Proflavine   in   normal  salin*. 

Bottles  of  100  tablets,  3/6 

DAKIN'S   NEW  WATER    DISINFECTANT. 
Vida  B.M.J..  May,  1917. 

The  action  of  Halazone  is  positive,  and  may  be  relied  upon  for  crudest  waters.  Each  tablet  is  sufficient  to 
sterilize  one  quart  of  contaminated  water,  but  in  cases  of  extreme  contamination  a  second  tablet  may  b« 
necessary.    Halazone  is  invaluable  for  those  on  active  service  overseas,  more  particularly  in  hot  climates. 

Bottles  of  100  tablets,  6d. 

Supplies  are  available  for  prescription  service  on  application 
through  any  o/  the  iranchcM  of  BOOTS  IM  CHEMISTS. 

Boots  Pure  Drug  Company  Limited 

MANUFACTURING    CHEMISTS    AND   MAKERS   OF   FINE   CHEMICALS. 
Head  Offices:    Station  StrMt.  NoMiasham.        JESSE  BOOT.  Maoacina  DirecMr. 


CHLORAMINE-T 

(p-lolutne-ieJium-tulphochloTamiJe). 

Dakin's  ideal  antiseptic,  of  wide  applicability  in 
medicine  and  surgery. 

In  bottles  of  loz..  1/2:  4oz.,  3/6:  lib..  12/8 

CHLORAMINE-T  GAUZE 

In  two  strenRths,  containing  approximately  5% 
and  35%  Chloramine-T.  (5%  supplied  unless 
otherwise  specified).  This  should  be  fixed  dry 
and  subsequently  moistened,  if  necessary,  when 
in  position. 

In  scaled  packages  only,  price  1/6  per  package. 

PROFLAVINE 

(3'6  diamina-acridlnt-tulphale). 
The  improved  Flavine  derivative. 

Equal  in  antiseptic  poi«ers  to  Acriflaoine,  and  in 
important  respects  superior,  being  markedly  less 
toxic  and  less  irritating.  Proflavine,  being  less 
costly  to  manufacture,  can  be  sold  at  a  substantially 
lower  price  than  Acriflavine. 

5  gram  bottle,  1/4 :  20  gram  bottle,  &/• 

HALAZONE  TABLETS. 


i6o 


Zbe  British  3ournal  of  flureinfi. 


September  7,   1918 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 


Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  for  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  be 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents. 

THE    KINO'S    FUND    FOR    THE     DISABLED. 
WHO  WILL  FOLLOW  HIS  MAJESTY  5  LEAD  ? 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Madam, — His  Majesty  the  King  has  been 
graciously  pleased  to  give  not  only  his  name,  but 
also  the  magnificent  sum  of  ^^78,000  to  the  Fund 
which  was  recently  inaugurated  to  assist  disabled 
ofi&cers  and  men  of  the  Navy,  Army  and  Air  Force 
to  become  useful  members  of  the  community 
again. 

We,  the  Trustees  of  the  Fund,  for  whom  I  sign 
as  Chairman,  appeal  to  the  humanity,  the  grati- 
tude, of  every  one  of  your  readers — man,  woman 
and  child — ^for  a  subscription  which  will  help  to 
find  a  new  place  in  civil  life  for  officers  and  men  of 
His  Majesty's  Forces  disabled  in  the  War,  and  for 
the  widows  and  children  of  officers  and  men  who 
have  given  their  lives  for  us. 

"  Why  doesn't  the  Government  do  that  ?  " 
some  readers  will  ask. 

Briefly,  a  State  Pension  scale  must  be  hard  and 
fast.  Outside  that  scale  there  is  a  great  human 
field  which  the  King's  Fund  can  cover  in  which 
the  officer,  the  man,  or  the  dependent  can  be  put 
on  his  or  her  feet,  and  given  a  sound  re-establish- 
ment in  civil  life. 

A  State  Scheme  must  be  a  classification  according 
to  the  type  ;  the  King's  Fund  passes  beyond 
classification,  and  acts,  not  as  a  public  official,  but 
as  a  private  friend. 

The  present  facts  are  : — 

We  are  receiving  600  applications  a  week. 
2,500  cases  have  been  dealt  with  thus  far.  Where 
the  officer  or  man  has  been  trained  by  the 
Ministry  of  Pensions  or  where  there  is  a  business 
given  up  for  War  Service,  which  he  can  restart,  an 
adequate  grant  can  be  made. 

The  Fund  is  a  Monument  of  Gratitude. 

It  will  cheer  our  gallant  fighters  to  see  that 
monument  rising  to  ;/^3,ooo,ooo — ^the  amount 
aimed  at. 

So  let  us,  therefore,  have  the  money — and 
quickly.     Urgent  cases  are  waiting.  | 

The  King  leads  off  with  his  great  gift  of  ;^78,ooo. 

Who  will  follow  the  King's  lead  ? 

Contributions  should  be  sent  to  The  King's  Fund 
for  the  Disabled,  Westminster  House,  Millbank, 
S.W.  I. 

All  cheques  and  postal  orders  should  be  crossed. 
For  the  Trustees, 

John  Hodge,  Chairman. 

AN     INTERESTINQ    COMPARISON. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — The  paragraphs  with  regard  to 
the   Royal   Air   Force   Nursing   Service   in   The 


British  Journal  of  Nursing  and  F.S.  Form  144 
make  a  very  interesting  compaiison  and  provide 
a  very  clear  answer  to  why  there  is  such  a  serious 
shortage  of  probationers.  Most  parents  are  now 
carefully  considering  such  information  and  invesi  i- 
gating  conditions  of  service  and  possible  chances 
in  the  professions  open  to  their  daughters. 

The  following  information  does  not  include  the 
Matron s-in-Chief  or  highest  officers  in  either 
department  : — 

OFFICERS    OF   WOMEN'S    ROYAL  AIR   FORCE. 

Nursing    Service    after    Three    Years' 
Training. 
Matron       . .  . .  ^75 


Sjpt.  Sister 
Sisters 
Staff  Nurses 


£50 
/40 


Board  and  lodging  pro- 
vided and  a  yearly 
increment. 


General  Service  after  Three  Weeks'  Training 
Area  Inspector     ,  .;^20o 


Quarters  provided  and 
/40  6s.  deducted  for 
board.  Outfit  allow- 
ance,   ;^20. 

First-class  travelling 
expenses  and  15s.  per 
day  when  on  duty 
away  from  Head- 
quarters. 


Hostel  Administra 
tor  ..  '•£'^75 

Deputy  Hostel  Ad- 
ministrator       . ./150 

Assistant       Hostel^ 
Administrator  .  .£120 

Technical  Adminis- 
trator     . .  .  •;^I50 

Assistant  Technical 
Administrator  .  .^120 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  it  is  necessary  to  inform 
nurse-^  in  Military  and  Civilian  Hospitals  that  they 
will  not  be  accepted  without  perriiission  from 
employers  ? 

Yours  faithfully. 

Interested. 

AN  AUSTRALIAN  POINT  OF  VIEW. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — Please  find  enclosed  postal  note 
for  subscription  for  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 
I  am  always  very  pleased  to  get  the  Journal,  as 
I  consider  it  the  most  reliable  nursing  paper,  all 
matters  in  it  being  handled  by  professional  nursing 
experts  not  by  lay  people.  I  hope  your  State 
Registration  Bill  will  soon  go  through,  then  your 
power  as  a  woman  voter  registered  nurse  will  be 
greatly  increased.  We  are  trusting  our  Bill  will 
come  on  during  the  Session  which  opens  soon. 
We  think  most  of  the  members,  both  Liberal  and 
Labour,  are  sympathetic  in  their  views  re  our 
request. 

Wishing  your  Journal  continued  success  ajid 
power. 

I  am,  faithfully  yours, 

Gretta  Lyons. 

Melbourne,  Victoria. 


OUR 


PRIZE     COMPETITION. 

QUESTIONS. 

September  14th. — ^What  do  you  know  of  Ex-oph- 
thalmic Gditre,  its  symptoms,  and  nursing  care  ? 

September  21st. — ^What  is  the  function  of  the 
blood  ?     Why  may  hiemorrhage  cause  death  ? 


September  7,  1918  ji\)c  »rttt0b  Soumal  of  fluratna  Supplement     i^r 

The   Midw^ife. 


THE  CENTRAL  MIDWIVES'  BOARD. 


LIST    OF    SUCCESSFUL  CANDIDATES. 

At  the  examination  of  the  Central  Midwives' 
Board,  held  on  August  ist,  in  London  and  the 
Provinces,  494  candidates  were  examined  and 
400  fJassed  the  examiners.  The  percentage  of 
failures   was    ig. 

^  London. 

British    Hospital    for    Mothers    and    Babies. — 

D.  A.  Braithwaite,  L.  M.  Stock. 

City  of  London  Lying-in  Hospital. — D.  M. 
Amos,  E.  M.  Gaskell,  M.  Griffiths,  F.  A.  Hewson, 
R.  E.  Langridge,  C.  F.  Longstreeth,  K.  E.  McCon- 
ville,  J.  McDougall,  M.  A.  Neville,  A.  F.  Smith, 
B.  Wade. 

Clapham  Maternity  Hospital. — D.  W.  Adims, 
L.  E.  M.  Bruno,  I.  J.  Chilton,  E.  Doulton,  A.  W. 
Freke,    L.   M.    Lott,   P.   A.   Thorpe. 

East  End  Mothers'  Home. — ^M.  Anderson,  D. 
Bartlett,  M.  T.  E.  Collard,  S.  E.  Derrick,  E. 
Dickin,  M.  McR.  Djgtid,  N.  D.  Jones,  J. 
Llewellyn,  D.  L.  Metzgar,  A.  M.  Pape,  E.  Smallev, 
A.  M.  M.  Stone,  R.  M.  Strudwick,  L.  Welsh." 

Elizabeth  Garrett  Anderson  Hospital. — F.  E. 
Nicholson,   A.   H.   Turner. 

General  Lying-in  Hospital. — C.  Bream,  R.  E. 
Cole,  F.  S.  Cox,  M.  C.  Edwards,  K.  M.  Forwood, 
M.  E.  Giles,  A.  L.  Glover,  E.  L  Harker,  J.  E. 
Heywood,  A.  Husband,  A.  A.  Kendall,  F.  E. 
Kewley,  E.  M.  Lyth,  C.  Montrose,  D.  J.  Mortinore, 
M.  L.  Newsome,  H.  Pea.te,  N.  Pleydell-Bouverie, 
F.  E.  Sampson,  E.  K.  Seamer,  R.  O.  Wall,  J. 
Westnidge. 

Greenwich    Union  Infirmary. — A.    R.   Hainan, 

E.  A.  Huggett,  L.  M.  B.  Nawells. 

Guy's  Institution. — J.  Murray,  E.  M.  Patrick, 
S.   A.   Taylor,   L.   D.   Whartcn. 

Hackney  Union  Infirmary. — D.  E.  Martin, 
,L.   E.  Townshend. 

Kensington  Union  Infirmary . — N.  Clogg,  E.  A. 
Haggett,  M.  P.  Northrop. 

Lambeth  Parish  Workhouse. — E.  M.  Bate,  A. 
Stock. 

London  Hospital. — J.  L.  Abraham,  G.  M.  Cook, 
M.  E.  England,  M.  M.  Grand,  A.  John,  A.  H. 
Norrish,  R.  A.  Thompson,  M.  J.  Wilson. 

Maternity  Nursing  Association. — L.  K.  Banwell, 
A.  A.  Curie,  E.  B.  Dawson,  E.  Hurlstone,  M.  A. 
Joiner. 

Middlesex  Hospital. — D.  M.  Badock,  H.  M. 
Barber,  D.  W.  Hay.  M.  Leaver,  A.  L.  Read,  M. 
Waterton. 

Plaistow  Maternity  Charity. — E.  Benson,  F.  H. 
Bridges,  M.  A.  Broomfield,  N.  Dibble,  A.  H. 
Duffield,  C.  N.  Golde-,  D.  C.  Hawson,  M.  A.  Hill, 
M.  E.  Hughes,  P.  Isaac,  E.  C.  Jackson,  H.  E. 
Jackson,  J.  Liens,  E.  Long,  E.  F.  S.  Mackenzie, 


A.  A.  Martin,  E.  Meredith,  M.  A.  J.  Mills,  M. 
Morgans,  A.  Newton,  F.  Oxtoby,  E.  G.  Payne, 
G.    M.    Roberts,    V.    Roberts,    E.    A.    Simmons, 

B.  W.  Smith,  E.  Tointon,  E.  A.  Townell;  E.  True, 
M.  A.  Watson,  N.  A.  M.  Webb,  M.  W.  Wellard, 
L.  Booth. 

Queen  Charlotte's  Hospital. — L.  M.  W.  Bower, 
L.  S.  Church,  M.  G.  Church,  L.  Coates,  L.  M.  Cole, 
M.  A.  Cooper,  O.  M.  Cooper,  M.  L.  Gill,  K.  M. 
Hawkins,  A.  M.  K.  Hewitt,  E.  Hey,  H.  E.  Jones, 
E.  G.  Kay,  H.  MacGregor,  A.  N.  Menzies,  M.  K. 
Millard,  M.  J.  Phillips,  M.  E.  Simpson,  D.  Swain, 
A.  M.  Tester,  W.  P.  Tollman,  E.  Wilkes,  E. 
Wi'Iiamson,  N.  Woodward. 

Salvatioft  Army  Mothers'  Hospital. — ^M.  E. 
Drury,  E.  J.  Finley,  E.  Long. 

St.  Thomas'  Hospital. — J.  A.  Breach,  H.  D. 
Campbell,  K.  M.  R.  Carmichael,  D.  J.  Cass. 

University  College  Hospital.- — G.  Dale,  D.  Eden- 
borough,  A.  J.  M.  Twine,  C.  A.  Wetherspoon. 

Wandsworth   Union  Workhouse. — ^W.  B.  Dann, 

C.  Walker. 

West  Ham  Workhouse. — F.  I.  More,  K.  S. 
Whitehead. 

Whitechapel  Union  Infirmary. — ^M.  A.  Brown, 
E.  O'Connor,  R.  WiHgrees. 

Provincial. 

Aldershot,  Louise  Margaret  Hospital. — ^M.  E. 
Nuttall. 

Birkenhead  Maternity  Hospital. — E.  Dugdale. 

Birmingham  Maternity  Hospital.. — M.  A.  Bailey, 
H.  B.  Campbell,  M.  Ellis,  M.  N.  K.  V.  Haise,  W.  A. 
Hyde,  S.  E.  Jones,  W.  M.  Lardixci,  G.  M.  Gates, 
E.  E.  Thirkell,  M.  Wallis,  K.  A.  Warren,  A.  H. 
Williamson. 

Birmingham,  Selly  Oak  Union  Infirmary. — E. 
Beddoe.  G.  T.  B.  Leach. 

Birmingham  Workhouse  Infirmary  and  Aston 
Union  Workhouse. — E.  E.  Golby,  A.  M.  Hall. 

Birmingham  Workhouse  Infirmary . — A.  M.  Pack- 
wood. 

Bradford  Union  Hospital. — H.  Whalley. 

Brighton  Hospital  for  Women. — E.  C.  Cameron, 
G.  Carter,  M.  Rist,  J..  Rook,  L  G.  Scott. 

Bristol  General  Hospital. — D.   M.   H.   Michell, 

D.  A.  Russell,  L.  M.  A.  Smith. 

Bristol  Royal  Infirmary. — E.  A.  Butt,  A.  M. 
Farrant,  H.  K.  Halls. 

Cheltenham  District  Nursing  Association. — A. 
Bradley,  M.  P.  Cross. 

Chester    Benevolent    Institution.— K.    Griffiths, 

E.  E.  Owen. 

Derby,  Royal  Derbyshire  Nursing  Association. — 
C.  E.  Baxter,  H.  M.  Burnie,  S.  Evans,  L.  Heslop, 
E.  Rose,  E.  S.  Souch,  L.  J.  Timm. 

Devon  and  Cornwall  Training  School.— ^A.  Batten, 
M.  J.  Brown,  A.  J.  Gurrowich,  E.  B.  Hilt,  E.  E. 
Mawdsley,  L.  Pethybridge,  M.  E.  Striplin. 


'62      zbc  3Briti0b  3ournal  of  "Wurelnc  Supplement  September  7,  191^ 


Devonport,  Alexandra  Nursing  Home. — B.  M. 
Dickson,  E.  M.  Dunning,  M.  Hamilton,  H. 
Sercombe. 

Eccleshall Bierlow  Union  Infirmary. — E.  Watson. 

Gloucester  District  Nursing  Society. — S.  Colier, 
Lewis,  S.  Thomas. 

Herts  County  Nursing  Association. — C.   Lister, 

.  Tunwell,  E.  M.  Vincent. 

Huddersfield  District  Nursing  Association  and 
Huddersfield  Union  Infirmary. — ^M.  E.  Armitage. 

Htill  Lying-in  Charity. — E.  M.  Petty. 

Ipswich  Nurses'  Home. — C.  Clark,  E.  Raven, 
A.  B.  Taylor. 

Leeds  Maternity  Hospital. — F.  Abbott,  J.  A. 
Bell,  M.  A.  Carr,  C.  W.  Cowan,  D.  S.  G.  Hirst,  A. 
HoUiday,  E.  Holmes,  E.  Johnson,  M.  E.  Margeri- 
son,  O.  N.  Musgrave,  E.  Oldfield,  M.  K.  Parke, 
M.  J.  Rolling,  E.  Rowe,  E.  Southworth,  L.  C. 
Spice,  M.  A.  Warlow,  I.  Woodall,  I.  A.  Woodley, 
H.  T.  Young. 

Leeds  Union  Infirmary . — E.  Chippendale. 

Leicester  Maternity  Hospital. — G.  E.  Barnett, 
/    E.  Bowen. 

Leicester  Union  Infirmary. — L.  M.  Fudge. 

Liverpool  Maternity  Hospital. — L.  Alderdice, 
M.  A.  Bodey,  F.  Chadwick,  L.  Cragg,  F.  A.  Ind, 
L.  V.  Johnston,  A.  Jones,  A.  D.  Kinghorn,  M.  D. 
Macdonald,  S.  G.  Newman,  E.  O'Callaghan,  B.  L. 
Rogers,  M.  A.  Schoapper,  M.  A.  Wadsworth, 
M.  Yorke. 
''Liverpool  Workhouse  Hospital. — D.  Girdlestone. 

Manchester  :  St.  Mary's  Hospitals. — A.  M. 
Barnes,  E.  A.  Billington,  M.  Brocklehurst,  E.  A. 
Bruce,  F.  J.  Burgess,  H.  Clegg,  E.  Cooper,  S.  S. 
Dixon,  D.  C.  Jackson,  M.  Lewis,  F.  S.  Mitchell, 

E.  Shelmerdine,  S.  A.  Watt,  E.  T.  Wignall. 
Northampton,   Q.V.N.I.—G.  A.   Morrell,   S.   E. 

Preece,  A.  Weall. 

North  Bierley  Union  Infirmary. — ^M.  Ash,  E.  Lee. 
Nottingham  Workhouse  Infirmary. — F.  T.  Ford, 

F.  Reeves,'  B.  C.  Roberts. 

Portsmouth  Military  Families  Hospital. — ^M. 
Russell. 

Portsmouth  Workhouse  Infirmary. — E.  M.  Brown. 

Preston  Union  Workhouse. — M.  Murray. 

Staffs  Training  Home  for  Nurses- — M.  E. 
Hughes,  M.  E.  Kirkby,  H.  J.  Mackenzie,  M.  Mill- 
ward,  E.  M.  Pile,  A.  F.  Snedden 

Sheffield,  Jessop  Hospital. —  M.  D.  Eastburn, 
S.  Shiliitlo,  F.  A.  Shuker,  E.  Thomas 

Sheffield  Union  Hospital. — E.  Fleming. 

Stoke-on-Trent  Umon-  Hospital. — E  Hulme, 
A.  Taylor. 

Wallsall  Union  Workhouse. — ^M.  M.  Mason, 
E.  Riley. 

West  Derby  Union  Infirmary,  Walton. — ^A. 
Clayton,  E.  Dunn,  F.  Dyke. 

West  Riding  Nursing  Association. — M.  E.  Lee, 
I.  Ross. 

Wilts  Nursing  Association. — E.  A.  Shaw. 

Worcester  County  Nursing  Association. — S 
Davies,  Z.  V.  Hamilton,  A.  Harris. 

York    Maternity    Hospital. — A.    Hare,    H. 
Wilson, 

York  Union  Hospital.— M.  Garbutt. 


Wales. 

Cardiff  Q.V.J. N.I. — E.  Chapman,  E.  Evans, 
K.  N.  Jones,  R.  Rowles. 

Merthyr  Tydfil  Union  Infirmary. — ^M.  Walters. 

Monmouthshire  Training  Centre. — ^A.  E.  Comley, 
E.  M.  Evans,  M.  M.  Gale,  C.  Harrison,  A.  Hughes, 
E.  A.  Morgan,  M.  Peters,  M.  Ware,  M.  Watkins, 
S.  J.  Winston. 

Scotland. 

Dundee  Maternity  Hospital. — A.  E.  Davison, 
T.  R.  Mullan. 

Govan  Nurses'  Home. — ^M.  Costella,  A.  A.  Ions, 
J.  B.  Leishman,  M.  Stoddart. 

Glasgow  Royal  Maternity  Hospital. — B.  Melville. 

Ireland. 

Belfast  Union  Maternity  Hospital. — R.  Beattie, 
M.  Frazer,  F.  Thompson,  J.  A.  Wiley. 

Dublin  Rotunda  Hospital. — ^M.  A.  E.  Andrew, 
M.  E.  Delahunty,  H.  M.  Dixon,  E.  M.  Gorman, 
E.  J.  Morgan,  B.  Mort. 

Dublin  :   Coombe  Hospital. — E.  M.Jaques. 

Private  Tuition. 
S.  O.  AUaway,  A.  J.  Allison,  C.  H.  Chappell, 
E.  Coyne,  L.  Cross,  F.  Flint,  E.  W.  Jones,  M.  G. 
Maries,  E.  M.  Oxle^.,  J.  G.  Raisbeck,  M.  E.  Render, 
M.  J.  Roberts,  S.  E.  L.  Stowe,  A.  Ward,  E.  A. 
Whitworth,  L.  Wilkinson. 

Private  Tuition  and  Institutions. 

Kensington  Union  Infirmary. — B.  C.  Babbage. 

General  Lying-in  Hospital. — ^M.  G.  Bennett, 
A.  Heatley,  E.  E.  Hubbard,  M.  J.  Kinsey,  M.  C. 
Stokes. 

Mansfield  Union  Workhouse. — ^W.  Burkinshaw. 

Royal  Derbyshire  Nursing  Association. — ^M.  Cope, 
L.  M.  T.  Fearn. 

Essex  County  Nursing  Association. — ^M.  C." 
Crown,  E.  F.  Davis,  E.  Rodgers. 

St.  Mary's  Hospital,  Manchester. — ^M.  Davis. 

Fulham  Midwifery  School. — G.  L.  Dobinson, 
A.  E.  Pellow,  W.  E.  Turner. 

Nottingham  Workhouse  Infirmary. — ^V.  G.  Gill- 
more. 

Stoke-on-Trent  Union  Workhouse  Hospital. — " 
M.  E.  Grundy,  E.  Withington. 

Birmingham  Maternity  Hospital. — E.  B.  Guest, 
C.  Harris. 

Jewish  Maternity  District  Nursing  Society. — 
E.  Hyams,  E.  A.  Kent. 

Elizabeth  Garrett  Anderson  Hospital. — ^M.  J. 
McNeil. 

East  End  Mothers'  Home. — G.  E.  Parry. 

Croydon  Union  Infirmary. — B.  H.  Pickering. 

Liverpool  Maternity  Hospital. — ^M.  E.  Russell, 
L.  E.  Di  Gennaro. 


M. 


M. 


An  interesting  course  of  Elementary  Lectures  on 
Infant  Care,  to  be  held  at  i,  Wimpole  Street,  W., 
from  5.30  to  6.30  p.m.  On  Mondays  from  September 
30th  to  December  i6th,  has  been  organised  by  the 
National  Association  for  the  Prevention  of  Infant 
Mortality. 


THE 

WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 


iBic; 


EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


No.  1,589. 


SATURDAY,    SEPTEMBER    14,    1918. 


Vol.    LXl 


EDITORIAL. 


THE    WAR    COUNCIL    SHOULD     TAKE 
ACTION. 

It  will  surprise  none  of  those  who,  at  the 
outbreak  of  the  war  in  1914,  desired  to  see 
the  nursing  service  of  this  country  put  upon 
a  war  footing  as  a  whole,  that  there  is  at 
the  present  time  a  very  serious  shortage  of 
nurses  and  probationers  in  our  civil  hospitals. 
If  thousands  of  nurses  are  taken  out  of 
these  institutions  to  care  for  the  sick  and 
wounded  it  is  evident  that  there  will  be 
many  vacancies  on  the  nursing  staffs  of 
such  hospitals.  But  because  the  best  must 
be  available  for  our  sick  and  wounded 
sailors,  soldiers,  and  airmen,  there  is  no 
valid  reason  why  a  comprehensive  survey 
should  not  have  been  taken,  with  the  object 
of  filling  these  vacancies,  or  that  it  should 
not  be  taken  even  now  in  this  fifth  year 
of  the  war — late  as  it  is  to  begin  work 
that  should  have  been  inaugurated  as  soon 
as  war  was  declared,  in  an  international 
conflict  which  was  bound  to  affect  the 
furthermost  ends  of  the  world. 

Had  recruits  been  calle'd  for  for  our 
civil  hospitals  in  the  early  days  of  the  war, 
had  the  untrained  enthusiasm  of  many 
ardent  young  women  who  desired  to  nurse 
our  wounded  soldiers  been  directed  to 
hospital  training  as  a  means  to  attain  this 
end,  the  probationary  service  in  our  civil 
hospital  wards  would  not  have  been  starved. 
As  it  was,  short  courses  of  a  few  weeks' 
instruction  were  inaugurated,  and  many 
young  women  were  permitted  at  their 
conclusion  to  proceed  on  active  service, 
whilst  numbers  of  fully  qualified  nurses 
were  turned  down. 

The  National  Council  of  Trained  Nurses 
of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  presented  a 
Memorandum  on  the  Care  of  the  Sick  and 
Wounded    to  the   Director-General   of   the 


Army  Medical  Service  in  December,  1914, 
prepared  by  the  President,  Mrs.  Bedford 
Fenwick,  which  advocated  the  formation 
of  an  expert  committee  "  representative  of 
the  various  departments  which  are  now 
engaged  in  organising  the  nursing  of  sick 
and  wounded  soldiers,  and  including  inde- 
pendent experts  on  military  nursing."  Had 
such  a  committee  been  formed  one  of  its 
first  acts  no  doubt  would  have  been  to 
safeguard  the  sources  of  supply  of  military 
nurses,  to  see  that  the  needs  of  the  civil 
hospitals  were  met,  as  far  as  possible, 
while  providing  for  the  emergencies  caused 
by  the  war.  This  statesmanlike  course 
was  not  pursued,  nor  was  it  endorsed  by 
the  heads  of  the  military  services,  and 
organisation  proceeded  in  water-tight  com- 
partments. Unfortunately  none  of  the 
heads  of  those  departments  had  attended 
international  conferences  of  nurses,  or 
learnt  what  their  colleagues  of  other 
nations  were  doing,  and  their  outlook  was 
very  restricted. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  nursing  pro- 
fession in  the  United  States  of  America  on 
the  entry  of  that  country  into  the  war  has 
been  the  formation  of  an  expert  committee 
composed  of  the  heads  of  the  naval  and 
military  nursing  departments  as  well  as 
other  leaders  of  the  nursing  profession,  with 
the  result  that  attention  is  being  directed 
to  nursing  as  a  field  for  national  service, 
and  25,000  young  women  are  asked  for  to 
join  the  United  States  Student  Nurse 
Reserve,  and  thus  to  be  ready,  as  trained 
nurses  are  drafted  to  the  front,  to  fill  up  the 
ranks  by  entering  the  training  schools  as 
student  nurses  for  the  full  term  course. 

This  country  might  have  led  the  way.  It 
is  now  too  late.  But  it  is  not  too  late  to 
follow  where  the  United  States  of  America 
have  led,  and  even  now  to  organize  a 
Student  Nurse  Reserve. 


164 


ITbe  3Britl0b  3ourital  of  Vlureing.        September  14, 1918 


We  hear  of  600  nurses  being  needed  in 
the  hospitals  of  the  Metropolitan  Asylums 
Board  alone,  of  wards  in  children's  hospitals 
being  closed  for  lack  of  probationers.  There 
are  still  many  employable  women  who  are 
unemployed.  Surely  the  need  has  only  to 
be  understood  to  be  met. 

The  bureaucratic  nursing  committees  in 
connection  with  the  War  Office  have  proved 
themselves  totally  incapable  of  elasticity 
of  mind  and  action,  and  it  is  high  time  the 
Minister  of  National  Service  called  in  the 
aid  of  experts  possessing  creative  faculty 
and  power  of  organization. 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITION. 

WHAT    DO   YOU   KNOW   OP  EX-OPHTHALMIC  OotrRE, 
ITS   SYMPTOMS    AND   NURSING    CARE? 

We  have  pleasure  in  awarding  the  prize  this 
week  to  Miss  M.  D.  Hunter,  Section  Hospital, 
Kineton,  near  Warwick. 

PRIZE     PAPER. 

Ex-ophthalmic  goitre  or  Grave's  Disease  is 
due  to  excess  of  secretion  of  the  thyroid  gland. 
It  is  commonest  in  girls  of  from  18  to  25  years 
of  age.  The  chief  symptoms  nearly  always 
appear  in  the  following  order  : — 

(i)  The  heart  is  quickened,  therefore  these 
cases  have  a  quick  pulse  due  to  the  frequent 
heart  action.  Pulsation  of  the  carotids  will  be 
noticed.  Usually,  too,  there  are  sweats  and 
hot  flushes. 

(2)  Protrusion  of  Eyeballs  is  very  noticeable, 
and  this,  ex-ophthalmos,  suggested  the  name 
of  the  disease.  It  is  supposedly  due  to  dilata- 
tion of  vessels  and  increased  connective  tissue 
and  fat  of  the  orbit.  By  holding  up  a  finger 
and  telling  the  patient  to  look  at  it  while 
g-radually  bringing  it  lower,  the  eyelid  will  not 
quite  follow  the  eye,  but  lags  behind,  thus 
proving  "  Von  Graefe's  sign  "  to  be  present. 
If  there  is  weakness  of  the  convergent  muscles, 
it  is  known  as  "  Mobius'  sign." 

(3)  Swelling  of  the  Thyroid  occurs,  but  not 
till  some  months  later  than  the  two  previous 
symptoms.  If  the  hand  is  placed  over  it  a 
thrill  can  be  felt.  The  enlargement  is  quite 
symmetrical. 

(4)  Fine  Tremor  is  present,  and  also  extreme 
nervousness  and  excitability.  The  tremor  is 
best  seen  by  telling  the  patient  to  hold  out  her 
arms  straight  in  front  of  her,  when  it  will  be 
easily  detected  in  the  fingers. 

Other  minor  symptoms  are  headache  and 
giddiness.  The  patient  feels  languid  Snd  has 
little  appetite.  She  is  usually  anaemic  and  thin. 
The   skin   will   feel   quite   moist,   which   is,   of 


course,  the  exact  opposite  to  that  found  in 
myxoedema.  Nearly  always  there  is  acute 
constipation,  and  some  doctors  have  a  theory 
that  this  is  the  primary  cause  of  the  disease. 
The  voice  is  often  feeble.  In  rare  cases  vomit- 
ing occurs,  and  is  a  serious  symptom,  as  it 
has  been  known  to  persist  in  spite  of  all  treat- 
ment, thus  eventually  causing  death  from 
exhaustion. 

The  nursing  care  is  likely  to  be  very  pro- 
longed, as  the  treatment  takes  a  long  while. 
Rest  in  bed  is  essential,  with  plenty  of  fresh 
air  and  no  excitements.  In  fact,  a  sort  of 
modified  rest  cure  is  needed,  but  isolation  is 
not  necessary.  Sometimes  electrical  treatment 
is  ordered,  consisting  of  prolonged  daily 
applications  of  a  moderate  faradic  current  to 
the  neck.  Cold  applications  are  best  applied 
by  Leiter's  tubes,  which  in  many  cases  are  very 
effectual  in  reducing  the  thyroid  swelling. 
Surgical  interference  is  not  generally  recom- 
mended, as  in  mild  cases  medical  treatment 
answers  best,  and  in  severe  cases  operative 
measures  are  so  risky,  and  therefore  inadvis- 
able. The  only  operation  generally  possible 
is  a  partial  re-section  of  the  gland  and 
ligaturing  of  two  or  three  of  the  thyroid 
arteries.  Feeding  is  very  important,  and 
plenty  of  milk  must  always  be  given — the  con- 
stipating effects  counteracted  by  suitable 
aperients.  Tea  and  coffee  should  not  be 
allowed,  but  cocoa  is  an  excellent  substitute. 
When  possible,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  give  the 
patient  the  milk  of  goats  from  which  the 
thyroid  gland  has  been  removed.  The  diet 
should  be  light,  and  fruit  is  generally  allowed. 
As  the  most  usual  drugs  g^iven  are  arsenic  or 
belladonna,  the  nurse  should  be  well  acquainted 
with  symptoms  of  overdose.  Belladonna  is  a 
great  sedative,  but  if  the  patient  complains  of 
dryness  of  mouth,  the  medical  man  should  be 
informed  at  once. 

HONOURABLE   MENTION. 

The  following  competitors  receive  honour- 
able mention  : — Miss  M.  Cullen,  Miss  S. 
Simpson,  Mrs.  Farthing,  Miss  P.  Thomson, 
Miss  J.  Robinson,  Miss  E.  Bleazby. 

Miss  Cullen  writes  : — Anaemia,  also  debility, 
are  present,  and  a  feeble  action  of  the  heart. 
The  stomach  in  many  cases  becomes  irritated, 
causing  vomiting,  and  sometimes  diarrhoea. 
The  urine  should  be  frequently  tested,  as  some- 
times sugar  and  albumen  are  found  to  be 
present.  This  disease  is  most  common  in 
women  between  the  ages  of  20  and  30  years. 


QUESTION   FOR   NEXT    WEEK. 

What  is  the  function  of  the  blood? 
may  haemorrhage  cause  death  ? 


Why 


September  14,  1918 


CEbe  36riti9b  3ournal  ot  flurelno. 


165 


A  VISION. 

^'  And  they  shall  be  mine,  saith  the  lord   oj 
hosts,  in  that  day  when  I  make  up  my  jewels." 

— Malachi  iii.  17. 
Dawn  stole  again  above  the  battle  plain 
When  its  mad  din  had  ceased.    Stretched  at  my 

feet 
In  all  appealing-  silence  lay  the  slain 
Wrapt  in  the  sunrise  for  their  winding  sheet. 
And    ONE    arrayed    in    gleaming    white,    and 

crowned —  v 

Each  thorn  point  a  lit  star — stood  at  my  side. 
Awhile  HE  looked  upon  the  stricken  ground 
Death's  piteous  dominion  spreading  wide — 
Then  turned  and  spake,  triumphant  eyes  ashine, 
"  I   have   them    now   and    all   their    souls   are 


C.  B.  M. 


August  26th,  191 8. 


NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 

The  King  has  been  pleased  to  award  a  Bar 
to  the  Royal  Red  Cross  to  the  folIowiiQg  lady, 
for  devotion  to  duty  on  the  occa>ion  of  damage 
by  enemy  action   to  a  hospital  ship  : — 

BAR  TO  THE  ROYAL  RED  CROSS. 

Cashin,  Miss  A.  E.,  R.R.C.,  Matron,  Q.A.I. M.N.S.R. 

Amongst  the  Honours  and  Awards  for  war 
services,  the  London  Gazette  of  September  4th 
contained  the  following   announcement  : — 

ROYAL  RED  CROSS. 

Second  Class. 

Farrar,  Miss  J.  F.,  Nursing  Sister;  Perdue,  Miss 
F.  L.,  Nursing  Sister;  Grosvenor,  Lady  A.,  Com- 
mandant, Red  Cross  Hospl.,  Oakfield,  Upton  Heath, 
Chester.  

Captain  W.  Girling  Ball,  R.A.M.C.T.  Surgical 
Specialist  in  a  General  Hospital,  B.E.F.,  some- 
where in  France,  \\Tites  in  an  extremely  interesting 
article  on  "Some  Experiences  in  a  Base  Hospital," 
in  the  St.  Bartholomew's  Hospital  Journal,  "  I 
cannot  finish^without  referring  to  the  great  ad- 
miration which  I  learned  to  acquire  for  our  sisters 
in  the  nursing  profession.  In  their  hospital  work 
they  are  doing  extraordinarily  well,  and  no  praise 
of  mine  can  be  too  high.  Not  only  is  this  true  of 
those  who  have  fulfilled  their  full  training  as 
nurses  in  our  ovvti  hospitals  at  home,  but  also  of 
those  belonging  to  the  V.A.D.  The  conditions 
under  which  they  have  to  live  are  the  same  as  those 
of  the  men,  and  it  is  a  marvel  to  me  that  they 
work  as  well  as  they  do.  The  British  Tommy  has 
much  to  be  thankful  for,  if  he  really  appreciates 
all  they  are  doing  for  him." 


Cotterets,  where  a  hospital  had  been  established, 
of  which  she  was  acting  Matron.  This  was  an 
offshoot  from  a  now  famous  hospital. 

In  the  days  preceding  the  evacuation  "  the  stafE 
was  simply  magnificent,"  she  writes,  "  and  not 
even  the  youngest  girl  out  from  home  was 
'  panicked,'  they  all  went  on  doing  their  bit.  We 
were  raided  every  night  for  three  solid  weeks 
without  fail,  so  there  might  have  been  an  excuse 
if  anyone  had  been  nervous." 

"  The  attack  started  on  May  27th,  and  from 
that  time  until  we  cleared  out  on  the  31st  I  do 
not  think  anyone  of  the  staff  got  a  sleep. 

"  We  had  two  thousand  beds  in  our  camp. 
We  were  told  to  evacuate  ;  then  came  a  counter 
order  to  stay  one  more  night,  as  they  had  no  other 
means  of  getting  the  wounded  away.  I  shall  never 
forget  that  night.  In  the  afternoon  there  was 
a  magnificent  aeroplane  fight  just  over  our  camp, 
and  the  French  brought  dowTi  two  German 
machines.  Then,  as  soon  as  it  got  dark,  they 
started  in  earnest.  We  had  to  put  out  all  lights 
and  go  on  receiving  a  steady  flow  of  wounded  in 
the  darkness. 

"  About  2  a.m.  I  paid  my  visit  round  the  w-ards, 
and  not  a  single  girl  seemed  nervous  ;  they  were 
all  so  busy  cheering  the  patients  and  comforting 
the  dying.  One  of  the  orderlies  called  me  to  come 
to  a  man  who  was  dying.  I  asked  him  if  there 
were  anything  he  wanted,  and  he  replied  with  a 
smile,  '  Oh,  no  ;  I  have  a  little  mother  sitting 
beside  me.'  It  was  like  that  all  night,  with  the 
bombs  Clashing  around  us.  Then  a  munition 
train  went  on  fire,  and  the  whole  town  was  a  bright 
target,  to  which  the  enemy  came  back  and  back. 

"  The  next  day  we  started  to  get  away.  The 
Boches  commenced  shelling  us  about  4  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  but  by  that  time  we  had  all  the 
staff  away  except  the  Sisters.  I  got  them  off 
about  8  o'clock,  and  left  myself  in  an  American 
ambulance  about  8.30.  We  raced  from  Villiers 
Cotterets  with  tin  helmets  on,  and  by  the  time  we 
reached  Senlis  we  had  got  into  another  raid.  We 
stayed  in  Senlis  until  next  morning." 


In  a  recent  letter  to  a  friend,  Sister  Gertrude 
Lindsay,  of  the  Scottish  Women's  Hospitals,  a 
daughter  of  ex-Provost  Lindsay,  Broughty  Ferry, 
gives  a  vivid  account  of  the  retreat  from  Villiers 


OUR    ROLL   OF    HONOUR. 
NURSING    SERVICE. 

Wounded. 
Brain,  Sister    R.,  T.F.N.S. 
Dickenson,  Miss  D.  M.,  V.A.D. 
Larsen,  Miss  A.  O..  V.A.D. 
Pleydell-Nott,  Miss  V.,  V.A.D. 
Wood,  Miss  H.,  V.A.D. 

Miss  Katherine  Connelly,  army  nurse,  who  was 
buried  in  New  York  recently,  received  full  military 
honours.  This  is  the  first  military  funeral  ever 
accorded  to  a  New  Jersey  Irish  woman.  The  body 
was  accompanied  to  the  cemetery  by  a  guard  of 
honour  of  seven  army  nurses,  a  band,  an  escort  of 
the  State  Militia,  and  a  detachment  of  the  Women's 
Motor  Corps.  Miss  Connelly  was  a  graduate  of 
St.  Elizabeth's  Convent  at  Madison. 


'66  zbc  Britisb  3ournal  of  "Wureing.        September  14, 1918 

FRENCH  FLAQ  NURSING  CORPS.  AT  THE  FRENCH  FRONT  IN  ITALY. 


Miss  Alice  Jane  Harley  Williamson  has  joined 
the  French  Flag  Nursing  Corps,  and  left  for 
France  on  Saturday  last,  Miss  Williamson  is 
well  known  in  Scotland  as  the  Superintendent  of 
the  Training  Home  of  the  Scottish  Branch  of 
Queen  Victoria's  Jubilee  Institute,  Edinburgh, 
since  191 3.  ■  She  was  trained  at  the  Royal  Infir- 
mary, the  Colinton  Fever  Hospital,  and  in  district 
nursing,  and  at  the  Rotunda  Hospital,  Dublin, 
and  was  a  member  of]  the  Colonial  Nursing 
Association  from  1909  to  1912. 

Miss  Williamson, 

therefore,  is  a  very 
highly  qualified  nurse, 
holding  certificates 

from  leading  training 
schools  in  general, 
fever,  and  district  nurs- 
ing and  midwifery. 

Miss  Williamson  is 
anxious,  like  so  many 
patriotic  women,  to 
take  part  in  military 
nursing  during  the 
great  war. 


Queen's  Nurses  at- 
tached to  the  three 
branches  of  the  Jubilee 
Institute  have  won 
golden  opinions  in 
France  as  members  of 
the  F.F.N.C.  Their 
district  training,  appa- 
rently, especially  quali- 
fies them  to  overcome 
the  difficulties  of  initia- 
tion in  a  foreign  land. 
If  it  were  not  hard  upon 
our  poor  at  home,  we 
should  urge  more 
Queen's  Nurses  to  join 
the  Corps. 


MISS    ALICE   J.    H.   WILLIAMSON,   F.F.N.C 


Miss  Grace  Ellison  is 
still  sufEering  from  the  results  of  her  very  serious 
illness,  and  after  a  visit  to  Paris  and  Evreux,  she 
has  returned  to  BagnoUes  for  further  treatment, 
from  which  it  js  hoped  she  may  benefit 
considerably. 

Miss  Ellison,  when  sufficiently  recovered,  hopes 
to  continue  to  work  in  France,  so  that  her  many 
friends  will  not  lose  sight  of  her. 


Lindsay.— On  August  8th,  abroad,  of  broncho- 
pneumonia, James  Basden  Lindsay,  Sec.  Lieut., 
A.S.C.  (late  Canadian  Infantry),  of  Edmonton, 
Canada,  brother  of  M.  O.  Lindsay,  nursing  sister, 
8th  Canadian  General  Hospital,  France.  (Canadian 
and  Indian  papers,  please  copy.) 


In  Mr.  Laurence  Binyon's  wonderful  book  "  For 
Dauntless  France,"  of  which  I  have  so  far  only  seen 
reviews,  there  is,  I  fancy,  one  small  sectior  of 
Britons  privileged  to  help  the  French  who  are  not 
mentioned. 

Our  numbers  are  very  few.  I  believe  we  could 
be  counted  on  the  fingers  of  one  hand,  but  our  work 
has  a  charm  all  its  own.  It  is  so  unlike  anything 
else.  A  French  doctor  patient  recently  said  to  the 
present  writer :  "  Pour  vous.  Mademoiselle, 
puisque  vous  avez  le  goftt  des  a  ventures  et  des 
langues  barbares,  il  n'y 
a  que  vous  proposer 
pour  la  Colonne  Volante 
du  Maroc ! "  Meanwhile 
there  is  a  suf&cient 
variety  of  material 
gathered  together  in 
this  charming  little 
Italian  town  (which 
must  be  nameless),  and 
the  medical  section  of 
a  French  ambulance 
provides  varied  and 
interesting  work. 

At  first  sight  one 
would  .think  it  almost 
impossible  to  "  over- 
take "  .the  work,  one 
nurse  to  100  patients 
being  quite  usual,  and 
the  various  wards  will 
be  tents,  wooden  huts, 
or  rooms  in  a  school, 
and  may  be  scattered 
up  and  do^vn  stairs 
and  all  over  the  place, 
but  the  probationer' 
work  is  all  done  by  the 
orderlies  (Infirmiers), 
who  are  also  responsible 
for  filling  in  the  charts 
and  diet  sheets  from  the 
doctor's  orders  and 
making  out  dispensary, 
laundry  and  clothing  store  lists,  all  the  clerking  and 
copying  work  over  which  we  have  all  wasted  so 
many  hours  ;  so  that  here  we  are  really  able  to 
devote  ourselves  to  the  actual  nursing  and  tr\ing 
to  make  the  patients  comfortable  and  happy. 
They  do  not  expect  much.  They  and' we  have  to 
do  without  a  great  deal  that  is  taken  for  granted 
in  an  English  hospital.  Medicines  are  given  in 
their  ordinary  tin  drinking  cups  (or  old  Nestl6's 
milk  tins),  frequently  prof  erred  for  the  dose,  with 
the  remains  of  coffee  or  milk  in  them  !  "  N'im- 
porte,"  says  the  cheerful  poilu.  No  knives  are  pro- 
vided in  hospital,  and  if  he  has  not  a  clasp  knif^  of 
his  own  he  borrows  his  neighbour's,  or  tears  up  his 
meat  with  a  spoon  !  (The  two  Sisters,  too,  one 
French,  one  English,  had  only  one  tin  plate  each, 
one  fork  and  one  tin  cup  for  all  meals  until  a 


September  14, 1918       ji\)c  Bttttab  Joumal  of  flurstng. 


167 


generous  British  Red  Cross  Depdt  presented  them 
■with  china  tea  cups  for  their  morning  coffee  and 
actual  knives  and  forks  of  their  own,  along  with 
many  other  most  welcome  gifts.)  In  this  par- 
ticular ambulance  there  was  a  complete  absence  of 
dressing  trays,  bowls,  forceps,  probes,  _  razors. 
Syringes,  scissors,  &c.  Lucky  the  Sister  who  had 
brought  everything  of  hej:  own  ! 

Material  of  every  sort  is  also  lacking.  When 
the  doctor  ordered  a  wet  pack  for  a  case  of  con- 
gestion of  the  lungs  and  very  high  fever,  all  the 
orderlycould produce  was  an  extra  large  and  ragged 
fcheet  (which  must  on  no  account  be  divided)  and  a 
piece  of  mackintosh,  stained  all  the  colours  of  the 
rainbow,  which  had  obviously  already  done  its 
"  Military  service  "  and  ought  to  have  had  several 
ribbons,  certainly  the  one  denominated  "  fatiche 
di  guerra."  Swollen  ankles  have  to  be  swathed  in 
wet  bandages  simply,  and  for  an  ordinary  foment 
the  only  thing  is  to  take  the  man's  own  towel,  if  he 
happens  to  have  one  and  it  is  clean.  Failing  that. 
Sister  must  sacrifice  something  of  her  own.  Socks 
might  as  well  be  served  out  singly.  They  never 
match  either  in  colour  or  size,  and  always  have 
holes.  Handkerchiefs  are  non-existent,  but  a 
brilliant  idea  was  to  hand  out  to  one  ward  of  sick 
prisoners  the  calico  squares  in  which  the  American 
packets  of  compresses  arrive.  "  Fala  lepa,"  the 
Croatian  "  thank  you,"  echoed  all  around,  and  a 
request  for  "  igla  i  konatz  "  (needle  and  thread) 
being  complied  with,  they  were  soon  all  neatly 
hemmed,  and  even  marked  with  the  initials  of  the 
happy  owners  ! 

These  so-called  Austrian  prisoners  were  found 
to  be  almost  universally  ignorant  of  the  German 
tongue,  but  almost  all — Bohemians,  Hungarians, 
Bosnians,  Poles,  Roumanians  and  Croats — speak, 
or  at  least  understand,  the  language  of  the  last- 
named,  which  seems  to  be  a  kind  of  debased 
Russian,  written  in  Latin  characters,  though,  as, 
the  present  writer  had,  in  the  first  instance,  to 
acquire  it  without  a  book,  that  was  little  help  ! 

To  one  to  whom  familiar  ideas  clothed  in  other 
languages  are  a  never-ending  source  of  delight,  a 
morning  which  includes  the  following  incidents  is 
distinctly   interesting. 

On  issuing  from  the  parent  hospital  to  do  duty 
among  the  tents  and  barracks,  one  is  met  by  a 
Croat  ex-patient,  now  a  prisoner  on  fatigue  duty 
(which  means  sweeping  up  leaves  and  carrying 
buckets  !),  who  explains  that  his  shoes  let  in  the 
water  with  which  he  is  swilling  the  steps  and  hall. 
He  has  to  be  accompanied  to  the  Vestiare,  inter- 
preted for  and  satisfied  with  a  fresh  pair  (it  woxild 
be  a  misnomer  to  call  them  new  !) 

Next,  one  meets  that  rara  avis,  a  prisoner  who 
really  speaks  German  (he  is  a  Hungarian).  His 
grievance  is  that,  having  been  discharged  as  a 
patient  and  retained  at  work,  he  is  still  on  the 
halbes-brod  which  went  with  his  "  light  diet  " 
(petit-regime  for  "  la  didte  "  in  French  hospitals 
means  nothing  to  eat  at  all).  This  has  to  be 
translated  to  the  orderly  concerned  and  remedied. 

Next  comes  one  of  the  French  cooks  asking  to 
have  his  ailments  attended  to  before  the  day's 


work  begins  and  probably  two  or  three  of  his 
satellites,  of  varying  nationalities — rush  up  with 
cut  fingers,  burns  and  other  trifles.  One  of  the 
Italian  "  chars,"  who  corresponds  to  a  ward-maid, 
has  to  be  listened  to  while  she  explains  at  length 
how  she  had  "  febbre "  last  night  and  must 
positively  have  some  remedy  or  she  cannot  work. 
If  she  receives  the  least  encouragement  she  will 
probably  ask  for  advice  and  free  medicines  for 
all  her  family,  down  to  the  latest  grandchild. 
At  last  one  gets  to  the  wards  proper  and  starts 
dressings  and  treatments.  Sometimes  out-patients 
come  in,  once  or  twice  English  chaufieurs  or 
post  ofl&ce  of&cials  ;  and  the  little  French  orderly 
paid  the  neatest  possible  compliment  by  exclaim- 
ing on  the  first  occasion,  with  apparent  genuine- 
ness :  "  Mais,  mademoiselle,  parle  aussi  I'Anglais, 
c'est  qu'elle  est  tres  instruite." 

The  work  itself  is  not  very  different  to  work 
anywhere  else  when  one  has  become  accustomed 
to  the  French  medical  procedure  of  treating 
everything  with  "  piqures  and  ventouses." 

To  the  simple  Croatian  and  Bosnian,  who  had 
probably  never  been  ill  and  certainly  never  been 
nursed  before,  it  was  a  daily  joy  to  feel  his  own 
and  see  his  neighbour's  back  decorated  with  rows 
of  little  forcing  glasses,  which  he  gaily  calls 
"  chalitza  "  (the  word  is  probably  not  spelt  at 
all  like  that,  but  that  is  how  it  sounds  !) 

The  prisoners  are  all  painfully  thin  and  give 
graphic  descriptions  of  the  hardships  they  have 
been  through  in  the  last  few  months  and  years  ; 
and  they  enjoy  their  simple  rations  whole-heaxtedly. 
It  was  a  middle-aged  Frenchman,  however,  who 
asked  the  Sister  anxiously  whether  the  piqures  of 
Cacodvlate  de  Sonde  were  to  take  the  place  of 
food  ! ' 

The  food  in  question,  being  mostly  preserved, 
is  dry  and  tasteless  and  sometimes  none  too 
plentiful,  but  that,  and  the  extreme  heat,  and 
the  smells  and  the  insects  are  all  hardships  of  war 
we  will  gladly  endure  as  long  as  we  are  allowed 
to  be  useful  in  our  present  sphere.  H.  T. 


CARE    OF    THE    WOUNDED. 

The  Queen,  accompanied  by  the  Princess  Mary, 
visited  the  St.  Andrew's  Hospital,  Clewer,  last 
week.  The  hospital  is  under  the  charge  of  the 
Sisterhood  of  St.  John  the  Baptist. 

The  Bishop  of  Peterborough  last  week  dedicated 
his  palace  at  Peterborough  as  a  military  hospital. 
Over  a  thousand  pounds  has  been  subscribed 
locally  for  the  hospital  equipment. 


Captain  Malcolm  Ross,  War  Correspondent  with 
the  New  Zealand  Forces,  in  a  message  dated 
September  3rd,  describing  the  scene  at  Haplin- 
court,  says  :  "  On  the  edge  of  our  sector  was  a 
hospital  hurriedly  vacated  two  days  ago.  It  was 
furnished  with  old  beds  and  bedding  left  behind 
by  the  British  in  their  last  retreat.  Two  wounded 
Germans  on  stretchers  were  left.  There  was  even 
a  wounded  German  on  the  operating  table." 


169 


Zbc  IBvitiBb  Journal  ot  IRuretng. 


September  14,  1918 


AMERICAN  RED  CROSS  HOSPITAL, 
TOTTENHAM. 


The  American  Hospital,  which  has  been  estab- 
lished in  the  buildings  of  the  M.A.B.  Fever 
Hospital,  known  as  the  North  Eastern  Hospital, 
Tottenham,  is  now  in  full  swing — at  least  so  far 
as  present  capacity  allows.  \  The  equipment  of 
the  former  hospital,  however,  provided  only  for 
a  thousand  patients,  and  the  present  one  eventu- 
ally will  accommodate  three  thousand — so  that 
much  strenuous  effort  is  still  needed  before  the 
additions  can  be  com- 
pleted. Those  who  are 
acquainted  with  M.A.B. 
institutions  will  be  aware 
that  their  buildings 
maintain  a  high  standard 
of  efficiency,  and  the 
American  staff  now  in 
occupation  fully  appre- 
ciate the  nucleus  which 
it  is  their  part  to  develop 
to  three  times  its  original 
size.  Though  their  occu- 
pation is  still  counted 
in  weeks,  the  necessary' 
work  is  in  evident  pro- 
gress, and  already  the 
spacious  tennis  court  is 
marked  out  for  a  staff 
mess  room  of  forniidable 
dimensions  and  the 
necessary  operating 
theatre  is  in  process  of 
making  in  another  part 
of  the  building.  In 
addition  to  these,  huts 
are  to  be  erected  to  pro- 
vide for  the  full  com- 
plement of  beds. 

The  Matron  of  this 
busy  colony  of  buildings 
is  Miss  Laura  A.  Beecroft. 
She  was  trained  at  the 
Western  -Pennsylvania 
Hospital,  Pittsburg.  For 
eight  years  she  was 
Superintendent  of  the 
Minnequar  Hospital, 

Pueblo,  Colorado.  She 
was  a  member  of  the 
Colorado  State  Registra- 
tion Examining  Board  for  Nurses.  This  appoint- 
ment is  made  by  the  Governor  for  five  years,  and 
Miss  Beecroft  was  appointed  a  second  time — ten 
years  in  all.  She  was  also  an  Army  Nurse  for 
three  years  in  the  Spanish- American  War. 

The  unit  she  has  brought  over  is  known  as  the 
Denver  Unit  (Colorado)  Base  Hospital  29.  It  has 
been  fully  equipped  by  the  Denver  Red  Cross 
Chapter  at  a  cost  of  78,000  dollars.  So  tar,  how- 
ever, none  of  its  equipment  has  arrived  in  Eng- 
land,   and   the   Matron    awaits   its   perfect  and 


MISS  LAURA  A.  BEECROFT,  R.N.. 

Matron,    American  Red  Cross  Hospital,  Tottenham, 

formerly  Member  of  the  Colorado  State  Regristratlon 

Examining  Board  for  Nurses. 


complete  machinery  with  some  impatience.  Its 
medical  staff  arc  members  of  Denver  University  ; 
and  the  nurses,  numbering  one  hundreH,  are  all 
graduates  of  Colorado  State.  In  addition,  there 
are  150  corps  men  drawTi  from  the  best  families 
in  Denver.  These  men  correspond  to  our  orderlies, 
and  do  the  needful  work  in  ward,  kitchen,  office 
and  ambulance.  The  nurses  are  of  one  grade,  and 
with  the  exception  of  one  head  nurse  to  each 
ward  all  work  on  equal  terms.  The  uniform  of 
matrons  and  nursing  staff  shows  little  variation, 
and  is  designed  from  a  practical  and  economical 
point  of  view.  The  dresses  are  of  grey  linen 
with  aprons  made  with- 
out waist-bands,  and  of  a 
pattern  easily  laundered. 
The  caps  ar^  of  a  modified 
"  Sister  Dora  "  type, 
with  the  Red  Cross  in 
the  centre  of  the  band. 
The  wide  turnover  collars 
give?a  picturesque  finish 
to  the  whole.  Every 
nurse  is  provided  by  the 
Red  Cross  with  a  grey 
sweater,  and  we  were 
reminded  of  the  touch 
of  autumn  in  the  air  by 
many  of  their  number 
availing  themselves  of 
their  comfort.  Very 
necessary, , too,  v.heii  one 
remembers  the  long  open- 
sided  corridors. 

Though  it  was  a  busy 
time  in  the  morning  on 
the  occasion  of  our  visit 
Miss  Beecroft  received  us 
with  great  kindness  and 
courtesy,  and  personally 
showed  us  the  many 
interesting  features  of  the 
hospital. 

The  nursing  staff  are 
enjoying  the  many 
domestic  privileges  which 
the  M.A.B.  had  installed 
for  their  own  staff — 
separate  bedrooms,  large 
and  numerous  bath- 
rooms, comfortable  sit- 
ting and  mess  rooms. 
The  cubicles  hitherto 
assigned  to  the  domes- 
tic staff  are  now  ear-marked  for  sick  nurses. 
One  hundred  and  fifty  beds  are  told  off  for  this 
purpose,  as  all  sick  nurses  from  the  base  hospitals 
are  to  be  drafted  here.  We  observed  in  the  nurses' 
rooms  that  they  had  no  use  for  bolsters,  and  these 
British  articles  were  dressed  up  in  ornamental 
coverings  and  were  serving  as  chair  cushions. 

The  kitchen  is  in  charge  of  a  lady  dietitian, 
who  is  a  graduate  of  Columbia  University  ;  they 
have.also  a  skilled  chef,  and  the  food  is  pronounced 
"  excellent."     Here    we    noticed    the    "  Corps " 


September  14, 1918        ^\yc  ®rltt0b  Soumal  of  "nurstno. 


169 


referred  to  before,  busy  in  compajvy  with  English 
domestics,  attending  to  various  culinary  matters. 
The  wards  have  been  coloured  a  delicate  shade 
of  green,  very  restful  to  the  eyes.  Some'  of  them 
are  furnished  with  the  high  American  beds,  while 
others  still  retain  the  British  variety.  One  ward 
is  entirely  devoted  to  fractures,  and  here  the 
surgeons  were  at  work  attending  to  their  patients. 
Everywhere  we  noticed  homely  comfort  and  the 
absence  of  red  tape  and  pomposity.  Matron  and 
staff  and  patients  were  entirely  at  their  ease  with 
one  another.  We  were  pleased  to  notice  that  the 
men  were  allowed  to  smoke  in  the  wards,  and  so 
alle\date  the  tedium  of  their  position.  The  con- 
tagious cases  are  nursed  in  cubicle  wards,  which 
plan  appears  to  economise  the  nursing  power.  At 
present  wards  of  forty  beds  are  staffed  by  four 
nurses,  but  the  Matron  does  not  anticipate  that 
the  staff  will  be  increased  as  the  number  of  patients 
grow,  so  that  the  proportion  of  patients  per  nurse 
will  be  gradually  increased.  As  there  are  t?p 
untrained  women  in  the  American  Red  Cross 
system,  the  trained  nurses  can  entirely  concentrate 
on  their  patients,  and  the  result  must  be  that 
more  efficient  work  can  be  done  in  less  time  than 
where  they  have  to  be  constantly  supervising  and 
undoing  the  work  of  the  unlearned  and  ignorant. 
Would  that  this  were  the  case  in  uU  Military 
hospitals.  One  could  not  be  long  in  Miss  Bee- 
croft's  company  without  realising  that  any  work 
she  had  in  hand  would  spell  efficiency. 

H.  H. 


THE    COLLEGE    OF    NURSING,   LTD., 
AND  THE  EXAMINATION  OF  NURSES. 


THE  MEDICAL  TREATMENT  OF 
DISABLED  MEN. 
Mr.  John  Hodge,  Minister  of  Pensions,  is  hoping 
to  introduce  on  the  first  day  of  the  autumn 
session  a  Bill  to  give  the  Ministry  of  Pensions 
greater  powers.  One  scheme  he  has  in  view  is  to 
enforce  a  certain  degree  of  medical  treatment  on 
discharged  and  disabled  mer^.  Thousands  of  dis- 
charged men  do  not  accept  treatment — ^which  is 
bad  for  themselves  and  for  the  nation.  He  con- 
siders they  should  only  be  discharged  when  the 
medical  profession  has  done  everything  possible 
to  restore  them  to  their  old  condition. 


Opening  an  exhibition  showing  th)  methods  of 
treating  disabled  men  at  Birmingham  on  Monday, 
Mr.  Hodge  said  he  wanted  to  give  every  man  who 
needed  it  a  spare  limb,  so  that  he  would  have 
it  to  fall  back  uf)on  when  the  first  one  was  being 
repaired. 

THE  QUEEN'S  HOSPITAL  FOR 
^   CHILDREN,  HACKNEY  ROAD. 

A  letter  in  the  press  by  the  Bishop  of  London, 
drawing  attention  to  the  closing  of  two  wards 
(twenty-four  beds)  at  the  Queen's  Hospital  for 
Children,  Hackney  Road,  owing  to  the  lack  of 
probationers,  and  a  paragraph  in  the  press  on 
the  same  subject,  have  resulted  in  applications 
for  probationers'  posts. 


On  behalf  oi  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Society  for  the  State  Registration  of  Trained 
Nurses  the  following  circular  letter  was  addressed 
to  the  Secretaries  of  the  principal  nurse-training 
schools  in  the  United  Kingdom  early  in  May  last : 

Dear  Sir,- — Considerable  apprehension  is  felt  by 
nurses  who  hav^e  not  yet  qualified  for  their  certificates 
in  London  and  other  training  schools,  at  the  rumotir 
that  in  future  their  examination  will  be  conducted  by 
the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd. — a  Limited  LiabiUty 
Company  which  claims  disciplinarj'  powers  over  its 
nurse-members,  and  to  the  autocratic  constitution  of 
which  many  trained  nurses  take  very  strong  exception 
— and  not  by  their'  own  training  schools,  or  by  a 
Statutory  Authority  set  up  by  Act  of  Parliament. 

My  Committee  would  be  obliged  if  you  would,  at 
your  earliest  convenience,  inform  me  whether  this 
rumour  is  correct,  in  so  far  as  it  applies  to  the  proba- 
tioners at . 

I  am.  Dear  Sir, 

Yours  faithfully, 

Margaret  Breay, 

Hon.  Secretary. 

Replies  have  been  received  as  follows  : — 
Mr.  Thomas  Haves,  St.  Bartholomew's  Hospital : — 

"  I  have  your  enquiry  of  the  4th  inst.  and  can  only 
say  that  I  have  no  know- ledge  of  the  rumour  to  which 
you  refer. 

"  The  training  of  Probationers  here  is,  as  it  always 
has  been,  under  the  direction  of  the  Governors  cf  the 
Hospital,  and  the  examinations  for  certificates  will 
continue  as  hitherto  to  be  conducted  by  the  officially 
appointed  '  Instrvctors  of  Probationary  Nurses,'  and 
the  Matron." 
Mr.  G.  Q.  Roberts,  St.  Thomas'  Hospital : — 

"  The  question  you  raise  has  not  been  considered  by 
the  Governors,  but  I  venture  to  think  that  whatever  the 
'  one  portal '  may  be,  there  is  no  doubt  that  just  as  the 
students  of  our  great  Universities  are  able  to  take  a 
University  degree,  in  addition  to  their  Conjoint 
Qualifications,  so  it  will  be  perfectly  consistent  for 
nurses  to  qualify  at  the  College  of  Nursing,  and  to  hold 
the  Nightingale  Certificate  which  -will  be  jealously 
guarded  for  the  benefit  of  all  probationers  trained  in 
the  standard  required  to  gain  it." 

There  can  be  no  analogy  between  an  examina- 
tion instituted  by  a  Limited  Liability  Company 
which  claims  disciplinary  powers  over  its  nurse- 
members,  and  which  is  prohibited  by  its  own 
constitution  from  conferring  diplomas,  and  the 
honourable  degree  conferred  by  a  great  University. 
Were  an  examination  leading  to  a  degree  inaugu- 
rated by  a  University  the  position  would  be 
entirely  different. 
Sir  Cooper  Perry,  Guy's  Hospital : — 

"  I  am  directed  by  the  House  Committee  to  inform 
you  that  no  proposals  have  been  hitherto  made  either 
by  Guy's  Hospital  to  the  College  of  Nursing,  or  by 
the  College  of  Nursing  to  Guy's  Hospital,  for  the 
holding  of  Ni'rsing  Examinations." 
Miss  M.  Heather- Bigg,  R.R.C.  Charing  Cross 
Hospital  : — 

"  Our  Secretary  has  given  me  ,  your  letter  of 
May  9th.     So  far  "we   have  not   been  approached  by 


170 


^be  Brttteb  3ournal  of  "Kuretna.        September  14, 1918 


the  College  of  Nursing  on  the  matter  referred  to  in 

your  note.      No  discussion  has  taken  place  on  this 

matter." 

Mr.  Sidney  M.  Quennell,  Westminster'^  Hospital : — 

"  In  reply  to  your  letter ^^of  yesterday's  idate,  I 
find  upon  enquiry  that  the  apprehension  you 
mention  does  not  obtain  amongst  the  probationers 
training  at  this  hospital." 

Mr.  Richard   Coles,   King's  College  Hospital : — 
I. 

"I  beg  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  circular 
letter  of  the  gth  inst.  with  reference  to  the  examina- 
tion of  Probationers,  which  I  will  place  before  the 
Committee  at  their  next  meeting." 
II. 

"  I  am  directed  to  inform  you  that  there  is  no 
intention  of  changing  the  Nurses'   Examination." 

Mr.  Walter  Kewley,  Middlesex  Hospital : — - 

"  I  beg  to  acknowledge  and  thanfc  you  for  your 
letter  of  the  gth  inst.  which  will  be  submitted  to 
my  Board  at  its  next  meeting." 

No  further   communication  has,   so  far,   been 
received. 
Mr.  Reginald  R.  Garratt,  Royal  Free  Hospital : — 

"  In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  gth  inst.,  I  beg  to 
inform  you  that  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  no  apprehen- 
sion is  felt  by  nurses  with  whom  I  am  in  contact  on 
the  subject  to  which  you  refer.  It  is  fully  realized 
by  them  that  the  College  of  Nursing  will  be  of  great 
value  to  the  Nursing  Profession,  and  will  also  be 
well  able  and  desirous  of  protecting  thftir  interests  in 
all  respects." 

In  answer  to  this,  the  Hon.  Secretary  of  the 
Society  for  the  State  Registration  of  Trained 
Nurses  wrote  :— 

"  I  beg  to  acknowledge  your  letter  of  May  loth.  I 
shall  be  obliged  if  you  will  be  so  kind  as  to  answer  the 
question  contained  in  my  former  letter,  i.e.,  whether 
the  rumour  is  correct  that  in  future  the  examination 
of  probationers  at  the  Royal  Free  Hospital  will  be 
conducted  by  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  and  not 
by  their  own  training  school  ?" 

Mr.  Garratt  replied  :  — 

"  Will  you  please  inform  me  by  what  authority 
your  Committee  seeks  the  information  referred  to 
from  the  Board  of  this  Hospital.  It  is  not  customary 
to   supply  information  to  unauthorized  persons." 

The  letter  addressed  to  Mr.  Garratt  was  written 
on  official  paper  bearing  the  names  of  the  of&cers 
of  the  Society  for  the  State  Registration  of 
Trained  Nurses,  the  membership  of  which  includes 
over  4,000  certificated  nurses,  presumably  the 
unauthorized  persons  referred  to  by  Mr.  Garratt. 
Mr.  a.   Betteridge,  West  London  Hospital : — 

"  In  reply  to  your  circular  letter,  dated  May,  I  beg 
to  inform  you  that  the  examinations  of  probationers 
are  still  conducted  by  the  hospital." 
Mr.    J.    Courtney   Buchanan  : — ■ 

"  In  reply  to  your  circular  letter  I  beg  to  say  that 
the  rumour  is  incorrect   in    so   far  as  it  applies  to 
the  probationers  at  the  Metropolitan  Hospital." 
Mr.    Gilbert    G.   Panter,    Great   Northern   Central 
Hospital : — 

"  In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  gth  inst.,  I  beg  to 
inform  you  that  no  communication  has  been  received 
from  the  College  of  Nursing  by  this  hospital  on  the 
subject  to  which  you  refer." 


No  replies  have  been  received  from  St.  George's 
Hospital,     the     London    Hospital,     St.     Mary's 
Hospital,  and  University  College  Hospital. 
(To  he  concluded.) 

APPOINTMENTS. 

SISTER. 

Children's  Hospital,  Hull. — Miss  Florence  Jones 
has  been  apponted  Sister  of  the  Medical  Wards. 
She  was  trained  at  the  Royal  Infirmary,  Halifax, 
where  she  held  the  positions  of  Sister  of  the 
Children's  ward,  and  also  of  Night  Sister.  She 
has  recently  been  Holiday  Sister  at  the  Children's 
Hospital,  Hull. 

Erdington  Infirmary,  Birmingham. — Miss  Mabel 
Annie  Barham  has  been  appointed  Maternity 
Sister.  She  was  trained  at  the  Dudley  Road 
Infirmary,  Birmingham,  and  has  been  Sister  in  a 
medical  ward  at  the  Erdington  Infirmary. 

Royal  Infirmary,  Truro. — Miss  Gertrude  Far- 
rington  has  been  appointed  Sister.  She  was 
trained  at  the  Lake  Hospital,  Ashton-under-Lyne, 
and  has  been  Staff  Nurse  at  the  New  Hospital 
for  Women.     She  is  a  certified  midwife. 

QUEEN    ALEXANDRA'S   IMPERIAL    IVIILITARY 
NURSING    SERVICE. 

Staff  Nurse  C.  E.  Bray  resigns  her  appoint- 
ment (August  24th). 


AN     APPRECIATION. 

Widespread  regret  is  expressed  throughout  the 
nursing  world  in  Ireland  at  the  resignation  of 
Miss- Lucy  Ramsden,  Lady  Superintendent  of  the 
Rotunda  Hospital,  Dublin,  which  post  she  has 
held  for  over  20  years,  for  it  means  not  only 
severing  her  connection  with  the  hospital,  but 
leaving  Ireland.  Only  those  who  have  worked 
intimately  with  Miss  Ramsden  on  the  several 
Boards  and  Associations  of  which  she  is  a  member 
can  realise  how  great  her  loss  will  be.  Her  sound 
judgment  and  keen  sense  of  justice  made  her  an 
invaluable  colleague,  one  not  easily  replaced. 
Her  work  in  the  Rotunda  Hospital  has  had  a 
world-wide  influence,  as  candidates  for  training  in 
midwif^y  come  from  all  quarters  of  the  globe. 
Some  months  ago  Miss  Ramsden  was  chosen  as 
one  of  the  representatives  to  act  on  the  Central 
Mid  wives  Board  (Ireland),  and  her  appointment 
was  only  waiting  ratification  by  the  Local  Govern- 
ment Board.  Miss  Ramsden  has  now  withdrawn 
her  name  and  this  new  Board  will  suffer  accord- 
ingly, as  her  experience  and  advice  would  have 
been  invaluable.  Miss  Ramsden  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Irish  Nurses'  Association,  of  which 
she  has  been  twice  President ;  also  of  the  Irish 
Matrons'  Association  (twice  President),  a  Director 
of  the  Nurses'  Hostel,  and  a  member  of  the  Irish 
Nursing  Board.  Her  name  was  found  on  every 
Committee  that  was  formed  in  connection  with 
nursing  affairs,  and  no  matter  how  busy  she  was. 
Miss  Ramsden  always  found  time  for  a  "  little 
more."  Is  it  any  wonder  that  the  coming  loss 
of  such  a  faithful  ally  is  deeply  regretted  ? 


September  14, 1918        ^jfy^  Brtttsf)  3ournal  of  "Rursm©. 


171 


NURSING    ECHOES. 


At  the  quarterly  general  court  of  the 
Governors  of  the  London  Hospital  last  week 
the  Committee  announced  that  some  beautiful 
gifts  had  been  received  for  the  sitting- 
room  in  the  new  Nurses'  Home,  includ- 
ing a  bust  of  Edith  Cavell  by  Sir  George 
Frampton,  who  also  collected  engravings  for 
the  decoration  of  the  walls  from  his  private 
friends,  and  Mr.  Foster,  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mittee, had  given  sorne  fine  reproductions  of 
old  masters. 

The  chairman,  Mr.  W.  T.  Paulin,  also  men- 
tioned that  the  Committee  had  been  informed 
that,  as  their  nurses  each  occupied  a  separate 
room,  they  were  entitled  to  have  their  names 
on  the  register,  and  to  vote  both  in  borough 
and  Parliamentary  elections. 

If  the  nurses  at  the  London  Hospital  are 
entitled  to  have  their  names  on  the  Parlia- 
mentary Register,  then  the  same  must  hold 
good  for  other  nurses  occupying  separate 
rooms.  We  should  advise  all  so  qualified  to 
make  sure  forthwith  that  their  names  are  on 
the  Register. 


The  pretty  badge  of  the  David  Lewis 
Northern  Hospital,  Liverpool,  may  be  pur- 
chased by  any  nurse  who  has  successfully 
passed  the  final  examination  at  the  end  of  her 
third  year.  It  is  about  the  size  of  a  florin,  and 
is  suspended  by  a  gilt  bar  pin.  The  badge  is 
enamelled  white,  and  has  a  deep  blue  border 
edged  with  gilt,  on  which  the  name  of  the 
hospital  appears  in  gilt  let'ters.  In  the  centre  is 
a  shield  of  alternate  diagonal  bars  of  red,  gilt, 
and  blue,  effectively  thrown  into  relief  by  the 
white  background.  A  similar  badge  in  gold  and 
enamel  is  given  as  a  first  prize  in  the  final 
examination  held  twice  a  year,  and  the  nurse 
who  has  first  place  in  the  junior  division 
receives  a  book  or  books  to  the  value  of  25s. 


Miss  Genevieve  Cooke,  R.N.,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, who  is  well  known  to  many  of  our 
readers,  writes  that  she  has  now  moved  from 
Leavenworth  Street  to  an  attractive  lower  flat 
at  the  north-west  corner  of  Clay  and  Webster 
Streets,  where  she  plans  to  give  home  nursing 
to  convalescent  patients,  p>ost-operative  or 
others,  in  separate  rooms,  in  addition  to  her 
Gymnasium  work.  Her  sister,  Mrs.  Thomp- 
son, who  is  noted  amongst  her  friends  for  the 
good  meals  she  prepares,  is  with  her,  and  in 
charge  of  the  housekeeping.  We  wish  them 
every  success. 


A  WI5E   POLICY. 

Sir  Henry  Morris  will  preside  at  a  meeting  of 
the  medical  profession  at  Steinway  Hall,  on 
October  ist,  at  5.30,  which  will  be  addressed  by 
Dr.  Addison,  Mir.istcr  of  Reconstruction.  The 
object  of  the  meeting  is  to  secure  the  election  of 
representative  medical  men  to  the  House  of 
Commons,  so  that  expert  advice  may  be  available 
on  vital  questions  concerr.ing  the  national  health. 


CONFERENCE     UNDER     AUSPICES    OF 
LABOUR    PARTY. 

At  a  National  Conference  of  Women  to  be  held 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Labour  Party  in  the 
Caxton  Hall,  Westminster,  on  October  15th  and 
1 6th,  a  resolution  will  be  submitted  demanding  that 
the  Giovernment  at  once  pass  a  Bill  enabling  women 
to  be  elected  to  the  House  of  Commons,  that 
further  legislation  admitting  women  to  professions 
from  which  they  are  now  excluded  shall  be  passed, 
and  that  the  Representation  of  the  People  Act  be 
amended  so  as  to  give  votes  on  a  short  residential 
qualification  to  all  men  and  women  of  21  years  of 
age.  Another  resolution  calls  for  the  establishment 
of  a  Ministry  of  Health. 


Mrs.  Gwynne  Vaughan,  C.B.E.,  D.Sc,  has  been 
appointed  Commandant  of  the  Women's  Royal  Air 
Force,  in  succession  to  the  Hon.  Violet  Douglas- 
Pennant.  The  new  Commandant  was  a  Professor 
at  King's  College  before  her  appointment,  and  is 
one  of  the  few  women  whose  pre-war  work  is  being 
kept  open  for  her  by  a  man.  Let  us  hope,  there- 
fore, that  she  brings  knowledge  and  administrative 
ability  to  deal  with  the  task  before  her,  and  will 
command  the  confidence  of  those  working  under 
her.  Experienced  women  workers,  trained  before 
the  war  in  good  methods  of  organization,  find  the 
task  of  working  under  women  whose  social  In- 
fluence Is  their  chief  qualification  a  heart-breaking 
one,  and  it  is  not  surprising  If  they  decline  to  make 
bricks  without  straw. 


THE    NATIONAL  COUNCIL  OF    WOMEN 
OF  GREAT  BRITAIN  AND  IRELAND. 

The  Annual  Meeting  of  the  National  Council  of 
Women- — the  governing  body  of  the  National  Union 
of  W^omen  Workers — will  be  held  at  Harrogate  this 
year,  beginning  on  October  8th.  We  shall  refer 
again  to  the  programme  in  a  future  Issue. 


WOMEN  WAR  WORK  EXHIBITION. 

An  exhibition  of  women's  war  work  will  be 
opened  at  the  Whitechapel  Art  Gallery  next 
month,  when  every  branch  of  women's  activities 
in  connection  with  the  war  will  be  shown — in 
hospitals,  on  the  land,  on  relief  funds,  and  on 
munitions. 

Following  a  visit  which  the  Queen  paid  to  St. 
Mark's  Court,  St.  Johi's  Wood,  the  first  block  of 
flats  for  officers'  widows  and  disabled  officers  pro- 
vided by  the  Housing  Association  for  Officers' 
Families,  the  King  and  Queen  have  each  subscribed 
/loo  to  the  funds  of  the  association. 


173 


Hbc  Brttteb  3ournal  of  IRuretno.       September  14, 1918 


BOOK    OP  THE   WEEK. 


"THE     HUNTER."* 

"  Louis  Buttress  was  the  nobody  of  Ala  man  ca 
Creek  He  was  best  described  by  his  own  remark, 
'  I'm^a  natural  soit  o'  man.'  "  He  lived  near  the 
water  in  an  excuse  for  a  cabin,  which  had  cost 
about  a  dollar  in  the  making,  and  he  spent  his  life 
with  the  dumb  creation. 

Money-making  had  no  pleasure  for  him  at  all ; 
but  the  eyes  of  a  coon,  a  fox,  a  ground  hog  or  a 
mouse  had  power  to  arrest  the  whole  man. 

"  Silvia  Lak3  was  the  beauty  of  Alamanca  Creek, 
and  her  father,  Sylvester  Lake,  had  endless  callers 
at  their  home  at  Creek  Point.  He  took  th 3  honour 
to  himself,  being  an  important  feeling  man  ;  but 
Silvia  had  reason  to  know  that  she  was  the  star 
for  pony-riding  boys  to  dream  of."  It  seemed  a  far 
cry  from  pretty  Silvia  to  Louis  Buttress,  but  it  is 
the  unexpected  that  happens. 

He  came  upon  her  one  day  inadvertently  as  she 
was  bathing  in  the  pool.  "  Plumb  as  the  Almighty 
planned  her."  .     .    ,      ,• 

"A  water  hen,  disturbed  by  his  intruding  and 
unguarded  feet,  called  loudly,  and  went  into  the 
lake.  The  girl  looked  in  that  direction,  and  her 
eyes  met  the  man's  just  as  a  fox's  eyes  had  done  a 
minute  ago. 

"  Her  eyesreached  him  with  their  force,  and  she 
gave  him  her  whole  attention.  Buttress  put  it  in 
one  word,  '  trust.'  ,     ,     ^  , 

"  Great  God  in  Heaven,  she's  clothed  from  my 
poor  eyes  by  that  faith  of  hers,"  he  said.  He 
waved  his  hand  to  her  and  disappeared  amongst 

the  brush.  .i,-      ' 

"  'Tis  true,"  he  said  to  himself,  I  saw  nothing 
but  her  beautiful  soul  after  that  first  look  when  she 
was  unknown  of  my  presence."  _ 

Hitherto  the  wild  hunter  had  kno-w^-n  nothing  ot 
women  ;  but  from  that  moment  he  was  obsessed 
wdth  the  thought  of  Silvia.  . 

Silvia  was  under  no  illusion  concerning  Louis 
or  his  antecedents,  when  she  decided  to  listen  to  his 
primitive  wooing  and  run  away  and  marry  him. 

Previously  he  had  told  her  :  "  My  father  was  a 
poacher  ii  Lincolnshire.  The  vicar  of  the  parish 
had  said  that  he  was  '  cureless,'  so  he  said  to 
mother  '  You  take  father  where  poachin'  is  right, 
and  thus  you  stop  the  sin.  Father  said  he'd  rather 
go  once  or  twice  to  gaol  and  stop  in  England,  but 
he  says  the  Church  and  the  woman  were  too  much 
for  any  man  to  fight  alone,  and  he  found  himself 
at  last  in  U.S.A.  But  the  queer  thing  is  that 
father  don't  like  it  when  it's  lawful.  '  Drat  it, 
Louis,'  he  says  to  me,  '  there's  nothing  to  run  up 
against,  the  hul  thing's  as  stupid  as  a  suet 
pudding.'  " 

The  nature  studies  in  the  book  are  a  most 
attractive  feature. 

"  Sometimes  Louis  and  Silvia  sat  outside  the 
cabin  watching  evening  as  it  melted  into  night. 

*  By  Watson  Dyke.  (Putnam's  Sons :  24, 
Bedford  Street,  Strand,  London,  W.C.  2.) 


The  sky  might  be  studded  by  stars  ;  it  might  be 
swept  by  the  moon  ;  it  might  be  soft  and  misty, 
with  some  orange-hued  dusky  cloud  where  the 
sun  had  set  ;  but  it  was  received  with 
pleasure." 

Married  life  with  them  began  as  an  idyll,  but 
tragedy  was  not  long  before  it  clouded  their 
happiness.  Silvia  had  been  promised  to  Bill  Din 
the  pony  boy  before  Louis  swept  her  off  her  feet 
and  she  had  neither  told  Louis  of  her  entanglement 
with  Bill,  nor  Bill  that  she  intended  to  break 
faith  with  him.  It  was  when  Louis  discovered 
what  he  had  done  to  the  man  who  was  his  friend 
that  "he  came  slowly  home  with  an  indifferent 
listless  movement,  which  even  the  shadows  of 
evening  could  not  disguise. 

Silvia  lit  the  lamp,  putting  it  on  the  table.  She 
looked  at  Louis  after  she  had  done  it.  The  light 
showed  the  man's  face,  and  his  blue  eyes  were 
strange  looking.  His  hair  was  dishevelled.  He 
took  up  her  crochet  work  and  began  to  un- 
ravel it. 

Silvia  got  the  supper  ready  and  put  coffee  on 
the  table.  Louis  continued  to  unravel  the 
work. 

Silvia  moved  away  from  him  and  went  to  the 
door.  Night  had  descended  ;  the  sky  was  brilliant 
with  stars  ;  the  dog  was  barking." 
All  night  these  two  kept  vigil. 
The  cocks  crowed  at  three  o'clock,  then  stopped 
as  if  they  had  made  a  mistake  ;  and  did  it  again, 
with  more  life,  at  five." 

Louis,  like  many  g'intle  men,  was  implacable  at 
the  thought  of  her  want  of  trust  in  him  ;  and  for  a 
while  they  parted,  but  only  for  ?  while,  for  these 
two  were  predestined  for  each  other. 

She  tells  him  "  You  gave  me  peace  when  I 
looked  at  you,  even  after  I  started  to  make 
mistakes.  It  got  to  be  a  prayer  with  me  to  hold 
this  feelin'  of  beauty  about  why  we  was  made 
different  from  each  other,  and  how  it  was  our 
part  of  God.  I  can't  tell  you  how  it  came  to  be  a 
prayer,  but  it  grew  out  of  the  silence,  and  I 
wanted  to  make  sure  that  the  deep,  deep  voice 
was  the  real  one. 

"  Sol  was  a-watchin'  for  a  man — watchin'  with 
my  soul  dependin'  on  it,  instead  of  believin'  and 
waitin'  on  God  to  show  me.  That's  how  I  started 
goin'  with  the  boys.  Yet  there  was  no  fire  in 
them — no  love  of  God's  works.  I  wanted  the 
man  whose  soul  would  rage  when  God's  laws  w^ere 
mocked  in  either  word  or  action.  Creation  ain't 
a  crumpled  leaf  turned  down  to  be  hidden  or 
despised.  I  wanted  the  man  who  thought  it  was 
a  perfect  law,  because  it  was  the  law  that  created 
the  best  thing  on  earth— souls.  And  then,  Louis, 
out  of  the  silence  of  Ari-wa-kis  North  Bank  spoke 
to  South  Bank.  You  were  close  by  all  the  time. 
You  were  there,  feelin'  it  perfect  1  " 
"  It  was  God,  Silvia." 

"  Don't  I  know  it !     You  was  my  answer." 
"  Silvia,  paradise,  ain't  it  ?  " 
A  really  refreshing  book,  which  we  can  heartily 
recommend  to  all  nature  lovers.  .   H.  H. 


septemher  14, 1918       j^y^  Biltisb  Joiimal  of  IRursinQ. 


173 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 

Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  for  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  be 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents. 

AN     INTERESTING,   COMPARISON. 
To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — I  have  been  reading  the  most 
excellent  and  sensible  letter  in  your  issue  of  this 
week,  under  the  heading  of  "  An  Interesting  Com- 
parison," and  am  now  writing  to  take  the  liberty 
of  suggesting  that  it  should  be  sent  for  publication 
to  the  Times  ;  for  in  a  general  daily  paper  it  would 
necessanly  come  to  the  notice  of  a  larger  number 
of  readers  than  in  a  nursing  paper.  It  deals  with 
such  a  very  important  point  that  it  is  a  pity  it 
should  not  come  bef  oie  as  large  a  number  of  people 
as  possible. 

Apologising  for  troubling  you. 

Believe  me,  • 

Yours  very  faithfully, 

Irene  B.  Cunningham. 

Christchurch,  Hants. 

[We  have  advised  the  writer  of  the  letter 
referred  to  to  communicate  with  the  Times. — ^Ed.] 

THE     INFLUENCE     OF    COLOUR. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — I  was  exremely  interested  in 
the  article  on  "  The  Influence  of  Colour  "  in  last 
week's  British  Journal  of  Nursing,  for  I  am 
quite  sure  that  colour  has  a  great  effect  on 
patients,  though  all  may  not  be  conscious  of  it. 
Most  nurses,  in  this  country,  recognise  it  by  the 
pains  they  take  to  obtain  flowers  for  their  wards, 
and  the  brightness  and  homeliness  of  our  wards 
are  much  commented  upon  by  visitors  from 
abroad.  The  patients  also  Appreciate  the  floral 
decorations,  and  so  do  their  friends,  for  there  are 
few  who  do  not  bring  some  flowers  on  a  visiting 
day,  while  a  former  patient  paying  a  visit  to  the 
ward  will  not  unfrequently  bring  a  flowering 
plant.  So  great  indeed  is  the  demand  for  flowers 
that  on  visiting  days  flower-sellers  stand  with 
their  baskets  outside  the  gates  of  hospitals  and  do 
a  flourishing  trade. 

Oa  the  other  hand  very  little  consideration  is 
given  to  the  colour  scheme  for  the  decoration  of 
hospital  wards,  and  I  do  not  think  there  will  be 
much  progress  in  this  direction  until  we  have 
women  on  hospital  boards.  Even  the  colour  of 
the  walls,  if  unobjectionable  in  itself,  may  clash 
with  the  colour  scheme  of  quilts  and  screens  and 
be  a  source  of  irritation  and  discomfort  to  a 
patient  vvith  an  eye  sensitive  to  colour  harmonies. 

Of  the  influence  of  colour  from  the  therapeutic 
standpoint  I,  with  I  fancy  most  nurses,  am  very 
ignorant,  but  I  can  imagine  it  would  be  a  fasci- 
nating study,  and  one  that  one  might  pursue  with 
pleasure  to  oneself,  and  profit  to  one's  patients. 
Perhaps  the  Journal  will  some  day  tell  us  more 
about  it. 

Yours  faithfully, 

A  Colour  Lover. 


THE    ROYAL    NATIONAL    PENSION    FUND 
FOR    NURSES. 

A  Certificate  of  Existence. 

We  have  received  a  letter  from  Miss  Christina 
Forrest,  in  reference  to  her  last  communication 
published  in  our  issue  of  August  17th,  desiring  to 
have  it  made  quite  plain  that,  according  to  the 
letter  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Royal  National 
Pension  Fund  for  Nurses,  which  she  quoted, 
it  was  September,  191 9,  and  not  this  month, 
that  it  might  be  necessary  to  ask  the  policy 
holders  for  another  certificate  of  existence. 

The  Royal  National  Pension  Fund  is  an  Insur- 
ance Society — and  not  a  Pension  Society — for 
which  policy  holders  pay  business  prices.  There  is 
no  reason,  therefore,  why  they  should  claim  to  be 
exempt  from  business  methods.  We  have  always 
said,  and  shall  still  continue  to  hold  the  same 
opinion,  that  the  title  of  the  Society  is  mis- 
eading  to  the  community. 

KERNELS     FROM    CORRESPONDENCE. 

Army  Reserve  Sister  writes  : — "  Many  of  us  have 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  government  by 
Matrons  is  not  to  our  interest.  We  Reserve  Sisters 
have  to  sign  the  '  Serf  clause  '  before  we  are  eligible 
for  a  rise  of  salary  and  bonus,  the  Matrons  on  the 
Army  Nursing  Board  agreed  to  it.  Then  the 
Matrons  on  the  College  Council  have  agreed  to  its 
penalising  Corstitution — to  special  facilities  for 
the  London  Hospital  sweating  system,  and  to 
preference  for  V.A.D-s  in  Q.A.LM.N.S.  Also  in 
the  last  draft  of  the  College  Bill  the  whole  fabric  of 
the  three  years'  general  training  is  undermined  by 
the  new  Clause  4,  providing  for  the  setting  up  of 
Registers  of  Specialists,  who  of  course  can  compete 
'  as  registered  nurses '  with  the  thoroughly  trained. 
Seems  to  me  the  Matrons  have  betrayed  our 
interests  all  along  the  line." 

[Having  closely  watched  for  the  past  two  years 
the  conduct  of  business  by  the  College  Council  we 
regretfully  agree  with  the  opinion  that  either 
through  arrogance,  ignorance  or  incapacity  it  has 
failed  to  protect  the  interests  of  the  nursing  profes- 
sion ;  but  the  nurse  members  of  the  College  who 
join  the  institution  without  reading  the  constitu- 
tion, and  who  permit  rules  and  Registration  Bills 
to  be  drafted  without  their  being  consulted,  are 
just  as  much  to  blame,  and  their  betrayal  of  the 
interests  of  their  colleagues  is  equally  repre- 
hensible.— Ed.] 


OUR     PRIZE     COMPETITION. 

QUESTIONS. 

September  21st. — What  is  the  function  of  the 
blood  ?     Why  may  haemorrhage  cause  death  ? 

September  iSth. — How  would  you  recognize  per- 
foration in  a  case  of  enteric  fever?  What  imme- 
diate action  would  you  take,  and  how  could  you 
temporarily  relieve  the  patient? 


^74      Zbe  3Brttl0b  Joitrnal  of  •Wuretnc  Supplement  September  14,  ^918 

The   Midw^ife. 


THE  CASE  FOR  A  MINISTRY  OF  HEALTH. 

The  National  Baby  Week  Council  (27A,  Caven- 
dish Square,  London,  W.  i)  have  done  wisely  to 
place  on  record,  in  pamphlet  form  (Leaflet  No.  13), 
the  case  for  a  Ministry  of  Health  as  stated  in  the 
House  of  Lords  on  July  17th  by  Lord  Willoughby 
de  Broke,  and  accepted  by  that  House. 

Lord  Willoughby  de  Broke 's  resolution  was  : — 
_'*  That  this  House  urges  His  Majesty's  Govern- 
ment to  introduce  at  an  early  date  a  Bill  to  con- 
stitute a  Ministry  of  Health." 

In  his  foreword  to  the  Leaflet  Lord  Willoughby 
de  Broke  says  that  the  resolution  was  accepted  by 
Lord  Peel  on  behalf  of  the  Government,  and  passed 
by  the  House  of  Lords  without  a  dissentient.  He 
continues  : — 

In  its  unanimous  desire  to  create  a  Ministry  of 
Health,  the  House  of  Lords  is  fortified  by  the  large 
mass  of  enlightened  public  opinion.  There  is  one 
voice  that  must  be  heard  above  all.  The  formation 
of  a  Ministry  of  Health  in  this  country  had  long 
been  the  nearest  project  .  to  the  heart  of  Lord 
Rhondda.  He  has  told  us  that  the  Prime  Minister 
was  heart  and  soul  in  favour  of  the  movement. 
Had  he  lived.  Lord  Rhondda  was  to  have  intro- 
duced the  Bill  in  the  House  of  Lords. 

The  revision  of  the  draft,  after  much  postpone- 
ment, has  been  completed,  but  Parliament  has  risen 
and  the  Bill  has  not  been  introduced ;  nor  has  Mr. 
Bonar  Law  mentioned  it  as  part  of  the  business 
after,  the  adjournment.  No  one  who  wishes  to  see 
a  Ministry  of  Health  created  will  be  wise  to  relax 
the  utmost  efforts  until  the.  Bill  is  introduced  and 
passed.  The  chief  difficulty  is  the  adjustment  of 
departmental  authority.  It  may  be  natural  that 
those  who  take  pride  in  duties  long  and  faithfully 
performed  should  be  reluctant  to  abandon  them  to 
others.  There  may  even  be  a  legitimate  rivalry 
between  Departments  for  the  honour  of  being 
associated  with  the  Ministry  of  Health.  But  all 
th^s  will  surely  give  way  to  something  more  im- 
portant. The  true  servant  of  the  public  will  be  the 
first  to  agree  that  the  pathway  of  knowledge  should 
not  be  barred  by  an  entanglement  of  Red  Tape. 

The  War  has  taught  us  that  science  has  been 
given  too  low  a  place  in  the  service  of  the  State. 
It  is  hoped  that  this  Bill  will  promote  Medical 
Science  and  skill  to  the  high  places  of  responsibil-ty 
and  power,  so  that  they  may  direct  and  prosper  the 
most  important  aspect  of  National  Welfare. 

A  CONFERENCE. 

A  Conference  convened  by  the  National  Baby 
Week  Council  will  be  held  on  Wednesday,  Sep- 
tember i8th,  at  5  p.m.,  at  Bedford  College,  York 
Gate,  Regent's  Park,  N.W.,  the  chief  object  of 
which  will  be  to  provide  speakers  in  the  Autumn 
Campaign  with  the  arguments  for,  and  the  possible 
solution  of,  the  problems  involved  in  the  creation  of 
a  Ministry  of  Health.  Amongst  them,  of  course, 
the  work  of  midwives  finds  place. 


DEATHS  OF  INFANTS  IN  REGISTERED 
HOMES. 

The  fact  that  four  infants  have  died  in  the 
course  of  a  week  at  a  home  registered  under  the 
London  County  Council,  in  Courthill-road, 
Lewisham,  was  mentioned  at  Lewisham,  on 
Saturday,  when  an  inquest  was  held  on  the  body 
of  one  of  them,  Bertha  Pawfey,  aged  three 
weeks,  the  daughter  of  a  parlourmaid. 

Mr.  H.  R.  Oswald,  the  coroner,  said  the  death 
had  apparently  resulted  from  enteritis,  but  the 
cause  of  the  trouble  being  uncertain,  the  people 
keeping  the  home  were  anxious  for  a  public 
inquiry. 

It  was  stated  in  evidence  that  on  August  29th 
the  baby  was  suddenly  seized  with  sickness  and 
died  on  September  3.  She  had  been  fed  on  milk 
and  barley  water  like  the  other  children. 

Mrs.  Johnson,  certified  midwife,  who  keeps  the 
home,  said  the  home  was  registered  under  the 
London  County  Council.  Three  children,  she 
stated,  including  Beitha  Pawfey,  died  after  sick- 
ness, and  another,  two  months  ola,  from  convul- 
sions. There  were  five  other  children  in  the 
home,  but  they  were  not  affected. 

The  coroner  asked  if  there  were  many  flies 
about,  and  witness  replied.  "  We  are  rather 
bothered  with  flies,  but  I  take  special  care  that 
the  milk  is  not  contaminated  by  them." 

Dr.  R.  V.  Donnellan,  police  divisional  surgeon, 
who  made  a  post-mortem  examination,  attributed 
death  to  syncope  following  acute  diarrhoea.  He 
said  at  this  time  of  year  very  rapid  changes  took 
place  in  the  condition  of  milk,  and  although  it 
might  be  sterilised  and  taste  sweet  it  was  difiicult 
sometimes  to  detect  mischief  in  it.  If  it  were  all 
curdled  it  would  set  up  trouble  in  a  very  young 
infant.  It  might  be  that  an  unlucky  consign- 
ment or  two  of  mi'k  had  caused  the  trouble  in 
the  home. 

Dr.  LP.  Kelly,  of  Lee,  corroborated  Dr.  Don- 
nellan's  evidence.  He  added  that  he  had  attended 
the  children  in  the  home,  and  when  the  second 
one  died  had  sent  the  sample  of  the  milk  to  the 
public  analyst,  but  had  not  yet  received  his  report 
on  it. 

The  jury  returned  a  verdict  of  death  from 
natural  causes. 


Well  deserved  sentences  of  twelve  months'  and 
four  months'  imprisonment  in  the  second  division, 
were  passed  at  Wood  Green  on  Monday  on  James 
Ellsnore  and  Alice  Hanley,  alias  Benson  and 
Stanton  of  Westbury  Avenue,  Wood  Green,  who 
pleady  guilty  to  advertising  for  babies  for  adop- 
tion for  a  sum  of  money,  and  then  readvertising 
them  for  other  people  to  adopt  for  a  sma'ler 
sum.  In  one  case  £45  was  received  with  a  baby, 
and  on  the  same  day  it  was  surrendered  for  ;^i  5. 
In  sentencing  the  prisoners,  Mr.  Biron  described 
the  fraud  as  most  heartless  and  cruel. 


1^  THE  >Bv  V—? 

IflSiWIliiLo'lmG 


WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 
EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


No.  1,590. 


SATURDAY,    SEPTEMBER    21.    1918. 


Vol.    LXI. 


EDITORIAL. 


NURSES  IN   THE   LAW  COURTS. 

The  fact  that  twice  within  the  last 
fourteen  months  trained  nurses,  or  women 
assuming  to  be  trained  nurses,  have  been 
tried  at  the  Old  Bailey  on  a  charge  of 
murder  affords  evidence  to  the  public,  if 
evidence  is  needed,  of  the  peril  to  which 
it  is  subjected  through  the  lack  of  any 
system  of  State  Registration  of  Nurses. 

In  the  first  of  the  cases  referred  to  the 
capital  charge  was  withdrawn  by  the 
Crown,  but  the  women  were  sentenced  to 
terms  of  imprisonment  for  offences  com- 
mitted under  circumstances  which  demon- 
strated their  unfitness  for  the  responsibilities 
of  trained  nurses.  In  the  most  recent  case, 
that  of  Eva  Grace  Thompson,  indicted  on 
September  13th,  before  Mr.  Justice  Darling, 
for  the  murder  of  two  children  at  the 
Sydenham  Welfare  Centre,  and  with  causing 
grievous  bodily  harm  to  two  others,  the 
prisoner  was  found  guilty,  but  insane  at  the 
time,  so  as  not  to  be  accountable  for  her 
act.  She  was  therefore  ordered  to  be 
detained  until  his  Majesty's  pleas\ire  be 
known,  which,  the  Judge  pointed  out, 
meant  detention  as  a  criminal  lunatic,  and 
added  that  there  was  not  the  slightest 
doubt  that  she  had  brought  herself  to  that 
pass  by  the  continued  taking  of  drugs,  or 
that  she  had  fractured  the  skull  of  one  baby 
and  killed  the  second.  One  of  the  best 
results  of  that  inquiry  would  be  to  show  a 
large  number  of  people  the  state  and  the 
position  to  which  they  could  bring  them- 
selves by  drug-taking. 

The  case  is  specially  important,  because 
the  victims  of  this  drug  maniac  were 
helpless  infants,  and  in  view  of  the  fact  of 
the  great  increase  in  the  number  of  insti- 
tutions for  the  treatment  and  care  of  infants, 
a  number  which  will  certainly  be  augmented 


when  a  Ministry  of  Health  is  set  up,  it  is 
most  essential  that  the  records  of  nurses 
to  whom  their  care  is  entrusted  should  be 
readily  available.  Had  an  efficient  system 
of  State  Registration  of  Nurses  been  in 
force,  is  it  credible  that  a  drug-maniac, 
with  homicidal  impulses,  would  have  been 
able,  with  ease,  to  obtain  employment  in 
sole  and  responsible  charge  at  night  of  a 
ward   of  sick  babies  ? 

So  far  as  the  published  reports  of  the 
trial  go,  the  police  did  not  produce  evidence 
of  the  professional  training  of  the  prisoner, 
but  a  police  officer  did  state  that  he  had 
received  a  report  that  from  1909  to  191 2 
she  was  in  a  home  suffering  from  the  result 
of  drug  taking.  In  the  case  of  a  regis- 
tered nurse  such  an  episode  in  her  career 
would  certainly  be  known.  Moreover, 
the  State  Register,  and  the  Official 
Directory  based  upon  that  Register,  would 
be  available  to  employers,  and  would  also 
be  at  the  disposal  of  every  police  court  in 
the  Kingdom  as  are  the  Medical  Register 
and  the  Midvvives  Roll.  We  wonder  how 
many  sick  people  have  been  victimised  by 
this  criminal  before  her  murderous  mania 
brought  her  within  the  arm  of  the  law. 
We  understand  that  she  was  trained  at  a 
provincial  fever  hospital,  and  also  for  two 
years  in  a  London  hospital,  the  certificate 
of  which  she  does  not  hold. 

If  public  authorities  in  the  near  future 
are,  as  seems  likely,  to  be  increasingly 
responsible  for  the  treatment  and  care  of 
helpless  infants  and  young  children,  public 
safeguards  must  be  provided  as  to  the 
competence  and  trustworthiness  of  the 
nurses  in  whose  care,  and  at  whose  mer<Sy, 
they  are  placed,  and  the  foundation  of  such 
safeguards  is  the  passage  of  the  Nurses' 
Bill  for  their  State  Registration — opposed 
so  bitterly  and  long  by  the  Governors  cf 
Training  Schools  for  Nurses. 


176 


^be  36ritl0b  Sournal  of  Wurelnfl.       September  21,  1918 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITION. 


WHAT    IS    THE    FUNCTION     OF    THE    BLOOD? 
WHY      MAY      H/EjnORRHAOE    CAUSE      DEATH? 

We  have  pleasure  in  awarding  the  prize  this 
week  to  Miss  J.  G.  Gilchrist,  Guiespie  Crescent, 
Edinburgh. 

HRIZB     fAPEK. 

The  function  of   the  blood   is  of  a   twofold 
nature— I.e.,  absorption   and  distribution  :    (a) 
the  absorption  of  oxygen  necessary  to  the  lite 
or  vital  power  of  the  body ;  {b)  the  absorption 
of  nourishment  derived  from  tood  materials  for 
the  growth  and   repair  of  the  tissues   of   the 
body.     Ihis  process  of  absorption  has  also  the 
dual  capacity  of  conveying  to  the  tissues  the 
material    necessary    for    repairing    the    waste 
engendered   by   the  work  done  by  them,   and 
removing  from  them  the  waste  products  caused 
by  their  activity.     This  balance  of  absorption 
and  distribution  is  brought  about  by  the  cir- 
culation   of    the    blood    throughout    the    body 
through  the  medium   of  the   heart  and   blood 
vessels,  the  complete  circuit  being  made  by  the 
action  of  the  heart  sending  the  blood  through 
the  arteries  to  all  parts  of  the  body,  and  return- 
ing it  to  the  heart  through  the  veins,  the  con- 
necting  link  between   the    arteries   and    veins 
being  the  capillaries,  extremely  minute  vessels 
linking  the  smallest  arteries  to  the  commence- 
ment of  the  veins,  and  enabling  the  exchange 
of   waste   and   repair  products   to   take   place. 
This  process  of  absorption,  or  "osmosis,"  as 
it    is    technically    called,    also    furnishes    the 
various    glands    with    the    special    secretions 
necessary  to  their  particular  functions,  the  rela- 
tive lymphatic   system   collecting   and   storing 
up  the   surplus   nourishment,   to  be   gradually 
re-introduced  into  the  blood  stream  by  w^ay  of 
the  thoracic  duct.     By  the  circulation  also  fluid 
(water)  and  heat  is  distributed  equally  through- 
out the  body.     The  blood,  if  in  a  healthy  con- 
dition, contains  immune  bodies,  and  the  white 
corpuscles,   called  leucocytes  and  phagocytes, 
have  the  power  of  protecting  the  body   from 
disease,  and,  when  such  is  present,  of  combin- 
ing in  large  numbers  to  attack  and  overcome 
the  morbid  processes  brought  about  by  foreign 
elements.     The  natural  power  of  the  blood  to 
coagulate,   to   form  a  clot  at  the   end  of   an 
injured    blood    vessel    on    exposure   to   air,    is 
another  function  which  protects  the  body  from 
the  possibly  fatal  results  of  haemorrhage.     In 
exceptional    cases,    known    as    "  bleeders  " — 
I.e.,  persons  having  the  haemorrhagic  diathesis 
or   suffering  from  hemophilia — this  protective 
power  of  coagulation  is  not  present  to  a  suflfi- 
cient  degree  to  arrest  haemorrhage,  so  that  they 


bleed  easily,  even  a  very  small  wound  making 
a  fatal  result  possible. 

The  importance  of  hygienic  living  if  the 
blood  is  to  perform  its  function  satisfactorily 
cannot  be  over-estimated,  especially  in  regard 
to  the  allied  systems  of  respiration  and  diges- 
tion ;  the  necessity  of  breathing  continuously 
fresh  air,  in  the  former,  and  of  choosing  a  mixed 
diet,  containing  the  elements  of  food  which  can 
be  converted  into  nourishment  in  a  simple  form 
capable  of  assimilation  through  the  blood 
stream,  in  the  latter. 

Haemorrhage  may  cause  death  by  actual 
failure  of  blood  pressure  and  exhaustion  of  the 
nervous  system.  Thus  serious  haemorrhage  is 
treated  by  infusion  or  transfusion  of  a  fluid, 
such  as  saline  solution,  to  keep  up  the  rush  of 
fluid  through  the  blood  vessels,  and  so  keep 
the  heart  beating.  There  are  three  kinds  of 
haemorrhage,  each  having  a  peculiar  danger. 
Such  are  (i)  arterial,  (2)  venous,  (3)  capillary. 

(i)  Arterial  haemorrhage  is  usually  the  result 
of  a  wound  ;  the  blood  spurts  out  in  jerks,  and 
is  scarlet  in  colour.  The  danger  hes  in  the 
rapidity  and  violent  nature  of  the  haemorrhagic 
attack.  The  force  of  the  blood  from  the  heart 
hinders  the  formation  of  clotting,  so  that  direct 
pressure  of  the  artery  concerned  against  a  bone 
between  the  heart  and  the  bleeding  part,  and 
treatment  is  essential.  It  should  also  be 
remembered  that  the  natural  process  of  arrest- 
ing bleeding  is  in  this  case  that  the  heart  beats 
less  strongly  after  a  time,  which  produces 
fainting.  Therefore  it  is  unwise  to  give  stimu- 
lants, as  such  will  cause  the  blood  to  flow  again 
with  increased  force ;  rather  employ  cold,  pres- 
sure and  raised  position. 

(2)  Venous  haemorrhage  flows  in  "a  steady 
stream,  is  dark  purple  in  colour.  It  may  result 
from  ulcer  in  the  leg  or  varicose  veins,  when  it 
is  difficult  to  control,  owing  to  the  damaged 
vessels.  The  quantity  lost  may  bring  about 
heart  failure,  especially  as  it  is  usually  un- 
accompanied by  pain. 

(3)  Capillary  haemorrhage  may  be  dangerous 
on  account  of  the  prolonged  time  the  oozing  of 
blood  may  last  and  the  amount  of  blood  lost. 
It  may  occur  in  ulcerated  surface,  such  as 
cancer  in  the  late  stages,  when  the  tissues  have 
become  softened.  Capillary  or  oozing  haemor- 
rhage is  best  treated  by  the  application  of  ice 
w^ith  pressure. 

HONOURABLE   MENTION. 

The  following  competitors  receive  honourable 
mention  : — Miss  Alice  M.  Burns,  Miss  R.  E.  S. 
Cox,  Miss  Clive  M.  Balderstone,  Mrs.  J. 
Gotlob,  Miss  J.  Robinson. 


September  21,  1918       j^y^  ffinUsb  Soumal  Of  "Wursiiifl. 


177 


NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 


The  King  held  an  Investiture  in  the  Quad- 
rangle of  Buckingham  Palace  on  September  i  ith, 
when  His  Majesty  conferred  decorations  as 
fol'ows  : — 

ROYAL    RED    CROSS. 

First    Class. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service. 
— Matron  Kate  Roscoe,  Sister  Helen  Dey. 

Territorial  Force  Nursing  Service. — Matron  Sarah 
CocKRELL,  Sister  Jessie  Cardozo. 

Second  Class. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service, 
— Sister  Dora  Grayson. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service 
Reserve. — Sister  Lily  Jenkins  and  Sister  Mary  Wedder- 

SPOON. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service 
for  India. — Matron  Marion  Knapp. 

Territorial     Force     Ntirsing     Service. — Sister     Annie 

GiBBINS. 

Civil  Nursing  Service. — Matron  Annie  Rastall, 
Assistant  Matron  Edith  Cockeram,  and  Assistant 
Matron  Jean  Dumble. 

British  Red  Cross  Society. — Sister  Lily  Griffiths  and 
Sister  Ruth  Nicholas. 

Voluntary  Aid  Detachment. — Miss  Bertha  Cattell, 
Miss  Maude  Epps,  and  Miss  Elizabeth  Sinclair-White. 

Canadian  Army  Nursing  Service. — Sister  Gwendolen 
Spalding. 

THE     MILITARY    MEDAL. 

Territorial  Force  Nursing  Service. — Sister  Winifred 
Hawkins. 


The  King  has  awarded  the  Royal  Red  Cross> 
2nd  Class,  to  Miss  Letitia  Reeves,  Australian 
Auxiliary  Hospital,  Welwyh,  for  valuable  nursing 
services  in  the  war. 


Recently  in  a  crowded  motor-bus  two  wounded 
soldiers  rose  politely  from  their  seats  to  offer 
them  to  two  women,  one  in  nursing  uniform,  who 
promptly  took  the  place  without  even  a  word  of 
thanks.  The  other,  an  elderly  woman,  exclaimed 
"  No,  not  the  seat  of  a  man  in  blue.  We  ought 
to  stand  for  you."  We  should  have  supposed 
that  the  nurse  was  merely  one  of  the  many  women 
who  don  our  uniform  mthout  the  right  to  wear 
it ;  but  alas  !  her  uniform  was  that  of  the  Terri- 
torial Force  Nursing  Service. 


The  hea.dquarters  of  the  American  Red  Cross  has 
received  from  Havre  an  announcement  that  the 
Queen  of  the  Belgians  will  apply  a  part  of  the  gift 
of  T, 000,000  fr.  recently  made  to  her  by  the 
American  "Red  Cross,  to  the  payment  of  the 
"  household  expenses  "  of  a  rest  home  for  Belgian 
nurses,  which  Her  Majesty  will  open  at  Cannes. 
It  will  be  in  the  famous  "  Villa  Henri  IV,"  and  the 
Queen  has  named  it  the  "  Royal  Elisabeth  Club." 
The  fresh  air  and  sunshine  of  the  C6te  d'Azur 
afford  ideal  surroundings  for  convalescing  to 
wounded  and  overworked  nurses. 


An  Army  Order  just  issued  states  that  the  con- 
ditions governing  the  award  of  the  Silver  War 
Badge  to  disabled  men  (including  officers)  have 
been  amended.  Under  the  new  conditions  the 
Badge,  subject  to  the  consent  of  the  Army  Council, 
will  be  issued  to  the  undermentioned  p>ersons 
(amongst  others)  who  have  served  with  the  military 
forces  subsequent  to  August  4th,    1914  : — 

Female  nurses  and  members  of  Voluntary  Aid 
Detachments  and  Queen  Mary's  Army  Auxiliary 
Corps  who  have  been  discharged  or  have  relin- 
quished their  duties  on  account  of  physical  disabili- 
ties, such  as  would  render  them  permanently  unfit 
for  further  service  in  their  respective  corps. 


A  friend  writes  from  Paris  :  "  Everything  here 
is  for  the  Americans.  They  are  spending  tons  of 
money,  and  so  welL  Fancy,  I  have  a  little 
friend  from  the  U.S.A.  here  in  the  Y.M.C.A.* 
Bureau  ;  she  has  600  francs  a  month  for  expenses 
The  volunteer  Red  Cross  Workers  get  750  francs 
a  month  for  expenses.  No  salaries  !  None 
of  them  possess  very  extensive  Continental 
experience. 


".  The  American  Red  Cross  are  now  calling  upon 
the  V.A.D.  Department  for  workers  in  their 
hospitals  in  this  country,  as,  owing  to  transport 
difficulties,  it  is  impossible  to  bring  the  required 
number  of  workers  from  the  United  States.  We 
\\onder  if  they  are  to  be  paid  at  the  same  rate 
as  in  France  ;  for,  if  so,  there  will  be  an  economic 
upheaval  at  Devonshire  House.  The  high  prices 
paid  to  American  women  worldng  in  France  have 
caused  a  sense  of  alarm  amongst  those  who  fear 
this  liberal  recognition  may  be  demanded  by 
French  women.  In  our  opinion,  anything  which 
sweeps  away  the  old  miserable  swea.ted  rates  for 
which  European  women  w^ere  expected  to  work 
before  the  war  will  be  a  boon  and  a  blessing  ;  and 
the  first  step  to  a  higher  moral  standard  of  living 
throughout   the   community." 


A  contingent  of  Japanese  nurses  has  been  sent 
to  Vladivostock  by  the  Japanese  Chapter  of  the 
American  Red  Cross. 


FRENCH  FUQ  NURSING  CORPS. 


Miss  Haswell  and  the  Sisters  have  presented  to 
Miss  Grace  Ellison  a  very  charming  handbag  in 
green  morocco  and  fitted  with  gold,  accompanied 
by  the  following  letter  ; — 

"  Miss  Haswell  and  the  Sisters  of  the  F.F.N.C. 
beg  Miss  Ellison  to  accept  the  accompanying  gift 
as  a  small  token  of  their  recognition  and  gratitude 
for  all  she  has  done  for  them.  They  regret 
extremely  that  her  health  compels  her  to  withdraw 
from  the  active  work  of  the  corps,  and  they  wish 
her  a  speedy  recovery." 

Naturally,  Miss  Ellison  is  deeply  gratified  by 
this  mark  of  affection  from  her  fellow  workers. 


178 


ZTbe  Britiab  3ournal  of  'Wurgino.       September  21,  1918 


THE  ODYSSEY  OF  FRANCESCA. 


Part  I. 


Francesca  left  Rome  one  night  for  a  certain 
Italian  port  on  her  way  to  the  Near  East.  Her 
manner  of  arriving  at  the  port,  was  a  strange  one, 
for  she  was  promptly  put  under  arrest  and  for- 
bidden to  leave  the  station.  Some  little  cabalistic 
sign  which  should  have  been  on  her  passport  was 
missing,  and  the  Italian  authorities  let  loose  vials 
of^wrath  on  Francesca' s  innocent  head.  She  was 
not  perturbed — she  felt  no  responsibility  for  that 
document.  Had  she  not  sat  for  hours  at  83,  Pall 
Mall  waiting  for  that  magic  book  in  the  chaste 
dark  blue  binding,  which  had  been  vised  by  the 
Consul  of  nearly  every  country  in  Europe  ?  And 
had  not  the  Powers  that  Be  assured  her  that  all 
was  in  order  ?  So  she  sat  peacefully  all  day  in  the 
R.T.O.'s  ofi&ce  (which  was  an  empty  railway  van) 
and  read  the  new  book  of  Georgian  verse,  and 
lo  !  by  the  evening  all  was  well,  and  Francesca 
free  to  depart  on  her  way. 

Her  destination  for  the  next  few  days  was  a 
certain  camp  on  the  coast  some  miles  away,  and 
she  went  down  to  the  quay  and  embarked  on 
someone's  picket  boat  to  get  there. 

It  was  just  getting  dusk,  and  so  warm  and  still 
one  could  not  have  believed  it  was  December. 
As  Francesca  left  the  quay  the  sun  was  setting 
over  the  harbour  and  the  sky  was  all  afire  with 
apricot  colour  and  rose  and  gold.  The  sea  was 
the  deepest  sapphire  blue  until  it  met  the  sky,  and 
then  it  glowed  with  the  reflection  from  it  like  the 
heart  of  a  flame.  Soon  the  sky  faded  into  a  warm 
velvety  darkness  powdered  with  stars.  There 
were  no  lights  anywhere,  and  the  only  sound  to  be 
heard  was  the  throb,  throb  of  the  engine  as  the 
little  picket  boat  made  her  way  through  the  water. 
It  almost  seemed  as  though  they  were  alone  on  the 
sea.  They  went  on  and  on  and  Francesca  began 
to  experience  that  queer,  uncanny  sensation  that 
one  gets  when  one  goes  to  an  unknown  destination 
at  night.  Presently  they  came  to  a  tiny  jetty  and 
stopped.  Francesca  was  landed,  and  began  to 
climb  a  precipitous  hill,  stumbling  along  in  the  dark 
as  best  she  could,  not  knowing  where  she  was 
gcing.  A  sailor  followed  behind  carrying  her 
luggage.  Ten  minutes'  walk  brought  her  to  the 
British  Hospital  Camp,  where  she  was  to  stay, 
and  the  first  sight  of  this  prosaic  institution 
dispelled  at  once  all  mystic  dreams  and  visions. 
A  long  baraque  with  28  beds  all  in  a  row  and  no 
other  furniture  save  two  iron  camp  washstands  is 
enough  to  quench  any  romance.  And,  alas ! 
there  were  27  other  unknown  females  sharing 
this  chaste  retreat.  Army  Sisters  are  sometimes 
haughty  and  look  down  their  noses  at  members  of 
other  units  who  are  not  of  the  elect  as  they,  but 
those  particular  ones  were  very  nice  to  Francesca 
and  she  enjoyed  her  sojourn  with  the  British 
Army. 

On  the  third  morning  a  signal  message  came  to 

say  that  Francesca  was  to  be  on  the Wharf 

in  half  an  hour's  time,  when  a  boat  would  convey 
her  to  a  certain  French  transport  which,  in  its 


turn,  would  take  her  to  a  certain  Greek  port. 
Francesca  made  her  adieux,  and  presently  the 
little  boat  pulled  out  and  took  her  off  to  a  great 
grey  troopship  which  was  lying  outside,  sur- 
rounded by  her  escort.  She  was  crowded  with 
French  troops,  mostly  permissionaires  returning 
to  their  units,  and  they  were  busy  in  trying  on, 
with  loud  guffaws  of  laughter,  the  enormous  life 
belts  which  had  to  be  worn  throughout  the  voyage. 
There  were  only  eight  officers  on  board — six 
French  and  two  English.  It  is  not  permitted  to 
describe  how  the  ship  was  escorted,  or  where  she 
went,  but  on  the  second  morning  Francesca  found 
herself  at  anchor  between  the  island  of  Corfu  and 
the  coast  of  Albania.  No  one  was  allowed  to  land, 
which  was  a  great  affliction.  There  was  nothing 
to  do  on  board  but  to  eat,  and  this  particular 
ship  only  rose  to  two  meals  a. day — luncheon  at 
10.30  and  dinner  at  6.30 — so  however  long  they 
were  spun  out  there  were  long  gaps  of  time  in 
between.  Francesca  would  have  been  quite 
happy,  but  men  are  such  restless  beings  that  they 
probably  infected  her. 

About  9.30  she  was  sitting  on  deck,  watching 
the  doings  of  the  variegated  crowd  below,  when  a 
sailor  brought  a  cow  on  to  the  lower  deck.  Fran- 
cesca innocently  thought  they  were  going  to  milk 
it,  and  was  not  at  all  prepared  for  what  followed. 
A  blow,  the  flash  of  a  knife,  and  the  poor  cow  was 
no  more.  Some  of  the  poilus  standing  round  were 
also  taken  by  surprise  and  were  spattered  with  gore 
from  head  to  foot. 

Luncheon  followed  quickly  on  this  sacrifice, 
but  Francesca  could  not  bring  herself  to  look  at 
the  beefsteaks  which  had  been  walking  about  on 
deck  an  hour  before.  This  ceremony  was  repeated 
every  morning,  but  Francesca  took  care  to  be  out 
of  tlie  way  at  that  hour  afterwards.  The  ship 
sailed  away  in  a  golden  sunset  mist,  and  the  next 
morning  found  them  again  at  anchor  in  a  secluded 
little  bay  close  to  a  rocky  forbidding  coast.  A 
ship  is  like  a  village  for  rumours,  and  an  interesting 
one  spread  quickly  round  that  there  was  a  sub- 
marine waiting  outside,  and  that  it  might  be  a 
week  before  they  could  go  on.  So  after  lunch 
they  settled  down  to  a  bridge  party  in  the  saloon, 
when  suddenly  they  started,  and  presently  were 
zig-zagging  down  the  Gulf  of  Corinth.  So  much 
for  rumour?  ' 

Francesca  thought  it  incredibly  beautiful.  The 
coast-line,  stretching  away  into  space,  could  be 
seen  on  both  sides.  Far  to  the  south  the  peaks 
of  dream-like  unsubstantial  mountains  caught 
the  last  rose  rays  of  the  setting  sun.  The  sea  was 
a  deep  ultramarine  blue,  just  flecked  w^th  white, 
and  there  were  fishing  boats  about,  with  russet 
sails  and  Greek  sailors  singing  melancholy  songs 
in  the  bows. 

Just  as  it  grew  dark  the  ship  approached  the 
nameless  port  that  was  their  destination,  and 
Francesca  was  delighted  to  see  a  motor-boat  at 
once  skim  out  to  meet  them.     It  turned  out  to 

be  for  Lieut.  X ,  but  he  most  nobly  persuaded 

the  captain  to  allow  Francesca  to  go  ashore  with 
him,  or  she  would  have  had  to  wait  till  the  morning. 


September  21,  1918      ^f)e  Brlti6b  Soumal  of  IRuratng. 


179 


It  is  dif&cult  to  describe  the  thrill  Francesca 
had  when  she  first  touched  Greek  soil.  She  did 
it  quite  consciously,  putting  dow-n  first  her  right 
and  then  her  left  foot,  arid  saying  to  herself  : 
"  Now  I  am  in  Greece."  It  was  quite  dark  then 
and  she  waited  a  long  time  alone  on  the  quay 

while  Lieut.  X went  to  find  the  landing  of&cer. 

The  darkness  and  loneliness  gave  her  a  feeling 
of  mystery  which  added  to  the  joy  of  it.  How 
she  uished  she  hadn't  forgotten  all  the  little 
Greek  history  she  ever  knew.  The  very  names  cf 
the  places  excited  her  beyond  measure ;  she 
seemed  to  taste  them  and  turn  them  over  on  her 
tongue  and  enjoy  their  flavour.  Fi lends  seemed 
to  spring  up  by  magic  at  this  place,  which  shall 
be  nameless,  and  a  Idndlj'  doctor  whisked  Fran- 
cesca off  to  an  empty  cottage — which  was  available 


CARE    OF    THE    WOUNDED. 

A  regimental  badge  souvenir,  embroidered  by 
crippled  South  Africans  at  Richmond  Park 
Hospital,  has  been  accepted  by  Princess  Mary, 
who  sent  a  most  appreciative  letter  of  thanks  to 
the  givers.  

No  class  of  Sufferers  in  this  war  require  more 
skilled  and  tender  treatment  and  care  than  those 
suffering  from  shell-shock.  In  our  illustration  is 
shown  a  group  of  convalescing  shell-shock  patients 
at  the  Seale  Hayne  hospital  helping  their  nurse  to 
gather  in  the  beans  for  the  day's  supply. 

What  we  enjoy  about  the  Americans  is  their 
creative  faculty,  and  whilst  other  nations  go 
jogging  on,  or  what  they  call  "  muddling  through," 


SOLDIER  PATIENTS  WHO  ARE   RECOVERING   FROM  SHELL-SHOCK  AT  SEALE  HAYNE 
MILITARY  HOSPITAL  HELP  A  NURSE  TO  GATHER  BEANS  IN  THEIR  OWN  GROUNDS. 


for  such  waifs  and  strays — ^to  spend  the  night, 
A  fat,  smiling  British  orderly  turned  up,  made 
up  a  bed  and  produced  bread,  sardines  and  much 
strong  tea  for  an  evening  meal. 

And  from  her  bed  the  next  morning  Francesca 
watched  the  sun  rise  over  the  peaks  of  Mount 
Parnassus.  V.  T. 

{To  be  "continued.) 


The  Ministry  of  Pensions  has  now  decided  to 
extend  the  benefits  of  the  Country  Host  Institution 
for  the  treatment  of  war  neuroses  or. of  "shell 
shock,"  to  pensioners  in  all  areas  of  the  United 
Kingdom.  The  success  of  the  scheme,  which 
originated  in  a  letter  to  the  Times  about  a  year  ago, 
is  further  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  Director- 
General  of  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Navy 
approved  of  it  some  three  months  ago  for  undis- 
charged naval  ratings  suffering  from  war  neuroses. 


the  American  evolves  a  good  idea  and  puts  it  into 
practice.  Quite  simple  things  are  often  of 
immense  value,  especially  in  times  of  war.  For 
instance,  one  difficulty  of  the  walking  wounded 
at  the  front  is  to  determine  the  direction  or  location 
of  the  nearest  first-aid  station.  The  American 
Red  Cross  is  furnishing  to  the  American  Army 
several  thousand  small  cloth  signs,  the  distribution 
of  which  will  follow  the  advance  of  every  American 
attack.  Red  Cross  men,  stretcher-bearers,  and 
runners  will  carry  them,  and  they  will  be  tacked 
on  trees  and  posts,  or  on  the  ground  in  the  wake  of 
the  advancing  men.  The  markers  are  of  white 
cloth  with  a  large  Red  Cross  at  one  end  and  a  red 
arrow  at  the  other  to  indicate  the  direction.  The 
American  Red  Cross  has  been  told  by  Army 
officers  that  these  markers  uill  save  untold  suffer- 
ing and  even  the  lives  of  some  men,  as  the  serious- 
ness of  any  wound  depends  largely  upon  the 
promptness  with  which  it  receives  attention. 


i8o  zbc  Britleb  3ournal  of  IRureiug.      September  21,  1918 

Ropal  BritisD  nurses'  ll$$oclatioii« 


(Incorporated  bp 


\^   Ropal  CDarlcn) 


THIS   SUPPLEMENT   BEING   THE    OFFICIAL    ORGAN    OF    THE    CORPORATION. 


THE    HOUSEKEEPER'S     DEPARTMENT 
AS  A   SPHERE   FOR   SPECIALISATION. 

By  Agnes  Pavey,  M. R.B.N. A. 


Much  has  been  written  lately  on  the  subject 
of  what  should  or  should  not  be  included  in  the 
curriculum  of  a  training  school  for  nurses,  in 
order  that  the  instruction  given  in  all  branches 
shall  be  productive  of  the  best  possible  results, 
and  that  the  nurses  may  be  fully  equipped  for 
appointments  for  which  they  may  compete  in 
the  future.  The  career  of  a  nurse  should 
always  receive  a  certain  amount  of  considera- 
tion both  from  herself  and  those  responsible  for 
her  training,  so  that  the  ever-widening  scope 
for  her  abilities  may  be  duly  lecognised  and 
provided  for. 

Many  of  our  leading  hospital  schools  have, 
in  recent  years,  given  to  suitable  nurses,  during 
the  last  year  of  training,  a  three  months'  course 
of  work  and  instruction  in  the  pathological 
laboratories  or  in  some  other  department,  not 
directly  connected  with  nursing  work,  thereby 
stimulating  an  interest  in  some  special  branch 
of  work  which  may  prove  of  incalculable  value 
to  the  nurse  in  the  future.  To  the  nurse  who 
possesses  a  faculty  for  organisation  perhaps 
the  least  help  is  given.  She  will  probably 
become  a  ward  sister  and  reach  her  zenith  in 
training  probationers,  and  perhaps  she,  more 
than  anyone  else,  will  influence  the  ideals  and 
attainments  of  those  who  pass  through  her 
ward.  All  of  us  cherish  memories  of  some 
Sister,  all  honour  to  her,  who  by  her  sweetness 
enabled  us  to  retain  our  early  ideals,  and  whose 
sterner  qualities  helped  to  develop  an  apprecia- 
tion of  the  value  of  efficiency,  method,  and  dis- 
cipline. But  what  of  the  Sister  herself?  One 
hears  much  of  the  inadequacy  of  the  remunera- 
tion paid  to  a  Sister  of  a  hospital  ward,  and  the 
impossibility  of  providing  for  old  age  or  a 
premature  breakdown  while  "passing  rich  " 
on  a  salary  of  £40  a  year.  Be  she  the  most 
devoted  and  altruistic  of  Sisters,  it  is  still  prob- 


able that  she  must  consider  her  financial  posi- 
tion, and  very  often  she  is  forced  to  the  decision 
that  she  must  seek  another  and  a  better  post, 
and  the  one  she  is  most  likely  to  aspire  to  is  a 
matronship.'  It  is  on  arriving  at  this  conclusion 
that  she  begins  to  realise  her  limitations,  and 
there  is  perhaps  no  subject  upon  which  she  is 
so  profoundly  ignorant  as  hospital  housekeep- 
ing and  the  management  and  training  of  a 
domestic  staff.  Yet  to  all  who  desire  to  attain 
to  the  higher  posts  in  the  profession  such  know- 
ledge and  experience  is  indispensable.  How  is 
the  difficulty  to  be  met  and  overcome?  There 
are  several  hospitals  in  London  where  pupil 
housekeepers  are  received  for  a  course  of  three 
or  four  months'  training,  but '  their  number 
could  be  counted  on  the  fingers  of  one  hand, 
and  the  majority  take  only  one  pupil  at  a  time. 
Yet  where  could  one  expect  to  learn  better  the 
administrative  work  of  a  hospital  than  in  the 
administrative  department  itself?  Why,  there- 
fore, should  nurses  not  be  allowed  to  have  a 
certain  amount  of  training  there?  It  would 
tend. to  enlarge  the  scope  of  the  profession,  and 
would  open  up  many  administrative  appoint- 
ments, quite  outside  the  hospitals,  to  nurses. 

For  the  first  week  or  two  in  the  new  depart- 
ment the  nurse  would  probably  do  little  more 
than  weigh  and  give  out  stores,  copy  menus, 
and  record  tradesmen's  deliveries.  This,  with 
all  the  bookkeeping  involved,  and  the  work  of 
issuing  from  different  departments  foodstuffs, 
surgical  stores,  hardware,  cleaning  materials, 
&c.,  would  be  as  much  as  she  would  grasp 
thoroughly  at  first.  Later  she  could  take  a  part 
in  the  management  of  servants,  and  success  in 
this  direction  is  sometimes  only  gained  after 
long  striving  and  many  mistakes.  Often  it 
requires  almost  superhuman  tact  in  these  days 
to  ensure  the  smooth  working  of  the  domestic 
machinery,  and  yet  the  most  troublesome  maid 
will  often  work  the  best  when  rightly  handled, 
for  it  is  frequently  the  one  who  has  most 
character,  energy,  and  latent  possibility  of 
better  things  who  is  the  most  hard  to  manage. 


September  21,  1918       ^f:)^  BtUisb  Soumal  of  IRureino. 


181 


Towards  the  end  of  the  course  the  nurse  might 
be  allowed  to  arrange  all  the  menus  and  reckon 
out  the  cost  per  head.  This  involves  consider- 
able work  and  thought,  for  there  are  so  many 
sections  to  be  catered  for — patients,  doctors, 
the  matron,  sisters,  day  and  night  nurses, 
secretaries,  and  clerks,  and  sometimes  a  private 
staff. 

The  keeping  of  the  various  official  books  and 
accounts,  and  preparing  reports,  based  on 
those,  for  the  finance  committees,  would  prove 
very  valuable  experience,  and  many  nurses 
would  welcome,  as  a  part  of  the-r  training,  such 
a  course  of  hospital  housekeeping. 


A    USEFUL    ASSOCIATION. 

Princess  Christian  and  the  Duke  of  Connaught 
were  patrons  of  the  very  successful  carnival  and 
fete  held  in  the  gardens  of  Belgrave  Square  on 
Saturday  last,  in  aid  01  the  Belgravia  War  Hospital 
Supply  Depot,  of  which  Her  Royal  Highness  is 
President. 

PRINCESS  CHRISTIAN  SETTLEMENT  HOME* 

A  room  is  now  available  for  one  of  the  retirod 
Members  of  the  Association  at  the  Princess 
Christian  Settlement  Home.  Nurses  who  may 
decide  to  make  application  for  this  vacant  room 
should  write  to  the  Secretary  for  the  official  prin*^ed 
form,  which  should  be  filled  in  and  returned.  A 
copy  of  the  rules  and  other  particulars  will  be 
supplied  with  this  form. 

APPOINTMENTS. 

Miss  Mary  M.  Smith,  M.R.B.N.A.,  has  been 
appointed  Sister  at  Lagos  Hospital,  Southern 
Algeria.  She  was  trained  at  Crumpsall  Infiimaiy, 
Manchester. 

Miss  Elizabeth  Todd,  M.R.B.N.A.,  has  been 
appointed  Sister-in-Charge  of  the  Military  Hospital, 
Aylesbury ;  and  Miss  Bridget  Weever,  M.R.B.N.A., 
as  Sister  at  the  Military  Hospital,  Endell  Street. 

DONATIONS. 

The  Honorary  Treasurer  of  the  Corporation 
acknowledges  with  thanks  a  donation  from  the 
following  : — 

To  the  General  Purposes  Fund. — ^Miss  Beatrice 
Kent,   £1. 

CORRESPONDENCE. 


Whilst  welcoming  communications  from  its 
Members  the  Corporation  does  not  hold  itself 
responsible  for  individual  expressions  of  opinion. 

PROFESSIONAL  WRITERS. 

To  the  Secretary,  R.B.N. A. 

Madam, — I   should  like   to   thank  both  Miss 

Atherton  and  Miss  Sinzininex  for  their  very  able 

articles.     Both  of  these  ladies  I  have  long  known 

to  be    "  past  masters  "    in  their  own  particular 


branches,  and  I  am  glad  that  such  up-to-date 
articles  do  appear  in  the  nurses'  own  paper — the 
only  journal  controlled  and  written  by  members 
of  our  profession.  I  hope  that  more  and  more 
we  will  learn  to  use  the  B.J.N.,  therefore,  as  a 
medium  for  developing  the  profession  of  nursing. 
If  I  may  be  permitted  to,  I  should  like  to  ask 
Miss  Atherton  one  question.  Would  not  such 
an  automatic  obedience  as  her  article  seems  to 
aim  at,  tend  to  stultify  the  child's  ability  to 
reason  out  points  for  himself,  and  prevent  him, 
to  a  great  extent,  from  acquiring  a  freewill  of 
his  own  in  the  choice  of  right  or  wrong  ?  This  is 
just  a  point  that  my  interest  in  the  article  in 
question  has  aroused,  and  I  should  be  glad  to 
know  Miss  Atherton's  viev^s. 


I  am,  &c.. 


M.  E.  Nash. 


THE  NATION'S  FUND  FOR  NURSES. 

To  the  Secretary,  R.B.N. A.  ' 

Madam, — As  a  Scottish  nurse  I  should  like  to 
protest  against  the  hideous  posters  tha,t  line  the 
London  streets.  Have  the  English  nurses  ■  no 
spirit,  no  self  respect,  that  they  allow  them  to 
remain  ?  Quite  apparently  they  have  less  of 
the  sturdy  independence  of  us  who  live  over  the 
border,  for,  so  far,  I  have  seen  no  such  deface- 
ments in  our  Scottish  streets.  As  a  member  of  a 
great  profession,  I  feel  that  I  can  never  be  in- 
different to  anything  that  affects  its  honour  or  its 
prestige,  and  I  feel  very  strongly  that  the  British 
Women's  Hospital  Committee  and  the  College 
Company  are  insulting  a  self-respecting,  hard- 
worlang  body  of  women,  never  before  regarded  as 
objects  for  charity.  "  What  does  this  appeal 
really  mean  ?"  is  a  question  I  often  ask  myself, 
but  I  can  find  no  definite  answer  to  it.  Am 
I  myself  or  any  qualified  nurse  a  fitting  object  for 
charity  ?  Believe  me,  I  am  not  against  bene- 
volence for  nurses,  but  any  appeal  for  benevolence 
should  be  issued  in  a  proper  and  dignified  way  ; 
our  supposed  poverty  and  dependence  should  iiot 
be  paraded  through  the  advertisement  columns  of 
the  daily  Press  and  the  hoardings  of  the  streets. 
Such  an  appeal  should  be  strictly  limited  to  the 
probable  needs  of  the  nurses  who  are  in  distress 
or  ill-health.  Again,  I  ask  myself,  how  far  dees 
this  appeal  camouflage  for  the  other  object  for 
which  it  is  launched  ?  In  other  words,  what 
proportion  of  the  money  collected  is  to  go  for 
buildings  for  the  College  Company,  and  what 
proportion  to  relieve  sick  nurses  ? 
Yours,  &c., 

E.  Kelly. 

APPLICATION     FORMS. 

Application  forms  for  Registration  (5s.),  Mem- 
bership (Annual,  5s.  ;  Life,  £2  2S.),  and  the 
badge  of  the  Corporation  (4s.),  can  be  obtained 
from  the  oJSice  of  the  Association,  10,  Orchard 
Street,    Portman   Square,   W.  i. 

(Signed)     Isabel  Macdonald, 
Secretarv. 


l82 


^be  British  3ournal  of  IRureino.       September  21,  1918 


THE  COLLEGE  OF  NURSING,  LTD.,  AND 
THE  EXAMINATION  OF  NURSES. 

(Concluded  from  page  170.) 


The  following  letters  have  been  received  by  the 
Hon.  Secretary  of  the  Society  for  the  State 
Registration  of  Trained  Nurses  in  reply  to  the 
letter  which  we  published  last  week  enquiring 
whether  the  examination  of  nurses  in  the  training 
schools  concerned  would  in  future  be  conducted 
by  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  which  claims 
disciplinary  powers  over  its  members  under  a  very 
autocratic  constitution, 

Provinces. 

Mr.  a.  H.  Laney,  General  Hospital,  Birmingham. 

"  I  have  discussed  your  letter  of  the  i6th  inst.  with 
Matron,  and  find  that  the  rumour  is  without  foundation 
so  far  as  this  hospital  is  concerned." 
Mr.    Harry    Johnson,    Royal   Infirmary,    Leicester. 

"  I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  9th  inst.,  and 
beg  to  inform  you  that  no  suggestion  has  been  made 
to  the  Board  of  Governors  of  this  Institution  for  any 
alteration  in  connection  with  the  examinations  for 
Probationarj'  Nurses  on  the  stafE  of  this  Institution." 
Mr.  Frank  G.  Hazell,  Manchester  Royal  Infirmary. 

"  I  am  in  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  9th  inst.,  for 
which  I  thank  you.  I  regret  I  have  no  information  to 
afford  you  relative  to  the  subject  matter  of  your  letter." 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  curt  refusal  by 
Mr.  Frank  Hazell,  of  the  Royal  Infirmary,  Man- 
chester, to  afford  any  information  on  this  matter 
of  public  importance  was  criticised  on  a  previous 
occasion. 

Mr.  C.  Amason,  Royal  Sussex  County  Hospital, 
Brighton. 

"  I  am  directed  by  the  Board  of  Management  to 
acknowledge   receipt   of  your  letter  of  May   9th   in 
reference  to  the  training  of  Nurses." 
Mr.   J.  G.   HowiTT,   Cumberland  Infirmary,   Carlisle. 

"  I  am  in  receipt  of  your  circular  letter  of  the  9th 
inst.  in  regard  to  the  examination  of  Probationary 
Nurses  by  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  and  in  reply 
have  to  inform  you  that  as  far  as  this  Infirmary  is 
concerned  no  arrangements  have  been  made.  We  are 
at  the  present  time  continuing  the  teaching  and  exami- 
nation of  our  Probationary  Nurses  as  formerly." 
Mr.  Samuel  Cole,  Royal  Devon  and  Exeter  Infirmary. 

"  I  am  duly  in  receipt  of  your  circular  letter  dated 
9th  inst.,  and  in  reply  to  your  enquiry  the  rumour  that 
Nurses  not  yet  qualified  for  their  certificates  will  have 
to  be  examined  by  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  is 
incorrect  as  far  as  it  applies  to  the  Probationers  at  the 
Royal  Devon  and  Exeter  Hospital." 

Mr.  Frank  Inch,  Norfolk  and  Norwich  Hospital, 
Norwich. 

"  In  reply  to  your  circular  letter  of  the  9th  inst.,  I 
beg  to  inform  you  that  I  have  no  knowledge  of  the 
rumour  that  in  future  the  examination  of  Nurses  who 
have  not  yet  qualified  at  this  Hospital  for  their  certifi- 
cates will  be  conducted  by  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd." 
Mr.  Fredk.  Neden,  The  County  Hospital,  York. 

"  In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  9th  inst.,  the  report 
to  which  you  refer  has  not  reached  us. 

"  The  examination  of  our  Probationers  is  under- 
taken by  members  of  our  Honorary  Medical  Staff  and 


by  a  Matron  of  another  Hospital,  who  visits  the  Hos- 
pital for  the  purpose,  and  there  is  no' present  intention 
of  making  a  change."fj  If  •-]•;- 

Mr.  R.  Orde,  Royal  Victoria  Infirmary,  Newcastle-on- 
■  Tyne. 

"  I  beg  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter 
of  May  9th,  and  in  reply  to  inform  you  that  we  have 
no  information  on  the  subject  referred  to." 

Wales. 
Mr.  Leonard  D.  Rea,  F.C.I.S.,  King  Edward  VII's 
Hospital,    Cardiff  : — 
"  In  reply  to  your  letter  of  9th  inst.,  I  am  able  to 
assure  you  that  the  rumour  is  not  correct,  so  far  as 
applying  to  the  probationers  in  this  Hospital." 

Scotland. 

Mr.  R.  Morrison  Smith,  C.A.,  Glasgow  Royal  Infir- 
mary : — 

"  I  have  received  your  letter  of  13th  inst.,  and  in 
reply  have  to  say  that  it  is  not  contemplated  in  the 
meantime  to  make  any  change  in  our  training  or 
examination  of  nurses." 

Mr.  J.  Matheson  Johnston,  Western  Infirmary  of 
Glasgow  : — 

"  I  have  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  your  letter  of 
13th  inst".  At  the  Western  Infirmary  we  have  no 
knowledge  of  the  rumour  to  which  you  refer." 

Mr.  a.  Scott  Finnie,  Royal  Infirmary,  Aberdeen  :— 
"  I  have  received  your  circular  letter,  dated  13th 
inst.,  with  reference  to  the  examination  of  nurses. 
As  this  is  a  matter  coming  within  the  Matron's  depart- 
ment, I  have  sent  the  communication  to  her." 

Miss  E.   Edmondson,  Acting  Superintendent,  Royal 
Infirmary,    Aberdeen  : — 

"  In  reference  to  your  letter  of  the  13th  inst., 
which  has  been  forwarded  to  me,  I  beg  to  inform  you 
that  no  definite  communication  has  been  received  by 
the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Aberdeen  Royal  Infir- 
mary from  the  College  of  Nursing.  I  do  not  think 
ths  rumours  which  you  mertion  are  worth  attention, 
as  such  examinations  would  only  be  compalsory  for 
those  who  wish  to  become  members  of  the  College. 
The  confidence  of  the  trained  nurses  in  the  College 
is  clearly  seen  by  the  large  number  of  members  at 
the  present  time  " 
Mr.    G.    B.    Brough,    Royal   Infirmary,    Dundee : — 

"  No  alteration  is  in  contemplation  on  the  existing 
arrangement  by  which  the  Dundee  Royal  Infirmary' 
continues  to  grant  certificates  signed  by  the  Hospital 
authorities  to  nurses  who  have  satisfactorily  com- 
pleted  their    course    of   three   years'    training." 

Ireland. 

Mr.  E.  B.  Armstrong,  Royal  City  of  Dublin  Hospital  : 

"  In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  13th  inst.,  I  beg 
to  say  that  as  far  as  this  hospital  is  concerned,  the 
rumour  that  in  future  nurses'  examinations  will  be 
conducted  by  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  and  not 
by  our  own  training  school  is  unfounded  and  in- 
accurate." 
MissM.  C.  Hill,  Matron,  Adelaide  Hospital,  DubUn  : — 

"  In  reply  to  your  letter  with  reference  to  the 
qualifying  examinations  to  be  held  in  future  for 
probationers  at  the  Adelaide  Hospital,  I  am  directed 
by  the  Nursing  Committee  to  inform  you  that  should 
the  Nurses'  Registration  Bill,  drafted  by  the  College 
of  Nursing,   Ltd.,   become  law,   the  probationers  at 


September  21,  1918       q:i>c  jBrttlsb  3ournal  of  TRursmg. 


183 


this  hospital  will  enter  for  examinations  conducted  by 
the  Statutory  Authority  set  up  by  that  Bill.  In  the 
event  of  the  Bill  not  passing  into  law,  the  nurses  of 
this  hospital  will  have  the  option  of  entering  for  the 
examinations  of  the  College  of  Nursim;,  Ltd.  The 
Board  of  Governors  will  retain  the  final  qualifying 
examination  of  the  hospital  as  at  present  conducted 
until  such  time  as  they  deem  it  advisable  in  the  interest 
of  the  nurses  and  the  public  that  such  examinations 
should  be  abrogated." 
Lieut. -Col.  Deane,  Royal  Victoria  Hosp.,  Belfast : — 

"  Re  State  Registration  of  Trained  Nurses :  In 
reply  to  your  letter  of  13th  inst.  on  the  above  subject, 
I  beg  to  inform  you  that  the  matter  you  allude  to  has 
not  been  considered  by  my  Committee,  and  as  I  do 
not  know  whether  the  report  you  have  heard  is  correct 
or  not,  I  am  sorry  I  cannot  give  you  any  information 
about  it." 

No  replies  have  been  received  from  the  Royal 
Infirmary,  Liverpool ;  the  Royal  Infirmary  and 
the  Geneial  Hospital,  Bristol ;  the  General 
Hospital,  Nottingham  ;  the  Royal  Hants  County 
Hospital,  Winchester ;  the  Royal  Devon  and 
Exeter  Hospital ;  the  Royal  Infirmary,  Edin- 
burgh ;  Sir  Patrick  Dun's  Hospital ;  the  Rich- 
mond Hospital ;  the  Meath  Hospital ;  and  Dr. 
Steevens'  Hospital,  Dablin. 


The  Secretary- Superintendent  of  the  Middlesex 
Hospital  states  :  "  Our  nurses'  examinations  for 
the  Hospital's  certificate  of  training  are  conducted 
by  the  teachers  of  our  own  Training  School." 
The  enquiry  of  the  Society  for  the  State  Registra- 
tion of  Nurses  was,  however,  designed  to  ascertain 
the  procedure  in  the  future. 


When  the  letter  of  the  Society  was  sent  out  in 
May  last,  the  then  draft  of  the  College  of 
Nursing's  Registration  Bill  compelled  registered 
nurses  to  become  members  of  the  College,  and  to 
subscribe  to  its  autocratic  constitution  as  a 
condition  of  registration. 

Some  slight  modification  has  been  introduced 
into  the  seventh  draft  of  its  Nurses'  Registration 
Bill,  which  does  not  make  it  compulsory''  for 
nurses  to  become  members  of  the  College  in 
order  to  be  registered  under  the  Act,  but  the 
Memorandum  and  Articles  of  Association  of  the 
College  are  still  to  remain  "  in  full  force  and 
effect." 

Our  contention  is  that  the  examination  and 
registration  of  Trained  Nurses  should  be  con- 
ducted by  an  entirely  independent  body,  under 
the  authority  of  the  State,  and  not  by  a  Union 
of  persons  who  train  and  employ  nurses. 

UNJUSTIFIABLE     PRESSURE. 

From  all  sides  we  hear  of  pressure  being  brought 
to  bear  by  Matrons  upon  their  young  nurses  to  join 
the  College  of  Nursing.  They  are  handed  applica- 
tion forms  and  told  to  fill  them  in,  and,  as  far  as 
we  can  gather,  the  Constitution  of  the  College 
is  never  mentioned ;  so  these  inexperienced  young 
nurses  sign  a  form  to  agree  to  Rules  and  Regula- 
tions— -mainly  framed  by  laymen — which  they  have 
never  seen. 

This  unjustifiable  pressure  is  for  the  second  time 


being  brought  to  bear  upon  the  members  of  the 
Guy's  Hospital  Nurses'  League,  to  whom  a  printed 
letter  is  being  sent,  signed  by  S.  A.  Swift  (past 
Matron),  L.  V.  Haughton  (past  Matron),  M.  Hogg 
(Matron),  and  F.  A.  Sheldon  (Lady  Superintendent 
of  the  Guy's  Hospital  Nurses'  Institution),  from 
which  the  document  is  addressed.  With  the  letter 
are  included  an  Application  Form,  and  Reasons  for 
joining  the  College,  but  not  a  copy  of  its 
Constitution. 

The  gist  of  the  letter  is  practically  a  demand 
upon  the  part  of  Guy's  officials  nominated  on  to 
the  College  Council,  that  an  electorate  should  be 
provided  amongst  the  nurses  of  the  League.  It 
is  written: — "  On  the  Council  of  the  College, 
Guy's  ought  to  be  well  represented  amongst  other 
hospitals,  and  the  votes  of  Guy's  nurses  are  needed 
to  place  their  representatives  there." 

It  is  well  known  tfiat  the  extremely  autocratic 
Constitution  of  the  College,  which  practically  sup- 
presses all  professional  liberty  of  the  nursing  pro- 
fession as  a  whole,  emarrated  from  the  reactionary 
policy  of  Sir  Cooper  Perry,  the  Medical  Super- 
intendent, and  Miss  Sarah  Swift,  the  Matron  of 
Guy's  Hospital  in  1905,  when  this  Constitution 
was  submitted  to  the  Board  of  Trade,  as  suitable 
for  a  governing  body  for  fre^  British  women,  and 
was  defeated  by  the  progressive  and  conscientious 
supporters  of  the  State  Registration  movement. 


A  special  meeting  of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd., 
to  consider  the  formation  of  a  London  Centre,  is 
to  be  held  at  the  College  of  Ambulance,  6,  Vere 
Street,  on  Wednesday,  September  25th,  at  7  p.m. 
Let  us  hope  an  opportunity^  will  be  afforded  the 
members  of  discussing  its  constitution,  and  the 
Bill  for  their  registration  promoted  by  the 
College.  No  such  discussion  has,  so  far,  been 
arranged  for  on  these  vital  matters. 

A  local  centre  has  oeen  formed  at  Newcastle-on- 
Tyne.  .^ 

APPOINTMENTS. 

^MATRON. 

Cray  Valley  Hospital,  St.  Mary  Cray. — ^Miss  Jessie 
D.  Milner  has  been  appointed  Matron.  She  was 
trained  at  the  Hampstead  Gencal  Hospital  and 
the  North- West  London  Hospital,  and  has  been 
Sister  of  the  Private  Wing  in  the  former  institu- 
tion, Sister  at  the  King  George  Hospital,  Stamford 
Street,  as  a  member  of  Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.,  and  Home 
and  Housekeeping  Sister  at  the  Hampstead 
General  Hospital. 

Elder  Cottage  Hospital,  Govan,  Glasgow.  —  Miss 
Mary  Taylor  has  been  appointed  Matron.  She 
was  trained  at  the  Royal  Infirmary,  Edinburgh, 
and  has  held  an  appointment  at  the  Military 
Hospital,  York. 

SUPERINTENDENT     SISTER. 

Queen     Mary's     Hospital,     Carshalton,     Surrey. — 

Mrs.  Hilda  M.  Smerdon  (w^.?  White)  has  been 
appointed  Superintendent  Sister.  She  was  trained 
at  the  Evelina  Hospital  and  at  King's  College 
Hospital,  and  has  been  Theatre  and  Ward  Sister 
at  the  former  institution  and  elsewhere. 


TTie  Brt*tifi  Journal  c^  Nurttna,  Sei>tember  21,  1918. 


"  Science  is,  I  believe, 
nothing  but  trained  and 
organized  common-sense, 
differing  from  the  latter 
only  as  a  veteran  may 
differ  from  a  raw  recruit : 
and  its  methods  diffc 
from  those  of  common- 
sense  only  so  far  as  the 
Guardsman's  cut  and 
thrust  differ  from  the 
manner  in  which  a  savage 
wields  his  club." 

ProftiiOT  Huxley. 


The  Basis 
of 
Science 


BOOTS  PURE  DRUG  COMPANY  LIMITED  wish  to  draw  the 
attention  of  the  medical  profession  to  the  following  seven  scientific 
preparations.  Practitioners  who  endeavour  to  keep  abreast  of  the  times 
will  find  these  modern  antiseptics  of  superlative  value  in  general  practice. 


CHLORAMINE-T 

(p-lolutne-iodlam-tulphoehloramide). 

Daldn's  ideal  antiseptic,  of  wide  applicability  in 
medicine  and  surgery. 

In  bottle*  of  loz..  1/2:  4oz..  3/6:  lib.,  12/6 

CHLORAMINE-T  GAUZE 

In  two  strengths,  containing  approximately  5% 
and  35%  Chloramine-T.  (5%  supplied  unless 
otherwise  specified).  This  should  be  fixed  dry 
and  subsequently  moistened,  if  necessary,  when 
in  position. 

In  sealed  packages  only,  price  1/6  per  package. 

PROFLAVINE 

(3'6  diamino-acridlnt-mlphate). 
The  improved  Flavine  derivative. 

Equal  in  antiseptic  powers  to  Acriflavine,  and  in 
important  respects  superior,  being  markedly  less 
toxic  and  less  irritating.  Proflavine,  being  less 
costly  to  manufacture,  can  be  sold  at  a  substantially 
lower  price  than  Acriflavine. 

5  Rram  bottle,  1/4 :  20  gram  bottle.  5/« 

HALAZONE  TABLETS. 


TABLETS  OF  CHLORAMINE-T 

One  tablet  dissolved  in  two  ounces  of  water  makes 
a  one  per  cent,  solution. 

Bottles  of  25,  8'75  grain  tablets,  1/8 

„  50 2/- 

100 ,        8/9    • 

One  tablet  dissolved  in  ten  ounces  of  water  makes 
a  one  per  cent,  solution. 

Bottles  of  12  43-75  grain  tablets,  1/10 

CHLORAMINE-T  CREAM 

Containing  approximately  one  per  cent.  Chlora- 
mine-T. Described  and  investigated  under  the 
name  of  Chloramine  Paste  by  Vincent  Daufresn*. 
Carrel,  Hartmann  and  others,  la  the  Journal  of 
Egperimtntal  Mtdleint.  1917. 

In  Pots.    Trial  size,  9d. :  large  size,  2/6. 

TABLETS  OF  PROFLAVINE 

(leith  lodlum  cMortdt). 

One  tablet  dissolved  in  four  fluid  ounces  sterile 
water  makes   1:1000  Proflavine   in    normal  salin*. 

Bottles  of  100  tablets,  S/6 


DAKIN'S   NEW  WATER   DISINFECTANT. 
Vid*  B.M.J..  May.  1917. 


The  action  of  Halazone  is  positive,  and  may  be  relied  upon  for  crudest  waters.  _  Each  tablet  is  sufficient  to 
sterilize  one  quart  of  contaminated  water,  but  in  cases  of  extreme  contamination  a  second  tablet  .Tiay  b« 
necessary.    Halazone  is  invaluable  for  those  on  active  service  overseas,  more  particularly  in  hot  climates. 

Bottles  of  100  tablets,  6d. 

Suppliei  are  available  /or  preteription  service  on   applieallon 
through  arty  of  the  hrmnehoi  of  BOOTS  THE.  CHEMISTS. 

Boots  Pure  Drug  Company  Limited 

MANUFACTURING   CHEMISTS    AND   MAKERS   OF   FINE   CHEMICALS. 
Haad  Offices:    Station  Street,  Nettingham.        JESSE  BOOT.  Manasins  UirectM. 


September  21,  1918      ^^e  BHtisb  Soumal  of  BursuiQ* 


185 


NURSING    ECHOES. 


With  the  next  issue  Mrs.  Bedford  Fenwfck 
will  have  acted  as  Hon.  Editor  of  The  British 
Journal  of  Nursing  for  .twenty-five  years,  so 
that  the  professional  nurses  of  this  country 
may  have  freedom  of  expression  in  the  press. 
With  three  organs  at  the  disposal  of  their 
employers,  and  many  newspapers  subsidised  in 
opposition  to  their  interests,  how  valuable  such 
an  asset  has  been  will  only  be  realised  by  a 
future  generation  of  nurses. 


We  wonder  if  committees  of  district  nursing 
associations  have  taken  into  consideration  the 
cost  of  nurses'  shoe  leather.  In  the  pre-war 
days  the  problem  of  keeping  herself  shod,  in 
boots  or  shoes  which  were  weather  resisting, 
on  the  small  salary  she  received,  was  a  diffi- 
cult one  to  many  a  district  nurse,  and  now, 
with  deterioration  of  materials,  and  prices 
soaring  upwards,  it  is  most  acute.  Yet,  if 
nurses  are  to  keep  in  good  health,  it  is  impera- 
tive that  they  should  be  well  and  comfortably 
shod,  and  committees,  in  arranging  war 
bonuses,  and  increases  of  salary,  will  do  well 
to  take  the  question  into  consideration. 


Strikes  are  in  the  air,  and  the  asylums  staffs 
in  the  London  area  recentlynotified  the  London. 
County  Council  that  unless  their  demand  for  an 
all-round  advance  of  25s.  a  week  on  pre-war 
wages,  and  other  grievances  were  redressed, 
they  would  hand  in  their  resignations.  The 
women  were  said  to  be  particularly  determined 
in  their  attitude.  We  understand  that  sub- 
stantial concessions  have  been  made. 


On  Saturday  the  General  Purposes  Com- 
mittee of  the  Metropolitan  Asylums  Board  sub- 
mitted a  report,  which  was  agreed  to,  dealing 
with  staff  petitions  for  increase  of  salary. 

The  first  came  from  the  male  attendants  at 
Tooting  Bee  Asylum,  asking  to  be  placed  on 
the  same  scale  of  remuneration  as  that  adopted 
for  L.C.C.  workers.  The  next  was  a  similar 
petition  from  the  National  Asylum  Workers' 
Union,  representing  the  employees  at  other 
asylums  of  the  Board ;  and  the  third  a  petition 
of  the  Municipal  Employees'  Association,  re- 
presenting the  staff  of  the  Board  at  all  institu- 
tions except  asylums,  and  asking  for  an 
increased  war  bonus,  with  a  flat  rate  of  ;^i  per 
week. 

The  Committee  are  reconsidering  all  scales 
of  salaries,  and  will  report  to  a  meeting  of  the 
Managers  on  October  12th.     As  regards  war 


bonuses,  they  advise  the  Managers  to  adopt  an 
award  made  by  the  Conciliation  and  Arbitration 
Board  for  Government  employees  as  applicable 
to  Civil  Servants  with  salaries  not  exceeding 
;^5oo  per  annum.  They  recommend  that  the 
bonus  for  the  female  staff  should  be  at  the  flat 
rate  of  ;^i8  per  annum. 


The  strike  of  Asylum  workers  in  two  of  the 
Lancashire  Asylums  was  settled  at  the  meeting 
of  the  Lancashire  Asylums  Board  on  Thursday 
in  last  week,  when  the  matters  in  dispute  were 
referred  to  arbitration. 

The  attendants  and  nurses  at  Prestwich 
Asylum  had  left  work  on  Wednesday  morning, 
and  in  the  afternoon  the  Whiitingham  em- 
ployees followed  suit.  On  the  Thursday  after- 
noon, following  a  special  meeting  of  the 
Asylums  Board,  which  agreed  to  submit  the 
demands  to  arbitration,  the  workers  had 
returned  to  duty. 

The  following  is  a  statement  of  the  claims 
of  the  Asylum  workers  : — On  January  7th  last 
they  made  application  to  the  Asylums  Board 
for  5s.  a  week  permanent  advance  in  wages  for 
all  attendants  and  nurses  ;  for  a  60  hours'  work- 
ing week ;  for  wages  to  be  paid  weekly  instead 
of  monthly  ;  to  be  allowed  to  put  union  notices 
up  in  the  messroom  for  the  benefit  of  members ; 
for  the  married  staff  who  are  called  up  to 
sleep  in  the  asylum  to.be  paid  is.  6d.  per  night 
for  doing  so ;  for  the  outside  artisans  to  be  paid 
within  a  halfpenny  of  the  district  rate  per  hour ; 
for  men  who  earn  the  certificate  for  mental 
nursing  to  be  paid  ;^2  per  year  extra ;  and  for 
the  month's  wages  so  far  kept  in  hand  to  be 
paid  up. 

This  was  replied  to  in  June,  when  5s.  per 
week  bonus  instead  of  an  increase  was  given, 
and  the  month's  wages  kept  in  hand  was  paid 
up.     No  other  concession  was  made. 

At  the  present  time  (it  is  stated)  the  working 
hours  average  72  per  week.  The  staff  is  pre- 
pared to  work  overtime  if  necessary,  provided 
overtime  pay  is  forthcoming.  The  current 
wages  worked  out  at  about  6^.  to  6fd.  per 
hour  for  men,  and  2d.  to  3d.  less  for  women. 

On  August  9th  the  original  application  was 
renewed,  and  the  Asylums  Board  was  given  a 
14  days*  ultimatum.  The  reply  to  this  was  that 
the  matter  would  be  considered  at  the  next 
meeting  of  the  Finance  Committee.  This  was 
not  satisfactory  to  the  Asylum  union  officials, 
as  the  Committee  only  meet  quarterly,  and 
about  five  months  had  elapsed  between  the 
application  being  made  and  the  first  reply. 

Accordingly  the  strike  began.  The  safety  of 
the  patients  was  seen  to  by  a  minimum  staff 


186 


Cbe  British  3ournal  of  iRuramo,       September  21,  1918 


being  left  on  duty.  The  number  of  hours  was 
said  to  be  the  greatest  difficulty,  as  it.  happened 
not  infrequently  that  men  and  women  were  kept 
on  duty  from  6  a.m.  to  lo  p.m.,  with  if  hours 
off  for  meals. 

No  complaint  was  made  against  the  officials 
of  the  asylums;  the  whole  of  the  workers' 
troubles  were  with  the  Board.     . 


The  Lancashire  Asylums  Board  met  in  Com- 
mittee last  week  at  the  County  Offices, 
Preston,  when  Mr.  Shaw,  General  Secretary  of 
the  National  Union  of  Asylum  Workers,  was 
called  in,  and  stated  that  the  minimurr  on  which 
his  members  would  return  to  their  duties  was 
the  acceptance  by  the  Board  of  arbitration. 

The  Chairman,  Sir  Norval  W.  Helme,  M.P., 
said  that  until  the  9th  of  August,  when  the 
letter  from  the  Union  was  received,  the  Board 
was  not  aware  of  any  such  feeling  as  unfortu- 
nately existed  and  had  been  developing 
amongst  the  members  of  the  Union. 

The  Board  had  met  in  Committee,  and  con- 
sidered the  situation,  and  having  a  strong  con- 
fidence in  their  own  case,  were  prepared  to  ask 
the  Board  to  formally  approve  a  resolution 
accepting  arbitration. 

Replying  to  questions,  Mr.  Shaw  said  he  was 
prepared,  as  far  as  it  was  possible  for  him  to 
do  so,  to  pledge  his  members  to  abide  by  the 
decision  of  the  arbitrator  and  to  resume  their 
duties  at  once. 

The  Board  then  passed  a  resolution  agreeing 
to  the  application  of  the  National  Union  of 
Asylum  Workers  being  referred  to  arbitration, 
the  Ministry  of  Labour  to  be  requested  to 
appoint  an  arbitrator. 

MEDALS   FOR  NURSES. 


BRADFORD    ROYAL    INFIRMARY. 

On  Wednesday,  September  nth,  the  annual 
interesting  occasion  of  the  presentation  of  medals 
to  successful  nurses  took  place.  The  Chairman, 
Mr.  George  Priestman,  gave  a  short  account  of  the 
year's  work  of  the  Nurse  Training  School,  and 
said  that  it  was  a  matter  for  congratulation  that, 
despite  many  difficulties,  the  standard  of  training 
had  been  kept  up  and  the  necessary  lectures  had 
been  given  to  qualify  for  the  medals. 

To  obtain  the  gold  medal,  a  first  class  must  be 
obtained  in  each  subject,  with  a  percentage  of  at 
least  80  for  the  total  number  of  marks  gained.  The 
silver  medal  is  awarded  to  the  candidate  who 
obtains  second  highest  marks.  Nurse  Kathleen 
Digney  Is  this  year's  gold  medallist,  and  Nurse 
Margaret  Waterston  was  awarded  the  silver  medal. 

The  Matron,  Miss  Davies,  pointed  out  that  since 
the  re-organisation  of  the  training  in  19 13  the  gold 


medal  had  been  awarded  each  year.  She  con- 
sidered this  very  creditable  with  regard  to  the 
circumstances  under  which  the  nurses  worked  at 
present,  and  the  small  amount  of  time  available 
for  study.  The  best  thanks  of  the  nursing  staff 
were  due  to  Dr.  West  Watson  for  the  able  lectures 
he  had  given,  in  spite  of  the  pressure  of  his  pro- 
fessional work. 

The  Chairman  then  called  upon  Alderman  Moor- 
house  to  present  the  medals.  Several  nurses  who 
had  completed  their  training  were  also  awarded 
certificates  of  merit. 

Roll  of  Honour. 
Louisa  Charlotte  Chamberlain,  R.N.N.S.R., 
accidentally  killed  at  sea,  August  loth,  igi8.  Sister 
Chamberlain  was  trained  at  Bradford  Royal 
Infirmary,  where  she  was  doing  Sister's  duty  when 
called  up  to  join  the  Naval  Nursing  Reserve  in 
August,   1914. 

1     m    m 

OUTSIDE    THE    GATES. 


THE    NATIONAL   COUNCIL   OF   WOMEN   OF 
GREAT    BRITAIN    AND    IRELAND. 

The  Annual  Meeting  of  the  National  Council  of 
Women  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  will  be  held  in 
Harrogate  on  October  8th,  9th  and  loth,  at  10  a.m. 
and  2.30  p.m.,  when  the  Annual  Report  and 
Annual  Statement  of  Accounts  will  be  presented, 
and  the  Report  of  the  Committee  for  the  Revision 
of  the  Constitution.  From  this  report,  which  has 
\>een  circulated,  we  gathc-  that  it  is  j5roposed  that 
the  National  Union  of  Women  Workers  shall 
become  the  National  Council  of  Women  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland,  and  that  the  Governing  Body 
shall  be  called  the  Representative  Council  of 
Women. 

This  Council  is  to  meet  annuplly  to  receive 
reports,  transact  business,  and  elect  the  Execu- 
tive Committee.  It  is,  however,  proposed  that 
the  Resolutions  for  the  Representative  Council 
nhall  first  be  submitted  to  the  Executive,  which 
Committee  "  shall  group  the  resolution  j  according 
to  subjects,  and  shall  select  or  draw  up  one  resolu- 
tion from  each  group."  If  the  Governing  Body 
may  not  discuss  what  resolutions  it  chooses  with- 
out the  permission  of  the  Executive  it  is  difficult 
to  understand  wherein  government  consists. 

The  subjects  dealt  with  by  Resolutions  at 
Hairogate  will  be  "  Hostels  f  .r  Mothers  and 
Babies,"  "  Solicitation  Laws  and  the  Equal  Moral 
Standard,"  "  Trade  Unions,"  "  Equal  Pay  for 
Equal  Work,"  "  Women  on  Government  Com- 
mittees," and  "  Laws  of  Naturalisation." 


BOOK    OP   THE   WEEK. 


THE    WEDDING    GOWN    OF    "OLE    MISS."* 

This  charming  romance  of  Virginia  makes  a 
very  wide  appeal  to  the  lovers  of  fiction,  and  is 
quite  one  of  the  most  popular  books  of  the  hour. 

*  By  Gertrude  Griffiths.  Skfeffington  &  Son,  Ltd., 
Southampton  Street,  Strand,  W.C.  2.    Price  6s. 


September  21,  1918      xi\)e  1Bv\tiB\)  Soumal  of  •Rureina. 


It  is  based  upon  the  war  between  the  North  and 
South  for  the  abolition  of  slavery,  and  relates  how 
Anna  Maria  is  torn  between  her  love  for  the  South 
and  her  lover  Drummond,  whose  conscience  obliges 
him  to  fight  for  the  North. 

But  the  wedding  gown  is  not  directly  connected 
with  Anna  Mar-ee-ah ;  it  belongs  to  "  Ole  Miss  " 
Agatha  Talcot,  who  is  holding  the  plantation  in 
trust  for  Anna  Maria  until  she  comes  of  age.  Her 
wedding  gown  was  made  for  her  thirty  years 
before,  when  she  was  engaged  to  be  married  to 
Judge  Standish.  The  wedding  was  postponed  from 
one  oause  and  another,  but  the  Judge  still  remained 
the  devoted  admirer  of  the  eccentric  woman.  "  Ole 
Miss  "  was  adored  by  her  slaves,  which  gives  the 
key  to  the  fierce  opposition  to  the  Northerners  on 
her  plantation,  although  she  was  very  unpopular 
in  Virginia  generally.  Pansy,  the  little  "  hand- 
maid ob  Miss  Agatha  Talcot,"  is  one  of  the  pro- 
minent personages  of  the  story. 

She  was  an  ingratiating  little  person,  generally 
found  with  her  ear  to  the  keyhole  or  curled  up  in 
a  corner  feigning  sleep,  in  order  to  acquire  informa- 
tion, with  which  she  proceeded  to  play  the  part  of 
Providence. 

Anna  Maria  threatened  summary  punishment 
when  she  found  that  Pansy  had  been  spying  on  her 
and  Drummond  in  the  wood.  "  The  soles  of  two 
little  brown  feet  appeared  as  she  fled  in  response  to 
a  furious  glance  from  Anna  Maria." 

On  finding  her  later  under  her  own  bed  she 
dragged  her  out  by  the  wool.  "  Pansy,"  she 
whispered  furiously  to  the  whimpering  child,  "  if 
you  ever  tell  you  saw  me  to-day  speaking  to  Master 
Drummond  Hastie  do  you  know  what  I'll  do?  I'll 
bang  you  over  the  head  with  my  hairbrush  as  hard 
as  ever  I  can." 

"  O  lor  !  No,  missy  !  "  gasped  Pansy,  ashen  with 
terror  at  this  awful  threat.  *'  I'll  nebber,  nebber 
tell  a  blessed  soul,  honest  Injun." 

All  the  same,  she  promptly  took  herself  to  ''  Unk 
Tate,"  the  seer  of  visions,  and  having  related 
graphically  the  love  scenes  down  his  ear  trumpet, 
"  He  wuz  a  kissin'  her  lyk  dis,"  she  removed  her 
mouth  a  second  from  the  trumpet  and  smacked  the 
air  violently  by  way  of  demonstration.  "  And  den 
I  beared  dem  say  dee  engage,  and  yo'  should  have 
beared  how  dee  laugh  at  Ole  Miss  dee  laugh  and 
laugh  at  her." 

"  Dee  laugh  at  Ole  Miss,"  interrupted  Tate 
angrily.  "  Dee  dare  laugh  at  Ole  Miss.  Lawk,  1 
lyk  to  hab  beared  them.  What  fo  dee  laugh  at 
her?  " 

"  Coz  she  wear  a  yaller  gown  and  green  sun- 
bonnet." 

"  Ain't  green  and  yaller  beautiful  colours?  "  he 
cried  indignantly. 

Ole  Miss  wore  her  wedding  gown  after  all,  for 
the  Judge,  like  the  proverbial  worm,  turned  at  last, 
and  threatened  to  propose  to  her  enemy,  Sophia 
Hastie.  So,  amid  the  amused  glances  of  the  con- 
gregation, Miss  Agatha  walked  up  the  aisle  attired 
in  it,  even  though  it  was  made  in  the  fashion  of 
thirtv  years  before  I 

H.  H. 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 

Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  for  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  be 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents. 

MANY     THINGS     MAY     HAPPEN  I 
To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — You  will  remember  that  a  year 
ago  I  consulted  you  about  my  nursing  career.  I 
had  worked  for  twelve  months  as  a  Y.A.D.,  and 
felt  that  nursing  was  my  vocation — that  I  was 
only  learning  rough  and  ready  methods,  and  not 
really  being  properly  grounded  in  a  Red  Cross 
Hospital,  where  very  little  discipline  pertained,  and 
as  I  come  of  military  people,  I  prefer  order. 

You  advised  me  to  ent^r  a  good  training  school 
and  prepare  myself  thoroughly  for  responsible 
work,  and  to  be  ready  for  service  in  Q.A.I.M.N.S. 
if  found  suitable.  This  I  did,  and  now  where  do 
I  come  in  under  this  new  Instruction  (No.  678),  just 
arranged  by  the  Army  Council  with  the  Red  Cross? 
It  seerns  to  me  that  I  shall  be  ineligible  at  the  end 
of  four  years'  first-class  training  because  I  have 
not  been  a  V.A.D.  for  two  years,  and  that  all  my 
colleagues  to  be  certificated  three  years  hence  are 
also  excluded  from  service  in  Q.A.I.M.N.S.,  as  the 
t\\x>  years  voluntary  workers  are  to  have  their 
names  on  a  roll,  and  so  block  us  out  for  years  to 
come.  What  right  has  an  Army  Council  in  war- 
time to  make  rules  to  interfere  with  free  promotion 
for  the  best  nursing  candidates  when  war  con- 
ditions have  passed?  I  am  told  the  social  influence 
of  the  Red  Cross  Society  has  managed  this  job — 
and  it  will  not  be  the  last,  as  it  is  not'  the  first, 
which  has  injured  the  nursing  profession  through 
its  social  influence. 

Yours  very  truly, 

Done  Brown. 

[We  advise  you  to  devote  yourself  to  your  daily 
work  for  the  benefit  of  the  sick.  "  After  the  war  " 
is  a  large  order.  Many  things  will  be  changed 
before  you  are  certificated,  and  once  soldiers  and 
nurses  have  votes,  even  the  War  Office  will  be 
required  to  move  with  the  times,  and  mandarins 
who  draft  "  Serf  Clauses  "  and  other  obnoxious 
Instructions  will  be  swept  into  Whitehall  with  other 
impedimenta.  By  the  by,  do  you  belong  to  the 
R.B.N. A.,  and  have  you  thus  proved  you  are  pre- 
pared to  help  yourself  and  your  colleagues  -by 
strong  united  action?  If  not,  join  at  once,  and 
help  to  save  the  independence  of  the  Nursing  Pro- 
fession, in  the  coming  fight  for  a  just  Registration 
Bill.— Ed.] 

OUR     PRIZE     COMPETITION. 

QUESTIONS. 

September  28th. — How  would  you  recognise  per- 
foration in  a  case  of  enteric  fever  ?  What  imme- 
diate action  would  you  take,  and  how  could  you 
temporarily  relieve  the  parent  ? 

October  =,th. — How  do  33  puerperal  septicemia 
arise  ?  Describe  the  couise  and  management  of 
the  disease. 


'«8     ttbc  Brlttsb  3ournal  of  Hurflinc  Supplement. s«c'«'"''"  ">  '9i8 


THe   Mid"wife. 


USEFUL  APPLIANCES  AT  50,  WIGMORE 

STREET. 

Maternity  nurses  and  others  interested  in  child 
welfare  work  will  find  innumerable  useful  appli- 
ances of  every  description  at  Messrs.  Bell  & 
Croyden's,  "50,  Wigmore  Street.  One  of  the 
most  interesting  is  the  apparatus  for  sterilising  the 
baby's  milk,  by  means  of  which  ten  8  oz.  bottles 
of  milk  can  be  sterilised  at  one  time.  The  steri- 
liser is  easy  to  manage  and  by  an  ingenious 
arrangement  the  sealing  of  the  bottles  is  ensured 
during  the  process  of  cooling  so  that  the  milk  can 
be  kept  in  them  for  days  before  it  is  used.  By  the 
use  of  this  apparatus,  too,  the  dangers  which  result 
for  the  baby  from  the  over-sterilisation  of  milk 
are  avoided.  The  most  up-to-date  feeding 
bottles  can  be  procured  from  this  firm  and  there 
is  a  large  selection  of  teats,  including  that'which 
is  now  so  popular  and  is  known  as  the  Marylebone 
teat  because  it  was  first  introduced  at  the  Maryle- 
bone Dispensary.  It  is  so  designed  that  only 
those  muscles  are  brought  into  play  which  would 
be  used  if  the  baby  were  breast-fed,  and  its  form 
is  such  that  there  is  little  chance  of  even  the  most 
delicate  baby  becoming  tired  before  it  has  had 
the  food  it  requires.  Those  who  contend  that 
malformations  in  the  teeth  and  gums  may  owe 
their  origin  to  a  badly-designed  teat  will  admit 
that  the  risk  is  non-existent  in  the  case  of  this 
carefully  designed  teat.  The  Marylebone  Cream, 
now  well  known  at  all  infant  clinics  throughout 
the  country,  can  be  procured  from  the  firm,  and 
this  also  was  first  used  at  the  Marylebone  Dispen- 
sary, having  been  introduced  by  Dr.  Eric 
Pritchard.  Owing  to  the  ease  with  which  it  is 
digested  and  absorbed,  it  forms  a  valuable  con- 
stituent in  the  food  of  even  the  youngest  infant 
and  should  be  much  used  in  the  nursery  in  these 
days  when  it  is  becoming  increasingly  difficult  to 
procure  the  fats  so  important  to  the  healthy 
development  of  children. 

A  very  ingenious  contrivance  is  that  designed  by 
Messrs.  Clarke  for  heating  the  baby's  food  in  the 
night.  It  does  away  with  the  necessity  for  main- 
taining a  fire  for  this  purpose,  or  for  procuring 
methylated  spirit. 

It  is  almost  unnecessary  to  refer  to  the  accouche- 
ment outfits  to  be  procured  from  Messrs.  Bell  & 
Croyden,  except  to  emphasise  the  completeness  of 
their  equipment  and  the  thoroughness  of  their 
sterilisation  and  sealing  ;  tins  opened  after  a  long 
period  of  years  have  been  found  to  be  absolutely 
sterile.  Nurses  who  obtain  their  supplies  from 
this  firm  will,  we  feel,  sure,  be  thoroughly  satisfied, 
particularly  as  the  appliances  and  dressings  easily 
bear  comparison  with  articles  procured  from 
sometimes  less  reliable  sources. 


PENS  FOR  THE    LAMBS. 

One  of  the  evils  of  institutional  life  for  infants 
is,  that  owing  to  the  lack  of  an  adequate  staff  of 
nurses,  healthy  children  often  spend  a  large 
proportion  of  thei^-  time  in  their  cots.  It  has  been 
suggested  that  the  high  moitality  rate  of  babies 
in  institutions  is  partly  due  to  the  fact  that  they 
a^e  cheated  out  of  their  fair  share  of  dandling, 
which  is  their  equivalent  to  exercise,  and  thus 
their  livers  are  not  sufficiently  stimulated.  The 
Pen  should  find  its  place  in  aU  institution  nurseries 
when  the  babies  can  with  safety  be  placed  on 
mattresses  and  exercise  their  limbs  to  their  hearts' 
content. 

Where  this  plan  is  in  vogue  a  great  improvement 
will  be  observed  in  the  health  and  contentment  of 
the  children  without  any  extra  labour. 


CENTRAL    MIDWIVES    BOARD 
(IRELAND). 

The  Central  Mid  wives  Board  for  Ireland  has 
now  been  constituted.  The  names  of  the 
appointed  members  are  as  follows  : — 

Appointed  by  the  Local  Government  Board  for 
Ireland.— E.  C.  Bigger,  M.D.,  M.S,,  R.C.,  Irel.  ; 
L.M.,  K.O.C.P.,  Irel.  ;  D.S.M.,  R.C.P.S.,  Irel.  ; 
Medical  Commissioner  of  the  Local  Government 
Board  for  Ireland. 

Appointed  by  the  Local  Government  Board  for 
Ireland  after  Consultation  with  the  Cotmty  Councils 
and  County  Borotigh  Councils.' — H.  T.  Warnock, 
L.,  L.M.,  K.Q.C.P.,  Irel.  ;  F.R.C.S.,  Irel.  ;  Alder- 
man J.  McCarron. 

Elected  by-  the  Registered  Medical  Practitioners 
Resident  in  Ireland. — Sir  A.  J.  Home,  L.R.C.S., 
Irel.  ;  F.,  L.M.,  K.Q.C.P.,  Irel.  Sir  W.  J.  Sm>ly. 
M.D.,  U.  Dub.  ;  L.,  L.M.,  K.Q.C  P.,  Irel.  ;  L.R.C.S., 
Irel.  Sir  J.  W.  Byers,  M.D.,  M.S.,  Q.U.,  Irel.  ; 
M.R.C.S.,'  Eng.  ;  L.M.,  K.Q.C.P.,  Irel.  ;  Hon. 
M.A.O.,  R.U.,  Irel.  Professor  H.  Corby,  M.D., 
M.S.,  Q.U.,  Irel.  ;  L.A.H.,  Dublin. 

Appointed  by  the  Local  Government  Board  for 
Ireland  tinder  Section  3  (i)  (c). — Miss  J.  H.  Kelly, 
Matron,  Maternity  Hospital,  Belfast ;  Mrs.  M. 
Blunden,  late  Matron,  Lying-in  Hospital,  Cork  ; 
Miss  A.  Michie,  Superintendent  for  Ireland,  Queen 
Victoria's  Jubilee  Institute  for  Nurses  ;  Miss  G. 
O'Carroll,  Matron,  Coombe  Lying-in  Hospital, 
Dublin. 

Section  (3)  (i)  (c)  of  the  Act  provides  for  the 
appointment  of  four  women  (referred  to  in  the  Act 
as  midwives'  representatives),  of  whom  three  shall 
be  appointed  after  consultation  with  recognised 
nursing  associations  in  Ireland. 

After  February,  1923,  a  midwives'  representa- 
tive must  be  certified  midwife  under  the  Act, 
and  previous  to  that  date  must  hold  an  appro-sed 
certificate. 


4^1  THE  vH^  \~~p 


WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 

^  MIHISXIKI  WECO^ 

EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


No.  1,591. 


SATURDAY,   SEPTEMBER    28,    1918. 


Vol.    LXI. 


TWENTY^FIVE  YEARS'  EDITOR. 

THE     LONG,    LONG     TRAIL. 

There  are  milestones  in  the  life  of  every 
profession,  and  soulful  movement,  where  we 
like  to  call  a  halt,  in  order  to  take  a  survey 
of  the  past  with  the  view  of  bracing  our- 
selves to  further  efforts,  and  so  go  forward 
with  increased  courage  and  determination. 
We,  therefore,  invite  our  faithful  supporters 
to  look  back  with  us,  in  imagination,  to  the 
year  i8g^,  for  it  marks  the  first  milestone  in 
the  history  of  our  own  professional  Journal. 
The  British  Journal  of  Nursing,  the  only 
one  in  the  world  which  is  published  weekly, 
which  is  also  owned,  controlled  and  edited 
by  trained  Nurses,  and  has  the  right,  there- 
fore, in  this  country,  to  claim  to  express 
professional  opinion.  Those  of  us  who  have 
created  and  sustained  it  may  be  proud  of 
its  status. 

There  can  be  no  organisation  without 
articulation.  Realizing  this  truth,  we  as- 
sumed the  Editorship  of  The  British  Journal 
OF  Nursing  (then  The  Nursing  Record)  in 
1893,  in  order  that  trained  Nurses  might 
have  a  voice  in  the  Press,  without  which 
no  profession  can  be  free  and  independent, 
or  make  any  progress  ;  in  fact,  it  is  essential 
to  its  very  life.  In  the  year  1887 — as  is 
well  known  to  oiir  readers — the  minds  and 
hearts  of  a  small  group  of  women  were 
stirred  to  bring  about  much  needed  reforms. 
We  aspired,  we  laboured,  we  fought,  we 
founded  the  British  Nurses  Association — 
now  a  Royal  Association  Incorporated  by 
Royal  Charter,  the  objects  of  which  are 
well  known. 

The  victory  was  gained  only  at  the  cost 
of  tremendous  and  bitter  opposition.  This 
experience  brought  home  to  us  forcibly  the 
essential  need  of  an  organ  owned  and  con- 
trolled by  ourselves,  if  we  were  to  succeed 
in  the  campaign  of  progress  upon  which  we 


had  entered.  In  this  connection,  we  may 
perhaps,  be  pardoned  for  quoting  the  words 
of  an  eminent  American  Nurse  and  Author, 
who  has  made  a  study  of  nursing  conditions 
in  this  country  and  others.  Speaking  of  The 
British  Journal  of  Nursing,  she  says  : — 
"  It  rapidly  came  to  be  the  foremost  nursing 
journal  in  the  world,  and  is  the  most 
complete  record  in  existence  of  nursing 
affairs  and  progress  in  all  countries.  Fear- 
less, and  of  consistent  unwavering  policy, 
it  has  been  the  advance  guard  of  nursing 
interests  all  along  the  line." 

In  our  survey  of  twenty-five  years,  we 
may  reasonably  claim  that  our  journal  has 
been  a  liberal  educator  ;  it  has  imbued  its 
supporters  with  professional  enthusiasm  and 
community  of  interests,  which  has  carried 
the  profession  forward  to  a  point  of  pro- 
gress which  it  could  not  have  reached  with- 
out it.  While  deploring  the  unfair  boycott 
of  our  Registration  programme  by  the  Public 
Press  (with  very  few^  exceptions),  it  has 
taught  Nurses  the  full  value  of  an  organ  of 
their  own.  . 

The  British  Journal  of  Nursing  has  ever 
been  a  consistent  opponent  to  every  form  of 
Injustice.  It  has  fought  many  battles  suc- 
cessfully, alike  for  the  individual  and  for  the 
profession.  Looking  down  a  long  vista  of 
achievement,  we  see  with  gratification  and 
pardonable  pride  something  of  what  we 
owe  to  our  journal,  i.  The  establishment 
of  our  many  organised,  self-governing 
Nurses'  Societies.  2.  The  founding  of  our 
National  Council  of  Trained  Nurses.  3.  The 
founding  of  our  International  Council — that 
great  Confraternity  of  Nurses  of  many 
countries.  4.  The  breaking  down  of  stub- 
born prejudice,  and  the  conversion  of  Par- 
liament and  the  Public  to  the  principle  of 
State  Registration  and  all  it  stands  for — 
higher  and  sounder  education,  the  protection 
of  the  public  and  the  profession  from  unfair 


i 


190 


Vibe  »riti0b  3ournal  of  'Ruraino.       September  28,  1918 


exploitation,  and  the  freedom  of  con- 
science. 5.  The  defeat  of  many  plots  for  the 
destruction  of  our  economic  independence. 

In  conclusion,  we  earnestly  hope  that  our 
true  and  tried  friends  will  lead  others  to 
understand  and  appreciate  the  benefits  of  a 
professional  journal,  which  is  free  from  com- 
mercial influence,  because  : — 

"  I  hold  every  man  a  debtor  to  his  Profes- 
sion ;  from  the  which  as  men  of  course  do 
seek  to  receive  countenance  and  profit,  so 
ought  they  of  duty  to  endeavour  themselves 
by  way  of  amends,  to  be  a  help  and 
ornament  thereunto." 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITION. 

HOW    WOULD    YOU   RBCOQNI5B    PERFORATION    IN    A 

CASE     OF      ENTERIC      FEVERl?      WHAT      IMMEDIATE 

ACTION    WOULD    YOU    TAKE    AND    HOW  COULD  YOU 

TEMPORARILY    RELIEVE    THE    PATIENT? 

We  have  pleasure  in  awarding  the  prize  this 
week  to  Miss  M.  Cullen,  Queen  Mary's  Hos- 
pital, Stratford,  E. 

PRIZE     PAPER. 

Perforation  of  the  intestine  is  the  most  dan- 
gerous of  all  the  complications  of  enteric  fever. 
It  most  frequently  occurs  during  the  third  week 
or  a  httle  later. 

The  onset  may  be  acute.  First  symptoms 
consist  of  sudden  sharp  pain  in  the  abdomen, 
with  tenderness,  hiccough,  shivering,  and 
vomiting. 

The  pain  persists  more  or  less  continuously. 
The  patient  will  lie  with  knees  drawn  up.  The 
face  becomes  sunken,  and  is  covered  with  cold, 
clammy  perspiration. 

There  may  be  a  rise  or  fall  in  the  tempera- 
ture, the  pulse  becoming  rapid  and  feeble. 

The  only  treatment  which  affords  any  chance 
of  recovery  is  immediate  operation ;  as  soon  as 
these  symptoms  are  found  to  be  present  it 
must  be  reported  at  once  to  the  doctor,  who 
will  decide  whether  the  patient's  condition  will 
stand  an  operation.  If  so,  then  the  abdomen 
is  opened,  and  the  hole  in  the  intestine  sewn  up. 

What  has  really  happened  to  cause  the  peri- 
tonitis is  that  a  minute  opening  will  be  found 
in  the  floor  of  an  ulcer,  which  has  been  left  after 
the  separation  of  a  slough  from  a  Peyer's 
patch,  and  through  this  opening  the  contents 
of  the  bowel  escape  into  the  abdominal  cavity 
and  set  up  this  inflammation. 

If  there  Is  any  special  reason  that  the  surgeon 
will  not  operate,  he  will  probably  order  opium 
to  check  the  motions. 

The  onset  of  perforation  is  not  always  so 
acute,  and  the  symptoms  rnay  not  be  very 
marked,    especially   if   the   patient   should   be 


delirious  or  unconscious.  It  is  therefore  most 
necessary  to  observe  the  patient  very  closely, 
and  to  report  immediately  to  the  doctor  any 
signs  of  abdominal  pain  and  distension. 

Meantime,  to  allay  the  severe  pain,  hot 
fomentations  may  aftord  some  relief,  with  a 
few  drops  of  laudanum  sprinkled  on.  Or  a 
piece  of  flannel  wrung  out  of  boiling  water  to 
which  turpentine  3i  is  added. 

If  there  is  much  flatulence  or  distension,  a 
long  tube  may  be  passed  several  inches  up  into 
the  bowel,  thus  allowing  the  flatus  to  escape. 

Treat  the  patient  as  for  shock  if  very  col- 
lapsed;  raise  the  foot  of  the  bed  on  blocks, 
apply  hot  bottles  to  the  extremities.  Give 
nothing  by  mouth. 

Some  relief  may  be  afi^orded  by  a  firm  pillow 
placed  under  the  patient's  knees,  as  he  will  lie 
with  the  knees  drawn  up.  The  nurse  must  try 
to  make  him  as  comfortable  as  possible,  and 
keep  perfectly  quiet. 

He  should  not  be  moved  more  than  absolutely 
necessary;  if  the  bowels  should  act,  a  pad  of 
absorbent  wool  placed  on  a  mackintosh  should 
be  gently  placed  under  him,  and  changed  when 
needed.  He  must  not  be  lifted  on  to  a  bedpan. 
Absolute  rest  must  be  given  him. 


In  a  very  good  Paper,  Miss  JVI.  D.  Hunter 
makes  several  points.  She  says  :  Some 
abdominal  alteration  will  be  noticed.  There 
may  be  distension,  or  occasionally  there  is 
retraction,  but  in  either  case  there  is  rigidity 
and  marked  tenderness.  On  palpation  the 
pain  is  nearly  always  found  to  be  more  notice- 
able over  the  right  iliac  region.  There  will  be 
immobility  of  the  abdominal  muscles  during 
respiration,  so  that  the  movements  are  entirely 
thoracic.  .  .  .  There  is  sometimes  frequent 
vomiting;  often  there  is  resonance  instead  of 
liver  dulness,  owing  to  the  free  gas  in  the 
peritoneal  cavity. 


Mrs.  Gotlob  writes  :  Diet  must  be  carefully 
guarded  during  convalescence,  as  ulcers  may 
still  remain  unhealed,  and  injudicious  feeding 
may  cause  relapse.  There  are  few  conditions 
in  which  a  patient's  life  depends  so  much  upon 
the  doctor  and  nurse. 

HONOURABLE    MENTION. 

The  following  competitors  receive  honourable 
mention  : — Miss  M.  D.  Hunter,  Mrs.  J.  Gotlob, 
Miss  M.  E.  Thorpe,  Miss  C.  L.  Taplin,  Miss 
R.  E.  S.  Cox,  Miss  M.  V.  E.  Davey,  and  Mrs. 
M.  Farthing. 

QUESTION    FOR   NEXT    WEEK. 

How  does  puerperal  septicaemia  arise? 
Describe  the  course  and  management  of  the 
disease. 


September  28,  191S      ^|>e  Brttt0b  Soumal  ot  Tiurstna. 


191 


NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 


A  friend  writes  : — "  I  have  been  staying  in 


^Better  late  than  never  !  After  four  years  of 
disorganisation,  the  Pall  Mall  Gazette  inserts  the 
following  statement  : — 

"  There  is,  I  hear,  much  need  for  inquiry  into  the 
management  of  many  of  the  smaller  auxiliary 
hospitals  for  discharged  soldiers  throughout  the 
country.  The  increasing  number  of  these  places 
has  necessaiily  resulted  in  a  serious  shortage  of 
really  efiB.cient  matrons,  and  women  quite  unfitted 
by  experience  or  temperainent  for  such  responsi- 
bility have  been  appointed. 

*         *         * 

"  The  very  regrettable  falling  off  in  the  number 
of  voluntary  workers  in  such  institutions  is  also 
attributed  to  the  treatment  meted  out  to  them  by 
inefficient  matrons.  I  have  heard  patients  express 
the  opinion  that  duly  authorised  inspectors  could 
obtain  much  information  if  they  sought  for  it  in  the 
proper  quarters." 


To  be  fair,  the  Pall  Mall  Gazette  should  have 
made  it  quite  clear  that  these  "  inefl&cient 
matrons  "  are  usually  untrained  women,  belonging 
to  the  "  governing  classes  "  or  the  wealthy- 
plutocracy.  These  women  have  been  encouraged 
by  the  powers  that  be  to  dress  themselves  in  fancy 
nursing  dress,  including  pearls  and  pearl  powder, 
and  to  assume  charge  of  our  sick  and  suffering 
men.  Many  of  them  of  the  "  Dill-Binkie  "  class 
have  never  trained  for  an  hour,  and  in  their 
jealous  self-suf&ciency,  employ  only  semi-trained 
nurses  or  V.A.D.'s  to  trifle  with  the  lives  of  our 
men.  This  Society  nursing  matter  is  one  of  the 
big  scandals  of  the  war,  and  if  the  Pall  Mall  Gazette 
can  buck  up  the  present  Director-General  of  the 
Army  Medical  Department  and  get  him  to  put  his 
foot  down  and  stop  the  abuse,  it  will  have  done 
the  best  bit  of  war  work  for  our  sick  and  wounded 
the  Press  could  do.  It  must  begin  at  the  top  and 
clear  out  the  Society  clique  on  the  Joint  War  Com- 
mittee and  its  subservient  ofi&cials  "  who  will  have 
it  so." 

As  a  Tommie  said  to  us  the  other  day,  "  Any  old 
Duchess  is  considered  good  enough  to  mess  me 
about." 

Tommie  knows  the  touch  of  a  "  Pucca  Red 
Cape."     Trust  him. 


There  is  no  doubt  that,  when  working  in  a 
French  Military  Hospital,  being  a  member  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  has  its  advantages,  as  the 
large  majority  of  the  patients,  their  friends,  and 
the  stafl  are  members  of  this  Communion,  and  it  is 
quite  natural  that  such  conditions  make  for 
harmony.  Not  that  we  have  ever  heard  it 
reported  that  there  has  been  any  interference  upon 
the  part  of  the  French  authorities  with  the  religion 
of  British  nurses.  We  do  know,  how*eve:,  of  some 
British  nurses  who  have  become  Roman  Catholics, 
and  of  more  than  one  who  has  entered  a  religious 
community. 


with  little  B's  godmother.  Poor  child  !  I  cried 
bitterly  all  the  way  to  Paris  leaving  her  there  in 
a  dirty,  insanitary  hole,  without  a  breath  of  air, 
just  by  the  Cathedrad.  I  turned  up  her  dress  and 
had  a  look  at  her  '  undies.'  My  dear  Editor  ! 
that's  enough  to  put  anyone  otT  being  the  Bride  of 
Christ.  But  she  is  so  happy.  She  is  praying  hard 
for  the  souls  of  the  prostitutes  at  Woclwich,  among 
whom  she  worked.  They  have  to  be  saved.  She 
was  permitted  to  spend  a  day  with  me,  and  to  eat 
with  us.  It  did  her  a  world  of  good,  poor  child, 
to  fill  her  lungs  with  pure  air.  What  I  regret  is  her 
wasted  training.  I  told  her  Confessor  so.  He 
was  of  my  opinion,  but  she  chose  her  own 
Order.  I  wish  I  could  believe  she  was  doing 
good,  dear,  sweet  little  Saint,  and  I  hope  her 
prayers  for  me  will  make  me  a  less  discontented 
woman." 

THE   SOB-SISTER. 

Mrs.  Gertrude  Atherton,  the  famous  American 
authoress,  has  addressed  a  warning  to  her  com- 
patriots of  how  the  snivelling  Hun  \vi\\  appeal 
for  pity  when  he  no  longer  possesses  power  to 
outrage   decenc}'   and   honour. 

Mrs.  Atherton  says  the  poor  starving  children 
of  the  Teutonic  Empires  will  be  used  as  a  peace 
weapon,  and  American  mothers  will  be  appealed 
to  in  "  Sweet  reasonable  voices "  by  German 
women  in  the  States  to  listen  to  the  wails  of 
these  darling  ones — dying  by  inches — ^when  peace 
■wdth  a  conquered  country  would  save  millions  of 
them." 

Mrs.  Atherton,  who  holds  the  Gerhicm  people, 
their  system  of  Government,  their  craft,  greed  and 
cruelty,  in  abhorrence,  writes  :  "  Beware  of  the 
sob-sister  appeal  to  save  at  any  cost  the  lives  of 
German  babies  that  they  may  grow  to  manhood 
and  compel  our  male  babies  of  to-day  to  shed 
their  blood  in  the  death  struggle  of  the  United 
States   of    America." 

There  are  many  silly  sob-sisters  on  this 
side,  too. 


Also  speaking  with  a  woman  of  gentle  birth  and 
apparent  personal  refinement,  we  were  shocked 
to  hear  her  say  : 

"It  is  a  blessing  in  these  days  that  we  have 
got  used  to  things.  In  the  early  days  of  the  war 
bad  news  from  the  front  and  the  sight  of  the 
wounded  was  almost  more  than  one  could  endure. 
Nowadays  we  are  all  stoics." 

A  sad  day  for  England  if  that  were  true,  but  it 
is  not. 


FRENCH  FLAQ  NURSING  CORPS. 


Mrs.  Bedford  Fenwick  will  interview  candidates 
for  the  F.F.N.C.  on  Wednesday,  October  2nd,  and 
on  Saturday,  October  5th,  from  2.30  to  4  p.m.,  at 
431,  Oxford  Street  (first  floor),  London,  W. 


ig2 


Che  IBrttieb  3ournaI  of  IRurstng.       September  28,  igis 


THE  ODYSSEY  OF  FRANCESCA. 


Part  II. 


{Co-ntinued  from  page  179.) 

The  next  stage  of  Francesca's  journey  was  by 
car.  She  thought  it  sounded  opulent  to  be 
touring  through  Greece  in  an  automobile,  even 
though  not  a  Rolls-Royce  but  a  very  joggly  "  tin 
Lizzie." 

Their  way  led  along  the  flat  Crissian  plain 
towards  Amphissa.  "  Solid  and  heavy "  had 
been  the  curses  pronounced  against  whomsoever 
should  till  this  soil  by  the  Amphyctionic  Council 
but  now  it  looked  fertile  enough  with  vineyajrds, 
groves  of  cork  oak  and  terraces  of  silver  gnarled 
olives. 

Presently,  they  began  to  climb  the  hill  where 
Delphi  lay  hidden  from  profane  eyes  in  the  fold 
of  a  steep  terrace  under  the  stark  giey  cliffs  of 
Mount  Parnassus.  Francesca  was  hoping  to 
wangle  time  enough  to  visit  the  temples  but  to  her 
bitter  disappointment  they  turned  off  to  the  left 
on  a  forked  road  just  a  few  kilometres  from 
Delphi.  There  were  two  or  three  things  ,  about 
which  she  would  have  much  liked  to  consult  the 
Delphic  Oracle.  But  the  inexorable  car  went  on 
panting  up  the  steep  hair-pin  bends  of  the  wonder- 
ful new  road  which  in  many  places  is  blasted  out 
of  the  solid  rock  with  a  sheer  precipice  below. 
Hundreds  of  peasant  women  and  little  girls  of 
about  seven  years  old  and  upwards  were  woiking 
away  at  the  road.  There  ought  to  have  been  a 
glorious  view  from  the  top  of  the  pass  but  clouds 
enveloped  them  with  a  clammy  hand,  on  the 
summit  an  icy  wind  stung  their  faces,  and  as  they 
went  down  the  other  side  flakes  of  snow  began  to 
f^ll    and  Francesca  began  to  freeze. 

Her  destination  this  time  was  a  raw  mountain 
camp  knee-deep  in  mud  and  slush.  Francesca 
was  conducted  to  an  icy  leaking  tent  where  she 
found  four  other  females  all  in  bed.  They 
explained  that  it  was  much  too  cold  to  do  anything 
else,  but  it  was  only  two  o'clock,  so  Francesca 
decided  to  be  superior  to  these  minor  discomforts 
and  go  for  a  walk  to  warm  herself.  The  sleet  and 
the  rain  and  the  closing-in  of  the  short  winter 
afternoon  soon  drove  her  in  again.  There  were 
no  seats  in  the  tent  so  she  cowered  on  her  bed, 
covering  herself  with  everything  she  possessed. 
But  she  maintained  her  self-respect  by  refusing  to 
undress.  Those  other  depraved  females  had 
undressed  altogether  and  got  into  their  pyjamas, 
plus  everything  else  they  had  with  them. 

The  next  day  passed,  and  the  next,  and  the 
next,  and  the  mud  and  the  snow  were  churned  up 
ankle  deep  inside  the  tent.  The  cold  grew  colder, 
and  the  snow  snew  without  stopping.  Each 
morning  they  got  up  hurriedly,  took  it  in  turns  to 
wash  at  the  one  tin  basin,  flew  to  breakfast  and 
tore  back  to  bed,  got  up  reluctantly  for  lunch  and 
returned  triumphantly  to  bed.  Got  up  to  dinner 
and  then  retired  finally  for  the  night. 

Habits  grew  primitive.     The  lady  with  the  pink 


nose  couldn't  powder  it  any  more,  having  dropped 
the  box  of  powder  into  the  mud  on  the  floor  of  the 
tent,  and  the  other  with  the  lovely  bronze  hair 
bundled  it  up  anyhow  into  a  sort  of  penny  bun. 
Francesca  had  lost  her  pocket  mirror  and  couldn't 
see  to  do  her  hair  at  all,  but  being  short  it  didu't 
much  matter.     Such  big  emotions  as  love  or  war 
seemed  quite  unimportant  beside  the  thing  that 
really  mattered,  such  as  getting  one's  hot-water 
bottle  filled,  or  losing  one's  turn  at  the  basin.     I    j 
Francesca  had  lost  all  hope  of  ever  going  on, ' 
and  had  almost  settled  down  to  spend  the  winter 
tnere,   when  one  morning,   when  they  ware  still 
ir>  bed,  the  Matron  came  in  waving  her  permission 
to  proceed.     Francesca  got  up  hastily  while  the 
other  females  cursed  their  luck  at  her  getting  c£E 
before  them,   but  they  were  west  and  she  was 
eastward    bound.     She    fastened    up    her    boots 
oomehow  with  stiff,  shivering  fingers,  threw  her 
things  into  the  kitbag,  bid  goodbye  to  the  unhappy 
occupants  of  the  tent,  got  into  an  ambularce,  and 
was  trundled  away  to  a  statior>.     It  was  a  glorious 
morning ;    it  had  stopped  snowdrg   and   the  sun 
came  out  in  greeting  lor   the  first  time  in  many 
days.     Francesca's  spirits  won+  up  with  a  bound. 
The  train  did  not  start  for  several  houis,   as 
General  Sarrail  had  announced  nis  intention  of 
travf  Uing  oy  it ;  but  at  last  the  great  man  appeared 
accompanied  by  his  successor,  Generai  Guillemat. 
The  train  presently  began  to  climb,  and  they 
crept  slowly  up  the  mountain  in  front  of  them 
till  they  reached  the  top  of  the  Pass  of  Thermo- 
pylae, the  plain  laid  out  like  a  contour  map  far 
below  their  feet.     Soon  darkness   came  on  and 
Francesca  rolled  herself  in  a  rug  and  was  about 
to  compose  herself  to  slumber  when  a.n  officer 
from  the  next  carriage — ^wi^-h  whom  she  had  made 
friends — marched    in    triumphantly,    bearing    a 
huge  cnarcoal  brazier.     "  Its  getting   frightfully 
cold,"  quoth  he,  "  so  I  have  wangled  this  for  you 
for  tne  night." 

He  deposited  it  on  the  floor  and  went  away, 
and  why  Francesca  wasn't  burnt  to  death  or 
sufiocated  by  charcoal  fumes,  she  never  knew. 
The  train  swayed  from  side  to  side,  and  every  now 
and  then  some  burning  embers  escaped  from  the 
brazier's  perforated  sides  and  she  had  to  jump  up 
and  stamp  them  out.  As  the  brazier  burnt  down, 
she  got  very  cold  and  kept  lifting  up  one  foot  and 
then  the  other  to  thaw  it  by  sitting  on  it  for  a 
while.  She  dozed  off  towards  morning  ;  and, 
just  as  the  grey  light  was  beginning  to  struggle  in, 
the  train  stopped  and  she  was  wakened  by  her 
friend  putting  his  head  in  at  the  window  and 
saying  :  "  Well,  we  have  arrived  in  this  heaverly 
spot."     It  was  Sjilonika  at  last. 

Francesca's  first  impression  of  Salonika  was  a 
rain-blurred  sky,  a  misty  grey  sea,  ^an  icy  wind 
that  nearly  cut  one  in  naif,  noisy  trams  and 
streets,  and,  because  it  was  Christmas  Eve, 
everyone  was  rnshing  about  buying  presents 
at  the  little  temporary  booths  that  have  been  set 
up  in  Salonika  since  "  The  Great  Fire  "  burnt^out 
the  centre  of  the  beautiful  eastern  city. 
(To  he  continued.) 


September  28,  1918      ^foe  Btttl^b  Joumal  of  IRutettio. 


193 


UNITY    OF    EFFORT. 


ANOTHER     LESSON    FROM    THE     U.S.A. 

The  extremely  interesting  and  historic  picture 
which  we  publish  on  this  page,  is  that  of  the 
members  of  the  Nursing  Committee  of  the  General 
Medical  Board  of  the  Council  of  National  Defence 
in  the  United  States  of  America,  from  which  it 
will  be  seen  that  the  foremost  women  in  the 
nursing  world  in  America  have  been  commissioned 
to  advise  and  act  for  the  Council  of  National 
Defence  in  relation  to  nursing  matters.  We 
recently  drew  attention  to  the  formation  of  this 
Committee,  and  this  picture  of  its  personnel 
emphasises  its  representative  character  most 
emphatically. 


Organization  for  Public  Health^  Nursing  ;  T  Miss 
Hannah  J.  Patterson,  Resident  Director  Woman's 
Committee,  Council  of  National  Defence  ;  and 
Miss  Pearl  H.  Braithwaite,  Assistant  Secretaxy 
of   Committee. 

Third  row,  left  to  right. — Colonel  John  M.  T. 
Finney,  Chief  Consultant  in  Surgery,  American 
Expeditionary  Forces  in  France  ;  Colonel  William 
H.  Welch,  Surgeon  General's  Of&ce  ;  Colonel 
William  J.  Mayo,  Chairman  Surgical  Advisory 
Board,  Surgeon  General's  Office  ;  Brigadier- 
General  Robert  E.  Noble,  Chief  of  Hospital 
Division,  Surgeon  General's  Office  ;  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Robert  L.  Dickinson,  Medical  Adviser, 
Operations  Division,  General  Staff  ;  and  Dr. 
Franklin  Martin,  Member  of  Advisory  Com- 
mission, Council  of  National  Defence,  and  Chair- 
man   of    Council     General    Medical|  Board. 


NURSINQ  COMMITTEE  OF  THE  QENERAL  MEDICAL  BOARD  OF  THE  COUNCIL  OF  NATIONAL  DEFENCE 
(at  recent  Conference  with  CoL  J.  M.  T.  Finney  in  Washinsrton). 


An  Interdependent  Service  for  the  Sick 
IN  National  Defence. 

Lower  row,  left  to  right. — Miss  S.  Lillian  Clayton, 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  President  National  League  for 
Nursing  Education  ;  Miss  Annie  W.  Goodrich, 
Inspector-General  of  Nursing  Service  in  United 
States  and  France  and  Dean  of  the  Army  School 
of  Nursing  ;  Miss  Mary  Beard,  Boston,  Mass., 
President  National  Organization  for  Pub.'ic  Health 
Nursing  ;  Miss  M.  Adelaide  Nutting,  Chairman 
of  Committee,  Professor  of  Nursing  and  Health, 
Teachers'  College,  Columbia  University,  New  York 
City  •  Mrs.  John  H.  Higbee,  Superintendent 
Nurse  Corps,  United  States  Navy  ;  and  Miss 
Dora  L.  Thompson,  Superintendent  Nurse  Corps, 
United  States  Army. 

Second  row,  left  to  right. — Miss  Jane  A.  Delano, 
Director  Division  of  Nursing,  American  Red  Cross  ; 
Miss  Clara  D.  Noyes,  President  American  Nurses' 
Association  ;  Miss  Ella  Phillips  Crandall,  Secretary 
of    Committee,     Executive    Secretary     National 


MORALLY    CRUCIFIED. 


Mr.  Edward  Bok,  an  eminent  American  editor , 
has  made  a  terrible  indictment  in  the  Times,  on  the 
appalling  dangers  of  London  streets.  He  says  : — 
"  I  have  been  in  a  great  many  large  cities,  but  I 
have  never  seen  a  more  disgraceful  condition  than 
is  witnessed  in  the  London  streets  every  evening. 
Our  boys  are  openly  solicited,  not  only  by  prosti- 
tutes, but  by  scores  of  amateur  girls." 

He  considers  the  precautions  taken  by  the 
American  Government  "is  of  small  avail  if  we 
send  our  soldiers  clean-blooded  and  strong- 
limbed  over  here  only  to  be  poisoned  and  wrecked 
in  the  London  streets.  We  should  not  be  asked 
to  send  our  boys  here  to  be  morally  crucified . 
It  is  unfair  to  them  ;  it  is  unfair  to  the  great  cause 
for  which  we  are  fighting  ;  it  is  certainly  unfair 
to  the  American  mother." 

We  hope  American  women  in  London  will  lake 
action. 


194  Ebe  Brttisb  Journal  of  IRuretng.       September  28,  1918 

HONOURS  FOR  NURSES.  CARE    OF    THE    WOUNDED. 


ROYAL     RED     CROSS. 

His  Majesty  has  conferred  decorations  as 
follows,  on  Wednesday,  the  i8th  iast,,  at  Bucking- 
ham Palace  : — 

First  Class. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Royal  Naval  Nursing  Service. — 
Superintending  Sister  Margaret  Goodall-Copestake. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Royal  Naval  Nursing  Service 
Reserve. — Sister  Muriel  Hutton. 

Royal    Naval    Auxiliary    Hospitals. — Matron     Ellen 

FlNNEMORE. 

Territorial  Force  Nursing  Service. — Matron  Katharine 
Merriman. 

Second  Class. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Royal  Naval  Nursing  Service. — 
Sister  Sarah  McClelland. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Royal  Naval  Nursing  Service 
Reserve. — Sister  Vera  Spark  and  Sister  Zoe  Stronge. 

Royal  Naval  Auxiliary  Hospitals. — Matron  Margaret 
Tod,  Matron  Elsie  Philp,  and  Matron  Elizabeth 
Ritchie. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service 
Reserve. — Matron  Melita  Martin,  Sister  Henrietta 
Daly,  Sister  Edith  Davies,  Sister  Annie  Ellis,  Sister 
Ann  Gibb,  Sister  Florence  Hale,  Sister  Lizzie  Haxell, 
and  Sister  Maud  Reynolds-Knight. 

Territorial  Force  Nursing  Service. — Sister  Charlotte 

KiRKPATRICK. 

Voluntary  Aid  Detachment. — Miss  Bessie  Ernest 
and  Miss  Selina  Lloyd. 

Canadian  Army  Nursing  Service. — Sister  Mary  Blott, 
and  Sister  Mildred  Parkins. 


SPLENDID     COURAGE     OF    CANADIAN 
NURSES. 

Medals  for  Matron  and  Sisters. 

The  King  has  been  pleased  to  approve  of  the 
award  of  the  Military  Medal  to  the  following  ladies 
for  distinguished  services  in  the  field  : — 

Matron  Edith  Campbell,  R.R.C.,  C.'A.M.C,  and 
Sisters  Leonora  Herrington,  Lottie  Urquhart, 
Janet  M.  Williamson,  Meta  Hodge,  and  Eleanor  J. 
Thompson,  all  C.A.M.C. 


CENTRAL   CHANCERY   OF   THE    ORDERS  OF 

KNIGHTHOOD,   ST.  JAMES'S    PALACE,  S.W.  1 

ORDBR    OF    THE    BRITISH    EMPIRE, 

The  appointment  of  MiBS  Emma  Maud  McCarthy, 
R.R.C.,  to  be  a  Commander  of  the  Most  Excellent 
Order  of  the  British  Empire,  announced  in  the 
London  Gazette  of  the  7th  June  last,  is  hereby 
cancelled,  and  in  lieu  thereof  the  King  has  been 
graciously  pleased  to  make  the  following  appoint- 
ment : —  ■! 
To  BE  A  Dame  Grand  Cross^of  the  said"  Most 
Excellent  Order. 
Miss  Emma  Maud  McCarthy,   R.R.C. 


Miss  M.  A.  Harvey,  Matron  of  Base  Hospital 
No.  I,  who  was  formerly  Matron  of  the  2nd  South- 
ern General  Hospital,  Bristol,  before  she  went  to 
France,  is,  says  the  Lancet,  the  first  woman  to  be 
mentioned  in  Portuguese  despatches. 


Thi^  is  Italy's  week.  On  Monday  the  very 
splendid  Prince  Colonna,  Syndic  of  Rome,  arrived 
in  London,  as  the  guest  of  our  Lord  Mayor.  The 
Italian  Carabinieri  Band  is  here,  and,  as  we  go 
to  press,  Italy's  Day  is  in  full  force.  We  hope 
piles  of  money  will  be  gathered  in  for  the  Italian 
Red  Cross,  and  thus  help  to  comfort  the  stricken 
in  war. 


The  Queen  of  Rumania,  in  an  interview  accorded 
to  a  representative  of  the  Budapest  paper  Az  Est, 
says  : — 

"  The  accusations  that  I  have  been  working 
against  the  Central  Powers  do  not  trouble  me  at  all. 
I  have  simply  doile  my  duty  in  encoui  aging  my 
soldiers,  in  cheering  up  a  defeated  army,  and  in 
distributing  food  and  clothes  to  a  starving  people. 

"  My  conscience  is  clear,  and  I  defy  all  calunanies. 
No  one  can  rob  me  of  the  love  of  my  people.  Our 
common  sufferings  have  but  brought  us  more 
closely  togethei." 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  this  loyal  Queen  will  soon 
have  the  happiness  of  sharing  in  the  national 
lejoicings  when  her  adopted  country  is  wrested 
from  the  clutches  of  the  unspeakable  Hun.  Queen 
Marie  of  Roumania  has  been  the  only  European 
Queen  of  British  blood  who  has  shown  its  great 
qualities.  Britain  should  have  her  specially  in 
mind  when  it  helps  to  dictate  peace. 


Sir  Edward  Ward  is  asking  through  the  Press- 
for  winter  comforts  for  the  troops  in  France. 
Thanks  to  the  loyal  support  of  a  large  number  of 
workers  who  have  continued  to  knit  during  their 
summer  holiday,  he  has  already  been  able  to  meet 
the  entire  requirements  for  warm  comforts  of  the 
Expeditionary  Force  in  all  other  theatres  of  war. 
He  writes  : — "  It  needs  but  a  small  sacrifice  for 
every  knitter  to  send  to  the  depot  of  their  local 
voluntary  organisation  or  to  the  Comforts  Dep6t, 
45,  Horseferry  Road,  Westminster,  S.W.  i,  regular 
contributions  of  knitted  comforts  each  week 
during  the  next  three  months.  Such  support  will 
provide  all  the  articles  required  and  I  am  con- 
vinced our  great  home  army  of  voluntary  workers 
will  see  to  it  that  '  nothing  is  wanting.'  " 


The  hospital  authorities  in  Salonika  have  sent 
urgent  requests  to  V.A.D.  Headquarters  in  this 
country  for  a  considerable  number  of  trained 
laboratory  assistants,  and  also  for  several  dis- 
pensers holding  either  the  Pharmaceutical  certifi- 
cate or  the  Apothecaries'  Hall  certificate.  The 
rates  of  pay  are  39s.  6d.  per  week  and  49S.'^6d. 
for  head  dispensers,  with  a  deduction  in  all  cases 
of  14s.  for  board  and  lodging.  Application  may 
be  made  to  the  V.A.D. ,  Department,  18,  Devon- 
shire House,  Piccadilly,  London,  W.  i. 


September  28,  19. 8      {^|)e  ^cltlsb  3ournal  of  •Rursmfl. 


195 


The  interesting  information  subjoined  is  sent 
to  the  Lancet  by  its  foreign  correspondent. 

Treatment  of  Gassed  Patients. 

The  number  of  victims  of  enemy  gas  has  become 
great,  and  the  Under  Secretary  of  the  Service  de 
Sant4  has  reorganised  completely  the  arrange- 
m.ents  for  their  treatment  in  the  sense  of  making 
it  both  more  effective  and  more  rapid.  The 
therapy  of  gas  cases  is  becomirg  better  understood. 
As  regards  hyperite,  which  is  the  agent  most 
frequently  employed  by  the  enemy,  it  is  now 
known  that  if  the  victims  can  be  douched  within 
the  first  three  hours,  with  lavage  of  the  stomach 
and  complete  cleansing  of  the  clothing,  they  are 
almost  certain  to  recover.  But  the  consecutive 
treatment  of  pulmonary  and  ocular  complications 
is  protracted.  The  need  was  felt  of  a  mobile 
organisation  to  give  at  the  close  of  a  bombardment 
prompt  aid  at  points  where  cases  have  occurred 
in  great  number,  and  of  a  special  hospital  service 
at  the  base  to  deal  with  all  the  cases  evacuated 
after  undergoing  preliminary  treatment  up  to 
complete  recovery.  The  first  object  is  attained 
by  means  of  motor  ambulances,  a  new  model  of 
which  has  recently  been  planned.  Each  consists 
of  a  lorry  and  a  trailer.  The  lorry  contains  tent, 
portable  flooring,  douching  apparatus,  and  other 
accessoii-^s.  The  trailer  contains  a  stove  tD 
disinfect  clothing.  The  whol*;  installation  can  be 
set  up  in  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  The  routine 
is  simple.  Cases  are  received  and  undress  in  a 
part  of  the  tent  screened  off  from  the  douche. 
Their  clothes  are  passed  through  the  disinfector 
while  the  patients  douche,  and  on  returning  they 
resume  their  clothes,  which  have  been  freed  from 
all  traces  of  hyperite.  Each  installation  serves 
for  the  treatment  of  100  men  an  hour.  Forty 
men  can  be  douched  at  a  time,  while  the  disinfector 
has  a  capacity  of  40  complete  equipments.  Every 
combatant  division  is  to  be  provided  with  one  of 
these  motor  ambulances,  and  all  the  gassed  cases 
thus  treated  are  then  to  be  evacuated  to  base 
hospitals  in  the  rear,  none  remaining  in  the  army 
zone.  Numerous  beds  have  been  reserved  in  the 
Paris  military  hospitals  in  two  sections,  one  to 
receive  patients  suffering  chiefly  from  pulmonary 
symptoms,  the  other  for  burns  of  the  skin,  eyes, 
and  mucous  surfaces. 

Recurrent  Hemoptysis  due  to  Gunshot 
Wounds  of  the  Chest. 

M.  Courtois-Sufl&t,  in  a  study  of  haemoptysis 
among  soldiers  who  have  been  shot  through  the 
chest,  states  that  a  large  number  of  cases  relapse. 
Since  this  relapse  may  occur  after  a  long  interval 
he  warns  medical  men  against  the  tendency  to 
consider  such  symptoms  as  necessarily  pointing 
to  tuberculosis,  whether  or  no  of  traumatic 
origin.  Radioscopy  and  examination  of  sputum 
are  essential  in  each  such  case  to  control  the 
information  elicited  on  auscultation,  or  misleading 
statements  will  appear  in  the  patient's  discharge 
sheet. 


OPEN  LETTER  TO  THE  STAFF  NURSES 

OF  THE  TERRITORIAL  FORCE 

NURSINQ  SERVICE. 


It  has  been  proposed  that  the  Staff  Nurses 
of  each  T.F.N.S.  hospital  should  sign  a  joint 
letter  to  Miss  Sidney  Browne,  the  Matron-in- 
Chief  of  the  T.F.N.S.,  requesting  that  the 
title  of  "Nursing  Sister"  be  officially  recog- 
nised as  the  correct  address  for  all  Staff  Nurses 
of  the  T.F.N.S.,  not  merely  "  Nurse." 

In  most  cases  the  T.F.N.S.  works  in  con- 
junction with  civilian  hospitals,  from  which 
come  drafts  of  probationers,  T.P. 's  and 
V.A.D.  workers,  who  have  to  be  trained  by  the 
T.F.N.S.  nurses,  who  urge  that  their  authority 
can  neither  be  so  powerful  nor  so  useful  with- 
out the  befitting  title.  Nor  is  it  advisable  that 
qualified  women — many  of  whom  have  held 
posts  of  high  authority  and  great  responsibility 
previous  to  "  joining  up  " — should  have  the 
same  form  of  address  as  these  unqualified 
ladies,  who  are  always  addressed  as  "  Nurse." 

The  Sisters  by  appointment  could  be  desig- 
nated as  already  recognised,  viz.,  as  Sisters- 
in-Charge.  This,  we  believe,  is  done  in  all  the 
Army  hospitals  and  in  Q.A.I. M.N. S.  If  all 
the  Territorial  Nurses  who  agree  with  this 
view  will  sign  a  letter  to  that  effect,  from  any 
hospital  to  which  they  may  be  attached,  and 
send  it,  not  later  than  October  20th  next,  to 
Mrs.  James,  3,  The  Pryors,  Hampstead, 
N.W.  3,  she  would  be  glad  to  do  her  best  to 
further  the  matter. 

The  letter  must  in  each  case  be  signed, 
"T.F.N.S.  Staff  Nurse." 

"A  Well-wisher." 

We  are  pleased  to  insert-  this  "  Oi)en 
Letter"  from  "A  Well-wisher"  of  our  pro- 
fession, and  to  heartily  endorse  the  claim  of 
thoroughly  qualified  nurses  to  professional 
recognition  in  the  Army  Service. 

When  in  1901  we  drafted  a  modem  Con- 
stitution for  the  then  Army  Nursing  Service, 
which  was  presented  by  a  deputation  to  the 
Secretary  of  State  for  War  by  the  Matrons' 
Council,  and  was  almost  in  its  entirety  adopted 
in  forming  Q.A.I. M.N. S. — we  laid  stress  on 
the  value  of  rank,  and  provided  that  "  Sister  " 
should  be  the  title  of  all  regular  ward  nurses 
— senior  and  junior.  We  have  never  approved 
of  "  Staff  Nurses  "  in  military  hospitals. 

Military  probationers  and  V.A.D. 's  are  pro- 
ducts of  circumstance — not,  let  us  hope,  to  be 
permanently  included  in  our  Military  Nursing 
Services  in  times  of  peace ;  and  justice  and 
good      discipine      demand      that      certificated 


196 


(The  British  3ournal  of  IRurelnG.       September  28,  1918 


nurses,  who  are  not  under  tuition,  should  not 
be  classed  with  young  probationers.  We 
advise  military  Staff  Nurses  to  unite  on  this 
important  question  of  rank,  and  if  need  be 
bring  their  just  demands  before  the  Army 
Council. 


NATIONAL  UNION  OF  WOMEN  WORKERS 
AND  THE  COLLEGE  OF  NURSING,  LTD. 


At  the  June  meeting  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  National  Union  of  Women  Workers 
— which  is  practically  the  governing  body  of  the 
National  Council  of  Women. 

Miss  Macdonald  moved  : — 

"  That  the  request  for  afi&liation  received  from 
the  College  of  Nursing,  Lta.,  be  granted." 

Miss  Eaton  seconded  and  Miss  Joseph  sup- 
ported. 

Amendment   moved   by   Miss   Macmillan  : — 

"  That  it  be  remitted  to  the  next  meeting  in 
order  that  membsrs  might  report  as  to  the  con- 
stitution   and    the    governing    body." 

Miss  Wade  seconded. 

Mrs.  Allan  Bright  pointed  out  that  the  present 
Council  of  the  College  was  a  preliminary  one 
only. 

The    amendment    was    put    and    lost. 

And  the  resolution  was  then  put  and  passed. 


It  appears  to  us  that  several  very  vital  principles 
in  connection  with  the  status  of  the  Afi&liated 
Societies  are  involved  in  this  decision  ;  and  as  the 
revised  Constitution  of  the  Council  is  to  be  con- 
sidered at  Harrogate  it  would  be  well  to  define 
the  constitution  of  societies  eligible  for  afi&liation. 

I.  We  have  always  been  under  the  impression 
that  these  conjoint  bodies — the  N.U.W.W.  and 
the  N.C.W. — are  Women's  organizations  as  ex- 
pressed in  their  titles;  as  we  find  Object  3  is  to 
"  co-ordinate  women's  organizations  nationally 
and  loca'ly  "  ;  and  under  "  Membership  "  it  is 
Stated      "  Members  shall  be  women." 

The  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd. 

The  College  of  Nursing  Company  was  founded 
by  seven  lay  signatories  (all  men)  who  are  called 
Subscribers  and  shall  be  perpetual  members 
of  the  College  of  Nursing — (they  are  not  even 
medical  men  !) 

These  seven  signatories  nominated  men  and 
women  to  form  a  Council,  which  nominated  body 
has  defined  nursing  standards  and  took  power  to 
make,  alter  and  repeal  bye-laws,  rules  and  regula- 
tions as  they  think  fit.  The  Memorandum  and 
Articles  of  Association  are  autocratic  in  the 
extreme,  and  one  alone,  which  takes  power  to 
remove  a,  nurse's  name  from  the  Register,  "  as 
the  Council  may  in  its  discretion  think  proper," 
Mrithout  power  of  appeal,  condemns  the  motives 
of  the  men  who  drafted  it. 

It   is   almost   impossible   to   believe   that   the 


Executive  Committee  of  the  N.U.W.W.,  had  it 
had  a  report  on  the  Constitution  before  it,  would 
have  agreed  to  aflSiliate  to  a  Woman's  National 
Council,  a  Company  so  constituted,  in  spile  of  the 
partisan  advocacy  of  certain  members  of  the 
College  who  have  seats  on  its  Executive  Committee. 
Mrs.  Allan  H.  Br,ight  is  in  error  in  stating  that 
"  the  present  Council  of  the  College  was  a  prelimi- 
nary one  only."  The  College  is  governed  by  the 
Memorandum  and  Articles  of  Association  which 
defines  it ;  and  the  nominated  Council  has  defined 
all  rules  and  regulations,  standards  for  registration, 
and  drafted  seven  impossible  Bills  without  bringing 
them  before  the  nurse  members  for  discussion  and 
approval.  It  is  provided  that  one-third  of  these 
autocrats  shall  retire  annually,  but  are  eligible 
for  re-election — and  this  year,  at  the  first  election, 
they  all  promptly  sought  re-election,  and  not  one 
of  the  100  Sisters,  Nurses  or  independent  candi- 
dates nominated  had  a  real  chance  of  election,  as 
no  Roll  of  Voters  was  printed  and  no  candidate 
could  appeal  to  an  electorate  ! 


But  the  question  to  which  the  self-governing 
Affiliated  Societies  of  Nurses  would  like  a  straight 
answer  is — Are  Limited  Liability  Companies, 
promoted  by  men,  of  which  every  Signatory  is 
a  man,  of  which  the  Hon.  Officers,  Chairman, 
Hon.  Treasurer  and  Hon.  Secretary  are  men — 
which  is  calculated  to  very  seriously  interfere 
with  the  educational  standards,  the  economic 
conditions,  hours  of  labour,  professional  discipline 
and  self-government  of  trained  nurses,  really 
"  organizations  of  women,"  or  qualified  for 
affiliation  with  the  "  National  Council  of  Women 
of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  ?  "  For,  if  so,  it  is 
imperative  in  the  iaterest  of  truth  and  justice, 
that  organizations  and  companies  promoted  by 
male  employers,  founded  to  control  women  workers, 
should  be  clearly  included  as  eligible  for  membei- 
ship  of  the  National  Council  of  Women  in  the 
revised  Constitution.  We  hope  there  will  be  a 
clear  pronouncement  on  this  point  at  Harrogate. 
Self-governing  professional  women  will  then 
kno»v  where  they  stand.  Personally,  after  twenty- 
five  years'  association  with  the  National  Council 
of  Women  of  Great  Biitain  and  Ireland,  we 
consider,  as  we  always  have  done,  that  pro- 
fessional women  should  have  expert  representa- 
tion on  the  Executive  Committee,  and  until  this 
principle  is  conceded,  the  Union  will  continue  to 
fail  in  equitable  action  from  lack  of  knowledge, 
not  from  lack  of  goodwill. 


HONOUR  TO  WHOM  HONOUR  15  DUE. 

The  College  of  Nursing  is  starting  a  local  centre 
at  Cambridge.  Miss  Cowlin,  who  addressed  a 
meeting  of  nurses  there  recently,  had  apparently 
never  heard  of  the  world-wide  movement  for 
higher  education  and  State  Registration  of  nurses 
until  a  quarter  of  a  century  after  its  inauguration, 
and  so  unselfishly  supported  by  that  noble 
woman  Miss  Isla  Stewart,  whose  pupil  Miss  Cowlin 
had  the  honour  to  be. 


September  28,  1918       (Tbc  Bcttisb  Soumal  of  IRurstnQ. 


197 


THE   ASSOCIATION   OF    POOR   LAW 
UNIONS. 

At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Executive  Council 
of  the  Association  of  Poor  Law  Unions  of  England 
and  Wales  held  in  London,  "  the  Council  agreed 
with  the  proposal  of  the  Parliamentary  Committee 
to  appoint,  as  requested  by  Sir  Arthur  Stanley, 
Chairman  of  the  College  of  Nursing,  three  members 
on  the  proposed  F*rovisional  Nursing  Council,  but 
this  action  is  to  be  without  prejudice  to  the  future 
attitude  of  the  Poor-Law  Unions'  Association  in 
regard  to  provisions  of  the  Parliamentary  Bill 
about  to  be  promoted  by  the  College." 

This  Association  of  Poor-Law  Guardians  pre- 
viously asked  for  much  larger  representation  on 
the  Council  to  govern  trained  nurses,  but  so  many 
lay  bodies  have  also  demanded  representation 
that  if  the  College  concedes  these  to  each,  the 
nurses  will  find  themselves  entirely  suppressed 
as  far  as  liberty  of  action  is  concerned. 


NURSES'  MISSIONARY  LEAGUE. 

The  autumn  re-union  of  the  Nurses'  Missionary' 
League  will  be  held  on  Wednesday,  October  2nd. 
The  morning  and  afternoon  sessions  (10.15  ^0  12.30 
and  3-5)  will  be  held  at  the  Westminster  Chapel, 
Buckingham  Gate,  S.W.,  and  the  evening  meeting 
(7.30-9.30)  at  University  Hall,  Gordon  Square, 
W.C.  The  subject  for  the  day  is  "  The  City  of 
God  :  the  Citizen's  Guide,  Outlook  and  Service  "  ; 
and  the  speakers  include  the  Rev.  R.  C.  Gillie 
(morning).  Miss  C.  Sharp  (Sarawak)  and  Miss 
Ellis  (afternoon).  Miss  Baker  (Ujganda)  and  the 
Ven.  Archdeacon  Sharp  (evening).  All  nurses 
are  cordially  inv-ited.  Full  programmes  can  be 
obtained  from  Miss  Richardson,  52,  Lower  S'oane 
Street,   S.W.   i. 

APPOINTMENTS. 

DEPUTY  MATRON. 

Cornwall  County  Asylum,  Bodmin. — Miss  Dorothy 
Jones  has  been  appointed  Deputy  Matron.  She 
was  trained  at  St.  Mary's  Hospital,  Padding- 
ton,  where  she  acted  as  Sister.  Miss  Jones  was 
also  trained  in  mental  work  at  Rubery  Hill 
Asylum,  and  holds  the  Medico-Psychological 
certificate,  and  the  certificate  of  the  Central 
Midwives  Board. 

SISTER. 

Bootle  Borough  Hospital,  Derby  Road,  near 
Liverpool. — Miss  Dorothy  Lord  has  been  appointed 
Sister.  She  was  trained  at  the  Dover  Hospital, 
and  ha  s  been  Sister  at  the  Stafford  General  Infirm- 
ary, Sister  at  Marlborough  Hospital,  Wilts.,  and 
has  had  charge  of  the  Military  Hospital,  Harden 
House,   Kent. 

District  Hospital,  Newbury. — ^Miss  Helen  White 
has  been  appointed  Sister.*^  She  was  trained  at 
the  Royal  West  Sussex  Hospital,  Chichester,  and 
amongst  others  has  held  the  position  of  Children's 
Ward  and  Theatre  Sister  at  the  Infirmary,  Harro- 
gate, Sister  at  the  Military  Hospital,  Kingston,  and 


Night  Sister  at  the  West  Sufiolk  General  Hospital, 
Bury  St.  Edmunds. 

Royal  Eye  and  Ear  Hospital,  Bradford.  —  Miss 
Louise  Kingham  has  been  appointed  Sister  of 
the  Children's  Ward  and  Outpatient  Department. 
She  was  trained  at  the  Lewisham  Infirmary,  and 
has  been  Sister  at  the  S.E.  Fever  Hospital,  at  the 
Central  London  Ophthalmic  Hospital  and  Bir- 
mingham Midland  Eye  Hospital.  She  has  also 
been  Matron  of  Hayes  Cottage  Hospital  and  Brent- 
wood Cottage  Hospital. 

QUEEN     VICTORIA'S     JUBILEE    INSTITUTE. 

Transfers  and  Appointments. 

Miss  Edith  M.  Epps  is  appointed  to  Plaistow  as 
Superintendent.  Miss  Epps  received  general 
training  at  the  Radcliffe  Infirmary,  Oxford  ; 
district  training  at  Westminster ;  midwifery 
training  at  York  Road  Lying-in  Hospital,  and 
holds  the  C.M.B.  certificate.  She  has  held 
various  appointments  under  the  Institute,  in- 
cluding that  of  county  superintendent  of  the  Notts. 
Nursing  Federation  and  Inspector  of  the  South 
Western  Counties. 

Miss  Alice  J.  Buckle  is  appointed  to  Rotherham 
as  Superintendent.  Miss  Buckle  received  her 
general  training  at  the  Royal  Infirmary,  Edin- 
burgh ;  district  training  at  the  Metropolitan  N.A  ; 
midwifery  training  at  Cheltenham,  and  has  the 
C.M.B.  certificate.  She  has  since  held  several 
appointments  under  the  Institute,  including  that 
of  Superintendent  of  Brighton  D.N. A.  and  Nursing 
Superintendent  for  England. 

Miss  Edith  Garratt- Jones  is  appointed  to  Nelscn 
as  Ssnior  Nars3  ;  Miss  Violet  E.  Hunt  to  Gilling- 
ham  as  Senior  Nurse  ;  Miss  Theresa  O.  Leonard,  to 
Southfleet ;  Miss  Isabel  A.  Mainlejr ,  to  Hazel 
Grove  ;  Mrs.  Alice  Mitchener,  to  Letchworth  ; 
Miss  Dora  K.  Mohun,  to  Chadsmoor  ;  Miss  Alice 
Pearson,  to  Cheltenham  ;  Miss  Mabel  A.  S.  Esler, 
to  Birmingham  (Moseley  Road) ;  Miss  Fanny  Purse- 
glove,  to  Birmingham  (Summerhill  Road). 

MEDALS    FOR   NURSE5. 
BELFAST    UNION    INFIRMARY. 

At  the  weekly  meeting  of  the  Belfast  Board  of 
Guardians  on  September  loth — ^the  Chairman, 
Mr.  Joseph  Mitchell,  presiding — medals  were  pre- 
sented by  Miss  Clark  to  nurses  who  have  taken 
first  places  in  their  final  professional  examinations  : 
Nurse  J.  M'Auley  Harkness,  gold  med»l  (pre- 
sented by  the  Chairman)  ;  Nurse  Rebecca  Gleazer, 
silver  medal  (presented  by  Mr.  A.  Savage)  and 
NuTse  Dorothy  Magowan,  bronze  medal  (presfented 
by  Miss  Florence  Clark).  Over  200  of  the  nurses 
trained  in  the  Urrion  have  volunteered  for  service 
at  the  front. 

THE     PASSING     BELL. 

Miss  Ashley,  matron  of  Grimsby  Hospital,  who 
nursed  the  boy  hero.  Jack  Cornwell,  V.C,  when  he 
was  landed  wounded  from  the  Jutland  battle,  has 
just  died  from  an  incurable  rnalady.  It  was  to 
her  that  he  gave  the  immortal  answer,  "  Oh,  I 
just  carried  on,  miss,"  when  asked  what  he  did 
after  all  his  gun  crew  were  killed. 


198 


^be  Brttteb  Sournal  of  "Ruraino*       September  28,  1918 


NURSING    ECHOES. 


Queen  Alexandra  will  visit  Norwich  on 
October  12th,  the  anniversary  of  the  execution 
of  Edith  CaveU,  to  open  the  Cavell  Memorial 
Home  and  to  unveil  the  statue  of  her,  both  of 
which  memorials  have  been  subscribed  for  by 
the  residents  of  Norfolk  and  the  citizens  of 
Norwich.  Tombland,  adjacent  to  the 
Cathedral,  is  the  site  of  both  the  home  and  the 
statue.  Miss  Cavell  spent  the  greater  part  of 
her  life  in  or  near  Norwich. 


Many  nurses  will  learn  with  regret  that  the 
private  nursing  agency  which  has  had  so  long 
and  honourable  a  career  at  123,  New  Bond 
Street,  S.W.,  has  now  closed  its  doors.  Its 
business  has  been  transferred  to  the  Belgravia 
Nursing  Home  at  50,  Weymouth  Street,  W., 
formerly  known  as  "  Miss  Pollock's  Home," 
but  recently  taken  over  by  the  above  Home, 
whose  present  Superintendent  is  Miss  Sheb- 
beare,  but  which  was  for  many  years  under 
the  superintendence  of  Miss  Kimber. 


A  conference  organised  by  the  National  Baby 
Week  Council  was  held  at  Bedford  College  for 
Women,  to  inaugurate  a  propaganda  cam- 
paign, in  which  trained  nurses  are  invited  to 
take  part,  in  support  of  the  immediate  estab- 
hshment  of  a  Ministry  of  Health.  Dr.  Eric 
Pritchard,  Lord  Willoughby  de  Broke,  Dr. 
Saleeby,  Mr.  G.  P.  Blizard,  and  others  ex- 
pressed the  desire  of  the  council  to  create  a 
Sitrong  public  opinion  with  a  view  to  giving 
speedy  effect  to  the  promised  introduction  of  a 
Ministry  of  Health  Bill,  and  it  was  declared 
that  the  country  would  not  tolerate  the  opposi- 
tion of  private  or  vested  interests  or  depart- 
mental jealousies,  to  the  immediate  realisation 
of  its  demands  and  hopes.  The  following 
resolution  was  carried  unanimously  : — "  That, 
in  view  of  the  declared  intention  of  the  Govern- 
ment to  introduce  early  in  the  forthcoming 
session  of  Parliament  a  Ministry  of  Health  Bill, 
the  National  Baby  Week  Council  calls  upon  its 
members  and  local  committees  to  pursue  an 
active  propaganda  campaign  in  favour  of  such 
a  Ministry,  so  that  the  weight  of  public 
opinion  and  the  support  of  the  electorate  may 
strengthen  the  hands  of  the  Government  in 
giving  speedy  effect  to  its  intentions."  The 
National  Baby  Week  Council  has  already 
organised  various  meetings  in  the  provinces, 
and  is  prepared. to  find  speakers  ':o  represent 
it  and  address  such  meetings,  on  application  to 
the  Secretary,  27A,  Cavendish  Square,  London, 
W.  I. 


In  addition  to  a  war  bonus  granted  by  the 
London  County  Council  by  resolution  on  the 
30th  of  July  last,  the  Council  has  now  sanc- 
tioned additional  war  wages  of  5s.  a  week  for 
officers  and  employees  under  the  direction  of 
the  Asylums  and  Mental  Deficiency  Committee, 
dating  from  the  first  pay-week  following 
July  I  St.  All  female  officers  and  employees  on 
the  established  staff  under  the  direction  of  the 
Asylums  and  Mental  Deficiency  Committee 
who  are  receiving  war  wages  ci  7s.  a  week  are 
eligible  to  receive  this  increase. 

The  remuneration  of  all  temporary  atten- 
dants under  the  direction  of  the  above  Com- 
mittee is  to  be  increased  to  54s.  a  week,  com- 
mencing from  July  ist. 


Mr.  Samuel  Whittaker,  of  Lytham,  Lanes, 
whose  estate  has  been  proved  at  ;^2 1,051,  left 
an  annuity  of  ;^52  to  his  nurse.  Miss  Margaret 
Rossall. 


A  LOSS  TO  OUR  NURSING  SCHOOLS. 


Miss  M.  Heather  Bigg  will  retire  from  the 
Matronship  of  Charing  Cross  Hospital  in  December 
next,  having  completed  sixteen  years  of  service  ; 
and  the  loss  to  our  Nurse  Training  Schools  will 
be  irreparable. — ^although  we  are  glad  to  learn 
that  the  nursing  profession  is  not  to  lose  her 
active  sympathy  and  invaluable  practical 
help,  of  which  it  has  never  had  greater  need ; 
when  Parliament  is  to  be  approached  to 
sanction  and  appoint  a  Governing  Body  for  the 
better  organization  of  nursing  education  and 
general  control  through  Bills  promoted  (i)  by  the 
workers,  and  (2)  by  their  hospital  employers. 
Needless  to  say,  Miss  Heather-Bigg  has,  with 
most  unselfish  courage,  stood  with  her  inde- 
pendent colleagues  in  support  of  the  great  principle 
of  an  independent  Governing  Body — for  which 
they  have  fought  a  valiant  fight — and  has  sacri- 
ficed much  in  her  own  personal  interest  in  so 
doing.     All  the  more  honour  is  her  due. 

Charing  Cross  Hospital  is  by  no  means  an  easy 
charge,  and  duringMiss  Heather  Bigg's  term  of  office 
its  empty  wards  were  occupied  by  the  Matrons 
and  Nursing  Staffs  of  the  National  Orthopaedic 
Hospital  and  the  Cancer  Wing  from  the  Middlesex 
Hospital  during  the  rebuilding  of  their  hospitals. 
It  is  a  feat  worthy  of  recording  that  such  a-unique 
experiment  was  carried  through  with  perfect 
accord,  and  the  staffs  of  both  Charing  Cross 
Hospital  and  the  other  two  hospitals  parted  with 
regret  on  the  completion  of  the  rebuilding.  A.S 
President  of  the  Matrons'  Council,  Miss  Heather 
Bigg  will  entertain  the  members  at  the  October 
meeting,  when  they  will  have  an  opportunity  of 
expressing  to  her  their  affection  and  gratitude. 


September  28,  1918      ^jje  Brittsb  Joumal  of  "HurBing. 


199 


RELIGIOUS  COMMUNITIES  OF  THE 
CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND.* 


It  is  not  often  that  one  is  fortunate  enough  to 
happen  on  a  book  which  breaks  new  ground, 
dealing  with  a  subject  which 
is  intensely  interesting  in  a 
most  interesting  way,  but  all 
these  conditions  are  present 
in  the  book  before  us,  which 
is  "  the  first  attempt,  his- 
torically, to  bring  together 
the  data  relative  to  the 
revival  of  the  Religious  Life 
among  us "  since  the  Re- 
formation, though  in  "A 
History  of  Nursing  "  (Nutting 
&  Dock)  we  have  a  most 
interesting  survey  of  the 
Military  Nursing  Orders,  the 
Rise  of  the  Secular  Orders, 
the  later  Mediaeval  Orders, 
and  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul 
and  the  Sisters  of  Charity. 

For  nurses  who  wish  to 
understand  the  history  of 
their  profession  some  know- 
ledge of  that  of  the  religious 
orders  is  essential,  for  many 
communities,  both  Roman 
and  Anglican,  have  largely 
devoted  themselves  to  the 
care  of  the  sick,  and  have  enriched  the  traditions 
of  our  profession  by  the  example  of  saintly  lives 
and  the  record  of  devoted  service.  The  Duke  of 
Argyll,  in  a  most  interesting  preface  to  the  book, 
writes  : — "  Have  the  readers  of  this  volume  ever 
pondered  over  that  great  list 
of  Abbesses  and  Queens,  192 
in  number,  all  of  the  Saxon 
period,  which  appears  in  the 
Liber  Vitae  of  Durham 
(Surtees  Society),  In  that 
great  Bede's  roll,  without 
any  indication  of  what  Abbey 
they  ruled,  or  what  Kings 
they  had  once  been  wedded 
to,  flaming  in  gold  and  silver 
lettering,  stand  those  strange 
Saxon  names.  Here  and 
there  we  can  identify  one  or 
two  for  certain,  and  that  is 
about  all.  Of  some  we  kaow 
the  great  Houses  over  which 
they  once  bore  rule  in  Saxon 
England,  others  must  be 
the  otherwise  unrecorded 
successes  of  Saints  like  Hilda, 
or     of     those     whose     verv 


MOTHER    CECILE, 
Foundress  of  the  Community  of 
the  Resurrection,  Qrahamstown. 


♦The  Faith  Press,  Ltd., 
22,  Buckingham  St.,  Strand, 
W.C,  7/6  net. 


MISS  E.  A.  BENNETT, 
Foundress  of  the  Order  of 
the    Sisters    of     Bethany. 


foundations  may   have  vanished  in  the    Danish 
invasions. 

"  Up  and  down  the  English  realm  stand  count- 
less reminders  of  England's  sainted  nuns  and 
abbesses  whose  names  are  still  remembered  by 
entries  in  fading  calendars.  Oxford  reveres  the 
Abbess  Frydeswyde  as  its 
special  Patroness  and  Pro- 
tectress. Far  away  on  the 
Cornish  headlands  S.  la  raised 
a  home  of  prayer  by  storm- 
sick  seas.  S.  Bega  did  as 
much  further  north  on  the 
Irish  Channel.  Kent,  the 
Garden  of  England,  produced 
an  extraordinary  contribu- 
tion to  the  number  of  S. 
Scholastica's  daughters,  for 
in  an  older  Folkestone  now 
beneath  the  waves  stood  the 
Abbey  ruled  by  S.  Eans- 
wythe,  daughter  of  the 
Kentish  King.  S.  Sexburgha, 
Queen  of  Kent,  built  S. 
Mary's  Abbey  at  Sheppey, 
and  died  as  a  nun  at  Ely, 
under  her  sister  S.  ^Ethel- 
dreda.  SS.  Mildred,  Ead- 
burgha,  and  many  more,  all 
of  royal  blood,  flourished  in 
Kent  and  left  sweet  memories 
behind  them  which  will  last 
as  long  as  history  endures 
and  pens  remain  to  commemorate  those  early 
teachers  of[S.  Benedict's  Rule." 

It  is  impossible  to  deal  in  extenso  with  all  Ihe 
sections  of  a  book  already  so  condensed.  The  first 
part  ir. eludes  an^account  of  Sisterhoods,  active  and 
contemplative,  and  deals  with 
the  all-important  question  of 
"  Vocation,"  or  the  call  of 
God  to  a  religious  life.  "  The 
groundwork  of  such  a  life  is 
the  persuasion  of  each 
member  that  God  has  called 
her  entirely  to  forego  the 
claims  of  society  and  family, 
and  devote  herself  wholly, 
entirely,  and  unreservedly  to 
the  work  of  God,  whether 
actively  or  contemplatively, 
in  the  direction  which  He 
points  out." 

It  is  interesting  that  the 
first  suggestion  for  the 
formation  of  a  Sisterhood  in 
England  since  the  days  of 
the  "  Tudor  Pillage "  was 
made  by  Rev.  Alex.  R.  C. 
Dallas,  in  the  interests  of  the 
sick.  As  curate  of  Wobum 
his  intercourse  with  the  poor 
led  him  to  feel  very  keenly 
the    lack   of   proper  nursing 


20O 


Zbc  36ritl0b  Sournal  of  IRureing.       September  zs,  1918 


and  attendance  in  sickness.  The  doctor  lived 
at  a  great  distance,  "  the  village  nurses  were 
deplorably  ignorant,  and  Mr.  Dallas  having 
resided  in  France  and  having  seen  the  superior 
nursing  and  the  many  advantages  resulting  from 
the  system  there  carried  on,  of  the  '  Sceurs  de  la 
Charity,'  devised  a  plan  for  the  same  system  to  be 
adopted  in  England. 

"  He  appears  to  have  impressed  his  views  upon 
one  who  was  in  his  day  a  great  physician  as  well 
as  philanthropist  and  philosopher,  namely.  Dr. 
Gooch.  Like  Dallas,  Gooch  had  visited  Belgium, 
and  like  Howard,  the  prison  reformer,  had  been 
most  interested  in  the  Beguines  and  their  works 
of  mercy,  their  well-ordered  hospitals,  and  their 
general    efficiency    in    visiting    and    prescribing 


nouncing  it  said  that  "  any  little  objection  the 
Archbishop  had  felt  vvas  new  removed."  This 
apparently  refers  to  the  change  of  title  from 
"Sisters  of  Charity"    to    "  Nuising  Sisters." 

The  interesting  and  unique  foundation  ot 
St.  John's  House — t\ow  in  Queen  Square,  Blooms- 
bury — is  described  at  some  length.  It  was  to  her 
friend,  Miss  Mar^  Jones,  Lady  Superior  of  St, 
John's  House,  that  Miss  Florence  Nightingale 
turned — and  not  in  vain — when  the  Crimean  War 
broke    out. 

The  book  abounds  in  most  interesting  and 
beautiful  illustrations  of  the  homes  of  religious 
foundations  and  also  portraits  of  their  pious 
founders.  To  mention  only  a  few.  There  is  the 
Community  of  the  Holy  Rood,  at  North  Ormesby, 


SOCIHTY    OF    THE     INCARNATION,     SALTLEY. 


for  the  sick  poor.  He  published  an  account  of  his 
visit  and  experiences  with  the  conclusions  he  had 
formed,  directed  to  the  advantage  of  a  like 
system  in  England  in  Blackwood's  Magazine, 
in  December,   1825. 

This  was  followed  by  a  pamphlet  by  Mr.  Dallas 
on  "  Protestant  Sisters  of  Charity,"  "  developing 
a  plan  for  improving  the  arrangements  at  present 
existing  for  administering  medical  advice  and 
visiting  the  sick  poor."  This  resulted  in  much 
interesting  correspondence  with  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Fry,  who  took  up  the  plan  advocated  by  Mr. 
Dallas  to  a  large  extent,  and  carried  it  out  in  the 
nursing  establishment  at  Raven  Row,  White- 
chapel,  and  afterwards  in  Devonshire  Square. 
The  Queen  Dowager,  through  Earl  Howe,  lent  her 
patronage  to  the  scheme,  and  in  the  letter  an- 


where  the  good  work  done  in  the  hospital  which 
it  nurses,  is  well  known  to  our  readers  ;  St.  Mary's, 
Wantage  ;  All  Saints',  Colney  ;  St.  Margaret's, 
East  Grins tead  ;  and  many  more.  By  the 
kindness  of  the  publishers,  w2  are  able  to  repio- 
duce  pictures  of  Miss  E.  A.  Bennett,  Mother- 
Foundress  of  the  Society  of  the  Sisters  of  Bethany, 
of  the  House  of  Retreat,  Lloyd  Square,  E.C.  ; 
Mother  Cecile,  who  founded  the  Community  of 
the  Resurrection,  Grahamstown,  South  Africa  ; 
and  a  group  ol  Sisters  of  the  Society  of  the  Incar- 
nation of  the  Etenlal  Son,  Sal  Hey,  founded  by 
Mother  Gertrude  Clare,  and  some  of  the  Poor  Law- 
boys  in  their  charge.  We  most  cordially  recom- 
mend the  book  to  the  notice  of  our  readers. 
To  those  who  are  interested  in  the  work  of  Religious 
communities  it  will  provide  a  fascinating  study. 


September  28,  1918      ^|)e  »rtti6b  3ournal  of  mureing. 


aoi 


OUTSIDE    THE    GATES. 


NURSES     AND    THEIR     VOTES. 

The  vagaries  of  Refistratior  Officers,  judges  and 
othei  s  in  interpreting  who  may,  and  who  may  not, 
vote  under  the  new  Reform  Act  are  so  irrecon- 
cilable that  it  is  time  Nurses  had  a  test  case  and 
fought  it  out.  In  one  district  hospital,  nurses 
living  in  are  denied  a  vote,  whilst  under  exactly 
identical  circumstances  in  another  hospital  they 
aie  granted  the  privilege. 


At  the  recent  quarterly  Court  of  Governors  at 
the  London  Hospital,  in  presenting  the  report  of 
the  House  Committee,  the  House  Governor  stated 
that  "  they  had  been  informed  by  the  Registration 
Officer  of  the  District  that  the  nurses,  as  they 
occupied  each  a  separate  bedroom,  were  entitled  to 
have  their  names  entered  on  the  Register  and  to 
vote  both  in  Borough  and  Parliamentary  elections. 
They  therefore  nad  to  supply  full  retiirns  of  the 
nursii-g  staflL  who  fulfilled  tne  conditions  as  to  age 
and  length  of  residence.  They  also  had  to  supply 
returns  of  their  resident  medical  officers." 

Tliis  is  definite  and  most  satisfactory,  as  the  rule 
for  \Vhitechapel  should  hold  good  in  each  con- 
stituency. 

We  hope,  therefore,  the  Matrons  are  compiling 
a  list  of  sligible  Sisters  and  Nurses  in  every  hospital 
and  asylum,  and  seeing  that  through  the  right 
authority  their  claims  are  put  forward  and  their 
votes  made  seciu-e.  Bart's  nurses  of  progressive 
procli\dties  should  have  quite  an  amusing  time 
if  the  same  old  gentlemen  stand  again  for  the  City. 
The  Right  Hon.  Arthur  J.  Balfour  always  ignored 
their  petitions  for  Registration  Reform,  and  did 
not  vote  for  their  Bill  in  191 4,  and  Sir  F.  Banbury, 
Bart.,  as  a  professional  blocker  did  not  only  help 
to  Dlock  their  Bill  for  years  but  was  amongst  the 
negligible  minority  who  voted  against  it  in  1914. 

It  is  time  the  City  of  Londor  was  represented  by 
young,  liberal-minded  men.  ^Vlw  should  not  the 
women  put  up  a  candidate  of  their  own  choice  ? 


One  can  imagine  how  all  the  nurses  ir  St. 
George's,  Hanover  Square,  would  flock  to  his 
banner  should  the  Right  Hon.  W.  M.  Hughes 
consent  to  stand  for  that  constituency. 


The  Vote  is  doing  a  real  national  service  in 
arousing  public  opinion  on  the  iniquitous  prosecu- 
tions under  Regulation  40  D.  Some  more  just 
method  of  dealing  with  venereal  irfection  ir.  the 
Army  must  be  devised.  Women  voters  have  to 
tackle  this  question  and  save  the  health  of  both 
sexes.     Such  terrible  tragedies  we  hear  on  ^11  sides. 


A  TRUE    TALE    WITH    A  MORAL. 

Young  Wife  of  Officer  :  "  Tell  me  the  truth." 
Medical  Woman  :  "  You  are  infected  and  need 
treatment."  ,,g 

Young  Wife  :  "  Oh  !  1  know  what  to  do." 

She  did. 

She  went  home  and  poisoned  herself  1 


BOOK    OF   THE   WEEK. 

"THE   PENDULUM."* 

"  If  I  was  in  my  own  country  I'd  be  as  good  as  a 
lord,  and  my  wife  would  be  Lady  Saere  ;  and  if  that 

d d  piece  behind  the  bar  there  dared  serve 

anyone  else  before  us  there'd  be  trouble,  and  of  a 
very  peculiar  sort  I  can  tell  you."  The  speaker 
nodded  his  head  portentously,  darlding  at  the 
barmaid. 

It  was  Morris  Saere  who  spoke,  the  son 
of  Lord  Saere  of  County  Clare,  long  since  dead  ; 
and  how  he  came  to  be  drunk  in  a  low  public-house 
near  the  Surrey  Docks  on  the  night  in  question 
needs  explanation. 

One  point  to  be  emphasised  is  that  this  was  not 
an  isolated  occasion  ;  it  had  come  to  behis  habitual 
haunt,  and  the  company  he  found  there  had  come 
to  be  adopted  as  his  own  class. 

Neither  his  wife  nor  his  children  knew  anything 
definite  as  to  his  origin.  They  knew  him  as  Jim 
Saere,  and  paid  little  attention  to  his  boastful 
vaunts  when  he  was  in  liquor. 

;Mrs.  Saere  is  a  creation  worthy  of  note. 
A  homely  woman  of  the  working  class  with  a 
beautiful  soul  and  a  practical  nature,  calm  and 
firm  in  the  ruling  of  her  difficjilt  family.  Her 
character  shines  out  brightly,  pervading  and 
sweetening  the  whole  history  of  her  family. 

A  picture  is  given  of  her  reception  of  her  husband 
on  his  return  on  the  night  referred  to,  from  the 
public-house  in  charge  of  little  Michael. 

"  Mrs.  Saere  was  ironing.  The  little  kitchen 
was  full  of  the  warm,  sweet  scent  of  it,  while  a 
folding  horse,  covered  with  homely  garments,  stood 
in  front  of  the  fire. 

Mrs.  Saere  had  just  taken  an  iron  from  the  fire 
as  her  husband  entered,  and  was  holding  it  to  her 
cheek  to  test  the  warmth  ;  but  she  put  it  dov\-n  and 
stood  motionless  with  her  broad  hands  spread  out 
on  the  table,  her  steady  eyes  lowered. 

"  Well,  and  how's  her  ladyship  this  evening  ?  " 
She  had  waited  his  first  words  to  gauge  his  mood. 
This  was  the  mood  she  hated  and  dreaded  above 
all  else. 

"  I  hate  to  see  a  woman  for  ever  toiling  and 
moiling.  If  I  had  my  rights,  and  you  had  your 
rights,  old  girl,  you'd  never  as  much  as  soil  your 
little  finger,"  he  went  on,  regardless  of  the  fact  that 
she  was  unlacing  his  boots  as  he  spoke. 

"  Very  well,  Jim,  very  well,"  she  spoke  sooth- 
ingly. Her  children  would  not  venture  to  sneer 
at  their  father.  For  all  her  quiet  she  had  a  sure 
and  heavy  hand . 

It  was  with  the  boy  Michael  that  the  story  is 
chiefly  concerned.  Michael,  whose  "  finicky 
ways  "  were  a  throwback  to  his  father's  lineage, 
the  strange  intermingling  of  which  with  his  sordid 
upbringing  is  the  standpoint  from  which  the  story 
is  wTitten.  Michael  was  the  adored  and  the  adorer 
of  his  lowly  bom  mother.  She  had  innumerable 
other  offspring,  and  she  was  an  admirable  mother 
to  all,  but  Michael  was  the  apple  of  her  eye. 

♦  By  Elinor  Mordaunt.     Cassell  &  Co.,  London. 


202 


ahe  »ritt0b  3ournal  of  Buretno.      September  28,  1918 


A  graphic  picture  is  the  following  : — 

"  Saere's  twelfth  child  was  bom  that  night,  drew 
a  few  gasping  breaths  of  the  Thames  fog  and  then  • 
passed  on  its  way." 

Mrs.  Saere  had  \vhat  is  known  as  a  bad  time,  but 
she  scarcely  heeded  the  pain.  She  worried,  poor 
soul,  about  everything  but  her  own  condition. 
Would  Einily  forget  to  keep  in  the  kitchen  fire,  so 
that  nurse  might  have  hot  water  ?  Would  Maude 
get  near  it  and  tumble  against  the  bars  ?  Woulc' 
the  burial  man,  who  was  calling  that  evening,  be 
able  to  make  anyone  hear  ? 

Had  anyone  thought  to  tell  Mrs.  Sutcliffe  she 
would  be  unable  to  come  and  do  the  washing  that 
week  "  after  askin'  for  it  and  all  ?  " 

And  then  comes  the  alleviation. 

"  When  the  others  have  gone  off  out  of  our 
way,  I'll  get  you  a  cup  of  tea,"  said  Michael. 

He  always  coupled  himself,  with  his  mother — 
"  our  "  and  "  us." 

It  was  a  little  interval  of  peace  that  hour  spent 
with  little  Michael,  which  had  to  be  broken  by 
the  little  boy  being  sent  to  the  door. 

"  It's  the  burial  man,"  said  Mrs.  Saer^.  "  Now, 
if  only  nurse  was  here  !  But  you  must  go  and 
see  to  him,  Michael  dear  ;  and  mind  and  tell  him 
it  mustn't  run  into  money,  for  I  can't  afford  it." 

How  true  a  picture  of  the  "  lying-in  "  of  thc^ 
East-end  mother,  only  those  who  have  worked 
among  the  poor  will  aijpreciate. 

The  period  of  Michael's  adoption  by  a  wealthy 
mad  woman  is  a  terrible  episode,  and  the  murder 
of  the  unfortunate  child  Herbert  is  very  "  creepy  " 
reading.  It  results,  however,  in  the  restoration  of 
Michael  to  his  own  parents. 

Young  Michael  grew  into  a  clever,  capable 
foreman  in  the  wood-yard,  and  it  was  while  on 
duty  there  that  he  was  told  off  to  show  round 
some  ladies — ^friends  of  Sir  John  Proudie,  his 
employer.  It  was  on  this  occasion  that  pretty 
Sallie  exclaimed  at  his  surname. 

"  My  name's  Saere,"  he  said  stiffly. 

"  There,  now,"  said  Sallie.  "  Isn't  it  extra- 
ordinary. I  knew  there  was  something.  It  may 
have  been  a  pre — pre — ^what  do  I  mean  ?  O,  you 
know  what  I  mean.     A  call  of  the  blood  1  " 

There  had  always  been  a  curious  instinct  in 
Michael's  mother  to  put  away  from  herself  any 
tendency  to  believe  her  husband's  boasting  refer- 
ence to  the  past.  Where  a  vulgarer  woman  would 
have  gloried  in  the  mere  possibility  of  well-born 
connections,  she  instinctively  shrank  from  it. 
This  trait  in  her  character  helped  to  baffle  Michael's 
efforts  to  elucidate  the  truth. 

There  are  many  interesting  passages  in  the 
book  relating  to  labour  disputes  and  social  reform. 
Michael's  family  figure  none  too  creditably  in 
many  ways,  but  innate  refinement  causes  him  to 
triumph  over  his  many  disabilities.  The  close 
of  the  book  finds  him  at  last,  having  established 
his  father's  claim.  But  although  the  way  seemf 
clear  for  him  to  marry  pretty  Sally,  his  happiness 
had  still  to  be  deferred. 

The  war  claimed  him. 

"  Sally,  you'll  have  to  look  after  Saere  Couic  for 


me — wait  till  I  come  back — if — if  there's  any 
chance  for  me,  my  dear — with  all  my  folly,  all  you 
know  of  me."  h  < 

•  This  book  is  full  of  interest  throughout,  and  the 
character  of  Mrs.  Saere  alone  makes  it  worthy 
of  attention.  H.  H. 


THE     LAST     PILOT. 

(From  a   Hill-top  in   France.) 
Overhead,  in  a  tranquil  sky,  out  of  the  sunset  glow, 
The  stately  battle-planes  gc  sailing  east,  against  the  foe, 
And  the  quivering  air  is  all  a-drone,  like  an  organ,  deep 
and  low. 

I'he  sunset  gleams  on  the  old  bell-tower  and  the  roofs  of 

the  old  French  town  : 
Gleams  and  fades,  and  the  shadows  fall,  as  the  night 

cornes  creeping  down, 
And  the  German  line  in  the  twilight  glooms  distant  and 

dark  and  brown. 

One  by  one,  their  duty  done,  the  planes  come  back  from 

the  fight ; 
One    by    one,    like    homing    birds,   back    through    the 

darkening  night, 
And,   twinkling  against  the  fading  west,  goes  up  their 

guiding  light. 

Hour  by  hour  the  light  goes  up,  flashing  the  signal  far, 
But  the  Last  Pilot  heeds  it  not.    His  ship  has  crossed  the 

bar,  ■  '' 

And    he   has    found   eternal    peace    in    the   light    of    his 

Heavenly  Star. 

By  Duncan  Tovey. 

COMING     EVENTS. ' 

September  ^oth. — Royal  British  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion meeting  of  Consultative  Committee,  lo, 
Orchard  Street,  Portman  Square,  W.   3.15  p.m. 

September  ^oth.  —  Inauguration  of  Course  of 
Elementary  Lectures  on  Infant  Care  (for  Teachei  s. 
Infant  Welfare  Workers,  Mothers,  &c.),  under 
the  auspices  of  the  National  Association  for  the 
Prevention  of  Infant  Mortality  and  for  the  Welfare 
of  Infancy,     i,  Wimpole  Street,  W.     5.30  p.m. 

October  2nd. — ^Missionary  Nurses'  League. 
Autumn  Re-union.  Morning,  afternoon  and  even- 
ing meetings.  10.15,  12.30,  3-5  p.m.  and  7.30  to 
9.30. 

October  8th,  gth  and  10th. — National  Council  of 
Women.  Meeting  in  Harrogate.  The  Report  of 
Committee  on  the  Revision  of  the  Constitution 
will  be  submitted.     Conference,  hi 

October  12th. — Queen  Alexandra  will  open  the 
Cavell  Memorial  Home  and  unveil  a  statue  at 
Norwich  on  the  anniversary  of  Edith  Cavell's 
execution. 


WORD  FOR  THE  WEEK. 

You  a'sk  me  how  long  this  war  must  still  go  on. 
It  will  go  on  until  our  task  shall  have  been  accom- 
plished, until  our  just  cause  shall  have  triumphed. 
For  it  is  necessary  that  our  dead  should  not  have 
died  in  vain ;  it  is  necessary  that  the  Government 
of  the  People  by  the  People  and  for  the  People  shall 
have  obtained  the  certainty  that  it  will  not  be 
abolished  off  the  face  of  the  earth. 

Abraham  Lincoln. 


September  28,  1918      |[|)c  Brtttab  Soumal  of  flur«tna. 


203 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 


Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  for  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  he 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents. 

CONGRATULATIONS. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 
Dear  Mrs.  Bedford  Fenwick, — We  beg  to 
convey  to  you  the  congratulations  of  the  Royal 
British  Nurses'  Association  on  the  completion  of 
your  twenty-five  years  as  Editor  of  The  British 
Journal  of  Nursing,  and  to  express  the  hope  that 
before  long  the  movement,  of  which  it  has  been  the 
earliest  and  leading  literary  protagonist,  may  be 
crowned  with  success  by  the  passage  of  a  Bill  for 
State  Registration,  just  to  the  nurses  and  calcu- 
lated to  foster  and  develop  the  Profession  of 
Nursing. 

We  are. 

Yours  very  truly, 
(Signed)  •  C.  E.  Thomson, 

Herbert  J.  Paterson, 
•  Hon.  Secretaries. 

Royal  British  Nurses-'  Association, 
10,  Orchard  Street, 

Portman  Square,  W.  i. 

UNJUSTIFIABLE     PRESSURE. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — A 1  you  have  prophesied  is 
coming  to  pass,  and  unless  we  obey  orders  and 
join  the  College  we  are  made  to  realise  "  a  chill." 

I  am  a  Guy's  nurse  arid  received  the  letter  from 
the  Matrons  you  allude  to  last  week.  The  pressure 
I  care  nothing  about,  because  after  the  manner 
trained  nurses  have  been  treated  by  the  Red  Cross 
nothing  would  induce  me  to  join  the  College  ;  but 
it  is  shameful  that  four  Matroas  should  sign  their 
names  to  the  document  I  received  These  ladies 
foot  a  statement  which  is,  in  plain  English,  a  lie 
It  is  printed  as  the  first  reason  why  nurses  should 
join  the  College  : — 

I.  Because  the  Council  of  the  College  of  Nursing 
has  drafted  a  "  Nurses'  Registration  Bijl  "  [seven 
Bills — -the  last  more  dangerous  to  the  personal  and 
professional  liberty  of  the  Nursing  profession  than 
its  predecessors. — Ed.] — which  provides  that  the 
Register  already  formed  by  the  College  of  Nursing 
shall  be  the  first  Register  under  the  Act.  //, 
therefore,  you  a/e  on  the  College  Register  you  will, 
automatically  and  without  further  fee,  be  placed  upon 
the  State  Register  when  the  "  Nurses'  Registration 
Bill "  is  passed.  I  have  italicised  the  words  I 
consider  a  misleading  lie. 

Parliament  has  not  dealt  with  this  Bill,  nor 
agreed  to  a  College  monopoly  and  is  not  likely  to 
grant  it. 

But  thousands  of  pounds  have  been  taken  from 
nurses  by  the  College  Council'  on  this  state- 
ment. In  my  opinion  it  is  high  time  a  pubMc 
meeting  was  held  to  expose  such  indefensible 
tactics. 


Nurses  are  very  ignorant 
ments  made  by  persons  in 
The  four  Matrons  ought  to 
every  guinea  paid  by  Guy' 
they  to  pledge  Parliament  ? 
stronger  language,  only  the 
Courts  a^low  outside  their 
"  the  truth,  and  nothing  but 
A  Member  of  Guy's 


;  they  believe  state- 
authority  over  them. 

be    made  to  refund 

s  nurses.        Who  are 

I  would  use  much 

last  thing  our  Law 

sacred  precincts  is 
the  truth." 

Nurses'  League. 


KERNELS     FROM      CORRESPONDENCE. 

"  Old-Fashioned  Hospital  Nurs3  "  says  : — "  All 
the  medical  staff,  especially  the  juniors,  are 
'  chortling  in  their  joy  '  that  women  medical 
students  have  been  kept  out,  when  so  many  o'her 
London  hospitals  are  admitting  them.  At  dinner, 
sad  to  say,  this  point  of  view  was  thoroughly 
applauded  by  the  nurses.  Many  of  them  have 
worked  with  women  medicos  and  say  they  have 
absolutely  no  knowledge  of  nursing  etiquette  and 
never  observe  it.  They  all  think  and  act  as  if 
they  were  doctors  plus  nurses.     This  is  sad." 

"  District  Nurse  "  wTites  ; — "  After  the  war  the 
millennium  !  According  to  the  Leicester  Post  the 
Government  ought  to  shoulder  a  little  of  the 
burden  of  seeing  that  the  nurses  it  will  have  no 
further  use  for  shall  have  a  good  chance  of  main- 
taining therriselves  in  comfort  after  their  war 
duties  are  over. 

"  Very  nice  for  the  nurses  who  all  rushed  to 
the  front  trained  and  untrained,  but  how  about 
us  who  have  stayed  behind  '  in  the  dull,'  often 
doing  two  women's  work  so  that  the  poor  should 
not  suffer  ?  Are  we  to  pay  the  rates  and  taxes  to 
make  it  possible  for  these  ladies  to  live  in  luxury  ? 
It  is  time  novv  to  consider  the  future.  Of  course, 
the  State  should  give  generous  pensions  if  nurses 
cannot  work  ;  and  when  district  nursing  is  a 
State  service,  we  shall  be  pensioned  when  we 
have  earned  it,  too." 

REPLIES    TO    CORRESPONDENTS. 

H.  C.  Sadleir. — The  address  of  the  Central 
Mid  wives  Board  is  Queen  Anne's  Gate  Buildings, 
Westminster,  S.W.  i.  The  address  has  been  in 
the  Journal  in  the  advertisement  of  the  Board's 
Examinations,  which  appears  the  first  week  in  the 
month. 

OUR     PRIZE     COMPETITION. 

QUESTIONS. 

October  ^th. — How  doss  puerperal  septicaemia 
arise  ?  Describe  the  couise  and  management  of 
the  disease. 

October  12th.  — What  is  rabies  ?  How  is  it 
treated  and  nursed  ? 

October  igth. — Giv^ instructions  for  making  Anti- 
vermin  Underclothing  far  the  troops  ;  also  for  dis- 
infecting soldiers'  clothing  at  the  Front. 

OUR    ADVERTISERS. 

Do  not  omit  to  buy,  as  far  as  possible,  every- 
thing you  need  from  "  Our  Advertisers,"  and  to 
recommend  them  to  your  friends.  They  are  all 
first-claiss  firms. 


^o4     ^be  3Br(ti0b  3ournal  of  "Wureinc  Supplement*  ^^^/'^^^^^^^  28,  1918 


THe   Midwife. 


THE    EMPLOYMENT    OF   PREGNANT 

WOMEN  IN  Munition  factories. 

The  question  of  legislation  prohibiting  pregnant 
women  from  wage  earning  within  a  certain  time, 
both  before  and  after  their  confinements,  is  one 
which  should  be  approached  with  extreme  caution. 
Dr.  Mary  S.  Deacon,  in  a  paper  read  at  the  Oxford 
Welfare  Conference  last  month,  shows  how,  far 
from  having  a  prejudicial  effect  on  the  health  of 
the  mother,  work  is  beneficial  to  her. 

Dr.   Deacon  writes,   in  part  : — 

"  The  factory  from  which  the  following  report 
was  compiled  is  built  on  the  site  of  a  farm,  in  fiat, 
open  and  well-drained  fields  ;  there  is  an  abun- 
dance of  fresh  air  and  sunshine.  All  the  buildings 
are  very  well  ventilated  with  cross  and  end- 
to-end  through  draughts,  and  the  sanitary  and  bath 
accommodation  is  in  excess  of  the  Home  Of&ce 
requirements.  The  factory  is  particularly  well 
managed  ;  the  canteen  is  good  ;  the  factory 
clothes  are  most,  suitable  and  made  so  as  entirely 
to  cover  all  the  worker's  private  clothes. 

"  The  factory  is  situated  a  mile  from  the 
station  and  tram  terminus,  and  all  workers  have 
of  necessity  to  walk  this  mile  as  there  is  no  other 
way  of  reaching  their  work.  The  exercise  is  most 
salutary  for  them,  and  it  is  surprising  to  see  the 
difference  in  their  general  appearance  noticeable 
after  about  six  weeks'   work  with  us. 

"A  covered  way  is,  provided  alongside  the 
roadway  for  protection  in  rough  weathe" ,  and  this 
pathway  has  been  well  rolled  so  that  it  is  always 
firm  and  dry. 

"  Our  workers  are  of  the  usual  city  type — 
undersized,  badly  developed,  with  very  bad  teeth 
and  often  anaemic.  About  50  per  cent,  are  married 
and  often  these  have  their  household  duties  to 
attend  to  after  they  get  home  at  night.  In  spite 
of  these  drawbacks,  after  about  six  weeks'  work — 
and  hard  work  too — if  they  have  the  grit  to  stick 
it,  they  become  more  robust,  less  anaemic  and 
much  more  healthy-looking  in  every  way.  I  con- 
sider that  this  improvement  is  due  to  healthy 
exercise,  well-disciplined  work,  the  good  and 
abundant  food  supplied  in  the  canteen  at  moderate 
price,  and  above  all  to  the  abundance  of  fresh 
air  which  they  are  obliged  to  get  when  working  in 
this  factory.  The  fresh  air  and  hard  work  make 
them  hungry,  and  getting  good  money  they  can 
well  afford  to  obtain  sufficient  food.  During  their 
meal  hour 'they  have  amusement,  some  days  they 
dance  and  on  others  concerts  are  arranged. 
All  workers  are  medically  examined  before  being 
engaged,  and  if  found  suitable  but  with  bad  teeth 
these  are  extracted  by  the  factory  dentist  before 
work  is  actually  started. 

"  During  the  nine  months — June  1st,  191 7,  to 
February  28th,  191 8 — I  have  kept  records  with  a 
view  to  finding  out  the  elfect  of  the  work  on  any  ■ 
woman  who  may  become  pregnant.     Of  the  total 


number  of  women  workers  engaged  in  that  period 
(1,197),  575  were  married  and  622  single.  The 
married  women  have  been  brought  into  the  labour 
market  for  various  reasons.  Munitions  factories 
have  given  them  their  opportunity  and  factory 
managers  have  no  alternative  but  to  engage 
them." 

She  then  sets  out  the  nature  of  the  problem, 
and  discusses  it  from  the  point  of  view  of  efficiency, 
the  workers'  point  of  view,  and  the  question  of 
maternal   welfare. 

.The  Workers'  Point  of  View. 

In  regard  to  the  workers'  point  of  view,  Dr. 
Deacon  says  : — 

"  From  the  workers'  point  of  view  it  seems  to 
me  that  most  arguments  must  be  entirely  in 
favour  of  being  kept  on.  The  most  cogent  reasons 
are  : — 

"  [a)  The  worker  should  hot  be  turned  away 
from  work  that  she  is  quite  able  and  competent 
to  do  because  of  her  condition,  excepting  In  cases 
where  the  work  is  very  'heavy,  but  as  in  our 
factory  (and  also,  I  should  think,  in  most  other 
factories)  there  is  alternation  of  work,  and  as 
the  same  woman  may  do  various  kinds  of  work, 
some  suitable  employment  can  usually  be  found 
for  her. 

"  {b)  The  worker  will  not  be  tempted  to  take 
drugs  or  to  use  other  means  to  provoke  miscarriage 
if  she  is  free  from  the  fear  of  losing  work  where 
she  can  earn  a  good  wage,  and  being  obliged  either 
to  drop  out  of  the  labour  market  altogether  or 
to  take  on  duller  and  less  highly  paid  work  because 
she  cannot  do  without  the  money.  1  have  heard 
of  cases  in  which  the  worker,  when  dismissed  from 
a  factory  because  of  her  condition,  has,  in  order 
to  obtain  bare  necessities,  gone  rag-picking  en 
some  refuse  heap  and  got  into  such  a  bad  condition 
that  both  she  and  the  child  have  been  in  great 
danger  at  the  time  of  the  actual  confinement. 

"  (c)  If  the  worker  continues  at  her  more  highly 
paid  work  she  can  afford  to  save  money  for  the 
time  during  which  she  will  be  laid  by,  and  can 
also  probably  then  afford  to  take  a  longer  interval 
after  the  confinement,  when  the  rest  is  aU-import- 
ant  both  to  herself  and  the  child. 

"  {d)  During  the  pre-confinement  period,  if  she 
earns  good  money,  she  can  enjoy  the  better  food 
which  is  so  necessary  to  her  condition.  She 
shares  the  company  and  fellowship  of  her  com- 
panions, so  necessary  to  keep  her  cheerful,  and 
by  walking  a  mile  to  work  obtains  plenty  of 
exercise  and  fresh  air.  The  maintenance  of  the 
mother  in  a  fit  state  of  health  and  spirits  is  all- 
important  to  the  health  of  the  child  to  which  she 
is  to  give  birth.  Several  of  the  workers  are 
reported  as  never  having  felt  so  well  duiing 
former  pregnancies  or  having  had  3uch  good 
confinements  or  such  healthy  babies.  In  no 
case  has  the  actual  nature  of  their  employment 
had  the  slightest  detrimental  efiect." 


4.  AVm\^M^Jil^l^ilb^A\JKm'%JU.    JEi^a^i^^ 
EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


No.  1,592. 


SATURDAY.   OCTOBER    5,    1918. 


Vol.    LXl 


EDITORIAL. 


THE    RELATIONS    OF    WOMEN    MEDICAL 
AND    NURSING    STUDENTS. 

"  Betty  "  is  one  of  the  few  really  brilliant 
young  women  who  has  been  studying 
science,  who  is  looking  forward  to  a  medical 
career,  and  who  is  entered  for  her  hospital 
terms  at  a  medical  school  which  has  re- 
cently admitted  women  students. 

Over  the  teacups,  we  asked  "Betty" 
about  her  future  programme,  and  was  in- 
terested in  her  reply. 

"  Next  week,"  she  said,  "I  begin  my 
ward  work,  and  I  feel  a  bit  anxious  about 
it.  They  tell  me  the  Sisters  and  nurses  are 
just  horrid  to  women  students." 

"  But  surely  the  duties  of  each  aref  de- 
fined ?  "  vve  remarked. 

"  It  does  not  seem  so,"  Betty  replied. 
"  For  instance,  take  dressings — this  is 
part  of  the  work  we  are  there  to  learn— in 
the  past  the  nurses  appear  to  have  done 
most  of  them.  But  how  can  we  learn  to 
dress  wounds  unless  we  are  taught  ?  " 

"  But  surely  as  dresser  for  a  certain 
surgeon — work  for  which  a  student  pays — 
you  have  a  right  to  do  the  dressings,  and 
the  House  Surgeon  on  duty  will  teach  you 
your  work." 

"  Yes,  but  the  House  Surgeon  cannot  be 
in  every  ward  at  once,  and  he  has  only 
time  to  attend  to  the  big  dressings,  and 
then  there  are  dozens  of  other  things.  What 
is  the  etiquette  about  taking  temperatures, 
and  all  the  practical  applications  such  as 
enemas,  and  blistering  and  bandaging, 
and  bed-making — all  the  interesting  things 
appear  to  be  nursing  duties  ?  There 
seems  to  be  nothing  left  but  urine  testing, 
and  note  taking,  and  trotting  after 
the  surgeon  and  wandering  round." 

Then  we  reminded  "  Betty  "  of  the 
manual  drudgery  and  long  years  of  training 


a  woman  had  to  put  in,  to  learn  all  these 
''  interesting  things,"  and  that  as  a  Sister  it 
became  her  duty  to  impart  her  wonderful 
knowledge  to  a  succession  of  probationers 
who  would  carry  on  traditions  and  continu- 
ally increase  their  knowledge  and  skill,  and 
that  what  they  learned  and  applied  con- 
stituted the  technique  of  the  profession  of 
Nursing.  That  in  the  past,  very  few  male 
medical  students  had  thirsted  after  a  know- 
ledge of  nursing  details,  which  should 
rightly  be  included  in  their  first  year's 
clinical  curriculum,  and  in  this  lack  of 
instruction  they  have  been  deprived  of  the 
basis  of  the  practical  application  of  much 
which  constituted  sound  medical  practice.  - 
"Betty"  is  very  intelligent,  and  whilst 
grasping  these  facts  would  prefer  to  enter 
upon  her  hospital  duties  without  ambiguity. 
She  loves  peace  and  desires  to  ensue  it ; 
and  rightly  considers  someone — she  doesn't 
know  who — is  responsible  that  the  posi- 
tion of  women  medical  students,  in  so  far 
as  their  relation  to  the  Nursing  Staff  is 
concerned,  should  be  clearly  defined,  and 
friction  avoided. 

Is  Work  in  the  Wards   Defined  ? 

With  this  point  of  view  we  thoroughly 
agree,  and  we  have  addressed  the  Wardens 
of  the  Medical  Schools  which  have  recently 
admitted  women  students,  and  asked  them 
to  be  good  enough  to  furnish  us  with  a  copy 
of  the  regulations  adopted  defining  the 
curriculum  for  such  students  in  the  wards  ; 
and  to  kindly  state  if  the  trained  sisters  and 
nurses  wait  upon  and  instruct  them  in  the 
application  of  dressings  and  other  practical 
details ;  and  if  they  have  any  remuneration 
either  from  the  Medical  School  or  the 
Hospital  Board  for  these  special  duties  ? 

A  Hospital  Sister's  View. 
We  have  also  consulted   an  experienced 


2b6 


JlDc  »ritiab  3ournal  of  flurelnfl. 


October  5,  1918 


hospital  Sister  on  the  nurse's  point  of  view, 
and  here  are  a  few  of  her  conclusions  : — 

(1)  "It  is  not  exactly  a  question  of  sex, 
but,  human  nature  being  what  it  is,  the 
masculine  atmosphere  brought  into  the 
ward  by  male  students  is  wholesome  and 
counteracts  the  somewhat  narrow  environ- 
ment of  a  hospital  ward  and  life  in  a  nursing 
school.     We  are  all  the  better  for  it. 

(2)  "Young  women  are  more  industrious 
than  men  of  the  same  age.  But  they  have 
not  their  initiative  or  vitality.  They 
want  to  know  more  details,  they  require 
more  waiting  upon,  and  nurses  have  little 
time  to  spare. 

(3)  "  For  some  unknown  reason  medical 
women  take  their  professional  position  very 
seriously,  and  unfortunately  do  not  realise 
that  trained  nurses  have  any.  They  do  not 
recognise  nursing  etiquette.  They  do  not 
appear  to  realise  where  medical  duties  end, 
or  nursing  duties  begin.  Their  relations 
in  war  service  have  made  medical  women 
as  a  class  very  unpopular  with  trained 
nurses. 

(4)  "  As  usual  the  Sisters  and  nurses  do 
not  count.  The  hospitals  which  have  ad- 
mitted women  medical  students  have  done 
nothing  to  organise  the  situation  and  define 
the  duties  of  medical  and  nursing  students, 
and  of  course  no  suggestion  has  been  made 
in  the  hospital  to  remunerate  Sisters  and 
nurses,  for  teaching  medical  students  in- 
numerable practical  methods  they  should 
learn,  if  their  clinical  course  is  to  be  of  real 
value  to  them." 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITION. 


HOW  DOES  PUERPERAL  SEPTIC/EMIA  ARISE? 
DESCRIBE  THE  COURSE  AND  MANAOEMENT  OP 
THE    CASE. 

We  have  pleasure  in  awarding  the  prize  this 
week  to  Miss  Mary  D,  Hunter,  Section  Hos- 
pital, Kineton,  near  Warwick. 

PRIZE     PAPER. 

Puerperal  septicaemia  is  due  to  infection  of 
the  uterus  after  child-birth  by  streptococcus 
pyogenes — either  alone  or  with  other  organ- 
isms, especially  bacillus  coli.  The  infection  is 
brought  to  the  patient  in  two  ways  :  from 
without — namely,  on  the  hands  or  instruments 
of  the  attendant — or  it  already  pre-exists  in 
the  body.  The  uterus,  which  is  normally 
sterile,  may  be  infected  before  labour  (frequent 


vaginal  examinations  tend  to  infect),  or  the 
vagina  may  contain  active  organisms,  such  as 
gonococcus  or  streptococcus,  which  are  carried 
up  on  the  hands  or  instruments.  The  disease 
is  nearly  always  due  to  failure  of  asepsis  or 
carelessness  on  the  part  of  the  nurse  or  doctor. 
In  many  cases  there  is  retained  placenta  in  the 
uterus,  which  causes  absorption  of  septic 
material.  Failure  of  cleanliness  on  the  part  of 
the  midwife  is  often  a  means  whereby  infection 
is  carried,  faecal  stains  on  the  body  or  bed- 
clothes being-  quite  sufficient  to  induce  this, 
or  unsterile  sponges,  towels,  lubricant,  &c., 
applied  to  the  vulva.  Anyone  attending  an 
obstetrical  case  should  be  thoroughly  disin- 
fected if  they  have  been  with  an  infectious 
patient  or  had  to  lay  out  a  dead  body,  as 
infection  is  so  easily  carried  to  a  puerperal 
woman.  Prolonged  labour,  haemorrhage,  or 
albuminuria  all  favour  infection.  The  disease 
starts  with  a  rigor,  and  there  may  be 
repeated  rigors.  The  temperature  rises  sud- 
denly, usually  about  the  third  day,  but 
sometimes  earlier.  This  may  fall,  but  if  the 
pulse  remains  rapid  it  is  not  a  good  sign, 
rhe  pulse  is  very  quick,  and  becomes  weak. 
Lochia* is  offensive,  or  may  cease.  The  patient 
has  no  appetite,  and  her  tongue  soon  gets  dry 
and  brown.  At  first  there  is  often  constipation, 
but  in  the  majority  of  cases  diarrhoea  occurs 
later.  The  urine  may  contain  albumin.  De- 
lirium may  be  present,  and  in  many  instances 
rashes  appear  on  the  skin.  Great  abdominal 
distension,  insomnia,  vomiting,  or  diarrhoea  in 
the  .later  stages  foretell  a  fatal  issue.  Severe 
headache  is  generally  complained  of ;  restless- 
ness is  frequently  a  symptom. 

Septic  pneumonia  and  toxic  degeneration  of 
the  heart  or  liver  are  lesions  of  this  disease, 
the  infection  spreading  to  other  parts  of  the 
body  by  means  of  veins,  lymphatics,  and  other 
natural  channels. 

Early  treatment  is  most  essential,  and  is 
nearly  always  operative.  The  patient  is  placed 
under  an  anaesthetic,  and  the  uterus  explored 
for  retained  debris.  Curettage  is  frequently 
done.  Vaginal  douching  is  always  employed, 
and  requires  the  strictest  asepsis.  If  cathe- 
terisation  is  needed  it  must  be  done  carefully 
and  aseptically,  and  in  any  case  the  vagina 
requires  swabbii^g  whenever  the  pad  is 
changed.  Great  cleanliness  in  vaginal  examina- 
tion is  essential  as  a  preventative.  The  patient 
should  always  have  plenty  of  fresh  air,  and  no 
soiled  pads,  &c.,  should  be  allowed  to  remain 
in  the  bedroom.  To  promote  drainage  Fowler's 
position  is  useful.  Saline  injections,  either 
subcutaneously  or  per  rectum,  are  given,  and 


October  5,   1918 


^be  aerttieb  3ournal  of  flureinfl. 


2Q7 


a  fluid  diet,  which  would  be  gradually  in- 
creased. Both  the  back  and  mouth  require 
attention  every  four  hours.  If  there  is  much 
flatulence  and  abdominal  pain  or  distension  a 
turpentine  enema  gives  great  relief.  Alcohol 
and  strychnine  are  the  drugs  most  often 
ordered.  The  case  must  be  treated  with  the 
greatest  cleanliness  and  asepsis,  sterile  gloves 
being  worn  by  the  attendant,  and  all  instru- 
ments, &c.,  thoroughly  boiled.  For  insomnia, 
opium  in  some  form  is  generally  ordered  by  the 
doctor,  and  is  often  given  in  combination  with 
atropin  gr.  ttt  to  prevent  vomiting  and  depres- 
sion. 

HONOURABLE   MENTION. 

The  following  competitors  receive  honourable 
mention  : — Mrs.  Farthing,  Miss  A.  M.  Burns, 
Miss  M.  Martin,  Miss  R.  E.  S.  Cox,  Miss  C.  T. 
Gaylor,  Miss  S.  Simpson,  and  Miss  E.  Powell. 

QUESTION   FOR  NEXT    WEEK. 

What  is  rabies?  How  is  it  treated  and 
nursed  ? 


NURSING  AND  THE  WAR. 


OUR  HEROINES. 


MILITARY    MEDAL. 

We  notified  last  week  that  His  Majesty  the  King 
had  aNvarded  a  Canadian  Matron  and  five  Sisters 
the  Military  Medal  for  distinguished  services 
and  splendid  courage  under  fire  ;  we  have  pleasure 
in  giving  in  detail  the  record  of  the  special  acts  of 
gallantry  for  which  they  have  been  awarded  the 
ho",our. 

Matron  Edith  Campbell,  R.R.C,  C.A.M.C. — For 
gallantry  and  devotion  to  duty  during  an  enemy  air  raid. 
Regardless  of  personal  danger  she  attended  to  the 
wounded  Sisters,  and  by  her  personal  example  inspired 
the  Sisters  under  her  charge. 

N./Sister  Leonora  Herrington,  C.A.M.C. — For 
gallantry  and  devotion  to  duty  during  an  enemy  air 
raid.  She  remained  at  duty  the  entire  night,  and  by  her 
excellent  example  and  personal  courage  was  largely 
responsible  for  the  maintenance  of  discipline  and 
efficiency. 

N./Sister  Lottie  Urquhart,  C.A.M.C. — For  gal- 
lantry and  devotion  to  duty  during  an  enemy  air  raid, 
when  four  bombs  fell  on  her  wards.  Regardless  of 
danger  she  attended  to  the  woynded.  Her  courage  and 
devotion  were  an  inspiring  example  to  all. 

N./Sister  Janet  Mary  Williamson,  C.A.M.C. — For 
gallantry  and  devotion  to  duty  during  an  enemy  air  raid. 
When  in  charge  of  a  ward  badly  damaged,  she  displayed 
exceptional  coolness,  and,  regardless  of  personal  danger, 
sustained  her  patients  and  ensured  their  evacuation. 

N./Sister  Meta  Hodge,  C.A.M.C,  N./Sister  Eleanor 
Jean  Thompson,  C.A.M.C. — For  gallantry  and  devotion 
to  duty  during  an  enemy  air  raid.  Although  injured  by 
a  falling  beam,  these  Sisters  displayed  great  presence  of 
mind  in  extinguishing  overturned  oil  stoves,  and  later 
rendered  valuable  assistance  in  the  removal  of  patients. 


Impressive  ceremonies  commemorated^the  in- 
stallation of  the  first  "  Victory  "  syren  on  the  roof 
of  the  Evans  Building  at  Washington,  U.S.A.  The 
Victory  or  "  Angelus  "  syren' will  sound  each  day 
the  signal  for  noon-day  prayer  for  victory  for  the 
American  Army  and  the  Armies  of  the  Allies  and 
for  peace  everlasting. 

Pretty  little  Miss  Irene  Elliott  Moore  unveiled 
the  Syren — a  typical,  upstanding,  smiling  American 
beauty. 

Let  us  imagine  we  hear  that  Angelus  from  across 
the  Atlantic,  and  join  silently  in  the  petition  for 
Victory  and  Peace. 


We  often  wonder  if  the  majorty  of  people,  com- 
fortably housed  and  well  fed,  really  realise  the 
appalling  amount  of  suffering  the  men  of  the 
Allied  nations  are  daily  going  through  so  that  all 
that  makes  life  worth  living  inay  be  secured  to  us — 
and  how  many  of  us  are  worth  their  suffering  1 

Take  men  who  are  gassed  with  the  latest 
torture  chemicals  devised  by  scientific  fiends, 
then  ask  yourself — ^What  have  I  ever  done  in  life 
to  deserve  that  a  fellow  creature  should  meet  death 
in  the  terrible  form  which  thousands  have  endured 
and  are  enduring,  so  that  the  world  may  be  a  safe 
and  cosy  place  for  vvomen  to  live  in,  and  that, 
together  xvith  a  future  generatio  1  of  men,  they  may 
stand  straight  upon  their  feet  unbroken  by  tyranny 
and  crime  ?  Just  ask  you'-self  every  day — What 
have  I  done  to-day  to  deserve  it  ? 

We  know  of  brave  women  who  have  only  too 
gladly  come  to  the  rescue  and  tended  these  stricken 
men  from  the  very  earliest  days  of  the  war, 
whose  tender  hearts  can  no  longer  endure  the  sight 
of  so  much  human  agony,  and  who  feel  they  will 
never  during  life  forget  it. 

Here  we  have  a  true  picture  of  war  so  seldom 
permitted  to  appear  in  print — ^for  what  reason  we 
fail  to  fathom. 

A  Sister  writes  : — "  I  have  had  a  particularly 
hard  ten  days,  and  have  been  on  duty  from  a 
quarter  past  seven  to  nine  at  night.  We  have  had 
a  very  bad  convoy  in,  terribly  burnt,  and  with  their 
lungs  in  a  dreadful  state,  and,  in  spite  of  all  we 
could  do,  a  great  number  died  in  terrible  agony. 
We  are,  in  a  way,  unfortunate  to  be  placed  where 
so  many  of  the  relations  are  able  to  come  to  see 
their  husbands,  brothers,  or  sons,  and  one  feels  that 
in  so  many  cases  it  would  be  better  that  they 
should  not  do  so.  I  have  seen  things  here  that  I 
shall  never  be  able  to  forget,  and  long  to  prevent 
the  white-haired  parents  and  young  wives  seeing 
them  too  I 

"  I  have  the  small  wards  for  the  very  bad  cases, 
and  the  isolation-room  for  the  dying,  and  since  I 
have  been  here,  particularly  the  last  fortnight,  I 
have  felt  as  though  I  was  living  through  a  hideous 
nightmare,  with  visions  of  choking  men,  with 
blackened,  burnt  faces  being  held  down  by 
orderlies  and  attached  to  their  beds  to  prevent 


2o8 


^be  ffirittsb  3ournal  of  IRuretno. 


October  5,    1918 


them  ■fehrowing  themselves  out  of  the  window  in 
their  last  struggles  for  breath. 

"  A  great  part  of  kny  work  has  consisted  in  per- 
suading grief  and  horror-stricken  relations  to  await 
the  end  in  another  room,  to  save  them  the  pain  of 
these  tragic  scenes,  and  in  breaking  the  news  to 
others  that  may  have  arrived  too  late  to  sse  their 
dear  ones  alive." 


coloured  men  had  been  over-staying  the  time 
allowed  them  out  of  hospital.  In  consequence 
the  military  police  guard  was  redoubled  and  the 
names  and  numbers  of  late-comers  were  taken. 
Wednesday,  last  week,  a  West  Indian  sergeant, 
named  Demetrius,  attempted  to  leave  the  hospital. 
He  was  stopped,  but  immediately  drew  a  razor  and 
slashed   wildly   with  it.     He   was   disarmed   and 


Another  Sister  supplements 
this  terrible  report.  She  says  : 
"  I  am  still  working  among 
the  gassed  cases.  Very  appall- 
ing it  is  to  see  the  sufferings  of 
the  victims.  The  extent  of  the 
bums  is  hardly  explicable — 
internally  and  externally  in 
some  cases^ — ^but,  as  ever,  the 
brave,  courageous  poilu  N\ith 
never  a  murmur,  is  always 
cheerful  and  grateful  when 
conscious." 

And  again: — "During  my 
experience  of  war  nursing  (four 
years),  this  of  the  caring  for 
the  gassed  cases  is  one,  if  not 
the  most,  fatiguing  ;  there  is  a 
continued  indescribable  feeling 
of  tiredness,  lassitude,  and 
depression,  and  it  is  very  sad 
— ^very  sad — so  many  dying, 
and  the  death  so  agonising. 
And  what  to  say  to  the  poor 
heart-broken  women,  mourning 
their  sons  and  husbands." 
What,  indeed  ! 


How  one's  heart  burns  to 
read  of  such  torture  !  For 
those  who  have  caused  it  there 
must  be  just  and  adequate 
punishment,  or  there  can  be  no 
real  victory  in  this  war,  or 
future  hope  for  humanity.  We 
read  with  impatience  the 
platitudes  of  politicians  of 
alien  descent  in  the  Councils 
of  the  Nation,  and  turn  with 
relief  and  hope  to  the  robust 
mentality  and  plain  speech  of 
the  men  America  has  elected 
to  power. 


When  one  reads  of  the  death 
of  a  nurse  owing  to  a  disturb- 
ance in  a  military  hospital  by 
black  troops,  one  wonders  who 
is  responsible  for  the  discipline  of  the  institution, 
for  evidently  it  requires  twitching  up. 

An  inquest  was  held  last  week  on  the  body  of 
Nurse  McShane,  aged  40. 

Mr.  William  Henry  Taylor,  ofacer  in  charge  of 
.  Belmont  Road  Military  Auxiliary  Hospital,  Liver- 
pool, said  it  contained  black  and  white  patients, 
the    former    being    British    West    Indians.     The 


LITTLE    IRENE    ELLIOTT    MOORE     UNVEILING    THE    "VICTORY" 
SYREN     AT    WASHINQTON.    U.5.A. 


placed  in  a  cell.  Ten  late-comers,  all  West  Indians 
then  appeared.  Two  of  the  number  refused  to 
go  to  their  wards,  and,  being  joined  by  four  or 
five  other  coloured  men,  also  late-comers,  became 
very  abusive.  An  attempt  was  made  to  take 
them  to  the  cells,  and  fifty  other  West  Indians 
joined  in  the  affair,  taking  possession  of  the  police 
lodge.     Some  400  wounded  British  soldiers,  who 


October  5,   1918 


dbe  3!6rtti5b  3oumal  of  Buretnd. 


«o9 


were  at  a  concert  in  the  hospital  hall,  came  to 
the  rescue  of  the  military  police.  There  was  a 
Struggle,  in  which  crutches  and  sticks  were  freely 
used,  and  pots  and  pans  were  flying  about.  The 
police  were  reinforced  and  order  was  restored. 

Unfortunately,  Nurse  McShane,  while  helping 
another  girl,  named  White,  a  laundress,  who  had 
fainted,  vvas  caught  in  the  rush  of  men.  She  was 
carried  oS  her  feet  against  a  door  that  became 
unhinged,  and  was  knocked  down.  She  suffered 
from  shock,  but  no  severe  injuries.  Pneumonia 
developed,  and  she  died  four  da^/S  later. 
, .  After  hearing  medical  evidence  the  jury  returned 
a  verdict  of  "  Death  through  misadventure  " 


THE  ODYSSEY  OF  FRANCESCA. 


Part  III. 


{Continued  from  page  192.) 

Francesca  was  nothing  if  not  intelligent.  She 
had  had  the  foresight  to  arrange  to  have  an  uncle 
on  the  British  Headquarter  Staff,  and  as  she 
was  not  continuing  her  long  journey  up  to  the 
Serbian  front  till  the  evening,  it  was  clearly  her 
uncle's  duty  to  take  her  out  and  show  her  what 
he  could  of  Salonika. 

Francesca,  like  everyone  else,  had  heard  of  the 
Great  Fire  at  Salonika;  but  she  had  not  realised 
that  the  whole  of  the  centre  of  the  city,  down  to 
the  very  quays,  had  been  destroyed.  No  doubt 
a  finer  and  more  sanitary  city  vvill  rise  on  its  ruins 
one  day,  bat  in  the  meantim.s  little  temporary 
booths  or  bazaars  have  been  erected  every%vhere, 
and  merchants  who  are  for  the  most  part  Spanish 
Jews  do  a  roaring  trade  at  prices  which  only  a 
millionaire  or  an  up-country  officer  on  two  days' 
leave  from  the  front  could  stand.  Francesca 
particularly  admired  the  colossal  impudence  of 
some  of  these  ricketty  little  booths.  For  instance, 
a  little  wooden  shanty  with  just  room  for  one 
customer  inside  called  itself  "  Galleries  de  la 
Fayette,"  and  exhibited  in  its  tiny  lattice  window 
three  appalling  hats  at  prices  which  would  make' 
even  Paris  stare. 

Nevertheless,  Francesca  decided  that  Salonika 
is  one  of  the  Saven  Sights  of  the  world.  No  one 
who  has  not  seen  it  can  ever  imagine  the  kaleido- 
scope it  is  of  people  of  every  nationality,  jostling 
one  another  just  like  a  crowd  on  the  opera  stage. 

Francesca's  uncle  took  her  first  to  the  White 
Tower,  which  is  the  place  to  have  tea,  hear  music 
and  see  the  world. 

They  found  saats  up  in  the  gallery,  and  looked 
down  on  a  great  hall  with  hundreds  of  little  tables 
occupied  by  representatives  from  every  Allied 
Army  who  were  consuming  every  known  variety 
of  drinks.  There  were  Serb  officers,  tall,  slim  and 
good-looking,  in  khaki  or  bleu  d' horizon  and  most 
magnificent  shining  top-boots  ;  French  of  every 
type,  from  the  big  blonde  son  of  Normandy  to  the 
deep  bronze  of  the  Chasseurs  d'Afrique,  and  in 


every  kind  of  uniform,  as,  for  some  reason  known 
only  to  themselves,  no  two  French  officers  ever 
wear  the  same  dress.  Red-tabbed  British  staff- 
officers  abounded,  Italians  in  grey  green,  French 
and  English  sailors.  Colonial  troops  of  every 
description,  Albanian  soldiers  with  khaki  coats, 
British-looking  khaki  caps,  dark  blue  breeches, 
long  white  stockings,  finishing  off  at  the  feet  with 
native  shoes  having  long  curled-up  points.  Women 
were  conspicuous  by  their  absence.  The  fair  sex 
was  represented  by  a  few  bisters  and  other  workers 
from  the  various  hospitals,  a  fat  Jewess  dressed  in 
a  white  pique  skirt,  purple-brown  boots  and  a 
mauve  flowered  silk  dressing  jacket ;  and  some 
frail  beauties  from  the  half  world. 

Atter  tea  they  strolled  along  the  quay  and  watched 
picturesque  processions  out  of  the  "  Arabian 
Nights  "  passing  slowly  up  and  down  for  our  inspec- 
tion. First  came  a  grave  Turkish  gentleman  in  a 
blue  dressing-gown  and  a  red  fez,  riding  on  a  don- 
key ;  a  Greek  woman  followed  him  in  a  gorgeous 
dress  of  blue  velvet  powdered  with  gold  stars  and 
edged  with  fur,  and  a  bright  green  silk  headdress 
lined  with  puce. 

Two  ambulances  came  tearing  past,  the  first 
bearing  the  inocription  "  Presented  to  the  B.R.C.S. 
by  the  British  Residents  in  the  Hawaian  Islands." 

Greek  sailors  were  unloading  casks  of  wine  from 
Samos  out  of  the  gaily  painted  boats  moored  right 
up  to  the  quay  side,  and  slinging  them  on  to  the 
backs  of  poor  little  overloaded  mules  staggering 
under  their  weight ;  ox-carts  grinded  slowly  along 
the  road  piled  high  with  evil-smelling  hides.  Then 
came  a  Greek  funeral,  the  hearse  going  first,  with 
the  coffin  open,  showing  an  old  man,  yellow  as 
wax,  dressed  in  a  black  woollen  cardigan  coat  and 
his  bowler  hat  laid  at  the  bottom  of  the  coffin,  a 
little  open  carriage,  with  five  mourners,  in  deep 
crape,  followed  the  heprse ;  and  behind  them, 
another  carriage  contained  three  Greek  popes  in 
white  surplices  and  tall  black  hats,  who  were  going 
to  perform  the  burial  service. 

After  the  funeral,  the  wedding.  In  a  few 
minutes  another  little  carriage  appeared,  in  which 
a  British  "  Tonamy,"  grinning  from  ear  to  ear  and 
looking  more  than  a  little  sheepish,  sat  with  a 
blushing  Serbian  bride  beside  him,  a  gipsy  piper 
sitting  on  the  box  playing  a  native  dance.  Fran- 
cesca wondered  what  they  would  do  after  the  war. 
Would  Tommy  stay  out  in  this  country  and 
present  Serbia  \vith  little  Anglo-Serbs  to  add  to 
the  macSdoine  of  races  already  here,  or  would  he 
take  her  back  to  England,  where  the  customs, 
religion,  speech  and  food  are  all  strange  to  her  ? 
And  would  it  be  a  success  ?  What  a  toss-up  a 
mixed  marriage  is,  she  thought — or  any  other 
marriage  for  that  matter. 

Francesca  had  only  just  time  to  get  down  to 
the  station  for  the  night  train.  And  such  a  train  l 
Up  to  now  she  had  travelled  de  luxe  ;  for  the  first 
time  she  began  to  realise  that  she  was  getting  near 
the  front.  V.  T. 

.  (To  be  concluded.) 


aio 


Zbc  Brittsb  3ournaI  of  IRursino. 


October  5,   1918 


Ropal  BrItisD  nurses'  Hssoclatlom 


(Incorporatea  bp 


Ropal  CDarten) 


THIS   SUPPLEMENT   BEING   THE    OFFICIAL    ORGAN    OF    THE    CORPORATION. 


BUILDERS  OF  YOUR  OWN  PROFESSION 
OR  PERSIAN  KITTENS— WHICH  ? 


The  Registration  Board  meets,  for  tlae  first 
time  after  the  hohday  recess,  at  the  end  of 
the  forthcoming  week,  and  nurses  who  have 
decided  to  place  their  names  on  the  Register 
of  the  Corporation  should  send  in  their  applica- 
tions without  delay,  and  thereby  line  up  under 
the  banner  of  the  Royal  Charter  in  the  struggle 
to  set  the  profession  on  surer  foundations,  and 
to  attain  to  such  organisation  as  will  effectually 
safeguard  the  interests  of  the  nurses  and 
ensure  real  development  and  progress  for  their 
profession.  Such  development  can  never  come 
by  the  easy  paths  offered  by  patronage  and 
benevolence ;  it  can  only  come  from  within  the 
profession — ^that  is,  through  the  will  and  the 
effort  of  the  nurses  theimselves.  Unless  the 
nurses  are  prepared  to  consider  the  present 
situation  and  to  take  some  part,  however  small, 
in  looking  after  their  own  interests,  they  will 
only  have  themselves  to  blame  if  the  conditions 
under  which  they  work  continue  to  be  dictated 
more  by  the  convenience  of  the  institutions 
than  by  any  needs  and  claims  of  the  workers. 

In  a  letter,  received  just  as  we  go  to  press, 
a  very  clear-headed  and  progressive  Member 
of  the  Association  tells  of  a  call  she  had  from 
a  Member  of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.  The 
latter  lady  was  evidently  blissfully  ignorant  of 
the  actual  principles  involved  in  the  present 
controversy,  and  kept  reiterating  her  convic- 
tion that  * '  we  should  all  join  up. ' '  As  for  the 
precise  reason  for  arriving  at  this  conclusion 
she  was  quite  deliciously  nebulous,  her  prin- 
cipal argument  in  support  of  her  case  being 
"  everybody's  doing  it,"  a  statement  disproved 
by  the  existence  and  attitude  of  seven  self- 
supporting  organised  societies  of  nurses. 
Apart  from  this  inaccuracy,  however,  if  her 
particular  line  of  reasoning  were,  in  itself,  the 
correct  one  whereby  to  govern  our  lives,  we 
should  still  have  been  cave  dwellers,  with  an 


intelligence  a  little  higher  than  the  brutes.  Far 
too  many  people  are  content  that,  in  their  adult 
bodies,  they  shall  retain  but  the  child's  faculty 
for  reason  and  judigment ;  they  are  too  lazy 
to  think  ouit  .courageously  and  independently 
those  questions  which  concern  them  and  their 
fellow-workers,  but  prefer  to  take  the  line  of 
least  resistance,  to  be  mere  reflections  of  those 
in  whose  environment  they  chance  to  be.  In 
fact,  they  prefer  to  share  among  them  a  kind 
of  group  soul,  which,  at  the  present  time,  so 
far  as  nursing  questions  are  concerned,  they 
seem  to  have  handed  into  the  keeping  of  people 
outside  the  borders  of  the  profession  altogether 
— people  much  cleverer  than  themselves,  who 
long  ago  recognised  in  a  Poyal  Chartered  Cor- 
poration of  Nurses  a  prospective,  potential 
antagonist,  a  power  in  the  hands  of  the  nurses. 
It  therefore  became  their  policy  to  use  their 
influence  to  prevent  the  Association,  if  possible, 
from  adding  the  strength  of  numbers  to  the 
powers  it  had  won  in  the  Charter.  To  any 
understanding  authority,  before  which  de- 
mands might  be  laid,  there  is  a  wide  difference 
between  a  Royal  Association  of  Nurses,  incor- 
porated by  the  most  ancient  and  honourable 
form  of  incorporation,  and  a  College  of 
Nursing,  incorporated  under  the  Companies' 
Act.  The  latter  can  only  claim  to  be  a  com- 
pany started  to  deal  with  nursing  education. 
But  a  Chartered  Association  of  Nurses  implies 
something  quite  diff^erent.  It  means  a  living 
organisation,  built  up  by  the  nurses  them- 
selves, a  body  which,  were  it  hundreds  of 
thousands  strong,  could  still  move  and  act  as 
one  body.  Under  the  Great  Seal  of  the  United 
Kingdom,  the  Nurses  have  been  given  the 
powers  to  build  up  such  an  organisation,  a 
great  combined  body  to  voice  their  claims. 
Under  the  Sign  Manual  of  a  Sovereign  of  the 
Realm,  they  have  been  given  the  recognition 
and  the  authority  for  those  claims  to  be  heard 
if  they  come  forward  in  sufficient  numbers  to 
show  that  they  really  desire  progress  for  their 
profession,   better  salaries   afid    more   reason- 


October'  5,  1918 


(the  Britieb  3ournal  of  "fflursinQ. 


2H 


able  hours.  It  lies  entirely  with  the  nurses 
themselves  to  decide  whether  they  will  use  the 
powers  which  have  been  granted  to  them  by 
joining  the  Association  or  one  of  the  Organised 
Societies  affiliated  to  it. 

COMFORTS   FOR  THE    ARMY. 

An  appeal  has  appeared  recently  in  the  Press 
from  Her  Royal  Highness  the  Princess  Christian 
for  comforts  for  a  division  of  artillery  serving  at 
the  front.  Some  years  ago  the  members  signified 
their  \\dsh  to  send  work  to  Her  Royal  Highness' 
Hospital  at  Englefield  Green  and  it  has  been 
suggested  that  Members  of  the  Association  and  of 
the  Societies  afi&liated  to  it  might  like  to  help  this 
appeal  for  comforts  for  the  soldiers.  Articles 
sent  to  the  office  of  the  Association,  ic,  Orchard 
Street,  Portman  Square,  \vill  be  forwarded  to 
Her  Royal  Highness  along  with  a  list  of  the  donors. 
Mufflers,  woollen  helmets,  gloves  and  mittens  aie 
the  comforts  needed. 


A  POPULAR   MEMBER    OF   THE 
AUSTRALIAN    BRANCH. 

Miss  Mary  Bennallack  has  resigned  from 
Q.A.I.M.N.S.  and  is  awaiting  orders  for  transport 
duty  to  Australia.  Miss  Bennallack  %vas  formerly 
Secretary  of  the  Australian  Branch  of  the  Associa- 
tiop  and  was  spending  a  holiday  in  England  at  the 
outbreak  of  war.  She  was  granted  extension  of 
leave  by  her  Committee  in  order  to  take  up 
military  nursing,  and  went  to  France  in  the  early 
months  of  the  war.  In  time  it  became  impossible 
for  the  Australian  branch  to  continue  its  work 
without  a  permanent  secretary,  and  Miss  Benn- 
allack decided  to  resign  that  of&ce.  She  has  had 
very  vajried  experiences  indeed  in  the  course  of  her 
military  nursing,  and  was,  at  one  time,  seriously 
wounded  during  the  course  of  a  bombardment  by 
the  Germans.  Miss  Bennallack  has  bee  a  extremely 
popular  among  merabers  of  the  home  branch  of 
the  Association,  and  she  takes  their  sincere  good 
wishes  back  with  her  to  the  island  continent. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 

Whilst  welcoming  communications  jrom.  its 
Members  the  Corporation  does  not  hold  itself 
responsible  for  individual  expressions  of  opinion. 

THE     NATION'S    FUND     FOR     NURSES. 

To  the  Secretary,  R.B.N. A. 

Madam, — ^As  an  Irish  Nurse  I  wish  to  support 
Miss  Kelly's  protest.  I  feel  furiou'  and  ashamed 
when  I  walk  along  Whitechapel  and  see  that 
insulting  poster  everywhere.  I  consider  thit  the 
College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  is  using  the  gratitude 
of  our  patients  to  destroy  our  status  and  to  get 
money  for  their  own  purposes  and  we  will  simply 
be  reduced  to  a  condition  of  serfdom  if  they  can 
capture  the  "  debt "  which  is  due  to  us  (the 
nurses),  not  to  them.     Had  those  on  the  Council 


done  anything  for  nurses  ^n  the  past  we  might 
have  had  less  anxiety  but  it  is  they  and  they  only 
who  are  responsible  for  State  Registration  being 
too  late  to  save  us  from  the  competition  with  the 
unqualified.  There  is  another  point  of  vie\v,  too. 
Only  the  other  day  I  heard  of  a  lady  who  openly 
said  that  she  would  support  the  Nation's  Fund  as, 
if  there  were  a  National  Fund,  the  nurses  would 
require  smaller  fees.  We  .vish  to  retain  our 
independence,  to  have  just  payment  for  what  we 
do,  and  no  charity.  Please  put  my  letter  in  the 
Journal  also.  yours,  &c..  a.  E.  Good. 

CHILD     PSYCHOLOGY. 

To  the  Secretary,  R.B.N. A. 

Madam, — In  answer  to  Miss  Nash's  letter  in 
The  British  Journal  of  Nursing  of  September 
2ist,  I  should  like  1 3  thank  her  for  the  appreciation 
expressed  in  it.  I  certainly  hope  that  there  will 
be  more  articles  by  the  nurses. 

As  regards  her  question,  I  must  say  that  no 
child  I  ever  knew  was  reduced  to  the  state  of 
submission  she  suggests.  My  recommendation, 
however,  applied  especially  to  children  of  a 
"  negative "  disposition.  There  are  so  many 
points  to  be  considered  arid  different  dispositions 
require  different  methods  of  treatment;  even  when 
such  methods  are  laid  down  we  generally  find 
that  they  are  upset  by  the  suggestions  )f  the 
children  themselves — suggestions  that  are  often 
both  interesting  and  instructive  to  us  and  often 
better  suited  than  ours  for  their  particular  needs. 
As  Dr.  Saleeby  so  aptly  said  at  the  Baby  Week 
Council  Meeting,  "  Our  highest  aim  must  be  to 
Guard,  Guide  and  Teach."  One  could  really  give 
a  lecture  on  Miss  Nash's  question. 
Yours,  &c., 

Kate  C.  Atherton. 

[We  regret  that  some  letters  are  unavoidably 
held  over.] 

DONATIONS. 

To  the  Fund  for  State  Registration. — Per  Miss 
Daisy  Hobbs,  £5  5s.  ;  Dr.  Clarke,  £1  is.  ;  Mrs. 
Lawson,  £1  is.  ;  Miss  Gordon  Brown,  £1  ; 
A.  Britten,  los.  6d.  ;  Per  Miss  Spearing,  gs.  ; 
Miss  Bosworth,  5s.  ;  Miss  Mercer,  5s.  ;  Miss 
Morgan,  5s.  ;  Miss  Owen,  5s.  ;  Miss  Puley,  5s.  ; 
Miss  Crumpler,  5s.  ;  Miss  Fowler,  2s.  6d.  ;  and 
Mrs.   Moorhead,    5s. 


Copies  of  the  Royal  Charter  may  be  obtained 
from  the  Office  at  the  cost  of  is.,  or  is.  6d.  post 

free.  

Application  Forms  and  other  literature  regarding 
the  Corporation  can  be  obtained  from  the  ofi&ce  of 
the  Associatior.  The  Secretary  will  be  pleased  to 
see  any  nurses  who  wish  to  have  information 
regarding  nursing  questions,  between  the  hours 
(f  II  a.m.  and  i  p.m.,  or  by  appointment. 
(Signed)     Isabel  Macdonald, 

Secretary  to  the  Corporation. 
10,  Orchard  Street, 

Portman  Square,  W.  1 . 


213 


Zbc  35riti0b  3ournal  of  flurstng. 


October  .^y.  igtB 


THE   MATRONS'  COUNCIL    OF    GREAT 
BRITAIN  AND  IRELAND. 

A  Meeting  of  the  Matrons'  Council  of  Great 
•  Britain  and  Ireland  will  be  held,  by  the  kind 
■  invitation  of  the  President,  Miss  Heather  Bigg, 
R.R.C,  at  Charing. Cross  Hospital  on  Satur- 
day, October  19th,  at  3  p.m. 

The  President  will  be  in  the  Chair,  and 
several  questions  of  interest  appear  on  the 
Agenda  for  discussion.  The  report  of  Miss 
Helen  Pearse,  one  of  the  delegates  to  the  Meet- 
ing of  the  National  Council  of  Women  at 
Harrogate  from  October  8th  to  loth,  will  be  of 
special  interest.  Miss  Steel,  Matron  County 
Hospital,  York,  and  Miss  J.  Davies,  Matron 
Royal  Infirmary,  Bradford,  will  also  attend  the 
Conference  as  representatives  of  the  Matrons' 
Council..  |£^ 

POOR  LAW  INFIRMARY  MATRONS' 
ASSOCIATION. 

At  a  meeting,  on  September  28th,  of  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  Poor  Law  Infirmary 
Matrons'  Association,  the  following  resolution 
was  passed  : — 

"  That  the  members  of  the  P.L.I.M.A.  learn 
with  sincere  regret  of  the  retirement  of  Miss 
Stansfeld  from  the  office  of  Chief  Lady  Inspector 
of  the  Local  Government  Board.  They  wish  to 
record  their  deep  gratitude  and  appreciation  of  her 
continued  kindness  and  consideration  to  them,  not 
only  as  Matrons,  in  their  individual-  training 
schools,  but  also  as  members  of  the  P.L.I.M.A. 
Miss  Stansfeld  from  its  earliest  commencement 
has  done  all  that  was  in  her  power  to  strengthen 
and  encourage  the  Association,  and  her  support 
has  very  considerably  aided  in  its  success.  Their 
earnest  hope  is  that  Miss  Stansfeld  may  long  be 
spared  to  enjoy  the  rest  which  she  so  well 
deserves." 

The  Annual  Meeting  of  the  P.L.I.M.A.  will  be 
held  at  3  o'clock  on  Saturday,  October  26th,  at  the 
Eustace  Miles  Restaurant,  Chandos  Street,  Charing 
Cross. 

THE    ROYAL    RED    CROSS. 

The  King  decorated  the  following  ladies  with 
the  Royal  Red  Cross,  at  Buckingham  Palace,  on 
September  26th  : — 

Second  Class. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service 
Reserve. — Sister  Jane  Trotter. 

Territorial  Force  Nursing  Service, — Sister  Lavinia 
Taylor. 

Voluntary  Aid  Detachment. — Miss  Mary  Fynes- 
Clinton,  the  Lady  Arthur  Grosvenor,  and  Miss 
Margaret  Richardson. 


OUR  ROLL  OF  HONOUR. 

Full  military  honours  were  accorded  the  funeral 
of  Miss  Dorothy  Pearson  Twist,  at  Aldershot. 
Deceased  came  from  British  Columbia  to  nurse, 
and  died  at  Cambridge  Hospital  from  pneumonia. 

QUEEN   VICTORIA'S   JUBILEE 
INSTITUTE  FOR  NURSES. 

Examination  FOR  THE  Roll  of  Queen's 
Nurses,  September  iqth,   1918. 

I. — Describe  how  to  peptonise  milk  c.nd  how 
to  prepare  (a)  whey  ;  (6)  beef  tea ;  {c)  meat 
juice ;      {d)   a    saUne    injection. 

2. — ^What  conditions  would  lead  you  t  j  suspect 
in  a  pregnant  woman  (o)  gonorrhoea  ;  (b)  syphilis  ; 
and  what  advice  would  you  give  ?  What  dangers 
would   you    seek   to   avert  ? 

3. — ^What  would  you  do  if  called  into  a  case  of 
a  bad  burn,  or  scald,  in  a  child,  before  the  arrival 
of   the    doctor  ? 

4. — ^What  is  meant  by  putting  a  room  in  nursing 
order  ?  How  would  you  do  it  for  (i)  a  case  of 
pneumonia,  and  {2)  a  chronic  case  of  paralysis, 
in  a  two-roomed  house  with  two  adults  besides 
the  patient  ? 

5. — ^What  advice,  special  and  general,  would 
you  give  a  mother  whose  child  is  suffering  from 
measles  ?  What  special  precautions  should  be 
taken  as  regards  (a)  the  child  ;  (&)  the  family  ; 
(c)  the    nurse    herself  ? 

6a. — ^What  advice  would  you  give  in  order  to 
assist  a  family,  the  members  of  which  consist- 
of  (i)  a  soldier  son  blinded  in  the  war  ;  (2)  a 
phthisical  mother;  and  (3)  a  younger  child, 
aged  ten,  with  tubercular  hip  disease — the  father 
being  delicate,  can  only  work  half-time  ? 
or 

6b. — How  would  you  act  if  brought  into  contact 
with  a  case  of  child  neglect  in  your  district  ? 


Miss  Ellen  Kate  Finnemore,  Matron,  Queen 
Mary's  R.N.  Hospital,  Southend,  has  been  awarded 
the  Royal  Red  Cross,  ist  Class,  in  recognition  of 
her  valuable  services  in  connection  with  the  war. 


APPOINTMENTS. 

CHARGE  NURSE  FOR  VENEREAL  DEPARTMENT^ 

Leicester  Royal  Infirmary. — Mrs.  Burnett  has 
been  appointed  Charge  Nurse  for  the  Venereal 
Department.  She  was  trained  at  West  Bromwich 
Hospital,  and  has  been  Sister  at  the  London  Lock 
Hospital. 

LADY     NIGHT     SUPERINTENDENT. 

Belfast      Municipal     Sanatorium,       Whiteabbey. — 

Miss  Lillie  Thompson  Fitzgerald  has  been 
appointed  Lady  Night  Superintendent  She  was 
trained  at  the  Royal  Victoria  Hospital,  Belfast, 
and  has  been  Sister  at  Down  County  Infirmary, 
and  Siste--in-Charge  Belfast  Charitable  Society . ' 

SISTER. 

Queen  Mary's  Hospital  for  the  East  End, 
Stratford.— Miss  Frost  has  been,  appointed  Sister, 
She  was  trained  at  the  Royal  Hospital,  Portsmouth, 
and  has  been  Staff  Nurse  and  Temporary  Sister 
at  the  above  hospital. 


October  5,   1918 


^be  Brittsb  3ournal  of  mursiiig- 


213 


NURSING    ECHeES. 

The  Editor  wishes  to  offer  her  warmest 
thanks  for  the  very  kind  and  appreciative 
letters  received  during  the  past  week  from 
readers  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing, 
many  of  whom  have -subscribed  to  it  for  the 
whole  twenty-five  years  during  which  she  has 
been  responsible  for  its  precepts  and  policy. 
The  Editor  intends  to  keep  all  these  welcome 
billets  doux,  as  she  values'  them  most  sincerely, 
but  she  refrains  from  publishing  them,  as  they 
estimate  far  beyond  its  merit  the  work  she  has 
done — although  she  has  done  her  best ! 

The  Editor  is  still  convinced  that  the  most 
valuable  asset  a  profession  can  own  is  a  free 
professional  organ  in  the  press,  an  organ  which 
is  not  to  be  bought.  She  asks,  therefore,  as 
her  reward  that  those  nurses  who  love  freedom 
will  help  to  keep  their  Journal  alive  and  buz- 
zing. This  can  be  done  by  :  (i)  subscribing  to 
it  and  supporting  its  policy ;  (2)  influencing 
others  to  do  the  same ;  (3)  contributing  to  it, 
and  thus  increasing  its  literary  and  public 
value ;  (4)  bringing  it  to  the  notice  of  high- 
class  professional  advertisers. 

The  British  Journal  of  Nursing  has  made 
great  financial  sacrifices  for  the  professional 
principles  for  which  it  stands,  and  so  long  as 
the  present  Editor  is  in  the  Chair  these  prin- 
ciples will  be  paramount. 


workers.  We  have  no  doubt  if  the  right  type 
of  women  is  to  be  secured  for  training,  all 
the  hospitals  and  infirmaries  must  estimate 
their  services  at  an  increased  value. 

We  hope  to  hear  of  banking  accounts  and  the 
purchase  of  War  Bonds. 


We  have  had  some  very  instructive  docu- 
ments before  us  recently.  How  the  demoniacal 
psychology  of  the  Hun  has  influenced  our 
nursing  affairs  in  England  for  the  past  thirty 
years  is  almost  incredible.  Cas'h  and  craft,  of 
course !  

All  the  salaries  of  the  various  grades  of  the 
Nursing  Staff  at  Charing  Cross  Hospital  have 
been  advanced  25  per  cent.,  and  the  Commit- 
tee, Matron,  and  Nurses  are  all  to  be 
congratulated. 

At  present  Sisters  receive  per  annum  ;^45, 
rising  ;^5  annually  to  ;^55. 

Probationers — £16,  ;i(^i8,  and  ;(;20,  in  first, 
second,  and  third  years,  and  as  Staff  Nurses 
in  fourth  year's  service  ;C26. 

S^jyor  p>osts  are  remunerated  as  follows  : — 
Sister  Housekeeper,  £yo ;  Home  Sister,  j^6o ; 
Maternity  Sister,  £6^  ;  and  Night  Sister,  £^0. 
Add  25  per  cent,  to  these  salaries,  and  we  do 
not  wonder  the  Nursing  Staff  are  very  well 
satisfied. 

Board,  lodging,  washing  and  uniform  are 
also  provided,  so  that  it  will  be  seen  such 
remuneration  compares  very  favourably  with 
the    earnings    of    other    professional    women 


The  question  of  whether  the  Nurses'  Home 
at  the  Staincliffe  Poor  Law  Institution  should 
be  under  the  management  of  a  housekeej)er  or 
a  nursing  sister  was  discussed  last  week  at  a 
meeting  of  the  Dewsbury  Board  of  Guardians. 
The  Board  had  decided  to  fill  a  vacancy  by 
again  appointing  a  housekeeper,  but  the 
Infirmary  Committee  rejx>rted  that  in  conse- 
quence of  the  receipt  of  a  letter  from  the  Sisters 
they  had  interviewed  the  Superintendent  Nurse 
and  two  other  nurses,  and  after  hearing  their 
representations  they  recommended  the  Board  to 
rescind  the  previous  resolution  and  to  appoint 
a  "  home  sister." 

Mr.  C.  H.  Appleyard,  in  moving  the  adoption 
of  the  committee's  report,  said  it  was  under- 
stood that  the  unanimous  desire  of  the  seventy 
or  eighty  nurses  was  that  their  home  should  be 
controlled  by  a  Sister.  The  committee  sup- 
ported the  suggestion  because  they  believed 
that  if  it  was  accepted  a  grievance  would  ;be 
removed,  and  the  head  of  the  home  would  have 
a  better  understanding  and  more  sympathy 
with  the  nurses,  who  had  difficult  work  to  per- 
form while  on  duty,  as  often  happened,  for 
twelve  or  more  hours  at  a  stretch. 

The  two  Ossett  members  were  not  satisfied 
that  a  trained  nurse  would  be  qualified  to  under- 
take the  duties  of  a  housekeejjer. 

Mrs.  Whitling  replied  that  the  duty  of  a 
home  sister  was  to  see  that  the  cooks  and 
other  servants  did  their  work  in  such  a  way  as 
to  ensure  the  comfort  of  the  nurses.  What 
was  required  was  a  woman  of  character  to  act 
as  a  "  mother  "  to  all  the  nurses,  and  especi- 
ally to  the  younger  girls  who  had  just  left  their 
homes.  Neither  a  housekeep>er  nor  a  home 
sister  had  to  cook  or  clean,  as  some  members 
seemed  to  think. 

The  Rev.  J.  E.  Crabtree  stated  that  he  went 
to  the  committee  meeting  with  an  open  mind, 
but  after  hearing  the  matter  discussed  he 
formed  the  opinion  that  it  was  desirable  to 
appoint  a  home  sister  who  would  exercise  more 
influehce  and  secure  better  discipline  than  a 
housekeeper,  who  had  not  been  a  nurse. 

Mr.  G.  Blacker  said  up-to-date  nursing 
institutions  were  now  being  placed  under  the 
management  of  home  sisters,  and  their  appoint- 
ment had  been  recommended  by  a  lady 
inspector  of  the  Local  Government  Board. 


ai4 


^be  British  3ournal  of  'Rurelno. 


October  5,    1918 


Eventually  it  was  agreed,  on  the  proposition 
of  Mrs.  Walker,  seconded  by  Mrs.  Hirst,  to 
refer  the  matter  back  to  the  committee  until 
the  clerk  had  made  inquiries  as  to  the  practice 
at  similar  institutions. 


OUTSIDE    THE    QATES. 


We  are  glad  the  Board  is  to  give  further  con- 
sideration to  this  important  matter.  The 
Nurses'  Home  should  be  under  the  personal 
direction  of  a  trained  nurse,  if  good  discipline, 
comfort,  and  happiness  are  to  be  maintained. 
Professional  women  are  not  amenable  to  the 
control  of  a  lay  housekeeper,  whose  personal 
interests  are  often  at  variance  with  the  best 
interests  of  the  Nursing  School  arrangements 
and  domestic  comfort  of  the  staff.  At  the  same 
time  a  Home  Sister  should  have  experience  of 
domestic  science  and  be  a  trained  dietitian, 
otherwise  the  best  standard  of  economy, 
together  with  efficiency^  cannot  be  attained. 


At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Skipton  Urban 
Council  a  letter  was  read  from  Dr.  BuUough, 
the  acting  County  Medical  Officer,  stating  that 
Nurse  Grainger,  recently  appointed  health 
visitor  for  Skipton  under  a  joint  arrangement 
with  the  County  Council  and  the  local  authority, 
was  also  to  take  charge  of  the  maternity  centre 
and  clinic. 

Mr.  Farey  moved  that  the  letter  be  referred 
back,  and  characterised  the  arrangement  as  a 
deliberate  betrayal  of  the  intentions  of  the 
County  Council  and  the  Local  Health  Com- 
mittee. That  Committee  had  put  its  hand  to 
the  plough  to  suppress  and  extinguish  phthisis, 
and  they  intended-  to  carry  out  their  task. 

Mr.  Hartly  hoped  the  Council  would  support 
the  maternity  centre. 

Both  objects  are  good,  but  in  our  view  they 
must  not  be  carried  out  by  the  same  nurse  if 
justice  is  to  be  done  to  both.  A  Health  Visitor's 
primary  duty  is  visiting.  She  cannot,  there- 
fore, be  on  duty  at  the  maternity  centre  and 
clinic. 

There  is  the  added  risk  of  her  bringing  infec- 
tion to  the  clinic,  to  which  it  should  not  be 
subjected.  We  agree  with  Mr.  Jennings  that 
a  combination  of  the  two  appointments  would 
probably  end  in  the  local  authority  having  a 
nurse  in  theory  only. 


SAVE  YOUR  BOVRIL  BOTTLES. 

By  desire  of  the  Director-General  of  National 
Salvage  all  users' of  Bovril  are  requested  to  care- 
fully save  all  empty  Bovril  bottles.  The  supply 
of  Bovril  this  winter  will  largely  depend  upon  the 
care  which  the  public  take  in  returning  empty 
Bovril  bottles.' 


The  women's  section  of  the  Imperial  War 
Services  Museum  is  organising  an  exhibition  to  be 
opened  at  the  Whitechapel  Art  Gallery  on  October 
9th. 

The  Home  Of&ce  will  have  a  big  section, 
organised  by  Miss  Anderson,  chief  woman  Factory 
Inspector,  showing  the  substitution  of  women  for 
men. 

An  important  sectio^  will  be  that  devoted  to  a 
memorial  to  the  women  who  have  lost  their  lives 
on  war  service.  Their  number  is  far  greater  than 
the  ordinary  civilian  realises.  A  number  of  the 
medals  \yon  by  womeii,  which  have  been  presented 
to  the  museum,  will  be  shown,  including  Mrs. 
Harley's  Serbian  and  French  medals,  and  Dr.  Elsie 
Inglis's  Serbian  medals.  The  memorial  will  be 
draped  in  black,  and  should  prove  both  inspiring 
and  impressive. 


BOOK    OP   THE   WEEK. 


'♦THE  LOVE  OF   AN  UNKNOWN 
SOLDIER."* 

POUND     IN     A     DUa-OUT. 

Amongst  the  many  pathetic  documents  which 
have  been  produced  in  connection  with  the  war, 
none  can  make  a  more  poignant  appeal  than  the 
letters  which  are  reproduced  in  this  volume. 

Mr.  John  Lane,  who  is  the  publishef,  has  himself 
written  the  "  Explanatiofn,"  and  his  reasons  for 
publishing  the  volume. 

He  says  :  "  The  MS.  was  submitted  to  me  by 
a  young  offi.cer  from  the  Front  on  leave.  He 
explained  that  he  had  brought  with  him  from 
France  a  bundle  of  papers  which  he  had  found  in 
an  abandoned  gun  position.  There  was  no 
indication  of  the  writer's  name  or  his  unit,  and 
the  name  of  the  girl  he  loved  was  never  recorded. 
His  first  impulse  was  to  respect  the  dead  man's 
privacy  and  destroy  the  papers  ;  but  on  second 
thoughts  he  recognised  that  they  were  the  sacred 
property  of  the  woman  who  had  inspired  such 
adoration  and  courage." 

Mr.  John  Lane  goes  on  to  say  that  he  was  from^ 
the  first  impressed  with  the  literary  value  of  the 
MS.  but  "  as  I  read  on  I  became  more  and  more 
deeply  absorbed  in  its  poignant  human  import- 
ance, especially  in  its  importance  to  some  American 
girl,  who,  all  unknowingly,  had  quickened  the 
■  last  days  of  this  unknown  soldier's  life  with 
romance.  I  felt  that  she  must  be  disci^ered 
and  that  the  only  chance  of  doing  so  was  by  pub- 
lishing these  documents." 

This  "  explantaion  "  at  once  placed  on  the 
letters  the  cachet  of  their  genuine  character,  and 
we  know  beyond  doubt  that  we  are  reading  the 
outpouring  of  a  brave  and  gallant  gentleman, 
to    the   woman    he  loved  with  a  love  so  unselfish 

♦  John  Lane,  Bodley  Head. 


Tht  Bnttsh  Journal  <^  Numnn,  October  S,  1918. 


"  Science  h,  I  believe, 
nothing  but  trained  awd 
organized  common-sense, 
differing  from  the  latter 
only  as  a  veteran  may 
differ  from  a  raw  recruit: 
and  its  methods  diffe' 
from  those  of  common- 
sense  only  so  far  as  the 
Guardsman's  cut  and 
thrust  differ  from  the 
manner  in  which  a  savage 
wields  his  club." 

Professor  Huxley. 


The  Basis 
of 
Science 


BOOTS  PURE  DRUG  COMPANY  LIMITED  wish  to  draw  the 
attention  of  the  medical  profession  to  the  following  seven  scientific 
preparations.  Practitioners  who  endeavour  to  keep  abreast  of  the  times 
will  find  these  modern  antiseptics  of  superlative  value  in  general  practice. 


CHLORAMINE-T 

(p-to!u*ne-$oJlum-tulphoehloramiJe). 

Dalcin's  ideal  antiseptic,  of  wide  applicability  id 
medicine  and  surgery. 

In  bottles  of  loz..  1/2;   4oz..  3/6;  lib..  12/8 

CHLORAMINE-T  GAUZE 

In  two  strenxths.  containinK  approximately  5% 
and  3.S%  Chloramine-T.  (5%  supplied  unlets 
otherwise  specified).  This  should  be  fixed  dry 
and  subsequently  moistened,  if  necessary,  when 
in  t>oiit><>ii. 

In  scaled  pactcaKe*  only,  price  1/6  per  package, 

PROFLAVINE 

(3  6  diamino-acridinc-sulphale). 
The  improved  Flavine  derivative. 

Equal  in  antiseptic  powers  to  Acriflavin*.  and  in 
important  reitpects  superior,  being  markedly  less 
toxic  and  less  irritating.  Proflavine,  being  less 
costly  to  manufacture,  can  be  sold  at  a  substantially 
lower  price  than  Acriilavine. 

5  xram  bottle.  1/4 :  20  gram  bottle.  5/- 

HALAZONE  TABLETS. 


TABLETS  OF  CHLORAMINE-T 

One  tablet  dissolved  in  two  ounces  of  water  makes 
a  one  per  cent,  solution. 

Bottles  of  25,  8*75  ^laXn  tablets,  1/2 
»  -"^0,     „  „         ,.        2/- 

100 3/9 

One  tablet  dissolved  in  ten  ounces  of  water  makes 
a  one  per  cent   solution. 

Bottles  of  12  43'75  errain  tablets,  1/10 

CHLORAMINE-T  CREAM 

Containing  ai>proximately  one  per  cent.  Chlora- 
mine-T.  Described  and  investigated  under,  the 
name  of  Chloramine  Paste  by  Vincent  Daufresne, 
Carrel,  Hartmann  and  other*,  in  the  Journal  •/ 
Exptrimtntal  MtJicinc,   1917. 

In  Pott.    Trial  size,  9d. :  Urge  site,  2/S. 


TABLETS  OF  PROFLAVINE 

(ulilh  sodium  chloride). 

One  tablet  dissolved   in   four  fluid  ounces  sterile 
water  makes  1:1000  Proflavine   in    normal   saline. 

Bottles  of  100  tablets.  3/6 


DAKIN'S    NEW   WATER    DISINFECTANT. 
Vidm  B.M.J.,  May.  1917. 


The  action  of  Halazone  is  positive,  and  may  be  relied  upon  for  crudest  waters.  Each  tablet  is  sufficient  to 
sterilize  one  quart  of  contaminated  water,  but  in  cases  of  extreme  coatamination  a  second  tablet  may  be 
necessary.     Halazone  is  invaluable  for  those  on  active  service  overseas,  more  particularly  in  hot  climates. 

Bottle*  of  100  tablet*.  6d. 

Supplies  are  a'vailahle  .for  pretcriptiort   service  an   appllealion 
through  ar,y  of  the  ir«ncA«  •/  BOOTS  THE  CHEMISTS. 

Boots  Pure  Drug  Company  Limited 

MANUFACTURING    CHEMISTS    AND    MAKERS    OF    FINE    CHEMICALS. 
Head  Otficea:     Station  Street.  Nettiashem.        JESSE  BOOT.  Manasinc  Dir«cS*r. 


2l6 


JLbc  British  3ournal  of  "Wursing. 


October  5,   1918 


and  true  that  he  counted  his  own  happiness  as 
naught  in  the  balance.  "  So  it  is  all  over.  It 
was  only  a  dream  which  happened  in  my  brain. 
We  have  said  good-bye  -and  I  have  not  told  you. 
We  have  come  to  our  last  night ;  to-morrow  I 
return  to  the  Front,  leaving  you  almost  as  much 
a  stranger  as  when  we  met.  And  yet — yes,  I  am 
glad  I  said  nothing.  What  right  have  I,  who 
may  be  dead  within  a  month,  to  speak  to  you  of 
love  ?  To  have  done  so  would  have  been  the 
act  of  a  coward."  Then  he  sums  up  the  case 
to  himself,  "  so  that  I  may  act  strongl)'."  "If  I 
had  spoken  and  you  had  loved  me  in  return, 
what  would  have  resulted — only  suffering.  .  .  . 
you  all  the  time  would  have  been  lonely.  .  . 
Then  I  might  have  been  maimed.  I  would  not 
have  held  you  to  your  bargain  with  a  maimed 
man,  for  I  might  have  to  live  to  see  you  shudder. 
And  then,  I  may  die  in  this  war.  Who  can  tell  ? 
If  I  had  married  you,  I  should  have  stolen  your 
happiness,  and  left  you  deserted.  No,  I  am  glad 
I  did  not  speak  of  love.?' 

He  goes  on  to  describe  his  first  meeting  with 
her  in  America  : 

"  I  looked  into  your  eyes.  What  did  I  see 
there  ?  Something  haunting  that  I  shall  never 
forget.  There  you  stood,  a  tall  slim  girl,  like  a 
rosebud  on  a  stem  with  its  petals  unfolding. 
They  said  you  were  sailing  for  France  with  a 
unit  that  was  going  to  take  care  of  little  children 
in  the  devastated  district.  I  know  devastated 
districts.  I  have  helped  to  do  the  devastating. 
There  are  dead  men  mouldering  in  every  shell- 
hole.  I  couldn't  see  you  in  that  picture  ;  you, 
with  your  delicate,  fashionable  sweetness." 

Fate  decreed  that  he  should  meet  her  again  in 
Paris.  Fate  !  He  preferred  to  call  it  something 
else. 

"  Your  footstep  on  the  stairs.  A  gentle  rust- 
ling. You  were  standing  before  me  girlish  and 
friendly,  offering  me  the  frailness  of  your  hand. 
.  ,  ,  The  fun  we  had  at  the  cafe  where  we 
went  to  lunch.  Do  you  remember  that  ?  Our 
laughter  at  the  curious  people.  And  who  were 
we  that  we  should  laugh  at  others.  We  two,  who 
by  such  strange  chances  had  found  each  other 
from  all  across  the  world.  When  we  left,  it  was 
snowing  ;  not  hard,  but  in  little  puffy  flakes,  like 
jewels  that  settled  on  your  hair  and  furs.  .  .  . 
Since  you  will  never  read  this,  I  will  play  a  game. 
I  will  not  send  you  what  I  write,  but  I  will  speak 
the  truth  to  you  on  paper.  If  I  live,  perhaps 
some  day  when  war  is  over,_iyou  will  receive  all 
your  mail  at  once." 

His  last  evening  with  her.  "  How  the  evening 
hurried.  We  were  out  in  the  Boulevard  again  " 
(after  the  opera).  "  Did  you  expect  me  to  say 
anything  in  those  last  moments  ?  I  heard  myself 
talking  commonplaces  in  a  voice  which  did  not 
seem  my  own.  I  would  speak.  I  would  tell 
you.  We  talked.  It  was  too  late.  '  Good-bye,' 
you  sai(l.  '  Good-bye,'  I  repeated.  '  You  won't 
forget  to  write.'  " 

You  withdrew  your  hand  and  nodded.  Turning, 
you  ran  upstairs. 


I  wonder,  will  you  write  ?  When  I  asked  you 
to  do  so,  was  that  embarrassed  nod  of  the  head,  a 
polite  evasion  of  a  refusal  ? 

I  can  see  you  now,  as  you  ran  upstairs.  You 
didn't  look  back.  Had  you  stayed  a  moment 
longer  I  might  have  spoken  the  words  which  were 
'better  left  unsaid.     I  think  you  knew  that." 

She  does  write  to  him,  but  not  so  soon  as  his 
heart  cries  out  for  ;  but  it  comes  at  last.  "  Such 
a  jolly  letter.   So  full  of  yourself.  ..." 

"  Military  discipline  has  given  me  a  purpose — 
to  live  bravely,  dare  cheerfully,  and,  if  need  be, 
to  die  gratefully.  So  you  see  how  meeting  you 
has  upset  my  plans.  You  can't  love  a  woman 
and  not  gaze  into  the  future.  You  can't  feel  the 
need  of  her  and  be  resigned  to  die.  .  .  .  I  dreamed 
of  you  last  night.  It  was  the  first  time  this  has 
happened.  We  were  in  a  garden  full  of  sunshine 
and  roses.  You  wer£  leaning  on  my  arm.  We 
must  have  been  married  a  long  time,  for  there 
was  no  strangeness  in  our  being  together. 

"  You  were  intensely  mine  while  the  dream 
lasted,  and  then  I  awoke  to  find  myself  without 
you.  .  .  .  My  dearest,  I  want  to  hold  you  and 
say  nothing.     I  want " 

Here  the  letters  end  abruptly. 

We  feel  that  we  are  treading  on  holy  ground 
as  we  read,  almost  as  though  we  were  desecrating 
some  sacred  place. 

Will  his  "  little  American "  recognise  this 
message  from  "  her  man  "  ?  Will  it  seem  to  her 
the  "  wild,  wild  talk  "  he  feared  it  might  ?  Will 
the  agony  of  the  "  might  have  been,"  or  the  joy 
of  possessing  for  ever  this  chivalrous  love  outweigh 
in  the  balance  ?  "  Those  who  have  felt  no  pain 
have  known  no  joy."  Her  lover  has  gone  down 
into  the  silence  which  cannot  be  broken,  but  he 
has  left  her  a  record  of  tender  chivalry  which  any 
woman  would  be  proud  to  possess. 

And  yet — and  yet — ^may  she  not  echo  his  yearn- 
ing  words  :  "  What  I  want  is  to  feel  your  arms 
about  me  and  your  lips  against  my  ears,  whisper- 
ing '  Mon  petit.'  "  H.  H. 
..    ■>  ♦  » 

COMING     EVENTS. 

October  ^th. — -Irish  Nurses'  Association.  Meeting 
Executive  Committee.  34,  St.  Stephen's  Green, 
Dublin.     8  p.m. 

October  8th,  gth  and  loth. — ^National  Council  of 
Women.  Meeting  in  Harrogate.  The  Report  of 
Committee  on  the  Revision  of  the  Constitution 
will  be  submitted.     Conference. 

October  12th. — Queen  Alexandra  will  open  the 
Cavell  Memorial  Home  and  unveil  a  statue  at 
Norwich  on  the  anniversary  of  Edith  Cavell's 
execution. 


OUR     PRIZE     COMPETITION. 

QUESTIONS. 

October  12th. — ^What  is  rabies?  How  is  it 
treated  and  nursed  ? 

October  igth. — Giv;  instructions  for  making  Anti- 
vermin  Underclothing  for  the  troops  ;  also  for  dis- 
infecting soldiers'  clothing  at  the  Front. 


October  5,   1918 


XLbc  »riti9b  3ournal  of  IRurstne. 


a  17 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 


Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  for  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  be 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents. 

A  FREE  PRESS. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Editor, — ^Whilst  offering  my  warm  con- 
gratulations to  you  on  the  occasion  of  the  twenty- 
fifth  birthday  of  The  British  Journal  of 
Nursing  with  its  record  of  unswerving  service  to 
the  highest  ideals  of  the  profession,  may  I  also 
offer  a  word  of  encouragement  at  a  time  when  the 
struggle  is  perhaps  harder  than  ever  ? 

Mr.  Hilaire  Belloc,  in  his  recently  published 
book,  "  The  Free  Press,"  testifies  to  the  value  of 
independent  organs.  Writing  of  two  special 
periodicals,  he  says  : — "  We  discover  these  papers 
with  their  limited  circulation,  their  lack  of 
advertisement  subsidy,  their  restriction  to  a  com- 
paratively small  circle,  possessing  a  power  which  is 
not  only  increasing  but  has  long  been  quite  out  of 
proportion  to  their  numerical  status."  He  writes 
very  forcibly  about  the  danger  of  advertisement  to 
the  freedom  of  the  pen — a  danger  we  have  seen 
illustrated  only  too  clearly  in  the  case  of  the 
Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses.  He  believes  that  the 
antidote  to  the  advertisement-bribed  press  lies  in 
"  the  formation  of  small,  independent  organs  with 
their  increasing  influence."  "  It  is  now  clear,"  he 
says,  "  that  steady  work  in  the  exposure  of  what  is 
evil,  whatever  forces  are  brought  to  bear  against 
this  exposure,  bears  fruit." 

Had  it  not  been  for  The  British  Journal  of 
Nursing  there  would  have  been  no  voice  in  the 
public  press  to  uphold  the  cause  of  professional 
independence  and  progress. 

May  an  ever-increasing  number  of  nurses  realise 
what  this  Journal  is  doing  for  them,  and  show 
their  sense  of  indebtedness  by  supporting  it  in 
every  possible  way.  We  cannot  be  too  grateful  to 
its  Editor  for  her  clear  vision  and  courageous 
stedfastness. 

I  am,  yours  faithfully, 

E.  L.  C.  Eden. 

The  Grange,  Kingston,  Taunton. 

NOT     BEFORE     TIME. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — From  time  to  time  suggestions 
have  been  made  in  the  London  press  that  the 
Nursing  Staffs  of  civilian  Hospitals  are  not 
receiving  adequate  remuneration. 

We  think  that  these  suggestions  are,  in  part, 
justified.  The  scale  of  nursing  emoluments,  none 
too  high  before  the  war,  has  now  become  very 
inadequate. 

May  we  suggest  that  'a  Conference  of  the  Chair- 
men of  Metropolitan  Hospitals  should  meet  and 
discuss  the  whole  matter  of  emoluments,  holidays, 


and  hours  of  work?    We  think  this  would  be  the 
most  satisfactory  way  of  approaching  matters. 

Meanwhile  the  Council  of  Charing  Cross  Hos- 
pital have  awarded  an  increase  of  25  per  cent,  on 
the  salaries  of  the  Nursing  Staff  (which  are  on  a 
level  with  most  other  London  hospitals)  to  meet 
the  additional  cost  of  clothes  and  other  living 
expenses,  and  we  feel  sure  that  the  Council  will 
have  the  full  support  of  their  subscribers  in  this 
movement. 

We  beg  to  remain,  your  obedient  servants, 
(Signed)     George  Verity, 

Chairman  of  the  Council. 
Herbert  F.  Waterhouse, 

Senior  Surgeon. 
John  Tower, 

V  ice-Chairman. 
Charing  Cross  Hospital, 

Agar  Street,  Strand,  W.C.  2. 

METHOD   IN  THfeIR    MADNESS. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  bp  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — Can  you  explain  this  madness 
upon  the  part  of  the  public  for  managing  nurses  ? 
Wherever  I  go  it  is  the  same,  in  town  or  country. 
No  one  appears  to  consider  them  capable  of  arrang- 
ing their  own  affairs,  and  men  are  worse  than 
women.  I  asked  a  patronising  dame  the  other 
day  why  she  did  not  try  to  run  the  shopgirls,  or 
girl  clerks,  or  even  domestic  servants  ;  but  no, 
she  must  for  ever  be  fussing  and  dictating  to 
nurses,  and,  of  course,  they  are  all  against  a  just 
form  of  legislation,  and  whenever  the  question  is 
under  discussion  everyone  flies  into  tempers.  It 
must  be  a  form  of  mania. 
Yours  truly, 

A  District  Nurse. 

[If  nurses  were  free  to  manage  their  own  affairs 
they  would  become  a  rich  and  independent 
corporation.  This  their  powerful  employers  are 
determined  they  never  shall  be.  You  will  notice 
it  is  always  their  finances  which  must  be  so  care- 
fully kept  under  the  control  of  outsiders.  By  the 
by,  do  you  belong  to  the  R.B.N.A.,  and  have  you 
thus  proved  you  are  prepared  to  help  yourself  and 
your  colleagues  by  strong,  united  action  ?  If  not, 
join  at  once,  and  help  to  save  the  independence  of 
the  Nursing  Profession  in  the  coming  fight  for  a 
just  Registration  Bill. — Ed.] 


MANY    THINGS    MAY    HAPPEN. 

By  an  unfortunate  printer's  error  the  editorial 
replies  to  two  correspondents  were,  on  September 
2ist,  included  in  one.  The  paragraph  after  the 
word  "  impedimenta  "  in  reph  to  "  Done  Brown," 
should  be  attached,  as  it  is  this  week,  to  a  letter 
which  was  held  over.  As  is  well  known  the  Royal 
British  Nurses'  Association  only  registers  nurses 
who  hold  a  certificate  of  three  years'  general 
training,  the  error  of  appearing  to  advise  a  Proba- 
tioner to  join  the  Association  must  be  self-evident. 
—Ed. 


2lS 


Zhc  »rttt0b  3ounuil  of  l^utdinc  Supplement     October  5,  1918 

The   Midwife. 


THE    SOLILOQUY   OF    AN    UNWANTED 
BABE. 


He  never  arsted  to  come.     Bless  'is  'eart ! 

Somebody  very  big  and  large  said  that  about 
me  when  I  was  born  four  weeks  ago.  It's  the  only 
sensible  thing  I  have  heard  said  since  I  did  come 
for  certainly  I  should  never  have  'arsted  to  come, 
and  I  only  wish  I  knew  the  way  to  get  back. 

I  don't  understand  anything  here.  A  long  time 
ago  where  I  came  from  there  were  hundreds  and 
hundreds  of  little  creatures  like  me.  Some  were 
waiting  to  go  to  mummies  and  daddies  who  were 
waiting  for  them.  How  we  knew  about  that  I 
can't  tell  you,  but  we  did.  And  every  time  a 
mummy  finished  a  little  gown  or  put  another  pair 
of  boots  in  the  bottom  drawer,  her  little  baby  in 
the  "  Never  Never  Land  "  gurgled  with  delight 
because  it  knew  the  time  was  drawing  nearer  and 
nearer  when  it  would  go  to  its  own  real  live  daddy 
aaid  mummy. 

But  in  the  corner  of  "  Never  Never  Land," 
where  I  used  to  be,  the  little  babies  were  sad 
because  there  did  not  seem  to  be  any  daddy  for 
them,  and  very  often  their  mummies  did  not  want 
them  to  come. 

Why  do  people  have  little  babies  if  they  don't 
want  them  ?  Why  do  some  daddies  run  away 
and  hide,  and  often  their  mummies  run  away,  too  ? 
It  seems  very  strange,  because,  as  the  big  person 
said,  we  never  "  arsted  to  come."  They  must 
have  "  arsted  "  us  or  we  should  never  have  thought 
of  it. 

Where  my  mummy  has  gone  I  can't  tell.  She's 
gone  a  long  way  off.  I  think  I  heard  the  large 
somebody  say,  "  Well,  pore  thing,  she's  out  of  'er 
trouble  now  anyway.  She's  better  orf,  she  is. 
She's  been  treated  shameful,  she  'as." 
,  .^Well,  of  course,  I  don't  know  what  that  means  at 
all.  I  wish  she  could  have  stopped  with  me.  If 
she  is  out  of  her  troubles,  it  seems  to  me  I  am  only 
just  beginning  mine,  and  I  feel  very  small  and 
lonely. 

I  don't  know  what  place  thiais  where  I  am  ;  but 
I  heard  the  large  somebody  say  something  about 
the  workhouse  being  the  best  place  for  me,  because, 
she  Said,  "  look  at  the  price  of  milk  and  everythink, 
and  then  what  a  handful  a  baby  is.  You  can't  go 
nowhere  nor  do  nothink  with  a  baby  to  mind.  And 
the  washin'  they  makes  no  one  could  credit.  Your 
own's  bad  enough,  but  you've  got  to  put  up  with 
them  whether  you  like  it  or  not ;  but  other  people's 
kids  is  different.  Besides  there  aint  no  one  reely 
'sponsible  for  the  money." 

It's  all  very  strange.     What  did  she  mean  ? 
So  they  brought  me  here. 

There  are  no  daddies  and  mummies  here.  It's 
a  place  for  little  babies  who  haven't  got  any. 


Great,  ugly  people  come  and  look  at  us  now  and 
then.  They  are  called  "  Guardians."  Its  very 
funny  as  they  are  not  in  the  least  like  the  guardian 
angels  who  took  care  of  us  in  the  "  Never,  Never 
Land."  You  can't  imagine  anything  more 
different. 

These  "  Guardians  "  are  very,  very  old  indeed, 
and  they  say  such  silly  things.  I  suppose  they 
think  we  don't  understand,  but  we  do  and  we  peep 
through  our  cots  and  laugh  at  each  other.  Of 
course,  they  don't  see  as  they  all  weax  great  glasses 
over  their  eyes.     Our  guardian  angels  didn't. 

"  This  is  a  beautitul  nursery,"  they  say.  ."  'Ow 
much  better  off  the  children  are  'ere  than  in  their 
own  'omes."  (Silly  old  men  !)  "  And  so  beautiful 
and  clean  too." 

Its  a  great  disadvantage  not  to  be  able  to 
speak,  and  all  I  can  do  is  to  howl  when  they  poke 
their  great  fingers  in  my  soft  little  face.  What  I 
thought  was  this  (for  babies  can  think  all  sorts  of 
wise  things,  though  you  mightn't  imagine  it  to 
look  at  them)  :— 

"  Old  men,  your  nursery  has  the  right  amount  of 
cubic  air  space  ;  your  cots  are  the  latest  pattern  ; 
your  patent  food  is  expensive  ;  your  nurses  do 
their  duty,  they  feed  us  by  the  cTock,  they  wash 
us  night  and  morning,  sometimes  they  lass  the 
prettiest  of  us.  Do  you  really  think,  old  men,  that 
this  makes  up  for  not  having  a  mummy  of  your 
own,  even  if  she  is  not  a  very  tidy  or  a  very  clean 
mummy  ?  Where  I  came  from  '  one  baby  one 
mummv  '  was  the  rule.  There,  of  course,  real 
mummies  say  '  Diddums,  diddums,  my  precious,' 
to  their  babies,  and  kiss  them,  and  kiss  them,  and 
kiss  them. 

I  should  like  to  ask  these  old,  old  people,  when 
they  were  babies  (if  they  ever  were),  if  they  would 
like  to  have  worn  a  little  coarse  "  nightie  "  with 
a  blue  stripe  in  it,  and  not  the  teeniest,  teeniest 
piece  of  lace  round  the  neck — ^not  the  least  like  the 
little  things  we  used  to  watch  mummies  putting  in 
the  bottom  drawer  when  we  were  in  "  Never, 
Never  Land." 

Often  the  mummies  would  kiss  the  little  gowns 
and  sheets.  I  am  sure  no  mummie  would  kiss 
these. 

Well,  I  have  finished  my  grouse,  because  it  does 
not  seem  any  use. 

I  think  the  next  best  thing  to  having  a  mummie 
and  daddy  of  your  own  is  for  someone  else's  to 
have  you.  I  hear  it  is  sometimes  done.  Real 
mummies  often  love  lonely  little  babies  almost  as 
much  as  their  own. 

I  hope  these  old  Guardians  will  board  me  out, 
I  believe  that  is  what  they  c?ll  it.  I  would  rather 
make  mud  pies  when  I  am  older  than  be  so  dread- 
fully clean. 

H.  H. 


MMK 


WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 


EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


No.  1,593. 


SATURDAY,   OCTOBER    12,    1918. 


Vol.    LXI. 


eDITORIAL. 


A    MINISTRY     OF    HEALTH. 

Those  of  us  who"  for  years  have  been 
advocating  a  Ministry  of  Health  feel  that 
at  last  in  spite  of  "  pull  devil  pull  baker," 
public  feeling  on  this  greatest  of  national 
questions  is  apparently  to  be  taken 
into  consideration.  Prominent  politicians 
at  various  meetings  have  during  the  recess 
been  making  National  Health  a  plank  of 
their  policy,  and  we  are  informed  that  the 
Home  Affairs  Cabinet,  under  the  presidency 
of  Sir  George  Cave,  has  nearly  completed 
the  Bill  for  the  establishment  of  a  Ministry 
of  Health.  It  is  probable  that  it  will  be 
introduced  into  Parliament  after  the  re- 
sumption of  the  House  next  week,  but 
whether  any  progress  will  be  made  with  it 
depends  on  the  date  of  the  dissolution. 

If  the  General  Election  takes  place  next 
month — as  is  not  only  possible,  but  even 
probable — the  Bill  will  be,  next  to  the 
conduct  of  the  war  and  the  terms  of  peace, 
the  principal  item  in  the  Coalition's  election 
programme. 

Dr.  Addison,  the  Minister  for  Reconstruc- 
tion, when  addressing  a  meeting  of  medical 
men  at  the  Steinway  Hall,  assembled  to 
urge  the  election  of  representative  medical 
men  to  the  House  of  Commons,  remarked  : — 

"  The  point  on  which  the  nation  has 
made  up  its  mind  is  that  we  require  a 
Ministry  of  Health  to  undertake  the  whole 
responsibility  for  the  promotion  of  the 
physical  well-being  of  the  nation.  Among 
many  other  lessons,  the  war  has  taught  us 
how  much  can  be  done  in  the  prevention  of 
sickness  and  injuries.  Nothing  has  been  so 
wonderful  as  the  massing  together  of  these 
myriads  of  men  under  the  most  trying 
conditions  and  yet  without  any  serious 
outbreak  of  infectious  diseases.  We  need 
this  beneficent   supervision  in  normal  times 


for  the  gradual  improvement  of  the  national 
health  and  physique." 

"But  what,"  asked  Dr.  Addison,  *'  of  the 
great  army  of  the  C3  class  at  home  ?  Is  it 
possible  to  compute  what  these  conditions 
represent  to  the  men  themselves,  and  to  the 
nation  in  loss  of  energy,  practicability,  con- 
duct, treasure  and  happiness  ?  If  we  are  to 
reap  the  fruits  of  a  successful  fight  for 
freedom  in  secured  peace  and  progress,  we 
shall  certainly  need  the  best  effort  that  we 
are  capable  of  for  production  and  useful  life. 
But  this  army  of  C3  men  is  the  expression 
only  in  adult  life  of  other  armies  coming 
onwards  fronr  the  cradle.  Questions  affect- 
ing the  home,  workshop,  school  and  its 
systems,  personal  habits,  food,  air,  exercise, 
and  many  more,  are  involved. 

"  The  Prime  Minister  told  us  the  other 
day  that  we  could  not  expect  to  run  an  Ai 
empire  on  a  C3  population.  We  could  not 
expect  to  get  an  Ai  population  out  of  C3 
homes,  habits,  work  places,  or  conditions. 
I  suggest  to  you  that  your  vision,  experi- 
ence, and  responsibility,  not  as  individuals 
only,  but  as  an  organised  profession,  extend 
to  these  things  as  they  affect  our  public 
work,  our  laws  and  administrative  efforts." 

Mr.  Hayes  Fisher,  the  President  of  the 
Local  (Jovernment  Board,  speaking  on 
Public  Health  at  Sheffield,  was  not  too 
optimistic  on  the  subject.  He  said  we 
should  be  faced  with  a  terrible  shortage  of 
doctors,  nurses,  and  midwives — and  especi- 
ally we  were  likely  to  be  short  of  well- 
trained  physicians  and  surgeons  for  some 
years  after  the  war.  This  was  a  problem 
that  must  be  tackled. 

Well !  let  us  tackle  it.  If  conditions  are 
fair,  the  nurses  and  the  midwives  will  not 
be  wanting.  Let  us  remember  that  thou- 
sands of  women  now  employed  in  war  work 
must  find  a  new  sphere  for  their  energies 
when  war  ceases,  and  blessed  Peace  is  ours 
once  more. 


220 


Cbe  36rtti9b  3ournal  of  IRurstno. 


October  12,  1918 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITION. 


WHAT    IS     RABIES?    HOW     IS     IT    TREATED    AND 
NURSED? 

We  have  pleasure  in  awarding  the  prize  this 
week  to  Miss  E.  A.  Noblett,  2nd  Northern 
General  Hospital,  Leeds. 

PRIZE     HAPER. 

Rabies — hydrophobia,  an  acute  specific  dis- 
ease due  to  the  inoculation  of  a  specific  virus  in 
rabid  animals. 

The  disease  is  almost  invariably  contracted 
from  the  bite  of  a  rabid  animal,  usually  the 
dog-;  but  the  cat,  wolf,  and  fox  niay  also 
transmit  it.  The  virus  is  in  the  saliva,  which 
may  be  infective  for  a  day  or  two  before 
symptoms  have  developed.  By  no  means  all 
who  are  bitten  are  affected ;  wounds  on  un- 
covered parts  are  far  more  dangerous  than 
wounds  through  clothing.  Bites  on  the  face 
lead  to  specially  acute  symptoms. 

Since  the  Muzzling  Order  of  Mr.  Walter 
Long,  the  disease  has  become  extinct  in  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland  for  several  years.  Recently 
cases  of  rabies  in  dogs  have  developed  in  Corn- 
Avall,  and  further  development  of  the  disease  is 
being  prevented. 

The  average  incubation  period  is  from  six 
weeks  to  two  months.  It  may  be  as  short  as  a 
fortnight  or  as  long  as  three  months. 

The  main  feature  of  rabies  is  hypersemia  and 
congestion  of  the  central  nervous  system. 
There  is  also  congestion  of  the  pharynx,  oeso- 
phagus, and  stomach. 

Symptoms. — The  wound  by  which  the  poison 
was  introduced,  as  a  rule,  rapidly  heals,  and  for 
a  time  nothing  happens  to  attract  the  patient's 
attention  to  the  scar.  In  about  six  to  eight 
weeks  or  so,  the  scar  may  become  painful  and 
nervous  disturbances  manifest  themselves.  The 
patient  becomes  sleepless,  peevish,  irritable, 
and  experiences  a  choking  sensation  about  the 
throat.  When  the  disease  is  fully  developed 
there  are  intense  muscular  spasms,  the  respira- 
tory muscles  and  those  of  deglutition  being 
specially  involved.  The  features  may  be  hor- 
ribly contorted  or  wear  an  aspect  of  extreme 
terror ;  the  saliva  is  not  swallowed,  and  as  it 
collects  in  the  mouth,  along  with  thick  mucus 
from  the  congested  fauces,  it  causes  noisy 
attempts  at  ejection,  attended  with  great 
difficulty. 

The  face  is  usually  flushed  or  livid  during  the 
attacks,  and  there  may  be  raving  delirium, 
delusions,  and  hallucinations.  It  should  be 
noted  that,  though  the  patient  is  very  thirsty, 


he  is  afraid  to  drink,  as  any  attempt  at  swallow- 
ing brings  on  the  spasms  at  once ;  even  the 
sound  of  running  water  will  excite  the  attacks. 
After  two  or  three  days  the  patient  may  pass 
into  the  "  paralytic  stage,"  which,  however,  is 
more  common  'n  animals.  He  generally  dies 
of  exhaustion  in  from  two  to  ten  days  after  the 
development  of  the  characteristic  symptoms. 

Treatment. — The  bitten  person  or  a  by- 
stander should  at  once  suck  the  wound,  and,  if 
practicable,  ligature  the  part  above  the  injury. 
The  wound  should  be  cleansed  and  cauterised 
as  soon  as  possible.  The  Pasteur  treatment 
should  be  commenced  whenever  it  is  ascertained 
that  the  dog  was  rabid.  It  is  practically  certain 
to  prevent  the  disease  if  begun  within  a  week  of 
the  bite. 

When  the  disease  is  developed,  treatment  is 
merely  palliative.  Morphia  and  chloroform  for 
the  spasm,  and  cocaine  to  diminish  the  sensi- 
tiveness of  the  throat,  are  the  best  remedies. 

Pasteur's  Method. — The  virus  is  intensified 
by  passage  through  a  series  of  rabbits  until  a 
maximum  degree  of  virulence  is  reached  (virus 
fixe).  The  spinal  cords  of  such  rabbits  gradu- 
ally lose  their  toxic  property  by  drying,  and 
after  fourteen  days  are  no  longer  toxic.  The 
virulence  is  in  inverse  proportion  to  the  length 
of  the  exposure.  Pasteur's  treatment  consists 
in  the  injection  of  an  emulsion  of  spinal  cord 
thus  prepared,  beginning  with  a  cord  which 
has  been  exposed  for  fourteen  days,  next  day 
using  one  which  has  been  less  attenuated,  and 
so  on  until  a  cord  dried  for  only  three  days  is 
used.  In  ordinary  cases  it  takes  nine  days  to 
reach  this  strength,  and  the  treatment  con- 
tinues till  the  fifteenth  day.  When  the  incuba- 
tion is  likely  to  be  short,  as  in  bites  about  the 
head  and  face,  an  "  intensive  "  treatment  is 
employed.  The  details  vary  somewhat  in  dif- 
ferent institutions,  but  the  result  is  the  same; 
the  patient  is  rendered  'mmune  during  the 
incubation  period,  and  rabies  does  not  develop. 
The  treatment  bears  the  same  relation  to 
hydrophobia  as  vaccination  does  to  smallpox  in 
those  who  have  been  exposed  to  infection. 

An  anti-rabic  serum  has  also  been  used  pro- 
phylactically,  but  does  not  replace  the  Pasteur 
method. 

HONOURABLE   MENTION. 

The  following  competitors  receive  honourable 
mention  :— Miss  R.  E.  S.  Cox,  Miss  S.  Wild, 
Mrs.  Farthing,  Miss  K.  Jones,  and  Miss  M. 
Fuller. 

OUBSTION   FOR   NEXT    WEEK. 

Give  instructions  for  making  anti-vermin 
underclothing  for  the  troops  ;  also  for  disinfect- 
ing soldiers'  clothing  at  the  Front. 


Opt&lierz\2yi<^iS 


Zbt  Brttt0b  3ournal  of  flureinfi/ 


331 


CARE    OF    THE    WOUNDED. 


",Our'Day,"  in  support  of  the  Red  Cross  work, 
will  be  celebrated  on  October  24th,  and  workers  at 
street  sales  and  collections,  at  stalls  and  depots 
and  in  every  department  are  urgently  wa.nted. 
Those  who  can  help  should  offer  their  services  to 
Miss  C.  May  Beeman,  10,  West  Bolton  Gardens, 
S.W.  5.  The  expenditure  of  the  Joint  War 
Committee  now  amounts  to  ;^ioo,ooo  a  week,  and 
it  hopes. for  a  million  from  London. 


wards,  operating  theatres,  and  X-ray  installation, 
situated  in  the  mountains  north  of  Vodena,  is  re- 
ceiving the  wounded  of  the  Jugo-Slav  divisions  to 
which  it  is  attached.  A  new  transport  camp  has 
quite  recently  been  established  still  closer  to  the 
fighting  line,  and  from  the  camp,  which  serves  as 
an  advance  dressing-station,  and  from  the  main 
camp  the  motor  ambulances  are  doing  heavy,  and 
indispensable  work. 


V.A.D*   STRETCHER    BEARERS. 

The  members  of  the  Auxiliary  Committee  of 
the  Y.M.C.A.  will  be  grateful  to  receive  gifts  of 
footballs  and  football  outfits  for  the  men  at  the 
Base  Camps  in  France,  also  any  kind  of  indoor 
or  outdoor  games  will  be  very  acceptable.  ■ 

Gifts  of  money  and  in  kind  should  be  addressed 
to  Princess  Helena  Victoria,  74,  South  Audley 
Street,  W.  Envelopes  should  be  marked  "  Base 
Camps  Fund,  Y.M.C.A."  andj  inquiries  made  [,to 
the  Hon.  Secretary  at  the  same  address. 


The  King  has  granted  unrestricted  permission 
to  Miss"^Jessie'Anne  Scott,  M.D.,  Ch.B.,  P.P.H-, 
,  to  twear"^  the  '  Insignia  of  the^  Fourth 
Class  of  the  Order  of  St.  Sava,  conferred 
upon  her  by  his  Majesty  the  King  of 
Serbia,  in  recognition  of  her  services  as 
surgeon  at  the  Scottish  Women's- Hospital 
at  Ostrovo,  _____ 

All  United  States  soldiers,  sailors,  and 
civil  employees  who  die  in-  France  will  be 
buried  in  France  until  the  end  of  the  war, 
when  the  bodies  will  be  brought  back  to 
the  United  States  for  final  interment. 

IThe  lovely  cemetery  at  Arlington,  near 
Washington,  where  the  soldiers'  who  fell 
in  the  Civil  War  lie  side  by  side,  each 
little  headstone  numbered,  may  well  be 
taken  as  a  model  for  the  God's  Acre  of 
American  soldiers  who  have  died  for  the 
liberty  of  the  world. 

Thanks  to  the  energy  of  the  American 
Red  Cross  organisation  at  Shanghai,  a 
complete  hospital  unit;  consisting  of 
thirty-four  doctors,  and  full  equipment 
sufiicient  for  150  beds  has  been  formed. 
The  hospital  has  left  for  Vladivostock  en 
route  for  the  Volga  Front. 

We  learn  "  Barts "  has  been  in  a 
"  whirl,"  as  it  was  suddenly  decided  to 
open  all  the  top  wards,  which  have  been 
closed  owing  to  raids.  Abemethy,  Lucas 
and  Ophthalmic  are  to  be  given  up  fcr 
the  care  of  wounded  soldiers,  as  well 
as  the  present  block  devoted  to  them. 
It  is  right  the  premier  Royal  Hospital 
should  be  of  the  utmost  service  to  the 
men  who  have  probably  helped  to  save 
it  from  destruction. 


Owing  to  the  scarcity  of  men,  the  women 
members  of  the  Cornwall  V.A.D.  have  taken  up 
the  duty  of  stretcher  bearers  for  the  cot  cases  at 
the  Royal  Naval  Auxiliary  Hospital,  Truro,  and 
their  services  have  been  greatly  appreciated. 


P&The  Elsie  Inglis  Unit  of  the  Scottish  Women's 
Hospital  participated  in  the  victorious  Franco- 
Serb  offensive.     The  hospital  camp,jwith  its  tent 


LYSOL,     LTD. 

Owing  to  the  shortage  of  coal  the  supply  of 
Lysol  bottles  has  been  cut  down,  and  the  fefm  has 
been  asked  by  the  Ministry  of  Munitions  to 
endeavour  to  recover  these  bottles  Will  ovtr 
readers,  many  of  whom  use  Lysol,  return  their 
bottles  to  their  chemist,  who  will  make  an  aUoV- 
ance  for  them. 


233 


(Tbc  Britisb  Journal  of  Tluretno. 


October  12,  1918 


FRENCH  FUQ  NURSING  CORPS. 


For  the  first  time  for  two  years,  Miss  E.  J. 
Haswe'l  has  been  home  on  holiday.  She  returned 
to  Paris  on  Monday.  To  have  lived  and  worked 
in  Paris  during  the  past  year,  what  with  avians 
and  "  Big  Bertha  "  continually  disturbing  one's 
equilibrium,  and  to  remain  calm,  is  no  small  feat 
of  nerve  power.  * 

E 

Miss  Kathleen  Bellamy,  R.N.S.,  cert.  Fulham 
Infirmary,  has  joined  the  Corps  and  left  for 
France   on   Saturday,   October   5th. 

Miss  Phyllis  M.  Cartmell,  cert.  Western  Infir- 
mary, Glasgow,  will  leave  for  France  at  the  end 
of  the  week. 


Sister  Claudia  Gaudin,  who  did  such  excellent 
work  at  Epernay,  is  now  Madame  Blanche,  and 
we  gather  from  a  little  gold-edged  card  that  her 
home  is  at  Rue  Saint  Nicolas,  La  Fert6  Bernard, 
Sarthe,  Jersey.  Many  years  of  happiness  to 
Monsieur  and  Madame. 


Another  letter  brings  us  the  news  from  Bayeux 
that  Madame  Jamard  [nee  Hendrie)  is  the  "  proud 
and  happy  mother  of  a  fine  baby  boy."  This 
first  Franco-British  grandson  of  the  Corps  weighed 
9  lbs.  at  birth,  and  is  each  day  gaining  in  weight. 
He  must  have  a  christening  present  from  the 
F.F.N.C.  Congratulations  to  "  proud  and  happy  " 
parents. 

"  For  weeks  I  have  made  attempts  at  writing 
to  you  but  the  time  was  wanting.  Since  leaving 
N.  on  August  13th,  we  have  had  four  moves  ; 
we  seem  to  live  on  the  road  in  more  ways  than 
one.  But  then  the  Hun  has  also  moved  so 
quickly ;  it  has  taken  us  all  our  time  to  keep 
up  with  him.  We  arrived  here  three  days  ago, 
eight  days  after  the  departure  of  the  Hun  des- 
tructors. Nothing  can  describe  to  you  the  utter 
ruin  he  leaves  behind  in  each  town  and  village. 
It  is  simply  appalling.  One  specially  destructed 
town  we  came  through  smelled  strongly  still  of 
burning.  We  have  lived  in  many  queer  places, 
one  more  shattered  than  the  next.  Our  present 
abode  certainly  has  four  walls ;  and,  after  all, 
that  is  a  great  deal  to  expect  these  days.  All  the 
mains  d''^uvres  available  has  been  put  on,  to  trv 
and  get  us  a  roof  on,  and  we  have  had  two  nights 
of  heavy  storm  without  much  roof.  We  just 
cover  all  we  can  with  rubber  sheeting.  I  am 
one  of  the  fortunate  ones  to  possess  a  sleeping-bag 
and  I  bless  the  donor  each  night,  as  once  inside 
my  bag,  what  matter  what  happens  outside  it. 
The  water  poured  heavily  all  round  and  on  me 
last  night,  but  being  dog  tired  after  a  pretty 
heavy  day  I  slept  ir  spite  of  everything.  We 
have  had  a  very  busy  and  very  interesting  time. 
You  would  be  more  than  amused  could  you 
have  seen  us  visiting  the  abandoned  trenches  in 


search  of  furniture  and  utensils,  and  you  would 
be  surprised  at  the  wonderful  finds  we  made — 
enamel   ware   of   all  kinds,   arm  chairs,   cooking 
stoves,  pails,  &c.    As  to  war  souvenirs,  of  course 
far  more  than  we  could  possibly  take  with  us. 
Coming  across  the  battlefields  of  just — one  might 
say — a  few  days  ago,  you  come  across  wonderful 
things.     The  Bosches,  having  had  to  retreat  so 
quickly,  the  whole  place  is   swarming   with  his 
material.    Bosches'  hospitals  just  left  everything 
and  we  are  making  use  of  a  good  deal  of  their 
stores.     I  have   even  a  sterilising  drum  of  his. 
But    there    is    no    use    denying    their  ingenuity. 
We  have  come  across  string  and  rope  made  of 
paper,  paper  bandages  and  dressings  ;   even  their 
mattresses  were  co\ered  with  a  canvas  material 
made  of  paper.   Our  advance  is  going  on  well  with 
comparatively  few  casualties  and   a   good  many 
prisoners.    We  are  as  near  as  we  can  be    and  do 
the  sorting  out  of  patients.     The  wounded  come 
to   us   direcHy   from   the   paste   de   secours    (field 
dressing  station),  and  we  evacuate  to  the  other 
centres,    keeping    only    those    who    are    too    bad 
to  go  on.     Oh  !    but  we  do  need  so  many  things 
urgently,  and  wish  there  was  some  way  of  getting 
Supplies  sent  us  by  post.     I  am  sending  you  a  list 
and  hope  you  can  help  us  by  asking  Mme.  de  la 
Panouse,  who  has  always  been  so  good  in  helping 
us  with  supplies.     I  am  marking  one  list  urgent 
and  the  other  for  things  which  we  need  very  much 
but  can  wait  for.    We  hav?  never  left  this  ambu- 
lance, but  when  we  left  N.   our  Surgeons  were 
sent  as  special  equipes  to  help,  and  as  we  belong 
to  the  surgeons  we  go  where  they  go  and  work 
with  them.     So  the  ambulance,  even  while  it  is  en 
repas,  does  not  give  rest  to  its  surgeons.   Naturally, 
it  makes  it  very  interesting  for  us  and  we  have 
plenty  of  good  work  all  the  time.     I  was  asked  to 
assist    our    senior  surgeon    with    his    operations 
at  the  last  place  we  were  at,  as  it  gave  an  extra 
equipe.     Then  I  am  running  between  the  operating 
room  and  sterilizing  room.  There  is  always  plenty 
of    work    for    everyone." 


A   VISION. 


We  have '_  received  so  many  expressions  of 
appreciation  of  the  verse  headed  "  A  Vision," 
by  C.  B.  M.,  which  appeared  on  the  14th  Sept., 
that  it  has  been  republished  in  card  form.  Those 
bereaved  by  the  loss  of  dear  ones  in  battle,  to 
whom  it  has  been  sent,  are  greatly  comforted  by 
the  beauty  and  feeling  of  the  lines.  ^         f 

The  cards,  price  3d.,  can  be  obtained  from 
Manager,  B.J.N.  Of&ce,  431,  Oxford_  Street, 
London,  W.  i. 

OUR   ROLL   OF    HONOUR. 
NURSING    SERVICE. 

Died. 

Bailey,  Mrs.  W.,  V.A.D. 

TowNSEND,  St.-Nurse  M.,  Q.A.I.M.N.S.R. 


October  i2,   1918 


^be  Briti9b  3ournal  of  "Rursina. 


aa3 


THE  ODYSSEY  OF  FRANCESCA. 


(Concluded  from  page  209.) 

It  was  a  long  go  )ds  train,  taking  up  food,  forage, 
and  ammunition  for  the  troops.  Apparently,  as 
an  afterthought,  a  passenger  coach  was  attached, 
composed  of  six  unclean  carriages  with  narrow 
wooden  seats  and  a  half  partition  between  each 
two  carriages,  over  which  one  could  easily  step. 
No  lights  were  provided  by  the  railway  company, 
but  Francesca  had  a  candle  and  matches,  and  as 
the  train  went  off  she  lighted  up  and  had  a  look 
at  her  fellow-travellers.  They  were  all  soldiers 
returning  to  the  front — one  Negro,  ore  Serb,  and 
the  rest  French  colonial  soldiers.  Being  Christmas 
Eve  they  had  already  drunk  liberally  o^'  that  which 
gladdens   the   heart   of   mai,    and   had   brought 


UNFRIENDLY  LOOKING    TENTS. 

several  bottles  of  wine  with  them,  so  Francesca 
looked  forward  to  a  lively  night.  It  was  cold, 
for  there  were  no  panes  of  glass  in  the  windows, 
and  one  of  the  carriage  doors  flew  open  every 
quarter  of  an  hour  all  night. 

Before  long  the  big  Negro  and  one  of  the  French 
soldiers  Degan  to  have  a  furious  quarrel  and 
Francesca  feared  that  blood  would  be  shed,  for  the 
Negro  was  much  more  than  three  parts  drunk  b> 
tnis  time,  and  v\ith  threats  and  curses  he  bran- 
dished a  long  and  evil  knife,  and  certainly  looked 
as  though  he  proposed  to  ■  use  it. 

The  Serb  soldier  was  a  peacemaker,  and  at  last 
persuaded  them  to  sit  down,  while  Francesca 
tried  to  propitiate  them  with  offerings  of  oranges. 
It  was  long  before  they  were  quiet,  but  at  last 
most  of  them  went  to  sleep  in  horribly  cramped 
positions,  and  Francesca  looked  out  of  the  window 
at  the  new  world  she  was  going  through.     It  was 


a  glorious  night — still  and  cold  and  nearly  as  light 
as  day.  The  train  meandered  slowly  past  desolate 
stretches  of  bare  rock  and  wide  lonely  plains 
where  the  moon  shone  down  on  gentle-faced 
bearded  shepherds  watching  their  flocks,  as  they 
did  on  that  other  Christmas  night  so  long  ago. 

After  a  time  the  ground  grew  hilly  and  broken 
and  they  began  to  climb  slowly  up  a  steep  gradient. 
Then  a  long  stop,  and  an  extra  engine  was  put  on 
and  they  began  to  climb  mountains  which  seemed 
as  steep  as  the  side  of  a  house,  panting  up  hills 
painfully  and  slowly  through  steep  rocky  defiles, 
short  tunnels,  over  bridges  and  viaducts  and  deep 
dark  chasms  with  valleys  fjur  below.  It  grew  very 
cold  as  they  climbed  up,  but  it  was  wilder  and 
more  beautiful  than  anything  Francesca  had  ever 
seen  before.  Once  the  train  stopped  for  a  long 
time  and  Francesca  could  see  a  town  standing  on 
a  cliff,  with  slender  white 
minarets  gleaming  in  the 
mooplight. 

About  six  in  the  morning 
the  train  stopped  m  a  wide 
valley,  a  small  shed  along- 
side the  railway  the  only 
sign  of  civilisation.  The 
Serb  soldier  yawned  and 
stretched  himself,  looked  at 
Francesca  and  finally  said 
"  Voici,  madame,  c'est  la 
gare  Moharrem."  There  was 
no  sign  of  life,  but  he  helped 
Francesca  out  with  her 
luggage,  and  the  train  went 
on  and  left  her  sitting  on 
her  kit-bag  beside  the  railway 
line,  wondering  what  to  do 
next.  A  Greek  brigand,  who 
is  station  master  and  every- 
thing else  combined,  ap- 
peared at  last  from  nowhere 
and  made  her  understcmd 
that  she  must  go  over  to  the 
hospital  camp,  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour's  walk, 
and  he  wot;'d  take  ^care  of  her  things  mean- 
while. 

And  then  poor  Francesca  had  qualms  as  she 
walked  in  the  cold  grey  dawn  towaids  seme 
unfriendly-looking  tents  which  she  saw  in  Ihe 
distance.  She  was  sleepy  and  tired  and  cold  ar.d 
early  morning-ish,  and  the  glamour  of  the  night 
had  departed.  Suddenly  she  felt  better.  A 
large  red  sun  rose  slowly  and  deliberately,  and 
illumined  a  fairy  white  camp  with  thin  blue  curls 
of  smoke  rising  lazily  into  the  air,  suggesting 
breakfast  among  other  nice  things.  Behind  Ite 
tents  she  saw  tiers  of  mountains  capped  with  snow 
at  the  top,  and  swathed  with  lilac  mist  lower  down 
and  in  front  were  piled  masses  of  rocks  and  hills 
of  every  colour — saffron,  ochre,  sage  green  ai.d 
burnt  siena.  The  bluest  lake  Francesca  ever  saw 
lay  at  her  feet. 
f\At  the  very  entrance  to  the  camp  a  sheep  \\as 


iJ4 


JLY)e  »riti6b  3ournal  of  "Wurslno. 


October  12,   1918 


grazing  with'a  magpie  sitting  on  his  back,  darting 
his  beak  into  the  sheep's  curls  to  find  his  breakfast 
and^then  putting  his  head  back  and  gobbling  it 
down  with  a  self-satisfied  air.  "  Surely  one 
magpie  means  luck,"  remembered  Francesca,  and 
took  it  as  a  good  augury  for  her  future  work. 

The  End.  V.  T- 


ROYAL  BRITISH  NURSES' ASSOCIATION. 


NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 


Hospital  Huns. 

Several  of  the  nurses  at  a  military  hospital  in 
South-East  London  have  resigned  because  of  the 
insulting  behaviour  of  some  of  the  Hun  wounded 
who  have  recently  been  admitted.  Is  it  not  high 
time  (asks  the  lay  press)  that  the  Huns  in  our 
hospitals  were  looked  after  by  male  nurses  ? 

Any  way,  it  is  time  the  silly  sentimentalism  of 
some  women  nurses  was  put  down  by  the  authori- 
ties. A  trained  nurse  can  do  her  duty  when 
nursing  the  enemy  without  undue  gush,  which 
these  barbarians  do  not  understand,  and  we  do 
not  wonder  nurses  resign  when  they  are  expected 
to  pamper  men  whose  one  aim  in  existence  is  to 
trample  upon  every  decent  instinct  we  possess. 


How  Terrible  the  Cost. 

"  We  have  been  very  busy  up  to  now.  We  have 
sixteen  beds  reserved  for  complicated  head 
injuries,  and  this  ward  alone  keeps  us  busy.  They 
are  terrible  cases,  •  Three  have  had  tracheotomy 
done  in  addition  to  head  injuries,  some  are  blind, 
some  are  deaf,  and  there  is  hardly  a  man  who  can 
sp3ak.  Oar  poor  mutilated  men  !  One  of  my  poor 
msn  cried  this  morning  because  he  cannot  re- 
member his  own  name — 'memory  completely  gone. 

"  Victory  will  come,  but,  alas  !  how  terrible  the 
cost !  " 


Precautions  Necessary. 

Owing  to  the  numerous  cases  of  dysentery  in 
Paris ^and  the  suburbs,  the  Prefect  of  Police  has 
ssued  a  notice  to  the  public  recommending  that 
all  milk  should  be  boiled,  no  ice  taken  in  drinks, 
no"]vegetables  or  fruit  eaten  raw,  the  hands  washed 
carefully  before  eating,  and  flies  kept  from  the 
food. 

These  precautions  are  very  necessary,  and 
nurses  should  try  and  have  them  carried  out. 


Anti-Influenza  Serum. 

Tests  with^an  anti-influenza  serum,  which  have 
been  conducted  at  several  American  Army  canton- 
ments, are  reported  to  have  given  excellent  results. 
Enough  serum  is  now  being  produced  to  inoculate 
50,000  patients  daily.  It  is  said  to  be  specially 
potent  in  preventing  cases  of  influenza  from 
developing  into  pneumonia. 


ONE     DAY'S     CONFERENCE. 

The  Royal  British  Nurses'  Association  will 
hold  a  one  day's  Conference  on  Thursday, 
November  7th,  at  the  Medical  Society's 
Rooms,  II,  Chandos  Street,  Cavendish 
Square,  W.,  opening  at  3  p.m.  The  meeting 
will  adjourn  for  tea,  and  then  hold  an  evening 
session. 

The  raison  d'etre  of  the  meeting  is  to  explain 
to  members  and  others  the  difference  between 
the  two  Nurses'  Registration  Bills  drafted  by 
the  Central  Committee  and  the  College  of 
Nursing,  Ltd.,  and  the  reasons  why  the  Royal 
Corporation  is  not  in  accord  with  the  College. 
Four  speakers  in  short  addresses  will  compare 
the  provisions  of  the  Bills  from  the  point  of 
view  of  a  doctor,  matron,  nurse,  and  member 
of  the  public. 

The  programme  of  the  Conference  will 
appear  in  the  official  Supplement  of  the 
R.B.N. A.  next  week. 


NURSES'  MISSIONARY  LEAGUE. 


The  Autumn  Reunion  of  the  Nurses'  Missionary 
League,  held  on  October  2nd,  was  the  occaision 
of  much  happy  friendly  intercourse  between 
nurses  from  a  number  of  X^ondon  hospitals  and 
representatives  of  various  other  branches  of  the 
nursing  profession.  Although  there  were  oppor- 
tunities for  conversation  during  the  interval 
in  the  morning  and  before  the  evening  session, 
the  special  occasion  for  this  was  in  the  afternoon; 
when  those  present  gathered  round  the  little 
tea-tables  and  the  three  kind  hostesses — ^Mrs. 
Drummond  Robinson,  Miss  Bennett  (Matron, 
Metropolitan  Hospital),  and  Miss  Jolly  (Matron-in- 
Chief,  R.A.F.  Nursing  Service)— did  so  much  to 
make  all  feel  thoroughly  at  home.  Then  the  hum 
of  friendly  talk  only  died  down  when  the  three 
short  addresses  were  given  and  when  Miss  Bruce 
Knight  sang  her  beautiful  renderings  of  "  Mine 
Eyes  have  seen  the  Glory  of  the  Coming  of  the 
Lord,"  "  Oh  !  Rest  in  the  Lord,"  and  other 
songs. 

The  morning  session  was  largely  devotional  in 
character,  the  Rev.  R.  C.  Gillie  giving  an  inspiring 
opening  address  on  the  need  for  spiritual  re- 
adjustment— ^readjustment  towards  God  in  the 
matters  of  sin  and  of  sensitiveness  to  His  will 
and  call,  and  readjustment  towards  men,  so  as 
to  be  able  to  live  in  healthy  fellowship  with  all 
with  whom  we  live  and  work.  The  two  subsequent 
addresses,  by  the  same  speaker,  dealt  with  the 
Bible  first  as  a  progressive  record  of  God's  self- 
disclosure  to  man,  and  secondly  as  a  record  of 
man's  response  to  God. 


October  12,   1918 


ZTbc  IBritteb  3ournal  of  IRurstno, 


i225 


V  The  chief  features  in  the  recent  work  of  the 
Nurses'  Missionary  League  were  described  in  the 
afternoon  by  Miss  J.  Macfee,  and  in  the  evening 
by  Miss  H.  Y.  Richardson.  They  told  of  greater 
activity  than  ever  before,  greater  interest  in  the 
hospitals,  and  increased  numbers  not  only  of 
members  but  of  enquiries  about  work  in  the 
mission  field.  Two  members — ^Miss  Grist  and 
Miss  Dawson-Wilkes — ^had  sailed  during  the 
summer  for  Africa  ;  sixteen  members  had  recently 
been  able  to  return  to  their  stations  in  various 
parts  of  the  mission-field ;  and  twenty -two 
members  were  waiting  to  go  out  as  recruits  as 
soon  as  permission  could  be  obtained.  Both 
these  speakers — and  also  Major  McAdam  Eccles, 
M.S.,  F.R.C.S.,  R.A.M.C.  (T.),  chairman  of  the 
evening  meeting — dwelt  upon  the  great  need  and 
the  many  openings  there  will  be  for  nurses  in 
distant  lands  when  the  war  is  over  and  "  demo- 
bilization "    takes  place. 

Although  there  were  no  nurses  among  the 
speakers,  the  plea  for  nurses  in  far-off  lands  was 
perhaps  more  forcibly  voiced  by '  Miss  C.  Sharp 
(of  Sarawak)  and  Miss  Baker  (of  Uganda),  both  of 
whom,  though  untrained,  had  been  forced  into 
doing  a  nurse's  work  abroad.  Miss  Sharp  told 
of  jthe  mother  of  three  days  who  lay  on  bare 
planks  in  a  small  smelly  room — ^the  best  "  hos- 
pital "  the  place  could  boast ;  of  the  little  child 
dying  of  small  pox  in  the  midst  of  her  family  ; 
of  another  little  child  once  thought  to  be  deaf 
and  dumb  and  covered  with  sores  and  bruises, 
but  now  cured  and  a  helper  in  the  school  ;  of  the 
woman  dying  and  holding  her  hards  when  all  her 
relatives  fled.  Each  one  she  had  tried  to  help — 
she,  a  teacher — and,  as  she  said,  "  I  apologize  to 
you  for  doing  it,  but  you  were  not  there  to  do 
it  for  them  !  "  And  Miss  Baker  told  of  her  station, 
with  a  population  of  half-a-million,  with  no 
doctor,  no  nurse,  and  how  on  itinerating  tours 
as  many  as  a  hundred  a  day  would  crowd  round 
seeking  physical  help,  and  dependent  upon  her 
and  her  few  simple  drugs  for  all  the  help  they 
CO  aid  get.  Often  the  only  way  to  reach  them 
is  by  giving  bodily  aid,  and  the  opportunities 
before  a  nurse  in  these  knds  are  incalculable. 
Miss  Baker  struck  a  deeply  impressive  note  as  she 
dwelt  upon  the  text,  "  Except  a  corn  of  wheat 
fall  into  the  ground  and  die  it  abideth  alone  "  ; 
and  a  similar  note  was  also  sounded  in  the  closing 
addresses  of  the  afternoon  and  evening  gatherings, 
when  Miss  Ellis  spoke  of  the  great  and  glorious 
task  that  lies  before  those  who  have  known  the 
Light ;  and  Archdeacon  Sharp  dwelt  upon  the 
response  of  men  and  women  to  the  challenge  of 
the  Kingdom  of  God. 


NATIONAL  UNION  OF  TRAINED  NURSES. 


Secretary  of  the  Union.  Miss  C.  A.  Little,  Super- 
intendent of  the  Hull  Trained  Nurses'  Association, 
presided,  and,  in  the  course  of  a  telling  speech 
dwelt  on  the  fact  that  the  most  important  steps 
taken  in  the  direction  of  organisation  was  taken 
twenty-five  years  ago,  when  they,  in  the  face  of 
strong  opposition  and  nobly  supported  by  H.R.H. 
Princess  Christian,  obtained  for  the  British 
Nurses'  Association  the  Royal  Charter  with  which 
Association  the  National  Union  of.  Trained  Nurses 
was  afl&liated.  Miss  Rimmer,  in  the  course  of  her 
address,  outlined  some  of  the  National  schemes  for 
reconstruction,  as  shown  in  the  new  Education 
Bill,  the  proposed  Ministry  of  Health,  Infant 
Welfare  Work,  &c.,  and  emphasised  the  need  for 
reconstruction  in  the  nursing  profession,  and 
claimed  that  this  could  only  be  efficiently  secured 
by  the  united  efforts  of  the  nurses  themselves.  In 
order  to  do  this  there  must  be  self -organised 
societies  with  freedom  of  criticism,  because,  even 
when  the  much-needed  State  Registration  Bill  was 
passed,  the  administration  of  the  law  would  be  of 
great  importaics.  This  principle,  she  said,  was 
.  embodied  in  the  State  Registration  Bill  promoted 
by  the  Central  Committee  for  State  Registration 
for  Nurses,  which  J;iad  federated  all  the  Trained 
Nursing  Societies  which  had  promored  the  organi- 
sation of  Nursing  by  the  State,  and  which  would 
continue  their  progressive  work  for  "registered 
nurses.''  Miss  Rimmer  took  exception  to  the 
autocratic  bill  proposed  by  the  College  of  Nursing, 
Ltd.,  particularly  to  their  provision  for  the  keeping 
of  Supplementary  registers  of  special  and  par- 
tially-trained ijurses  which  would  entirely  nullify 
the  value  of  the  register  of  the  fully-trained  nurse. 


We  learn  that  Miss  Rimmer 's  \'isit  to  Hull  was 
greatly  appreciated,  and  that  she  has  left  behind 
her  much  sound  information,  which  should  be  pro- 
ductive of  action  in  support  of  professional  and 
free- organisation  amongst  nurses  in  Hull — uncon- 
trolled by  lay  interference  and  social  patronage. 


THE    COLLEGE    OF     NURSING,    LTD. 


There  was  a  large  and  representative  gathering 
of  jthe  nursing  profession  in  and  around  Hull  at  a 
meeting  held  on  October  5th,  at  the  Swanland 
Club,   to   meet   Miss   Rimmer,   Hon.    Organising 


PERSONAL    RESPONSIBILITY    A    DUTY 

It  has  been  decided  to  form  a  "  London  Centre  " 
of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  and  Miss  Biggar, 
Sister  St.  Thomas'  Hospital,  has  been  appointed 
Hon.  Secretarj  .  There  should  now  be  no  excuse 
for  nurse  members  failing  to  have  placed  in  their 
hands  :  (i)  A  copy  of  the  Constitutior,  an  agree- 
ment to  conform  to  which  the  majority  have 
signed  without  seeing  it ;  (2)  A  copy  of  the  Registra- 
tion Bill  promoted  by  the  College,  concerning 
which  they  have  never  been  consulted.  We  call 
upon  them  to  have  this  Bill  explained  to  them, 
not  only  by  their  officials  who  drafted  it  but  by 
members  of  the  Central  Committee  for  State 
Registration  of  Nurses,  which  prcmoted  legislative 
reform  for  nurses  and  drafted  a  just  Bill,  when 
most  of  the  College  Council  were  actively  opposing 


226 


Zbc  ffirittab  Journal  of  "Wursina. 


October  12,   1918 


State  Registration,  as  they  have  done  for  years. 
We  hope,  therefore,  that  Miss  Biggar  and  the 
secretciries  of  local  centres  wiU  distribute  copies 
and  explanations  of  the  Constitution  of  the  Com- 
pany, and  make  it  quite  plain  that  a  nurse  mem- 
ber's name  can  be  removed  from  the  Register, 
and  herself  from  membership,  in  spite  of  her  cash 
payments  "  as  the  Council  may  in  its  discretion 
think  proper  "   without  any  right  of  appeal. 

This  autocratic  assumption  of  power  places 
the  nurse  in  a  most  defenceless  position  ;  for  she 
practically  agrees  to  be  accused,  tried,  judged, 
and  condemned,  without  the  right  to  defend 
herself. 

All  the  ladies  who  have  taken  office  in  connec- 
tion with  the  London  Centre  must  be  called  upon 
to  state  whether  or  no  they  are  in  favour  of  this 
type  of  tyranny.  Those  Matrons  on  the  Council 
have  condoned  it,  even  if  they  were  not  consulted 
before  it  was  in  print. 

The  Secretary,  Miss  Rundle,  has  publicly 
expressed  approval  of  the  Council  having  the 
power  (which  this  Clause  gives  them)  to  luin  a 
nurse's  professional  career  without  giving  her  the. 
right  to  defend  herself. 

Our  reason  for  requiring  ^urse  members  of 
the  College  to  study  and  know  something  about 
their  own  affairs  is  that  even  if,  through  apathy, 
they  are  willing  to  sell  their  birthright  of  profes- 
sional status  for  a  mess  of  pottage,  we  are 
strongly  opposed  to  their  selling  ours. 


APPOINTMENTS. 


MATRON. 

Royal  Victoria  Hospitai,  Dover. — ^Miss  Gertrude 
Vergette  has  been  appointed  Matron.  She  was 
trained  at  St.  Bartholomew's  Hospital,  certificated 
in  1905,  and  has  been  associated  with  the  hospital 
for  sixteen  years.  Miss  Vergette  has  for  some 
years  been' Sister  of  the  Massage  Department,  and 
has  worked  unceasingly  and  with  wonderful 
success  during  the  war  in  the  Soldiers'  Block.||. 

Bath  War  Hospital.— Miss  Maud  E.  Tate  has 
been  appointed  Matron  of  the  Bath  War  Hospitals 
in  Succession  to  Miss  A.  B.  Hill  (resigned).  Miss 
Tate  possesses  the  1914  ribbon  and  the  Serbian 
Order  of  St.  Sava. 

A8SISTANTHMATRON. 

Miss  F.  C.  Wallen,  Assistant  Matron  of  the 
Islington  Poor- Law  Infirmary,  who  has  discharged 
the  duties  of  Matron  of  the  Infirmary  for  the  past 
six  months,  has  been  appointed  permanently  to 
the  post  of  Matron. 

NIGHT     SISTER. 

*Duinfrie8      and      Galloway     Royal      Infirmary. — 

Miss  Jean  W.  Wightman  has  been  appointed 
Night  Sister.  She  was  trained  at  the  Barrow-in- 
Furness  Hospital  ;  and  has  been  Sister  at  the 
Deaconess  Hospital,  Edinburgh ;  and  Night 
Sister  at  the  Royal  Infirmary,  Perth. 


QUEEN     VICTORIA'S      JUBILEE    INSTITUTE. 

Transfers  and  Appointments. 
Miss  Caroline  R.  Sowden  is  appointed  to  Dews- 
bury  as  Senior  Nurse ;  Miss  Edith  Addis  is 
appointed  to  Jewish  Maternity  and  Sick  Room 
Helps  Society  ;  Miss  Beatrice  Avery,  to  Manchester 
(Salford)  ;  Miss  Minnie  Deverill,  to  Coventry  ;  Miss 
Alice  M.  Hopkinson,  to  Tottenham  ;  Miss  Edith  M. 
Symons,  to  Plaistow  ;  Miss  Elizabeth  A.  Thornley, 
to  Accrington. 

1   m   I 

A   LOSS   TO    BARTHOLOMEW'S 
HOSPITAL. 

The  appointment  of  Miss  Gertrude  Vergette 
to  the  Matronship  of  the  Royal  Victoria  Hospital, 
Dover,  proves  the  acumen  of  the  Committee  of 
that  institution,  but  will  be  a  very  serious  loss  to 
St.    Bartholomew's    Hospital. 

Miss  Vergette  is  one  of  the  "  old  sort."  By 
that  we  mean  a  woman  devoted  to  duty  and 
highly  efficient  in  every  detail  of  work  she  under- 
takes. In  temperament,  kind,  bright,  helpful, 
endowed  with  common  sense  and  the  courage  of 
her  own  opinions,  she  is  just  the  type  of  woman 
whose  influence  is  of  the  greatest  value  in  a 
Nursing  School.  We  wish  her  the  success  she 
deserves'  in  her  future  position,  where  we  feel 
Sure  she  will  use  all  her  best  endeavours  for 
the  benefit  of  the  hospital  and  the  Nursing  Staff. 

SISTER    TUTORS.. 

The  Committee  of  the  Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses 
have  established  in  connection  with  the  College  of 
Nursing,  Ltd.,  three  scholarships  ior  training  sister 
tutors  at  King's  College  for  Women,  London  Uni- 
versity, of  ;^io5  each.  The  successful  candidates 
are  : 

Miss  M.  E.  Abram,  assistant  matron.  Royal 
Infirmary,  Huddersfield ;  Miss  D.  E.  Bannon, 
sister  surgical  ward,  and  Miss  D.  M.  Edgell,  night 
charge  sister,  maternity  ward,  both  St.  Thomas's 
Hospital,  London. 

The  Nation's  Nurses  have  no  control  over  this 
War  Charity  Fund  raised  in  their  name. 

MY    LITTLE    IRISH    NURSE. 

She  came  to  me  so  cheery — ^kind, 

Her  steps  so  swift  and  light. 
Her  strong,  warm  hands  drove  fceir  away, 

And  soothed  me'  in  the  night. 
Her  voice  is  like  the  whisperings 

The  angels  send  to  earth. 
Her  presence  is  a  peace — a  rest — 

My  little  Irish  nurse  ! 

Her  dark  eyes  hold  a  Faith  that  looks 

From  a  soul  God  knows  is  His. 
Life's  daily  task  fulfil  a  round 

Of  beauty,  mirroring  this. 
O,  Service — sacred  gift  to  heal 

An  aching  universe  ! 
'Tis  hands  like  yours  lift  the  cooling  draught. 

My  little  Irish  nurse  ! 
In  the  Pacific  Coast  Journal  of  Nursing. 


October   12,   1918 


(the  3BrUi9b  3ourual  ot  'Rursmo. 


227 


NURSING    ECHOES. 

Major  Chappie,  M.P.,  apd  Mr.  Morris,  the 
House  Governor  of  the  London  Hospital,  are 
doing  good  serv'ce  towards  the  economic 
emancipation  of  trained  nurses  by  their  corre- 
spondence in  the  press.  The  arguments  for  and 
against  the  exploitation  of  London.  Hospital 
nurses  have  been  inserted  in  this  Journal  for 
the  past  twenty-five  years,  so  we  need  not  allude 
to  it  further  than  to  commend  Dr.  Chappie's 
sound  arguments,  and  to  ask  Mr.  Morris  how 
he  would  enjoy  being  compelled  to  refund  to  the 
Hospital  half  his  salary  in  support  of  the 
charity  !  Of  course,  "  Members  of  the  London 
Hospital  Nursing  Staff  "  write  in  support  of 
serfdom  •  they  always  do,  and  in  their  ignorant 
self-sufficiency  they  appear  entirely  devoid  of 
any  sense  of  justice  to  the  public,  their  col- 
leagues, or  themselves. 

But,  as  we  have  remarked  elsewhere,  so  long 
as  degrading  conditions  only  harm  pversons  who 
prefer  them,  well  and  good,  but  when  they 
injure  one's  neighbour,  as  the  depreciation  of 
our  three  years'  standard  of  training,  and  the 
competition  of  semi-trained  nurses  in  private 
practice  do,  that  is  the  reason  such  conditions 
should  not  be  tolerated  by  the  public  or  by  the 
nursing  profession. 


It  is  rumoured  that  a  Private  Nursing  De- 
partment is  going  to  be  started  at  St.  Thomas' 
Hospital.  So  far  St.  Thomas'  has  been  content 
to  charge  fees  for  training,  which  in  our  opinion 
is  quite  justifiable,  and  has  held  aloof — ^as  surely 
Miss  Nightingale  would  wish  it  to  do — from 
exploiting  its  trained  Nurses.  Let  us  hope  if 
that  rumour  is  true  that  the  private  staff  will 
work  on  the  co-operative  system,  as  the  day  has 
gone  by  when  hospital  governors  can  make  a 
cent,  per  cent,  profit  on  nursing  laibour,  as  at 
the  London  Hospital,  without  the  severest 
criticism  and  condemnation.  That  the  Hon. 
Sir  Arthur  Stanley  should  have  promoted  the 
commercialism  of  Nightingale  Nurses  is  almost 
incredible  after  all  the  College  protestations 
that  it  is  out  for  the  economic  benefit  of  the 
Nursing  Profession. 

We  hear  many  "  Nightingales  "  are  strongly 
opposed  to  the  new  departure,  as  unworthy  of 
their  School,  and  calculated  to  affect  its 
prestige. 

Nursing  Schools  should  discourage  any 
scheme  which  curtails  the  freedom  of  individual 
private  practice  after  certification.  A  few  more 
hospital  Nurse-Farms  on  London  lines,  and  free 
private  practice,  whereby  trained  nurses  take 
the  fees   they   have   earned,   will  "be   rendered 


impossible,  as  medical  men  educated  at  hos- 
pitals which  run  them  are  greatly  influenced  to 
support  the  finances  of  their  Alma  Mater  by 
employing  nurses  attached  to  its  Private  Nurs- 
ing Department. 

But  as  so  many  "  Nightingales  "  have  been 
urged  to  join  the  College,  and  have  signed  an 
Agreement  whereby  their  names  can  be  re- 
moved from  the  Register  of  the  Council — 
without  any  power  of  appeal — a  Council  on 
which  the  Tireasurer,,  a  lay  rnember  of  the 
Nightingale  Committee,  the  Matron,  and .  a 
member  of  the  medical  staff  have  seats — we 
fear  their  objections  are  not  likely  to  have  much 
weight. 


King  Edward  Order  of  Nurses  in  South 
Africa  is  doing  good  work  as  far  as  possible 
in  these  difficult  times,  and  as  the  result  of  a 
discussion  at  the  last  annual  meeting  the 
Trained  Nurses'  Association  has  suggested  to 
Lady  Buxton  that  the  good  work  the  Order  has 
already  done  might  be  greatly  increased  if 
special  centres  weie  established  to  train  nurses 
already  qualified  in  the  duties  of  district  nurs- 
ing. The  work  is  pne  for  which  very  special 
qualifications  are  necessary,  and  the  T.N.A. 
suggests  that  a  Training  Centre  should  be 
established  by  the  Order  in  Cape  Town  of 
Johannesburg  (or  both),  where  applicants  for 
district  work,  who  must  possess  qualifications 
for  general  nursing  and  midwifery,  should 
receive  six  months'  special  training  in  the 
duties  of  a  district  nu  se,  and  at  the  same  time 
study  for  the  certificate, of  the  Sanitary  Insti- 
tute, which  she  should  be  compelled  to  take. 

We  hope  to  hear  this  scheme  has  material- 
ised. We  are  always  pleased  to  note  Trained 
Nurses'  Associations  offering  expert  advice, 
especially  when  they  demand  high  and  compre- 
hensive standards  of  training.  During  the  war, 
what  with  the  interference  of  one  ignoramus 
and  another,  and  the  f  ubserviency  of  those  who 
should  stand  firm  for  efficiency,  we  often 
wonder  if,  when  peace  comes,  such  a  thing  as 
j:killed  nursing  will  be  found  to  exist. 


Berths  Coutemache,  a  nurse  at  the  Grey 
Nunnery  Hospital  at  Montreal,  who  posed  as  a 
heroine  in  rescuing  two  children  at  the  fire  in 
which  65  infants  perished  and  the  lives  of 
wounded  soldiers  were  threatened  on  February 
14th,  has  been  arrested. 

She  has  confessed  that  she  set  fire  to  the 
convent  deliberately  by  burning  newspapers  in 
a  cupboard.  A  month  later  she  again  set  fire 
to  the  place,  causing  a  small  outbreak,  which 
led  to  her  arrest. 


228 


JLbc  Britiab  Journal  of  Burstna.         October  12,  1918 


BOOK    OF  THE   WEEK. 


"  UP     AND     DOWN."  * 

We  must  congratulate  Mr.  E.  F.  Benson  on 
having  abandoned  his  well-worn  themes  of 
prosperous  villadom  and  country  rectory  and  giving 
us  instead  a  book  that  is  more  worthy  of  his  pen, 
and  which  savours  more  of  the  writings  of  his 
brother,  the  late  Monsignor  Benson. 

"  Up  and  Down  "  takes  the  form  of  an  inter- 
mittent diary  between  May,  191 4,  to  April,  191 7, 
but  it  is  not  primarily  a  war  novel.  Perhaps  it  is 
hardly  correct  to  call  it  a  novel  at  all.  It  has 
little  to  do  with  love  in  the  popular  sense,  but  it 
deals  with  the  deep,  close  friendship  of  two  men — 
the  writer  and  one  Francis — ^and  for  the  rest  it 
■is  chiefly  about  Italy,  the  attraction  of  which  is 
charmingly  described. 

"  Francis  has  been  an  exceedingly  wise  person 
in  his  conduct  of  life.  Some  fifteen  years  ago  he 
ssttled,  much  to  the  dismay  of  his  uncle,  who 
thought  that  all  gentlemen  were  stockbrokers, 
that  he  liked  Italy  much  better  than  any  other 
country  in  the  world. 

Having  come  across  the  Bay  of  Naples  for  the 
inside  of  a  day,  he  telegraphed  to  the  hotel  for 
his  luggage  and  stopped  a  month.  After  a  brief 
absence  in  England,  feverish  with  interviews,  he 
proceeded  to  stop  here  for  a  year,  and  when  that 
year  was  over  to  stop  here  permanently.  In 
course  of  time  he  inveigled  the  writer  to  share 
with  him  the  Villa  Tiberiana.  "  It  was  too  big 
for  him  alone,  but  if  I  felt  inclined  to  go  shares  in 
the  rent  we  might  take  it  together.  So  when  a 
fortnight  ago  I  returned  here,  I  made  my  return 
home  not  to  Italy  alone  but  to  my  home  in  Italy." 
They  had  some  charming  times,  these  two  boon 
companions,  in  making  their  newly-acquired  villa 
already  described  as  an  "  amiable  dwelling,"  a 
home  after  their  own  heart.  It  is  Mr.  Benson's 
charm  that  he  can  portray  the  little  happenings 
in  such  an  attractively  descriptive  manner. 

"  This  island  life  is  the  busiest  sort  of  existence, 
though  a  stockbroker  would  say  it  was  the  easiest 
and  in  consequence  these  social  efforts  give  one 
a  sense  of  rush  I  have  never  felt  in  London.  The 
whole  of  the  morning  is  taken  up  with  bathing, 
and  on  the  way  up  you  call  at  the  post  office  for 
papers  and  letters.  The  letters  it  is  impossible  to 
answer  immediately,  since  there  is  so  much  to  do 
and  the  pile  on  my  table  grows  steadily,  waiting 
for  a  wet  day. 

After  lunch  you  read  the  papers.  Then  you 
have  a  good  siesta,  and  so  on  till,  as  natural  in  the 
country,  you  go  to  bed  early,  and  behold  it  is 
to-morrow  almost  before  you  knew  it  is  to-day. 

Francis  asserts  that  he  does  an  immense  quantity 
of  work  in  the  winter.     "  I  dare  say  that  is  so." 

The  approach  of  the  sirocco  broke  up  the 
dolce  far  niente  of  this  attractive  state  of  things. 

"  Pasqualino  banged  down  the  maccaroni  on 
the  table  and  spilled  the  wine  and  frowned  and 


♦  By     E. 
London.) 


F.     Benson.     (Hutchinson    &    Co., 


shrugged  till  Francis  told  him  abruptly  to  mend 
his  manners,  or  let  Seraphino  serve  us,  on  which 
for  a  moment  the  sunny  Italian  child  looked  out 
from  the  clouds  and  begged  pardon  and  said  it 
was  not  he  but  the  cursed  sirocco.  And  then, 
following  en  the  cloud  in  the  sky  that  had  spread 
so  quickly  over  the  heavens,  came  the  second 
cloud. 

"  Francis  had  just  opened  the  Italian  paper  and 
gave  one  glance  at  it.  "  Horrible  thing,"  he  said 
"  The  heir  to  the  Austrian  throne  and  his  wife 
have  been  murdered  at  Serajevo.  Where  is 
Sarajevo  ?     Pass  the  mustard,  please." 

Francis  is  glad  he  is  a  denationalised  indi- 
vidual. "  If  I  have  a  motherland  at  rll,  it  is  this 
beloved  stepmother  land. 

Damnable  as  I  think  war  is,   I  think  I  could 
fight  for  her  if  any  one  slapped  her  lovely  face." 
But  when  the  real  need  came,  Francis  was  true 
to  England. 

"  It's  really  such  a  relief  to  find  that  I  didn't 
cling  to  what  I  had  ;  I  was  always  afraid  I  might 
when  it  came  to  the  point.     But  it  wasn't  the 
least  effort  to  give  it  up,  all  that  secure  quiet  life  ; 
the  effort  would  have  been  not  to  give  it  up." 
"  And  when  the  war  is  over  ?  "  I  asked. 
"  Why,  naturally,  I  shall  go  back  to  Alatri  by 
the  earliest  possible  train,  and  continue  thii  king." 
Francis  was  not  killed  in  the  war,  but  died  of 
malignant  disease  in  his  beloved  villa  at  Alalri. 

"  To  those  who  have  loved  the  lovely  and  the 
jolly  things  of  this  beautiful  worid  the  day  of 
little  things  is  never  over.  .  .  ." 

We  talked  of  pleasant  and  humorous  little 
memories  of  the  past,  and  plans  for  the  future, 
just  as  if  we  were  spending  one  of  the  serene 
summer  evenings  the  last  time  we  were  near  here 
together. 

We  settled  I  should  go  back  to  Rome  the  day 
after  to-morrow,  and  return  if  possible  for  Easter. 
"  For  that,"  said  Francis  cheerfu'ly,  "  will  be 
about  the  end  of  my  tether.  The  end,  I  mean, 
in  the  sense  that  I  shan't  be  tethered  any  more." 
At  the  end  of  those  ten  days  there  \\-as  a  great 
change  in  Francis  ;  he  had  drifted  far  on  the  tide 
that  was  carrying  him  a^^'ay. 

At  the  end  he  bids  his  friend  "go  to  the  very 
top  of  Monte  Gennaro  to  get  the  very  biggest 
view  possible,  and  stand  there  and  thank  God 
for  everything  there  is.  Say  it  for  yourself  and 
me.  Say  '  Francis  and  I  give  thanks  to  Thee  for 
Thy  great  glory.'  That's  about  all  there  is  to 
say,  isn't  it  ?  " 

"  I  can't  think  of  anything  else." 
"Off  you  go,   then,"  he  "said.     "Oh,   Lor'!   I 
wish  I  was  coming  too  ;  but  I'll  go  to  sleep  instead. 
Good-bye." 

Very  early  on  Easter  morning  his  friend  returned 
to  finish  reading,  as  he  had  promised,  the  chapter 
in  the  Bible  begun  the  evening  before. 

"  I  saw  Francis  sitting  up."  He  was  gazing 
with  bright  eager  eyes  to  the  entrance  of  the 
pergola,  and  in  that  moment  I  knew  he  saw  there 
Him  WTiom  Mary  supposed  to  be  the  gardener. 

H.  H. 


WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 

IL1 


iHSIM 


EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWiCK 


No.  1,594. 


SATURDAY,   OCTOBER    19,    1918. 


Vol.    LXI. 


EDITORIAL. 


THE    RED    CROSS. 

"  Lest  we  forget  "  let  us — at  this  appro- 
priate time — recall  the  name  and  work  of  a 
great  reformer,  and  one  to  whom  the  world 
at  war  owes  so  much.  It  is  to  Henri 
Durrant,  a  Swiss  gentleman,  that  the  Red 
Cross  owes  its  inception.  For  some  centuries, 
medical  officers  have  been  attached  to 
armies  in  the  field,  and  their  services  were 
deemed  sufficient  for  all  requirements. 
Florence  Nightingale's  mission  in  the 
Crimean  war  was  the  great  innovation 
which  roused  the  public  irom  their  apathy 
and  ignorance  to  a  realization  of  the  misery 
suffered  by  sick  and  wounded  soldiers  with- 
out organized  nursing.  Notwithstanding  the 
object  lesson  given,  when  the  war  of  Italian 
independence  broke  out  in  1859,  the  armies 
in  the  field  were  just  as  ill-equipped  for  the 
care  of  the  sick  and  wounded  as  before. 
In  the  bloody  battle  of  Solferino,  when 
nearly  40,000  men  were  killed,  Durrant 
served  as  a  volunteer  nurse,  and  the  suffer- 
ing he  witnessed  so  affected  him,  that  he 
was  filled  with  an  impelling  desire  to 
ease  the  burden  of  suffering  in  the  future. 
He  embodied  his  experiences  in  a  pamphlet  : 
'•  Souvenir  de  Solferino,"  which  he  published 
when  the  war  was  over.  It  was  translated 
into  many  languages,  and  largely  read  and 
discussed.  The  Geneva  Society  of  Public 
Utility  invited  M.  Durrant  later  to  submit 
some  definite  proposition.  More  than  one 
meeting  was  held  under  the  auspices  of  this 
Society.  A  Committee  was  appointed  to 
start  the  work  of  organisation,  which 
resulted  in  the  International  Congress  being 
held  in  Geneva,  in  1863,  at  which  14 
countries  were  represented. 

In  the  following  year  another  Congress 
took  place,  the  outcome  of  which  was  the 
famous  Geneva  Convention.  The  Articles 
provided  for  the  neutrality  of  all   hospitals, 


their  personnel  and  equipment.  It  was  not 
without  much  devoted  work  that  Durrant 
roused  the  Governments  of  many  European 
countries.  Neutrality  connotes  impartiality, 
and  it  was  laid  down  that  members  of  the 
Society  should  be  ready  to  serve  all  needing 
their  succour,  either  friend  or  foe.  We  are 
all  familiar  with  the  red  cross  on  a  white 
field — the  insignia  of  the  Red  Cross  Society. 
It  is  the  flag  of  the  Swiss  nation  reversed, 
and  it  was  a  graceful  compliment  to  the 
Reformer  to  adopt  it.  All  civilized  nations 
have  joined  this  International  Bond  now  ; 
and  who  shall  tell  the  sum  of  suffering 
eased  and  prevented,  and  the  lives  saved  by 
its  inestimable  work.  Henri  Durrant  passed 
away  five  or  six  years  ago.  We  can  but  be 
thankful  that  the  great  philanthropist  did  not 
live  to  see  the  day,  when  Germany,  from 
whom  he  had  received  some  of  his  greatest 
encouragement,  should  have  so  outraged 
humanity  as  to  treat  the  sacred  Geneva 
Convention  as  another  ^^ scrap  of  paper.'' 

The  sight  of  unrelieved  suffering  on  the 
battle-field  would  have  been  less  of  a  shock 
to  the  tender-hearted  man  than  the  deli- 
berate murder  of  the  wounded  and  those 
ministering  to  them,  by  a  barbarous  foe 
solemnly  pledged  to  succour  them  if  needful. 
The  cross  has  ever  been  an  emblem  of 
suffering  in  Christendom,  but  also  an  insignia 
of  the  relief  of  suffering.  We  know  that 
both  the  Sisters  and  the  Brothers  of  the 
Order  of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem  (the  Brothers 
were  the  Knights  Hospitallers),  founded  for 
the  benefit  of  the  sick  pilgrims  and  wounded 
soldiers,  in  the  time  of  the  crusades,  wore 
the  beautiful  eighi-pointed  white  cross  on 
their  black  habits  ;  the  points  being  symbolic 
of  the  eight  beatitudes.  At  the  same 
period  there  were  the  Knights  Templars, 
who  wore  a  red  cross  on  the  shoulder,  and 
were  styled  the  "  Knights  of  the  Red  Cross." 
Their  duties  were  to  protect  the  pilgrims 
to  and  from  the  Holy  Land. 


232 


XLbc  British  3ournal  ot  iRursmg. 


October   19,    1918 


THE  TREATMENT  OF  IRRITANT  GAS 
POISONING. 


Captain  J.  M.  Lazenby,  R.A.M.C,  gives  in. 
the  British  Medical  Journal,  in  the  following 
notes,  the  treatment  suggested.  It  applies  to  all 
cases  of  irritant  gas  poisoning  when  the  symptoms 
are  those  of  acute  catarrh  of  the  mucbus  mem- 
brcines  of  the  eyes  and  of  the  respiratory  tract. 
With  various  modifications  it  has  been  employed 
on  this  ship  for  the  past  three  months,  and  gives 
very  satisfactory  results.  My  experience  is  that 
success  depends  entirely  on  the  care  with  which 
the  method  is  carried  out  and  the  frequency  of 
the  treatment. 

Instructions  to  ORDERuiiS. 

1.  Before  embarkation  begins  furnish  a  dressing 
table  with  a  throat  spray,  eye  bath.  Carrel  syringe, 
vaseline,  plain  gauze  cut  to  size,  cotton  wool,  jaconet, 
bandages,  and  one  pint  of  a  warm  solution  of  sodium 
bicarbonate — 10  grains  to  the  ounce.  Cover  with  a 
clean  towel. 

2.  After  embarkation  is  complete,  select  all  the 
severe  eye  cases  whose  eyelids  are  closed'  through 
photophobia  or  dried  secretion,  and  place  over  the 
eyes  a  compress  of  gauzewet  with  solution.  When  the 
the  milder  cases  have  been  dealt  with  the  severe  ones 
will  be  ready  for  treatment,  the  compresses  having 
unsealed  the  eyeUds  and  relieved  the  acute  photo- 
phobia. __ 

3.  Bathe  the  margin'^of  the  lids  till  all  the  crusts 
can  be  wiped  away  with  a  wet  cotton  wool  mop. 

4.  Fill  the  syringe  with  solution,  and,  taking  a 
piece  of  cotton  wool  in  the  left  hand,  draw  down 
with  it  the  lower  Ud.  Instil  a  few  drops  into  the  eye 
from  the  syringe,  and  close  the  lids.  Repeat  this 
till  all  the  secretion  has  been  washed  away — about 
four  times.     Dry  the  skin  with  cotton  wool. 

5.  In  mild  cases  leave  the  eyes  uncovered  except 
by  the  eye  shade.  In  severe  cases  put  on  another 
compress,  cover  with  jaconet,  and  bandage  Ughtly  on. 

6.  In  all  cases  it  is  better  to  smear  a  little  vaseline 
on  the  skin  to  prevent  irritation  from  the  discharge. 

For  the  throat  {respiratory)  cases  proceed  as  follows  : 

1.  Fill  the  spray  half  full  with  the  solution. 

2.  The  patient  sits  up  and  gargles  his  throat  and 
mouth  with  the  solution.  He  then  opens  his  mouth 
wide  and  breathes  in  and  out.  The  spray  nozzle  is  held 
an  inch  from  the  mouth  and  the  jet  directed  to  the 
back  of  the  throat.  The  patient  must  sit  up  and 
respire  during  spraying. 

3.  Cease  when  the  patient  wants  to  .spit  out,  and 
repeat  four  times. 

4.  When  patients  are  numerous,  all  cases  who  can 
see  to  use  the  apparatus  should  be  instructed  to  carry 
out  the  treatment  for  themselves,  using  an  eye  bath 
for  the  eyes  instead  cf  the  syringe. 

5.  Since  success  depends  largely  on  frequency  of 
treatment,  patients  must  be  dealt  with  every  three 
hours.  The  last  application  should  be  made  before 
lights  go  out  at  night,  and  in  all  severe  eye  cases  the 
compress  must  be  placed  in  position  and  secured 
with  a  bandage. 

In  a  ward  containLig  gas  cases  and  other 
affections  of  the  respiratory  organs  the  former 
are  kept  on  one  side.  When  the  percentage  of 
gas  patients  is  large  the  orderlies  always  suffer 
from   irritation   of   the   throat   and    cough.     The 


other  patients  also  cough  more  than  they  should 
for  the  same  reason  It  is  therefore  advisable, 
when  possible,  to  isolate  patients  suffering  from 
gas  poisoning 

As  regards  results :  Photophobia  is  either 
completely  relieved  or  markedly  diminished,  so 
much  so  that  patients  coming  on  board  unable 
to  open  their  eyes  are  sometimes  found,  without 
their  shades,  looking  at  pictures  and  reading. 
The  catarrh  of  the  eyes  still  persists,  but  the  pain 
is  much  relieved 

In  throat  cases  the  immediate  result  is  the 
expectoration  of  a  large  quantity  of  purulent 
mucus.  The  dry  cough  becomes  loose  and  the 
pain  in  the  chest  lessened.  The  soreness  of  the 
throat  usually  persists.  The  chief  benefit  ob- 
tained is  relief  from  the  distressing  night  cough. 
These  patients  generally  have  a  good  night's  sleep, 
and  the  whole  ward  is,  in  consequence,  quieter. 

Chronic  cases  of  two  or  three  weeks  are  not 
materially  relieved  by  the  treatment.  Our  most 
successful  cases  are  from  three  to  six  days  old. 
The  treatment  is  cheap  and  simple,  and  is  suitable 
for  all  cases  in  transit  from  the  clearing  stations 
to  their  destination  in  England.  Since  we  have 
them  for  so  short  a  time  on  board  ship,  I  cannot 
say  whether  it  is  curative,  but  from  the  relief 
obtained  I  believe  that  if  these  cases  were  treated 
continuously  from  the  beginning  the  period  of 
convalescence  would  be  materially  shortened. 


SPANISH  FLU. 

In  our  hospitals  the  Nursing  Staffs  have  suffered 
severely  during  the  past  week  from  influenza,  and 
in  France  hundreds  of  hospital  workers  have  been 
attacked.  The  French  Public  Health  Department 
orders  doctors  and  nurses  who  come  in  contact 
with  influenza  victims  to  wear  small  gauze  com- 
presses, soaked  in  disinfectants,  over  the  mouth 
and  nose.  

In  a  report  on  influenza  the  Public  Health 
Committee  of  the  L.C.C.  states  that  in  the  June 
and  July  epidemic  there  were  16  000  deaths  in 
London.  As  compared  with  earlier  epidemics 
the  incidence  is  higher  between  the  ages  five  to 
forty-five,  and  lower  at  ages  over  forty-five. 

Concurrently  with  the  influenza  mortality,  there 
was  a  large  increase  in  deaths  from  bronchitis  and 
pneumonia,  and  as  this  increase  cannot  be 
accounted  for  by  any  abnormal  c'imatic  conditions 
by  which  these  diseases  are  governed,  it  is  reason- 
able to  assume  that  the  major  part  of  the  addi- 
tional deaths  from  these  causes  are  of  influenzal 
origin.  _ _ 


Influenza  is  raging  in  Cape  Town,  and  Bombay 
is  suffering  more  from  influenza  than  it  ever  did 
from  plague.  The  daily  mortality  in  the  city 
from  al  causes  rose  from  no  on  September  6th 
to  712  on  September  30th.  Plague  and  cholera 
are  practically  absent ;  the  increase  is  due  to 
influenza  followed  by  pneumonia  which  is  sweep- 
ing away  young  and  old-  among  the  poorer  classes 
in  particular. 


October   ig,    1918 


^be  Brtttsb  3ournal  of  IRurBtna* 


333 


NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 

THE     CAVELL    MEMORIAL    AT     NORWICH. 

Norwich  gave  Queen  Alexandra  and  Princess 
Victoria  a  warm  welcome,  when,  on  Saturday  last 
(the  third  anniversary  of  the  execution  of  Edith 
Cavell),  they  visited  that  ancient  city  to  open 
the  Cavell  Memorial  Home  for  District  Nurses, 
erected  by  the  citizens  of  Norwich,  and  unveil  the 
bust  of  the  martyred 
nurse,  the  site  of  which 
is  in  Tombland. 

The  Royal  \'isitors 
were  received  by  the 
Lord  Lieutenant,  the 
Lord  Mayor,  and  crowds 
of  wounded  soldiers, 
squads  of  nurses  and 
ambulance  units.  J 

The  Lord]  Mayor,  in 
welcoming  Queen  Alex- 
andra, said  : — 

Your  Majesty  will  deem  it 
fitting  that  in  the  chief  city 
of  Edith  Cavell 's  nati/e 
county,  the  home  of  Mrs. 
Cavell  too,  till  her  receni 
decease,  some  permanent 
memorial  should  be  raised  to 
this  Norfolk  heroine  of 
whom  we  are  so  justifiably 
proud. 

This  city  is  already 
famous  as  the  birthplace  of 
Elizabeth  Fry,  and  we 
desire  to  perpetuate  the 
memory  of  this  other  noble 
woman,  whose  fame  is  also 
world-wide.  In  the  splendid 
work  which  our  nurses  are 
doing,  and  in  the  knowledge 
that  kind  words  and  kind 
deeds  can  never  die,  we  find 
reason  to  hope  that  the 
memorial  to  our  martyred 
heroine  will  be  lasting,  for  it 
depends  not  upon  material 
things,  but  has  for  its  foun- 
dation spiritual  realities  that 
are  eternal.  Edith  Cavell 
rests  from  her  labc-urs  and 
her  works  do  follow  her. 
This  is  the  third  anniversary 
of  her  death,  bringing  with 
it  the  promise  of  a  lasting 
and  righteous  peace,  and  the 
hope  that  the  cause  for 
which  Nurse  Cavell  gave 
her  life  is  about  to  triumph. 

After  unveiling  the  bust,  Qaeen  Alexandra  made 
the  following  reply :  "  I  thank c  you,  my  Lord 
Mayor,  for  the  welcome  you  have  given  me,  and 
for  the  kindly  expressions  you  have  used  with 
reference  to  my  beloved  husband.  King  Edward 
(who  was  so  greatly  attached  to  the  County  of 
Norfolk),  and  to  myself.  It  has  given  me  sincere 
pleasure  to  visit  your  ancient  and  liistoric  City 


THE  BRONZE  BUST  OF  EDITH  CAVELL. 


of  Norwich  to-day,  not  only  because  it  is  the 
capital  of  the  county  in  which  I  live  for  a  great 
part  of  the  year,  and  which  is  endeared  to  me  by 
the  happiest  and  most  tender  associations,  but 
because  the  occasion  of  unveiling  this  statue 
and  opeaing  the  Nurses'  Home  has  given  me  the 
opportunity  of  testifying  my  admiration  and 
respect  for  the  memory  of  a  brave  woman.  Nurse 
Edith  Cavell,  who  met  a  martyr's  fate  with  a  calm 
courage,  an  intrepid  faith 
and  a  spiritual  resigna- 
tion that  have  made  her 
name  honoured  and  re- 
vered throughout  the 
country  and  the  Empire. 
"  No  Home  for  Nurses 
could  have  worthier  me- 
mories attached  to  it, 
and  I  should  like,  if  it 
were  possible,  to  see  these 
homes  established,  as 
some,  I  am  glad  to  say, 
have  already  been, 
throughout  the  Empire 
to  perpetuate  Nurse 
Cavell's  memory  and  to 
preserve  the  traditions 
which  she  maintained  in 
her  life  and  upheld  by 
her  death.  It  is  most 
fitting  and  suitable 
that  the  county  to  which 
Nurse  Cavell  belonged 
should  have  instituted 
this  Home,  which,  I  hope, 
may  now  be  established 
on  a  permanent  basis, 
and  may  remain,  with 
the  statue,  as  a  lasting 
and  historic  memorial, 
erected  by  this  City  of 
Norwich  in  her  honour." 

Later,  Her  Majesty, 
with  a  gold  key  pre- 
sented to  her  by  the 
Lord  Mayor,  unlocked 
the  door  of  the  Home 
and  afterwards  inspected 
the  building,  which  is 
under  the  superintendence 
of  Miss  Arnold  with  a 
staff  of  eight  nurses. 
Queen  Alexandra  also 
visited  the  Red  Cross 
Hospital  at  the  Bishop's 
Palace,     and    the     King 

Ed\vard  VII.   ward  of  the  Norfolk  and  Norwich 

Hospital. 

QUEEN  MARY'S  HOSTELS  FOR  NURSB5. 

What  has  proved  to  be  one  of  the  most  beneficent 
bits  of  war  work  has  been  the  organization  of 
Queen  Mary's  Hostels  for  Nurses,  of  which  the 
Duke    of    Portland    is    President    and    Captain 


234 


Zbc  Briti0b  3ournal  of  •Ruretng. 


October   ig,    1918 


Sir  Harold  [Boulton,  Bt.,  C.V.O.,  C.B.E.,  is  the 
Chairman,  and  it  is  to  the  keen  personal  interest 
of  the  latter  gentleman  that  much  of  the  success 
of  the  scheme  is  due. 

Hostel  No.  I,  at  40,  Bedford  Place,  W.C, 
has  earned  for  itself  very  special  appreciation 
from  thousands  of  nurses — mostly  birds  of  passage, 
going  to  and  from  the  various  seats  of  war — 
who  invariably  receive  the  kindest  welcome  from 
Mrs.  Kerr-Lawson,  M.B.E.,  and  who  look  upon 
this  beautiful  and  happily  conducted  place  as 
their  very  own  home.  We  have  visited  the  Hostel 
more  than  once,  and  always  came  away  realising 
more  and  more  what  a  real  practical  gift  to 
military  nurses  this  beautiful  home  is,  and  do  not 
wonder  that  they  hold  it  in  sincere  gratitude  and 
affection. 

Hostel  No.  2,  at  52,  Russell  Square,  W.C, 
is  equally  useful  to  Red  Cross  Nurses,  and  they 
owe  Miss  K.  S.  Bankhead  much  for  all  her  kind- 
ness ;  and  No.  3,  at  50,  Warwick  Square,  of 
which  Miss  Francis  Smith  is  Resident  Superin- 
tendent, is  arranged  for  the  special  convenience 
of  nurses  arriving  at  or  leaving  the  railway  termini, 
at  which  they  stay  for  one  night  only,  and 
where  they  are  made  to  feel  entirely  at  home. 

Her  Majesty  the  Queen  has  paid  visits  to  all 
the  Hostels  and  expressed  her  pleasure  in  and 
approved  of  the  work.  Princess  Christian  has 
visited  No.   3. 

We  always  turn  to  Balance  Sheets  with  interest, 
and  find  upon  examining  that  of  Queen  Mary's 
Hostels  that  last  year  it  cost  close  on  ;^8,ooo 
to  maintain  the  three  Homes — which  in  these 
days,  when  prices  are  abnormal,  proves  that  they 
have  been  managed  with  due  economy.  Donations 
amounted  to  ;^3,049  5s.  6d.,  and  the  Joint  War 
Committee  made  a  grant  of  ^^5,000. 

The  Committee,  in  issuing  its  report,  takes  the 
opportunity  of  putting  on  record  their  high 
appreciation  of  the  devoted  services  of  the  Staff 
at  the  three  Hostels — an  appreciation,  it  is  stated, 
which  is  endorsed  in  most  glowing  terms  by  the 
guests  themselves  in  hundreds  of  letters  received 
by  the   Chairman. 

VICTORIA   LEAGUE  CLUB   FOR  NURSE5 
FROM  OVERSEAS  DOMINIONS  and  AMERICA. 

Six  months  ago  the  Victoria  League  Club  at 
8,  Rutland  Square,  Edinburgh,  was  opened 
for  nurses  from  the  British  Overseas  Dominions 
and  America.  It  has  proved  such  a  boon  to  the 
many  nurses  who  spend  their  well-earned  furlough 
in  Edinburgh  that  the  present  premises  are  far  - 
too  small,  and  the  Club  is  about  to  move  to  a 
much  larger  house  in  Drumsheugh  Gardens, 
where  it  will  be  able  to  accommodate  forty  nurses. 
To  reduce  the  heavy  expense  of  furnishing  the 
new  club,  it  has  occurred  to  the  Committee 
that  there  may  be  some  people  willing  to  lend 
furniture  for  the  period  of  the  war,  and  for  such 
loans  Lady  Linlithgow  (President)  is  making  an 
appeal.  Any  articles — e.g.,  armchairs,  sofas,  tables, 
rugs,  a  sideboard,  a  piano,  &c.,  also  bedroom 
furaiture — ^will  be  gratefully  received  and  taken 


every  care  of  ;  and  will  be  fetched,  returned  and 
insured  by  the  Victoria  League.  Offers  of  loan 
should  be  intimated  to  the  Hon.  Superintendent, 
8,  Rutland  Square,  as  soon  as  possible. 


FRENCH  FLAQ  NURSING  CORPS. 


The  Sisters  attached  to  Ambulance  16/21  have 
share  in  the  Special  Order  of  Praise  accorded  the 
Ambulance  by  the  Inspector-General,  thanking 
the  doctors,  nurses  and  orderlies  for  the  e£&cient 
way  in  which  the  service  has  been  carried  out. 

This  ambulance  is  right  up  at  the  front,  sur- 
rounded by  ruins  and  devastation,  and  as  one 
Sister  says,  "  it  is  truly  a  case  of  '  Marchons, 
Marchons.'  "  The  Sisters  are  doing  their  own 
laundry,  and  tackling  work  just  as  it  comes  to 
hand  for  the  well-being  of  the  French  heroes 
entrusted  to  their  care. 

The  Sisters  named  in  the  Orders  are  Hilda  Gill 
(Croix  de  Guerre),  Mabel  Jones,  Helen  McMurrich 
(Canadian  Unit),  Annie  M.  Hanning  and  Agnes 
Warner,  whose  devotion  to  duty  has  reflected  so 
much  credit  on  the  Corps  in  France. 


OUR   ROLL   OF    HONOUR. 
NURSING    SERVICE. 

Died. 
LiDDELL,  Miss  L.,  V.A.D.,  B.'R.C.S. 

MY   MASTER   HATH    A   GARDEN. 

My  master  hath  a  garden,  iuU-filled  with  divers 

flowers. 
Where  thou  may'st  gather  posies  gay,  all  times  and 
hours, 

Here  nought  is  heard 

But  paradise-bird 

Harp,  dulcimer,  and  lute. 

With  cymbal, 

And  timbrel. 

And  the  gentle  sounding  flute. 

Oh  !    Jesus,   Lord,  my  heal  and  weal,  my  bliss 

complete. 
Make  thou  my  heart  thy  garden-plot,  true,  fair  and 
neat. 

That  I  may  hear, 

This  music  clear. 

Harp,  dulcimer  and  lute. 

With  cymbal. 

And  timbrel. 

And  the  gentle  sounding  flute. 

From  "  By-ways  of  Poetry  " 
Compiled  by  Eleanor  M.  Brougham. 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITION. 

We  regret  that  no  papers  were  received  in  reply 
to  last  week's  question.  No  Prize  could  therefore 
be  awarded 


October  19,   1918 


TEbe  Brltieb  3ournal  of  •Rursino. 


335 


HEROINES 


ON     THE    "  LLANDOVERY 
CASTLE." 


A  Memorandum  in  pamphlet  form  has  been 
issued  and  presented  to  the  next-of-kin  of  the 
personnel  of  the  Canadian  Army  Medical  Corps 
who  died  in  the  performance  of  their  duty  on 
H.M.H.S.  Llandovery  Castle,  destroyed  at  sea  by 
enemy  action,  June  27th,  191 8,  with  the  high 
admiration  and  profound  regret  of  the  Director- 
General  of  the  Medical  Forces.  We  have  to 
thank  the  Matron-in-Chief  of  the  O.M.F.C.  for 
a  copy,  which  we  greatly  value. 


Official  verification  of  the  facts  surrounding  the 
sinking  of  H.M.H.S.  Llandovery  Castle  confirms 
two  main  points — ^the  extreme  devotion  and 
valiant  sacrifice  of  the  medical  personnel  and  the 
ship's  company,  whose  courage  and  resignation 
were  in  keeping  with  the  proudest  traditions  of  the 
British  Army  and  Merchant  Marine  Service  ;  the 
utter  blackness  and  dastardly  character  of  the 
enemy  outrage  on  this  defenceless  institution  of 
mercy — a  crime  surpassing  in  savagery  the  already 
formidable  array  of  murders  of  non-combatants 
by  the  Germans.  The  story  of  the  heroism  of 
the  fourteen  Sisters  who  lost  their  lives  is  most 
touchingly  told  by  Sergeant  Knight.  How  magni- 
ficently they  faced  the  final  ordeal  when  their  boat 
was  carried  towards  the  stern  of  the  ship,  when 
Suddenly  the  poop-deck  seemed  to  break  away 
and  sink,  when  the  suction  drew  it  quickly  into 
the  vacuum,  when  the  boat  tipped  over  sideways 
and  every  occupant  went  under. 

"  It  was,"  concluded  Sergeant  Knight,  "  doubt- 
ful if  any  of  them  came  to  the  surface  again." 

It  is  recorded  that  the  whole  eight  minutes 
they  were  in  the  bogit  the  Sisters  were  calm  and 
collected.  Everyone  was  perfectly  conscious. 
There  was  not  a  cry  for  help  or  any  untoward 
evidence  of  fear. 

The  folio  vving  is  the  list  of  these  heroic  women 
of  whom  Canada  and  the  whole  Empire  are  so 
justly  proud  : — 


Nursing  Sisters  Lost. 


N/S. 


Campbell,  Christine 
,,       Douglas,  Carola  Josephine 
„       Mussault,  Alexina 

Follette,  Minnie  A. 
„       Fortescue,  Margaret  Jane 
A/Matron  Eraser,  Margaret  Marjory 
N/S.    Gallaher,  Minnie  Katherine 
„       McDiarmid,  Jessie  Mabel 
„       McKenzie,  Mary  Agnes 

McLean,  Rena,  R.R.C. 
„       Sampson,  M.  Belle 
„       Sare,  Gladys  Irene 
„       Stamers,  Anna  Irene 
„       Templeman,  Jean 


Cooper,  and  Taylor — ^the  list  of  casualties  include 
the  entire  medical  personnel. 

Officers  Lost  on  H.M.H.S.  Llandovery  Castle. 

Lt.-Col.  MacDonald,  T.  H. 
Maj.  Davis,  G.  M. 

„       Enright,  W.  J. 
Capt.  Leonard,  A.  V. 
Capt.  Sills,  G.  L. 
Hon.  Capt.  and  Chaplain 
Macphail,  D.  G.   (attached). 


The  South  African  Nursing  Record  says  : 
"  The  Hun  has  committed  such  revolting  outrages 
that  sometimes  one  wonders  if  one  has  any 
capacity  for  horror  left ;  but  an  affair  like  the 
sinking  of  the  hospital  ship  Llandovery  Castle  was 
so  unspeakable  as  still  to  bring  a  gasp  of  shame 
and  surprise  from  all  the  world.  Surel} ,  there 
is  nothing  to  do  with  a  beast  like  that  but  annihi- 
late   him    completely  I" 


CARE    OF    THE    WOUNDED. 


Every  woman  is  asked  to  send  now  a  knitted 
article  for  a  soldier  to  a  local!  Voluntary 
Organisation  Depot,  or  to  the  Comforts  Depot, 
45,  Horseferry  Road,  S.W.  i. 


The  Rt.  Hon.  John  Hodge,  M.P.,  Minister  of 
Pensions,  sa,ys  Great  Britain  is  to-day  faced  with 
the  difficult  problem  of  what  to  do  with  the 
hundred  thousand  officers  and  men  discharged 
from  the  Navy  and  Army  owing  to  tuberculosis. 

Obviously  it  is  not  practicable  to  keep  these  con- 
sumptives in  a  sanatorium  for  the  remainder  of 
their  lives.  Nor  would  it  be  wise  to  allow  them  to 
return  to  their  former  occupations  ;  the  risk  of 
infection  to  other  people  is  too  giave. 

We  agree  with  Mr.  Hodge  that  these  men  should 
work  in  the  open,  and  the  Ministry  of  Pensions  and 
the  Ministry  of  Reconstruction  are  two  depart- 
ments which  must  work  hand  in  hand  in  rebuilding 
lives  temporarily  wrecked  in  the  horrors  of  war. 
Disabled  men  must  be  given  the  chance  to  help 
themselves,  under  conditions  conducive  to  their 
recovery.  Where  are  the  hundred  thousand 
women  prepared  to  help  to  pay  their  debts  to.  these 
sufferers  by  giving  time  to  solve  this  problem? 
We  hope  they  will  come  forward  and  help  the 
Minister  of  Pensions.  Thousands  of  them  have 
lovely  gardens — others  land — let  them  see  what 
they  can  do. 


With    the    exception    of    six    survivors — ^Major 
Lyon,  Sergeant  Knight,  Privates  Hickman,  Pilot, 


The  atrocious  murders  on  the  high  seas  by  our 
brutal  enemies  have  inspired  our  loyal  and 
patriotic  seamen  with  the  determinacion  to  pursue 
the  only  policy  the  barbarian  understands,  and  his 
latest  crime  in  torpedoing  the  Leinster  and 
murdering  hundreds  of  women  and  children  in  cold 
blood  has  added  one  more  knot  in  the  halter.  The 
victims  amount  to  600,  and  a  friend  writing 
from  Dublin  says  :  "  Dublin  is  in  mourning  to-day 


336 


ttbc  BritieD  3ournal  of  IRurstno. 


October  19,  1918 


for  her  lost  mail  boat.  Everyone  feels  very  dovm 
about  it.  A  large  number  of  those  saved  have 
since  died  either  from  wounds  or  exposure. 
Whole  families  have  gone.  It  has  clouded  all  the 
good  news  from  the  front ;   it  is  so  near  home." 

Where  do  the  Huns  secrete  their  petrol  so  that 
Irish  waters  become  a  death  trap  ?  That  is  what 
the  Government  should  know  and  apparently 
does  not.  Also  why  did  not  the  Board  of  Trade 
comply  with  the  application  of  the  City  of  Dublin 
Steam  Packet  Company  for  adequate  escort  for 
cross-Channel  boats  ?  One  of  the  directors 
informs  the  Times  :  "  For  a  long  time  past  we 
have  been  made  aware  that  the  Huns  have  deter- 
mined to  get  the  Leinster.  This  information  was 
conveyed  to  the  authorities  All  that  has  happened 
is  the  carrying  out  of  the  threat  to  murder  500 
persons."  This  is  a  very  serious  charge  which  the 
President  of  the  Board  of  Trade  or  the  Admiralty 
have  been  ca'led  upon  to  explain. 


AN    URGENTLY    NEEDED    REFORM. 


PATRIOTIC  NURSES  TO  SUPPORT 
MR.  W.  M.  HUGHES. 


Smouldering  indignation  on  the  question  of  the 
continued  freedom  of  influential  aliens  of  enemy 
blood,  has  culminated  in  the  demand  for  further 
publicity,  and  upon  the  re-assembling  of  Parlia- 
ment a  great  National  Meeting  will  be  held  in  the 
Royal  Albert  Hall  on  Tuesday,  November  5th,  at 
7.30  p.m.  Mrs.  Dacre  Fox  will  preside,  and  the 
principal  speaker  will  be  the  Right  Hon.  W.  M. 
Hughes,  Prime  Minister  of  Australia,  whose 
courage  in  publicly  denouncing  the  bribery  and 
corruption  by  the  Hun  stands  out  as  one  of  the 
most  potent  factors  in  the  policy  of  victory. 

The  various  Committees  appointed  to  deal  with 
the  internment  of  enemy  aliens  have  not  so  far 
announced  that  any  wealthy  German  or  Austrian 
of  any  social  influence  has  been  interned.  Why 
not  ?  A  dozen  "  tinkers,  tailors,  and  candlestick 
makers  "  count  less  in  the  espionage  danger  to  the 
Empire  than  one  wealthy  German  financier  or 
burrowing  journalist.  These  ;\re  the  persons 
whose  "  hidden  hand  "  scatters  largesse  in  cash 
and  kind,  and  who  still  retain  positions  of  influence 
"  on  every  front." 

Many  patriotic  nurses  will  wish  to  support 
Australia's  great  Prime  Minister  in  his  public 
protest  against  this  shameful  e\il,  and  will  no 
doubt  attend  the  Albert  Hall  meeting  on  November 
5th.  All  information  can  be  obtained  from  Mrs 
Dacre  Fox,  3,  Eastwood  House,  Emperor's  Gate, 
London,  S.W. 


OUR     DAY. 

Our  Day  falls  on  October  24th,  when  throughout 
the  country  the  Red  Cross  makes  appeal  for 
support.  The  king  has  sent  £10 poo  to  the  joint 
War  Committee,  and  the  L>rd  Mayor  of  London 
is  appealing  for  a  million  from  the  City.  The 
activities  of  the  Red  Cross  now  cost  £100,000  a 
week,  and  its  needs  grow  and  grow. 


JUNIOR     SISTER,    NOT     STAFF-NURSE- 

After  the  comparative  failure  of  the  Army 
Nursing  System  in  the  South  African  War,  the 
Matrons'  Council  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland 
presented  to  the  Secretary  of  State  for  War  in 
April,  1 90 1,  "  Suggestions  as  to  the  formation 
of  an  Army  Nursing  Department  at  the  War 
Office." 

This  comprehensive  Report  was  published  in 
The  British  Journal  of  Nursing  of  April  27th, 
1901,  and  dealt  with  Nursing  Progress,  Nurs- 
ing Organization,  Need  of  a  Nursing  Depart- 
ment, Standard  of  Training,  Head  Sister 
(Matron),  Nursing'  Sisters,  Senior  Sisters, 
Junior  Sisters,  Night  Superintendents,  In- 
crease of  Salary,  Orderlies,  and  an  Army 
Nursing  Service  Reserve. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nurs- 
ing Service  was  almost  entirely  organized  upon 
these  Suggestions. 

After  recommending  the  establishment  of  a 
Nursing  Department  in  affiliation  with  the 
Medical  Department  "at  the  War  Office,  super- 
intended by  a  fully  trained  and  experienced 
Administrative  Nursing  Officer  and  a  Head 
Sister  (Matron)  in  each  Military  Hospital,  under 
the  heading  of  "  Nursing  Sisters  "  the  follow- 
ing suggestions  were  advanced  : — 

Nursing  Sisters. 

The  Matrons'  Council  would  suggest  that  there 
should  be  two  grades  of  Nursing  Sisters,  senior  and 
junior. 

Senior  Sisters. 

The  Senior  Sisters  should  be  in  charge  of  wards, 
preferably  containing  not  more  than  fifty  beds. 
They  should  be  responsible  to  the  medical  officers 
for  carrying  out  all  directions  for  the  treatment  of 
the  sick  and  should  be  responsible  to  the  Head 
Sister  for  the  care  of  the  ward  linen  and  for  the 
good  order  and  cleanliness  of  their  wards.  They 
should  personally  superintend  the  service  of  food, 
and  should  have  authority  to  ensure  the  strict 
carrying  out  of  medical  directions  with  regard  to 
dieting.  They  should  also  be  responsible  for  the 
systematic  clinical  instruction  of  the  Orderlies  in 
practical  nursing. 

Junior][Sisters. 
•'  The  Junior  Sisters  should,  when  the  Ward  Sister 
is  on  duty,  work  under  her  direction.  They  should 
always  be  on  duty  in  her  absence  from  the  ward. 
They  should  also  be  available  for  night  duty  and  as 
special  nurses  on  day  or  night  duty. 

The  Senior  Sister  should  report  on  their  work  to 
the  Head  Sister,  and  reports  upon  their  efficiency 
and  suitability  should  be  forwarded  by  the  Head 
Sister  to  the  Nursing  Department  of  the  War 
Office.     Their  appointment  as  Senior  Sisters,  as 


October  19,   1918 


(Tbc  Brtti0b  3ournal  ot  TRurgmo. 


337 


vacancies  occur,  should  rest  upon  the  reconamenda- 
tion  of  the  Principal  Medical  Officer  and  the  Head 
sister. 

Night  Superintendents. 

The  Night  Superintendents  should  rank  with 
Senior  Sisters,  and  it  is  desirable  that  their  charge 
should  not  exceed  400  beds.  Working  under  the 
night  Superintendents  should  be  a  certain  number 
of  Junior  Sisters  and  Orderlies  as  may  be  found 
necessp.rv'. 

The  value  to  discipline  of  the  recommenda- 
tion of  the  title  of  "  Sister  "  being  secured  to 
every  member  of  the  certificated  nursing  staff 
in  a  military  hospital  was  unfortunately  not 
adopted,  and  the  title  of  "  Staff  Nurse  "  was 
substituted.  Actual  practice  has  proved  the 
wisdom  of  the  recommendation  in  this  connec- 
tion by  the  Matrons'  Council,  and  endless 
friction  and  dissatisfaction  would  have  been 
avoided  during-  this  w^r  if  it  had  been  adopted. 


AN    OPEN    LETTER    TO    THE    PUBLIC 
AND  MEMBERS  OF   PARLIAMENT. 


THE     ORGANISATION     OF    NURSES. 

Madam, — A  contemporary  states  that  the 
efficiency  of  a  Ministry  of  Health  will  largely 
depend  on  the  work  of  nurses.  The  effective- 
ness of  their  work  will  again  depend  on  the 
efficiency  of  their  organisation.  One  of  the 
main  features  of  this  organisation  is  a  proper 
system  of  State  Registration — a  system  that 
will  give  the  proper  measure  of  State  control, 
and  represent  all  the  important  interests  in- 
volved, whilst  leaving  the  members  of  the 
profession  freedom  for  development  and  expres- 
sion. 

The  pioneer,  established  promoter,  and  guar- 
dian of  the  movement  for  State  Registration — 
the  Central  Committee  for  State  Registration — 
has  a  Bill  ready  for  Parliament,  which  has  been 
merely  awaiting  a  time  when  legislation  of  this 
kind  could  be  passed  without  hampering  urgent 
war  activities.  A  recently  formed  ibody — the 
College  of  Nursing — has  also  drafted  a  Bill  of 
its  own,  which  is  unfortunate,  as  all  the  bodies 
promoting  State  Registration  had  come  to  a 
complete  agreement  about  the  Central  Com- 
mittee's Bill,  and  this  new  one  has  aroused 
strong  antagonism  and  plunged  the  nursing 
profession  into  discord. 

The  Central  Committee  has  been  patiently 
negotiating  with  the  College  for  over,  two  years 
in  the  hopes  of  putting  an  end  to  this  harmful 
state  of  affairs,  without  the  sacrifice  of  prin- 
ciple. As  a  result,  the  College  Bill  has  been 
improved,  and  its  latest  draft  provides  guar- 


antees that  the  qualification  for  the  general 
register  after  the  period  of  grace  shall  be  a  not 
less  than  three  years'  term  of  training  and  a 
central  examination,  and  that  registered  nurses 
shall  occupy  seats  on  the  Permanent  Council  to 
administer  the  Act. 

Nominally  also  the  principle  that  the  nurses' 
societies  shall  be  represented  on  the  Provisional 
Council  has  been  conceded,  but — and  it  is  a 
very  big  but — the  value  of  the  concession  has 
been  destroyed  by  the  provision  that  the  only 
duty  which  that  Provisional  Council  can  per- 
form is  to  * '  forthwith  ' '  proceed  to  appoint  the 
Permanent  Council,  on  which  the  nurses' 
societies  are  not  to  be  represented  !  Their  only 
function  will,  therefore,  be  to  act  as  their  own 
hangman  ! 

A  new  and  most  dangerous  provision  is  that 
empowering  the  Council  to  form  as  many  sup- 
plementary registers  as  it  pleases  ;  for  instance, 
registers  might  be  formed  of  Maternity  Nurses, 
Children's  Nurses,  and  many  other  partially 
trained  women,  thus  undoing  the  value  of 
Registration  for  the  fully  trained  and  upsetting 
the  economics  of  the  profession. 

The  draft  also  provides  that  the  College  of 
Nursing  shall  be  specially  recognised  by  the  Act 
and  its  register  of  nurses  accepted  by  Parlia- 
ment. This  is  obviously  unjust  to  many  pro- 
fessional women,  for  there  are  registers  of 
nurses  and  organised  societies  of  nurses  of 
much  older  standing,  which  have  proved  their 
worth  by  patient  years  of  effective  pioneer 
work.  But,  above  all,  such  legislation  is 
unwise  for  the  future  of  the  profession,  for  it 
grants  a  monopoly  to  one  society,  that  society 
being  largely  under  the  influence  of  employers. 

We  ask  that  the  Permanent  Council  which 
will  control  the  affairs  of  the  profession  shall 
be  independent  and  representative  of  all  the 
interests  concerned,  as  provided  by  the  Bill  pro- 
moted by  the  Central  Committee,  which  is  in 
charge  of  Major  Chappie,  and  passed  its  first 
reading  in  the  House  in  1914. 

I  am,  yours  faithfully, 

(Signed)     E.  L.  C.  Eden. 


The  shortage  of  trained  nurses  and  ward  maids 
in  civil  hospitals  and  in  private  practice  is  acute, 
and  the  Dow.  Lady  Brassey  is  taking  the  Middlesex 
Hospital  in  hand,  as  its  work  is  being  hampered. 
A  voluntary  corps  of  women  workers  is  being 
raised.  A  rota  will  be  arranged  to  suit  the  con- 
venience of  members  of  the  corps,  who  must  be 
prepared  to  give  four  hours  a  day  for  two  or  three 
days  a  week.  Women  willing  to  join  are  asked 
to  write  to  Lady  Brassey  at  Middlesex  Hospital. 

Who  says  our  Matrons  have  "  cushey  jobs  " 
these  days  ? 


aS^ 


Zb^  British  3ournal  of  iRureing. 


October  19,   1918 


Ropal  Brltlsl)  nurses'  Ussoclatlom 


(Incorporatea  bp  g 


Ropal  Charter.) 


THIS  SUPPLEMENT    BEING   THE    OFFICIAL    ORGAN    OF    THE    CORPORATION. 


THE  CONFERENCE. 


FREE  DISCUSSION  ON  PROFESSIONAL 
PROBLEMS. 

Under  the  auspices  of  the  Royal  British 
Nurses'  Association  a  Conference  will  be  held 
on  November  7th,  at  the  Fooms  of  the  Medical 
Society  of  London,  11,  Ch^ndos  Street,  Caven- 
dish Square,  W.  i.  The  first  Session  will  com- 
mence at  3  p.m.,  when  Her  Royal  Highness  the 
Princess  Christian,  President  of  the  Corpora- 
tion, will  take  the  Chair.  "The  Economic 
Position  of  the  Trained  Nurse"  and  "Some 
Phases  of  Modern  Nursing  "  will  be  the  sub- 
jects under  discussion.  Tea  will  be  served 
before  the  evening  session  opens  at  6  p.m.  to 
consider  "  The  Differences  between  the  two 
Nurses'  Registration  Bills  and  why  the  Royal 
British  Nurses'  Association  does  not  agree  with 
the  Bill  of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd."  Her 
Royal  Highness  has  graciously  promised  to 
preside  at  the  evening  session  if  possible. 
Nurses,  and  particularly  those  who  are  Mem- 
bers of  the  Royal  Corporation  of  Nurses,  will 
deeply  appreciate  the  support  given  to  them  by 
their  President  on  this  occasion,  when  they 
meet  to  confer  on  subjects  of  such  great  imj>ort- 
ance  to  them  all.  Should  Her  Royal  Highness 
be  unable  to  preside,  the  Chair  will  be  taken 
at  the  evening  session  by  Mr.  Herbert  Pater- 
son,  Medical  Honorary  Secretary  of  the  Royal 
British  Nurses'  Association  and  Honorary 
Treasurer  of  the  Central  Committee  ior  the 
State  Registration  of  Trained  Nurses. 

The  Executive  Committee  have  invited  Miss 
Pearse,  Superintendent  of  the  L.CC.  School 
Nurses,  Miss  Jentie  Paterson,  and  Mrs.  Collins 
to  speak  on  "  The  Econoniic  Position  of  the 
Trained  Nurse." 

Miss  Marsters,  Superintendent  of  the  Dis- 
trict Nurses  of  Paddington  and  Maryle'bone ; 
Miss  Sinzininex,  A.R.R.C.,  Matron  of  Queen 
Alexandra's  Hospital  for  Officers ;  and  Miss 
Kate  Atherton,  Medallist  of  the  Royal  Sanitary 


Institute,  will  read  papers  on  "  Some  Phases  of 
Modern  Nursing." 

At  the  evening  Conference  Lieut. -Colonel 
Goodall,  M.D.,  Mrs.  Bedford  Fenwick,  and 
Miss  Le  Geyt  will  compare  the  Bills  of  the 
Central  Committee  and  the  College  of  Nursing, 
Ltd.,  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  Medical 
Man,  the  Matron,  and  the  Trained  Nurse 
respectively.  It  is  suggested  that  a  Member  of 
the  public  should  also  be  asked  to  criticise  the 
Bills. 

The  Conference  will  give  to  nurses  the  oppor- 
tunity to  discuss  points  which  are  of  vital 
importance  to  them.  If,  in  the  future,  there  is 
to  be  progress  and  real  liberty  for  members  of 
the  profession,  the  nurses  must  take  an  active 
part  in  the  management  of  their  own  economic 
and  educational  conditions.  Through  this 
Conference  the  President  and  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  Chartered  Corporation  are  giving 
publicity  to  claims  for  improving  the  conditions 
under  which  the  nurses  work  and  for  free  dis- 
cussion on  matters  which  closely  concern  them. 

The  Executive  Committee  of  the  Royal 
British  Nurses'  Associatior  hope  that  there  will 
be  a  large  attendance  of  Members  of  the  Cor- 
poration and  of  the  Organised  Societies  of 
Nurses  affiliated  to  it,  to  supp^ort  Her  Royal 
Highness  and  the  Speakers.  The  programme 
of  the  Conference  will  be  printed  in  the  course 
of  a  few  days,  and  can  be  obtained  from  the 
Secretary  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Asso- 
ciation, 10,  Orchard  Street,  Portman  Square, 
W.  I,  or  from  the  offices  of  any  of  the 
Organised  Societies  affiliated  with  the  Corpora- 
tion.   .-♦— 

COMFORTS    FOR  THE   SOLDIERS. 

Sister  Thompson  very  kindly  writes,  in  connec- 
tion with  our  recent  appeal  for  comforts  for  a 
regiment  of  artillery  at  the  front,  that  she  is 
interested  in  a  club  for  working  girls  and  she  will 
be  ver ,  pleased  to  get  them  to  do  some  A\'ork  if  any 
members  care  to  forward  to  her  the  materials 
required.  Sister  Thompson's  address  can  be 
obtained  from  the  R.B.N.A.  office. 


October  19,   1918 


Ctbe  British  3ournal  of  'Wursino. 


239 


HOSPITAL    NURSES     AND    THE 
PARLIAMENTARY  FRANCHISE. 

As  considerable  uncertainty  exists  as  to 
whether  or  not  nurses  resident  in  hospitals  may 
have  their  names  placed  on  the  Parliamentary 
Register,  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Royal  British  Nurses'  Association  have  decided 
to  take  Counsel's  opinion  on  the  matter.  The 
fact  that  the  claims  of  the  Nursing-  Staff  at  one 
London  hospital  have  been  allowed  and  their 
names  placed  on  the  Register,  and  that  the 
claims  of  other  nurses  similarly  situated  have 
been  refused,  makes  it  imperative  that  Coun- 
isel's  opinion  should  be  obtained  on  this 
important  question. 


table  invitingly  spread  for  tea.  The  Governors' 
Room  opens  from  the  hall  and  a  corridor  leads  to 
the  beautiful  little  chapel,  with  its  blue  altar 
cloths,  copies  of  one  or  two  of  the  old  masters 
which  children  can  understand,  and  rows  of  smalf 
chairs.  Upstairs  we  are  joined  by  the  Sister  of 
that  particular  floor  and  inspect  the  bright  wards 
with  their  rows  of  neat  little  beds,  large  windows, 
and  tables  bright  with  nasturtiums.  The  children 
greet  us  with  happy  smiles  of  welcome.  Evidently 
they  accept  all  visitors  as  their  own  particular 
friends  and  not  as  mere  sightseers  or  journaHsts 
out  to  satisfy  a  lust  for  copy.  Matron  plainly  has 
captured  the  hearts  of  these  small  people  and  their 
faces  beam  with  delight  as  she  asks  this  little 
person  some  question  or  addresses  a  teasing 
remark  to  the  other.  In  one  room  the  L.C.C. 
teacher  is  giving  a  lesson  to  the  more  convalescent 


PRINCESS    CHRISTIAN    WARD,    NORTHCOURT    HOSPITAL    FOR    CHILDREN,    HAMPSTEAD. 


NORTHCOURT  HOSPITAL  FOR  CHILDREN, 
HAMPSTEAD. 

This  is  one  of  the  best  appointed  hospitals  of 
its  kind  and  its  beautiful  surroundings  add  greatly 
to  its  attractions.  As  one  enters  the  large  oak- 
panelled  hall  with  the  wide  staircase  running  up 
to  the  wards  one  gets  an  impression  ot  light  and 
space.  Notice  boards,  printed  rules  and  invalid 
chairs  are  conspicuous  by  their  absence,  and  a 
pretty  rustic  settle  takes  the  place  of  the  usual 
narrow  form.  Evidently  Miss  Mackenzie  Rose 
and  those  responsible  f  )r  the  hospital  have  decided 
that  both  surroundings  and  environment  are 
important  factors  in  the  healthy  development  of 
children  in  the  treatment  of  disease.  From  the 
hall  we  pass  to  the  Matron's  tasteful  sitting-room, 
opsning   upon  the   conservatory,    with   a  dainty 


children,  and  from  here  we  pass  upstairs  to  another 
floor  and  see  Sister  Rpy's  pretty  sitting-room  and 
still  more  rows  of  little  beds.  We  stop  for  a 
momert  to  admire  Nancy's  beautiful  needlework. 
Surely  never  were  there  stitched  so  fine,  lace 
inserted  with  greater  precision,  or  more  delicate 
drawn  work  on  the  finest  of  linen  than  that 
accomplished  by  these  small  fingers. 

In  a  lift  we  descend  to  the  kitchen  department 
where  a  beautiful  pantry  with  white  marble  floor 
and  shelves  must  be  the  joy  of  the  housekeeper's 
heart ;  and  then  lastly,  we  inspect  the  large 
kitchens  and  drying-room  and  feel  constrained  to 
congratulate  the  Matron  on  the  ordc"  and  efl&ciency 
which  she  has  managed  to  maintain  in  spite  of  the 
difficulty  in  procuring  suitable  nurses. 
(Signed)     Isabel  Macdonald, 

Secretary  of  the  Corporation- 


240 


Zl)c  »rtti0b  3ournal  ot  'Wurgtug. 


October  19,   1918 


THE    CENTRAL   COMMITTEE   FOR  THE 
STATE  REGISTRATION  OF  NURSES. 


"•  A  Meeting  of  the  Central  Committee  for  the 
State  Registration  of  Nurses  will  be  held,  by 
the  courtesy  of  the  British  Medical  Association, 
in  its  Council  Chamber  at  429,  Strand,  London, 
W.C,  on  Saturday,  October  26th,  at  2.30  p.m. 


THE    MATRONS'   COUNCIL. 


We  are  glad  to  hear  that  there  is  to  be  a 
good  gathering  of  Members  on  the  19th  inst. 
at  Charing  Cross  Hospital,  where,  by  the  kind- 
ness of  the  Committee  and  the  Matron,  the 
Autumn  Meeting  will  be  held.  We  hope  to 
have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  some  of  our  over- 
seas friends,  if  they  have  time  to  accept  the 
hospitality  of  the  President  to  tea. 


THE  RELATION  OF  WOMEN  MEDICAL 
AND  NURSING  STUDENTS. 


The  admittance  of  women  medical  students 
to  some  of  our  largest  general  hospitals,  where 
part  of  their  education  will  be  carried  on  in  the 
wards  as  medical  clerks  and  surgical  dressers, 
opens  up  questions  in  connection  with  the  Nurs- 
ing Department — whether  the  authorities  have 
realised  it  or  not — which  we  gather  from  the 
replies  to  our  recent  letters  of  enquiry  to  the 
Wardens  of  the  London  Medical  Schools,  have 
so  far  received  no  consideration. 

Letter  of  Enquiry. 

The  following  letter  was  sent  out  from  our 
office,  on  October  2nd,  to  the  Wardens  of  the 
Medical  Schools  attached  to  the  London,  Guy's, 
St.  Thomas',  Charing  Cross,  Westminster, 
University  College,  St.  George's,  and  King's 
College  Hospitals,  and  the  following  replies 
have  been  received  from  the  Deans  and  Sub- 
Deans  : — 

British  Journal  of  Nursing, 
Editorial  Office, 
20,  Upper  Wimpole  Street,  London,  W. 
2nd  October,  191 8. 
Sir, — ^May    I    enquire    if    the   Medical    School 

attached   to   the   ■   Hospital    admits   women 

Medical  Students,  and,  if  so,  may  I  have  a  copy 
of  the  Regulations  which  define  their  ward  work. 
Do  these  students  receive  any  instruction  in 
dressing  minor  woimds  and  other  practical  work. 
Such  as  the  administration  of  enemas,  the  passing 
of  catheters,  &c.,  from  the  nursing  staff ;  and, 
if  so,  do  the  members  of  the  nursing  staff  receive 


any  remuneration,  either  from  the  Medical  School 
or  Hospital  Committee  for  such  teaching  ? 

Awaiting  your  reply; 
I  am,  Sir, 

Yours  faithfully, 

Ethel  G.  Fenwick, 

The  Warden,  Editor. 

The  Medical  School, 

Hospital . 

Replies. 

From  the  London  Hospital. — "  In  reply  to  your 
enquiry,  women  students  at  the  London  Hospital 
do  not  receive  any  instruction  such  as  you  detail 
from  the  nursing  staff."  No  copy  of  Regulations 
sent. 

Charing  Cross'  Hospital. — "In  reply  to  your 
letter  of  the  2nd  instant,  I  beg  to  say  that  the 
Charing  Cross  Hospital  Medical  School  and  the 
Charing  Cross  Hospital  admit  women  medical 
students  to  all  their  courses  of  teaching  without 
any  restrictions  whatsoever,  other  than  those 
applying  to  men  students. 

They  are  eligible  for  all  Prizes  and  all  Appoint- 
ments, resident  and  otherwise.  Their  instruction 
in  Dressing  and  all  other  practical  workrs  entirely 
in  the  hands  of  the  Staff  of  the  Hospital  ard  is 
not  deputed  to  the  nurses.  With  regard  to  the 
remuneration  of  the  members  of  the  Nursing  Staff, 
that  is  wholly  in  the  hands  of  the  Council  of  the 
Hospital. 

I  have  pleasure  in  enclosing  herewith  a  Prospec- 
tus of  the  School,  and  to  add  that  any  information 
contained  therein  applies  equaUy  and  without 
notification  to  women  as  well  as  to  men." 

We  have  to  thank  the  Dean  for  a  copy  of  the 
"  Prospectus  and  Directory  of  the  Medical  School." 

From  University  College  Hospital. — "  University 
College  Hospital  Medical  School  does  now  admit 
women  medical  students.  They  are  on  exactly 
the  same  terms  as  men  students.  No  instruction 
is  given  to  either  male  or  female  students  by  any 
member  of  the  Nursing  Staff.  The  Teaching  is 
entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  Honorary  Staff  with 
the  assistance  of  the  Resident  Staff." 

From  St.  George's  Hospital. — In  answer  to  your 
letter  of  the  2nd  October,  I  have  to  inform  you 
that  a  limited  number  of  women  students  are 
admitted  to  this  Medical  School  under  exactly  the 
same  conditions  as  the  male  students." 

At  St.  Thomas's  and  Guy's  Hospitals  we  are 
informed  that  women  medical  students  are  not 
admitted . 

From  King's  College  and  Westminster  Hos- 
pitals the  courtesy  of  a  reply  has  not  been 
extended  to  our  enquiry. 


IN    THE    OUT-PATIENTS'. 

"  Please,  sir,  could  you  give  my  little  boy  'is 
medicine  for  a  monfth  ?  " 

"  No,  he  must  come  every  week  till  he's  better." 

"  But  I  wants  to  take  'im  'oppin'." 

"  Well,  I  can't  give  him  leave  to  do  that." 
{Sotto  voce  to  nurse)  ;  "  He's  'oppin'  enough  now 
in  all  conscience." 


October  19,   igi8 


Zbe  British  3ournal  of  IRursing, 


241 


IRISH  NURSES'  ASSOCIATION. 

APPOINTMENT    OF     SECRETARY. 

The  Irish  N  irs  ^s'  Association  have  appointed 
Mrs.  Lanagaa  O'Ksefe  as  Secretary  in  place  of 
Miss  French,  resigned. 

Mrs.  O'Ksefe  is  the  widow  of  a  well-known  Irish 
doctor,  but  before  her  marriage  was  a  trained 
nurse.  She  received  her  training  at  St.  Vincent's 
Hospital,  D  iblin,  and  Golden  Square  Throat 
Hospital,  Loidoi.  She  has  experience  also  in 
secretarial  work,  having  worked  in  one  of  the 
Local  Government  Board  ofl&ces  for  some  time, 
aad  at  prese:it  is  supervising  clerk  in  the  office  of 
the  M^chaaical  Transport  for  Ireland.  Mrs. 
Laaagan  O'Kiefe  has  kept  in  touch  wth  nursing 
matters  and  takes  a  keen  interest  in  everything 
connected  with  our  profession. 


APPOINTMENTS. 


ST.     BARTHOLOMEWS     HOSPITAL, 
EXAMINATIONS. 

At  the  recent  examinations  of  third  and  first 
years'  Probationary  Nurses  they  passed  in  the 
following  orucr  : — . 

Third  Year  Examination. 

I,  A.  D.  Normandale  (Gold  Medallist)  ;  2,  Z.  E. 
French ;  3,  M.  E.  Moore  ;  4,  E.  Everett ;  5,  A. 
Cowell;  6,  M.  Whitehead;  7,  C.  Wilcox;  8.  J. 
Ingram;  9,  E.  A'dous;  10,  F.  M.  Jupe  ;  ii,  A. 
J.  Bir' iwaid  D.  Wi'liams  ;  13,  M.  Dingle  ;  14,  M. 
A.  E.  Snith  ;  15,  C.  C.  Dake  ;  16,  F.  Young  and 
L.  G.  H  ighes  ;  iS,  M.  G.  Carter  aad  J.  L.  Procter  ; 
20,  j\-  N.  Martin  and  Kate  A.  Smith  ;  22,  E.  M. 
Margerriso  i  ;  23,  H.  F.  Pugh  ;  24,  N.  M.  Jackson  ; 
25,  E.  H.  H^'oway  ;  26,  O.  Caldecourt ;  27,  M.  O. 
McLeod  ;   28,  E.  G.  Labey. 

First  Year  Examination. 
Nurse    W.    F.    Ledger "  passed    first    and    was 
awarded  the  Prize  of  Books. 


THE     PASSING     BELL. 

'^We  have  to  record  with  very  sincere  regret  the 
sudden  death  on  Friday  of  Dr.  John  Biernacki, 
Physician  S  aperintendent  of  the  Plaistow  Fever 
Hospital,  E. 

Dr.  Biernacki  was  for  many  years  deeply 
intjrested  ia  the  higher  education  of  nurses  and 
a  consistent  supporter  of  the  movement  for  the 
Srate  Registration  of  Nurses.  He  did  much  to 
stauda^rdise  the  training  of  Fever  Nurses,  was 
a  founder  and  a  member  of  the  Fever  Nurses' 
Association,  which  Association  he  has  represented 
on  the  Centra'  Committee  since  its  foundation  in 
1 910  ;  he  was  also  a  member  of  the  Royal  British 
Nurses'  Association. 

In  the  death  of  Dr.  Biernacki  the  medical 
profession  has  lost  a  very  eminent  member  and 
the  whole  nursing  profession  a  sincere  and  helpful 
friend.  He  was  a  man  of  clear  thought  and  stead- 
fast purpose  aid  will  be  difficult  to  replace  in  the 
councils  of  the  Nuises' organisations  with  which  he 
has  been  so  long  associated  for  their  benefit. 


MATRON. 

Munition  Isolation  Hospital,  South  Shields. — ^Mrs. 
S.  C.  Cowan  has  been  appointed  Matron.  She 
was  trained  at  the  Royal  Infirmary,  Edinburgh, 
and  has  been  Sister,  Night  Superintendent,  and 
Home  Sister  at  Belvidere  Fever  Hospital,  Glasgow. 

TEACHING    SISTER. 

General  Hospital,  Nottingham. — Miss  Marie 
Vaughan  Winters  has  been  appointed  Teaching 
Sister.  She  was  trained  under  the  able  super- 
intendence of  Miss  G.  A.  Rogers,  at  the  Royal 
Infirmary,  Leicester,  and  has  held  the  following 
positions  : — ^Theatre  Sister,  Royal  Hospital  for 
Sick  Children,  Edinburgh  ;  Ward  and  Theatre 
Sister  and  Assistant-Matron,  Royal  Infirmary, 
Sunderland  ;  Matron,  3rd  Durham  V.A.  Hospital 
for  Officers,  Sunderland. 

SISTER. 

Aberdare  and  -  District  General  Hospital. — Miss 
Cecilia  Toye  has  been  appointed  Sister.  She 
was  trained  at  St.  Marylebone  Infirmary,  London, 
and  has  had  experience  in  private  nursing  in 
connection  with  the  Royal  Sussex  County  Hospital, 
Brighton. 

SUPERINTENDENT    NURSE. 

The  Infirmary,  Hillingdon.  —  Miss  Gertrude 
Agnes  Wickham  has  been  appointed  Superin- 
tendent Nurse.  She  >vas  trained  at  the  Stockport 
Infirmary,  and  has  been  Sister  at  several  in- 
firmaries, and  assistant  matron  and  night  superin- 
tendent at  the  David  Lewis  Epileptic  Colon}'',  and 
assistant  matron  at  the  Union  Infirmary, 
Edmonton. 

RESIGNATION. 

Miss  Stansfeld,  the  Chief  Lady  Inspector  of  the 
Local  Government  Board,  has  resigned  her 
important  office  after  twenty-one  years'  service. 
Her  courtesy  and  kindness  to  her  fellow-workers 
has  marked  her  association  with  al),  and  she  has 
received  some  very  charming  tokens  of  their 
regard  upon  her  retirement.  Her  many  friends 
in  the  nursing  work  wish  her  many  happy  years 
of  leisure    after  her  long  spell  of  public  service. 

V.A.D.  CONTROVERSY. 

A  most  instructive  correspondence  on  the 
V.A.D.  question  is  raging  in  the  Spectator.  We 
hope  to  boil  it  down  to  practical  dimensions  next 
week. 

CLINICAL    THERMOMETER    ORDER. 

The  Minister  of  Munitions,  in  exercise  of  the 
powers  conferred  upon  him  by  the  Defence  of  the 
Realm  Regulations,  has  ordered  that  no  person 
shall  sell,  offer  for  sale,  supply  or  deliver  any 
clinical  thermometer  which  has  not  been  tested, 
approved  and  marked,  in  accordance  with  the 
rules,  made  from  time  to  time  by  the  Controller  of 
Glassware  Supply  on  behalf  of  the  Minister  of 
Munitions  and  for  the  time  being  in  operation. 

The  accuracy  of  thermometers  is  a  matter  of 
great  importance  to  the  sick. 


242 


Ebe  Brittab  3ournal  ot  fluraina* 


October  19,  1918 


NURSING    ECHOES. 


Several  hospitals  are  arranging  to  give  the 
nurses  one  whole  day  off  in  seven.  We  quite 
recognise  it  is  right,  but  how  we  should  have 
hated  it  when  we  were  young  and  had  to  be 
hunted  off  duty. 

We  learn  there  is  no  need  for  criticism  that 
two  of  the  three  Nursing  College  Scholarships 
were  given  to  Thomas'  Sisters.  Very  few 
suitable  candidates  applied  for  them.  This  we 
regret  to  learn,  as  we  like  people  to  thirst  after 
knowledge. 

We  hear  the  Charing  Cross  "rise"  has 
aroused  much  d'scussion  in  hospital  Board 
rooms,  and  that  it  is  probable  the  precedent  will 
be  generally  followed. 

We  are  not  quite  sure  of  the  system  em- 
ployed by  the  London  Homoeopathic  Hospital 
in  the  training  of  nurses,  which  undoubtedly 
produces  the  very  type  of  nurse  required  in 
private  practice.  We  speak  with  many  years 
of  personal  experience  as  Hon.  Superintendent 
of  the  Registered  Nurses'  Society,  upon  which 
staft"  the  "  Homoeos  "  have  always  been  held 
in  special  esteem.  Whatever  the  system,  there 
is  no  doubt  whatever  that  it  produces  the  sort 
of  nurse  most  popular  with  the  patients,  and 
we  don't  need  to  doubt  just  what  characteristics 
are  appreciated  by  sick  people.  Knowledge 
and  skill,  of  course,  but  knowledge  and  skill 
applied  along  with  the  true  nursing  spirit, 
which  finds  a  sympathetic  environment  in  the 
sick  room,  and  conveys  as  much  to  the  patient. 

The  Board  of  Management  of  the  London 
Homoeopathic  Hospital  have  kept  well  up  with 
the  times.  In  191 1  they  built,  at  a  cost  of 
;^25,ooo,  a  fine  Nurses'  Home,  providing  each 
of  the  70  nurses  the  privacy  of  a  room  for  her- 
self, and  Recreation  Rooms  replete  with  every 
comfort.  Very  soon  after  the  war  the  scale  of 
remuneration  of  the  Nurses  was  revised,  and 
they  now  receive  £17,  ;^i8,  ;^20,  and  ;^28  for 
the  four  years'  training. 


177  beds,  to  meet  in  a  measure  the  great 
demand  for  treatment  of  sailo  s  and  soldiers 
invalided  home  from  the  war. 

A  new  nurses'  home  is  to  be  built  imme- 
diately after  the  declaration  of  peace,  and  the 
Board  appeals  for  funds  for  this  good  work. 


The  Board  of  the  Royal  National  Hospital 
for  Consumption,  Ventnor,  have  much  pleasure 
in  announcing  that  Lady  Madden  has  most 
generously  placed  her  beautiful  house.  South- 
wold,  St.  Lawrence,  at  the  service  of  the 
management  as  a  temporary  home  for  the 
nursing  staff,  so  releasing  a  block  of  buildings 
hitherto  occupied  by  the  nurses,  and  increasing 
the  accommodation  at  the  hospital  from  160  to 


We  are  glad  to  note  the  August  Nursing 
Journal  for  India  contains  the  very  able 
letter,  written  by  Miss  Beatrice  Kent  on 
"  British  Nurses  and  their  Fight  for  Profes- 
sional Freedom."  We  hope  Miss  Kent  will 
keep  the  professional  nursing  press  throughout 
the  world  well  informed  on  nursing  politics  at 
home,  as  so  few  nurses  in  these  overpowering 
days  have  time  to  dive  into  economic  matters, 
which  so  nearly  affect  the  welfare  of  the  nurs- 
ing profession  as  a  whole — and  as  social 
influence  and  cash  covmt  for  so  much  in  Eng- 
land, working  women  must  not  be  led  away 
by  specious  arguments  and  charity  doles.  If 
they  wish  to  be  independent  they  must  pay  their 
own  way. 

Our  American  cousins  can  no  longer  in 
justice  call  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing 
"a  voice  calling  in  the  wilderness,"  as  they 
have  so  aptly  done  for  so  many  years.  All  at 
once,  after  "a  long,  long  wail  "  of  25  years, 
everyone  to  whom  its  policy  was  anathema 
for  so  long  seems  to  be  clamouring  for 
the  fulfilment  of  its  programme — Organization 
of  Nursing  Education  and  Registration  by  the 
State,  Better  Home  Conditions  and  Pay, 
Shorter  Hours  of  Labour,  More  Thorough 
Practical  Training,  Sister  Teachers  educated 
for  the  purpose,  Nursing  Colleges  (but  no 
monopoly)^  International  Amenities — all  these 
professional  privileges  have  been  claimed  by 
The  British  Journal  of  Nursing  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  and  now  the  "  antis  "  and 
their  press  are  just  tumbling  over  one  another 
(without  acknowledgment,  of  course)  to  carry 
into  effect  our  precepts — even  if  they  are  some- 
what shaky  about  the  principles.  The  one' 
essential  principle  these  people  have  yet  to 
realise  and  concede  is  the  right  of  the  nurses  to 
self-determination,  self-expression,  and  self- 
reliance.  We  are  now  looking  forward  to  the 
time  when  the  pap  feeding  of  "  Pumblechook  " 
will  be  recognised  as  conducive  to  professional 
decadence,  and  each  nurse  will  be  entrusted 
with  her  own  knife  and  fork.  Then  indeed 
"  the  Voice  "  will  have  made  itself  heard  in  the 
wilderness  to  some  effect,  and  the  special 
characteristic  of  our  race — tenacity  of  purpose 
— be  proved  once  more  an  unconquerable  asset. 


October  19,   1918 


dbe  British  3ournal  of  Durstna. 


243 


OUTSIDE  THE  GATES. 


BOOK  OP  THE  WEEK. 


NATIONAL    COUNCIL     OF     WOMEN 
OF  GREAT  BRITAIN  AND  IRELAND. 

At  its  annual  mseting  held  at  Harrogate  last 
week,  the  National  Union  of  Women  Workers 
adopted  as  its  title  "  The  National  Council  of 
Woni3a,"  as  suggested  a  q  larter-of-a-century 
ago,  when  Mrs.  Mary  Wright  Sswell,  the  founder 
of  ths  International  Council  of  Women,  proposed 
to  M.'S.  Eva  Maclaren  that  such  a  council  should 
b3  foand3d  in  the  United  Kingdom.  Ano'ther 
"  long,  long  trail  "  ! 

Mich  time  ^as  given  to  the  revision  of 
the  Constitution,  the  most  important  innovation 
adopted  being  to  eliminate  sex,  from  Object  3 
of  the  Council,  which  ran  :  "  To  co-ordinate 
women's  organizations  nationally  and  locally " 
The  word  "women's  "  has  been  eliminated  in  the 
new  Constitution,  so  that  for  the  future,  societies 
governed  by  m^n,  although  having  women  mem- 
bers, are  eligible  for  aflfi  iation.  Women  alone 
can  be  delegates  and  members  of  committees, 
but  as  delegates  are  instructed  how  to  vote, 
men-managed  societies  will  have  real  power  in 
the  National  Council  of  Women.  Sslf -governing 
wom3n's  societies,  at  least,  those  composed  of 
wage-earners,  will  certainly  object  to  this  innova- 
tion, and,  we  think,  to  be  accurate,  the  new  title 
shoald  make  it  clear  that  it  a£&liates  both  sexes 
as  provided  under  No.  3  of  Article  IV,  in  defining 
membership. 

The  President,  Mrs.  Ogilvie  Gordon,  suggested 
that  messages  of  congratulation  should  be  sent  to 
General  Foch  and  to  Sir  Douglas  Haig.  The 
proposal  was  enthusiastically'  endorsed,  vvith  a 
further  suggestion  that  the  services  of  the  Navy 
and  Air  Force  should  be  likewise  recognised. 

Many  resolutions  in  support  of  useful  reforms 
were  agreed  to. 

WOMEN    AND    LABOUR. 

The  National  Conference  on  Women's  Civic  and 
Political  Rights  and  Responsibilities,  organised  by 
the  Labour  Party,  at  the  Caxton  HaJ,  West- 
minister, on  the  15th  and  i6th  inst.,  brought 
together  some  remarkable  women.  Amongst 
chairs  and  speakers.  Dr.  Ethel  Bentham,  Miss 
Sasan  Lawrence,  L.C.C.,  Mrs.  Sidney  Webb,  Miss 
Mary  Macarthur,  Dr.  Marion  Phillips,  Mrs.  Sa:ter 
and  Miss  Margaret  Bondfield  were  prominent. 
They  discussed  with  eloquence  and  feeling  "  The 
Civic  Rights  of  Women,"  "  Ministry  of  Health 
and  Maternity  and  Child  Welfare  Act,"  "  Housing," 
"  The  Political  Organisation  of  Women,"  "  The 
Prevention  of  Venereal  Disease,"  and  "  Food 
Problems  after  the  War." 

Many  women's  societies  did  not  accept  the 
invitation  to  send  delegates  owing  to  the  partici- 
pation of  pronounced  pacifists  in  the  Conference. 


WELCOME    TO     "ROBERTA." 

The  Home  Offi.ce  has  decided  to  recognise  a 
force  of  Women  Police  in  London.  We  wish 
"  Roberta"  every  success. 


"THE    SOUL   OF  SUSAN   YELLAM."* 

War  from  the  point  of  .view  of  a  country  village 
is  the  theme  that  Mr.  Vachell  has  chosen  for  his 
latest  book,  and  war  more  especially  from  the 
point  of  view  of  Susai  Yellam. 

"  Sunday  after  Sunday  Susan  Yellam  sat  bolt 
upright  in  her  pew.  Her  son,  Alfred,  sat  beside 
her.  Mother  and  son  were  never  guilty  of  missing 
a  response  or  of  looking  behind  them,  or  of  failing 
to  contribute  something  in  copper  to  the  offertory 
plate.  If  a  stranger  happened  to  be  conducting 
the  service,  and  if  he  was  so  lost  to  decency  as  to 
display  an  unseemly  haste,  Mrs.  Yellam's  voice 
might  be  heard  loud  and  clear  setting  the  proper 
pace.  At  the  end  of  every  prayer  her  '  Amen ' 
came  to  be  accepted  even  by  the  young  and 
thoughtless  as  a  grace  and  benediction." 

Always  she  wore  decent  black,  as  became  a 
woman  who  has  buried,  in  the  churchyard  outside, 
a  husband  and  three  children. 

Her  clothes  were  not  the  least  part  of  her 
personality. 

Authority  exuded  from  every  pore  in  her  skin. 
She  possessed  the  British  cocksureness  which  so 
endears  us  to  foreigners.  The  parson,  Mr.  Hamlin, 
observed  of  her  that  she  was  temperamentally 
incapable  of  detecting  the  defects  of  her  great 
qualities; 

Alfred  was  what  the  French  term  "  un  celibaire 
enduri."  And  he  was  made  extremely  comfortable 
at  home. 

But  he  had  passed  his  thirtieth  year,  and  of  late 
his  mother  had  hinted  discreetly  that  her  cottage, 
larger  than  most,  could  accommodate  three  persons 
or  more. 

Alfred,  who  was  the  village  carrier,  met  his  fate 
when  he  brought  Fancy  Broomfield  to  her  jBirst 
place  at  the  vicarage  in  his  cart.  He  left  her  and 
her  modest  box  at  the  door.  She  thanked  him 
demurely,  and  asked  him  how  much  she  owed  him. 
Alfred  was  tempted  to  demand  a  Idss  in  payment, 
but  a  "glance  at  the  virginal  face  restrained  him. 
He  said  instead,  "  One  shilling,  please,  Miss." 
When  he  found  himself  alone  he  transferred  the 
shilling  to  cuiother  pocket,  wondering  furtively  if 
he  were  making  a  fool  of  himself. 

But  with  the  engagement  came  the  other 
problem,  for  it  took  place  at  the  outbreak  of  the 
war. 

The  slow  working  of  Alfred's  bucolic  mind  is  well 
described,  but  the  wrestling  with  his  love  for  his 
mother  and  Fancy  and  his  duty  to  his  country  do 
not  tempt  Mr.  Vachell  to  stray  from  the  path  of 
sober  realism. 

"  He  said  heavily — 
•    "  I  ain't  one  for  argument.     I  only  know  this, 
dear,  if  I  go,  others  go  too.      And  the  men  are 
wanted.  Captain  Lionel  says.     And  if  he  says  so, 
'tis  so.     I  feel  I  ought  to  go  Lf  you  approve.  When 

•  By  Horace  Annesley  VachelL  Cassell  &  Co., 
London. 


244 


Q:be  Britieb  3ournal  of  laurstng. 


October  19,    igi8 


it  corns  to  mother,  I'm  weak-kneed.  If  I  leave  her 
out,  Fancy,  'tis  because  I  know  what's  tearing  her 
— ^the  thought  of  the  graves  in  the  churchyard. 
'Taint  in  mother  as  'tis  in  you  to  stand  hand-in- 
hand  with  me  and  forget  her  dear  self." 
-►  Susan  Yel lam's  faith  was  not  strong  enough  to 
support  her  in  those  terrible  days  of  the  war  and 
now,  and  Fancy  would  be  vouchsafed  a  glimpse 
at  an  indurated  heart.  She  had  noticed  that  ]Mrs. 
Yellam  avoided  any  direct  reference  to  the  Deity, 
Whose  name  had  been  so  often  on  her  lips  before 
the  war. 

"  One  day  Fancy  said  : 
r  "  God  will  be  with  Alfred." 
§  Mrs.  Yellam  said  quickly — 
!     "  He  be  wi'  the  Kayser  too,  seemin'ly." 
r^,  She  no  longer  discussed  the  sermon  which  had 
been   her   favourite    mental    exercise.     One    that 
made  a  special  appeal  to  her  she  dismissed  with — 

"  'Twas  a  notable  sermon,  but  he  ain't  been 
tried  as  I  have." 

It  was  after  the  news  came  that  "Alfred" 
was  missing  that  his  child  was  born.  Mrs.  Yellam 
tells  her  brother  Habbakuk — 

"  She  be  low,  but  I  be  fightin'  for  her.  Oh  ! 
there's  so  little  of  her — and  no  milk  for  the  baby." 

"  Lard  preserve  her  dear  life  !  " 

Susan  frowned. 

"  'Tis  milk  that  be  wanted." 

"  You  be  right.  Bottle  babies  suffer  crool  wi' 
colic." 

"  Not  if  I  wash  the  bottles.  Fancy  have  chosen 
the  names.  'Tis. queer  Fancy  keeps  on  a-sayin'  to 
me,  '  Alfred' 11  come  back  !  '  " 

"  Maybe  he  will,  maybe  he  won't.  Parson  be 
pray  in'  in  church  for  Alfred.  'Twould  seem  more 
respectful  if  you  joined  in  wi'  your  loud  voice." 

At  once  Mrs.  Yellam's  face  hardened. 

"  I  bide  at  home  till  Alfred  comes  back." 

Fancy's  trail  body  slipped  its  moorings  before 
the  baby  was  many  days  old,  and  at  her  death  she 
who  had  always  been  something  of  a  seer  had  a 
vision  of  Alfred. 

"  I  hear  you  as  plain  as  plain.  You  had  to  come 
for  both  our  sakes — mother's  and  mine!  And 
Such  a  night  !  You  ain't  a  bit  wet  neither. 
Afraid,  Aliie  ?  With  you  holding  me  as  tight  as 
tight.     Oh,  no  1  " 

Susan  Yells m  heard  a  trickle  of  laughter. 
After  that  Fancy  sighed  twice,  and  her  small  body 
relaxed. 

In  Alfred's  child,  Susan  Ye' lam  recovered  her  soul . 
^_^  H.  H. 

COMINQ     EVENTS. 

October  igth. — ^Matrons'  Council  of  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland.  Meeting  Charing  Cross  Hospital, 
3.15  p.m.     Tea,  4.15. 

October  -z^th. — Society  for  the  State  Registration 
of  Trained  Nurses.  Meeting  Executive  Commit- 
tee, 431,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.     4  p.m. 

October  26th. — ^Central  Committee  for  the  State 
Registration  of  Nurses.  Meeting,  Council 
Chamber,  British  Medical  Association,  429,  Strand, 
London,  W.C.     2.30  p.m. 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 

Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  for  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  be 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents. 

PRECEDENCE    FOR  "THE   MAN    IN   BLUE." 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 
Dear  Madam, — -May  I  bs  allowed  to  remark  on 
a  small  writing  which  appeared  in  the  Journal  of 
September  21st,  and  say  how  truly  disgraceful  I 
think  it  is  that  any  woman  should  remark  adversely 
upon  "  A  man  in  blue  "  offering  a  Territorial 
his  seat,  and  she  accepting  the  same  ? 

I  take  it  that  the  man  in  question  would  be  well 
on  the  way  to  recovery  before  being  allowed  to 
be  absent  from  hospital  and  take  rides  on  'buses. 
Probably  the  "  elderly  woman  "  had  never 
done  a  day's  work  in  her  life,  and  very  probably 
not  sacrificed  any  comfort,  &c.,  during  the  present 
crisis,  or  endured  any  hardships,  whereas  the 
nurse  has  more  than  likely  stood  on  her  feet  for 
the  best  part  of  the  past  four  yea.rs,  not  taking  into 
consideration  her  previous  hard  life,  viz.,  "  her 
training."  Yours  truly,       ' 

A  Territorial  Nurse  on  Active 
Service,  Italian  Front. 
[The    following   is    the    "  par  "  to  which    our 
correspondent  takes  exception  : — 

"  Recently  in  a  crowded  motor-bus  two  wounded 
soldiers  rose  politely  from  their  seats  to  offer  them  to 
two  women,  one  in  nursing  uniform,  who  promptly 
took  the  place  without  even  a  word  of  thanks.  The 
other,  an  elderly  woman,  exclaimed  '  No,  not  the  seat 
of  a  man  in  blue.  We  ought  to  stand  for  you.'  We 
should  have  supposed  that  the  nurse  was  merely  one  of 
the  many  women  who  don  our  uniform  without  the 
right  to  wear  it  ;  but  alas !  her  uniform  was  that  of  the 
Territorial  Force  Nursing  Service." 

We  cannot  believe  xhat  the  above  member  of 
the  T.F.N.S.  expresses  the  feelings  or  opinions  of 
her  colleagues.  We  feel  sure  that  with  very  few 
exceptions,  our  military  nurses  would  promptly 
offer  their  seats  in  any  vehicle  to  "  the  man 
in  blue."  Personally  we  constantly  elbow  the 
pushing  public  aside  at  'bus  stopping  stations 
so  that  the  "  man  in  blue,"  often  weak  and 
crippled,  shall  have  the  first  chance  of  a  seat 
inside.  "  Wounded  first,  wounded  first  " — called 
out  in  no  uncertain  voice — generally  brings  the 
"  'bus  hogs"  to  their  senses.  It  is  a  pity  con- 
dutors  have  not  the  right  to  give  precedence  to  the 
"  man  in  blue." — Ed.] 

COLLEGE   OFFICIALS   SHOULD    STUDY 
NURSING    HISTORY. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  J  ournal  of  Nursing. 
Dear  Madam, — I  was  recently  at  a  meeting  in 
support  of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  and  should 
like  to  have  corrected  several  of  Miss  Cowlin's 
statements,  but  evidently  we  were  only  there 
to  listen  and  agree.  Miss  Cowlin  said  :  "  Had 
Such  an  organization  as  the  College  of  Nursing 
existed  before  1914,  it  would  have  been  possible 


THE 


iflSU§llilL°WNiC 


WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 


HEMU 


EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


No.  1,595. 


SATURDAY.    OCTOBER    26.    1918. 


vol.    LXI 


EDITORIAL. 


VICTORY     IN     VIEW. 

Now  that  after  four  years  of  war,  of  a 
magnitude  and  horror  unknown  in  the 
history  of  the  world,  the  victory  of  the 
Allies,  and  the  triumph  of  right  and  justice 
are  in  sight,  none  rejoice  more  than  trained 
nurses,  who  from  their  intimate  association 
with  the  wounded  in  the  clearing  stations 
and  close  behind  the  firing  line,  realise  most 
poignantly  the  splendour  of  the  valour  of 
the  allied  troops,  whether  fighting  with  the 
enemy,  or  maimed  and  wounded  enduring 
the  results  of  the  conflict  in  hospital  wards. 

And  of  the  nurses  none  are  able  to  enter 
into  the  joy  of  the  victorious  troops  more 
than  those  in  the  invaded  districts  in  France 
and  Belgium  now  liberated  from  the  grip  of 
the  Hun.  No  personal  pain  or  disablement 
can  dim  the  joy  that  illuminates  the  faces 
of  the  dauntless  poilus  and  the  "  braves 
Beiges,"  who  stand  once  again  on  the  soil 
of  their  dear  native  land,  theirs  once  more, 
at  the  price  of  the  life  blood  and  agony  of 
many  thousands  of  brave  men  and  women, 
and  of  the  sacrifice  even  of  innocent 
children. 

It  was  inevitable  that  sooner  or  later 
British  valour,  French  gallantry,  and  Ameri- 
can prowess  in  war  should  overcome  bar- 
baric methods  of  war. 

Now  that  the  valour  of  the  sailors, 
soldiers  and  airmen  of  the  Allies  have 
placed  victory  within  oar  grasp,  let  us  hold 
it  tenaciously.  As  we  read  of  the  suffering 
endured  in  these  four  years  of  German 
domination  in  Lille  and  the  devastated 
districts  of  France,  in  Courtrai,  and  the 
liberated  towns  in  Belgium,  as  we  thank 
God  that  that  reign  of  terror  is  over,  let  us 
vow  that  by  every  means  at  our  disposal 
we  will  ensure  that  the  terms  of  peace 
made  by  the  Allies  are  such  as  .to  deprive 


Germany  for  ever  of  the  power  to  enslave 
the  free  peoples  of  the  world  ;  and  that  they 
secure  to  the  smaller  nations  that  national 
independence  which  is  their  heritage  and 
their  birthright.  Justice  demands  not  only 
the  suppression  but  the  punishment  of  crime. 

Meanwhile  our  hearts  throb  at  the  news 
of  the  King  and  Queen  of  the  Bel- 
gians at  Ostend ;  of  the  Armies  of  the 
Allies,  led  by  King  Albert,  liberating  town 
after  town  of  gallant  Belgium,  of  the  thanks- 
giving service  in  the  cathedral  in  Courtrai, 
of  the  Abbe  who  celebrated  it  (who, 
when  the  Liermans  entered  the  town,  re- 
fused to  leave  a  sick  woman,  though 
threatened  with  death  by  shooting  if  he 
did  not  do  so),  and  of  the  joy  bells  ringing 
out  from  the  Belfry  of  Bruges.  Those  who 
know  and  love  this  mediaeval  city,  and  have 
noted  how  its  docks  have  again  and  again 
been  bombed  by  Allied  airmen,  have  scarcely 
dared  to  hope  that  ever  again  they  would 
look  on  the  beauty  of  its  Belfry,  or  hear  its 
carillon  chiming  the  hours. 

Longfellow's    lines    as    he    stood    on    the 
summit  of  the  Belfry  at  dawn  come  irresist- 
ibly to  mind  : — 
In  the  market  place  of  Bruges  stands  the  belfry 

old  and  brown  ; 
Thrice    consumed   and    thrice   rebuilded,    still    it 

watches  o'er  the  town. 
As  the  summer  mom  was  breaking  on  that  lofty 

tower  I  stood, 
And  the  world  threw  off  its  darkness,  like  the 

weeds  of  widowhood. 

*  *  *  *  * 

Then  most  m,usical  and  solemn,  bringing  back  the 

olden  times 
With  their  strange,  unearthly  changes  rang  the 

melancholy  chimes. 

Long  may  the  Belfry  watch  over  Bruges, 
and  as  we  listen  to  its  melodious  bells,  may 
they  be  to  us  the  symbol  of  those  harmonies 
which  underlie  the  beauty  of  human  life  in 
a  world  at  peace,  after  the  discord  and 
horror  of  war,  . 


35© 


Jibe  Brttieb  Journal  of  IRurstUG. 


October  26,  1918 


NOTES     ON    NURSING     IN     FRANCE. 


THE    HOPITAL    iScOLE  (RED  CROSS), 
SQUARE     DES    PEUPUERS,     PARIS. 

This  School — -Hdpital  ficole  de  la  Societe  de 
Sacoars  aax  B. esses  MUitaires — is  attached  to  a 
beautiful  Red  Cross  Hospital,  erected  some  twelve 
years  ago  in  the  Square  des  Peupliers,  Paris,  and 
is  a  surgical  cHnique. 

From  the  inception  of  the  war,  as  Hdpital  12,  it 
has  been  used  for  the 
care  of  the  wounded, 
and  many  Red  Cross 
workers  have  eagerly 
availed  themselves  of 
a  short  course  of 
practical  instruction 
for  war  nursing. 

The  elementary  in- 
struction to  qualify 
for  the  simple  Di- 
ploma after  one 
year's  work  is  ex- 
ceedingly practical, 
the  full  term  of 
training  for  a  "  Di- 
ploma Superieur  "  is 
two  years. 

The  school  is  super- 
intended by  a  highly 
experienced  Direc- 
trice,  Mile.  Genin, 
who  received  me  with 
delightful  courtesy 
and  herself  conducted 
me  over  the  whole 
institution. 

Mile.  Genin  is 
mattresse  femme,  and 
her  wonderful  power 
of  organisation  was 
apparent  to  the  pro- 
fessional eye  in  every 
department  of  the 
hospital,  notably  in 
the  order  and 
cleanliness  of  the 
wards,  the  disciplined 
demeanour  of  the 
nursing  staff,  and  the 
evident    comfort     of 

the  patients.  The  stairs,  walls,  floors,  all  were  pure 
white  and  speckless.  In  the  beautiful  little  chapel 
dim  lights  were  burning  and  nurses  knelt  in  prayer. 

We  visited  all  the  domestic  ofi&ces,  and  found 
every  department  in  order,  so  essential  for  the 
comfort  and  happiness  of  the  inmates  of  a  hospital. 

From  her  little  bureau  on  the  ground-floor  it 
was  evident  that  the  whole  direction  of  the 
institution  was  effected  by  "  wireless." 

The  extensive  grounds  surrounding  the  hospital 
were  beautifully  laid  out  in  gardens,  or  thriftily 
cultivated  for  use. 

Situated  in  a  very  poor  district  this  fine  open 


space  with  the  heights  of  Bicetre  in  the  near 
distance  permits  a  suffi,ciency  of  light  and  air. 
'The  sunset  as  seen  from  the  windows  was  amaz- 
ingly beautiful. 

With  Mile.-  Genin  I  exchanged  opinions  on  the 
difference  of  nurse-training  in  England  and  France, 
taking  into  consideration  national  temperament 
and  idiosyncrasy. 

I  gathered  that  women's  p?id  work  was  not  yet 
held  in  the  same  honourable  esteem  in  France  as 
in  England  and  America.  JyThus  nursing  as  a  paid 

profession  for  gentle- 
women was  yet  in  its 
infancy  in  France. 

Mile.  G6nin  is 
herself  a  voluntary 
worker  but  is  in 
favour  of ; encourag- 
ing respect  for 
women's  paid  ser- 
vices,especially  those 
of  Such  inestimable 
value  to  the  com- 
munity as  the  work 
of  the  trained  nurse. 
She  would  also 
eagerly  embrace  an 
opportunity  of  add- 
ing medical  and  ob- 
stetric training  for 
the  nurses  to  the 
surgical  branch  al- 
ready provided  at 
the  Peupliers,  thus 
providing  a  thorough 
training  for  the  "Di- 
plome  Superieur  " 
under  central  control. 
To  effect  this  exten- 
sion new  blocks  and 
a  Nurses'  Home  must 
be  built,  and  for  this 
at  the  present  time 
money  is  not  forth- 
coming in  France. 

I    was   introduced 
by  Mile.     G^nin     to 
the      Marquise       de 
Montebello,  a  leading 
Red    Cross     worker, 
who   has    taken    the 
trouble  to  study  the 
nursing  question  in  France  and  England,  and  who 
is  deeply  and  intelligently  interested  in  the  pro- 
gress and  evolution  of  nursing  in  France. 

With  her  I  visited  the  fine  wards  arranged  for 
the  care  of  the  wounded  in  the  magnificent  Ecole 
Dioc6saine  at  Conflans,  by  the  grace  of  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Paris,  where  a  nursing  staff  trained  by 
Mile.  G6nin  have  established  a  well-ordered  service. 
The  same  standard  of  order  and  cleanliness 
prevailed  as  at  the  Peupliers,  and  many  of  the  new 
scientific  treatments  brought  into  practice  during 
the  war  were  being  used  for  the  relief  and  cure  of 
the  patients. 


MLLB.    QBNIN,    Directrice. 


October  26,  1918 


tTbc  Brittab  3ournal  of  IRuraing. 


351 


Mme.  de  Montebello  was  also  good  enough  to 
show  me  something  of  Red  Cross  activities  in 
Paris,  to  which  she  devotes  her  wonderful  energy 
and  talents. 

In  spite  of  some  of  the  defects  in  the  system  of 
nursing  in  France,  I  observed  a  marked  improve- 
ment in  the  wards  and  personnel  since  1907  when 
I  made  a  former  tour  of  inspection. 

Let  us  hope  that  in  the  next  decade  still  further 


progress  will  be  made. 


E.  G.  F. 


CARE    OF    THE    WOUNDED. 


The  King  and  Queen  and  Princess  Mary  paid  a 
visit  to  the  American  Base  Hospital,  No.  37,  in 


OUR  ROLL  OF  HONOUR. 

It  is  with  deep  regret  that  we  record  the  death 
from  influenza  and  pneumonia,  on  Friday,  October 
1 8th,  of  Miss  Kathleen  Stewart,  Matron  of  the 
Walsh  Hospita\  Netley. 

Miss  Stewart  was  trained  at  the  Royal  Infirmary, 
S  jnderland,  and  for  some  years  held  the  position  of 
Housekeeping  Sister  at  Charing  Cross  Hospital, 
then  that  of  Assistant  Matron  at  the  Royal 
Hospital  for  Sick  Children,  Edinburgh,  and  from 
there  was  appointed  Matron  of  the  York  County 
Hospital  (where  she  was  Commandant  of  the 
Military  Section).  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Matrons'  Council  and  one  of  its  delegates  on 
the  Central  Committee  for  State  Registration  of 
Nurses. 

Miss  Stewart,  who  was  appointed  Matron  by  the 


PUPILS    IN   TrtE    QAKDEN.      HOPITAL   ECOLE    DE    LA    SOCIETE    DE   SECOURS 
AUX    BLB55BS   MILITAIRES. 


the  neighbourhood  of  Dartford,  on  the  17th  inst, 
and  evidently  by  their  simple  kindness  greatly 
impressed  the  patients.  In  the  schools  of  the 
great  republic  kings  and  queens  are  represented 
as  very  dangerous  beings  indeed  ;  they  have  not 
yet  forgotten  the  stupidity  of  poor  old  George  III. 

George  V  and  the  Queen  Mary  gave  the 
American  patients  a  very  different  impression  of 
real  royalty,  and  left  amidst  their  ringing  cheers, 
one  man  remarking  that  "  they  made  the  patients 
feel  as  much  at  home  as  their  own  President  could 
have  done,  and,"  he  added,  "  we  have  heard  so 
much  about  your  King  and  Queen,  and  are  tickled 
to  death  to  meet  them  like  this." 

The  hospital  accommodates  2,000  patients,  and 
will  shortly  have  room  for  4,000.  The  staff  is 
from  the  King's  County  Hospital  at  Brooklyn, 
and  all  the  supplies  have  been  provided  by  the 
generosity  of  Brooklyn  citizens. 


Welsh  Hospital  Committee  last  June,  took  over 
her  duties  on  July  15th.  In  the  brief  period 
during  which  she  held  her  office  she  quickly  made 
her  influence  felt,  winning  without  effort  the  confi- 
dence and  trust  of  all  the  staff,  and  the  gratitude 
and  friendship  of  the  patients,  both  officers  and 
men,  whose  hearts  she  won  by  her  warm  and 
tactful  sympathy. 

Her  fine  and  sterling  character  and  example, 
the  loss  of  which  are  so  deeply  felt  in  the  Welsh 
Hospital,  had  already  gained  for  her  honourable 
distinction  during  her  period  of  service  at  the 
York  County  Hospital,  and  must  surely  have 
carried  her,  had  she  been  spared,  to  a  leading 
position  in  the  profession  to  which  she  was  so 
intensely  devoted. 

The  interment  took  place  on  Wednesday  ,^ 
October  23rd,  at  Blair  Atholl,  a  memorial  service 
also  being  held  in  the  Garrison  Church  at  Netley. 


as* 


ZDc  ffirtneD  3ournal  of  'Wurstnfl. 


October  26,  1918 


THE    ROYAL    RED    CROSS. 


The  King  held  an  investiture  at  Buckingham 
Palace  on  October  19th  and  conferred  decorations 
as  follows : — 

First  Class. 

Australian  Army  Nursing  Service. ^M.a.tr  on 
Ethel  Davidson,  Matron  Clara  Ross,  and  Head 
Sister  Clarice  Dickson. 

Second  Class. 

Territorial  Force  Nursing  Service. — Sister 
Gertrude  Thomas  and  Sister  Beatrice  Thomp- 
son. 

Australian  Army  Nursing  Service. — Head  Sister 
Alice  Douglas. 


MILITARY  MEDAL  AWARDS. 


For  distinguished  services  in  the  field  during 
air  raids  the  following  women  have  been  awarded 
the  Military  Medal.  We  warmly  congratulate 
them  upon  the  recognition  of  their  fine  national 
service  : — 

Dr.  Phoebe  Chapple,  R.A.M.C,  att.  Q.M.A.A.C— 
During  an  air  raid  she  attended  to  the  wounded 
regardless  of  her  safety. 

Assistant-Administrator  Elizabeth  S.  Cross. 
Q.M.  A.A.C. — After  a  bomb  fell  she  was  knocked  down, 
but  got  up  at  once  and  worked  with  the  doctor  while 
the  raid  was  going  on. 

Forewoman  Clerk  Ethel  Grace  Cartledge, 
Q.M.A.A.C. — Although  both  her  shoes  were  blown 
off  and  she  received  injuries  on  one  foot,  she  went 
on  with  her  work. 

Sister  Ethel  Frances  Watktns,  Q.A.I.M.N.S.  (R.). 
— During  an  air  raid  lasting  four  hours  she  was  wounded 
by  shrapnel,  but  made  light  of  her  injury,  and  set  a 
magnificent  example  to  others. 

Staff  Nurse  Agnes  Jack  Parker,  T.F.N.S. — Her 
ward  was  badly  damaged,  but  she  was  exceptionally 
cool,  and  comforted  the  patients. 

Miss  Mary  Stubbs,  F.A.N. Y. — ^While  getting 
patients  out  of  a  hospital  a  bomb  dropped  within 
thirty  yards  of  her  car,  and  stretcher-bearers  who  were 
loading  another  car  called  to  her  to  take  cover  in  a 
dug-out.  Regardless  of  her  own  safety,  however,  she 
stayed  in  the  open  with  two  wounded  and  finally  got 
them  unloaded  and  to  a  safe  place.  During  the 
unloading  a  second  bomb  fell  on  the  hospital. 

Sister  Jane  Elizabeth  Trotter,  Q.A.I.M.N.S.  (R.). 
— In  a  night  raid  she  visited  all  the  wards  to  reassure 
the  sick  and  the  wounded.  Her  orderly  was  killed 
while  standing  by  her  in  one  of  the  wards. 


FRENCH  FLAG  NURSING  CORPS. 


We  learn  that  the  S2rvice  de  Sant6,  the  author- 
ity under  w:hich  the  F.F.N.C.  works  in  France, 
would  use  many  more  Sisters  if  they  could  be 
Supplied.  Now  that  the  Corait6  Britannique 
C.R.F.  have  an  active  centre  in  Paris,  the  Service 
de  Sant6  turns  to  it  for  British  nurses,  and  when 


a  good  nurse  is  asked  for  it  adds  :  "All  the 
F.F.N.C.  Sisters  are  serieuse,"  which  is  indeed  a 
very  great  compliment. 


NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 


Miss  M.  F.  Billington,  President  of  the  Society 
of  Women  Journalists,  is  acting  as  Hon.  Secretary 
of  a  Committee  of  women  formed  to  bring  together, 
at  a  Luncheon,  a  representative  assembly  of 
women  whose  guests  will  be  the  Matrons-in-Chief 
of  Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing 
Service  at  home  and  in  France,  of  the  Territorial 
Force  Nursing  Service,  and  of  the  Canadian, 
Australian,  and  New  Zealand  Nursing  Services, 
in  recognition  of  the  magnificent  work  done  by 
the  Military  Nursing  Services  of  the  Crown. 

The  Luncheon  will  take  place  at  the  Trocadero, 
Piccadilly  Circus,  on  Wednesday,  October  30th, 
at  1. 15  p.m.  It  is  hoped  H.R.H.  Princess  Louise, 
Dachess  of  Argyll,  will  preside.  Mrs.  Humphry 
Ward  will  write  the  address  of  appreciation^that 
will  be  offered. 


We  think  it  is  a  pity  that  the  Head  Sister  of 
Queen  Alexandra's  Royal  Naval  Nursing  Service, 
and  the  Matron-in-Chief  of  the  Nursing  Service 
of  the  Royal  Air  Force  have  not  been  included 
as  guests  of  honour  on  this  occasion.  Surely 
those  responsible  for  the  care  of  our  heroic  defenders 
on  Sea  and  in  Air  are  equally  worthy  of  recognition 
with  the  ladies  who  superintend  our  Military 
Nursing  Services  of  the  Crown.  We  feel  sure, 
had  the  Nursing  Profession  been  represented  on 
the  Committee  as  the  V.A.D.'s  are,  this  omission 
would  not  have  occurred. 


Miss  Gladys  Slade  has  been  awarded  the  Special 
Silver  Insignia  of  Merit  instituted  by  the  Military 
Health  Department  of  the  French  Republic,  on 
May  ist,  1917.  This  has  been  conferred  in  recog- 
nition of  long-continued  devotion  to  wounded 
soldiers  under  the  most  trying  circumstances. 
Miss  Slade  has  been  nursing  the  French  wounded 
since  March,    191 5. 


We  regret  the  loss  of  the  following  young  lives, 
so  usefully  employed  in  the  service  of  their 
country, 

Probationer-Nurse  Michael,  of  Glasgow,  who, 
with  Nurse  Evans,  of  Carmarthen,  died  from 
influenza,  which  they  contracted  while  nursing 
patients  at  a  military  hospital,  were  buried  on 
Saturday  last  in  the  Heroes'  Corner  of  ^Tottenham 
Cemetery  with  full  military  honours.  Nearly  a 
dozen  nurses  at  the  hospital  are  on.  the  sick  list. 


Barrett.— On  the  loth  Oct.,  1918,  drowned 
through  the  sinking  of  the  R.M.S.  Leinster  by  a 
German  submarine,  when  returning  to  duty  in 
France,  Sophia  Violet,  V.A.D.,  younger  daughter 
of  the  late  Samuel  Barrett,  J. P.,  BaUintava,  Co. 
Galway,  and  beloved  niece  of  Mrs.  W.  H.  Wilson, 
Carricicmines  House,  Carrickmines. 


October  26,  1918 


Zbe  Brittab  3ournal  ot  'Muretna. 


253 


THE  WOMEN'S  SENIOR  WAR  SERVICE. 


THE     SHORTAQE     OF    V-A.D.'s. 

r  Under  the  above  heading  there  has  appeared  in 
the  Spectator  during  the  month  of  September  an 
interesting  correspondence  Jind  series  of  articles  on 
the  important  question  of  the  shortage  of  V.A.D.'s 
or  Auxiliary  Nursing  Service  members,  for  our 
Military  and  Red  Cross  hospitals  both  at  home 
and  abroad,  due  to  the  competing  and  superior 
attractions  of  the  three  newer  war  services  for 
untrained,  or  non-ad-hoc-trained  women — Queen 
Mary's  Auxiliary  Army  Corps  (Q.M.A.A.C.), 
Women's  Royal  Naval  Service  (W.R.N. S.)  and 
Women's  Royal  Air  Force  (W.R.A.F.),  which, 
both  for  ofi&cers  and  members,  provide  a  much 
more  inviting  field  for  girls  who  have  to  consider 
the  problem  of  earning  their  living,  or  supple- 
menting slender  means. 

It  is  pointed  out  that  not  only  has  recruiting  for 
Voluntary  Aid  Nurses  under  the  British  Red  Cross 
practically  ceased,  but  that  much  of  the  already 
existing  personnel  is  being  drained  away  from  what 
is  woman's  first  and  most  essential  war  work, 
because  it  is  the  work  that  is  universally  admitted 
she  can  do  better  than  men,  whereas  the  newer 
services  were  avowedly  called  into  existence  in 
order  that  women  might  temporarily  fill  men's 
places,  and  set  them  free  for  service  in  the  fighting 
line. 

It  is  quite  clearly  recognised  that  the  V.A.D.'s 
are  not  trained  nurses,  but  constitute  material  for 
the  dilution  of  skilled  labour,  and  the  failure  in 
the  supply  cf  this  material,  leading  to  the  closing 
of  Home  Hospitals,  or  the  impossibility  of  opening 
new  ones  abroad  (actual  instances  of  both  these 
dangers  are  given)  will  be,  in  the  opinion  of  the 
correspondents,  a  national  disaster. 

Various  commandants  and  other  Red  Cross 
officials  give  their  experiences  of  the  enormous 
difficulty  of  finding  a  continuous  supply  of  com- 
petent women  to  fill  the  posts  in  what  is  an  arduous 
and  monotonous  occupation  leading  nowhere, 
carrying  no  pay  except  in  the  doubtful  guise  of  a 
compassionate  allowance  to  the  really  needy,  ?nd 
no  reward  except  the  vague  one  of  "  a  diffused 
sense  of  general  self-sacrifice." 

It  is  stated  that  V.A.D.  members  employed  in 
subordinate  positions  in  military  hospitals  do 
receive  a  small  salary,  but  it  is  less  than  that  of 
the  newl^ -recruited  soldier  ;  there  is  no  prospect 
of  a  rise,  and  these  workers  have  no  definite 
standing  and  no  hope  of  real  promotion. 

Sir  Gsorge  B^atson,  who  speaks  with  the  autho- 
rity of  the  Red  Cross  Council,  points  out  that  this 
failure  in  supply  is  due  to  various  factors. 

Firstly,  Voluntary  Aid  Detachments  were 
originally  raised,  organised  and  trained  to  do  tem- 
porary First-Aid  Ambulance  work  near  their 
own  homes.  The  pre-war  Red  Cross  regulations 
show  this,  for  it  is  laid  down  that  members  working 
away  from  home  shall  receive  suitable  military 
grading  and  pay,  but  this  provision  was  apparently 
entirely  lost  sight  of  when  war  actually  broke  out. 


When  the  V.A.D.  members  had  to  be  used  to 
supplement,  in  however  humble  a  capacity,  the 
insufficient  supply  of  trained  labour  in  hospitals, 
the  support  and  approval  of  the  nursing  profession 
was  not  first  obtained  and  friction  inevitably 
arose.  Sir  George  Beatson  writes  that  following 
on  this  difficulty  came  the  further  hardship  that, 
nob  being  a  recognised  part  of  the  Military  Nursing 
Service,  no  official  grading  nor  promotion  was 
possible.  He  advocates  the  immediate  formation 
of  a  Red  Cross  Nursing  Reserve  by  which  a  definite 
though  subordinate  position  would  be  given,  to  the 
partially-trained  nurses,  and  full  use  made  of 
them.  He  considers  that  in  this  he  could  safely 
count  upon  the  approval  and  support  of  the 
Military  and  Civilian  Nursing  Services.  The 
body  thus  formed  would  have  a  definite  standing, 
and  promotion  in  its  own  ranks  would  be  possible. 

The  Spectator  itself  goes  much  further,  and 
wishes  to  see  the  formation  of  an  entirely  new 
War  Service,  to  be  called  the  Women's  Auxiliary 
Army  Medical  Service  (W.A.A.M.S.)  to  take  rank 
above  the  other  three  new  forces,  on  the  ground 
that  not  only  is  there  no  war  work  for  women 
superior  to  that  of  Nursing,  but  none  in  any  way 
equal  to  it,  in  importance  or  dignity. 

All  members  of  this  Service  would  be  duly 
enlisted  by  the  Government,  under  definite 
contract,  would  wear  the  King's  uniform,  receive 
pay  and  be  eligible  for  promotion  ;  the  officers 
to  be  appointed  by  the  Military  authorities, 
receiving  pay  and  allowances  suitable  to  their 
rank,  as  in  the  other  recently  formed  women's 
Services,  with  which  the  Auxiliary  Nursing  Service 
would  then  be  able  to  compete  on  equal  terms, 
and,  by  offering  the  same  advantages,  would 
retain  the  material  now  being  drawn  away  from  it. 

The  Spectator  suggests  that  this  matter  be  taken 
up  without  delay,  in  order  to  retain  material  for 
the  work  of  keeping  the  hospitals  fully  staffed, 
thus  enabling  them  to  fulfil  their  functions  in 
"  the  maintenance  of  man-power,  the  mending 
of  men,  and  the  restoration  of  the  soldier  to  the 
fighting  line,"  which,  in  the  long  run,  is  the  only 
way  to  end  the  war. 

Remarks. 
It  is  interesting  to  note  these  views  on  the 
V.A.D.  question,  and  some  of  the  opinions  expressed 
are  sound.  But  the  root  of  the  evil  has  not  been 
made  clear,  and  that  is  that  the  organisation  and 
management  of  this  auxiliary  branch  of  the  work 
of  tending  the  wounded  was  most  disastrously 
shifted  by  the  War  Office  on  to  the  shoulders  of 
the  inexpert.  The  initial  mischief  was  done  in 
pre-war  days.  The  V.A.D.  movement  was  fostered 
and  managed  by  lay  people.  It  was  practically  a 
Society  movement  ;  the  professional  point  of 
view  was  not  taken  into  consideration,  in  spite 
of  the  representations  made  by  various  societies 
of  trained  nurses  who  foresaw  the  danger  and 
endeavoured  to  get  the  authorities  to  avoid  it. 
When  war  broke  out  there  was  not  a  single  nurse 
on  the  Council  of  the  Red  Cross  nor  of  the  Order 
of  St.  John,  and  they  had  no  reserve  of  trained 


»54 


JLlyc  Britteb  3ournal  of  l^urglno. 


October  26,  1918 


nurses,  such  as  "the  Red  Cross  societies  of  other 
nations  possessed.  In  spite  of  this,  the  War 
Office  delegated  to  them  the  great  responsibility  of 
organising  the  nursing  of  auxiliary  hospitals  and 
the  diluting  of  skilled  work.  The  consequence 
was  that  the  supply  of  trained  nurses  available 
and  keenly  desirous  of  serving  in  the  early  days 
of  the  war  was  never  given  its  opportunity,  that 
V.A.D.'s  were  allowed  to  undertake  work  for 
which  they  were  unfitted,  and  that  trained  women 
were  put  under  the  command  of  amateurs.  The 
result-  was  that,  in  spite  of  the  splendid  devotion 
of  all  grades,  the  work  of  the  Nursing  Service 
has  not  been  carried  through  with  the  unfailing 
enthusiasm  and  efficiency  which  comes  from 
skilled  organising. 

Is  it  too  late  to  hope  that  the  War  Office  may 
yet  shoiilder  the  responsibility  which  it  can  never 
morally  lay  down,  and  organise  an  Auxiliary 
Service  to  assist  in  the  work  of  hospitals,  which 
shall  be  controlled  by  experts  and  be  thoroughly 
representative  of  the  nursing  profession  ?  Such 
an  organisation  would  be  just  to  the  profession 
which  it  undertakes  to  temporarily  dilute,  as  well 
as  to  the  workers  in  its  ranks  and  to  those  whom 
they  serve. 

Private  generosity  will  always  find  ample  scope 
in  the  provision  of  comforts,  but  the  financial 
responsibility  (from  which  control  is  necessarily 
inseparable)  must  remain  in  the  hands  of  the 
State.  *'t  ' 

We  should  much  like  to  hear  what  our  profes- 
sional sisters  have  to  say  on  this  suggested  scheme. 
The  present  organisation  as  a  supplementary 
Nursing  Service  for  War,  organised  by  amateurs 
has  failed,  as  was  inevitable.  ]    ! 

A  sine  qua  non  of  any  such  organisation  must 
be  professional  control,  and  until  that  fundamental 
priiiciple  is  conceded,  muddle  and  ^  waste  will 
continue. 


THE    MATRONS'   COUNCIL   OF    GREAT 
BRITAIN    AND    IRELAND. 


AFFILIATION  OF  THE  TRAINED  NURSES' 

ANNUITY  FUND  AND  THE  BENEVOLENT 

FUNDS  OF  THE  R.B.N.A. 


An  arrangement  has  been  made  whereby  the 
Trained  Nurses'  Annuity  Fund  and  the  Helen?, 
Benevolent  and  Settlement  Funds  of  the  Royal 
British  Nurses'  Association  will  be  managed  by 
a  Conjoint  Committee ;  the  Council  of  the  Royal 
British  Nurses'  Association  and  that  of  the  Trained 
Nurses'  Annuity  Fund  still  retaining  control  of 
their  own  Funds. 

The  Council  of  the  Trained  Nurses'  Annuity 
Fund  have  received  with  deep  regret  the  resigna- 
tion of  Dr.  Ogier  Ward  as  Hon.  Secretary.  Miss 
Isabel  Macdonald  was  appointed  Hon.  Secretary 
at  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Council,  and  donations 
to  any  of  the  above-mentioned  Funds  should  be 
sent  to  her  at  10,  Orchard  Street,  Portman  Square, 
W.  I.  Subscribers  should  state  to  which  they 
wish  any  amounts  sent  to  be  allocated. 


By  the  kindness  of  Miss  Heather-Bigg,  the 
President,  the  quarterly  meeting  of  the  Council 
was  held  in  the  Nurses'  Home,  Charing  Cross 
Hospital,  on  Saturday  afternoon,  October 
19th.  Thirty-five  members  attended,  and  many 
sent  letters  of  regret  at  inability  to  be  present. 
In  her  opening  remarks  from  the  Chair  the 
President  said  that  she  desired  in  the  name 
of  all  present  to  assure  Mrs.  Fenwick  of  the 
pleasure  they  all  felt  to  see  her  with  them  again 
after  her  recent  severe  illness.  All  felt  deeply 
indebted  to  her  for  her  strenuous  and  devoted 
work  of  many  years  for  the  preservation  of  the 
rights  and  liberties  of  nurses,  which  a  just  Bill 
framed  by  the  Central  Committee  for  State 
Registration  would  secure  to  them. 

Miss  Heather-Bigg  then  asked  Mrs.  Fen- 
wick's  acceptance  of  a  beautiful  bouquet  of 
golden  chrysanthemums,  a  gift  for  which  Mrs. 
Fenwick  expressed  sincere  appreciation. 

The  Minutes  of  the  last  meeting  were  then 
read  and  confirmed.  A  number  of  letters  of 
regret  were  read  by  the  Hon.  Secretary  from 
those  unable  to  attend.  A  l^rge  amount  of 
correspondence  m  as  dealt  with,  which  aroused 
most  interesting  discussions. 

New  Members. 

Nine  new  memibers  were  elected. 
The  Midwives  Act  Amendment  Bill. 

Among  other  matters  of  interest,  the  ques- 
tion of  the  Midwives  Act  Amendment  Bill  for 
England  now.  before  Parliament  was  brought 
forward.  Mrs.  Fenwick,  who  raised  the  ques- 
tion, said  that  she  and  Miss  Breay  had  been  in 
communication  with  members  of  Parliament, 
and  had  urged  that  the  following  Amend'ments 
should  be  proposed,  if  not  incorporated  in  th6 
Bill  : — (i)  Direct  representation  of  the  mid- 
wives  on  the  Board;  (2)  legal  assistance  for 
midwives  who  may  be  required  to  appear 
before  the  Central  Midwives  Board,  to  enable 
them  to  defend  themselves. 

In  Mr.  Hayes  Fisher's  sympathetic  speech, 
upon  introducing  the  Amendment  Bill  into  the 
House  of  Commons,  he  had  stated  that  "  it  will 
be  possible,  if  it  is  thought  desirable,  to  give 
the  midwives  themselves  direct  representation 
upon  the  Board,"  and  she  gathered  that 
Clause  7  in  the  Bill,  which  aUows  the  Central 
Midwives  Board  to  pay  the  expenses  of  any 
midwife  who  may  be  required  to  appear  before 
the  Board  to  defend  herself,  would  include  the 
expenses  of  a  lawyer.  The  Board  itself,  when 
enquiring    into    accusations    made    against    a 


October  26,  1918 


Hbe  Brtti0b  3ournal  of  TRursuiQ. 


255 


midwife,  employ  a  solicitor,  and  every  mid- 
wife should  be  provided,  wiith  legal  assistance 
when  defending-  herself  before  it. 

Mrs.  Fenwick  proposed  that  an  Emergency 
Resolution  should  be  drafted  by  the  Hon. 
Officers  of  the  Matrons'  Council,  thanking  Mr. 
Hayes  Fisher  for  defining  a  liberal  and  just 
policy  for  midwives  on  these  two  points. 

This  was  seconded  by  Miss  M.  Winmill. 

Miss  Marsters  proposed  the  following  addi- 
tion : — "That  the  Matrons'  Council  approves 
of  Clause  12  as  it  stands,  which  provides  tha, 
the  inspection  of  midwives  should  be  the  duty 
of  County  Councils,  without  power  of  delega- 
tion to  District  Councils." 

It  was  unanimously  agreed  to  incorporate 
this  amendment  with  the  original  resolution. 

National  Council  of  Women. 

Miss  Helen  Pearse  gave  an  interesting 
report  of  the  Conference  of  the  National 
Council  of  Women  held  recently  in  Harrogate. 

The  meeting  then  terminated. 

By  the  courtesy  and  kindness  of  Miss 
Heather-Bigg  the  guests  were  most  hospitably 
entertained  to  tea,  including  the  following 
American  military  "  Chief  Nurses  "  now  on 
duty  in  London— Miss  Leonard,  Miss  Shilla- 
burger.  Miss  Minnette  Hay,  and  Miss  Porter. 
"  Over  the  cups  "  tongues  were  loosed,  and  a 
very  enjoyable  afternoon,  both  of  business  and 
pleasure,  was  passed.  But  there — Miss 
Heather-Bigg  was  hostess!  Some  of  the 
guests  gladly  availed  themselves  of  the  kind 
permission  to  visit  the  wards,  which  were 
greatly  admired. 

Annie  E.  Hulme,  Hon.  Secretary. 

ROYAL  BRITISH  NURSES'  ASSOCIATION. 

The  Programme  of  the  Conference  to  be  held 
on  Thursday,  November  7th,  at  the  rooms  of 
the  Medical  Society  of  London,  11,  Chandos 
Street,  Cavendish  Square,  and  at  which  Her 
Royal  Highness  Princess  Christian,  the  Presi- 
dent, will  preside,  can  be  obtained  from  the 
Secretary  R.B.N. A.,  10,  Orchard  Street,  Port- 
man  Square,  W.  It  will  be  found  on  page  ii  of 
our  cover  this  wee'k. 

The  Conference  will  be  opened  at  3  p.m. 
First  Session.  Subjects  for  Discussion  :  "The 
Economic  Position  of  the  Trained  Nurse  "  and 
"  Some  Phases  of  Modern  Nursing." 

Tea  will  be  served,  and  the  Second  Session 
open  at  5.30  p.m.,  when  various  speakers  will 
compare  the  two  Bills  for  the  State  Registra- 
tion of  Nurses  drafted  by  the  Central  Com- 
mittee and  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd. 

Free  discussion  and  questions  are  invited. 


AN  IMPUDENT  GAMBLE. 


We  publish  below  a  "  Prize  Drawing  "  Scheme 
in  conjunction  with  the  Dublin  Stock  Exchange, 
purporting  to  be  in  aid  of  "  The  Nation's  Tribute 
to  Nurses."  A  greater  insult  has  never  been 
offered  to  the  dignity  of  the  Nursing  Profession, 
and  we  hope  Lady  Cowdray  and  her  supporters 
are  now  satisfied  that  the  indignant  protest  of  the 
independent  members  of  the  Nursing  Profession 
in  objecting  to  widely-advertised  charity  upon 
their  behalf  has  ample  justification. 

PRIZE  DRAWING. 

218  Money  Prizes. 

1,000  Tickets. 

The  above  Drawing  in  conjunction  with  the 
Dublin  Stock  Exchange,  is  in  aid  of 

The  Nation's  Tribute  to  Nurses, 
(For  all  Irish  Certificated  Nurses.) 

The  price  of  the  first  Ticket  drawn  will  be  one 
penny,  the  second  twopence,  the  third  threepence, 
and  so  on,  until  the  maximum  is  reached  for  the 
last  Ticlcet,  No.  1,000,  £4.  3s.  4d. 

The  Tickets  then  participate  in  a  further  Draw 
for  the  undermentioned  Prizes  — 
ist    Prize 
2nd  Prize 
3rd  Prize 
5  Prizes  of 
10  Prizes  of 
50  Prizes  of 
150  Prizes  of 

Applications  for  Tickets  to  be  made  .through 
Members  of  the  Stock  Exchange  only,  and  these 
applications  must  be  received  not  later  than 
Friday,  October  i8th. 

The  Final  Drawing  will  take  place  on  Thursday, 
October  31st,  and  winning  numbers  published  in 
Irish  Times  on  Saturday,  November  2nd. 


£250 

0  0 

^lOO 

0  0 

£50 

0  0 

£20 

each. 

£^0 

each. 

£5 

each. 

£1 

each. 

The  above  scheme  appears  to  us  a  peculiarly 
barefaced  gamble  for  personal  profit,  and  hardly 
the  type  of  Tribute  the  Nation's  Nurses  will  appre- 
ciate, as  the  Scheme  exploits  their  splendid 
national  work  with  cruel  disregard  of  their  profes- 
sional self-respect.  Stripped  of  camouflage,  it  is 
a  simple  method  of  obtaining  about  ;^2,ooo,  one 
thousand  of  which  is  to  be  gambled  for  by  the 
public.  Presumably  what  is  left  over  when  the 
prizes  have  been  pocketed  is  to  be  added  to  the 
Nation's  Fund  as  an  expression  of  its  appreciation 
and  admiration  of  the  certificated  Nurses'  services  ! 
It  is  an  abominable  insult,  and  we  call  upon  the 
London  County  Council,  which  has  registered  this 
"  War  Charity,"  to  make  searching  enquiries  into 
the  conduct  of  the  business  of  "  The  Nation's 
Fund  for  Nurses  "  and  to  stop  these  gambling 
scandals  in  connection  with  it. 

Our  attention  has  been  drawn  to  the  fact  that 
London  is  plastered  with  "illegal"  posters 
referring  to  thisFund. 


256 


^be  »ritt6b  3ournal  of  "Wurainfi* 


October  26,  1918 


THE    COLLEGE    OF    NURSING,    LTD. 


APPOINTMENTS. 


Unjustified  Pretensions. 

The  Council  of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd., 
announces  throughout  the  Press  "  That  it  has 
had  under  consideration  the  question  of  salaries 
in  the  Nursing  Profession,  and  is  setting  up  a 
small  representative  Committee  of  Nurses  to  deal 
with  the  subject." 

We  do  not  know  by  what  right  the  College  of 
Nursing,  Ltd.,  presumes  to  speak  in  the  name 
of  the  Nursing  Profession,  or  to  dictate  to  it  con- 
cerning its  economic  affairs.  So  long  as  it  is  con- 
tent to  be  dominated  by  lay  authority  and  sup- 
ported by  charity  it  is  the  very  last  organisation 
which  can  inspire  confidence  in  the  thousands  of 
self-supporting  trained  nurses  who  strongly  object 
to  its  unsound  methods  of  finance. 

But  this  assumption  of  authority  over  the  whole 
Nursing  Profession  requires  action  upjn  the  part 
of  trained  nurses  who  are  not  under  the  control  of 
members  of  the  College  Council,  and  we  are  glaxi 
that  at  the  Session  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses' 
Association  Conference,  at  which  "  The  Economic 
Position  of  the  Trained  Nurse  "  is  to  be  discussed, 
on  November  7th,  its  members  and  the  members 
of  its  affiliated  societies  \vill  be  given  an  oppor- 
tunity for  free  discussion  on  their  own  affairs,  and 
of  defining  a  policy. 

\  The  Danger  of  Supplementary  Registers. 

The  leaflet  in  the  first  instance  advertising  the 
Bazaar  in  support  of  the  Nation's^  Fund  for 
Nurses  to  be  held  in  Manchester  in  November 
omitted  the  notice  required  by  the  law  ;  but  the 
attention  of  Dr.  Oswald,  the  Hon.  Treasurer,  having 
been  drawn  to  the  illegality,  it  has  now  been 
rectified.  But  in  this  little  printed  slip  we  note 
another  ambiguity.  In  specifying  the  objects 
of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  which  the  Fund 
proposes  to  endow,  it  is  stated  that  (c)  is  "To 
have  One  Portal  system  of  examination  into  the 
profession." 

The  College  Bill  provides  that,  as  well  as  the 
General  Nurses  Register,  there  are  to  be  any 
amount  of  Supplementary  Registers  of  persons 
"  trained  under  conditions  approved  by  the 
Council."  The  institution  of  Supplementary 
Registers,  other  than  for  male  and  mental  nurses, 
means  the  professional  depreciation  of  the  General 
Register  of  three  years'  trained  nurses,  and  we 
fail  to  see,  therefore,  how  the  College  Council 
can  claim  that  their  Bill  provides  for  "  One  Portal 
system  of  examination  into  the  profession."  It 
does  no  such  thing,  but  specially  takes  power  to 
institute  Supplementary  Registers  of  specialists 
"  trained  under  any  conditions  "  its  Council 
choos3S ;  and  practically  undermines  the  three 
years'  standard  of  general  training  as  the  present 
College  regulations  permit.  It  is  these  disin- 
genuous methods  employed  by  the  men  who 
manage  the  College  and  the  Matrons  who  support 
them,  that  fill  the  intelligent  members  of  our 
profession  with  indignation  and  distrust. 


MATRON. 

St.  John  Aux.  Military,  "  A  "  Hospital,  Morecombe. 

— ^Miss  S.  G.  Nobbs  has  been  appointed  Matron. 
She  was  trained  at  the  General  Hospital,  Auck- 
land, New  Zealand  ;  and  has  been  Matron  of 
Opotilha  General  Hospital,  N.Z  ;  General  Hos- 
pital, Cook's  Islands ;  and  of  Ramsgate  and 
Chigwell  Aux.  Military  Hospitals. 

Walton  Sanatorium,  nr.  Chesterfield.. — ^Miss 
Winifred  Mason  has  been  appointed  Matron. 
She  was  trained  at  the  Derbyshire  Royal  Infirmary, 
and  has  been  Staff  Nurse  at  King  Edward  VII 
Sanatorium,  Midhurst ;  Sister,  Royal  National 
Hospital,  Ventnor  ;  and  Matron ,  Salterley  Grange 
Sanatoriiim. 

Penarth  Isolation  Hospital. — ^Miss  Elma  J.  M. 
Davie  s  has  been  appointed  Matron.  She  was 
trained  at  the  City  Hospital,  Bristol,  and  County 
Hospital,  Hertford  ;  and  has  been  Matron  of  the 
Caerphilly  Urban  District  Isolation  Hospital ; 
and  School  Nurse  under  the  Glamorgan  County 
Council. 

OUT-PATIENT    SISTER. 

Garrett-Anderson    Hospital,   Euston   Road,   W.C. — 

Miss  E.  P.  Scrase  has  been  appointed  Out-patient 
Sister.  She  was  trained  at  St.  Bartholomew's 
Hospital,  including  massage.  She  has  held  the 
positions  of  Assistant  House  Sister,  -and  was,  in 
1 91 6,  appointed  Assistant  Out-patient  Sister  in 
the  Throat  and  Ear  Department,  ^^j  \_-  .f.j! 

SISTER. 

Samaritan  Free  Hospital,  London, — ^Miss  Dorothy 
Metzger  has  been  appointed  Theatre  Sister.  She 
was  trained  at  St.  Mary's  Hospital,  Paddington, 
where  she  has  acted  as  Holiday  Sister. 

Sandon  Red  Cross  Auxiliary  Hospital,  Weston 
Stafford. — Miss  Anna  F.  Hobbs  has  been  appointed 
Sister.  She  was  trained  at  Adelaide  Hospital, 
Dublin,  and  has  been  Sister  and  Masseuse  at  the 
Anglo-American  Hospital,  Cairo  ;  and  at  the 
Military  Hospital,  Seaford. 

The  Hospital,  Newcastle,  Co.  Wicklow.  —  Miss 
Mary  Kennedy  has  been  appointed  Sister.  She 
was  trained  at  the  City  Infirmary,  Belfast,  and 
has  been  on  duty  at  the  Third  Western  General 
Hospital,  Newport. 

HEAD     NURSE. 

Lichfield  Union  Infirmary.  —  Miss  Alice  Rhead 
has  been  appointed  Head  Nurse.  She  was  trained 
at  Ancoats  Hospital,  Manchester,  emd  has  been 
Sister  at  the  Lichfield  Nursing  Home. 

QUEENI    VICTORIA'S     JUBILEE    INSTITUTE. 

Transfers  and  Appointments. 
Miss  Eva  W.  Owen  is  appointed  to  Warrington, 
as  Superintendent.  Miss  Annie  Mannion  to 
Derbyshire  C.N. A.,  as  Assistant  County  Superin- 
tendent. Miss  Gladys  K.  S.  Robson  to  Dorset- 
shire C.N.A.,  as  Assistant  County  Superintendent. 
Miss  Mildred  M.  Stephens  to  Gloucestershire 
C.N.A.,  as  Assistant  County  Superintendent  and 
Health  Visitor.     Miss  Annie  Aldridge  to  Woolwich; 


October  26,  1918 


dbe  IBritisb  3ournal  of  IRursinfl. 


257 


Miss  Hannah  F.  Barniston  to  Fullerton  Hospital 
Denaby  Main  ;  Miss  Ethel  Daniells  to  Tauntor  ; 
Miss  Sarah  B.  Rowland  to  Taunton  ;  Miss  Wilhelm- 
ina  Mathieson  to  Watford,  as  School  Nurse  ;  Miss 
Millicent  E.  Tunsley  to  St.  Austell  ;  Miss  Edith 
Webster  to  St.  Austell. 


NURSING    ECHOES. 


PRESENTATION. 

Miss  M.  G.  Vergette,  appointed  Matron  of  the 
Royal  Victoria  Hospital,  Dover,  has  been  presented 
byjher  colleagues  at  St.  Bartholomew's  Hospital, 
with  whom  she  is  exceedingly  popular,  with  a 
charming  Georgian  silver  tea-service,  on  which 
has  been  engraved  the  date  of  her  resignation, 
the  crest  of  the  hospital,  and  her  initials.  We  feel' 
sure  when  in  use  it  will  remind  her  of  many  happy 
years  spent  with  her  dear  friends  at  Barts. 

RESIG*NATI0N. 

Miss  E.  M.  Byles,  who,  since  1901  has  been 
Matron  of  the  Lambeth  Infirmary,  has,  owing  to 
ill-health,  resigned  that  position.  The  work  of 
hospital  matrons  has,  since  the  beginning  of  the 
war,  become  more  and  more  arduous  and  difficult. 
Miss  Byles  feels  the  necessity  of  a  rest,  at  least  for 
a  time.  She  will  be  greatly  missed  at  Lambeth 
by  both  nurses  and  patients,  where  she  has 
laboured  unceasingly  for  the  benefit  of  both,  and 
where  she  has  raised  the  status  of  the  Nursing 
School  to  one  of  the  best  attached  to  a  Poor  Law 
Infirmary. 

IN  MEMORIAM. 

Queen  Alexandra  has  graciously  accepted  a 
copy  of  the  "  In  Memoriam  "  card  of  the  death 
of  Edith  Louisa  Cavell  written  by  Miss  Henrietta 
Hawkins,  and  expressed  her  thanks  for  the 
"  beautiful  lines."  Nothing  more  exquisite  has 
been  written  on  the  splendid  death  of  Edith 
Cavell  than  this  wonderful  poem. 


The  Prince  of  Wales  sent  ;^3,ooo,  the 
Queen  £1,000,  and  Queen  Alexandra  ;£50o  in 
Support  of  "  Our  Day,"  October  24th,  when  the 
great  Red  Cross  appeal  was  made  at  home  and 
abroad. 


Nurses  can  do  good  service  by  urging  those  with 
whom  they  come  in  contact  to  save  all  the  shells 
of  hard-shell  nuts  for  the  National  Salvage  Council. 
They  are  very  useful  in  the  manufacture  of  char- 
coal for,  gas-masks.  Now  is  the  time  to  begin 
putting  them  aside  until  there  are  enough  to 
make  a  creditable  showing  for  the  Nation?  1  Salvage 
Council. 


TRUE  TALE  WITH  A  MORAL.     1930. 

Granddaughter :     "  What   did   you    do   in   the 
Great  War,  grannie  ?  " 

Grannie  :    "I  escaped  without  a  decoration  I  " 


"  Do  tell  me,"  said  a  lady  whose  bottines 
were  irreproachable,  "do  hospital  Sisters  only 
get  paid  13s.  a  week?  It  soundi,  an  outrage 
considering  all  the  hard  work  they  do.     I  have 

a  friend  at  the Hospital,  and  the  Matron 

called  her  over  the  coals  for  wearing  shabby 
shoes  !  Fancy  having  to  dress,  fay  for  holi- 
days— and  supplement  food — and  stamps,  and 
buses,  and  a  whole  floor  full  of  things  on  13s. 
a  week  !  No  wonder  there  is  a  shortage  of 
hospital  nurses  !  " 


At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  West  Ham  Guar- 
dians a  letter  was  received  from  the  Ministry 
of  Labour,  stating  that  the  Board's  proba- 
tioner nurses  had  asked  for  an  arbitration  on 
the  question  of  their  salaries,  and  that  an 
arbitrator  had  been  appointed  for  the  purpose. 

A  question  arose  as  to  whether  the  Board 
should  be  represented  at  the  inquiry,  and  Mr. 
Shreeve  asked  if  it  was  proposed  to  go  there 
and  oppose  the  nurses'  application.  They 
ought  not  to  do  that,  in  his  opinion,  but  they 
might  take  the  opportunity  of  trying  to  get 
all  these  increases  "  shov-ed  "  on  to  national 
funds.    They  were  purely  a  war  charge. 

Mr.  Ward  said  the  scrubbers  at  the  infir- 
mary received  nearly  double  the  wages  of  the 
nurses  in  charge  of  whole  wards. 

The  Chairman  pointed  out  that  this  was  not 
correct  when  board,  lodging,  and  other  emolu- 
ments were  included. 

The  Acting  Clerk  stated  the  normal  re- 
muneration of  the  scrubbers  was  14s.  for  seven 
days.  The  new  scale  included  'a  war  bonus 
of  I2S.  6d.  a  week,  and  if  they  added  the  los. 
paid  in  lieu  of  rations,  it  came  to  more  than 
33s.  The  commencing  salary  of  staff  nurses 
^^'3s  £2^,  war  bonus  ;^i5  a"  year,  residence, 
and  uniform  value  ;^5. 

The  Chairman  said  that  in  Committee  he 
was  in  favour  of  nurses  rising  to  ;,^i5o.  He 
added  that  he  desired  to  see  the  status  of 
nurses  raised,  but  he  did  not  want  to  let  Mr. 
Ward's  statement  pass  unchallenged. 

It  was  agreed  that  five  members  of  the  Board 
should  officially  represent  it  at  the  arbitration. 


The  House  Committee  of  Queen  Mary's 
Hospital  for  the  East  End  has  raised  the 
salaries  of  all  grades  of  the  nursing  staff.  Pro- 
bationers' salaries  start  at  ;^i2  a  year  and  rise 
to  ;^35;  ^vard  sisters,  £45  to  ;^6o ;  night 
sisters,  ;^5o  to  £70;  massage  sister,  ;^6o  to 
£.70;    out-patients   sister,   ;^5o   to   £70.      In 


258 


{The  ffirttieb  3ournaI  of  IJluretna. 


October  26,  1918 


addition,  when  circumstances  permit,  extra  off- 
duty  and  holidays  are  to  be  granted. 

From  July  ist,  1919,  a  Pension  scheme  will 
come  into  force.  Nurses  with  25  years' 
service  will  be  given  at  least  £s^  annually 
upon  retirement,  and,  further,  if  any  member 
of  the  nursing  staff  of  not  less  than  ten  years' 
service,  through  no  fault  of  her  own,  breaks 
down  in  health  so  as  to  render  her  unfit  for 
further  work,  the  Committee  may  award  her 
such  pension  or  gratuity  as  they  might  think 
fit.  

Great  changes  have  been  made  in  the  Nurses' 
conditions  at  the  Prince  Alfred  Hospital, 
Sydney. 

To  enable  the  nurses  to  state  their  point  of 
view  with  respect  to  any  matters  relating  to 
the  conditions  and  duties  of  the  nursing  staff, 
a  Conference  was  held  at  the  hospital,  when 
representatives  of  all  the  grades  on  the  staff, 
from  first-year  pupil  nurse  to  Sisters,  met 
the  Medical  Superintendent,  Secretary,  and 
Matron,  and  presented  various  points  for  con- 
sideration. 

These  matters  were  submitted  to  the  Board 
in  concrete  form,  with  recommendations  from 
the  executive  officers,  and  the  Board  has  now 
given  its  decision  upon  various  points,  which 
we  are  sure  will  be  for  the  benefit  of  all  con- 
cerned. 

The  salaries  for  fully  qualified  nurses  shall  be 
as  follows  : — 

Sisters,  for  first  year  ;^ioo,  for  second  year 
£iiOy  for  third  year  ;^i2o;  Charge  Nurses, 
£80. 

The  appointment  of  Charge  Nurses  shall  be 
for  one  year,  and  if  then  appointed  as  Sisters 
they  will  serve  for  a  term  of  three  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  period  they  will  be  eligible  for  re- 
appointment for  a  further  term,  but  need  not 
necessarily  be  re-appointed. 

More  leave  is  to  be  allowed,  and  evening 
leave  is  permitted  without  a  late  pass  till 
10  p.m. 

VISCOUNTESS    RHONDDA   AND    THE 
MINISTRY    OF    HEALTH. 


At  a  meeting  of  the  National  Baby  Week 
Council  held  on  October  15th,  Major  the  Hon. 
Waldorf  Aster  was  elected  chairman  in  succession 
to  the  late  Lord  Rhondda,  and  Viscountess 
Rhondda  was  elected  vice-chairman.  In  taking 
the  chair,  Lady  Rhondda  proposed  the  following 
resohition,    which    was    carried    unanimously : — 

^That  in"'view''of 'the^general  "andTkeen'supporffor 
the  proposed  Ministry  of  Health  already  afforded 
to  the  propaganda  efforts  of  the  National  Baby  Week 
Council,  and  in  view  of  the  acute  problems  of  health 


and  disease  which  demobilisation  will  bring,  this 
Council  reiterates  its  urgent  demand  upon  His  Majesty's 
Government  to  introduce  without  delay  the  Bill  for 
the  Ministry  of  Health  into  Parliament. 

Lady  Rhondda  referred  to  the  work  of  her 
father  whilst  at  the  Local  Government  Board,  in 
urging  the  introduction  of  a  Ministry  of  Health 
Bill  as  a  war  measure,  and  spoke  of  the  opposition 
which  was  still  being  shown  among  certain  vested 
interests  in  commerce  and  in  politics.  She  said 
that  it  could  not  be  allowed  that  such  interests 
should  stand  in  the  way  of  lives.  Lady  Rhondda 
gave  the  opinion  that  the  Ministry  of  Health 
would  be  well  advised  to  get  into  touch  with  the 
women,  who  were  the  lay  section  of  the  community 
which  took  the  most  vivid  interest  in  all  questions 
of  health,  and  if  the  Ministry  of  Health  was  to  be 
a  success  it  had  got  both  to  educate  the  women 
of  the  country  and  to  keep  in  touch  with  them. 
Any  Bill  which  was  to  achieve  everything  which 
the  Council  asked  it  should  achieve  must  institute 
machinery  by  which  women  had  a  large  place  in 
the  Ministry  of  Health,  and  some  scheme  by  which 
they  were  kept  in  close  touch  with  it.  Lady 
Rhondda  referred  to  the  excellent  propaganda 
work  being  done  by  the  Council  in  London  and 
the  provinces  to  strengthen  the  hands  of  the 
Government  in  regard  to  the  Ministry  of  Health. 


OUTSIDE    THE    QATES. 

WOMEN   IN  PARLIAMENT. 

On  the  15th  in&t.,  Mr.  Jowett  asked  the  Prime 
Minister  in  the  House  of  Commons  whether  the 
Government  had  considered  the  initiation  of 
legislation  to  allow  women  to  stand  for  Parliament; 
and  whether  he  would  give  time  for  debate  on  a 
private  Member's  motion  on  which  the  House 
might  record  its  wishes  in  this  matter  ? 

The  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  (Mi".  Bonar 
Law)  replied  that  in  the  opinion  of  the  Government 
this,  like  similar  questions  which  arise  in  connection 
with  the  Franchise  Bill,  is  one  which  ought  to  be 
left  to  the  House,  and  that  he  would  arrange  to 
give  an  opportunity  for  its  discussion. 


Mr.  Herbert  Samuel  gave  notice  of  a  motion 
affirming  the  desirability  of  a  Bill  being  introduced 
making  women  eligible  as  members  of  Parliament, 
which  is  being  debated  in  the  House  of  Commons 
as  we  go  to  press. 

It  is  understood  that  the  Labour  Party  have  a 
Bill  drafted  which  will  be  introduced  at  once  if  the 
opinion  of  the  House  indicates  a  favourable 
reception.  Several  women  candidates  have  been 
selected  should  the  Bill  become  law. 


OUR 


of 


PRIZE     COMPETITION. 

QUESTIONS. 

November    2nd. — ^Describe    the    treatment 
fractures  by  massage. 

November  gth. — Give  the  nursing  of  a  case  after 
removal  of  kidney,  and  state  the  complications 
that  may  occur. 


October  26, 1918  tTbe  Britieb  3ournal  of  'Rursing. 


'Mustard  Gas' 
Burns 


A  New  Treatment 

having  remarkable  results  in  hospitals. 


Relief  from  pain  is  assured  from  the  first  application 
of  this  treatment,  and  complete  recovery  is  effected 
more  quickly  than  by  any  other  treatment. 

TfJp*  A  T^[p' Wnr     'Mustard  Gas*  Burns  should  be  thoroughly  sprayed 

with  Chlorcosane  Solution  of  Dichloramine-T  5%. 
Then  apply  to  the  bums  melted  'No.  7  Paraffin*  with  a  large  camel-hair  brush, 
to  form  a  wax  glazing  (or  covering).  On  this  wax  glazing  quickly  place  a  thin 
layer  of  cotton  wool.  Afterwards  cover  the  cotton  wool  with  more  melted 
*  No.  7  Paraffin,'  giving  special  attention  to  the  edges  to  fensure  an  air-tight  dressing. 

DAILY     DRESSINGS.      For   .he   Krs.   tew   days    the   dressing 

should    be   renewed   every   24    hours. 
Later  it  can  be  left  for  48  hours. 

*No.  7  PARAFFIN*  (Burnol  Brand).  No.  7  Paraffin'  is  the  name 
adopted  by  the  Army  Medical  Service  and  Military  Hospitals  for  a  preparation 
containing  Beta  Naphthol,  Eucalyptus  Oil,  Paraffin  Molle,  Paraffin  Durum,  and 
Olive  Oil,  The  word  'BURNOL'  is  the  registered  trade  mark  for  a  standardised 
preparation  of  'No.  7  Paraffin,'  which  is  prepared  under  analytical  control  in 
the  laboratories  of  Boots  Pure  Drug  Co.  Limited,  Nottingham. 

SUPPLIES,     ^^^o^'^osane    Solution    of    Dichloramine-T    5%,    in 

2O0Z.  bottles        ...  ...  ...        price  12/-,  post  paid. 

Special  Spray  for  the  purpose  ...  ...  ...  price  6/6  extra,  post  paid. 

The   Burnol   Brand  of  *No.   7   Paraffin,*  in  4oz.   cakes, 

price   9/-   per   dozen,   post   paid. 

The  Burnol  Brand  of  *No.  7  Paraffin*  is  also  supplied  in  combination  with 
Flavine  or  Scarlet  Red,   in  4oz.  calces      ...  ...      price  12j-  per  dozen,  post  paid. 

LARGE  STOCKS  ALWAYS  ON  HAND. 

D      D 

Boots  Pure  Drug  Co.  Limited 

Head  Offices:  Station  Street,  NOTTINGHAM.  ::  SIR  JESSE  BOOT,  Managing  Director. 
Telegrams:   DRUG,  NOTTINGHAM. Telephone:   3160  Nottingham. 


»6o 


(Tbe  Britieb  3ournal  of  'KuretnG. 


October  26,  1918 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 


Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  for  these  colum.ns,  we  wish  it  to  be 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents. 

EFFICIENCY     BEFORE     CHEAPNESS. 

To  the  Editor  of  Thk  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Madam, — ^The  country  is  beginning  to  realise  that 
a  Ministry  of  Health  is  necessary.  City  Corpora- 
tions, Town  Councils  and  other  governing  bodies 
are  already'  bestirring  themselves  to  look  after 
the  mother  and  infant  within  their  boundaries. 
Unless,  however,  we  are  to  become  a  "  C  3  " 
Empire  a  more  thorough  realisation  of  the  situation 
is  necessary. 

It  is  lamentable  that  so  many  of  these  public 
bodies  have  decided  to  do  their  work  "  on  the 
cheap."  Their  only  apparent  desire  is  to  show 
they  are  "  doing  something,"  without  increasing 
the  rates ;  yet  the  care  of  Mother  and  infant,  as 
shown  by  the  Local  Government  Board  in  their 
Circular  of  1918,  is  one  of  the  most  important 
branches  in  Reconstruction.  It  should  secure  the 
best  workers,  most  experienced,  best  educated  and 
consequently  most  highly  paid.  To  ensure  good 
work  good  workmen  must  be  obtained,  and  for 
good  workmen  good  money  must  be  paid. 

Despite  this  accepted  axiom,  one  is  constantly 
reading  of  Corporations  advertising  for  "  A  Lady 
holding  the  Central  Midwives  Board's  Certificate 
or  a  Health  Visitor's  Certificate  " — the  former  is 
generally  essential.  Both  certificates  are  excel- 
lent and  necessary,  but  should  be  held  in  conjunction 
with  a  certificate  of  three  years'  general  training. 

The  salaries  offered  suggest  the  Sweating 
System  in  the  highest  degree.  To  ask  any  woman 
competent  to  undertake  duties  of  such  national 
importance  to  work,  lodge,  board,  dress,  pay  for 
coal,  laundry  and  annual  holiday,  and  provide  for 
old  age  on  ;^85  to  ;^ioo  per  annum  is  a  scandal. 
Sometimes  the  advertiser  offers  as  further  induce- 
ment £^  t6  £^  in  lieu  of  uniform,  well  knowing 
it  cannot  be  provided  for  that  sum.  When,  more- 
over a  trained  Nurse  is  preferred,  "  with  C.M.B. 
Certificate,  Health  Visitor's  Certificate,  Maternity 
and  Child  Welfare  Certificate  and  others,"  and  the 
same  salary  is  offered  we  need  not  wonder  that  Mr. 
Hayes  Fisher  deplored  the  scarcity  of  Nurses  and 
midwives  as  being  one  of  the  great  obstacles  in  the 
way  of  the  Ministry  of  Health. 

There  are  plenty  of  trained  women  eminently 
qualified  for  this  sphere  of  work  who  are  forced  to 
remain  in  posts  which,  though  under  paid  offer 
board  and  lodging.  Public  Authorities  should  pay 
a  salary  in  proportion  to  the  work  to  be  under- 
taken— ^^200  per  annum,  rising  by  increments — for 
a  fully  qualified  women,  and  these  nurses  would 
be  able  to  offer  their  services  to  the  community. 

The  Royal  Air  Force  rightly  pays  ^^200  to 
Women  Area  Inspectors,  ^^175  to  Superintendents 
of  .  their  women's    hostels,    plus    quarters,    outfit 


allowance  ^20  and  other  extras.  This  after  three 
weeks'  training.  Yet  the  country  .remunerates 
Nurses — or  does  without  them — who  undertake 
greater  responsibilities  and  have  spent  years  and 
money  acquiring  knowledge  and  skill  with  less 
than  half  the  amount  coi.sitlered  necessary  for 
work  req'uiring  much  less  training. 

The  Local  Government  Board,  on  page  7  of  its 
Circular  on  "  Maternity  and  Child  We. fare,"  after 
enumerating  the  duties  and  necessary  qualifica- 
tions of  Health  Visitors,  to  assure  the  local  Authori- 
ties obtaining  the  Board's  Grant  towards  incurred 
expenses,  suggests  that  the  Health  Visitor  be  paid 
not  less  than  ;!^i20  per  annum,  whether  she  be  a 
trained  nurse  or  not.  We  need  hardly  wonder 
at  the  salaries  offered  by  local  Author i lies  when 
an  Advisory  Board  makes  such  incompetent  and 
unfair  suggestions. 

I  am,  yours  truly, 

Jentie  B.  N.  Paterson. 

Member  National  Union  of  Trained 
Nurses. 


KERNELS   FROM   CORRESPONDENCE. 

Another  T.F.  Narse  :  "  1  can  hardly  believe  a 
'  Territoiial  Nurse  on  Active  Service  '  could 
express  such  an  opinion  on  the  '  Man  in  Blue  '  in 
'buses.  It  seems  to  me  nursing  etiquette,  no 
matter  how  tired  she  is,  for  a  Territorial  Nurse  to 
refuse  to  take  the  seat  of  a  patient.  The  '  bus 
hog  '  is  indeed  becoming  a  blot  on  the  community 
and  I  have  seen  men  in  mufti,  and  women,  sitting 
whilst  the  wounded  have  to  stand,  and  pushing 
and  jostling  against  amis  in  splints  and  leg  stumps, 
&c.,  when  getting  in  and  out.  I  have  also  said 
an  indignant  word  in  season." 

"  Independent  Nurse  "  :  "  1  enclose  the  Petition 
to  the  tremier,  signed,  asking  for  the  direct 
representation  of  the  organised  societies  of  nurses 
on  the  Provisional  Governing  Body  authorised 
by  Parliament  to  frame  the  R  iles  and  Regulations 
in  a  Nurses'  Registration  Bi  1.  I  note  in  the 
Ssventh  Draft  of  the  Co  lege  B 1  that  it  is  specially 
provided  to  exclude  the  representatives  of  the  nurses* 
societies  from  participating  in  this  responsible 
duty.  It  is  scandalous.  May  I  urge  every 
certificated  nurse  trained  at  my  old  school — 
University  College  Hospital — to  look  into  this 
matter,  and  sign  the  Petition." 


COMING     EVENT. 

Octdbsr  26th. — Central  Committee  for  the  State 
Registration  of  Nurses.  Meeting,  Council 
Chamber,  British  Medical  Association,  429,  Strand, 
London,  W.C.     2.30  p.m. 


OUR    ADVERTISERS. 

Do  not  omit  to  buy,  as  far  as  possible,  every- 
thing you  need  from  "  Our  Advertisers,"  and  to 
recommend  them  to  your  friends.  They  are  all 
first-class  firms. 


October  26, 1918     zht  »rttl0b  Jottmal  of  flurftna  Supplement.     261 


THe   Midwife, 


THE   MIDWIVES   BILL. 


A  BILL  TO  AMEND  THE  MIDWIVES  ACT,  1902. 

On  Tuesday,  October  15th,  the  day  on  which 
the  House  of  Commons  resumed  after  the  Adjourn- 
ment, the  second  reading  of  the  Midwives  Bill 
was  moved  by  Mr.  Hayes  Fisher,  President  of 
the  Local  Government  Board,  in  the  words, 
"  I  b2g  to  move,  '  That  the  Bill  be  now  read  a 
second  time.' " 

Mr.  Hayes  Fisher  said  that  he  could  perform 
this  duty  in  a  very  few  sentences.  He  explained 
that  the  Bill  was  introduced  in  the  House  of 
Lords,  on  behalf  of  the  Privy  Council,  early  in  the 
Session,  and  passed  that  House  with  only  one 
important  Amendment.  When  it  came  to  the 
House  of  Commons  a  lynx-eyed  member  detected 
in  some  of  the  Clauses  an  infringement  of  the 
privileges  of  the  House  of  Commons.  These 
Clauses  were  held  to  contain  a  public  charge. 
That  being  so,  the  Bill  should  have  been  introduced 
into  the  House  of  Commons  instead  of  the  House 
of  Lords  ;  therefore  it  had  to  be  laid  by.  He 
consequent!}'-  introduced  it  precisely  in  the  same 
form  in  which  it  passed  the  House  of  Lords. 

The  Act  of  1902. 

He  then  explained  that  the  basis  of  all  legislation 
in  relation  to  midwives  was  the  Act  of  1902,  which 
set  up  a  Central  Midwives  Board  and  required 
that  after  a  certain  time  women  should  not  act 
as  midwives  imless  they  were  duly  certified  by 
that  Board.  The  Act  applied  to  England  and ' 
Wales  only.  After  some  years'  experience  of  its 
operation,  a  Departmental  Committee  made 
valuable  recommendations  as  to  amendments 
which  might  fittingly  be  brought  into  the  Act 
by  subsequent  legislation.  When  Scotland  and 
Ireland  obtained  the  benefits  of  a  Midwives  Act, 
the  principal  recommendations  of  the  Depart- 
mental Committee  were  incorporated  in  those 
Acts. 
The  Cinderella  of  Midwifery  Legislation. 

So  it  came  about  that  England  and  Wales 
became,  as  it  were,  the  Cinderella  of  midwifery 
legislation.  The  whole  object  of  the  present  Bill 
was  to  assimilate  the  law  relating  to  the  mid  wive  s 
of  England  and  Wales  to  that  which  obtains  in 
Scotland  and  Ireland. 

The  Importance  of  the  Clauses. 

Mr.  Hayes  Fisher  went  on  to  explain  the 
importance  of  the  Clauses  of  the  present  Bill. 

Clause  T,  he  said,  provides  machinery  by  which 
the  constitution  of  the  Central  Midwives  Board 
can  be  altered,  with  proper  safeguards,  by  an 
Order  in  Council.  Clause  2  endeavours  to  make  an 
equitable    apportionment    of    any    deficit ;     the 


present  system  appeared  to  penalize  the  more 
active  authorities  as  against  the  negligent  ones. 
Clause  6  amplifies  the  provisions  relating  to 
suspension  ;  in  this  Clause,  Sub-section  (2)  intro- 
duces, for  the  first  time,  the  principle  of  com- 
pensation. 

Clause  7  allows  the  Central  Midwives  Board,  if 
they  think  fit,  to  pay  the  expenses  of  any  midwife 
who  may  be  required  to  appear  before  them  to 
defend  herself ;  whilst  Clause  8  empowers  the 
Central  Midwives  Board,  in  removing  from  the 
Roll  the  name  of  any  midwife,  a'so  to  prohibit  her 
from  attending  .  maternity  cases  in  any  other 
capacity. 

Clause  10  introduces  provision  for  the  re- 
ciprocal recognition  of  certificates  granted  by 
the  Central  Midwives  Board  in  this  country,  arid 
of  midwives  certified  by  similar  bodies  in  other 
parts  of  His  Majesty's  Dominions  where  the  train- 
ing is  equivalent.  Clause  11  empowers  Local 
Supervising  Authorities  to  contribute  to  the  train- 
ing of  midwives  in  conformity  with  the  resolution 
passed  by  the  County  Councils  Association. 
Clause  12  repeals  Section  9  of  the  principal  Act 
(Delegation  of  Powers  by  County  Councils  to 
District  Councils). 

Mr.  Hayes  Fisher  poirited  out  that  this  proposal 
gave  rise  to  a  division  of  opinion  in  another  place, 
and  said  he  thought  it  probable  that,  in  the  Com- 
mittee stage,  some  objection  might  be  .taken, 
he  should  be  only  too  glad  to  listen  to  all  those 
capable  of  advising  him  as  to  the  best  form  this 
proposal  ought  to  take. 

Clause  14  provides  a  simple  machinery  for  the 
payment  of  medical  assistance  summoned  by  mid- 
wives  in  cases  of  emergency,  and  makes  it  obli- 
gatory to  summon  a  doctor  in  typical  cases  of 
emergency. 

Effect  of  the  Bill. 

In  conclusion,  Mi.  Hayes  Fisher  said  :  "  It  only 
remains  to  be  said  that  the  Bill  embodies  the 
principal  recommendations  of  the  Departmental 
Committee,  and  that  it  brings  the  whole  of  our 
legislation  connected  with  midwives  in  England, 
Wales,  Scotland  and  Ireland  aU  on  the  same 
footing.  We  are  all  most  anxious  to  do  everything 
we  can'  to  promote  maternity,  and  anything  that 
relates  to  child  welfare.  If  we  can  pass  such  a 
Bill  as  this,  which  improves  the  status  of  mid- 
wives  and  removes  some  of  the  difficulties  under 
which  they  suffer,  I  feel  that  we  shall  have  done 
something  to  diminish  the  suffering  of  mother- 
hood, and  we  shall  have  done  somthing  to  attract 
more  women,  and  possibly  a  better  class  of  women, 
to  that  ancient  and  honourable  profession.  By 
this  Bill  we  shall  take  an  important  step  forward 
in  one  branch  of  the  public  health  which  en- 
deavours to  see  that  everything  is  done  for  the 
strengthening  of  the  health  and  the  general  im- 


263     (Tbe  »rtti0b  3ournal  of  "Wurelnc  Supplement     October  26, 1918 


provement   of    the   vitality   of   both^jmother   and 
child."  "  ' 

DEBATE. 

Mr.  George  Thorne  said  he  rose  to  refer  to 
one  point  relating  to  Clause  12  to  which  reference 
had  already  been  made.  He  understood  that  the 
Right  Honble.  Gsntleman  wished  to  reserve  dis- 
cussion oa  this  point  to  the  Committee  stage,  but, 
if  he  were  able  to  make  any  statement  at  this  stage, 
it  might  considerably  reduce  the  time  required  for 
the  Committee  stage.  He  pointed  out  the  memo- 
randum of  the  B.ll  distinctly  indicated  that  the 
measure  was  proposed  in  such  a  way  that  all  con- 
tentious matter  was  avoided.  The  question  raised 
in  Clause  12  was  a  distinctly  contentious  matter. 
The  County  Councils  very  strongly  objected  to 
Clause  12,  which  robbed  them  of  the  power  they  at 
present  possessed  of  delegating  their  powers  to 
District  Councils,  and  he  hoped  the  Right  Honble. 
Gentleman  would  be  able  to  indicate  that  he  did 
not  intend  to  proceed  with  that  Clause,  and  so 
avoid  discussion  on  the  Committee  stage. 

Sir  John  Harmood-Banner  endorsed  the 
remarks  of  the  previous  speaker.  He  urged  that 
the  Memorandum  said  all  contentious  matter 
was  avoided,  yet  Clause  12  was  contrary  to  the 
very  strongly  expressed  opinion  of  the  Municipal 
and  County  Council  Associations  of  the  Kingdom, 
and  that  it  was  rather  curious  to  call  the  measure 
non-contentious  when  that  was  the  position. 
The  representatives  of  the  County  Councils  and 
Municipal  Associations  had  a  strong  view  upon 
this  question,  and  they  did  not  like  to  have  the 
opinion  of  the  House  of  Lords  foisted  upon  them 
by  stating  that  this  was  a  non-contentious  question 
when,*  as  a  matter  of  fact,  these  Associations  all 
disapproved  of  it. 

Claim  for  More  Women  on  Midwives  Board. 

Mr.  Handel  Booth  supported  the  view  of  the 
previous  speakers.  He  drew  attention  to  Clause  i, 
and  wished  to  have  it  clearly  understood  that  the 
word  "  person  "  in  that  Clause  included  women. 
As  things  were  developing  at  present  there'  was  a 
general  recognition  that  women  must  more  and 
more  be  called  into  the  counsels  of  the  nation. 
If  they  could  have  an  assurance  from  the  Govern- 
ment that  they  contemplated,  under  Clause  i, 
having  the  freedom  to  appoint  more  women — ^he 
suggested  possibly  a  midwife,  providing  a  suitable 
candidate  came  forward — he  thought  the  House 
would  regard  it  as  a  distinct  step  in  advance. 

Major  Hills  said,  in  relation  to  Clause  12,  that 
the  House  must  not  assume  that  all  the  arguments 
were  oa  the  side  of  his  hon.  friends  who  had  spoken. 
There  was  a  very  strong  case  the  other  way  which 
he  and  other  members  of  the  House  were  prepared 
to  make  at  the  proper  time.  Since  the  Memo- 
randum had  been  referred  to,  and  stress  laid  on 
the  fact  that  it  stated  contentious  matter  had  been 
withdrawn  from  the  Bill,  he  directed  the  attention 
of  the  House  to  the  fact  that  the  Memorandum 
also  stated  that  the  Bill  brought  the  law  of 
England  and  Wales  into  line  with  the  law  at  pre- 


sent in  force  in  Scotland  and  Ireland,  and  that 
that  uniformity  could  not  be  effected  unless 
Cause  12  remained  in  its  present  form. 

Mr.    Hayes   Fisher's    Reply.     Direct 
Representation  Conceded. 

In  reply  to  Mr.  Handel  Booth,  Member  for 
Pontefract,  Mr.  Hayes  Fisher  stated  that  under 
Clause  I  it  would  be  quite  possible  to  increase  the 
number  of  women  now  on  the  Central  Midwives 
Board.  He  said  further :  "I  entirely  share 
his  view  that  in  all  this  maternity  and  child  welfare 
legislation  we  shall  need  more  and  more  the  services 
and  special  knowledge  of  women. 

"It  will  be  possible,  If  it  is  thought  desirable,  to 
give  the  midwives  themselves  direct  representation 
upon  that  Board." 

^jln  regard  to  Clause  12  he  expressed  himself  as 
having  a  very  open  mind,  but  indicated  a  certain 
preference  in  his  own  mind,  not  on  this  subject 
only,  but  upon  many  other  subjects.  He  thought 
generally  it  was  wise  to  give  a  discretionary  power, 
subject  to  the  sanction  of  the  Local  Government 
Board.  He  did  not  think  it  wise  to  close  the  door 
altogether  upon  the  power  of  delegation  by  these 
local  bodies,  but  he  assured  the  House  that  he  had 
a  very  open  mind  on  the  question  and  that  he  had 
purpos3ly  kept  it  open  until  they  debated  the 
whole  matter  in  Committee. 

The  Question  was  then  put  and  agreed  to. 

The  Bill  was  accordingly  read  a' second  time.J 

THE    MIDWIVES   BILL    PASSED    IN    THE 
HOUSE    OF    COMMONS. 

On  Monday,  on  the  Committee  stage  of  the 
Midwives  Bill,  Mr.  Hayes  Fisher  said,  in  the  House 
of  Commons,  it  was  the  intention  of  the  Privy 
Council  to  include  midwives  as  representatives 
on  the  Central  Board.  The  first  11  clauses  of  the 
BUI  were  passed  rapidly,  but  there  was  a  discussion 
on  the  12th  clause  for  the  repeal  of  section  9  of 
the  Act  of  1902,  which  enabled  county  councils 
to  delegate  their  powers  and  duties  under  the  Act 
to  district  councils. 

Sir  J.  Boyton  moved  an  amendment  to  ensure 
that  the  right  of  the  London  County  Council  to 
delegate  its  powers  to  the  metropolitan  borough 
councils  would  be  continued.  Sir  R.  Adkins, 
who  preferred  the  clause  as  it  stood,  suggested 
that  in  no  case  ought  delegation  to  be  permitted, 
except  on  the  initiative  of  the  county  council  and 
with  the  approval  of  the  Local  Government  Board. 
Captain  Barnett  argued  that  borough  councils 
ought  not  to  be  deprived  of  the  powers  which 
they  now  possessed. 

Sir  C.  Hobhouse  said  that  in  every  rural  area 
where  delegation  had  been  put  in  force  there  had 
been  a  failure  of  the  Act.  After  further  discussion 
'the  amendment,  having  been  opposed  by  Mr. 
Hayes  Fisher,  President  of  the  Local  Government 
Board,  was  withdrawn,  and  on  a  division  clause 
12  was  carried  by  63  votes  to  38.  The  remaining 
clauses  and  the  report  stage  were  agreed  to,  and 
the  Bill  was  read  a  third  time. 


THE 

WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 
EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


No.  1,596. 


SATURDAY,    NOVEMBER    2,    1918. 


Vol.    LXI. 


EDITORIAL. 


A    MINISTRY    OF    HEALTH. 

One  of  the  imperative  needs  of  the  im- 
mediate future  is  the  Ministry  of  Health 
long  promised  and  overdue.  This  is  acutely 
emphasised  by  the  epidemic  of  influenza 
now  raging,  and  the  fact  that  there  is  no 
central  authority  whose  primary  business  it 
is  to  deal  with  the  outbreak,  though  the 
Local  Government  Board  has  stepped  into 
the  breach,  and  called  a  special  Conference 
of  medical  representatives  of  all  the  Depart- 
ments concerned,  including  the  Army 
Medical  Department,  and  the  Medical 
Research  Committee. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  fact  that 
influenza  is  not  one  of  the  notifiable  dis- 
eases makes  cases  much  more  difficult  to 
locate,  and  the  epidemic  to  control,  and  it  is 
quite  possible  that,  in  the  near  future,  the 
notification  of  this  disease  may  be  made 
compulsory. 

Meanwhile  laws  of  health  well  known, 
but  not  universally  practised,  should  be 
strictly  observed.  Dr.  Leonard  Hill,  F.R.S., 
Director  of  the  Department  of  Applied 
Physiology  of  the  Medical  Research  Com- 
mittee, and  a  Member  of  the  Army  Medical 
Advisory  Board,  in  a  letter  to  the  Times, 
points  out  the  very  great  importance  of 
breathing  cool  open  air,  and  of  exercise, 
which  amplifies  the  breathing  in  promoting 
the  defensive  mechanism  of  the  respiratory 
membrane,  for  many  people  unwisely  seek 
to  keep  themselves  and  children  in  rooms 
which  are  over-warm  and  humid.  The 
defence  depends  on  the  volume  of  arterial 
blood  passing  through  the  membrane,  and 
on  its  bemg  kept  in  a  taut  state  and  well 
washed  with  its  watery  secretion.  He  esti- 
mates that  the  water  evaporated  from  the 
respiratory  membrane  out  of  doors,  on  a 
cool   winter  day,   when    exercise    is  taken, 


may  be  at  the  rate  of  a  pint  in  the  24  hours, 
while  in  a  crowded  roDm  or  ship,  with  the 
air  saturated  and  over-warm,  the  water 
evaporated  will  not  be  more  than  a  third  of 
a  pint.  Similarly  the  total  heat  lost  from  the 
respiratory  membrane  by  vaporization,  and 
in  warming  the  inspired  air,  will  be  about  six 
times  greater  on  the  cool  day  out  of  doors, 
when  exercise  is  taken,  than  in  the  over- 
warm  room  or  ship." 

Facts  such  as  the  foregoing  would  be 
most  usefully  crystallized  and  disseminated 
by  a  Ministry  of  Health,  one  of  the  first 
duties  of  which  must  unquestionably  be  the 
creation  of  a  strong  medico  -  scientific 
department,  and  while  this  department 
would  be  employed  in  investigation  and 
research,  the  professions  of  both  medicine 
and  nursing  would  apply  the  laws  of  health 
framed  as  the  result  of  the  knowledge  thus 
acquired,  to  the  treatment  and  care  of 
epidemic  and  other  diseases. 

It  is  certain  that  nursing  must  have  a 
prominent  and  honourable  place  in  any 
Health  Department  established  by  State 
Authority  if  the  work  of  that  Department 
for  the  community  is  to  be  effective,  and 
the  Public  Health  services  of  Nursing  and 
Midwifery  should  be  co-ordinated  under  its 
control,  while  still  leaving  individuals  the 
right  to  practise  their  professions  inde- 
pendently. 

Nurses,  owing  to  the  fact  that  their 
appeal  for  State  Organization  has  been 
ignored,  are  at  present  subjected  to  patron- 
age, exploited,  and  sweated,  but  their 
trained,  expert  services  are  an  invaluable 
national  asset  which  should  be  standardized 
through  a  Nurses'  Registration  Act.  Regis- 
tered Nurses,  whose  knowledge  would  be 
of  a  tested  and  ascertained  quality  would 
then  be  available  for  enrolment  in  Govern- 
ment Services,  including  the  Ministry  of 
Health,  the  establishment  of  which,  in  the 
near  future,  the  nation  awaits. 


264 


^be  Britieb  3ournal  of  IRurstng. 


November  2,   1918 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITION. 


DESCRIBE  THE  TREATMENT  OF  FRACTURES  BY 
MASSAGE. 

We  have  pleasure  in  awarding  the  prize  this 
week  to  Miss  E.  O.  Walford,  Maldon  Road, 
Colchester. 

PRIZE     PAPER. 

In  describing  the  treatment  of  fractures  by 
massage  no  fixed  rule  can  be  laid  down,  as 
naturally  the  treatment  varies  according  to  the 
bone  injured  and  the  position  of  the  injury ; 
also  the  instructions  of  the  various  surgeons 
will  differ,  and,  of  course,  the  masseuse  must 
always  be  careful  to  carry  out  the  directions 
given  by  the  medical  man  in  charge  of  the  case. 
The  earlier  massage  is  ordered  the  ibetter,  but 
in  many  cases  the  bone  has  been  fractured 
some  time  before  the  patient  is  put  into  the 
hands  of  the  masseuse.  Most  surgeons  do  not 
think  it  advisable  to  give  passive  movements  to 
the  joint  involved  till  one  to  seven  weeks  have 
elapsed,  according  to  whether  a  small  or 
a  large  bone  is  fractured  ;  adhesions  will  not 
form  for  at  least  a  week,  while,  if  movements 
are  commenced  too  soon,  in  addition  to  the 
risk  of  displacing  the  fragments,  an  excess  of 
callus  may  he  formed  and  permanent  stiffness 
result. 

The  object  of  massage  for  fractures  is  to 
lessen  the  pain  by  relieving  muscular  spasm, 
and  by  promoting  the  absorption  of  the  blood, 
serum,  and  lymph  which  are  pressing  on  the 
nerves ;  to  prevent  wasting  and  weakness  of 
muscles  and  the  excessive  formation  of  callus ; 
to  keep  the  ends  of  the  bone  in  good  position 
by  relaxing  the  muscular  spasm  which  tends 
to  draw  them  apart;  to  render  the  joints 
mobile ;  and  to  stimulate  the  blood,  nerve,  and 
lymph  supply  to  the  injured  part,  and  thus  aid 
repair  and  shorten  the  time  the  limb  is  "  out  of 
action. ' ' 

Unless  otherwise  instructed,  the  limb,  which 
is  generally  on  a  splint  if  the  fracture  is  a 
recent  one,  should  be  carefully  unbandaged, 
but  left  resting  on  the  splint ;  steady  the  limb 
in  a  good  p>osition  with  the  left  hand,  and  with 
the  right  give  gentle  efHeurage,  starting  a  little 
distance  above  the  fracture.  This  movement 
should  be  repeated  several  times,  and  then 
commenced  below  the  fracture,  passing  very 
gently  over  it.  For  at  least  four  days,  and 
longer  where  large  bones  are  concerned, 
effleurage  should  be  the  only  movement  given ; 
it  is  a  very  important  one,  and  will : — 

(i)  Help   the   circulation,    and    thus    relieve 
swelling. 
(2)  Soothe   the    nerve   endings,    and    by    so 


doing   relieve   the   muscular   spasm,    which   is 
liable  to  draw  the  two  bones  apart. 

(3)  By  improving  the  circulation  help  to 
maintain  the  nutrition  of  the  tissues. 

Very  gentle  passive  movements  of  the  neigh- 
bouring joints  may  in  some  cases  be  given  from 
the  first,  and  these,  by  moving  the  tendons 
passing  over  the  joint,  will  act  as  internal  mas- 
sage, increasing  the  circulation  and  preventing 
the  formation  of  adhesions. 

After  four  days  (or  longer)  very  careful 
petrissage  and  frictions  may  be  added  to  the 
eflBeurage,  starting  as  with  the  latter,  first 
above  and  then  below  the  fracture,  and  always 
beginning  and  ending  the  treatment  with 
effleurage. 

Passive  movements  should  gradually  be 
given  to  the  joint  involved,  and  as  healing 
becomes  firmer  active  movements  should  also 
be  employed. 

The"  splint  must  not  be  removed  till  jiermis- 
sion  is  given  ;  also,  should  the  fracture  be  com- 
pound, the  wound  must  be  kept  covered  to 
avoid  any  risk  of  sepsis. 

HONOURABLE    MENTION. 

The  following  competitors  receive  honourable 
mention  : — Miss  R.  E.  S.  Cox,  Miss  N.  Hutton, 
Miss  J.  Robinson. 

QUESTION   FOR   NEXT    WEEK. 

Give  the  nursing  of  a  case  after  removal  of 
kidney,  and  state  the  complications  that  may 
occur. 

INFLUENZA   PRECAUTIONS. 


The  widespread  epidemic  of  influenza  in  this 
country,  and  its  serious  results — ^^septic  pneu- 
monia often  supervening — make  it  incumbent 
upon  nurses,  whose  services  are  in  such 
demand,  to  show  the  way  in  the  recognition 
of  its  contagious  nature,  and  in  taking  pre- 
cautions to  protect  themselves  and  others  from 
infection.  In  France  this  is  recognized,  and 
we  hear  from  nurses  in  attendance  on  influenza 
cases  that  they  wear  a  medicated  mask  over 
nose  and  mouth,  besides  gargling  the  throat 
with  an  antiseptic  lotion.  Nurses  in  this 
country  will  be  well  advised  to  take  similar 
precautions.  If  they  are  to  do  their  part  in 
stemming  the  epidemic  they  must  conserve 
their  own  health.  Nurses  will  not  need  to  be 
reminded  that  the  best  safeguards  are  an 
abundance  of  fresh  air,  and  the  avoidance  of 
crowded  meetings  and  ill-ventilated  rooms. 
The  general  standard  of  health  should  also  be 
maintained  at  as  high  a  level  as  possible. 


November  2,   1918 


Zbc  Britteb  Journal  of  IRursiug. 


26=1 


NEW  JOINT  NURSING  BOARD. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Wax  Office  announces 
that  the  two  Advisory  Boards,  which  have, 
respectively,  dealt  with  Queen  Alexandra's 
Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service  and  the  Terri- 
torial Force  Nursing  Service,  have  been  recon- 
stituted as  a  joint  board,  under  the  title  of  "Queen 
Alexandra's  Army  Nursing  Board,"  with  Her 
Majesty  Queen  Alexandra  as  President.  The 
joint  board  has  been  formed  to  secure  greater 
uniformity  of  administration  in  the  two  nursing 
services.  The  services  themselves  remain  distinct 
as  heretofore.  The  constitution  of  the  Board  is 
as  follows  : — 

The  Director-General,  Army  Medical  Service 
(Chairman). 

The  Matron-in-Chief,  Queen  Alexandra's  Im- 
perial Military  Nursing  Service. 

The  Matron-in,-Chief,  Territorial  Force  Nursing 
Service. 

A  Representative  of  the  Voluntary  Aid  Detach- 
ments. 

Six  Laywomen  and  six  Matrons  of  Civil 
Hospitals. 

The  following  ladies  have  been  appointed 
members  of  the  new  Board  : — 

The  Dowager  Countess  of  Airlie  (Vice-President). 

Lady  AmpthiU  (representing  Voluntary  Aid 
Detachments). 

The  Countess  Roberts. 

The  Countess  of  Minto. 

Lady  Codrington. 

Lady  Knox. 

Miss  E.   S.   Haldane,   LL.D. 

Matrons  of  Civil  Hospitals. 

Miss  R.  Cox-Davies,  R.R.C.  (Royal  Free 
Hospital). 

Miss  A.  L'-oyd-Still,  R.R.C.  (St.  Thomas's 
Hospital). 

Miss  A.  B.  Baillie,  R.R.C.  (Principal  Matron 
T.F.N.S.)   (Royal   Infirmary,   Bristol). 

Miss  H.  Gregory  Smith,  R.R.C.  (Western 
Infirmary,   Glasgow). 

Miss  E.  S.  Innes,  R.R.C.  (General  Infirmary, 
Leeds). 

Miss  M.  G.  Montgomery  (Middlesex  Hospital). 


NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 


HONOURS    FOR    NURSES. 

^  The  King  held  an  Investiture  at  Buckingham 
Palace  on  October  23rd,  when  the  following 
decorations  were  conferred  :— 

The  Royal  Red  Cross  (Second  Class). 

Q.A.I.M.N.S.  :  Sister         Isobel         Whyte. 

Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.  :  Sisters  Sarah  Bowe,  Annie 
Duncan  and  Frances  Spedding.  T.F.N.S.  :  Sister 
Helen  Drinkwater.  B.R.C.S.  :  Sister  Annie 
Walker,  V.A.D.  :  Miss  Muriel  Batey,  Mrs. 
Frances  Crawshaw  and  Miss  Hester  Trimble. 
The  Military  Medal. 

First    Aid    Nursing   Yeomanry :     Miss   Muriel' 
Thompson. 


H.R.H.  Princess  Louise,  Duchess  of  Argyll, 
presided  at  the  Luncheon  at  the  Trocadero, 
Piccadilly,  given  in  honour  of  the  Matrons-in- 
Chief  of  the  Military  Services  under  the  Croxvn, 
on  the  30th  inst.  Queen  Alexandra  desired  to  be 
kept  informed  of  the  arrangements,*  and  sent 
the  flowers  to  decorate  the  tables. 


Now  that  the  day  of  the  deliverance  of  Belgium 
is  at  hand,  the  nurses  who  worked  for  its  people 
in  their  hour  of  agony  are  rejoicing  with  them. 
Our  picture  on  page  266  shows  a  group  of  British 
nurses  who  worked  in  a  hospital  in  Flanders. 


Sister  Jane  Elizabeth  Trotter,  Q.A.I.M.N.S.  (R.), 
who,  as  reported,  has  been  awarded  the  Miiilary 
Medal  for  distinguished  service  on  the  field, 
belongs  to  Leicester.  During  a  night  air  raid, 
which  lasted  four  hours,  she  visited  all  the  wards 
reassuring  the  sick  and  wounded,  and  her  orderly 
was  mortally  wounded  while  standing  by  her  in  one 
of  the  wards.  Before  the  war  Sister  Trotter  was 
for  some  years  a  valued  member  of  the  nursing 
staff  at  the  Leicester  Royal  Infirmary.  She  volun- 
teered for  foreign  service  in  the  early  days  of  the 
war,  and  has  been  serving  abroad  four  years.  At 
the  outset  she  was  nursing  in  a  hospital  at  Brussels, 
remaining  there  up  to  the  time  of  its  evacuation  by 
the  Bslgian  Army.  She  was  awarded  the  Mons 
Star  and  was  twice  mentioned  in  despatches. 
While  she  was  at  home  on  furlough  the  King 
decorated  her  with  the  Royal  Red  Cross.  Sister 
Trotter  formerly  had  nursing  charge  of  the  casualty 
department  of  the  Leicester  Infirmary,  where  she 
received  her  training  as  a  nurse. 


An  eminent  nurse  from  America  writes  : — "  We 
are  all  very  thankful  for  the  encouraging  fortunes 
of  the  war,  and  we  get  most  thrilling  letters  from 
the  nephew,  who  is  sti  1  flying  over  the  French  lines, 
I  hope  and  trust  your  beautiful  little  family  are 
still  intact.  I  have  ardent  hopes  that  the  Hohen- 
zollern  and  Hapsburg  dynasties  will  be  cast  down 
into  utter  obivion  and  that  a  self-governing 
free  grouping  will  arise  in  the  places  so  long 
crushed  under  these  robber  barons.  How  often 
one  reaUses  that  we  are  just  at  the  very  dawn  of 
civi'isation — just  emerging  from  the  Dark  Ages  ! 
0"d  England  herself  has  just  lately  outgrown  those 
bad  habits.  Now  she  must  not  fail  to  do  with 
Wilhelm  and  Karl  what  she  did  with  Napoleon. 

"  I  am  posting  to  you  the  pamphlet  showing 
what  is  being  done  in  ourCongressto  get  army  rank 
for  nurses.  The  War  Department  has  done  some- 
thing, but  not  enough,  and  can  go  no  further 
without  Act  of  Congress.  I  enclose  a  letter  to 
visualise  to  you  the  most  charming  and  capable 
woman  lawyer  who  is  trying  to  get  the  Act 
through.  A  splendid  example  of  women's  work 
for  women,  and  not  least  I  must  mention  that  for 


a66 


ITbe  »rttt0b  3ournal  ot  l^urslnc. 


November  2,   1918 


two  months  in  the  beginning  she  stayed  in  Wash- 
ington at  her  own  expense  to  work  it  up. 

We  were  exceedingly  delighted  to  handle  the 
enclosed  letter  signed  "  Helen  Hoy  Greeley,"  who 
is  a  member  of  the  New  York  Bar,  and  as  Counsel 
for  the  Committee  to  secure  rank  for  Nurses  in  the 
American Aj"my delivered  an  astoundingly  brilliant 
Statement  in  April  last  before  the  Committee  on 
Military  Affairs,  House  of  Representatives,  U.S.A., 
on  Suggested  Changes  in  the  Nurse  Corps,  published 
in  the  Johns  Hopkins  Nurses  Alumnae  Magazine, 
which  we  regret  we  have  not  space  to  republish 
in  full. 

Mrs.  Greeley  stated  that  the  only  incidents  of 
absolute   rank  which  the   relative   rank,  contem- 


It  is  as  sound  in  the  case  of  the  nurse  and  her 
orders  as  in  that  of  the  second  lieutenant." 


That  reminded  us  of  our  last  glimpse  of  "  Fran- 
cesca  " — no  longer  in  the  Nursing  Service.  She 
was  attired  as  an  officer  of  the  Women's  Royal 
Air  Force,  and  was  bubbling  over,  with  esprit  de 
corps.  The  daintily  smart  uniform  of  "  air  blue  " 
gabardine,  brass  buttons  and  gold  lace,  and  a 
charming  felt  hat  with  badge  to  match,  and  across 
the  left  breast  the  ribbons  of  the  191 4  Star,  the 
Russian  "  George,"  and  the  Military  Medal 
made  a  tout  ensemble  tout  d  fait  ravissant.  "  Fran- 
cesca  "  is  quite  sure  that  the  "  Rank  "  accorded 
this  Women's  Corps  will  soon  make  it  the  most 
popular,  as  it  will  be  the  most  efficient  Corps 


BRITISH    NURSES    IN    FLANDERS- 


plated      in     the      amendment,      would      confer 
were  : — 

1.  The  dignity  incident  to  the  name  of  rank. 

2.  The  right  to  wear  the  insignia  thereof. 

3.  The  eligibility  to  exercise  authority  within 
limits  set  forth  in  the  law  which  provides  that  as 
regards  medical  and  sanitary  matters  and  all  work 
in  the  line  of  their  duties,  nurses  shal  have  and 
shall  be  regarded  as  having  authority  in  and 
about  military  hospitals  next  after  the  medical 
officers  of  the  Army. 


Amongst  the  wise  arguments  used,  Mrs.  Greeley 
said,  "  Prompt  obedience  to  orders  is  the  root 
of  military  efficiency.  The  best  insurance  of 
prompt  obedience  is  a  badge  on  a  uniform.  One 
gold  bar  on  a  shoulder  strap  is  worth  two  regu- 
lations in  a  book.     This  is  military  psychology. 


in  the  service  of  the  Crown.  On  all  sides  we  hear 
of  loyalty  to  the  new  Commandant,  Mrs.  H.  C.  I. 
Gwynne  Vaughan,  C.B.E.,  who  is  apparently  the 
right  woman  in  the  light  place.  We  all  realize 
"  being  in  the  air  "  no  longer  signifies  futility,  but 
the  most  effective  environment  for  national 
progress.  ,  ^  , 

OUR    ROLL    OF    HONOUR. 

It  is  with  deep  regret  that  we  record  the  sudden 
death,  from  influenza,  of  Sister  Helen  C  )le,  at  the 
First  London  General  Hospital,  Camberwell. 
Sister  Cole  was  trained  at  St.  Bartholomew's 
Hospital,  and  her  death  has  caused  widespread 
grief  amongst  her  co  leagues.  The  funeral  service 
which  was  of  a  mjlita  y  character  and  largely 
attended  took  place  at  the  Hospital  on  Tuesday 
last. 


November  2,  igi8 


Che  36rltt9b  3onrnal  of  IRursinfl. 


267 


We  regret  to  record  the  death  of  Miss  R.  Stanley, 
who  was  trained  in .  children's"  nursing  at  Queen 
Mary's  Hospital,  Carshalton,  and  afterwards  at  St. 
Bartholomew's  Hospital,  London,  where  she 
obtained  her  certificate  in  191 5.  She  has  recently 
been  working  at  Queen  Mary's  Hospital,  Roe- 
hampton,  and  last  week  was  warded  at  St. 
Bartholomew's,  where  she  died  on  Sunday  last. 


Baker. — On  October  Tyth,  of  pneumonia,  at 
No.  15,  Canadian  Hospital,  Taplow,  Nursing  Sister. 
Miriam  E.,  eldest  daughter  of  the  late  George  W. 
Baker,  K.C.,  of  Winnipeg,  Canada.  Canadian 
papers  please  copy. 


FRENCH  FLAG  NURSING  CORPS. 


Grippe  Espagnol  Contagious. 
A  Sister  writes  : — "  In  the  meanwhile  we  have 
turned  into  a  medical  ambulance  and  we  are 
receiving  '  grippe  Espagnol  '  cases.  For  the  first 
time  since  the  beginning  of  the  war  we  are  doing 
medical  nursing  and  our  surgeons,  leaders  as  they 
are,  have  now  to  turn  their  attention  to  the  treat- 
ment of  these  cases.  As  this  disease  is  supposed 
to  be  contagious  we  wear  specia,!  gowns,  over? lis 
for  the  wards,  and  also  we  are  obliged  to  have 
masks,which  contain  a  strong-sme  ling  disinfectant. 
Many  of  our  cases  are  very  serious — bad  pneu- 
monia— in  fact,  nearly  all  of  them  have  complica- 
tions of  the  lungs,  and  in  many  cases  it  turns 
quickly  into  pneumonia.  We  seem  to  be  in  a  little 
world  of  our  own  in  this  ch3.teau,  surrounded  by 
a  big  wooded  park.  The  news  from  the  front  is 
always  good.  We  are  living  in  wonderful  times. 
The  end  seems  to  be  in  view,  but  I  think  we  need  aU 
our  courage  and  endurance.  This  last  year  of  the 
war  seems  to  press  heavily  on  everybody." 

Another  Sister  says  : — "  We  have  had  a  terrible 
time  fighting  the  Spanish  grippe.  It  has  been  a 
ghastly  time.  Three  of  the  nurses  apparently 
dying  at  the  same  time,  the  phajmaxien  died,  and 
many  of  the  youngest  and  apparently  the  strongest 
of  the  blessSs;  the  surgeon  down  with  it,  so  Sister  C. 
had  entire  charge  of  the  surgical  cases  !  Though 
running  temperatures  we  Sisters  held  on  and 
weathered  the  storm,  and  showed  them  what  the 
English  can  do,  and  taught  them  the  meaning  of 
'  carrying  on.'  It  was  a  stiff  time — no  ward- 
maids,  no  inftrmiers,  no  kitchen  staff — ^but  the 
blessSs  who  were  well  enough  worked  and  cleaned 
and  cooked  and  were  just  splendid  !" 

That  is  the  way  to  win  the  wa,r. 

A  Christening  Gift. 
Madame  Jamard  writes  from  Bayeux  : — "  Many, 
many  thanks  for  your  very  kind  letter  and  all  good 
wishes.  I  do  think  it  so, very  kind  of  the  Corps 
wanting  to  give  baby  a  christening  gift,  and  I 
cannot  tell  you  how  much  I  appreciate  the  very 
kind  thought.  It  will  be  his  most  cherished  gift, 
for  it  represents  the  Corps  -with  which  I  worked  so 


long  and  was  so  very,  very  happy.  Here  in  France 
they  christen  babies  very  early,  so  ours  was 
christened  when  his  father  was  on  permission,  and 
has  been  named  Douglas  Edmond  Charles.  Please 
accept  our  united  warmest  thanks  for  this  very 
kind  thought." 

The  gift  is  to  be  a  pretty  silver  cup  bowl  and 
spoon,  suitably  inscribed  as  follows  : — 

"  Presented  as  a  Christening  Gift,  to  Douglas 
Edmond  Charles  Jamaird  by  the  French  Flag 
Nursing  Corps,  in  recognition  of  his  mother's 
devotion  to  his  sick  and  wounded  compatriots  in 
the  Great  War." 


WORDS    OF    COMFORT    FOR    THE 
SUFFERING. 


We  have  received  a  copy  of  "  One  Minute 
Readings  for  Nurses  and  Patients,"  a  little  book 
arranged  by  Fanny  K.  Kindersley.twith  a  Foreword 
by  the  Bishop  of  Worcester,  who  writes  :  "  How 
to  lead  the  soldiers  in  prayer  when  they  come  to 
us  ill  and  convalescent  has  proved  a  difficulty,  for 
in  many  cases  no  clergyman  is  constantly  available. 
Commandants  at  the  little  hospitals  have  expressed 
this  to  mo,  knowing  how  precious  a  quiet  time  may 
become  to  the  men,  if  properly  handled." 

To  meet  in  some  measure  this  need.  Miss 
Kindersley  hi  9  arranged  "  One  Minute  Readings 
for  the  Nurse,"  when  all  is  put  ready  for  the  night ; 
and  it  is  suggested  that  she  shall  Reverently  stand, 
or  kneel,  and  slowly  read  one  of  these  portions, 
which  takes  one  minute.  They  are  composed 
of  a  few  appropriate  verses  from  the  Bible  and 
from  well-knowTi  hymns,  calculated  to  give  com- 
fort, and  inspire  the" sick  with  hope,  "  The  entrance 
of  Thy  words  giveth  light."  The  readings  are 
prefaced  by 

"  The  Nurses'  Prayer." 

Lord,  dost  Thou  need  a  human  hand. 

Sad  pain  to  stay  ? 
Oh  !  use  my  hands,  and  through  them  deign 

Thine  own  to  lay 
On  the  sick  ones,  who  need  Thee  so 

On  earth  to-day. 
And,  as  I  work,  grant  that  my  faith 

Discerning  Thee, 
Veil'd  in  these  weak  ajid  suflf'ring  forms. 

May  give  to  me 
A  tender  rev'rent  touch,  a  deep 

Humility. 
Oh,  wondrous  thought !     That  glorious  hope 

To  mortals  giv'p  ! 
That  when  I  see  Christ  face  to  face. 

All  doubts  forgiv'n. 
He'll  own  it  then  as  done  to  Him, 

My  King  in  Heaven. 

F.  K.  K. 

We  are  informed  that  this  little  book  has  been 
much  appreciated  by  nurses  and  patients,  and 
we  are  pleased  to  bring  it  to  the  notice  of  others. 
It  is  published  by  Elliot  Stock,  7,  Paternoster 
Row,  London,  E.C.     Price  6d. 


268 


Ilhe  Britlab  3ournal  of  IRurslno. 


November  2,  igrS 


Ropal  Britisi)  Rurses'  Ussociation. 


(Incorporatea  Dp 


Ropal  Charter.) 


THIS   SUPPLEMENT    BEING   THE    OFFICIAL    ORGAN    OF    THE    CORPORATION. 


THE    CONFERENCE. 

Members  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion, its  affiliated  Societies  and  others  are  reminded 
of  the  Conference  which  is  to  be  held  on  Novem- 
ber 7th,  at  3  p.m.,  at  11,  Chandos  Street,  Cavendish 
Square,  W.  i. 

No  speakers  with  a  more  comprehensive  under- 
standing of  the  subjects  before  the  Conference 
oould  have  been  found  than  those  which  the  Asso- 
ciation has  secured  for  its  platform,  and  the  Council 
cordially  invite  all  trained  nurses  to  attend,  and  to 
share,  if  they  care  to,  in  the  discussion  on  problems 
which  vitally  concern  their  future  prospects. 


MEETING  OF  THE  GENERAL  COUNCIL. 

The  Quarterly  Meeting  of  the  General  Council 
was  held  on  24th  ult.  Mrs.  Campbell  Thomson, 
and  later  Dr.  Kenneth  Stewart,  occupied  the  Chair. 
The  Report  sent  up  from  the  Executive  Committee 
was  read,  dealing  with  the  arrangements  for  the 
Conference  and  other  matters  relating  to  the  work 
of  the  Consultative  Committee,  the  Central  Com- 
mittee, and  the  Registration  Board.  The  Trea- 
surer's Reports  for  the  Quarter  were  also  laid 
before  the  Meeting. 

A  Resolution  was  passed  expressing  the  regret  of 
the  Council  on  learning  of  the  illness  of  Her 
Highness  the  Princess  Victoria,  and  asking  Her 
Royal  Highness  the  President  to  be  graciously 
pleased  to  convey  to  the  Princess  their  hope  that 
she  might  have  a  speedy  recovery. 

The  death  of  Dr.  Biernacki  was  reported,  and  a 
Resolution  was  passed  placing  on  record  the  appre- 
ciation of  the  Council  of  his  whole-hearted  efforts 
to  promote  the  interests  of  all  trained  nurses,  and 
of  sympathy  with  his  relatives. 

Miss  Helen  Todd  was  elected  to  fill  a  casual 
vacancy  on  the  Greneral  Council. 

Certain  amendments  were  made  on  the  Rules 
governing  admission  to  the  Princess  Christian 
Settlement  Home,  and  questions  relating  to  the 
amending  Bill  of  the  Midwives  Act  and  other 
matters  were  discussed. 

SOME  R.B.N.A.  MEMBERS  "AT  HOME." 

On  learning  of  the  affiliation  of  the  Trained 
Nurses'  Annuity  Fund  with  the  Benevolent  Funds 
of  their  own  Association  a  number  of  R.B.N.A. 


nurses  decided  to  entertain,  at  10,  Orchard  Street, 
the  Members  of  the  three  Funds.  Invitations  were 
promptly  sent  out,  but  as  (particularly  in  the  case 
of  the  first-mentioned  Fund)  large  numbers  of  the 
Members  lived  at  a  distance,  a  difficulty  presented 
itself  as  to  how  people,  living  in  the  three  parts  of 
the  United  Kingdom,  could  join  in  a  "  tea  party  " 
in  London.  The  problem  was  solved  by  mention- 
ing in  the  invitations  that  if,  as  was  probable, 
those  at  a  distance  could  not  come  to  town,  cakes, 
&c.,  would  be  forwarded,  which  were  to  be  eaten 
at  the  same  time  as  that  at  which  the  London 
Members  gathered  at  10,  Orchard  Street.  A  few 
nurses  therefore  met  during  their  off-duty  time  on 
Saturday  morning,  packed  and  posted  their  boxes. 
Just  as  they  were  doing  so  a  box  arrived  for  them- 
selves, which,  when  opened,  was  found  to  contain 
lovely  country  chrysanthemums  from  the  oldest  of 
the  T.N.A.F.  Annuitants.  They  were  sent  with  a 
view  to  decorating  the  nurses'  tea  tables,  but,  as 
one  nurse  remarked,  "  They  seemed  to  come  like 
beautiful,  friendly  thoughts,  from  one  who  had 
given  a  long  life  to  the  service  of  others,  for  those 
who  had  taken  up  her  work  when  she  laid  it 
down." 

It  gave  to  the  nurses,  and  particularly  the 
R.B.N.A.  Members,  no  small  amount  of  pleasure 
when  the  Chairman  of  the  Annuity  Fund  and  Mrs. 
Price  accepted  their  invitation  and  came  in,  in  the 
course  of  the  afternoon. 

Her  Royal  Highness  the  Princess  Christian, 
President  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Association 
and  of  the  Trained  Nurses'  Annuity  Fund,  per- 
sonally telephoned  a  message  to  the  nurses  giving' 
them  her  remembrances  and  expressing  her  hoi>e 
that  they  -were  enjoying  themselves.  This  gave 
much  pleasure,  and  one  nurse,  who  said  that  she 
was  now  over  eighty  years  of  age,  in  a  happy  little 
speech  moved  that  the  thanks  of  the  Members  of 
the  Benevolent  Schemes  be  sent  to  Her  Royal 
Highness,  with  assurances  of  their  loyalty  to  her 
person.  (This  Resolution  was  telegraphed  to  Her 
Royal  Highness  from  the  office.)  This  Member 
also  said  how  much  it  pleased  them  all  to  meet 
Mr.  Price,  the  Chairman  of  the  affiliated  Funds, 
and  thanked  him  warmly  for  his  kindness  to 
nurses.  Next,  on  behalf  of  all  the  guests,  she 
thanked  the  hostesses  of  the  afternoon.  She  was 
one  of  the  earliest  Members  of  the  R.B.N.A.,  and 
it  gave  her  great  pleasure  to  welcome  the  Members 
of  the  affiliated  Funds  to  the  first  of  their  meetings 


November  2,  1918 


llbe  Britisb  3ournal  of  TRurstno, 


?69 


with  one  another.  She  had  loved  the  R.B.N. A., 
and,  as  one  of  its  oldest  Members,  urged  her  young 
hostesses  to  be  "  steadfast  and  true  "  to  it  always, 
and  all  would  be  well  with  the  nursing  profession. 
Mr.  Price,  on  behalf  of  Her  Royal  Highness, 
thanked  the  members  present  for  their  message  of 
loyalty,  and,  in  speaking  of  the  Benevolent 
Schemes,  very  strongly  urged  the  nurses  to  take 
an  active  part  in  developing  these  themselves.  In 
this  connection  he  referred  to  the  splendid  manner 
in  which  the  military  nurses  were  doing  so,  and 
expressed  the  hope  that  the  civil  nurses  would 
soon  follow  this  example  by  taking  a  very  active 
part  in  developing  their  own  Benevolent  Funds. 
His  hope  was  that  all  the  Benevolent  Funds  of  the 
Nursing  Profession  would  ultimately  be  self- 
supporting. 

A  Member  of  the  Princess  Christian  Settlement 
Home  then  spoke,  saying  that  she  felt  she  could 
not  leave  without  saying  something  of  her  appre- 
ciation of  the  kindness  of  her  fellow-Members  of 
the  R.B.N. A.  in  maintaining  such  a  nice  Home. 
"  My  room  there  has  been  my  greatest  joy." 

Old  and  younger  nurses  exchanged  hospital 
reminiscences,  and  told  many  amusing  stories  of 
their  experiences.  One  nurse  "  told  fortunes,"  as 
only  a  nurse  can,  with  teacups  and  cards.  "  The 
Astronomer  "  from  the  Settlement  Home,  an  old 
nurse  of  Lord  Lister's,  gave  an  interesting  little 
lecture  on  astronomy,  and  told  of  comparisons 
made  by  herself  and  Professor  Ball,  when,  on 
retiring  from  nursing  work  between  the  ages  of 
sixty  and  seventy,  she  invested  some  of  her  savings 
in  a  fine  telescope  and  boldly  started  the  study  of 
astronomy.  Mrs.  Price  won  her  heart  immediately 
by  promising  to  visit  the  Settlement  Home  one 
afternoon  in  order  to  participate  in  astronomical 
investigations ! 

The  little  gathering  broke  up  with  warm  feelings 
of  good  will  bet\veen  those  who  were,  many  of 
them,  pioneers  of  the  nursing  profession,  and 
others  who  are  doing  their  best  to  uphold  its  great 
traditions  and  promote  higher  educational  stan- 
dards and  professional  organisation. 


LECTURES. 

In  accordance  with  the  request  of  a  number  of 
Members  of  the  Association  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee are  arranging  a  course  of  lectures  on  lines 
very  similar  to  those  given  last  winter.  Some 
who,  on  the  afternoon  of  25th  inst.,  had  the  plea- 
sure of  hearing  Mr.  Price  Bell  lecture  in  the  Hall 
of  Bedford  College,  will  learn  with  pleasure  that 
he  has  undertaken  to  give  a  lecture  for  the  Asso- 
ciation also.  His  beautiful  thoughts  were  clothed 
in  beautiful  language,  in  words  prophetic  of  a 
grand  new  world  freedom,  of  the  liberty  and  possi- 
bilities for  the  individual  which  would  arise  yet 
out  of  the  great  world  struggle.  This  brilliant 
American  speaks  with  the  force  and  clearness 
characteristic  of  his  nation,  and  we  look  forward 
With  no  small  degree  of  pleasure  to  his  lecture  at 


II,  Chandos  Street,  Cavendish  Square,  on  Decem- 
ber 5th,  on  "  America  and  the  New  World  Order.'' 
On  December  19th  Miss  Annette  M.  B.  Meakin, 
F.R.G.S.,  will  lecture  on  "  Bokhara  and  Samark- 
and." She  is  the  only  traveller  who  has  studied  the 
women  of  these  countries  in  their  own  homes. 
Later  Mr.  Herbert  J.  Paterson,  F.R.C.S.,  will 
lecture,  on  "  Scottish  Wit  and  Humour,"  and 
Professor  Flinders  Petrie  on  "  Ten  Thousand  Years 
of  Civilization."  Professor  Selwyn  Image  (Slade 
Professor  of  Modern  Art)  has  also  promised  to 
lecture,  but  we  have  not  yet  been  informed  as  to  the 
subject  on  which  he  will  speak.  It  is  proposed  that 
the  lectures  shall  be  given  on  alternate  Thursdays, 
and  nurses  who  wish  to  attend  should  notify  the 
Secretary,  who  will  have  pleasure  in  forwarding  to 
them  the  syllabus  when  this  is  complete. 

OBITUARY. 

It  is  with  deep  regret  that  we  have  to  report  the 
death  of  Mrs.  Mary  Hopkins.  She  was  one  of  the 
earliest  Members  of  the  Association,  and  well 
known  to  large  numbers  of  our  Members,  as  she 
and  her  sister,  Miss  Hatton,  have  rarely  been 
absent  from  its  General  Meetings. 

On  hearing  of  the  death  of  Mrs.  Hopkins,  Her 
Royal  Highness  the  President  graciously  tele- 
phoned her  commands  that  a  message  be  sent  to 
Miss  Hatton  expressing  the  sorrow  of  Her  Royal 
Highness  and  her  heartfelt  sympathy  with  Miss 
Hatton  in  her  irreparable  loss.  Young  Members  of 
the  Association  have  united  with  those  who  joined 
the  Association  in  earlier  days  in  sending  to  Miss 
Hatton  expressions  of  deep  sympathy. 


DONATIONS. 

The  Hon.  Treasurer  acknowledges  with  thanks 
donations  from  the  following  to  the  Fund  for  State 
Registration  : — 

First  List. — Per  Miss  Daisy  Hobbs,  ;^5  5s. ; 
Dr.  Clarke,  £a  is. ;  Mrs.  Lawson,  ;^i  is. ;  Miss 
Gordon  Brown,  £1 ;  A.  Britten,  los.  6d.  ;  per  Miss 
Spearing,  9s.  ;  Miss  Bosworth,  5s. ;  Miss  Mercer, 
Ss. ;  Miss  Morgan,  5s. ;  Miss  Owen,  5s. ;  Miss 
Puley,  5s. ;  Miss  Grumpier,  5s. ;  Miss  Fowler, 
2s.  6d. ;  and  Mrs.  Moorhead,  5s. 

Second  List. — Per  Miss  Wallis,  £1  2s.  6d. ; 
Nursing  Staff,  Isleworth  Infirmary,  per  Miss 
Davis,  14s.  gd.  ;  Nursing  Staff,  Princess  Christian 
Hospital,  Englefield  Green,  per  Miss  Sumner, 
13s.  6d. ;  Miss  Talbot,  los.  6d. ;  Miss  Blizard,  los. ; 
Miss  Terry,   los. ;  Miss  Vidler,   los. ;  Mrs.  Lyster, 


Application  forms  for  Registration  (5s.),  Mem- 
barship  (Annual,  5s.  ;  Life,  £2  2s.),  and  the 
badge  of  the  Corporatior.  (4s.),  can  be  obtained 
from  the  oface  of  'h"?  Association,  10,  Orchard 
Street,  Poitman  Square,  W.  i. 

(Sigr.ed)     Isabel  Macdonald. 

Secretary  to  the  Corporation. 
10,  Orchard  Street, 

Portman  Square,  W.  i. 


a7o 


Zbc  »rttt6b  3ournal  of  "flurgino. 


November  2,  1918 


THE  CENTRAL  COMMITTEE  FOR  THE 
STATE  REGISTRATION  OF  NURSES. 


A  meeting  of  the  Central  Committee  for  the 
State  Registration  of  Nurses  was  held,  by  the 
kind  permission  of  the  British  Medical  Asso- 
ciation, in  the  Council  Chamber  at  its  offices, 
429,  Strand,  W.C,  on  Saturday,  October  26th. 
Mr.  T.  W.  H.  Garstang  was  voted  to  the  chair. 
Major  Chappie,  M.P.,  who  is  in  charge  of  the 
Bill,  was  present,  and  there  was  a  large 
attendance  of  members. 

Before  the  meeting  was  opened  sympathetic 
reference  was  made  to  the  recent  deaths  of 
two  members  of  the  Committee,  Dr.  John 
Biernacki  and  Miss  Kathleen  Sinclair  Stewart, 
A.R.R.C,  both  of  whom  had  died  since  its  last 
meeting.  The  members  of  the  Committee  then 
rose  while  a  vote  of  condolence  with  their 
relatives  was  passed. 

Irish  Nursing  Board. 

A  letter  was  read  from  Miss  Carson  Rae, 
Secretary  of  the  Irish  Nursing  Board,  enclos- 
ing the  names  of  the  five  delegates  nominated 
on  to  the  Central  Committee  as  follows  : — 

Col.  Sir  Arthur  Chance,  F.R.C.S.,  Chairman 
of  the  Board. 

Col.  William  Taylor,  M.D. 

Miss  Ramsden,  Rotunda  Hospital,  Dublin. 

Miss  O'Flyrm,  Children's  Hospital,  Temple 
Street,  Dublin. 

Miss  McArdle,.  The  Castle  Red  Cross  Hos- 
pital, Dublin. 

Letter  from  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd. 

A  letter  was  also  read  from  the  Secretary  of 
the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  in  connection 
with  which  Major  Chappie  made  an  explana- 
tory statement,  and  action  upon  it  was  deferred 
until  the  Report  of  the  Executive  Committee  on 
the  College  Bill  had  been  discussed. 

The  Report  of  the  Executive  Committee. 

The  Rejxjrt  of  the  Executive  Committee  on 
the  Seventh  Draft  of  the  College  oi  Nursing 
Nurses'  Registration  Bill  was  presented  by 
Lieut. -Colonel  E.  W.  Goodall,  who  moved  that 
it  should  be  received.  It  stated  that,  in  pursu- 
ance of  the  instruction  given  to  it  by  the 
Central  Committee  at  its  meeting  on  July  6th, 
191 8,  the  Committee  carefully  considered  the 
re-drafted  Bill  of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd., 
together  with  an  accompanying  letter  from 
Major  Chappie,  M.P.  This  draft  was  the 
seventh  draft,  and  was  dated  June  20th,  1918. 
The  Committee  compared  this  (the  seventh) 
draft  put  forward  by  the  College  of  Nursing 


with  the  fourth  draft  which  was  considered  by 
the  Central  Committee  on  a  previous  occasion. 

Resolutions. 
Five   Resolutions   drafted   by   the   Executive 
Committee  were  adopted. 

Counting  of  Votes. 

1.  Relating  to  the  counting  of  the  votes  in 
the  election  of  the  Council. 

Term  of  Office  of  First  Council. 

2.  "  That  a  period  of  two  years  be  named  in 
the  Bill  as  the  term  of  office  of  the  First 
General  Nursing  Council." 

Notification  of  Deaths. 

3.  "  Every  Registrar  of  Deaths  in  the  United 
Kingdom,  on  receiving  notice  of  the  death  of 
any  person  registered  under  this  Act,  shall 
forthwith  transmit  by  post  to  the  Registrar  of 
the  General  Nursing  Council  a  certificate  under 
his  own  hand  of  such  death,  with  the  particu- 
lars of  time  and  place  of  death,  and  may  charge 
the  cost  of  such  certificate  and  transmission  as 
an  expense  of  his  office." 

No  Authority  to  Practise  Midwifery. 

4.  "  Nothing  contained  in  this  Act,  or  in 
any  rules  made  thereunder,  shall  confer  any 
authority  to  practise  medicine,  surgery,  or 
midwifery." 

Central  Committee  to  Proceed  with  its 
OWN  Bill. 

5.  The  Committee  then  passed  the  follow- 
ing Resolution,  which  was  presented  by  Lieut. - 
Colonel  Goodall,  as  a  unanimous  recommenda- 
tion from  the  Executive  : — 

''  That  in  the  opinion  of  the  Executive  Committee  the 
present  Kill  of  the  Central  Committee,  amended  as 
suggested  in  Resolution  G  (relating  to  the  counting  of 
the  votes  in  the  election  of  the  permanent  Council), 
Resolution  H  (two  years'  term  of  office  for  the  Pro- 
visional Council),  Resolution  N  (duty  of  a  Registrar  of 
Deaths  to  notify  a  registered  nurse's  death  to  the 
General  Nursing  Council)  and  Resolution  0  (the 
addition  of  midwifery  to  medicine  and  surgery  in  the 
Clause  which  states  that  the  Act  does  not  confer 
authority  to  practise  these  professions)  is  a  better  Bill 
than  that  drafted  by  the  College  of  Nursing  and 
should  be  adhered  to." 

Lieut. -Colonel  Goodall  then  moved  that  the 
Report  be  adopted,  which  was  agreed. 

College  of  Nursing  Invited  to  Support 
Central  Committee's  Bill. 

It  was  then  resolved  : — 

"That  it  is  the  considered  opinion  of  the 
Committee  that  the  Bill  drafted  by  the  Central 
Committee  for  the  State  Registration  of 
Nurses  should  be  presented  to  Parliament,  and 
that  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  be  formally 


November  2,  1918        xLbc  ^dtisb  3ournal  of  IRurslufl. 


271 


invited  to  agree  to  this  Bill,  and  joiii  in  getting 
it  passed." 

Representation  of  the  Royal  British 
Nurses'  Association  and  the  College  of 
Nursing,  Ltd. 

Mr.  Herbert  Paterson  moved  that  the  Royal 
British  Nurses'  Association,  incorporated  by 
Royal  Charter,  and  the  College  of  Nursing, 
Ltd.,  should  be  included  amongst  the  Bodies 
which  nominate  representatives  on  the  General 
Nursing  Council.  This  was  agreed  to,  and  the 
following-  Clauses  dealing  with  their  repre- 
sentation on  the  First  Council  were  adopted  in 
relation  to  subsequent  Councils  : — 

"  Two  persons  to  he  appointed  by  the  Royal 
British  Nurses'  Association,  one  of  whom  shall 
be  a  registered  medical  practitioner  and  one  a 
nurse. 

"  Two  persons  to  be  appointed  by  the  Col- 
lege of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  one  of  whom  shall  be  a 
nurse." 

Direct  Representation  for  Nurses  in 
Wales. 

It  was  proposed  by  Miss  E.  L.  C.  Eden,  and 
agreed,  that  an  alteration  be  made  in 
Clause  iv  i  (g)  as  follows  : — 

"  Eighteen  registered  nurses  to  be  elected 
as  the  direct  representatives  of  the  women 
nurses  on  the  General  Register;  eight  to  be 
elected  by  the  nurses  registered  in  Eng-land, 
and  two  by  the  nurses  registered  in  Wales." 

British  Subjects  only  Eligible  for 
Registration. 

It  was  propQsed,  and  agreed,  that  only 
nurses  who  are  British  ubjects  shall  be 
eligible  for  registration. 

Letter  from  Secretary  of  College  of 
Nursing,  Ltd. 

Lieut. -Colonel  Goodall  moved,  and  it  was  re- 
solved, that  the  receipt  of  the  letter  (previously 
referred  to)  from  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd., 
be  acknowledged,  and  a  statement  of  the 
decision  arrived  at  by  the  Committee,  together 
with  a  formal  and  official  invitation  to  supp>ort 
the  Central  Committee's  Bill,  be  sent  to  the 
College. 

The  meeting  concluded  with  a  vote  of  thanks 
to  the  Chairman,  and  to  the  British  Medical 
Association  for  the  use  of  the  Council  Chamber. 

A  beautiful  wreath. was  sent  by  the  Matrons' 
Council  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  and  laid 
on  the  grave  of  Miss  Kathleen  S.  Stewart  at 
her  funeral  on  October  23rd  at  Blair  Atholl. 


IRISH  NURSING  BOARD. 


(APPROVED  BY  THE  ROYAL  COLLEGE  OF 
SURGEONS   IN  IRELAND.) 

A  meeting  of  the  Board  was  held  on  October  23rd 
in  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  of  Ireland. 
Colonel  Sir  Arthur  Chance,  Chairman  of  the  Board, 
presided,  and  there  was  a  good  attendance.  Five 
delegates  were  selected  to  sit  on  the  Central 
Committee  for  State  Registration,  viz..  Colonel  Sir 
Arthur  Chance,  Colonel  Willia.m  Taylor,  M.D., 
Miss  Ramsden,  Miss  O'Flynn,  Miss  McArdle.  The 
following  resolution  was  proposed  by  Colonel 
Taylor  and  unanimously  adopted,  that  :  "  After 
July  ist,  1 91 8,  any  person  who  had  failed  to 
register  may  have  her  case  specially  considered  by 
the  Executive  Committee,  and  if  they  think  fit,  may 
have  her  name  placed  on  the  Register  for  a  fee  of 
£1  IS." 

Mrs.  Lanagan  O'Keefe  was  appointed  secretary 
to  the  Board.  The  usual  routine  business  was  trans- 
acted and  the  Board  were  pleased  to  hear  the 
Register  was  "  growing  in  strength." 


SCOTTISH   MATRONS'  ASSOCIATION. 


A  meeting  of  tjie  Scottish  Matrons'  Association 
was  held  in  Edinburgh,  on  Saturda\ ,  October  19th, 
Miss  Gill,  R.R.C.,  in  the  chair.  There  was  a  repre- 
sentative  attendance. 

The  minutes  of  the  last  meeting  were  read  and 
signed  ;  also  the  minutes  of  the  Edith  Cavell 
Memorial  Fund  Committee  meeting,  held  on 
April   I9i.h,  in  Edinburgh. 

The  Chairman  intimated  the  decisions  made  by 
the  Executive  Committee  on  various  communica- 
tions dealt  with  at  their  meeting  on  April  19th,  in 
Edinburgh. 

An  address,  which  was  very  much  appreciated, 
was  given  by  Mrs.  Chalmers  Watson,  C.B.E.,  M.D., 
on  the  work  of  the  National  Council  for  Combating 
Venereal  Disease.  She  spoke  of  the  special  points 
emphasised  by  the  Royal  Commission  ;  of  the 
progress  made  in  discovery  and  treatment  during 
the  last  twelve  years  ;  and  of  the  most  hopeful 
lines  along  which  improvement  might  be  looked 
for  in  preventing  the  hea\^  toll  taken  on  the 
efficiency  of  the  nation  by  venereal  disease. 

A  vote  of  thanks  was  proposed  and  heartily 
responded  to  by  Mrs.   Chalmers  Watson. 

Three  new  members  were  elected  to  the  Associa- 
tion :  Miss  White,  Q. V.J.N. I.,  Superintendent 
Scottish  Branch  ^  Miss  Cumming,  Longmore 
Hospital,  Edinburgh  ;  and  Miss  Cricht on,  Dumfries 
and  Galloway  Royal  Infirmary. 

Two  members  resigned  :  Miss  Simbert,  Cripple 
Children's  Home,  Edinburgh,  on  giving  up 
Matron's  duties  for  the  present ;  and  Miss  Scott, 
Schaw  Memorial  Home,  Bearsden,  Glasgow,  on 
retiring  from  work. 

Miss  Graham,  Hon.  Sec,  gave  a  short  account  of 
the  proceedings  of  the  N.C.W.W.  annual  meeting. 


273 


ITbc  Britteb  3ournaI  of  flureinfi. 


November  2,   1918 


held  in  Harrogate,  to  which  she  had  been  elected 
a  delegate  of  the  Association  a'ong  with  Miss 
Thomas,  City  Hospita',  Edinburgh,  and  Miss 
Gregory  Smith,  Western  Infirmary,  G  asgow. 
f  Notice  was  given  of  a  proposed  aUeration  in 
Clause  II  of  Constitution,  to  be  submitted  at 
next  meeting. 


THE  NATION'S  FUND  FOR  NURSES. 


The  Fund  has  moved  its  office  from  Duveen's 
antique  shop,  in  Old  Bond  Street,  although  it  is 
still  advertised  in  blue  letters  a  foot  high — omitting 
of  coars3  the  notification  that  it  is  "  registered 
under  the  War  Charities  Act,  1916,"  an  illegal 
proceeding  in  connection  with  many  hoardings,  for 
which  the  promoters  of  this  Fund  are  apparently 
not  held  responsible.  We  wonder  why.  It  is  speci- 
ally impertinent,  as  it  was  the  Red  Cross  Society 
which  agitated  for  the  Act,  so  that  money  given 
by  the  public  in  support  of  war  charities  should 
have  some  redress  if  they  were  exploited  by  bogus 
appeals.  We  ad\ise  Lady  Cowdray,  Hon. 
Treasurer  of  the  Fund,  who  is  the  prime  advocate 
of  this  war  charity  for  nurses  and  for  the  plutocratic 
methods  of  appeal  which  S3  If -respecting  members 
of  oar  profession  most  heartily  detest,  to  conform 
to  the  provisions  of  the  War  CUarities  Act,  which 
directs  that  the  words  "  Registered  under  the 
War  Charities  Act,  1916,"  shall  appear  on  every 
appeal. 

Comparatively  Few. 

Speaking  in  Manchester  in  support  of  the 
charity,  Mrs.  Martin  Harvey,  an  actress,  in  paying 
tribute  to  the  work  of  the  V.A.D.s  in  France, 
drew  attention  to  the  great  strain  which  had 
been  put  upon  the  "  comparatively  few"  trained 
nurses  at  the  front,  and  suggested  that  the  secure 
establishment  of  the  College  would  prevent 
anything  of  the  kind  in  future. 

Comparatively  few !  We  wonder  what  the 
20,000  trained  nurses,  who  have,  by  their  devotion, 
saved  thousands  of  lives,  and  attended  the  sick 
and  wounded  men  of  a  1  allied  nations  with  know- 
ledge and  skill,  think  of  that.  No  wonder  they 
fear  the  institution  of  a  V.A.D  Register  of  which 
there  are  so  many  rumonrs,  and  which,  under 
Clause  4  of  1  he  College  Bill  is  practically  provided 
for.  We  advise  members  of  the  CoUege  to  look  into 
this  question  bejore  it  is  too  late. 


LEAGUE  NEWS. 


LEICESTER  ROYAL  INFIRMARY    NURSES' 
LEAGUE. 

The  nurses  of  the  above  League  held  their 
Autumn  Social  Meeting  in  the  Nurses'  Home  of 
the  Royal  Infirmary,  on  the  afternoon  of  Friday, 
October  25th.  The  President  was  unaVe  to  be 
present.  In  her  absence,  the  chair  was  taken  by 
Miss  Pell  Smith.  Many  members  wrote  regretting 
their  absence  from  illness  and  other  causes,  and 


sent  best  wishes  for  the  success  of  the  meeting. 
An  interesting  address  was  given  by  Miss  Prior, 
Organizer  and  Lecturer  to  the  Leicester  Health 
Society  (Schools  for  Mothers).  After  the  meeting 
the  members  greatly  enjoyed  tea,  most  kindly 
arranged  for  by  Miss  Vincent,  R.R.C.  (Vice- 
President),  who  was  also  unable  to  be  present. 


THE  ROYAL  VICTORIAN  TRAINED 
NURSES'   ASSOCIATION. 


CONG  RATU  LATIONS. 

We  offer  oar  heartiest  congratulations  to  the 
Royal  Victorian  Trained  Nurses'  Association  on 
the  election  of  Miss  Gretta  Lyons  as  their  President. 
Except  for  a  few  months  the  Association  since  its 
foundation  in  190I  has  had  a  medical  President, 
and  it  is  surely  fitting  that  this  position  should  be 
fi'led  by  a  trained  nurse,  more  especiaUy  now  that 
women  are  enfranchised  citizens  of  the  State. 

No  happier  choice  for  the  Presidency  could  have 
been  made  than  that  of  Miss  Gretta  Lyons,  who 
has  for  many  years  worked  to  secure  the  registra- 
tion of  trained  nurses  on  self-governing  lines  in  the 
State  of  Victoria,  and  to  improve  their  professional 
and  economic  status. 

Miss  Lyons,  who  was  trained  ,at  the  Alfred 
Hospital,  Melbourne,  has  kept  in  touch  with 
nursing  politics,  both  in  the  United  Kingdom  and 
in  the  United  States  of  America,  and  is  a  leader  of 
whom  the  Victorian  nurses  may  well  be  proud. 
We  hope  that  during  her  term  of  office  the  State 
Registration  of  Nurses  will  become  an  accom- 
plished fact.  Of  this  there  seems  considerable 
prospect  as  the  Bill  before  the  House  is  stated  to 
be  satisfactory,  and  to  have,  if  some  small 
amendments  are  incorporated,  the  approval  of  the 
Association. 


APPOINTMENTS. 


LADY     SUPERINTENDENT. 

Dr.  Steevens'  Hospital,  Dublin. — ^Miss  Alice 
Reeves  has  been  appointed  Lady  Superintendent. 
Miss  Reeves  was  trained  in  the  Adelaide  Hospital, 
Dublin,  where  she  held  the  post  of  Sister.  For  the 
past  ten  years  Miss  Reeves  has  been  Matron  of  the 
Royal  Victoria  Eye  and  Ear  Hospital,  Dub' in, 
where  she  has  brought  the  hospital  to  a  great  state 
of  perfection  and  where  she  is  deservedly  popular 
and  will  be  immensely  missed.  Miss  Reeves  is 
well  known  in  Ireland  as  one  of  its  foremost 
leaders  in  nursing.  She  is  Vice-President  of  the 
Irish  Nurses'  Association,  which  owes  much  to  her 
spirited  support,  Hon.  Secretary  of  the  Irish 
Matrons'  Association,  a  member  of  the  Irish 
Nursing  Board,  and  a  delegnte  of  the  Irish  Nurses' 
Association  on  the  Central  Committee  for  the  State 
Registration  of  Nurses,  a  reform  for  which  she  has 
worked  with  single-minded  devotion  for  many 
years.     Miss  Reeves  carries  the  good  wishes  of  all 


November  2,   1918 


(The  Brltidb  3ournal  of  l^uretno. 


«73 


her  col  leagues  for  success  in  her  new  and  influential 
sphere  of  work. 

We  heartily  congratulate  Dr.  Sceevens*  Hospital 
on  its  choice  of  a  Lady  Superintendent. 

WARD     SISTER. 

West  Ham  Sanatorium  for  Consumption,  Dagenliam, 
Essex. — Miss  Leonora  Davison  has  been  appointed 
Ward  Sister.  She  was  trained  at  the  Union 
Infirmary,  Sunderland,  and  has  been  Stafi  Nurse 
at  Barrasford  Sanatorium,  Northumberland,  and 
Sister  at  Mowsley  Sanatorium,  North  Kilworth, 
R'jgby. 

NURSES.' 

Anglo-American  Hospital,  Cairo.  —  The  follow- 
ing appointments  have  been  made  to  the  staff  of 
the  above  hospita'  : — 

Miss  A.  M.  Pearson,  trained  at  the  Infirmary, 
Kingston-on-Thames.  She  has  been  Sister  at  the 
Military  Families  Hospital  Devonport,  and  is  at 
present  Night  Sister  at  the  Kingston  Infirmary. 
She  is  a  certified  midwife. 

Miss  M.  A.  Lake,  trained  at  the  Royal  Infirmary, 
Manchester,  and  late  Matron  of  the  jCpttage 
Hospital,  Crowborough.  She  is  a  certified  mid- 
wife. 

Miss  K.  Mee,  trained  at  the  Edmonton  Infirmary, 
N.,  and  for  two  years  a  member  of  the  British  East 
African  Nursing  Service.  At  present  Sister  at 
the  V.A.D.  Hospital,  Corsham,  Wilts. 


NURSING    ECHOES. 


THE  PASSING  BELL. 

We  regret  to  learn  that  Miss  Bull,  the  Matron 
of  the  Colwyn  Bay  Council's  Isolation  Hospital,  at 
Bronynant,  died  at  Walthamstow,  on  Tuesday 
last  week,  from  pneumonia,  two  days  after  being 
attacked  by  influenza.  Miss  Bull  was  to  have  been 
married  next  week,  and  was  retiring  from  her 
appointment  under  the  Colwyn  Bay  Council. 
Before  her  appointment  at  Colwyn  Bay,  Miss  Bull 
served  for  six  years  on  the  nursing  staff  of  the 
Llandudno  Council's  Isolation  Hospital.  She  was 
a  passenger  in  the  express  train  which  was  derailed 
at  Ditton  Junction  some  years  ago,  and,  being 
herself  uninjured,  she  rendered  very  valuable 
service  to  the  injured  passengers  before  the  arrival 
)f  the  doctors.  In  recognition  of  this  the  directors 
of  the  London  and  North-Western  Railway  gave 
her  an  honorarium  and  sent  her  a  letter  of  thanks, 
signed  by  all  the  members  of  the  Board. 


HUMOURS    OF    THE    OUT-PATIENTS. 

Enter  a  stout  lady  with  a  violent  squint,  and 
her  hat  set  rakishly  at  an  angle. 

She  beams  genially  at  the  dignified,  bearded 
physician  and  addresses  herself  in  a  friendly 
fashion  to  the  nurse. 

"  Ain't  that  queer  now  ?  I  dreamt  last  night 
I  should  see  a  strange  gentleman  with  whisker*^." 


The  Annual  Open  Meeting-  of  the  Ladies' 
Association  of  the  Great  Northern  Central 
Hospital  was  held  in  the  Board  Room  on 
October  24th,  when  the  work  of  the  members 
during-  the  year  was  exhibited.  The  Acting- 
Chairman,  Miss  Amy  Hill,  who  occupied  the 
Chair,  referred  to  the  activities  of  the  Associa- 
tion generally.  The  Hon.  Mrs.  Lawson  John- 
son congratulated  the  members  uf>on  their 
splendid  work  during  the  year,  and  Miss  M.  F. 
Roby  urged  that  the  Association  should  be 
made  more  widely  known  in  the  West  End. 
Mrs.  Norman  Moore,  Hon.  Secretary  of  St. 
Bartholomew's  Women's  Guild,  and  Mrs. 
Blinco,  of  the  North  Islington  Welfare  Centre, 
also  spoke.  The  Matron,  Miss  A.  N.  Bird, 
R.R.C.,  thanked  all  members  who  had  kindly 
made  and  given  garments  during-  the  year,  and 
for  the  help  always  accorded  to  her.  The  dis- 
play of  clothing  was  excellent,  and  included 
garments  suitable  for  all  classes  of  patients, 
the  woollen  articles  for  babies  being-  particu- 
larly admired.  There  was  a  large  attendance, 
which  included  representatives  of  Ladies' 
Associations  of  other  Hospitals. 


We  have  received  from  a  correspondent  the 
following  notes  by  Mr.  Waynman  Dixon,  who 
was  for  nearly  forty  years  chairman  of  the 
House  Committee,  North  Ormesby  Hospital, 
the  following  interesting  appreciation  : — "  The 
Sisterhood,  or  Community  of  the  Holy  Rood, 
North  Ormesby,  recently  celebrated  the 
6oth  anniversary  of  its  foundation  and  its 
service  for  the  North  Ormesby  Hospital — the 
first  cottage  hospital  in  this  or  any  other 
country — and  all  who  know  and  love  the  noble 
work  carried  out  by  them  will  be  glad  to  con- 
gratulate and  wish  them  long-continued  pros- 
perity in  their  work  of  Christian  charity.  The 
writer,  then  a  schoolboy  (in  1859),  lodging  in 
Albert  Road,  well  remembers  that,  looking  out 
from  his  bedroom  window,  he  saw  some  half- 
dozen  men  with  bandages,  slings,  and  crutches 
in  the  backyard  of  the  cottage^  opposite,  who, 
he  was  told,  were  Miss  Jaques's  cripples.  This 
good  lady,  afterwards  known  as  Sister  Mary, 
had,  at  the  request  of  Mr.  Jordison,  come  to 
the  rescue  a  year  before,  on  the  occasion  of 
a  terrible  boiler  explosion  at  works  in  the  town 
(then  of  15,000  inhabitants),  the  victims  of 
which  had  to  be  treated  in  overcrowded  lodg- 
ings, some  of  them  even  on  straw  in  dirty 
stables,  over  an  open  sewer.  Miss  Jaques, 
having  had  some  training  as  nurse,  herself 
hired  two  cottages  in  Dundas  Mews,  and  not 


^74 


^be  British  3ournaI  of  TRurstnG. 


November  2,   1918 


only  g-ave  her  services,  but  bore  all  the  ex- 
penses of  the  good  work.  Others  voluntarily 
joined  her,  and  a  Sisterhood  of  seven  members 
was  formed  to  continue  the  work,  Mrs.  New- 
comen,  of  Kirkleatham,  being  the  head  as 
Mother  Superior  of  the  community.  Shortly 
afterwards  the  hospital  at  North  Ormesby, 
containing  20  beds,  was  built  by  public  sub- 
scription, and  in  the  course  of  60  years  has  been 
extended  to  the  present  noble  institution  with 
no  beds. 


THE    ROYAL    SANITARY    INSTITUTE 
AND  THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALTH. 


"The  first  sister  in  charge,"  continues  Mr. 
Waynman  Dixon,  "  was  Sister  Elizabeth,  who 
for  thirty-five  years  superintended  all  the  work, 
and  was  really  '  The  Angel  in  the  House. '  Her 
stately  presence,  sympathetic  nature,  and  win- 
ning smile  so  won  the  hearts  of  the  working 
men  of  Middlesbrough  that  they  soon  arranged 
that  at  all  the  works  in  the  neighbourhood  one 
penny  per  week  should  be  deducted  from  each 
man's  wages  towards  the  support  of  the  Hos- 
pital. These  good  ladies  of  the  Sisterhood, 
with  their  successors,  in  '  weariness  and  pain- 
fulness  and  in  watching  oft,'  have  continued 
the  work  up  to  the  present  jubilee,  and  in  the 
course  of  sixty  years  have  treated  over  100,000 
patients.  From  what  small  beginnings  do 
great  things  grow.  Their  influence  on  the  life 
of  the  working  men  community  is  untold,  for 
not  only  have  they  healed  the  wounds,  but 
mended  the  lives  of  countless  numbers  of  their 
patients.  When  an  extension  was  required  for 
out-patients  in  1892,  the  workmen  of  Middles- 
brough *  got  up  early  one  morning  and  built  a 
hospital  before  breakfast  ' — that  is  to  say, 
every  workman  contributed  a  quarter-day's 
pay,  and  thus  raised  a  sum  of  £7So  towards 
the  cost.  All  the  original  members  of  the 
Sisterhood  have  gone  to  their  rich  reward,  but 
the  community  goes  on,  and  there  are  still  those 
who  have  been  in  the  work  for  forty  years, 
assisted  by  three  head  nurses  of  very  long 
standing." 


The  annual  sale  of  work  for  the  Norwich 
District  Nursing  Association  at  Tomibland, 
now  known  as  the  Cavell  Home,  was  held  last 
week  at  the  headquarters.  The  maintenance 
of  district  nursing  associations  is  a  very  serious 
business  in  these  days  of  increased  expenses  in 
all  directions,  and  the  institution  was  never  so 
much  in  need  of  funds  as  at  the  present  time. 

Amongst  the  stallholders  were  the  Lady 
Mayoress,  who  sold  fancy  work  and  glass,  and 
the  Matron  and  nurses  were  kept  busily  em- 
ployed in  connection  with  their  stall  of  mis- 
cellaneous articles. 


For  more  than  40  years  since  the  Public  Health 
Act  of  1 876  came  into  operation  the  Royal  Sanitary- 
Institute  has  been  co-operating  with  the  Public 
Health  Service  of  the  country,  and  has  noted  the 
steady  progress  made  in  methods  and  organisation 
both  official  and  voluntary  for  improving  the 
health  of  the  people. 

At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Council  the  progress 
made  with  regard  to  the  Bill  for  the  establishment 
of  a  Ministry  of  Health  was  under  consideration 
and  the  following  resolution  was  passed  : — 

The  health  of  the  people  being  of  paramount 
importance  in  the  progress  of  the  nation,  the  Council 
of  the  Royal  Sanitary  Institute  have  noted  with  great 
satisfaction  the  progress  that  has  been  made  and  the 
valuable  work  accomplished  during  the  past  fifty  years 
by  the  various  departments  dealing  with  public  health. 

The  rapid  development  under  present  conditions  of  the 
many  subsidiary  factors  affecting  the  question,  and  the 
complexity  of  the  interests  involved  make  it  essential, 
for  the  effective  continuance  and  development  of  the 
work,  that  so  far  as  possible  all  matters  relating  to 
public  health  should  be  co-ordinated  in  one  department 
as  a  Ministry  of  Health. 

The  Council  therefore  desire  to  urge  that  the  matter 
is  one  of  pressing  public  importance,  and  trust  that  it 
may  receive  the  early  attention  of  His  Majesty's 
Government. 


A  HISTORETTE  OF  PUBLIC  HEALTH 
PROGRESS  IN  NEW  ZEALAND. 


We  have  pleasure  in  publishing  the  following 
Historette  of  Public  Health  Progress  in  New 
Zealand  from  Miss  H.  Maclean,  who  is  an 
expert  in  all  matters  of  Health,  Nursing,  and 
Midwifery  in  the  Dominion  : — 

Department  of  Public  Health,  Hospitals,  and 
Charitable  Aid. 

Wellington,  N.Z., 

Jtdy  3ofh,  1918. 

Dear  Madam, — In  the  account  of  the  first  of  a 

series  of  lectures  on  Infant  Care  in  your  issue  of 

May  nth  I  read  in  the  concluding  paragraph  under 

"  Nationa.l  Baby  Week  Council,"  the  following  : — 

The  death-rate  of  infa.nts  under  one  year  in 

New  Zealand  has  been  reduced  from  80-50  per 

1,000  by  Dr.  Truby  King,  who  has  been  instrYrt- 

ing  the  people  in  mothercraft  for  eight  or  nine 

years. 

While  giving  every  credit  to  Dr.  Truby  Kirg, 
with  whose  work  I  am  thoroughly  familiar,  for 
a  large  share  in  the  reduction  of  the  infant  death- 
rate  in  New  Zealand,  I  would  like  to  give  some 
prominence  to  the  even  earlier  commencement  of 
decrease  in  the  death-rate  attributable  : 

I.  To  the  work  of  the  Department  of  Public 
Health,  which  has  improved  the  sanitary  condition 


November  2,   1918 


Ji\yc  British  3ournal  ot  flureuifl. 


^75 


of  towns.  New  Zealand  was  the  first  part  of  the 
British  Empire  to  esta,blish  a  Ministry  of  Public 
Health,  in  1900. 

2.  The  Midwives'  Act,  passed  in  1904,  under  the 
superintendence  of  the  late  Dr.  MacGregor, 
Inspector-General  of  Hospitals,  and  his  assistaat, 
Mrs.  Grace  Neill,  a  trained  nurse  and  midwife. 

3.  The  establishment  of  training  schools  for 
midwives  and  hospitals  for  maternity  patients, 
from  which  thousands  of  women  have  gone  forth, 
some  as  midwifery  nurses,  into  a'l  parts  of  the 
Dominion,  some  as  mothers,  taught  how  to 
properly  care  for  their  infants  and  irhpressed  with 
the  importance  of  breast-feeding  and  fresh  air. 

New  Zealand  wa.s  the  first  part  of  the  Empire  to 
establish  State  Maternity  Hospitals.  This  was 
one  of  the  great  life  works  of  the  Right  Hon. 
Richard  John  Ssddon.  Himself  bom  at  St. 
Helens,  T^ncashire,  the  hospitals  were  all  named 
"  S':.  Helens."  He  was  also  responsible  for  labour 
laws  which,  tending  to  produce  good  social  condi- 
tions, are  certainly  responsible  in  a  good  measure 
for  decrease  of  infantile  de?.th-r?.te. 

4.  Midwifery  Nurses  trained  in  the  State 
Maternity  Hospitals,  many  of  whom  are  now 
Plunket  Nurses,  have  undoubtedly  had  a  lajge 
share,  and  through  them  their  training  schools, 
in  the  reduction  of  Infantile  IMortality. 

Ante-natal  and  post-natal  teaching'  has  been 
given  to  mothers  in  these  Institutions  since  7905, 
when  the  first  hospital  was  opened,  three  years 
before  Dr.  Truby  King  st?.rted  his  campaign,  ?.nd 
a  yeajT  ago  special  ante-natal  clinics  and  free  ajite- 
natal  advice  ajid  treatment  for  mothers  were 
established  in  connection  with  each  State  Maternity 
St.  Helens  Hospita.1. 

When  the  fact  is  considered  that  New  Zealand 
is  for  the  most  part  a,  rural  country  with  no  real 
slum  areas,  even  in  her  largest  cities,  that  poverty 
such  as  prevails  in  the  old  world  is  unknown,  and 
that  food  is  cheap  and  plentiful,  it  will  be  seea  that 
the  problem  of  the  reduction  of  the  infantile  death- 
rate  is  a  very  different  matter  in  the  Old  Country. 
I  am,  yours  truly, 

H.  Maclean, 
Assistant-Inspector  of  Hospitals  ;   Deputy- 
Registrar    of    Nurses    and    Midwives ; 
Officer-in-Charge,  St  Helens  Hospitals, 
&c. 


PROFESSIONAL    REVIEW. 


A    NEW    LEAGUE. 

As  we  go  to  press,  a  meeting  is  being  held  in  the 
Nurses'  Home  a.t  the  Fulham  Militajy  Hospita', 
Hammersmith,  W.,  to  discuss  the  forma.tion  of  a 
Nurses'  League  of  nurses  trained  at  the  Fulha.m 
Infirmary.  Amongst  other  matters  which  will 
come  up  for  consideration  is  the  establishment  of 
a  journal.  Nurses  trained  at  the  Fulham  Infir- 
mary, if  unable  to  attend,  are  a.sked  to  write  to 
Miss  L.  A.  Wallace,  Assistant  Matron  at  the 
Hospital,  and  give  their  opinion  on  the  above 
subject,  the  amount  of  subscription  to  be  paid 
and  kindred  questions. 


FOODS     AND     DIETARIES. 

Dietetics  are  concerned  with  a  branch  of  profes- 
sional knowledge  of  which  nurses  can  scarcely 
absorb  too  much ;  firstly,  because  suitable, 
nourishing,  and  well-prepared  food  is  one  of  the 
great  essentials  to  recovery  in  any  patient  of 
whom  they  have  charge  ;  and  secondly,  because 
the  selection  and  administration  of  food  are 
frequently  left  to  the  nurse,  whose  knowledge  of 
food  values  is  usuaTy  most  superficial  and  inexact, 
even  if  the  subject  is  not  one  of  which  she  is 
totally  ignorant.  It  is  only  comparatively 
recently  that  a  short  course  of  sick  room  cookery 
has  been  included  in  the  curriculum  of  some  of 
our  nurse  training  schools,  and  few  nurses  have 
any  a^dequate  knowledge  of  the  science  which 
underlies  the  presentation  of  a  weT-balarxed  and 
appetising  meal,  suited  to  the  needs  of  the  individ- 
ual patient. 

Nurses  who  are  desirous  of  increasing  their 
knowledge  of  this  subject  will  find  in  "  Foods 
and  Dietaries  :  a  Manual  of  Clinical  Dietetics," 
by  Sir.  R.  W.  Burnet,  K.C.V.O.,  M.D.,  J.P.,  a 
book  which  will  furnish  them  with  a  large  amount 
of  information  in  a  readily  assimilable  form.  It  is 
published  by  Messrs.  Charles  Griffin  &  Co.,  Ltd., 
Exeter  Street,  Strand,  at  the  modest  price  of 
4s.  The  fa.ct  that  it  is  now  in  its  fifth  edition  is 
proof  of  its  popularity.  As  the  author  remarks  : 
"  Sick-room  cookery  is  now  much  better  under- 
stood than  it  used  to  be,  but  it  is  to  be  feared  that 
many  nurses  and  attendants  on  the  sick,  not  to 
speak  of  medical  men,  hardly  yet  appreciate  fully 
the  help  that  attention  to  such  details  will  b^ing 
to  those  under  their  care." 

The  plan  followed  by  the  author  is  to  arrange 
his  cha,pters  in  relation  to  different  diseases.  Thus 
the  first  chapter  deals,  broadly,  with  "  Diseases 
of  the  Stomach,"  and  its  general  contents  iiiclude 
Chronic  Gastric  Catarrh  (Chronic  Gastritis  ;  Irrita- 
tive Dyspepsia  ;  Inflammatory  Dyspepsia),  Atonic 
Conditions  of  the  Stomach  (Atonic  Dyspepsia), 
Ulcer  of  the  Stoma.ch,  Haematemdsis,  Inflamma- 
tions of  the  Stomach  (Acute  and  Subacute  Gas- 
tritis ;  Acute  Gastric  Catarrh).  The  symptoms  of 
these  al  ied  diseases  with  their  origins  and  causes 
are  enumera.ted  and  the  correct  dietary  given. 
Other  diseases  and  their  dietaries  are  dealt  with 
in  the  s?.me  wa,y.  If,  therefore,  a  nurse  is  in 
doubt  a.s  to  a  suitable  diet  in  a  given  case,  she  has 
only  to  turn  up  the  disease  in  her  "  Foods  a.nd 
Di3ta.ries,"' which  she  ca.n  readily  do  with  the  aid 
of  the  admirable  index,  to  receive  sound  and 
expert  advice  on  the  point. 

A  vaJuable  chapter  is  that  on  "  Prepared  and 
Pre-digested  Foods,"  and  the  grea.t  advance  made 
in  "  prepared  foods,"  by  the  addition  of  malt, 
— ^mainly  on  account  of  the  action  of  the  diastase 
it  contains  in  converting  starch  into  dextrine 
and  sugar — is  emphasised.  In  this  connection, 
"  Liebig's  Food  for  Infants  and  Invalids,"  Allen 
&  Hanburys  Malted  Food,  and  Kepler's  Extract 


276 


(The  BrineD  3ournal  ot  IRurstng. 


November  2,  1918 


of     Malt,     are      given      as      typical     instances* 
The  value  of  the  book  is  materially  increased 
by  the   appendix  for   "  Sick-Room  Cookery,"   in 
which  a  number  of  useful  recipes  are  given. 


OUTSIDE    THE    GATES. 


Already  the  extension  of  the  franchise  to 
women  is  fruitful  in  results.  By  the  overwhelming 
maj  ority  of  2  74  votes  to  2  5 ,  the  House  of  Commons , 
on  October  23rd,  recorded,  "  That  in  the  opinion 
of  this  House  it  is  desirable  that  a  Bill  be  passed 
forthwith  making  women  eligible  as  Members  of 
Parliament." 


It  is  probable  that  shortly  the  House  of  Lords 
will  follow  suit,  and  that  the  peeresses  in  their 
own  right  will  take  their  seats  in  the  Upper 
House. 


Then,  on  the  motion  of  Colonel  Sir  James  Craig, 
the  House  declared,  "  That  this  House  is  in 
favour  of  aU  available  gaHeries  being  opened  to 
men  and  women  equally  and  impartially,  and 
requests  Mr.  Speaker  to  make  arrangements 
accordingly."  This  was  done,  and  on  Monday 
last,  for  the  first  time,  a  number  of  ladies  took 
their  places  in  the  Strangers'  GaHery,  and  a 
momentous  change  was  effected  without  any  fuss 
whatever  1 


GREAT    UNITED    PROTEST. 

The  great  united  Protest  against  Regulation  40D 
of  the  Defence  of  the  Realm  Act  which  is  to  be 
held  in  the  large  Queen's  Hall  on  Wednesday, 
November  6th,  at  7.30  p.m.,  promises  to  be  an 
impressive  demonstration  of  the  ever-increasing 
volume  of  public  opinion  rising  against  this 
Regulation. 

The  fiity  societies  co-operating  with  the  Associa- 
tion for  Moral  and  Social  Hygiene  represent  not 
only  social  and  religious  bodies,  but  the  industrial 
and  professional  organisations  of  both  men  and 
women. 

Mrs.  Henry  Fawcett,  LL.D.,  presides. 

Free  tickets  can  be  obtained  from  the  Associa- 
tion for  Moral  and  Social  Hygiene,  19,  Tothill 
Street,  Westminster,  S.W.  i. 


BOOK    OP   THE   WEEK. 

"THE    BURNING    GLASS."* 

[ ^  It  is  not  always  that  the  title  of  a  book  shows 
much  relation  to  the  story  within  its  covers,  but 
Miss  Marjorie  Bowen,  in  the  following  quotation, 
shows  that  this  is  no  unmeaning  choice. 

"  What  is  the  Bsloved  to  the  Lover  ? 

"  A  Barning  G  ass,  through  which  the  rays  of 
the  S'm  of  Love  do  concentrate.     Sometimes  the 

*  By  Marjorie  Bowen.  Collins  &  Co.,  London. 


heat  breaketh  into  flames  and  consumeth  that  on 
which  it  falleth." 

Here  is  summed  up  the  result  of  the  unhappy 
love,  or  rather  loves,  of  the  fascinating  Julie  de 
Lespinasse,  who  was  literacy  consumed  by  the 
fires  of  her  passionate  heart. 

Miss  Bowen  has  devoted  the  whole  of  the  volume 
to  this  theme  alone,  and  has  clothed  it  with  vivid 
realism  and  intense  vitality. 

Julie  is  portrayed  with  a  wealth  of  detail  that 
makes  it  impossible  to  quote  adequately  in  a  short 
review  ;  for,  as  is  usual  with  Miss  Bowen's  per- 
sonalities, they  are  not  only  sumptuous  in  them- 
selves but  are  set  in  environment  equally  glowing 
and  desirable. 

Briefly,  Julie  was  forty  years  old.  She  was 
possessed  of  a  figure  and  carriage  of  unusual 
beauty  and  distinction,  and,  though  her  face  had 
always  been  plain  and  was  now  disfigured  by  the 
smallpox,  it  appeared  in  no  way  to  hinder  her 
fascination  for  fastidious  men  many  years  younger 
than  herself.  She  lived  in  Paris  in  lodgings  that 
the  generosity  of  her  many  friends  enabled  her  to 
sustain.  She  managed  her  affairs  badly,  having 
very  little  interest  in  them,  and  spent  extrava- 
gantly on  clothes.  Her  minute  establishment  was 
that  of  a  great  lady.  She  kept  two  women 
servants,  a  lackey  and  her  tire-woman.  Her 
apartment  was  a  nobleman's  hotel  in  miniature. 
Her  tastes  were  fine,  luxurious,  exquisite.  She 
was  famous,  very  sought  after,  and  generally  the 
centre  of  brilliant  company." 

She  was  a  disciple  of  Voltaire,  and  was  addicted 
to  opium. 

The  period  to  which  this  story  belongs  is  that 
preceding  the  French  Revolution,  and,  needless  to 
say.  Miss  Bowen  uses  to  the  full  the  romance  and 
colour  of  the  time. 

Julie,  when  the  story  opens,  is  an  entirely 
virtuous  woman,  although  her  friendship  with  the 
famous  philosopher,  M.  D'Alembert,  was  mis- 
understood by  some.  The  passion  that  con- 
sumed her  was  not  for  this  humble,  great  man  who 
blindly  adored  her,  but  for  a  young  Spaniard, 
while  her  affection  was  given  to  M.  de  Mora, 
who  was  far  advanced  in  consumption,  and 
who  reciprocated  her  love  to  the  full.  But  the 
circumstances  of  her  birth  stank  in  the  nostrils 
of  his  proud  family,  and  every  obstacle  was  placed 
in  the  way  of  their  union. 

When  M.  de  Guibert  came  across  her  path,  he  at 
once  exercised  a  strong  attraction  for  her  which  in 
time  obsessed  her,  and  to  which  in  spite  of  her 
better  nature  she  succumbed. 

From  thenceforward  she  is  torn  between  her 
passion  for  one  man  and  her  love  for  the  other. 

Though  de  Guibert  was  no  libertine  he  possessed 
the  easy  morals  of  his  day,  and  in  truth  the  in- 
fatuated Julie,  with  her  undeniable  fascination, 
must  have  been  hard  to  resist. 

"  To-night  he  could  think  of  nothing  but  Julie 
de  Lespinasse.  She  was  an  incomparable  creature, 
she  loved  like  some  heroine  of  antiquity — not  like 
tho  boudoir  women  of  the  day.  But — she  would 
want  everything,  and  could  he  give — anything  ? 


November  2,   1918 


ITbe  3Briti0b  Sonrnal  of  "Wursing. 


'Mustard  Gas' 
Burns 


A  New  Treatment 

having  remarkable  results  in  hospitals. 


Relief  from  pain  is  assured  from  the  first  application 
of  this  treatment,  and  complete  recovery  is  effected 
more  quickly  than  by  any  other  treatment. 

TO  p"  A  Tl^  p  NT       '^"stard  Gas'  Burns  should  be  thoroughly  sprayed 

with  Chlorcosane  Solution  of  Dichloramine-T  5%. 
Then  apply  to  the  bums  melted  'No.  7  Paraffin' with  a  large  camel-hair  brush, 
to  form  a  wax  glazing  (or  covering).  On  this  wax  glazing  quickly  place  a  ihin 
layer  of  cotton  wool.  Afterwards  cover  the  cotton  wool  with  more  melted 
'  No.  7  Paraffin,*  giving  special  attention  to  the  edges  to  ensure  an  air-tight  dressing. 


DAILY  DRESSINGS. 

Later  it  can  be  left  for  48  hours. 


For   the   first   few   days    the    dressing 
should   be   renewed   every   24    hours. 


*No.  7  PARAFFIN'  (Bumol  Brand).  No:  7  Paraffin'  is  the  name 
adopted  by  the  Army  Medical  Service  and  Military  Hospitals  for  a  preparation 
containing  Beta  Naphthol,  Eucalyptus  Oil,  Paraffin  MoUe,  Paraffin  Durum,  and 
Olive  Oil.  The  word  'BURNOL'  is  the  registered  trade  mark  for  a  standardised 
preparation  of  'No.  7  Peu"affin,'  which  is  prepared  under  analytical  control  in 
the  laboratories  of  Boots  Pure  Drug  Co.  Limited,  Nottingham. 

Cf  jppi   Tp*Q       Chlorcosane    Solution    of    Dichloramine-T    5%,    in 

20oz.  botdes        ...  ...  ...        price  12-,  post  paid. 

Special  Spray  for  the  purpose  ...         ...          ...  price  6/6  dxtra,  post  paid. 

The    Bumol    Brand  of   *No.    7    Paraffin/   in   4oz.   cakes, 

price    9  -   per   dozen,    post   paid. 

The  Bumol  Brand  of  *  No.  7  Paraffin*  is  also  supplied  in  combination  iciih 
Flaoine  or  Scarlet  Red,  in  4oz.  cakes      ...         ...      price  121-  per  dozen,  post  paid. 

LARGE  STOCKS  ALWAYS  ON  HAND. 

D      D 

Boots  Pure  Drug  Co.  Limited 


Head  Offices:   Station  Street.  NOTTINGHAM. 
Telegrams:  DRVQ,  NOTTINGHAM. 


SIR  JESSE  BOOT,  Managing  Director. 
Telephone:   3160  Nollingham. 


278 


Zbc  Britieb  journal  of  "Ruretng. 


November  2,   1918 


She  was  tempestuous,  uncontrolled,  a  woman 
who  would  make  scenes.  She  was  pledged  to 
another  man  and  loathed  her  infidelity. 
K  No  softness,  no  laughter,  no  ease,  was  to  be 
expected  from  the  tragic  love  of  Julie  de 
Lespinasse." 

With  the  death  of  M.  de  Mora,  who  had  never 
suspected  her  defection,  and  who  had  died  with 
her  name  on  his  lips,  and  with  the  marriage  of  de 
Guibert,  Julie!s  stormy  heart  touched  the  height 
of  misery. 

Her  naturally  frail  body  enfeebled  by  drugs 
succumbed  to  the  same  disease  that  had  slain  her 
lover. 

It  fell  to  the  lot  of  her  faithful  friend  D'Alem- 
bert  to  arrange  her  affairs  and  to  sort  her  papers 
They  revealed  to  him  what  would  have  seemed 
quite  obvious,  that  he  had  held  no  place  in  her 
love. 

"  I  wasted  for  her  sixteen  years  of  my  life,"  he 
said.  She  never  loved  ine.  Among  all  her  letters 
had  she  kept  one  of  mine  ?  She  belonged  to  the 
world  sooner  than  to  me.     I  am  sixty  years  old." 

To  read  Miss  Bowen  is  a  real  refreshment 
especially  at  a  time  when  the  world  is  drab 
coloured.  H.  H. 

COMINQ    EVENTS. 

November  2nd. — Irish  Nurses'  Association,  Meet- 
ing Executive  Committee,  34,  St.  Stephen's  Green, 
Dublin.     8  p.m. 

November  yth. — British  Committee  French  Red 
Cross,  French  Embassy,  Albert  Gate,  S.W.  The 
Lord  Mayor  of  London  will,  through  His  Excel- 
lency, hand  over  to  the  British  Committee,  F.R.C., 
the  proceeds  of  France's  Day  appeal.  12  noon. 
Royal  British  Nurses'  Association. 

November  'jth. — Royal  British  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion Conference,  at  the  Rooms  of  the  Medical 
Society  of  London,  il,  Chandos  Street,  Cavendish 
Square,  London,  W.  Chair,  Her  Royal  Highness 
Princess  Christian.  First  Session,  3  p.m.  (i)  The 
Economic  Position  of  the  Trained  Nurse.  (2) 
Some  Phases  of  Modern  Nursing.  Interval  for 
tea.  Chair,  Herbert  J.  Paterson,  Esqre.,  F.R.C.S. 
S3C0nd  Session,  5.30  p.m.  The  Differences  between 
the  Two  Nurses  Registration  Bills,  and  why  the 
Royal  British  Nurses'  Association  does  not  agree 
with  the  Bill  of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd." 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 


Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  for  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  be 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents, 

AS    FAR    AS    VANCOUVER. 
To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — I  beg  to  enclose  subscription 
for  one  year.  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing 
is  an  inspiration,  and  especially  in  the  way  it  is 


holding  out  against  the  dangerous  constitution  of 
the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd. 

If  I  were  home  again  I  would  gladly  rejoin  its 
fighting  ranks.  One  of  Mrs.  Bedford  Fenwick's 
letters  in  the  Journal  was  read  at  our  last  Associa- 
tion Meeting,  and  I  was  proud  to  think  her  influence 
was  felt  all  the  way  to  Vancouver. 

Yours  truly, 
Ina  M.  Cole,  R.N., 

A  ssist.  Superintendent. 
Victorian  Order  of  Nurses, 
Vancouver,  Canada. 

[We  a^so  are  proud  that  the  influence  of  The 
British  Journal  of  Nursing  is  felt  "  all  the  way 
to  Vancouver."  The  fact  is  that  in  our  free 
Dominions  the  nurses  have  always  been  warm 
supporters  of  the  Journal's  policy,  and  professional 
programme,  and  have  in  many  instances  adopted 
it  greatly  to  their  advantage,  and  of  the  sick 
public,  whose  helpers  they  are. — Ed.] 

INFORMATION     REQUIRED. 

To  the  Editor  o/The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 
Dear  Madam, — Could  you  help  me  to  find  out 
particulars  about  an  article  which  appeared  in  your 
Nursing  Record  a  week  or  two  ago  ?  It  was 
headed  "  Makeshifts,"  spoke  about  flies  being  blind 
to  certain  colours,  especiaUy  blue.  In  a  country 
like  this,  where  flies  abound  in  the  hot  weather, 
it  would  be  invaluable  to  know  if  blue  blinds 
would  be  a  protection  against  flies,  and  what  the 
shade  of  blue  should  be.  I  wonder  also  if  having 
the  walls  painted  or  papered  blue  would  help.  .  .  . 
I  get  your  paper  regularly  and  appreciate  it  very 
much,  and  also  the  work  you  are  doing  in  trying  to 
get  registration  for  nurses.  I  have  just  read  the 
article  about  Miss  Elizabeth  Asquith  and  her  wax 
doll,  it  really  makes  one's  blood  boil  ! 

yours  very  truly, 

•     Mary  Balmer. 
Native  Mission, 

S.  Africa. 
[We  shaU  be  greatly  obliged  if  the  writer  of 
"  Makeshifts,"  a  most  interesting  article,  will  be 
good  enough  to  reply  to  this  question  through  the 
Journal,  so  that  others  may  benefit  by  it. — Ed.] 

We  regret  that  several  letters  are  unavoidably 
held  over. 

OUR     PRIZE     COMPETITION. 

QUESTIONS. 

November  gth. — ^Give  the  nursing  of  a  case  after 
removal  of  kidney,  and  state  the  complications 
that  may  occur. 

November  16th. — ^What  complications  would 
you  watch  for  if  nursing  a  patient  suffering  from^ 
an  injury  to  the  spine  ? 

November  2^rd. — ^What  precautions  would  you 
take  if  nursing  a  case  of  septic  pneumonia  following 
influenza  ? 

November  y>th.  —  What  do  you  know  of 
"  mustard  gas  "  burns  and  their  treatment  ? 


Novemher  2,  1918   ji\)z  fitlttdb  Jowmal  of  l^nrftna  Supplement.     279 


The   Midw^ife. 


fTHE  MIDWIVES  BILL. 


We  briefly  announced  last  week  the  result  of  the 
Debate  on  the  Committee  stage  of  the  Midwives 
Bill  in  the  House  of  Commons,  when  Mr.  Hayes 
Fisher  stated  that  "it  is  the  intention  of  the 
Privy  Council  which  governs  this  matter  to  give 
direct  representation  to  midwives  on  the  Board." 

The  Direct  Representation  of  Midwives. 

It  is  very  essential  that  a  definite  statement 
should  be  made  on  behalf  of  the  President  of  the 
Local  Government  Board  as  to  the  meaning  of 
the  term  "  direct  representation  "  which  the 
House  of  Commons  decided  on  Monday,  October 
2ist,  should  be  granted  on  their  governing  body 
to  certified  midwives.  Speaking  in  the  repre- 
sentative Chamber,  during  the  Committee  stage, 
on  the  clause  of  the  Bill  which  he  presented,  the 
Right  Honble.  Gentleman  said  : — "  It  is  the 
intention  of  the  Privy  Council  which  governs 
this  matter  to  give  direct  representation  to 
midwives  on  the  Central  Midwives  Board.  There 
are  already,  I  believe,  two  women  on  this  Board, 
and  it  is  intended  to  increase  the  number  and  to 
have  direct  representation  of  midwives  upon  it." 
The  question  was  then  put,  and  the  clause  under 
consideration  agreed  to. 

The  House  of  Commons  therefore  unquestion- 
ably granted  to  midwives  the  right  to  send  repre- 
sentatives elected  by  themselves  to  their  governing 
body — the  Central  Midwives  Board. 

At  a  later  stage  in  the  debate  a  new  clause 
was  proposed  by  Mr.  Watt  as  an  amendment  to 
Section  3  of  the  principal  Act  as  follows  : — 

"  The  fo-lowing  sub-section  shall  be  added  after 

Sub-section   (3)    of    section   3   of   the  principal 

Act  :— 

"  (4)   Three  persons,   who  shall  be  certified 

midwHves,   to  be  elected  for  a  term  of  three 

years  by  the  certified  midwives  practising  in 

England." 

In  moving  the  second  reading  of  this  clause, 
Mr.  Watt  said  :— 

"  It  provides  that  three  certified  midwives 
should  be  elected  on  the  Central  Midwives  Board. 
When  the  1902  Act  was  passed,  the  Board  had 
powet  to  deprive  midwives  of  their  livelihood, 
and  I  believe  this  Board  still  has  the  same  power. 
It  is  the  opinion  of  my  honourable  and  gallant 
friend  (Major  Chappie),  who  placed  this  new 
clause  on  the  paper,  that  the  midwives  themselves 
should  be  represented  on  the  Central  Midwives 
Board." 

The  President  of  the  Local  Government  Board 
said,  in  reply  :  "I  atn  informed  by  the  Privy 
Council  that  this  proposal  would  necessitate  set- 
ting up  very  cumbrous  and  expensive  machinery 


and  I  think  it  would  be  better  to  deal  with  this 
question  of  representation  of  midwives  through 
the  first  Clause,  which  provides  machinery  by 
which  that  can  be  effected.  I  am  told  that  this 
proposal  would  result  in  a  very  haphazard  and 
unsatisfactory  representation  of  the  midwives, 
and  I  see  no  reason  for  setting  up  machinery  of 
this  kind  which  is  not  in  the  Scottish  and  the 
Irish  Acts.  I  think  we  should  be  satisfied  with 
the  provision  in  Clause  i,  which  enables  us  to 
provide  for  the  representatives  of  the  midwives 
on  the   Board." 

f'  But  the  question  remains  whether,  the  House 
of  Commons  having  granted  direct  representation 
to  midwives,  it  is  not  the  duty  of  the  President 
of  the  Local  Government  Board,  who  has  charge 
of  the  Bill,  to  provide  the  machinery  to  give 
effect  to  that  mandate.  Nobody  is  in  a  better 
position  to  understand  what  is  meant  by  the 
term  "  direct  representation  "  than  the  House 
of  Commons.  There  is  further  the  precedent  of 
the  medical  profession,  which  has  secured  the 
highly  prized  right  of  electing  five  direct  repre- 
sentatives on  the  General  Medical  Council. 

It  cannot  with  any  logic  or  justice  be  argued 
that  midwives  nominated  to  seats  by  their  govern- 
ing body — the  method  provided  for  in  the  first 
Clause  of  the  Bill — are  the  direct  representatives 
of  the  class  governed.  It  would  be  equally  just 
to  say  that  workpeople  nominated  by  their 
employers  to  sit  on  a  board  to  discuss  their 
mutual  relations  are  the  direct  representatives 
of  the  employees. 

The  effect  of  Clause  I  of  the  Bill  is  to  place  the 
future  revision  of  the  Constitution  of  the  Central 
Midwives  Board  in  the  hands  of  the  Board 
itself  : — (i)  "  The  Central  Midwives  Board  may, 
at  any  time  represent  to  the  Privy  Council  that  it 
is  expedient  to  modify  the  constitution  of  the 
Board  either  by  (a)  increasing  or  diminishing  the 
number  of  persons  appointed  by  any  body  or 
person,  or  (6)  abolishing  the  power  of  appointment 
by  any  body  or  person,  or  (c)  conferring  on  any 
body  or  person  a  power  of  appointment  of  one  or 
more  persons,  or  {d)  altering  the  term  of  office. or. ; 
qualifications  of  any  members. 

(2)  The  Privy  Council  before  considering  such 
repiesentation  shall  cause  it  to  be  laid  before  both 
Houses  of  Parliament." 

Unless  either  House  of  Parliament  presents  an 
Address  to  His  Majesty  within  forty  days  de- 
claring that  such  representation,  or  any  part 
thereof,  ought  not  to  be  given  effect  to,  the  Privy 
Council  may  report  to  His  Majesty  that  it  is  ex- 
pedient to  give  effect  to  the  representation,  when 
this  may  be  done  by  Order  in  Council.  It  will  be 
realised,  therefore,  that  the  controlling  voice  as  to 
its  constitution  is  practically  given  to  the  Central^ 
Midwives  Board.  "■ 


28o     zhc  Br1ti6b  Journal  of  'Aurdlnc  Supplement  November  2, 1918 


Reciprocal  Treatment  of  Midwives  Certified 
I  IN  OTHER  Parts  of  His  Majesty's  Dominions. 
%  On  the  motion  that  Clause  lo,  dealing  with 
the  reciprocal  treatment  of  midwives,  should  stand 
part  of  the  Bill,  Sir  Archibald  Williamson  enquired 
why,  seeing  it  was  intended  to  allow  women 
trained  in  Canada  to  practise  in  this  country,  the 
same  privilege  was  not  to  be  extended  to  women 
trained  in  the  United  States.  He  asserted  that 
nufses  in  the  United  States  got  an  excellent 
training  as  midwives,  and  there  seemed  to  be  no 
reason  for  admitting  nurses  from  Canada  to 
practice  here  while  refusing  those  from  the  United 
States  the  same  privilege,  in  the  event  of  the 
privilege  being  reciprocal. 

Mr.  Hayes  Fisher  replied  :  "This  opens  a  very 
wide  question.  The  Clause  provides  that  a 
midwife  who  produces  satisfactory  evidence  of 
having  been  trained  as  a  midwife,  and  being 
certified  in  any  other  part  of  His  Majesty's 
Dominions  shall  be  allowed  to  practise  as  a 
midwife  in  another  part  of  His  Majesty's 
Dominions.  My  hon.  Friend  wants  to  extend 
that  to  certificated  midwives  whose  training 
may  have  been  quite  as  exc silent  in  the  United 
States.  I  do  not  know  whether  it  would  be 
possible  to  entertain  a  proposal  for  reciprocity 
as  between  this  country  and  the  United  States, 
unless  we  also  have  one  for  reciprocity  between 
this  country  and  France  or  some  other  country ;  I 
have  never  seen  legislation  founded  on  those  lines. 
It  opens  up  indeed  a  wide  international  question. 
I  should  advise  this  House  not  to  make 
precedent,  but  to  follow  precedent,  and  to 
content  itself  with  extending  to  midwives  pro- 
perly   trained    in    one    part    of     His     Majesty's 

.  Dominions  the  right  to    practise  in  another  part 
of  His  Majesty's  Dominions."     This  was  agreed. 
Sir    Archibald   Wi  liamson    showed    an    extra - 

'  ordinary  ignorance  of  midwifery  conditions  in  the 
United  States,  and  had  the  House  supported  his 
proposition  he  would  have  led  them  into  an 
impasse,  as  the  midwives  practising  in  the 
United  States  are  mainly  foreigners  practising 
among  the  foreign  population,  the  care  of  mater- 
nity cases  being  in  the  hands  of  trained  nurses 
acting    under    the    direction    of    medical    prac- 

'  titioners,  including  a  large  number  of  medical 
women.       Training   schools    for    midwives   have 

-  never  been  organised  in  the  United  States,  and 

".  the  class  for  which  Sir  Archibald  Williamson 
desired   to    legislate    is    practially   non-existent  ! 

.  He  further  apparently  overlooked  the  fact  that 
Canada    owes    allegiance    to    the    British    flag, 

;  whereas  it  is  a  matter  of  history  that  the  United 
ri  States  of  America  prefers  to  frame  its  own  legisla- 

,  tion  under  the  Stars  and  Stripes, 

I    The  Midwives  Bill  in  the  House  of  Lords. 

i  '    On  Tuesday  last  the  Order  of  the  Day  in  the 

;   House  of   Lords  was  the  second   reading  of   the 

--  Midwives    Bill,  which   was    moved    by  Viscount 

■  Peel,    who  said  :— "  The  Bill    was  introduced  in 

another  place  in  the  same  form  as  that  in  which 

it  left  the  House,  and  the  united  intelligence  of 

another  place  was  unable  to  make  any  improve- 


ment in  the  handiwork  of  your  Lordships.  The 
only  change  they  did  effect  was  to  insert 
'  January  ist '  in  the  blank  space  which  your 
Lordships  left  open  for  the  date." 

The  Bill  was  read  a  second  time  and  committed 
to  a  Committee  of  the  whole  House. 

NATIONAL   MATERNITY    HOSPITAL, 
DUBLIN. 

At  the  annual  meeang  of  the  National  Maternity 
Hospital,  Dublin,  the  Lord  Mayor,  who  presided, 
said  th  .t  the  Government  which  could  afford  to 
spend  millions  of  pounds  daily  for  war  j^urposes 
should  help  to  save  life  by  supporting  a  deserving 
institution  like  the  National  Maternity  Hospital. 
He  announced  a  subscription  of  ;^50o  from  Arch- 
bishop Walsh. 

.-♦-I 

ABORTION  IN  LORRAINE  IN  THE 
EIGHTEENTH  CENTURY. 

Dr.  A.  Satre,  of  Grenoble  (says  the  British  Medical 
journal),  has  found  a  collection  of  old  decrees  in  an 
ancient  manor  house  of  Lorraine  where  he  was  quartered 
{Paris  med.,  September  nth,  1918).  Among  them  is 
an  ordinance  against  concealment  of  pregnancy  and 
delivery  by  unmarried  women  or  widows  by  Leopold 
"  by  the  Grace  of  God  Duke  of  Lorraine  and  Bar,  King 
of  Jerusalem,  Marches,  Duke  of  Calabria,  Gueldres, 
Montferrat,  Charleville,"  &c.,  with,  a  string  of  other 
titles  recalling  those  of  the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury  in 
"Henry  VI."  After  calling  attention  to  the  prevalence 
of  abortion  and  infanticide  in  the  Duchy  he  enunciates 
the  principle  that,  although  a  child  born  out  of  wedlock 
is  the  fruit  of  incontinence,  it  is  nevertheless  a  citizen 
of  the  commonwealth  and  as  such  it  is  the  interest 
of  the  State  to  afford  it  protection  against  violence  by 
parricidal  (sic)  hands.  Women  when  brought  before  the 
magistrate  plead  that  the  child  was  stillborn,  and  the 
law  provided  no  definite  penalty  for  the  offence  ;  it  was 
therefore  deemed  expedient  to  lay  down  an  inviolable 
rule  for  the  future.  Wherefore,  says  the  Duke,  "  on 
the  advice  of  our  Council  and  of  our  sure  knowledge, 
plenary  power  and  sovereign  authority  we  declare, 
ordain,"  and  so  forth,  that  a  woman  who  has  been 
seduced  and  become  pregnant  shall  report  her  condition 
to  the  ofTficial  authorities,  a  record  of  which  statement 
shall  be  signed  by  her  if  she  can  write,  or  if  not  by  the 
judge  or  his  clerk.  This  must  contain  the  name  of  the 
father  and  an  undertaking  to  take  care  of  the  child. 
The  mother  must  be  attended  by  a  midwife,  and  while 
.she  is  in  the  throes  of  labour  the  chief  officer  of  justice 
shall  be  present  and  press  for  a  declaration  on  oath  of 
the  name  of  the  father.  If  women  are  delivered  without 
assistance,  and  the  child  is  born  dead  or  dies  immedi- 
ately after  birth,  it  shall  be  presumed  to  have  been 
murdered  by  suffocation  or  otherwise,  and  they  are 
punished  with  death.  Women  convicted  of  having 
attempted  abortion  by  means  of  drinks  or  drugs  shall 
be  liable  to  such  penalties  as  the  judge  may  think  fitting ; 
it  abortion  has  actually  been  induced,  this  may  be  death. 
Exposure  of  the  child  on  the  highway,  at  a  church  door, 
or  elsewhere  in  such  manner  as  to  endanger  its  life, 
either  by  weather  or  the  voracity  of  animals,  is  punish- 
able by  flogging  at  cross  roads  and  branding  on  the 
shoulder  with  a  hot  iron  by  the  public  executioner. 
.'Vccessories  are  liable  to  a  similar  penalty.  If  an 
exposed  child  dies  by  accident  or  want  of  food  the 
mother  or  other  persons  convicted  of  having  exposed  it 
shall  be  punished  by  death. 


4^  THE  >H^  I 

nsiloueiip'lisics 


WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 


MLmm 


[ 

EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


No.  1,597. 


SATURDAY,    NOVEMBER    9,    1918. 


Vol.    LXI. 


EDITORIAL. 


A     CORPORATION     WITHOUT    A     SOUL. 

"  The  War  Office  is  a  corporation  without 
a  soul."  That  is  the  accusation  brought 
against  it  in  the  House  of  Commons  by 
Captain  Charles  Craig,  M.P.,  speaking  with 
the  experience  of  a  prisoner  of  war  in 
Germany  for  two  years,  and  few  who  read 
the  report  on  the  debate  on  the  motion  for 
the  adjournment  of  the  House — moved  by 
Colonel  Sanders  on  October  29th,  in  order 
to  raise  the  question  of  the  treatment  of  our 
prisoners  of  war — will  have  any  wish  to 
qualify  the  statement. 

General  Sir  Ivor  Philipps,  who  opened 
the  debate,  declared  that  "  right  from  the 
beginning  of  the  war  our  whole  treatment 
of  this  question  of  prisoners  of  war  has  been 
most  unsatisfactory.  .  .  .  There  was  a 
feeling  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  that 
there  was  something  of  contempt  to  be 
felt  for  a  prisoner  of  war.  There  is  not," 
he  said,  "  the  slightest  doubt  in  my  mind 
that  the  War  Office  took  this  line,  and  I  am 
not  certain  that  even  to-day  they  have 
quite  got  rid  of  it.    .    .    . 

"There  would,"  he  continued,  "have 
been  no  starving  prisoners,  or  going  to 
charity,  or  need  to  have  young  ladies  of  the 
Red  Cross  touting  for  prisoners  up  and  down 
Bond  Street,  simply  to  feed  your  prisoners 
if  you  did  your  duty.  .  .  .  You  made  a 
contract  with  the  soldier  that  you  would 
feed,  clothe  and  pay  him,  and  you  have 
done  none  of  these  things.  You  have  left 
it  all  to  charity.  These  men,  some  of  the 
finest  soldiers  we  have  got,  would  have 
starved — you  have  said  so  yourself — if  it 
had  not  been  for  the  noble  work  of  numbers 
of  men  and  women  who  throughout  the 
country  have  done  their  best  to  help." 

And  Captain  Charles  Craig  spoke  equally 
sternly.  "  I  regret,"  he  said,  "  that  the  first 
thing  that  I  have  to  do   when  I  come  home, 


after  two  years  in  Germany,  is  to  level  as 
strong  an  indictment  as  I  possibly  can 
against  the  Government  for  their  treatment 
of  this  prisoners  of  war  subject,  during  the 
last  three  or  four  years.  I  wish  I  could 
tell  the  House  that  my  experiences  assure 
me  that  the  Government  have  done  all  that 
they  could  for  the  prisoners  of  war.  Unfor- 
tunately I  have  to  say  the  very  reverse.  ^ 
As  far  as  my  experience  goes,  they  have 
done  little  or  nothing  for  us.  I  have  to 
say,  further,  that  they  could  have  alleviated 
our  lot  to  a  very  considerable  extent.  If 
they  had  done  their  duty  as  they  ought 
to  have  done,  they  could  have  made  the 
lives  of  those  thousands  of  men  I  will  not 
say  happy  but  comparatively  easy,  instead 
of  which  they  have  been  lives  of  unutterable 
misery  all  these  years." 

It  is  a  grave  indictment,  especially  when 
we  know  that  the  brutality  with  which 
even  sick  and  wounded  prisoners  have  been 
treated  in  Germany  is  proved  up  to  the 
hilt,  and  we  regret  to  observe  Sir  George 
Cave's  statement  that  even  among  German 
nurses  "  many  are  found  who,  far  from 
helping  suffering  prisoners,  have  stooped 
to  inflict  insult  and  injury  upon  them." 

His  Majesty's  Forces  on  active  service, 
or  as  prisoners,  are  not  objects  of  charity. 
They  are  the  servants  of  the  State,  and  it 
is  the  duty  of  the  State  to  provide  for  their 
upkeep,  their  well  being,  and  their  pro- 
tection. The  War  Office  has  shirked  the 
responsibility  for  which  it  is  paid  by  the 
Nation,  and  left  the  financing  of  many  of 
its  duties  towards  the  Army  to  the  amateur 
efforts  of  charitable  persons. 

It  is  this  principle  against  which  we  have 
persistently  inveighed  in  the  treatment  of  the 
sick  and  wounded  from  the  beginning  of 
the  war,  and  we  hope  the  womanhood  of 
the  country  will  make  it  perfectly  distinct 
to  would-be  legislators  that  no  shirking  of 
duty  in  Government  Departments  will  be 
permitted  in  the  future. 


282 


^l>e  Britteb  3ournal  of  IRurgtna.        November  9,  1918 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITION. 

GIVE  THE  NURSING  OF  A  CASE  AFTER  REMOVAL 
OF  KIDNEY.  AND  STATE  THE  COMPLICATIONS 
THAT     MAY    OCCUR. 

We  have  pleasure  in  awarding  the  prize  this 
week  to  Miss  E.  A.  Noblett,  2nd  Northern 
General  Hospital,  Leeds. 

PRIZE     PAPER. 

Nephrectomy — excision  of  kidney.  The 
dressing  should  not  be  so  voluminous  that  it 
makes  a  mass  uncomfortable  to  lie  on.  Tem- 
porary drainage  is  in  the  renal  space.  In  bed 
the  patient  is  surrounded  by  heaters,  and 
•  symptoms  of  shock  and  haemorrhage  attended 
to  as  they  appear.  .Uncomplicated,  the  sutures 
should  be  out  on  the  tenth  day ;  the  patient  is 
allowed  up  when  the  remaining  kidney  seems 
to  have  assumed  its  doubled  function. 
♦  If  the  nephrectomy  has  been  for  tuberculosis 
of  the  kidney,  the  ureter  is  usually  followed 
down  and  removed.  In  the  wound,  therefore, 
if  there  is  any  question  of  tuberculosis  remain- 
ing, it  is  treated  later  by  repeated  applications 
of  tincture  of  iodine,  as  in  tuberculous  wounds 
elsewhere. 

Complioations  and  Sequelce. — Suppr^iSsion  of 
Urine. — After-care  of  nephrectomy,  as  in 
nephrotomy,  should  be  at  first  directed  toward 
encouraging  .the  other  kidney  to  rise  to  its 
increased  labour.  It  seems  probable  that 
uraemic  suppression  is  due  to  the  concentration 
of  blood  containing  too  much  matter  to  be 
excreted.  The  posturing  of  patients  for 
nephrectomy  is  important.  Of  course,  an 
extension  of  the  iliocostal  space  greatly  facili- 
tates operation.  This  is  ordinarily  secured  by 
bags  of  sand  underlying  the  opposite  antero- 
lateral region  of  the  abdomen.  When  by  such 
an  arrangement  the  spine  is  sufficiently  flexed 
to  extend  the  operative  field,  the  pelvis  is 
nearly  lifted  from  the  table  and  the  pyramidal 
support  thus  bears  a  considerable  part  of  the 
total  weight  of  the  body.  This  pressure 
impinges  upon  a  yielding  surface  immediately 
about  the  sound  kidney,  and  the  organ  may 
be  heavily  compressed  against  the  spine,  with 
deleterious  consequences.  This  evil  is  avoided 
by  the  use  of  a  nephrectomy  table. 

Nitroglycerin  and  adrenalin,  which  cause  a 
rapid  rise  in  arterial  tension,  are  avoided  if  pos- 
sible. Strychnine,  with  digitalis  or  strophan- 
thus,  is  given  to  overcome  the  shock  of  opera- 
tion. 

HcBmorrhage. — If  this  occurs,  particularly 
with  rising  pulse,  and  it  is  known  that  every 
reasonable  effort  was  made  to  control  bleeding 
by  direct  ligation  at  the  time  of  operation,  the 


patient  should  be  turned  over  on  the  good  side, 
the  wound  opened,  and  tightly  packed  with 
iodoform  or  other  chemically  treated  gauze. 
In  packing  a  capacious  cavity  of  this  sort  one 
should  leave  the  end  of  each  strip  which  has 
been  introduced  protruding  from  the  wound, 
in  order  that  later,  when  the  packing  is 
removed,  nothing  may  be  left. 

Saline  adrenalin  solution — made  by  adding 
common  salt  (i  dram)  and  adrenalin  solution 
(2^  drams)  to  i  pint  of  sterile  water — should 
be  injected  under  the  breasts  as  soon  as  the 
patient  is  in  bed,  and  should  be  given  to  the 
limit  of  capacity  of  both  breasts.  Salt  solution 
should  also  be  started  by  the  slow  method  per 
rectum,  and  kept  going  twenty-four  hours. 
Tincture  of  digitalis  or  strophanthus  may  be 
added  to  the  enema,  if  it  seems  best,  and 
strychnine  given  subcutaneously  (^  gr.)  every 
one  to  six  hours  if  indicated.  The  patient  must 
be  kept  warm  to  the  extent  of  mild  perspira- 
tion, and  must  be  encouraged  in  every  way  to 
drink. 

For  nourishment  during  the  first  week  milk 
should  be  the  main  resource.  After  that  start 
soft  solids,  leading  to  a  rapid  resumption  of 
ordinary  diet. 

The  amount  of  urine,  day  and  night,  sepa- 
rately, should  be  carefully  noted  from  the  first. 

HONOURABLE    MENTION. 

The  following  competitors  receive  honour- 
able mention  : — Miss  Amy  Morris,  Miss  Janet 
Lawson,  and  Miss  Mary  Flower. 

QUESTION   FOR   NEXT    WEEK. 

What  complications  would  you  watch  for  if 
nursing  a  patient  suffering  from  an  injury  to 
the  spine? 

THE  INFLUENZA  GERM  ISOLATED. 


A  Salamanca  physician,  Dr.  Maldonado,  has, 
says  the  special  correspondent  of  the  Times, 
after  several  weeks'  research  succeeded  in 
isolating  what  he  believes  to  be  the  specific 
microbe  of  the  so-called  Spanish  influenza, 
which  continues  to  spread  through  the  country 
with  devastating  results.  ' 

Contrary  to  the  usual  belief,  this  germ  is  not  the 
PfeifTer  bacillus,  but  one  approximating  in  char- 
acter to  that  of  the  bubonic,  plague.  If  this  theory, 
which  has  been  extensively  examined  by  the 
epidemological  section  of  the  National  Institute  of 
Hygiene,  is  confirmed,  it  would  explain  the 
extremely  severe  and,  in  many  cases,  rapidly  fatal 
symptoms  of  the  epidemic.  The  morphology  and 
colouration  of  the  cultures  of  the  new  bacillus  are 
almost  identical  with  that  of  the  bubonic  plague, 
but  its  difference  is  proved,  according  to  Dr.  Mai- 


November  9,  1918        ^j^e  Brtttsb  3ournal  of  IRursing. 


a83 


-donado's  theory,  by  its  failure  in  pathogenic  action 
on  animals  of  known  susceptibility  to  the  bubonic 
germ. 

Other  authorities  here  incline  to  the  opinion  that 
there  are  two  epidemics — one  the  ordinary  influenza 
and  the  other  this  far  more  serious  disease  which 
has  the  symptoms  of  septic  pneumonia  and  fre- 
quently proves  fatal  in  12  hours. 

It  is  now  spread  over  the  whole  country.  The 
schools  are  closed,  and  the  authorities  are  issuing 
what  advice  they  can  with  regard  to  sanitation  and 
hygiene,  but,  if  anything,  the  disease  is  on  the 
increase. 


THE  ROYAL  RED  CROSS. 


OUR   ROLL  OF  HONOUR. 

NURSING     SERVICE. 

We  greatly  regret  to  record  the  following  deaths 
of  nurses,  which  are  reported  in  the  official  h'st  of 
casualties  : —  Died. 

Queen  Alexandra's  hnperial  Military  Nursing 
S'^rvice. — Nurse  S.  Danaher. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursirtg 
Service  Reserve. — Sister  S.  Hilling,  Sister  A. 
Gledhill,  Staff  Nurse  H.  E.  Wright. 

Voluntary  Aid  Detachments. — Miss  E.  M.  Tonkin, 
Miss  V.  C.  Hackett,  Miss  E.  Richards,  B.R.C.S. 

Australian  Army  Nursing  Service. — Staff  Nurse 
E.  A.  Clarke. 

Canadian  Army  Nursing  Service. — Sister  V.  B. 
Hennan. 

South  African  Nursing  Service. — Staff  Nurse 
I.  R.  Wattkins,  M.C. 

Drowned. 

Voluntary  Aid  Detachment. — Miss  S.  V.  Barrett. 


Jack. — At  ist  Birmingham  War  Hospital, 
Rubery  Hill,  on  22nd  ult.,  on  service.  Sister  Chris- 
tina Jack,  R.R.C.,  Q.A.I. M.N. S.R.,  daughter  of 
EXonald  Jack,  Princes  Street,  Thurso. 

As  a  member  of  Q.A.I. M.N.S.  Reserve,  Sister 
Jack  has  done  excellent  work,  first  at  Alexandria, 
then  on  the  hospital  ship  Valdivia,  and  lastly  as 
Night  Superintendent  at  the  ist  Birmingham  War 
Hospital,  where  she  was  justly  beloved,  for  she  was 
full  of  sympathy,  devotion  to  duty,  and  self-sacrifice. 
She  was  awarded  the  Royal  Red  Cross  in  June  last. 
Carew. — On  the  3rd  November,  at  11,  Berkeley 
Square,  of  pneumonia  after  influenza,  Margaret 
Carew  (V.A.D.,  Coulter  Hospital),  beloved  only 
daughter  of  Mrs.  Henry  Carew  and  the  late  Rev. 
Henry  Carew,  of  Mattery,  Devon. 

HoBBEs. — On  the  loth  May,  at  sea.  Sister  Nar- 
relle  Hobbes,  Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.,  late  32nd  British 
General  Hospital,  Afnara,  also  Military  Hospital 
and  St.  David's,  Malta, -daughter  late  I.  T  Hobbes, 
P.M.,  and  Mrs.  Hobbes,  Balblair,  Cremorne, 
Sydney,  N.S.W. 

Woods. — On  the  30th  October,  from  influenza, 
Kathleen  Felicia  Devereux,  second  daughter  of 
Inspector-General  Henry  C.  Woods,  R.N.,  of 
Lisnamandra,  Alverstoke,  and  member  of  the 
Alverstoke  Relief  Hospital  Voluntary  Aid  Detach- 
ment, St.  John  Ambulance  Association. 


The  King  held  an  Investiture  in  the  Ball  Room 
of  Buckingham  Palace  on  October  31st,  when  the 
following  ladies  were  decorated  witti  the  Royal  Red 
Cross  : — 

$EcoND  Class, 

Territorial  Force  Nursing  Service. — Matron 
Emmeline  Wilding. 

Voluntary  Aid  Detachment. — Miss  Daisie  Buf- 
fard.  Miss  Lucy  Purcell. 

Canadian  Army  Nursing  Service. —Sister  Hilda 
MacDonald. 


NURSING   AND    THE    WAR. 


THE   MILITARY  NURSING  SERVICES  OF 
THE  CROWN. 

The  luncheon  at  the  Trocadero  Restaurant,  on 
October  30th,  in  honour  of  the  Matrons-in-Chief  of 
the  Nursing  Services  of  the  Crown,  arranged  by 
a  Committee  of  representative  women,  was  a  very 
interesting  function.  Her  Royal  Highness  Princess 
Louise  Duchess  of  Argyll  presided,  and  a  number 
of  well-known  women  were  present. 

The  tables  were  decorated  with  lovely  roses,  sent 
by  the  King  from  Windsor,  and  trails  of  smilax, 
and  the  vases  were  filled  with  chrysanthemums  and 
autumn  leaves  given  by  Queen  Alexandra,  who 
also  sent  grapes  from  Sandringham,  which,  by 
desire  of  the  guests  of  honour,  were  subsequently 
sent  to  Queen  Alexandra's  Hospital  for  members 
of  the  Imperial  Military  Nursing  Service  in  Vin- 
cent Square. 

The  representatives  of  the  nursing  profession 
included  Mrs.  Bedford  Fen  wick.  President  of  the 
National  Council  of  Trained  Nurses  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland;  Miss  S.  A.  Swift,  R.R.C., 
Matron-in-Chief  Joint  War  Committee,  British  Red 
Cross ;  Miss  Leonard,  Chief  Nurse  American  Army 
Nurse  Corps,  and  Miss  Torrance,  Chief  Nurse  of 
the  American  Red  Cross  in  this  country;  and  Miss 
M.  Breay,  representing  The  British  Journal  of 
Nursing. 

After  the  loyal  toasts  had  been  proposed  and 
honoured.  Miss  M.  F.  Billington  announced  that  a 
telegram  had  been  sent  to  the  Queen  expressing 
loyal  appreciation  of  Her  Majesty's  "  constant 
solicitude  for  our  wx)unded  and  stricken  men,"  and 
the  following  message  had  been  received  : — 

The  Queen's   Message. 

I  am  commanded  by  the  Queen  to  request  you 
to  convey  her  sincere  thanks  to  the  president  and 
representative  women  assembled  at  luncheon  in 
honour  of  Matrons-in-Chief,  Military  Nursing  Ser- 
vices of  the  Crown,  for  their  telegram,  and  for  the 
loyal  assurances  to  which  it  gives  expression. 

Her  Majesty  fully  realises  the  splendid  work 
which  has  been  achieved  by  nurses  throughout  the 
Empire,  and  it  is  a  great  satisfaction  to  the  Queen 
to  know  that  their  untiring  efforts  on  behalf  of  our 


284 


Ebe  35ritidb  3ournal  of  'Aur^inc. 


November  9,    igi8 


wounded  soldiers  are  being  so  deservedly  recog- 
nised by  you  to-day.        .    Edward  Wallington. 

The  President's  Speech, 
Princess  Louise,  who,  on  rising  to  speak,- was 
warmly  applauded,  said  : — "  We  are  met  together 
here  to-day  to  do  homage  to  the  matrons  of  our 
hospital's  at  home  and  abroad.  The  nursing  organi- 
sation, combined  with  our  marvellous  achieve- 
ments in  surgery,  undoubtedly  form  the  greatest 
development  which  science  owes  to  this  terrible 
war.  On  the  matron  centres  all  the  working  of 
the  hospital — on  the  matron's  tact,  knowledge, 
experience,  patience,  £)n  her  sympathy  and  true 
womanliness,  on  her  fearless  untiring  devotion, 
cheerfully  given  to  the  great  charge  entrusted  to 
her.  Not  only  does  she  need  these  attributes,  but 
she  must  have  the  intellectual  capacity  to  make 
practical  use  of  her  gifts.  We  are  indeed  thankful 
that  our  Empire  has  given  us  women  who  have 
been  able  to  fulfil  this  trust  and  bear  tihis  great 
trust  90  nobly.  We  ask  them  with  all  our  hearts 
to  accept  from  us  our  gratitude,  thankfulness,  and 
our  true  appreciation." 

An  address  of  appreciation  was  then  read  by  Mrs. 
Humphry  Ward,  who  said  that  they  were  there  to 
do  honour  to  the  heads  of  the  great  nursing  pro- 
fession in  the  British  Empire.  Everywhere  the 
nursing  women  of  the  Empire  have  followed  in  the 
wake  of  their  men,  comforting,  tending,  saving, 
and  so,  for  these  most  sufficient  reasons  those  pre- 
sent— whose  dear  ones  had  suffered  and  died  in  this 
war — ^brought'  their  homage  and  gratitude  to  the 
Matrons  who  were  their  guests. 

Dame  Ethel  Becher,  R.R.C.,  responded  on  behalf 
of  herself  and  her  colleagues,  and  a  vote  of  thanks 
to  the  Princess  for  presiding  brought  the  proceed- 
ings to  a  close. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Message. 

The  following  message  was  subsequently  received 
from  Queen  Alexandra  : — 

Queen  Alexandra  asks  you  to  thank  the  Matrons- 
in-Chief  and  the  representative  women  assembled 
in  their  honour  for  their  kind  telegram  of  loyal 
greetings,  which  Her  Majesty  greatly  appreciates. 

Queen  Alexandra  is  always  glad  to  hear  of  any 
mark  of  esteem  paid  to  members  of  the  nursing 
staffs,  whose  services  throughout  the  war  have  won 
them  universal  praise  and  gratitude. 

Arthur  Davidson. 


It  was  reported  at  the  quarterly  meeting  of  the 
Shef&eld  Royal  Hospital  that  the  Matron,  Miss 
A.  L.  Earle,  had  been  awarded  the  Royal  Red  Cross 
(First  Class)  in  recognition  of  her  services  in  Meso- 
potamia. It  is  nice  to  see  committees  appreciating 
the  national  services  of  their  matrons. 


Everyone  wiH  be  reading  the  Memoir  of  Dr. 
Elsie  Inglis,  by  Lady  Frances  Ba'four,  ard  we 
hope  to  do  it  justice  at  an  early  date.  "  From 
first  to  last  she  was  a  woman  nobly  planned." 
In  these  words  Lady  Frances  sums  up  the  great 
heroine  of  the  Scottish  Women's  Units.     In  1916, 


hearing  of  the  lack  of  arrangements  in  Mesopot- 
amia, she  determined  to  get  the:e.  She  appi cached 
a  departmental  chief,  ar.d  the  historic  sentence 
was  uttered  :  "  My  good  lady,  go  home  and  sit 
still."  In  that  utterance  lay  the  germ  of  the 
inspiration  which  •was  to  carry  the  Red  Cross  and 
the  Scottish  women  among  the  nations. 

Dr  Elsie  Inglis  after  fine  service  in  Serbia  and 
Russia,  returned,  fatally  ill,  in  November,  1917, 
and  died,  deeply  lamented,  by  a  world  at  war. 


In  aid  of  the  Imperial  Club  for  Nurses,  2,  Old 
Steine, Brighton, a  most  interesting  loan  exhibition 
has  been  on  view  at  the  Chapel  Royal  Hall, 
Brighton.  The  club  is  non-resident ial  and  is 
open  from  10  a.m.  till  10  p.m.  for  the  use  of  fv.lly 
and  partly  trained  nurses,  V.A.D.  nurses,  mas- 
seuses and  dispensers,  who  pay  a  small  subscrip- 
tion. Notepaper  and  magazines  are  provided, 
and  members  are  entitled  to  bring  friends  to  the 
club  and  tea-ro6m.  Money  is  needed  for  necessary 
expenses  beyond  the  members'  subscriptions,  and 
a  piano  is  a  great  want.  The  club  is  very  largely 
used  by  nurses  from  the  local  hospitals  for 
recreation  in  their  off  duty  time.  What  is  really 
hoped  is  that  the  scheme  may  be  developed  into  a 
residential  club,  where  Imperial  nurses  may  come 
for  rest  by  the  sea.  As  an  expression  of  gratitude 
towards  members  of  the  nursing  profession, 
Brighton  will  do  its  best  to  provide  them  with  a 
residential  club.  The  sum  of  ;^2',ooo  is  needed^to 
cover  all  initial  expenses  (furnishing,  &c.)  and  to 
help  with  the  upkeep  until  the  club  is  self- 
supporting.  *" 


As7a  practical  result  of  the  Conference  of" British 
Women  War  Workers  held  in  Paris  in  the  simmer, 
monthly  meetings  are  now  arranged,  so  that  the 
work  in  which  the  variois  organizations  are 
engaged  can  be  reported  and  a  helpful  exchange 
of  experience  and  opir  ion  result 

On  November  7th,  Mrs.  Charles  Scott  convened 
a  meeting  at  which  the  chief  speakers  were  Mile. 
Chaptal  for  France,  Miss  E.  J.  Haswell  for  Eng- 
land, and  Miss  Stimson  for  America.  All  these 
ladies  are  well  known  as  earnest  workers  for  the 
sick  and  wounded,  and  are  interested  in  the  wide 
field  of  social  reform  and  reconstruction. 


We  much  regret  to  hear  tha^"  the  splendid 
Astoria  Hotel  in  the  Champs  Elys6es,  Paris,  which 
was  converted  into  a  lovely  hospital  in  the  early 
days  of  the  war,  has  been  bought,  and  the  pro- 
prietor wishes'  to  use  the  fiie  building  for  its 
original  purpose  as  an  hotel.  Thvs  Miss  C.  C.  du 
Sautoy  and  the  fine  band  of  nurses  she  has 
gathered  round  her  have  to  "  demobilise  "  at  very 
short  notice.  This  is  a  thoisard  pities,  but 
"  coming  events  cast  their  shadows  before  them," 
and  peace  will  mean  fewer  hospitals  will  be 
needed  for  which  let  us  thank  God  ;  and  the 
old  order  must  be  reconstructed.  Many  nurses 
are  now  beginning  to  '^'^risider  :  "  What  shall  I 
do  after  the  war  "  ? 


November  g,  1918        jxjje  Btltiab  3ournal  of  "Wuratna. 


^«5 


Nurses'  Aids,  and  Jay  women  helpeis  are  now 
being  sent  from  the  United  States  to  France  for 
work  under  the  Red  Cross.  Upon  arrival  in 
France  they  may  be  assigned  to  French  military 
hospitals,  to  hospital  hut  service,  canteen  service, 
work  among  the  civilian  population,  or  in  any 
capacity  where  extra  hands  or  heads  are  needed 
to  carry  out  relief  work. 

These  workers  must  have  had  the  course  in 
elementary  hygiene  and  home  care  of  the  sick, 
and  if  suitable,  must  take  the  240  hours'  practical 
experience  in  a  classified  hospital. 

App  icants  are  warned  of  the  physical  strain 
to  untrained  women  in  France,  and,  if  possible, 
should  be  able  to  pay  their,  own  expenses. 


RED    FOR    SAFETY. 


The    Americans    have    started    in    earnest    an 
immense  amount  of  social  reconstruction  work  in 
France  in  connection  with  the  care  of  infants  and 
children,  visiting,  nursing,  and  the  welfare  of  those 
who  have  suffered  so  terribly  in  the  devastated 
districts,     aind     like      ourselves,      the      average 
American    trained    nurse    knows    little    French. 
This      organisation      necessitates       interpreters, 
and  we  learn  now  that    she  is  convalescent.  Miss 
Grace  Ellison  is  helping  forward  with  her  intimate 
knowledge  of  France  and  its  beautiful  language  the 
work  at  Lyons,  where  a  corps  of  visiteuses  d'enfants 
is  being  organized.     We  hear  of  a  charming  chief 
nurse  who  is  drafting  rules  for  the  corps.     These 
young  French  women  are  to  have  a  four  months' 
Course — two  theoretica.1  and  two  practical— after 
which  they  are  to  visit  mothers  in  their  homes 
and    help    them    with    their  children.     Medical 
lectures  are  given.     Miss  Ellison  opened  the  first 
session  with  "  A  Lay  Woman's  Point  cf  View  on 
Nursing,"  giving  just  praise  to  "  all  the  nursing 
heroines."     Then   all   the   following   lectures   are 
to  be  written  by  the  Chief  Nurse — translated  into 
French   and  delivered  by  Miss  Ellison.       This  is 
a  very   interesting    experiment.      We    hear    the 
B.  J.  N.  and  its    ethical    standards   and   policy 
received  due  recognition — for  which  many  thanks. 


FRENCH  FUQ  NURSING  CORPS. 


"  The  news  is  glorious  these  days,"  writes  a  Sister. 
"  Oar  poor  ga  lant  poilus  are  wild  with  joy,  and 
so  proud  of  their  chiefs.  It  is  now  their  turn  to 
rejoice  and  the  Boche  to  weep  ;  but  I  have  no  pity 
to  waste  on  them — only  for  their  victims." 

Two  Sisters  on  leave  congratulate  themselves 
on  having  met  most  of  the  great  French  Generals. 
"  Magnificent  men,  who  treated  us  like  queens," 
they  report  with  pride. 


A  Sister,  following  the  flag  on  the  western 
front,  writes  :— "  This  is  a  deserted  village,  the 
gardens  wildernesses,  but  with  wonderful  flowers 
hidden  amongst  the  weeds."  There  is  a  lesson 
there.  The  season  of  weeds  will  pass  with  the 
barbarian,  and  these  gardens  soon  bloom  in  all 
their  old  beauty — tilled  by  man  at  pe-^ce. 


A    TALE    FROM    3LIVLA    BAY. 

When  it  became  known  that  I  had  orders  to  join 
a  hospital  ship,  many  were  the  gifts  which  reached 
me.  I  became  stocked  with  necessities  to  meet 
every  conceivable  need,  especially  as  it  was  being 
whispered  abroad  that  events  were  about  to  becorhe 
lively  in  the  Dardanelles. 

My  old  Highland  nurse  brought  me  her  offering 
with  an  apologetic  look  on  her  dear  old  face. 

"  My  dear,  what  will  you  be  thinking  when  I  tell 
you  that  your  daft  old  Nannie  has  brought  you  red 
ribbon  when  she  kens  fine  you  canna  abide  the 
colour?  "  ■ 

"It    is    lovely    ribbon,    Nannie;    I    like   it    very 
much." 
The  old  woman  smiled  wistfully. 
"  My  lassie,  I  went  by  the  steamer  to  Oban  to 
get  you  blue  ribbon  to  tie  your  hair  at  nights,  and 
when  I  got  to  the  shop  my  gift  of  second  sight 
began  to  trouble  me  sore." 
"  Oh,  Nannie,  I  am  sorry." 

"  It  was  like  this.  I  got  to  the  shop,  and  just  as 
I  was  going  to  ask  for  blue  ribbon  I  found  I 
couldna  do  it." 

"  How  was  that?  "  I  queried. 
"It  sounds  gey  foolish  you'll  be  after  thinking, 
but  as  sure  as  death  something  kept  hammering 
in  my  brain  driving  me  to  ask  for  red  ribbon.     I 
tried   that   hard   to   ask    for   blue   ribbon,   but   my 
tongue  went  back  on  me,  so  after  making  queer- 
like faces,  and  kenning  fine  that  the  young  woman 
was  taking  me  for  a  gowk,  I  heard  myself  asking 
for  twelve  yards  of  good  red  ribbon  one  inch  wide." 
"  That  was  very  strange,  Nannie." 
"  Aye,  it  was  that.    The  second  sight  was  on  me 
right  enough  :  for  why,  the  dear  knows.     I  thought 
at  the  latter  end  I'd  no'  give  you  the  red  ribbon, 
but  something  just  drove  me  to  do  it,  and  now;" 
— with  a  sigh  of  relief — "  you  have  giot  it." 

'My  protestations  that  I  loved  red  ribbon  did  riot 
deceive  the  old  lady  in  the  very  least,  and  when  we 
parted  she  whispered  :  "  You'll  forgive  your  old 
Nannie,  my  bairn ;  I  had  to  go  by  the  sign."         , 

The  Army  Sister  does  not  usually  care  for  the 
colour  red.  It  borders  her  uniform  cape,  and  she 
often  gets  as  tired  of  it  as  of  being  hedged  round 
and  round  by  red  tape. 

The  whispers   concerning  our  destination    were 
justified.     We  went  straight  to  Gallipoli,  of  tragic 
fame,  and  did  our  part  in  the  transport  of  sick  and 
wx)unded  to  Egypt,  Malta,  and  sometimes  Blighty. 
On  one  precious  week  of  leave  I   saw  my  olt 
nurse.      She    was    concerned    over    my    bleach^ 
appearance,    and    wept    when    I    told    her   of    the 
bravely  borne  sufferings  of  our  men.     At  our  fare- 
well she  whispered:  "  Do  you  wear  the  ribbon?  '' 
I   fear  my  reply  was  inaccurate.      The  roll  of 
ribbon  lay  at  the  bottom  of  my  cabin  trunk,     I  dis- 
liked  the   colour  intensely.      It  reminded   me   too 
vividly  of  blood  which  dripped  and  dripped,  when 
our  brave  men  were  shot  in  the  boats,  and  thus 


"^286 


Zbc  Britieb  3ournal  ot  "Wurstng. 


November  9,   1918 


wounded  afresh  on  their  way  to  the  hospital  ships 
— their  sole  sanctuary. 

Our  good  old  ship  never  returned  empty  on  its 
eastward  way.  We  usually  carried  the  staff  and 
equipment  of  a  hospital  to  meet  the  ever-growing 
urgency  in  Alexandria. 

On  this  occasion  we  carried  over  200  medical 
officers  and  a  smaller  number  of  nursing  sisters. 
The  latter  we  disembarked  at  Alexandria.  The 
medical  officers  were  bidden  to  remain  on  the  ship 
to  receive  their  orders  later.  Conjectures  were  rife. 
Whispers  of  another  attempted  landing  went  round 
the  ship. 

We  were  bound  for  Mudros,  to  get  fresh  orders 
there,  I  was  on  night  duty,  as  some  orderlies  had 
gone  sick.  On  this  particular  day  sleep  was  for  me 
an  unknown  quantity.  The  Sisters  appeared  to  be 
rummaging  in  their  boxes  in  the  neighbouring 
cabins,  and  murmurs  of  "  I  was  quite  sure  I  had 
some  red,  but,  of  course,  I  never  wear  any,  so  I 
only  have  a  scrap." 

"  I  haven't  got  any  at  all;  looking  is  just  a 
forlorn  hope." 

"  They  seem  red  mad  for  some  curious  reason," 
I  murmured,  trying  desperately  to  sleep. 

In  the  afternoon  a  white-capped  head  peeped 
through  my  porthole. 

"  Oh,  good ;  you  are  awake.  Have  you  any  red 
ribbon  or  any  red  material?  " 

"  Yes,  I  have  some.  What  is  all  the  fuss 
about?" 

"You  know  the  medical  officers  are  bound  for 
Mudros  without  definite  orders,  and  that  there  are 
rumours  of  another  landing?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,  you  know  how  stupid  men  can  be.  Out 
of  200  doctors,  less  than  fifty  have  the  white  armlet 
with  the  red  cross,  as  they  mostly  imagined  they 
were  bound  for  Egypt.  They  may  have  to  land  on 
hostile  ground,  and  they  must  have  armlets.  We 
Sisters  have  stolen  white  linen  from  the  stores  and 
have  been  making  them  like  mad,  but  the  red  stuff 
on  the  ship  is  practically  nil,  and  we  have  over 
a  hundred  armlets  short  of  the  red  cross." 

I  dressed  quickly,  and  fishing  out  the  long- 
neglected  red  ribbon  from  my  cabin  trunk,  unrolled 
it  so  that  it  might  appear  to  the  best  advantage, 
and  hurrying  on  deck  I  gladdened  the  eyes  of  over 
a  hundred  men  by  the  delirious  sight. 

All  the  time  Nannie's  wistful  face  was  before  my 
eyes,  and  her  words  came  back  to  me  :  "  As  sure 
as  death  something  kept  hammering  in  my  brain 
driving  me  to  ask  for  red  ribbon." 

Someone  queried :  "  How  ever  did  you  come  to 
have  such  lovely  red  ribbon  by  you?  "  and  then  I 
told  old  Nannie's  tale. 

"Scotland  for  ever!  "  shouted  an  exuberant 
voice.  "  Let  us  all  drink  the  health  of  your  High- 
land nurse  to-night." 

The  landing  at  Suvla  Bay  has  passed  into  a 
memory,  but  a  bitter  one  for  those  whose  dearest 
paid  the  price. 

On  my  next: few  days'  leave  I  saw  my  old  nurse 
again,  and  I  left  her  one  of  the  proudest  dames  in 


Scotland.  The  glad  memory  will  always  abide  with 
her  that  she  provided  the  red  ribbon  which  marked 
over  a  hundred  red  cross  armlets — the  only  means 
of  safety  carried  by  a  devoted  Ijand  of  men  who 
w:restled  with  the  death  by  wounds  which  threat- 
ened such  numbers  of  our  volunteer  men  at  Suvla 
Bav. 

Anna  M.  Cameroi>*. 


PREMONITION. 


"  If  I  should  fall,  do  not  grieve  for  me.  I  shall  be 
one  with  the  sun  and  the  wind  and  the  flowers." — 
Leslie  Coulson. 

If  I  should  fall,  my  presence  may  be  sought 

In  all  the  teeming  beauty  of  the  earth. 
With  e-^ery  lovely  thing  that  God  has  wrought 

I  shall  be  one,  and  find  in  it  new  birth. 
Therefore  within  the  shadow  of  the  wind 

Upon  green  meadows,  or  in  April  grass 
And  flowers,  who  wills  my  presence  still  might  find, 

Which  shall  inhabit  these  until  Time  pass. 
Seek  in  the  gold  and  purple  of  the  west, 

Seek  in  the  sunshine  of  a  summer's  day, 
Seek  in  the  ocean's  silence  and  unrest 

If  you  would  find  me  ;    and,  while  seeking,  say  : 
"  He  loved  all  these — he  loved  all  lovely  things  : 

And  from  them  now  his  living  spirit  sings." 

2nd  Lieut.  Robert  S.  Lasker, 

Royal  Air  Force. 
From  Windsor  Magazine. 

This  gallant  boy  was  brought  down  in  enemy  terri- 
tory and  is  now  reported  dead. 


SOCIETY  FOR  THE   STATE   REGISTRA- 
TION  OF  TRAINED  NURSES. 


A  meeting-  of  the  Executive  Committee  was 
held  at  431,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.  i,  on 
Thursday,  October  24th,  to  compare  in  detail 
the  two  Nurses'  Regfistration  Bills  (i)  promoted 
by  the  Central  Committee,  and  (2)  the  Seventh 
Draft  of  the  Bill  promoted  by  the  College  of 
Nursing-,  Ltd. 

The  Committee,  after  considering  the  College 
Bill,  strongly  disapproved  of  the  following 
provisions  : — 

(i)  The  incorporation  of  a  lay  company  (the 
College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.)  in  a  Nurses'  Regis- 
tration Bill,  the  Memorandum  and  Articles  of 
Association  of  which  provide  for  autocratic 
control  of  the  nursing  profession. 

(2)  The  power  to  institute  any  number  of 
Supplementary  Registers  of  Sf)ecialists  (other 
than  of  Male  and  Mental  Nurses),  .which 
registers  must  inevitably  lead  to  a  many  portal 


^November  g,    1918 


Zbe  British  3ournal  of  TRursing. 


287 


— instead  of  the  One  Portal — system  of  admis- 
sion to  the  nursings  profession,  and  thus 
depreciate  the  standard  of  three  years'  g^eneral 
training. 

(3)  The  inclusion  on  the  State  Register  with- 
out further  fee  of  registered  members  of  the 
College  of  Nursing.  Registered  members  of 
the  R.B.N. A.  and  other  nurses'  organizations 
demand  equal  treatment,  during  the  term  of 
grace,  for  all  nurses  who  conform  to  the 
standard  of  training  approved  by  the  First 
General  Nursing  Council. 

(4)  To  the  regulation  dealing  with  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  General  Nursing  Council,  as  the 
number  of  representatives  each  body  is  to 
nominate  is  omitted. 

(5)  To  the  immediate  dissolution  of  the  Pro- 
visional Council,  on .  which  the  Organized 
Nurses'  Societies  are  to  have  representation 
through  the  Central  Committee,  as  it  is  to  be 
"  forthwith  "  disbanded  after  having  prepared 
for  the  Privy  Council  the  rules  regulating  the 
constitution  of  the  General  Nursing  Council, 
which  latter  body  will  prepare  and  present  all 
the  Rules  and  Regulations  to  which  the 
registered  nurses  will  have  to  conform. 

The  Committee  agreed  that  the  Petition  to 
the  Prime  Minister  safeguarding  the  rights  of 
organized  nurses  in  this  connection  should 
therefore  be  pushed  forward  with  all  energy, 
as  their  exclusion  in  the  Seventh  Draft  of  the 
College  Bill  from  participating  in  framing  the 
Rules  they  have  to  obey,  is  one  more  proof  of 
the  determination  of  the  nominated  College 
Council  to  override  professional  opinion  in  the 
future,  as  they  have  done  in  the  past. 

(6)  To  the  control  of  "  registered  nurses  " 
by  the  Nurse  Training  Schools,  which  have  no 
responsibility  for  them,  unless  in  the  employ- 
ment of  hospitals  to  which  such  schools  are 
attached. 

(7)  The  establishment  of  Local  Boards  in 
parts  of  the  United  Kingdom,  other  than 
Boards  national  in  character,  in  Fngland  and 

'  Wales,  Scotland  and  Ireland. 
.      (8)  The  omission  of  any  special  provision  for 
reciprocal  training  to  qualify  for  registration. 

The  Executive  Comrnittee  considered  that  the 
Bill  drafted  by  the  Central  Committee,  which 
is  the  outcome  of  many  years'  thought  and 
collaboration  of  those  who  have  promoted  the 
State  Registration  movement,  is  a  better  Bill 
than  that  drafted  by  the  College  of  Nursing, 
Ltd.,  and  it  unanimously  decided  to  support  it 
and  to  further  its  promotion  in  Parliament. 

After  the  election  of  new  members,  the  meet- 
Jng  terminated.  Margaret  Breay, 

Hon.  Secretary. 


POOR  LAW  INFIRMARY  MATRONS' 
ASSOClAFIiN. 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  Poor-Law  Infirmary 
Matro-.s'  Association  was  held  on  October  26lh 
at  the  Eistace  Miles  Restaurant.  Miss  Gibson 
occupied  the  chair. 

Miss  Barton,  on  beha'f  of  the  Association, 
presented  Miss  Star_sfeld  wi1h  a  handsome  tag 
as  a  small  token  of  its  great  gralitrde  for  her 
co.itiuual  kindness  a:.d  sympathy,  her  helpfulness 
to  all  the  members  of  the  Association,  and  their 
ve-y  real  regret  at  her  retirement. 

Miss  Sta..sf3ld,  in  thanki  g  the  Association  for 
th-jir  gift,  spoke  with  appreciation  of  the  work 
which  had  been  done  by  the  L.firmary  Matrons, 
and  of  the  pleasure^her  associa  ion  with  them  had 
always  given  her. 

Miss  Gibson  read  the  result  of  the  ballot  for 
the  hon.  of&cers  of  the  Association,  which  was  as 
follows  -.—President  :  MissBarton.R.R.C,  Malron, 
Chelsea  Infirmary  ;  Hon.  Secretary  :  Miss  A' sop. 
Matron  Kei.si  gton  Infirmary  ;  Hon.  Treasurer  : 
Mi^s  Inglis,  Shoreditch  Ir.firmary.  Committee  : 
Mi£S  Bodley,  Matron  S  :Iy  Oak  Infirmary, 
Birrai  gham ;  Miss  Clark,  Matron  West  Ham 
Infirmary  ;  Miss  Dodds,  R.R.C..  Ma^^ron  Bethnal 
G-een  lufirmary  ;  Miss  Do\\  biggin,  R.R.C.,  Matron 
Edmo.iton  Infirmary  ;  M  ss  Hannaford,  O.B.E., 
Ma"! on  Poplar  and  Stepney  Sick  Asylum  ;  Miss 
MT.stprs,  Matron  L'-iccstcr  Infirmary;  Miss 
Mowatt,  Matron  Whitechapel  Infiimary  ;  Miss 
Myl^s,  Matron  Brighton  Infiimary;  Miss  E'ma 
S  aith.  Mat'  on  City .  of  Wf  stu-ir.ster  Infirmary, 
H  ndon  ;  Miss  M.  Smith,  R.R.C.,  Matron  West 
Di  sbury  Infirmary,  Manchester  ;  Miss  Williams, 
Mat  on  Cardiff  Infirmary  ;  Miss  S'  ymour  Yapp, 
Mat:  on    Ashton-under-Lyne    Infirmary. 

Miss  Helen  Todd  gave  a  very  interesting  account 
of  the  work  which  she  has  been  doir  g  temporarily 
in  connection  with  the  Royal  Aimy  F  yir  g  Coips. 
This  was  i  hstra^ed  by  some  very  beautiful 
photographs,  which  were  handed  round.  After 
some  hearty  votes  of  thanks,  those  present  were 
entertained  to  tea  in  the  R  sai  rant,  1he  guesis 
incl' ded  Miss  Amy  Hi  ghi  s,  Miss  Wilde,  and 
Miss  Leigh. 

«  ♦  ■ 

NURSES'  MISSIONARY  LEAGUE. 

A  Sale  of  Work  in  aid  of  the  Nurses'  Missionary 
League  will  be  held  on  Saturday,  November  9th, 
at  Sloane  Gardens  House,  52,  Lower  Sloane  Street, 
London,  S.W.  i,  from  10  a.m.  to  6  p.m. 

In  spite  of  the  many  claims  made  upon  everyone 
at  this  time,  the  Committee  of  the  Nurses'  Mis- 
sionary League  earnestly  invite  help.  The  past 
year  has  brought  the  League  fresh  and  increased 
opportunities  for  usefulness,  and  it  depends  largely 
upon  the  Annual  Sale  for  its  income. 

Useful  or  fancy  articles,  especially  under- 
garments and  children's  clothes,  comforts  for  the 
troops,  biscuits,  soap,  or  money  will  be  gratefully 
received,  and  should  be  sent  to  Miss  H.  Y.  Richard- 
son at  the  above  address. 


i&S 


JLbc  British  3ournal  of  flurgino. 


November  9,   1918 


Members  and  friends  of  the  League  are  asked  to 
help  to  make  the  Sale  widely  known. 

For  any  who  are  unable  to  come  on  the  gth, 
goods  left  oyer  will  be  for  sale  in  Miss  Richardson's 
room  at  Sloane  Gardens  House,  all  day,  on  Satur- 
day, November  16th. 

THE  NATION'S  FUND  FOR  NURSES. 

"  The  Grumes." 
;  Under  the  heading  "  The  Nation's  Tribute  to 
Nurses  "  the  Stock  Exchange,  Dublin,  notifies  in 
the  Irish  Times  that  the  winning  numbers  in  the 
gamble  for  -^1,000  will  appear  on  the  1 6th  Novem- 
ber, as  the, original  drawing  has  been  postponed. 
After  the  ticket  holders  have  been  paid,  if  there  is 
anything  over  we  presume  it  will  be  handed  to  the 
Nurses'  Fund.  The  only  thing  Lady  Arnott  and 
her  Gommittee  can  do,  in  decency,  is  to  refuse  to 
support  this  scandalous  method  of  exploiting 
trained  .  nurses  by  declining  to  accept  the 
"  crumbs"   . 

GoLLEGE  TO  Protect  V.A.D.'s. 

At  a  recent  meeting  at  Huddersfield  in  support 
of  the  Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses,  the  Mayor,  who 
presided,  said  :— "  One  feature  that  appealed  to 
him  was  that  they  were  not  going  to  do  an  injury 
to  that  noble  army  of  women,  the  V.A.D.'s.  We 
should  never  know  what  we  owed  to  those  ladies, 
who,  in  a  great  emergency,  had  come  to  our  help, 
and  he  believed  one  of  the  conditions  of  the  Gollege 
was  that  no  injustice  should  be  done  to  them." 

How  about  the  trained  nurses,  for  whom  the 
Fund  appeals? 

Nurses  Misled. 
,  Miss  Sparshott,  Matron  of  the  Royal  Infirmary, 
Manchester,  said  : — "  The  College  Of  Nursing  was 
organised  and  managed  by  trained  nurses,  with  the 
help  of  a  few  laymen,. but  these  gentlemen  had 
nothing  to  do  with  administration." 

This  is  the  type  of  misleading  statement  the 
Gollege  officials  are  constantly  making  at  meet- 
ings of  nurses  ignorant  of  the  Gollege  constitution 
—and  is  absolutely  untrue.  Not  only  are  the  seven 
Signatories  of  the  Gonppany  laymen,  but  they  have 
taken  power  in  the  Articles  of  Association  they 
drew  up  to  make  themselves  "  perpetual  members 
of  the  College  of  Nursing." 

Also  of  the  five  Hon.  Officers  who  manage  the 
affairs  of  the  Gollege  four  are  men  and  only  one  a 
woman.  The  Hon.  Sir  Arthur  Stanley,  M.P.,  is 
Chairman,  Sir  Cooper  Perry  Hon.  Secretary,  the 
•  Hon.  Sir  William  Goschen  (of  Fruling  &  Goschen) 
and  Mr.  Gomyns  Berkeley  are  Hon.  Treasurers. 
These  gentlemen  practically  administer  the'College, 
and,  as  far  as  our  experience  goes,  the  business  of 
the  Council  is  in  their  hands.  To  say  that  they 
have  "  nothing  to  do  with  the  administration  "  is 
"an  astoundingly  inaccurate  statement. 

Why  Nursing  Homes  only? 
Miss   Alison    Garland,    a   one-time   suffrage    lec- 
turer,   urged    from    past   experience    the    necessity 
.for  steps  being  taken  in   this  matter  now  before 
enthusiasm  for  the  work  of  the  soldiers  and  nurses 


had  evaporated.  She  specially  emphasised  the 
necessity  for  safeguarding  the  uniform  in  order  to 
avoid  scandals  that  had  arisen  through  nurses  with 
insufficient  training  obtaining  positions  in  some 
nursing  homes. 

Why  nursing  homes  only?  What  of  the  hun- 
dreds of  untrained  women  who  during  the  war 
have  been  masquerading  as  Matrons  and  "  Sisters  " 
in  our  uniform?  We  never  hear  of  their  delin- 
quencies.    Why  not? 

APPOINTMENTS. 

SUPERINTENDENT. 

Queen  Victoria's  Jubilee  Institute,  Scottish  Branch. 

— ^Miss  Mary  M.  Mi  ler  has  be  n  appointed 
S  iperintendent  of  the  trai  i  ig  hone  in  Cast'e 
Terrace,  Edinburgh.  She  has  recent' y  held  the 
ofi&ce  of  First  Assistant  i^  the  Home. 

NURSE  MATRON. 

Eilen  Badger  Cottage  Hospital,  Shipston'On-Stour. — 

Miss  E  izaoeth  Gi  lies  has  been  appointed  Nurse 
Matron.  She  was  trained  at  the  Roya'  Ir.fi  mary, 
G  asgow,  and  has  been  Matron  of  the  Cottage 
Hospital  Bromyard. 

NIGHT    SUPERINTENDENT. 

The  Infirmary,  Shaw  Heath,  Stockport. — Miss 
Ani.i3  Maude  Stiepherd  hr,s  been  appoi  .ted  Night 
8  pe^intendent.  She  was  trained  at  S  eppir.g  Hill 
Hospital,  Stockport,  and  has  been  Wa^d  Sister  at 
the  Union  Infirmary,  Rochdale,  and  Night  Super- 
intendent at  the  U  ior.  I  .firmary,  Keighley  ;  she  is 
also  a  certified  midwife. 

SISTER. 

Royal     Hospital    for    Sicl(    Children,    Aberdeen. — 

Miss  Ela  Mei_zi' s  has  b(  c  n  a}  j:  oil  tr  d  Ss'cr  ot 
Srgical  Warf'.s.  She  was  trai.i.ed  at  the  Royal 
Infirmary,  Eri  .bu-gh,  whf  re  she  hr.s  a  so  held  the 
position  of  S  st-r,  a  d  hc,s  bee  S  s  er-ii.-Chaige  in 
Burcote  Ho.  S3  Piivate  H(  spita',  Berks. 

QUEEN  VICTORIA'S  JUBILEE  INSTITUTE 
FOR  NURSES. 

Her  Majesty  Queen  Alfxa:  dra  has  been  gra- 
ciously pleased  to  approve  the  apfoir.iir.ent  of  the 
followii.g  to  be  Queen's  Nvises  to  dale  October  ist, 

^      ■  England. 

Fanny  Purseglove,  Evelyn  I.  Gal^acher,  Muriel 
Trayner,  Ma'garet  Hentage,  E  sie  Sha:n:an, 
Mary  J..  Di  Ion,  Mary  Rowe,  Lily  Peirin,  A  ice  M. 
Hopki.  son,  Elizabeth  Rogan,  Elizatdb  A. Thorn- 
ley,  Edith  Matthev  s,  Do  a  C.  Hav  son,  Margaret 
A.  S.  Kinsman,  Edith  Ca,  Ion,  Emily  J.  Allen. 

Wales. 
Kathleen  Clifford,  Ellen  Davie s. 

Scotland. 
Margaret  L.  Ande  son,  Martha  M.  Jack,  Rachel 
McL'^Uan,     Mary     Ma.cmi  Ian,     Agr.es     Malcolm, 
Sarah  Ann  Watson,  Sara.h   J.  Woods. 
Ireland. 
Leonore  E'lison-Dohei.y,   Kathleen  Ka^J,  Sarah 
C.  Hendron,  Elizabeth  Allen,  Dora  Rebecca  Black, 
Martha  Matthevkrs, 


November  g,   1918 


^be  Britteb  Journal  of  IRureluQ. 


289 


PRIZES  FOR  NURSES. 


The  Annual  Prize-giving  to  the  Nurses  recently 
took  place  in  the  B^ard  Room  of  the  East  SMffolk 
and  Ipswich  Hospital.  _  -.       , 

The  Chairman  of  the  Board,  Mr.  John  D. 
Cobbold,  presided,  and  was  supported  by  Miss 
Deane,  the  Matron,  Miss  Collet,  Assistant  Matron, 
and  the  medical  staff.  In  a  few  well-chosen  words 
Mr.  Cobbold  eulogised  the  services  of  Miss  Deane 
and  Sister  Collet,  which  evoked  the  great  enthu- 
siasm of  the  nurses  and  others  present.  Mr. 
Cobbold  then  proceeded  to  distribute  the  prizes, 
handing  books  of  medical  and  surgical  interest  to 
the  following  : — 

1st  Division,  ifet  prize,  Nurse  Booth. 

1st  Division,  2nd  prize,  Nurse  Palmer. 

2nd  Division,  ist  prize,  Nurse  Mayes. 

2nd  Division,  2nd  prize,  Nurse  Rogers. 

With  regard  to  the  medals  he  had  then  to  present, 
Mr.  Cobbold  explained  that  the  position  each  nurse 
gained  was  this  year  based  upon  the  marks  won  at 
the  two  examinations'  conducted  by  Mr.  Russell 
Howard,  M.S.,  F.R.C.S.,  and  for  general 
efficiency.     The  following  were  the  winners  : — 

Ciold  Medal — Nurse  Saunders. 

Silver  Medal — Nurse  Sinclair. 

Bronze  Medals — Nurses  Shephard,  Bingham, 
Scarfe,  Cracknell,  Sayer,  Buck,  Denny,  Singleton, 
Francis,  Wright,  Nunn,  Parr. 

Great  applause  greeted  each  recipient  of  a  prize 
or  medal,  and  at  the  conclusion  Mr.  Cobbold  called 
upon  Miss  Deane  for  her  annual  report 

Miss  Deane,  on  rising,  received  an  ovation  from 
all  present,  and  commenced  her  address  with  a 
feeling  reference  to  one  of  the  most  promising 
members  of  her  staff  (Nurse  Kirkland),  who  had 
been  taken  ill  and  passed  away  recently.  The 
Matron's  address  to  the  nurses  was  one  full  of 
interest  to  those  who  heard  it.  Dealing  with  her 
own  special  prize,  Miss  Deane  set  forth  very  clearly 
to  the  nurses  present  the  qualities  that  were  neces- 
sary to  win  this,  and  it  was  evident  that  her  frank 
but  kindly  explanation  met  with  warm  approval. 
Having  concluded  her  remarks,  she  announced  that 
the  Matron's  Prize  was  Awarded  to  Nurse  Buck,  to 
whom,  amid  a  scene  of  great  enthusiasm,  the 
Chairman  then  handed  a  travelling  clock. 

A  vote  of  thanks  to  the  Matron  for  her  address, 
and  cheers  for  her  and  for  Sister  Collet,  brought 
the  proceedings  to  a  close. 

HOSPITAL    WORLD. 

Princess  Christian  presided  at  a  meeting  held, 
by  the  invitation,  of  the  Duchess  of  Portland,  at 
3,  Grosvenor  Square,  in  connection  w'th  a  special 
jubilee  effort  to  help  the  Shadwell,  East  London, 
Hospital  for  Children.  Her  Royal  Highness  spoke 
of  the  ready  help  extended  as  our  duty  to  wounded 
lighting  men,  but  uriged  the  claims  of  civil  hos- 
pitals, particularly  those  for  children.  A  matinee 
in  aid  of  the  institution  will  take  place  at  the  New 
Theatre  on  Novemt)er  25th,  and  the  Queen  has 
promised  to  be  present.. 


NURSING    ECHOES. 

The  Rig:ht.  Honble.  C.  Addison,  M.D., 
M.P.,  Minister  of  Reconstruction,  received  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  Association  of 
Approved  Societies — which  represents  some 
2,500,000  insured  persons — which  had  invited 
information  on  the  Ministry  of  Health  Bill,  at 
his  office,  Queen  Anne's  Buildings,  on  Friday, 
1st  inst.  Mrs.  Bedford  Fenwick,  as  President 
of  the  Trained  Women  Nurses'  Friendly 
Society,  and  a  Vice-President  of  the  Associa- 
tion, was  invited  to  attend.  Miss  B.  Kent,  who 
is  a  member  of  the  Executive  Committee,  was 
also  present.  The  delegation  was  introduced 
by  the  Right  Honble.  J.  H.  Thomas,  M.P.,  and 
exceedingly  interesting,  but  confidential,  infor- 
mation was  placed  before  it. 


The  Nursing  and  Midwifery  professions, 
together  with  the  Medical  profession,  will  be 
entrusted  with  so  important  a  part  in  giving 
effect  to  a  Health  Act,  that  now  is  the  time 
for  those  who  are  drafting  it  to  realise  that  the 
personnel  of  these  all-important  Departments 
must  receive  due  consideration,  and  that  the 
old  system  of  org^anizing  nursing  and  midwifery 
services  for  the  people  by  amateur  and  aristo- 
cratic persons  at  sweated  rates,  must  no  longer 
be  tolerated  either  by  the  workers  or  the  State. 
If  we  are  to  have  an  efficient  State  Nursing 
Service  under  the  Ministry  of  Health,  as  we 
have  so  often  advised,  we  must  have  sufficient 
expert  advice  available  to  make  it  th^  valuable 
asset  it  ought  to  be  for  the  community. 


One  thing  enfranchised  nurses  bitterly  resent 
is  the  assumption  of  authority  over  their  pro- 
fessional affairs  by  rich,  titled  and  leisured 
women,  who  have  no  knowledge  of  the  ethics 
of  self-support,  and  who  have  proved  in  the 
past  incapable  of  respecting  the  rights  of  the 
wage-earner,  culminating  in  the  offensive 
"  Serf  Clause,"  to  which  they  have,  as 
members  of  Nursing  Boards,  subjected  military 
nurses.  We  warn  our  legislators  that  for  the  * 
future  skilled  professional  nurses  do  not  intend 
to  submit  to  "  class  "  government,  and  that 
if,  after  the  war,  the  old  "  Society  "  control  is 
to  be  continued  in  State  Departments,  they 
intend  to  rise  and  sweep  it  away  without  further 
ceremony.     Forewarned  is  forearmed. 


At  the  quarterly  meeting  of  the  Scottish 
Council  of  the  Queen  Victoria's  Jubilee  Insti- 
tute, the  report  for  the  past  three  months'  work 
was   submitted.      It   showed  that  the  Council 


290 


JLbc  Britieh  3oarnaI  of  flursinfl.        November  9,  1918 


were  directly  responsible  for  the  maintenance 
of  seven  Queen's  Nurses  and  twenty-two 
candidates  receiving-  instruction  in  the  Training- 
Home.  Eight  candidates  had  completed  their 
training-  during  the  period,  six  of  whom  were 
now  engaged  in  district  work' at  Ellon,  Loch- 
gilphead, Vale  of  Teith,  ToUcross  (Glasgow), 
Edinburgh  (temporary),  and  Wick.  The 
nurses'  work  in  sixty-nine  affiliated  districts 
had  been  inspected,  and  reports  thereon  sub- 
mitted to  the  Executive  Committee.  i,o6i 
cases  had  been  nursed  In  Edinburgh  by  the 
nurses  from  the  Training  Home,  Involving  a 
total  of  18,463  visits.  Donations  received 
during  the  quarter  amounted  to  £ii6,  and 
subscriptions  to  £2^g. 


We  regret  to  learn  that  the  nursing  staffs  In 
the  hospitals  of  the  Metropolitan  Asylums 
Board  have  suffered  severely  in  the  influenza 
epidemic.  Over  three  hundred  nurses  and  ward 
attendants  have  been  attacked  by  the  disease, 
and  the  death  roll  is  eleven. 


NATIONAL  UNION  OF  TRAINED  NURSES. 


Under  the  auspices  of  the  National  Union  of 
Trained  Nurses  a  Meeting  to  consider  the  influence 
on  the  Nation  of  a  Ministry  of  Health  will  be  held 
at  the  College  of  Ambulance,  3,  Vere  Street, 
Oxford  Street,  VV.,  on  Saturday,  November  23rd, 
at  2.30  p.m.  The  Rev.  H.  R.  L.  Sheppard,  rector 
of  St.  Martin 's-in-the-Fields,  will  be  in  the  Chair, 
and  the  speakers  will  be  Dr.  Saleeby  and  Miss 
H.  L.  Pearse. 

Dr.  Saleeby  will  speak  on  What  a  Ministry  of 
Health  can  do  for  :  (a)  The  Babies  of  the  Nation ; 
(b)  The  Children  of  the  Nation ;  (c)  The  Workers 
of  the  Nation. 

Miss  Helen  Pearse  will  speak  on  "  The  Need  of 
the  Co-operation  of  the  Trained  Nurse  in  the  effec- 
tive working  of  a  Ministry  of  Health." 

All  interested  are  cordially  asked  to  attend  -and  to 
bring  friends.     Entrance  free. 


The  Employment  Bureau  of  the  N. U.T.N,  assists 
Nurses  in  finding  permanent  posts,  and  now  that 
demobilisation  is  within  sight  it  should  have  a  very 
busy  time. 


The  N. U.T.N,  is  bringing  its  "  Statement  "  on 
"  Nurses'  Salaries  "  issued  in  1916  up  to  date.  The 
notes  in  connection  with  this  Statement  touch  on 
the  economic  conditions  of  the  nursing  profession. 
It  is  the  aim  of  the  Union  to  help  to  raise  the 
salaries  to  such  a  level  as  wili  make  them  corre- 
spond with  the  value  of  the  work  done  by  the 
nurses. 


THE  QAS  INDUSTRY  AND  PUBLIC 
SERVICE. 

At  the  seventh  Annual  General  Meeting  of  the 
British  Commercial  Gas  Association,  held  at  the 
Royal  Society  of  Arts,  John  Street.  Adeiphi, 
W.C.  2,  on  Wednesday  afternoon,  October  i6th, 
the  President,  Sir  Hallewell  Rogers,  J.P.,  in  intro- 
ducing the  incoming  President,  Lord  Moulton, 
P.C,  K.C.B.,  F.R.S.,  Director-General  of  Exp'o- 
sives  Supp  ies,  said  that  apart  from  its  prompt 
action  in  meeting  the  need  for  exp  osives  in  the 
early  days  of  the  war  and  in  releasing  men  for  the 
fighting  forces,  and  experts  for  the  laboratories, 
the  gas  industry  had  done  invaluable  work  for  the 
country  in  the  quick  improvisation  of  depots, 
canteens,  hospitals,  and  other  establishments  of 
the  militant  army,  and  of  factories  and  workshops 
for  the  industrial  army.  It  had  set  itself  to  pro- 
viding fuel  oil  for  the  Navy  ;  had  furnished  the 
farmer  with  cheap  and  indispensable  fertilisers ; 
had  been  an  important  source  of  ammoaia  supply  ; 
and,  last,  but  not  least,  had  furnished  enormous 
supp  ies  of  gaseous  fuel  to  munitions  works  of  all 
kinds,  as  well  as  in  increasing  quantities  to  all 
branches  of  industry  and  to  the  homes  of  the 
people. 

THE   SURGICAL  MANUFACTURING 
COMPANY. 

A  visit  to  the  Sargical  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany's show  rooms  at  83  aid  85,  Mortimer 
Street,  London,  W.  1,  by  those  desirous  of 
securing  invalid  furniture  a  id  appliances  will 
be  well  repaid,  for  the  firm  are  the  makers  of 
the  goods  which  they  supply,  and  thus  can 
secure  the  quality  of  the  materials  used,  and 
sup  r vise  the  workmanship  which  meaus  so 
much  in  fashioning  articles  of  this  kind. 

A  special  advantage  offered  by  the  firm  is  that 
inva'id  furniture,  spinal  carrie.ges.  bath  chairs, 
water  beds  and  cushions  can  bj  had  in  the  first 
instance  on  hire,  and,  if  pu: chased  subseq-iently 
during  the  first  month,  th:;y  wi  1  be  charged 
at  the  List  P^ice.  less  any  amounts  paid  in 
advance  for  hire.  The  advantage  of  such  an 
arrangement  is  apparent.  Private  nuises.  for 
ins  ance,  often  hesitate  to  ask  a  patient's 
f  lends  to  buy  an  expensive  appliance  which 
after  aU  may  not  meet  his  needs,  or  may  not 
be  wanted  for  long.  but. if  it  can  be  hired  at  a 
moderate  cost  with  the  option  of  purchase,  they 
will  often  do  so. 

We  were  particularly  struck  by  a  rest  chair 
made  for  American  Convalescent  Hospitals  at 
the  low  cost  of  30s.  Back  a  d  arms  are  both 
at  an  angle  which  is  most  restf.l  a  .d,  when  not 
in  use,  the  chair  folds  up  and  can  be  tucked 
away.  A  bed  table,  costing  los.  ,6d..  also  packs 
fiat  when  not  requited.  We  mv St  not  forget  to 
mention  that  the  estab'ishment  is  open  day  and 
night,  and  that  operation  outfits  (with  which 
dressings  are  included)  can  be  hiired  for  25s.,  and 
an  operation  table  for  7s.  6d. 


November  g,    iqi8 


Zbe  IBrUleb  Journal  of  "Wursuna. 


'Mustard  Gas' 
Burns 


A  New  Treatment 

having  remarkable  results  in  hospitals. 


Relief  from  pain  is  assured  from  the  first  application 
of  this  treatment,  and  complete  recovery  is  effected 
more  quickly  than  by  any  other  treatment. 

TDp*  A  Tl^p'.^'F'     'Mustard  Gas*  Burns  should  be  thoroughly  sprayed 

with  Chlorcosane  Solution  of  Dichloramine-T  5%. 
Then  apply  to  the  bums  melted  'No.  7  Paraffin' with  a  large  camel-hair  brush, 
to  form  a  wax  glazing  (or  covering).  On  this  wax  glazing  quickly  place  a  thin 
layer  of  cotton  wool.  Afterwards  cover  the  cotton  wool  with  more  melted 
'No.  7  Paraffin,*  giving  special  attention  to  the  edges  to  ensure  an  air-tight  dressing. 


DAILY  DRESSINGS. 

Later  it  can  be  left  for  48  hours. 


For   the    first   few    days    the    dressing 
should   be   renewed   every   24    hours. 


'No.  7  PARAFFIN'  (Burnol  Brand).  No.  7  Paraffin'  is  the  name 
adopted  by  the.  Army  MedicaJ  Service  and  Military  Hospitals  for  a  preparation 
containing  Beta  Naphthol,  Eucalyptus  Oil,  Paraffin  Molle,  Paraffin  Durum,  and 
Olive  Oil.  The  word  'BURNOL'  is  the  registered  trade  msirk  for  a  standardised 
preparation  of  'No.  7  PcU"affin,'  which  is  prepared  under  analyticzJ  control  in 
the  laboratories  of  Boots  Pure  Drug  Co.  Limited,  Nottingham. 

SUPPLIES       Chlorcosane    Solution    of    Dichloramine-T    5%,    in 

20oz.  bottles        ...  ...  ...        price  12-,  post  paid. 

Special  Spray  for  the  purpose  ...  ...  ...  price  6/6  extra,  post  paid. 

The    Burnol    Brand  of   *No.    7    Pareiffin,*   in   4oz.   cakes, 

price   9;-   per   dozen,   post   paid. 

The  Burnol  Brand  of  *No.  7  Paraffin  is  also  supplied  in  combination  with 
Flaoine  or  Scarlet  Red,  in  4oz.  cakes      ...  ...      price  121-  per  dozen,  post  paid. 

LARGE  STOCKS  ALWAYS  ON  HAND. 

an 

Boots  Pure  Drug  Co.  Limited 


Head  Offices:    Station  Street.  NOTTINaHAM. 
Telegrams:    DRVQ,  NOTTINQHAM.  


SIR  JESSE  BOOT.  Managing  Director. 
Telephone:   3160  NotUngham. 


292 


^be  Briti0b  3onrnal  of  iRurstUG. 


November  g,   igi8 


BOOK    OP   THB   WEEK. 


«  WASTRALLS."  * 

Cornwall  is  always  associated  with  romance, 
and  brings  with  it  an  atmosphere  of  primitive 
men  and  women.  This  story  brings  out  the 
flavour  of  that  fascinating  county,  and  has  an 
additional  attraction  in  its  original ily  and  dramatic 
force,  Thatit  is  also  creepy  and  even  gruesome  in 
parts  is  a  natural  outcome  when  one  remembers 
that  the  Cornish  are  a  race  that  is  superstitious  and 
imaginative  to  a  high  degree. 

There  are  some  priceless  characters  iii  this 
volume,  and  we  venture  to  think  that  Sabina  is  a 
creation.  We  do  not  remember  to  have  met  her 
before,  and  certai^Jy  it  would  be  unwise  for  any- 
one to  attempt  to  re-dish  her  up  in  any  future 
story.  The  pattern  should  be  destroyed,  she  is 
quite  unique. 

Sabina  was  the  vital  bi:ight-haiTed  child  of  a 
vague,  colourless  mother,  who  died  shortly  after 
her  birth.  For  lack  of  a  son,  Freathy  had  taken 
his  daughter  with  him  about  the  farm.  By  the 
time  he  died  she  had  gathered  a  little  store  of 
experience,  had  indeed  been  farming  Wastralls 
for  over  a  year. 

"  Freathy,  intending  to  re-marry  and  leave 
hearty  sons,  had  not  troubled  to  make  a  will,  and 
the  girl  of  one-and-twenty  succeeded  to  an  unen- 
cumbered freehold  of  five  hundred  acres,  the 
manor  house  and  what  remained  of  the  old 
Squire's  savings."  As  the  neighbours  said  "  to 
give  the  maid  her  due,  hers  a  fiist-rate  faimer." 

When  Byron  Leadvi  le,  the  waif,  washed  up  by 
the  sea,  but  reared  in  the  immediate  neighbour 
hood  of  Wastra  Is,  returned  from  his  voyaging, 
he  found  that  Sabina,  big,  fair,  ripe,  a  woman  who 
might  have  stepped  out  of  an  Elizabehan  age 
reigned  at  Wastralls. 

In  ontward  seeming  the  man  was  not  unlike  the 
people  among  whom  he  lived.  A  little  more 
Swarthy,  with  a  more  sombre  expression  in  hisdark 
eyes, a  broader  chest  than  was  often  seen,  he  might 
have  passed  f'^r  a  Cornishman.  The  difference  was 
one  of  temperament,  and  the  difference  was  so  great 
that  never  to  the  end  of  his  life  was  he  to  be  other 
to  them  than  a  "  foreigner." 

It  was  not  Sabina  that  he  wanted  but  Wastralls. 
' '  Asking  no  more  than  to  spend  his  passion  on  the 
land  he  found  consent  in  Sabina's  awakening 
interest." 

After  he  was  safely  married  to  her  he  had  the 
surprise  of  his  life.  Sabina  flatly  refused  to  allow 
him  to  farm  the  land. 

"  What's  the  good  to  let  you  'ave  it,  you  djnno 
nothing  about  faxmin'.  Yo  bin  to  sea  most  all  yer 
life." 

"  'Avin  married  you,  the  farm's  my  due." 

Sabina  sat  very  straight  in  her  chair.  "  Now 
once  for  all,"  said  she,  "  let's  settle  this  matter. 
Wastralls  is  mine,  and  I  dare  you  to  so  much  as  lay 
a  finger  on  it." 

•  By  C.  A.  Dawson-Scott,  London  :  Heine- 
mann. 


Byron's  surprise  at  her  attitude  was  so  intense 
that  he  stared  at  her  in  helpless  silence,  until  she 
clinched  the  matter  by  saying  in  her  hearty, 
fresh-air  voice,  '  'Tis  no  good  for  ye  to  think  any 
more  about  it.' 

He  entreated,  she  smiled ;  he  blustered,  she 
laughed  ;  he  cajoled,  she  warmed  to  him,  but 
though  she  warmed  she  did  not  weaken." 

The  break  up  of  the  situation  was  due  to  an 
accident. 

Sabina  was  thrown  from  a  trap,  and  her  injuries 
were  so  severe  as  to  necessitate  the  amputation  of 
both  legs. 

But  if  Byron  imagined  that  this  was  to  be  the 
end  of  Sabina's  activities  he  was  doomed  to  dis- 
appointment. She  invented  for  her  use  a  self- 
propelling  trolley,  and  on  this  made  a  triumphant 
return  to  the  farm,for  she  was  much  respected  and 
beloved  by  the  neighbourhood. 

Byron  lifted  his  eyes  as  the  beflowered  cortege 
rolled  into  the  yard.  The  trolley,  with  its  basket 
work  cone,  was  an  unpleasant  surprise  ;  while  his 
wife,  in  brightly-coloured  gown  and  pink  sun 
bonnet,  swelling  out  of  it  like  some  monstroi:S 
fruit,  completed  his  dismay.  She  was  a  figure  of 
fun,  a  queer  oddity,  repellent  as  something  out  of 
Nature,  Sabinahad  returned  to  farm  her  land  with 
undaunted  will  if  with  diminished  activities. 

We  are  not  disposed  to  retail  the  "  creepy  " 
parts  for  our  readers,  but  we  can  promise  them 
that  if  they  read  the  book  for  themselves  they 
will  be  glad  of  a  candle  to  "  light'them  to  bed." 

But  we  cannot  conclude  without  a  reference  to 
dear  Mrs.  Tom,  a  delightful  woman,  Sabina's  life- 
long friend  and  kinswoman,  and  the  mother  of 
a  long  "  tail  "  of  pretty  girls. 

"  Wastralls  "  is  a  work  of  high  literary  merit 
and  a  story  of  unusual  power  that  everyone  should 
read.  H.  H. 


OUTSIDE    THE    GATES. 


The  Qualification  of  Women  Bill,  which  was 
contained  in  one  clause,  jiassed  its  second  reading 
in  the  House  of  Commons  on  Monday  night  with- 
out a  division,  giving  a  woman,  married  or  single, 
the  same  right  as  a  man  to  sit  in  the  House  of 
Commons. 

Lord  Robert  Cecil,  who  was  in  charge  of  the 
Bill,  confessed  that  he  was  in  favour  of  its  being 
extended  to  the  House  of  Lords,  but  he  indicated 
technical  difficulties  which  might  make  such  a 
clause  prejudice  its  chances. 

There  are  now  twenty  i>eeresses  in  their  own 
right,  and  we  have  no  doubt  they  will  soon  grace 
the  crimson  benches  in  their  "  Lordships'  House." 


A  WORD  FOR  THE  WEEK. 

"  Political  liberty  is  a  part  of  the  whole.  Liberty 
is  the  development  oi  the  personality  a'ong  moral 
lines  towards  moral  ideals,  the  setting  free,  in  each 
individual  and  throughout  the  State,  of  a  great 
flood  of  creative  energy." 


November  9,  1918        ^jfje  »rlti6b  Jouctial  of  'Rurftna. 


293 


COMING     EVENTS. 

November  21st. — Central'  Midwives  Board 
Meeting,  Qjeen  Anne's  Gate  Buildings,  S.W. 

November  -zj^rd. — Na.tional  Union  of  Trained 
Nurses.  Meeting  to  discrss  the  proposed  Ministry 
of  Health.  Speakers  :  Dr.  Saleeby  and  Miss  H.  L. 
Pearse.  Chair,  the  Rev.  H.  R.  L.  Sheppard, 
3,  Vere  Street,  Oxford  Street,  W.     2.30  p.m. 

November  2gth. — Annual  Meeting  of  the  Grand 
Council  of  the  National  Council  of  Irained  Nurses 
of  Gx-eat  Britain  and  Ireland,  431,  Oxford  Street, 
London,  W.     4  p.m. 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 


Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  for  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  be 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents, 

A  GREAT  NATIONAL  DANGER. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Madam, — In  view  of  the  rapidly  changing 
European  situation  the  immediate  internment  of 
all  persons  of  enemy  blood,  naturalised  or  un- 
naturalised,  and  the  removal  of  all  such  persons 
from  every  Government  and  public  office  becomes 
a  matter  of  the  most  urgent  necessity,  for  these 
people,  active  in  time  of  war  on  behal'  of  their  own 
country,  will  be  doubly  active  as  peace  approaches. 
Their  influence  will  be  used,  with  all  its  subtlety 
and  persistence,  to  operate  in  favour  of  every  step 
which  will  be  advantageous  to  Germany  in  the 
coming  critical  months,  and  unless  drastic  steps 
are  taken  to  eliminate  this  influence,  Great  Britain 
and  her  Allies  lie  open  to  the  danger  of  a  moderate 
policy  towards  the  Central  Powers,  which  will  lead 
to  a  negotiated  peace  with  the  enemies  of  civilisa- 
*'*'"•  Yours  truly, 

Norah  Dacre  Fox. 

3,  Eastwood  House, 

Emperor's  Gate,  S.W.  7. 

[No  class  of  the  community  realises  this  danger 
more  than  we  nurses  do.  It  has  been  brought  home 
to  us  in  a  very  intimate  manner.  So  long  as 
persons  of  enemy  blood  are  free  and  have  patronage 
and  money  to  distribute  the  danger  is  very  real — 
amongst  those  in  whom  self-interest  is  the  para- 
mount instinct. — Ed.] 

NOT    A     NATIONAL    FUND. 

To  the  Editor  0/  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing 
Dear  MADAM,^-Can  you  inform  me  whethe- 
the  Nation's  Tribute  Fund  for  Nurses  is  giving 
any  portion  of  the  money  subscribed  to  it  to  the 
Trained  Nurses'  Annuity  Fund  or  any  such  old- 
established  society  for  the  benefit  of  nurses  ? 

I  am  frequently  asked  the  question  and  have 
been  unable  to  give  an  answer. 
Yours   faithfully, 

A  Subscriber. 
[We  have  no  knowledge  of  how  this  Fund  is  dis- 
tributed.    Its  Committee  is  in  no  sense  national. 


and  is  in  the  hands  of  a  few  unrepresentative 
women  who  have  absolutely  no  right  either  to  appeal 
for,  or  to  distribute  charity  in  the  name  of  the 
Nursing  Profession.  We  should  advise  you  to 
communicate  with  the  London  County  Council, 
which  body  is  responsible  for  having  registered 
this  fund  as  a  "  war  charity  "  under  the  War 
Charities  Act,  the  regulations  of  which  the  Com- 
mittee constantly  ignore. — Ed.] 

A     GRIEV0U5     LOS5. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — It  is  with  great  sorrow  that  we 
communicate  to  you  the  death  of  our  beloved  and 
highly  esteemed  member,  Jeanne  van  Lanschot 
Hubrecht. 

After  a  short  illness  of  only  ten  days  we  lost 
her,  who  has  done  so  much  for  our  organisation. 

We  hope  that  the  ties  between  your  organisation 
and  ours,  which  were  kept  strong  mainly  through 
her  influence,  will  not  be  suffered  to  relax. 

For  the  Board  of  Nosokomos, 

C.  Ligtelijn, 

First  Secretary. 

[We  deeply  regret  to  receive  this  sad  news  as 
we  go  to  press,  and  shall  refer  to  the  work  of  this 
leading  Dutch  nurse  in  our  next  issue. — Ed.] 

KERNELS    FROM    CORRESPONDENCE. 

A  Matron  writes : — "  Some  of  your  readers 
appear  to  think  that  all  Matrons  join  the  College 
from  choice,  and  approve  its  policy.  I  can  assure 
you  this  is  not  so ;  but  my  lay  Committee  were  very 
nasty  because  I  preferred  not  to  join,  and  I  was 
prepared  to  resign  if  pressure  was  put  on  me  to  do 
so,  and  make  my  reasons  public.  Most  of  the 
Matrons  in  this  town  have  done  as  they  were 
'  advised,'  as  they  do  not  want  to  lose  their  posts. 
They  have  never  seen  the  Constitution — anything 
for  peace !  " 


Irish  Matron  writes  : — "  I  am  glad  you  exposed 
the  scandalous  gamble  on  the  Stock  Exchange 
here,  to  make  money  in  the  name  of  the  Nation's 
Tribute  to  Nurses.  Recently  Major  General  Fry 
inspected  aeroplane  workers  and  shell  workers 
in  a  pageant  symbolical  of  women's  work  in  the 
war  in  aid  of  the  Nation's  Tribute  to  Nurses, 
which  was  held  in  Viscount  Iveagh's  grounds, 
Dablin.  Personally,  I  cannot  see  why  industrial 
workers  should  be  utilized  to  raise  money  for 
professional  women  like  trained  nurses,  and  have 
several  letters  from  Irish  nurses  protesting 
against  this  form  of  charity.  It  is  no  use  arguing 
that  all  this  begging  does  not  lower  our  status 
— it  does." 


OUR     PRIZE     COMPETITION. 

QUESTIONS. 

November  2^rd. — What  precautions  would  you 
take  if  nursing  a  case  of  septic  pneumonia  following 
influenza  ? 

November  y>th.  —  What  do  you  know  of 
"  mustard  gas  "  burns  and  their  treatment  ? 


2Q4     Zhe  IBritieb  3ournal  of  l^ureinc  Supplements  November  9,  igis 


The   Midwife. 


CENTRAL  MIDWIVES'  BOARD  FOR 
SCOTLAND. 


The  Examination  of  the  Board,  on  October  28th 
and  29th  last,  held  simultaneov  sly  in  Edinburgh, 
Glasgow  and  Dundee,  has  concluded  with  the 
following  results  : — 

The  following  are  the  successful  candidates  — 

Edinburgh. 
Misses  Jessie  L.  Barber,  Janet  A.  C.  Bell, 
Mrs.  Kathleen  Burleigh,  Misses  Annie  Coghlan, 
Annie  M.  Frassr,  Kate  V.  Fromman,  Wi  liaraina 
Garrow,  Margaret  G.  Gerard,  Ada  D.  M.  Kerr, 
Jean  W.  Low,  Nancy  A.  Macadam,  Mrs.  Annie  H. 
MacDonald,  Miss-s  Catherine  McKay,  Ellen 
McL^Uan,  Mary  McPhee,  Jessie  Martin,  Mary  C^ 
Nicholson,  Jeanie  P.  Pollock,  Christina  M.  Reid, 
Jane  Robertson,  Janet  Spence,  Margaret  S. 
Swanson  and  Marian  Walshe. 

Glasgow. 
Misses  Gwendolen  A.  Arthur,  Mary  A.  Baird, 
Marirete  Beaton,  Mrs.  Joannie  R.  Binnie,  Miss 
Catherine  L.  C.  B  ackwood,  Mrs.  Martha  Burke, 
Miss3S  Elizabsth  Carruthers,  Mary  M.  Edgar, 
Marg-ret  S.  Falconer,  Alice  Fisher,  Mary  K. 
Gardiner,  M:s.  Mary  M.  R.  Graham,  Miss 
Ma'-garet  N.  Harley,  Mis.  Annie  T.  Hickie,  Mrs. 
Halen  Hughes,  Misses  Helen  C.  Keegans,  Catheiine 
C.  Ki  .g,  Margaret  Leightley,  Janet  Macalister, 
Flora  MacGil  ivray,  Mrs.  Medling  Maclver,  Mrs. 
Agnes  McLuskey,  Missgs  Madeline  Mi  ler,  Mai  ion 
N.  Montgomery,  M-S.  Jessie  O.  Morrison,  Mrs. 
E  isabeth  Muir,  Misses  Janet  Mvir,  Jeanie  S. 
Niilson,  Mis.  Louisa  O'Flynn,  Miss  Helen  G. 
Sharp,  Mrs.  Madeline  K.  Sharp,  Mis.  Mary 
Shephard,  Mrs.  Ethel  Spark,  Mrs.  Margaret 
Sturdy,  Miss  Jamesina  C.  Thomson,  Mrs.  Marion 
Watt,  and  Miss  Elena  Winlow. 

Dundee. 
Misses  Jemima  Cameron,  Ida  W.  Cowan,  Anna- 
bella  Christie,  Agnes  H.  Crockett,  Mrs.  Jane  T.  T. 
Macintosh,  Misses  Margaret  McKenzie,  Barbara  G. 
Ssrlie,  and  Alice  Sutherland. 

EXAMINATION    PAPER. 

Thef ollowi..g  are  the  questior.s  set  for  candidates 
at  the  examiaatioT  : — 

I. — D3fine  the  terms  :  Presentation,  true  con- 
jugate, internal  rotation,  lochia,  and  puerperium. 

2^ — A  patient,  3J  months  pregnant,  has  con- 
tinuous dribbling  of  urine.  What  is  wrong  with 
her   and   what   treatment   will   be   necessary  ? 

3. — ^What  are  the  varieties  of  asphyxia  neo- 
natorum ?     How  would  you  treat  them  ? 

4. — Give  the  diameters  of  the  fcetal  head. 
What  is  meant  by  the  caput  succedaneum  ? 
What  other  swslling  of  the  foetal  head  may  be 
discovered  at  birth  and  how  would  you  treat  it  ? 


5. — Breech  case.  At  what  stage  of  a  breech 
case  does  the  danger  to  the  child  begin  ?  Describe 
how  you  would  manage  the  labour  after  the 
breech  is  born. 

6. — Under  what  conditions  occurring  in  newly- 
born  children  is  it  specified  in  the  Rules  of  the 
Central  Mid  wives  Board  that  a  midwife  must 
advise  that  a  registered  medical  practitioner  be 
sent  for  ? 


THE     EMPLOYMENT     OF     PREGNANT 
WOMEN  IN  MUNITION  FACTORIES. 


In  a  recent  issue  we  published  in  part  a  paper 
read  by  Dr.  Mary  S.  Deacon  at  the  Oxford  Welfare 
Conference,  on  the  above  subject,  in  which  the 
writer  expressed  the  view  that  in  no  case  has  the 
nature  of  their  work  had  the  slightest  detrimental 
effect  on  pregnant  women  in  a  munition  factory 
under  her  observation,  and  several  of  the  workers 
were  reported  as  never  having  felt  so  well  during 
former  pregnancies,  or  having  had  such  good  con- 
finements, or  such  healthy  babies. 

Miss  Maria  Drysdale,  of  Rawtenstall,  writes  that 
her  experience  of  mills  and  factories  is  vastly 
different.  With  the  exception  of  alx)ut  two  and  a 
half  years  of  nursing  experience  in  London  hos- 
pitals she  has  been  able  to  keep  in  touch  with  mill 
life  and  mill  workers,  ,and  has  a  fairly  intimate 
knowledge  both  of  the  mill  life  and  the  home  life 
of  the  worker.     She  writes  : — 

"  For  several  years  strenuous  efforts  have  been 
made  to  educate  the  working  classes  in  Lancashire, 
particularly  with  a  view  to  making  them  good 
citizens.  More  and  more  have  Lancashire  folks, 
at  any  rate,  realised  that  the  mother's  place  was  in 
the  home,  and  a  true  moral  and  intellectual  stan- 
dard could  only  be  maintained  when  the  family  life 
had  a  safe  pivot  around  which  it  could  revolve. 

"  Under  exceptional  circumstances  it  may  be 
possible  to  employ  pregnant  women  in  factories 
without  immediate  ill  effects.  From  a  psychological 
point  of  view  it  is  the  worst  thing  that  can  happen 
to  a  family.  When  the  mother  has  to  be  the  bread- 
winner life  is  a  drudgery,  and  the  children,  nine 
times  out  of  ten,  a  nuisance,  and  any  observant  or 
thoughtful  person  will  see  at  once  that  it  is  impos- 
sible for  anyone,  man  or  woman,  in  that  condition 
of  mind  to  cope  with  children. 

"If  the  war  has  put  us  so  many  years  behind  the 
knowledge  we  had  already  gained  the  struggle 
will  wear  a  good  many  of  us  out  before  we  attain 
more  than  a  fraction  of  that  for  which  we  are 
striving. 

"  The  strength  of  England  depends  on  the  home 
life  more  than  ever  it  did  in  the  past.  .  .  .  Surely 
we  ought  to  diffuse  knowledge  more  widely  than 
ever,  and  to  do  our  utmost  to  strengthen  the 
bulwark  of  English  life — the  Home." 


WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 


miG 


ramsiiK 


EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


No.  1,598. 


SATURDAY,    NOVEMBER    16.   1918. 


vol.    LXI. 


EDITORIAL. 


VICTORY.      JUSTICE    HAS    WON. 

"  Oh  make  Thou  us,  through  centuries  long, 
In  peace  secure,  in  justice  strong  ; 
Around  our  gift  of  freedom  draw 
The  safeguards  of  Thy  lignteous  law  ; 
And,  cast  in  some  diviner  mould, 
Let  the  new  cycle  shame  the  old  !  " 

The  universal  rejoicing  when  it  became 
knovs'n  on  Monday  morning  that  the 
Armistice  had  been  signed,  and  the  sword 
sheathed  for  a  definite  term,  was  the 
measure  of  the  repression  of  over  four 
vears  which  our  splendid  people  have 
endured  with  fortitude.  But,  when  the 
hand  of  time  pointed  at  length  to  the  hour 
of  victory  their  gladness  overflowed,  and  in 
true  British  fashion  they  celebrated  one  of 
the  most  memorable  days  in  the  history  of 
the  world. 

The  first  general  intimation  of  the  signing 
of  the  Armistice  was  given  by  the  maroons. 
The  effect  was  electric,  tools  were  downed, 
and  away  raced  the  people  into  the  open, 
where  without  ceremony  it  was  possible  to 
express  their  joy,  and  it  was  a  stupendous 
joy,  which  made  magnificent  music  from 
millions  of  throats,  and  drums  and  pipes, 
hooters,  tooters  and  dancing  feet. 

Just  to  be  in  the  crowd  made  one  feel  a 
thousand  years  young. 

Then  the  crowds  surged  to  Buckingham 
Palace,  and  called  for  their  King.  The 
King  and  Queen  throughout  the  four  grim 
years  of  war  have  been  in  the  midst  of  the 
people,  strengthening,  comforting,  sympa- 
thizing wherever  they  found  trouble,  pain 
and  sorrow,  and  instinctively  the  heart  of 
the  people  turned  to  their  Sovereign  in  their 

The  great  ovation  which  greeted  their 
Majesties  as  they  appeared  on  the  balcony 
of  the  Palace  (hung  with  crimson  and  gold), 
was  not  only  that  of  people  loyally  acclam- 


ing  their  Sovereign  on  the  declaration  of 
Victory,  but  of  a  more  intimate  and 
personal  quality.  The  King  and  the  People 
had  been  through  deep  waters  together,  and 
together  they  exulted  that  at  length  they 
had  come  to  the  desired  haven. 

Their  Majesties'  appearance  was  the 
signal  for  the  band  to  play  the  National 
Anthems  of  the  Allies,  followed  by  "  O 
God  our  help  in  ages  past  "  and  "  Now 
thank  we  all  our  God  "  and  "  Land  of  Hope 
and  Glory." 

The  King  struck  the  right  note  as  he 
spoke  to  the  People. .. 

**  With  you  I  rejoice,  and  thank  God  for. 
the  victory  which  the  Allied  Armies  have 
won,  which  have  brought  hostilities  to  an 
end,  and  Peace  within  sight." 

In  his  message  to  the  Empire's  Armies 
His  Majesty  wrote  : 

"  I  desire  to  thank  every  officer,  soldier, 
and  woman  of  our  Army  for  services  nobly 
rendered,  for  sacrifices  cheerfully  given,  and 
I  pray  that  God  Who  has  been  pleased  to 
grant  a  victorious  end  to  the  great  crusade 
for  Justice  and  Right  will  prosper  and  bless 
our  efforts  in  the  immediate  future  to  secure 
for  generations  to  come  the  hard  won 
blessings  of  Freedom  and  Peace." 

Crowds  also  flocked  to  St.  Paul's  and  to 
Westminster  Abbey,  where  thanksgiving 
services  gave  expression  to  the  deep  joy  of 
the  Empire,  while  in  the  street  merriment 
and  high  spirits  were  in  happy  contrast  to 
the  repression  of  the  last  four  years. 

And  if  we  in  this  country  are  filled  with 
thankfulness  and  relief  that  the  war  cloud 
has  at  length  lifted  ;  what  must  be  the 
feelings  of  our  brave  French  and  Belgian 
Allies  whose  countries  have  been  invaded, 
and  their  inhabitants  brutally  treated.  To 
them  the  Peace  foreshadowed  must  indeed 
come  with  healing  in  its  wings. 

As  Justice  has  w^on — we  must  have  a 
Just  Peace  to  crown  a  glorious  Victory. 


296 


C^be  British  3ournal  of  "Wuretng. 


November  16,   1918 


THE  BACTERIOLOGY  OF  "INFLUENZA." 

By  A.  Knyvett  Gordon,  M.B.Cantab. 


In  order  to  understand  the  apparent  vagaries 
of  the  present  epidemic  it  is  necessary  to  go  to 
the  root  of  the  matter,  and  look  upon  it  as  just 
one  of  the  numerous  battlefields  on  which  the 
eternal  war  between  the  microbe  and  the  man 
is  being  waged. 

This  conflict  is  always  going  on  between  the 
opposing  armies.  That  of  the  microbes  is  com- 
posed of  many  military  units — some  of  them 
are  famous  regiments,  have  won  their  spurs, 
and  are  known  as  formidable  foes ;  the 
organisms  of  tubercle,  diphtheria,  and  enteric 
fever  are  good  examples.  When  a  patient  is 
attacked  by  one  of  these  we  are  not  surprised, 
as  we  know  his  microbe  of  old,  and  can  often 
defeat  him  by  methods  with  which  we  are  also 
familiar. 

Sometimes,  however,  we  are  faced  with  the 
activities  of  what  the  general  public — and 
especially  the  sensation-mongering  section  of 
the  daily  press — hastens  to  call  a  new  disease. 
It  usually  goes  on  incidentally  to  affix  such 
sensational  titles  as  "  the  scourge  in  our 
midst,"  "  the  terror  that  flieth  by  night,"  and 
so  on.  Furthermore,  the  public  is  more  im- 
pressed by  the  fact  that  a  disease  has  killed 
the  local  mayor  than  by  any  accurate  concep- 
tion of  what  it  can  and  cannot  do  in  the  way  of 
destruction  or  damage. 

An  epidemic,  however,  is  simply  the  bring- 
ing into  action  by  the  enemy  of  a  microbial 
unit  that  has  not  recently  seen  much  fighting, 
and  to  get  a  clear  view  of  its  activities  it  is 
better  to  look  at  large  maps.  Otherwise  we 
are  in  danger  of  not  being  able  to  see  the  wood 
for  the  trees. 

Let  us  carry  the  military  analogy  a  little 
further.  A  fighting  force  does  not  consist 
merely  of  one  arm.  For  infantry,  for  instance, 
to  be  effective,  they  must  have  the  way  pre- 
pared for  them  by  artillery  fire,  and  their 
rations  and  ammunition  brought  up  to  them 
by  the  transport.  So  it  is  in  an  epidemic. 
There  is  the  microbe  that  actually  delivers  the 
attack,  and  is  always  found  in  the  tissues  of 
a  patient  suffering  from  the  disease,  but  it  is 
accompanied  by  other  germs  whose  function 
is  to  weaken  the  patient  generally,  or  to 
damage  some  particular  organ,  so  that  on  the 
whole  the  patient's  power  of  resisting  the  prin- 
cipal germ  is  lessened  or  destroyed  altogether. 

Thence  comes  confusion.  When  the  bacterio- 
logist gets  to  work,  he  may  find  numerous 
organisms    in    his    patients,     sometimes    one. 


sometimes  another,  and  until  he  has  had  the 
opportunity  of  examining  a  fair  number  of 
cases,  he  is  often  unable  to  work  out  the 
precise  function  of  each  microbe. 

But  the  general  public  has  no  such  difficulty. 
One  newspaper  says  the  "  pestilence  "  is  due 
to  a  streptococcus — if  it  is  able  to  spell  it — 
while  another  trumpets  the  rival  claims  of  a 
pneumococcus,  until  the  effusions  remind  one 
of  the  Eatanswill  election.  Occasionally  they 
become  lurid  by  summoning  alien  bacilli 
altogether,  such  as  those  of  plague,  spotted 
fever,  and  goodness  knows  what  besides,  to 
their  aid,  if  there  are  signs  that  the  public  is 
getting  tired  of  their  previous  microbial 
claimant. 

All  this,  incidentally,  is  not  merely  inaccurate 
or  ridiculous  :  it  does  great  harm  by  actually 
lowering  the  resistance  of  those  who  are 
impressed  by  it,  so  that  they  are  more  likely 
to  succumb  than  those  who  keep  not  only  a 
healthy  body,  but  a  sane  mind  also. 

Let  us,  however,  come  back  to  influenza. 
There  are  really  two  kinds  of  "  influenza,"  one 
that  is  and  one  that  is  not.  The  latter  is  the 
type  that  a  man  has,  or  says  he  has,  every 
year,  and  is  due  not  to  the  Bacillus  Influenzae, 
but  to  another  organism  altogether,  the  Micro- 
coccus Catarrhalis.  Personally,  I  dislike  the 
term  influenza  when  it  is  applied  to  an  illness 
for  which  the  old  name  "  feverish  cold  "  is 
much  more  appropriate,  as  it  is  quite  suffi- 
ciently accurate. 

This  epidemic,  however,  is  true  influenza, 
that  is  to  say,  it  is  due  to  the  bacillus  influenzae, 
or,  as  it  used  to  be  called,  Pfeiffer's  bacillus. 
If  one  examines  any  particular  patient,  or  if 
you  like,  any  particular  half-dozen  patients, 
it  is  quite  possible  that  the  bacillus  influenzae 
will  not  be  found  in  one's  cultures,  but  it  does 
not  follow  that  it  is  not  present  in  the  patient. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  bacillus  influenzae  is 
rather  difficult  to  cultivate.  For  one  reason, 
in  a  swab  containing  a  mixture  of  other 
organisms  with  it,  the  bacillus  influenzae  is  apt 
to  be  choked  out  by  the  more  rapid  growth  of 
the  others.  Then  it  will  not  grow  at  all  unless 
the  culture  medium  employed  exactly  suits  it. 
It  prefers  human  blood  to  any  other  food,  and 
in  practice  one  often  succeeds  in  cultivating  it 
on  an  agar  tube  that  has  been  streaked  over 
by  blood  shed  from  a  finger  prick.  Curiously 
enough,  some  people's  blood  seems  to  be  more 
use  than  others  in  this  respect.  I  remember,  for 
instance,  that  I  could  more  often  succeed  when 
I  punctured  my  own  finger  than  when  I  per- 
formed a  similar  human  sacrifice  on  a  certain 
laboratory  assistant ! 


November  i6, 1918       ^f)e  Bnttsb  Soumal  of  IRursina. 


397 


If  then  a  large  number  of  patients  are  taken, 
and  suitable  media  employed,  the  bacillus 
influenzae  can  be  obtained  in  a  sufficient 
number  of  instances  to  justify  one  in  saying 
that  it  is  the  cause  of  the  disease.  Definite 
proof,  however,  is  obtained  from  the  fact  that 
it  will  reproduce  the  disease  when  it  is  injected 
into  a  suitable  experimental  animal.  In 
appearance  it  is  a  very  minute,  thin  rod. 

At  the  onset  of  the  disease  it  grows  in  the 
throat  and  nose,  where  it  gives  rise  to  the  well- 
known  catarrh,  with  which  the  attack  starts. 
The  toxins  or  poisons  which  it  then  forms  are 
absorbed  into  the  blood  and  produce  the  rise 
in  temperature  and  prostration,  while  later  on 
the  organism  itself  may  spread  downwards 
into  the  lungs,  where  it  gives  rise  to  bronchitis 
and  not  infrequently  to  a  disease  which  has 
the  characteristics  of  a  broncho-pneumonia, 
with  the  distribution  of  the  lobar  variety,  or 
upwards  through  the  Eustachian  tube  into  the 
middle  ear,  where  it  is  particularly  liable  to  set 
up  mastoid  disease. 

The  microbes  with  which  the  bacillus 
influenzae  is  often  associated  in  this  epidemic 
are  usually  a  streptococcus  or  the  pneumo- 
coccus,  or  both — and  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  they  are  both  responsible  for  many  of  the 
fatalities  which  have  occurred.  The  reason  is 
that  many  organisms  grow  better — both  in 
culture  media  and  in  the  body — when  in 
association  with  others,  just  as  one  can 
imagine  a  soldier  fighting  better  when  he  has 
his  friends  alongside  him.  The  phenomena  is 
known  as  "  symbiosis,"  and  one  occasionally 
takes  advantage  of  it  in  a  laboratory  when  one 
wants  to  grow  a  particularly  virulent  strain  of 
a  microbe.  In  the  preparation  of  diphtheric 
antitoxins,  for  instance,  a  much  more  luxuriant 
growth  of  the  diphtheria  bacillus  can  be 
obtained  if  one  adds  some  bacillus  podigiosus 
to  the  cultures. 

The  pneumococcus-influenza  combination 
seems  to  be  particularly  liable  to  attack  the 
lungs,  and  the  addition  of  staphylococcus 
appears  to  increase  the  severity  of  the  initial 
toxaemia,  and  of  suppuration  such  as  mastoid 
abscesses. 

Coming  now  to  treatment.  As  regards  the 
patient  himself,  we  try  both  to  kill  the  microbe 
direct  and  to  increase  the  bodily  resistance, 
so  that  he  is  able  to  manufacture  antibodies  to 
the  germ  for  himself.  As  regards  the  first,  we 
cannot  do  very  much.  There  is  no  drug  taken 
internally  that  will  kill  the  microbe,  but  there 
is  some  evidence  that  irrigation  of  the  nostrils 
with  a  weak  solution  of  permanganate  of 
potash  is  able  to  retard  the  growth  of  the  germ 


in  the  nose.  The  measures  adopted  to  keep 
up  the  resistance  of  the  patient  are  common 
to  most  infectious  diseases,  and  comprise 
nursing,  good  food,  tonics,  stimulants,  &c., 
but  the  two  most  important  are  bed  and  more 
bed.     I  need  not  dwell  on  these  now. 

Secondly,  can  we  do  anything  in  the  way 
of  preventive  treatment?  Apart  from  obvious 
essentials  of  sanitation,  such  as  free  ventila- 
tion and  disinfection,  together  with  prompt 
isolation  of  those  suffering  from  the  disease, 
the  general  public  is  asking  us  to  inoculate 
them  against  it.  They  have  a  sort  of  idea — 
for  which  I  am  afraid  we  must  blame  some 
over-enthusiastic  bacteriologists — that  we  can 
now  "  inoculate  "  against  anything  from  a 
chilblain  to  the  plagues  of  Egypt;  that  all  we 
have  to  do  is  to  collect  the  germ,  kill  it,  and 
inject  it  under  the  skin  of  a  healthy  person  in 
order  to  prevent  him  from  contracting  the 
disease. 

I  wish  we  could  do  that.  There  would  soon 
be  no  more  disease  of  any  kind,  and  most  of 
us  could  sell  our  microscopes  and  buy  a  farm  ! 
Unfortunately,  however,  the  problem  is  by 
no  means  so  simple.  A  vaccine  is  like  a  sharp 
scalpel,  and  is  capable  of  doing  almost  un- 
limited harm  in  the  hands  of  an  unskilled 
person,  or  when  improperly  used. 

As  regards  the  present  epidemic,  it  is  easy 
enough  to  prepare  a  vaccine  containing  a 
mixture  of  bacillus  influenzae,  streptococci  and 
pneumococci,  but  the  trouble  is  that  its  use  is 
followed  by  a  marked  "  negative  phase,"  as 
it  is  called,  that  is  to  say,  that  for  a  variable 
period  after  inoculation,  the  patient's 
resistance  to  influenza  is  actually  lowered.  It 
is  true  that  this  is  followed  by  a  prolonged  rise 
in  his  defensive  powers,  but  as  he  may  go 
down  in  the  negative  phase,  it  is  usually  un- 
desirable to  inoculate  during  an  epidemic  :  we 
should  wait  for  it  to  subside,  and  then  try  to 
immunise  the  patient  for  the  future.  *It  is 
probable  that  a  course  of  about  twelve  injec- 
tions is  required  for  success  in  this  respect. 
The  vaccine  may  appropriately  contain  b. 
influenzae,   streptococcus  and  pneumococcus. 


MINISTRY     OF     HEALTH     BILL. 

Dr.  Addison  introduced  the  Ministry  of 
Health  Bill  into  the  House  of  Commons  on 
November  7th.  Keen  interest  was  evinced  in 
his  speech.  Under  the  Bill  the  Minister  of 
Health  will  have  the  powers  of  all  present 
Departments  that  deal  with  health.  Treatment 
of  the  sick  and  infirm  will  not  be  part  of  the 
Poor  Law. 

Our  Poor  Law  Infirmaries  should  become 
State  Schools  of  Nursing. 


^))8 


ZTbe  Britleb  Journal  of  TRureiUQ.       November  le,  1918 


NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 

Miss  Julia  C.  Stimsor,  R.N.,  Chi^t  Nurse 
of  the  American  Red  Cross  in  France,  has  just 
been  appointed  Chief  Nurse  of  the  Army  Nurse 
Corps  of  the  American  Expeditionary  Force. 

Miss  Stimson's  appointment  is  a  most  popular 
one.  It  will  be  remembered  that  prior  to 
America  entering  the  war  she  came  over  to  this 
country  with  the  Missouri  Unit  which  formed  the 
Nursing  staff  of  Base  Hospital  No.  21  of  the  United 
States  Army,  the  members  of  which  were  drawn 
not  only  from  St.  Louis,  but  from  Kansas  City,  and 
Hannibal.  Miss  Stimson  was  trained  at  the  New 
York  City  Hospital,  under  Miss  A.  W.  Goodrich, 
and  holds  the  appointment  of  Superintendent  of 
Nurses  at  the  Washington  University  Training 
School,  St.  Louis,. 


"  Ascfls  DE  Fixation." 

"  The  influenza  epidemic,  generally  taking  the 
form  of  septic  pneumonia,  has  been  raging  with 
unexampled  fury  on  the  Italian  Front.  In  various 
places  the  following  heroic  remedy  has  met  with  a 
certain  amount  of  succesi  : — That  a  general  in- 
flammation sometimes  curej  itself  by  sudder  local 
suppuration  is  well  known  ;  the  method  of  Fochier 
is  founded  upon  this  principle,  and  aims  at  arti- 
ficially producing  the  necessary  suppmation  in  the 
form  ot  an  abscess. 

"  The  irritant  medium  employed  is  spirit  of  tur- 
pentine, of  which  I  cuoic  centimetre  is  injected 
into  the  cellular  tissue  of  the  loin,  thigh  or  leg. 
Should  no  painful  reaction  follow  within  twelve 
hours  from  the  time  of  the  first  injection,  another 
must  be  made  at  a  difl:erent  spot,  and  this  may  be 


A     HAPPY     FAMILY.        KINO,     QUBEN     AND    WAR    WORKERS. 


A  Sister  on  the  Italian  Front  writes  : 
"  Since  I  have  been  back  we  have  been  fighting  a 
most  terrible  outbreak  of  Spanish  Influenza,  and 
our  death  roll  has  been  ghastly.  It  seems  now  as 
if  the  scourge  were  abating  slightly.  Perhaps  the 
general  cheerfulness  of  the  news  has  something  to 
do  with  it.  This  medical  annexe  is  warned  to  go 
forward,  so  if  I  get  anywhere  very  interesting,  and 
the  censoi  passes  Jt,  I  will  send  you  some  account. 
I  hear  that  the  Austrians  had  left  behind  com- 
pletely installed  hospitals,  full  of  equipment  and 
patients,  but  with  no  personnel,  so  I  hope  we  may 
soon  get  there  and  be  able  to  do  something  for 
them.  I  enclose  a  bri  jf  note  of  what  was  to  me 
quite  a  new  treatment — the  C.C.S.  doctors  here 
rejected   it   as   too   brutal. 


repeated  a  third  or  even  a  fourth  time,  though  the 
"  prognostique  "  is  not  very  favourable  if  a  second 
has  been  made  without  result,  the  probability 
being  that  in  this  case  the  patient's  vitality  is 'so 
much  lowered  by  the  course  of  the  disease  that  no 
further  leucocytic  reaction  is  capable  of  taking 
place.  It  is,  therefore,  important  that  recourse 
should  be  had  to  this  remedy  befoie  it  is  too  late, 
though  naturally  from  the  extreme  painfulness 
of  the  process,  doctors  are  unwilling  to  employ  it 
if  a  cure  can  be  obtained  or  reasonably  hoped  for 
by  ordinary  means.  (In  the  case  of  cnildren  pure 
turpentine  must  not  be  employed,  but  diluted  with 
60  per  cent,  of  sterilised  oil,  it  can  be  tolerated 
fairly  well.) 

"  The  result  expected  and  desired  from  the  tur- 


November  i6, 1918       ji\)c  Biltleb  Soumal  of  "Wureino. 


299 


pentine  irjection  is  that  within  a  few  hours, 
generally  six  or  eight,  redness,  swelling  and  intense 
pain  appear  in  the  whole  limb.  These  conditions 
tend  to  localise  with  more  or  less  rapidity  (septic 
symptoms  elsewhere  at  the  same  time  subsiding), 
pus  is  formed  and  a  large  abscess  results,  which 
must  be  treated  with  hot  fomentations,  both  to 
assist  maturation  and  to  control  the  pains.  It 
must  be  opened,  with  the  usual  aseptic  precautions, 
at  the  critical  moment,  just  before  it  bursto, 
probably  in  from  five  to  six  days  ;  not  too  soon,  or 
the  full  benefit  will  not  be  obtained.  If,  on  the 
other  hand,  it  appeairs  to  open  prematurely  of 
itself,  and  the  pus  begins  to  trickle  away  while  the 
geneial  inflammatory  condition  continues,  a 
second  abscess  must  be  induced  in  another  place. 

"  The  pus  in  these  abscesses  smells  strongly  of 
turpentine,  and  is  in  itself  aseptic,  but  the  wound 
remaining  after  the  abscess  has  been  drained  is 
highly  susceptible  of  infection,  and  the  utmost  pre- 
cautions must  be  taken  to  keep  properly  sterile 
dressings  corstantly  in  place  ;  often  amost  difficult 
matter  with  deli.ious  patients  for  each  of  whom  a 
special  nurse  cannot  be  detailed,  and  unavoidable 
secondary  infection  has  sometimes  taken  place 
with  fatal  results.  In  favomable  cases,  the 
abscess  hax'Jng  been  satisfactorily  drained  and  kept 
aseptic,  begins  to  heal,  and  the  whole  process  is 
over  in'^ight  or  ten  days.  If  the  patient's  strength 
can  be  maintained,  there  is  then  a  ver^  good  chance 
of  recovery. 

"  As  may  be  imagined,  tnis  method  is  not  very 
favourably  regarded  by  the  patients,  who  groan 
over^"  I'abcSs  du  mSdecin.  Comme  si  je  n'avais  pas 
assez  de  mal  sans  cela  I  "  If  indeed  they  are  in  a 
condition  to  speak. 

"  If,  howevei,  life  is  to  be  saved,  it  is  worth  it." 


Miss  Torrance  has  been  appointed  Chief  Nurse 
of  the  American  Red  Cross  in  this  country  in 
succession  to  Miss  Carrie  M.  Ha-1,  who  is  now  in 
France.  The  headquarters  are  at  40,  Grosvenor 
Gardens,  S.W.  i. 

ROYAL    RED    CROSS. 

On  Satirrday  last  the  King  decorated  the  follow- 
ing ladies  with  the  Royal  Red  Cross  : — 
First  Class. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing 
Service  Reserve. — Sister  Elizabeth  Rogers. 

Territorial  Force  Nursing  Service. — Assistant 
Matron  Florence  Carter  and  Sister  Mildred 
Oakley. 

Civil  Nursing  Service. — ^Matron  Alice  Reeves. 
Second  Class, 

British  Red  Cross  Society. — Assistant  Matron 
Mabel  Woodfin  and  Sister  Charlotte  Robert- 
son. 

Doughty  White  Unit. — ^Nursing  Sister  Florence 
Perdue. 

Voluntary  Aid  Detachment. — Mrs.  Francis 
Roberts,  Miss  Edyth  Taylor,  and  Mrs.  Bella 
Taylor. 


THE     MILITARY 

Miss  MoYRA  Cavanagh. 


MEDAL. 


HYMN  FOR  PEACE. 

Oh,  God  of  all,  within  Whose  guiding  hands. 
The  issue  lies  of  warfare  and  of  peace, 
In  mercy  look  on  these  divided  lands, 
And  bid  the  conflict  of  the  Nations  cea;e. 

Oh,  Prince  of  Peace  !    Whose  tender  human  tears 
O'erflowed  in  pity  for  a  world  in  pain  ; 
We  need  Thee  now  as  in  those  far  c  fi  years, 
Take  up  Thy  sceptre.  Lord,  and  reign  again  ! 

Oh,  Dove  of  Peace  !    unfold  Thy  healing  wing. 
O'er  lives  forlorn,  who  call  on  Thee  to  bless  ; 
Bring  each  within  Thine  overshadowing. 
And  give  Thy  creatures  of  Thy  loveliness. 

Be  Thou  their  strength  where'er  our  soldiers  stand. 
Where'er  our  ships.  Oh  !  God,  their  Pilot  be, 
If  Thou  be  near,  by  farthest  sea  or  land, 
So  surely  may  we  leave  the  end  with  Thee. 

Amen,  Amen- 

C.  B.  M. 

PEACE,  THE  SONO  OF  THE  ANQELS. 

"  Peace  "  was  the  song  the  angels  sang 

When  Jesus  sought  this  Vale  of  tears, 
And  sweet  the  heavenly  prelude  rang 
To  calm  the  wondering  shepherds'  fears. 

"  Peace  "  was  the  prayer  the  Saviour  breathed, 
When  from  our  world  Hio  steps  withdrew  ; 
The  gift  He  to  His  friends  bequeathed, 
With  Calvary  and  the  Cross  in  view. 

And  ye,  whose  souls  have  felt  His  love. 
Guard  day  and  night  this  rich  bequest ; 

The  watchword  of  the  host  above — 
The  passport  to  their  realms  of  rest. 

Sigoumey. 

PEACE. 

Turn,  turn,  wide  sea  of  Peace 
And  flood  the  shore     .     .     . 
D-own  thou  all  yesterdays,  and  hide 
My  soul  for  evermore. 

Cleanse,  lave  me,  sea  of  Peace, 
And  may  no  tide 
Recall  thee,  may  no  winds  disturb 
The  depth  where  I  would  hide, 

Lull,  heal  me,  sea  of  Peace  ; 
My  listening  heart 
Slow,  slowly  sinking  down  in  thee, 
Far  from  the  world,  apart. 

The  music  of  thy  wave 

Like  some  faint  bell 

Repeats  : — ^then  rests  in  thy  deep  bed 

As  lies  the  murmuring  shell. 

— From  Trackless  Regions, 

By  G.  O.  Warren. 


300  ^be    BritiSb  30Urnal   of  IRUrStUO.  November  i6,   rgiS 

Ropal  Britlsl)  nurses'  Jlssoclatiom 


(Incorporated  Dp 


Ropal  Charten) 


THIS   SUPPLEMENT    BEING    THE    OFFICIAL    ORGAN    OF    THE    CORPORATION. 


THE  CONFERENCE. 


The  Conference  convened  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Association,  on 
November  7th,  at  the  Rooms  of  the  Medical 
Society  of  London,  11,  Chandos  Street, 
Cavendish  Square,  W.  i,  was  extremely  well 
attended,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the 
nursing  profession  at  the  present  time  is  work- 
ing to  the  limit,  and  almost  beyond  the  limit 
of  its  powers,  in  caring  for  our  sick  and 
wounded  soldiers,  and  grappling  with  the 
"  influenza  "  epidemic.  The  yellow  chrys- 
anthemums and  beautiful  autumn  leaves  sent 
by  the  Society  for  the  State  Registration  of 
Trained  Nurses  (one  of  the  Societies  affiliated 
to  the  Association),  gave  a  charming  touch  of 
colour  to  the  platform. 

AFTERNOON  SESSION. 
The  disappointment  of  the  afternoon  was  the 
announcement  made  from  the  chair  by  Miss 
M.  Heather-Bigg,  R.R.C.,  Vice-Chairman  of 
the  Association,  that  Princess  Christian,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Corporation,  was  unavoidably  pre- 
vented by  medical  advice  from  being  present. 
She  then,  by  command  of  Her  Royal  Highness, 
read  the  following  letter  : — 

To  THE  Members  of  the  Royal  British 
Nurses'  Association  and  the  organized 
Societies  of  Nurses  affiliated  to  it. 

It  is  a  very  great  disappointment  to  me  that 
circumstances  over  which  I  have  no  control 
should  have  arisen  to  prevent  my  presiding  at 
your  Conference  to-day,  a  pleasure  I  had  so 
much  looked  forward  to.  I  had  particularly 
wished  to  be  with  you  all  to-day,  because  I 
feel  that  the  subjects  before  the  Conference  are 
of  such  real  importance  to  each  one  of  you, 
and  that  such  a  Conference  must  have  a  very 
far-reaching  influence  indeed  on  the  develop- 
ment of  the  profession  of  nursing.  That  pro- 
fession has  now  reached  that  stage,  and  /  con- 
gratulate you  on  this,  when  help  from  outside 
its  ranks  can  avail  you  little.     If  your  profession 


is  to  go  forward,  and  hold  its  own  amongst 
the  foremost  of  those  open  to  women,  if  the 
remuneration  paid  to  our  nurses  is  to  be  more 
in  line  with  the  magnificent  services  rendered 
by  them  to  our  Empire  and  the  State,  if  we 
are  to  attain  to  the  goal  for  which  we  are 
striving,  viz..  State  Registration  of  Trained 
Nurses,  on  lines  just  to  the  interests  of  the 
Nurses  and  public  alike,  I  am  convinced  that 
the  effort  must  come  from  the  ranks  of  the 
profession  itself. 

May  I  therefore  appeal  to  you  all  to  decide 
that  the  burden  of  organizing  your  profession, 
of  protecting  and  promoting  your  interests, 
shall  not  be  laid  on  the  shoulders  of  the  few, 
but  that  you  will  individually  realize  the  powers 
you  possess,  and  take,  a  real  active  part,  each 
one  of  you,  in  the  management  of  the  affairs 
of  your  profession.  I  feel  this  very  strongly, 
and  have  done  so  for  a  long  time. 

May  I  take  this  opportunity  of  reminding 
you  how  much  you  can  help  by  influencing 
your  fellow  nurses  to  join  my  Association,  or 
one  of  the  organized  societies  of  nurses 
affiliated  to  it. 

By  combining  in  this  way,  and  yourselves 
helping  to  bring  the  force  of  numbers  behind 
your  Royal  Charter,  and  the  powers  which  it 
gives  you,  there  is  nothing  within  reason  that 
Nurses  could  not  attain  to  for  themselves  and 
their  great  profession. 

It  is  my  deep  and  warm  interest  in  Nurses 
and  the  nursing  profession  which  has  prompted 
me  to  write  these  lines  and  to  speak  thus 
frankly. 

I  send  you  all  my  very  best  wishes  for  a  most 
successful  Conference. 

Helena, 
Princess  Christian, 
Princess  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland, 
President  of  the 
Royal  British  Nurses'  Association. 

Miss  Heather-Blgg  said  that  before  proceed- 
ing to  the  business  of  the  Conference,  she  felt 
sure  the  members  would  wish  to  send  a  message 
in  reply  to  Her  Royal  Highness'  letter.     She 


November  r6, 1918        j^^c  Britlsl)  Soumal  Of  TRutetno. 


301 


then   proposed    from   the   chair   the   foUowingf 
Resolution  : — 

Resolution. 

"  That  the  members  of  the  Royal  British 
Nurses'  Association  and  the  organized 
Societies  of  Nurses  affiliated  to  it  desire  to 
express  to  Her  Royal  Highness  the  Princess 
Christian  their  sorrow  on  learning  that  she  is 
unable  to  preside  at  their  Conference,  and  their 
sincere  hope  that  she  may  speedily  recover. 
Also  they  wish  to  convey  to  Her  Royal  High- 
ness assurances  of  their  loyalty  and  their  deep 
sense  of  gratitude  for  the  support  which,  as 
President  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion, she  has  given  to  them  in  their  efforts  to 
organize  the  nursing  profession  on  lines  which 
are  just  to  the  liberties  of  the  Nurses." 

This  was  carried  by  acclamation, 

THE     ECONOMIC     POSITION     OF     THE 

TRAINED    NURSE. 

Miss  Heather- Bigg  then  called  on  Miss  Helen 
Pearse  to  present  the  first  paper. 

THE     PROFESSION    MUST     BE     SELF- 
SUPPORTINQ. 

Miss  Pearse  said  that  the  trained  nurse  of  to-day 
is  the  sufferer  from  the  "  vocation  "  of  trained 
nursf  s  of  thirty  years  ago  ;  at  that  time  there  were 
very  few  openings  for  the  employment  of  educated 
women,  and  a  woman  who  entered  a  hospital  for 
training  took  no  thought  of  proper  remuneration 
for  her  work.  She  was  supposed  to  be  above 
such  sordid  ideas,  and  she  therefore  saddled  her 
On-coming  .sisters  with  many  struggles,  and,  to 
the  hospital  authorities  she  gave  a  chance  to  run 
the   institution   on   cheap  labour. 

The  result  of  this  self-sacrifice  was  that  her 
attempts  since  then  to  make  her  profession  self- 
supporting  had  been  (until  the  last  year  or  two) 
systematically  opposed  by  various  authorities, 
the  work  of  which  had  been  to  train  nurses. 

The  speaker  then'  pointed  out  that  had  the 
efforts  of  pioneers  to  obtain  the  State  recognition 
of  their  profession,  as  advocated  by  Mrs.  Bedford 
Fenwick  been  attained,  we  should  not  have  had 
the  present  wretched  economic  position  of  nurses. 

The  nurse  was  handicapped  throughout  her 
career  by  the  late  period  at  which  her  training 
began,  and  the  one-sided  contract  which  she  was 
asked  to  sign,  in  which  the  safeguards  were  on 
the  side  of  the  hospital. 

She  then  discussed  the  nurse's  chance  of  making 
a  fortune,  when  fully  trained,  in  private  nursing, 
district  nursing,  or  public  health  work,  and  from 
the  tatistics  which  she  gave  the  likelihood 
ssemed  remote. 

Referring  to  Public  Health  Work  Miss  Pearst 
said  that  if  the  traited  nurse  is  to  obtain  a  position 
of  ro^ponsib'lity  in  health  work  she  must  be  given 
a  bett' r  economic  position,  and  her  long  and  caief  al 
training  must  be  given  its  proper  value. 

Poor  salaries  made  poor  nurses — ^poor,  because 


unable  to  give  themselves  good  lodgings,  food,  or 
holidays,  so  essential  to  aiiyone's  growth  in  use- 
fulness. 

The  profession  must  be.selt-supportinp,  and  be 
given  a  chance  to  make  provision  for  eaily  retire- 
ment, for  one  of  the  disabilities  of  nursing  was 
the  comparatively  early  age  at  which  members 
of  the  piofession  were  "  too  old  "  foi  further  use. 

If  the  earning  life  was  so  short,  so  much  the 
more  should  .t  be  well  paid,  and  then  we  should 
be  independ  nt  of  appeals  in  the  streets,  and  on 
posters,  to  give  charity  to  the  poor  nurses  ;  that 
was  not  the  way  to  repay  them  for  their  sacri- 
fice-,,  yea,  even  to  the  death,  in  the  cause  of  freedom. 

Let  people  learn  to  value  the  trained  nurse  for 
her  devotion  to  dut>,  her  carefully  acquired  skill, 
and  her  conscientious  work,  and  f^ive  her  a  just 
remuneration  while  she  could  make  use  of  it. 
rather  than  please  themselves  by  eyploiting  her 
dependent  economic  position.     (Applause.) 

THE     HOSPITAL    SISTER. 

Miss  Jentie  Paterson  dealt  specially  with  the 
hospital  sister,  viewed  from  an  economic  stand- 
point. She  pointed  out  that  hospital  authorities 
realize  that  the  nurses  they  appoint  as  Sisters 
should  have  special  qualifications  but  there  was 
no  evidence  that  they  were  prepared  to  pay  for 
such  qualifications  ;  in  fact,  the  remuneration 
specified  in  advertisement  columns  was  often  less 
than  that  offered  for  domestic  servants.  To  fill 
the  post  of  Sister  the  authorities  aimed  at  choosing 
one  whom,  by  reason  of  education  and  manners 
they  termed  a  lady,  who  would  prove  herself 
capable  of  performing  nursing  duties  in  the  most 
efficient  and  advanced  manner,  who  would  be 
capable  of  and  interested  in  the  training  of  pro- 
bationers, realizing  that  their  future  greatly 
depended  on  her  activities,  and  that  the  prestige 
of  the  hospital  as  a  nursing  centre  and  a  training- 
school  was  in  her  hands. 

The  medical  staff  expected  to  find  in  charge  of 
their  wards  a  woman  to  whom  they  could  safely 
depute  the  duty  of  carrying  out  their  directions, 
to  whose  discretion  they  could  entrust  the  more 
responsible  duty  of  modifying  treatment  should 
the  occasion  arise  ;  they  relied  on  her  to  observe 
and  report  on  their  cases,  and,  often,  to  help 
them  when  engaged  in  research  work.  The 
surgeon,  when  he  had  proved  his  Theatre  Sister, 
relied  on  her  entirely.  The  Sisters'  responsibilities 
involved  life  and  death,  and  the  pittance  they 
received  in  this  country  foi  the  forethought, 
tact,  and  work  involved  in  running  one  hospital 
department  for  a  day,  worked  out  at  ^^40  a  year 
— the  average  Sister's  salarv — at  2s.  2jd.  a  day, 
or  at  ;£5o,  at  2s.  gd.  a  day.  True  she  got  board, 
lodging  and  uniform ;  domestic  servants  got 
the  two  former  though  not  always  the  latter. 
Over  ana  over  again  women  eminently  suited 
for  the  post  of  Sister  were  forced  by  economic 
reasons  to  resign  and  try  private  nursing.  On 
£40  you  could  not  save  for  old  age,  and  such  a 
post  was  only  comfortably  tenable  if  the  Sister 
possessed  some  private  means.  This  should  not 
be  so. 


303 


Zbc  Brltiab  Journal  of  l^ursino.       November  i6,  1918 


-      The;' Canker  at  the  Root, 

For  years  the  most  suitable ,  girls  had  passed 
over  nursing  in  their  choice  of  a  career.  Could 
we  wonder,  in  view  of  the  long  hours,  hard  wOrk, 
and  undefined  duties  and  standards  of  training  ? 
Hospital  governors  in  this  country  employed 
probationers  more  with  the  view  of  carrying  out 
the  nursing  of  the  sick  and  the.  working  of  the 
hospital,  than  with  the  aim  of  training  and  turning 
out  efficient  nurses.  The  canker  at  the  root  was 
the  exploitation  of  cheap  labour.  Economy  in 
running  public  institutions  was  an  admirable 
quality,  but,  when  it  was  replaced  by  meanness, 
the  outcome  was  shortage  of  labour  and  closed 
wajds  and  the  sick  directly  suffered. 

Seeing  Red. 

Miss  Pateison  declared  that  to  urge  that  nursing 
was  a  vocation  and  that,  therefore,  nurses  objected 
to  put  pressure  on  employers  for  better  conditions 
made  her  see  red.  She  had  no  patience  with 
those  who  claimed  that  musing  was  a  vocation 
and  not  a  profession.  Did  the  British  public 
expect  their  poor  to  be  nursed  on  the  cheap  by 
women  with  a  vocation  ?  If  a  hospital  could  not 
be  supported  by  its  subscriptions,  don't  let  it  be 
run  at  the  expense  of  the  nursing  staff. 

Hang  up  the  Halo  ! 

Let  us  hang  up  the  "  balo  "  and  realize  that 
the  aims  and  ideals  of  the  nurse  were  not  lowered 
because  she  was  working  for  her  living  and  fighting 
for  a  strong  economic  position.  Our  terribly  low 
economic  position  to-day  was  due  to  the  facts 
that  the  probationer  could  not  afford  to  risk  her 
certificate  nor  tht  Sister  her  post.  Moreova,  one 
had  V3ry  little  energy  left  to  rebel  after  twelve 
hours'  daily  work,  and  well  the  employers  knew  it. 
Any  sign  of  reform  (rebellion  it  was  called)  was 
quickly  squashed  by  the  Matrons,  who,  fearful 
of  their  own  positions,  had  missed  a  glorious 
chance  of  organizing  and  leading  their  nurses  out 
of  the  slave  market  into  the  purer  economic 
atmosphere  enjoyed  by  our  Colonial  and  American 
Nursing  Sisters. 

Matrons  Desert  Rank  and  File. 

There  were  exceptions,  splendid  ones,  said  Miss 
Paterson,  turning  to  the  ch?irman  (an  incident 
acclaimed  by  a  round  of  applause),  but  it  would 
be  a  long  time  before  we  could  forgive  those  who 
had  deserted  the  rank  and  file  in  their  fight  for 
better  conditions  and  gone  over  to  the  employers' 
side  during  the  present  crisis.  The  College  of 
Nursing  Company,  Ltd.,  were  the  employers. 
The  economic  position  of  the  hospital  Sister  would 
not  be  improved  by  them  ;  the  Company  was 
formed  when  they  saw  a  chance  of  the  nurses 
improving  their  position  at  their  employers' 
expense.  . 

Nothing  struck  the  Colonial  nurses  more  than 
our  lack  of  status.  Perhaps  the  hospital  Sister 
might  be  accorded  a  degree  more  than  the  private 
nurse,  but  we  had  all  suffered  from  the  patronage 


of  the  aristocratic  "  ward  visitor,"  who  tried  to 
run  our  ward  for  us  ;  from  the  untrained  Com- 
mandant, placed  by  virtue  of  her  bank  balance 
or  birth  over  the  trained  woman  working  for  a 
salary  ;  and  last,  but  not  least,  from  the  essccia- 
tion  of  women  who  plead  for  charity  on  our  behalf 
under  the  name  of  the  Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses. 
One  and  all,  we  were  exploited  and  patronised  to 
a  degree  the  Colonials  failed  to  understand. 

The  speaker  contrasted  the  salaries  of  Sisters 
in  this  country  with  those  in  our  Dominions. 
These  are,  in  New  Zealand,  for  Staff  Nurses  and 
Sisters  ;^50-;^ioo  (where  the  former  have  an  eight 
hours'  day  ;  in  Australia,  with  an  eight  hours 
day,  ;£50-/96.  Lately  they  have  been  under 
revision,  and,  at  the  Prince  Alfred  Hospital, 
Sydney,  Sisters'  salaries  now  range  from  ;^ioo- 
;^I20  ;  in  Canada  the  average  is  ;^i20-/i44,  in 
one  large  hospital  the  head  theatre  Sister  drawing 
;{i8o  and  all  founo. 

These  figures  might  make  us  gasp,  but  we  could 
do  more  than  gasp,  we  could  earn  the  same  by 
making  a  stand.  The  nurses  had  won  a  Royal 
Charter,  The  Conference  was  held  under  the 
auspices  of  the  only  nurses'  society  that  could 
use  the  word  Royal.  Possessing  the  Charter, 
let  them,  as  the  Americans  say,  "  get  busy  " — use 
it.  We  must  strengthen  the  nurses'  societies 
now  affiliated  under  the  Charter,  force  the  Nurses' 
(not  the  Employers')  Bill  for  St^te  Registration 
through  parliament,  set  up  an  independent 
Nursing  Council  to  arrange  our  profession  and 
settle  our  salaries.  Then,  and  not  till  then, 
could  we  hope  to  have  the  same  professional  and 
economic  status  as  the  nurses  of  the  Colonics  ; 
but  we  should  get  nothing  by  sitting  still  and 
letting  employers  of  nurses  arrange  our  affairs, 
rather  we  should  soon  lose  the  little  we  already 
have. 

Miss  Paterson  concluded  by  saying  that  as  a 
probationer  she  fought,  ps  a  Sister  she  fought, 
and  she  intended  to  go  on  fighting  until  we  attain 
our  goal,     (Applause.) 

THE     PRIVATE     NURSE. 

Mrs.  Ernest  Collins,  who  spoke  from  the  stand- 
point of  the  private  nurse,  said  that  if  the  scale 
of  salaries  in  institutions  was  what  it  ought  to 
be  there  would  not  be  overcrowding  in  the  ranks 
of  private  nurses,  and,  consequently,  there  would 
be  less  competition  and  fewer  of  the  long  and 
expensive  intervals  of  waiting  between  cases 
which  made  private  nursing  woik  anything  but 
the  pathway  to  affluence  which  so  many  people 
believed  it  to  be. 

She  thought  a  great  deal  could  be  done  to  im- 
prove the  prospects  of  private  nurses  if  they  would 
loyally  stand  by  one  another.  The  experience 
of  most  private  nurses  was  that  there  was  no 
cohesion  to  strengthen  their  position.  Each 
nurse  was  more  or  less  a  law  to  herself,  and  faf 
too  often  nurses  had  to  accept  conditions  as  to 
hours  on  duty,  the  fees  charged  for  their  services, 
&c.,  simply  because  the  nurse  first  put  in  chaige 
of  the  case  had  established  certain  precedents. 


November  16, 1918       jifyc  Brlttsb  Soumal  of  "Rursmg. 


303 


By  a  little  more  co-operation  they  might  get  more 
definite  regulations  established  in  private  niusing 
practice  generally.  Of  course,  well  managed 
private  nursing  staffs  had  definite  regulations 
which  were  communicated  to  the  patient,  but 
her  experience  was  that  there  was  much  too 
great  a  tendency  to  regard  these  as  quite  elastic. 
She  thought  certain  aspects  in  the  present 
position  of  affairs  in  the  nursing  world  affected 
the  economic  position  of  the  private  nurse  very 
seriously  indeed.     (Applause.) 

Competition  from  the  V.A.P.s. 

First  there  was  possible  competition  from  the 
V.A.D.s.  She  alluded  to  this  in  no  spirit  of 
criticism,  but  asserted  that  professionally,  the 
V.A.D.  could  not  claim  to  be  on  a  footing  with 
those  who  had  undergone  years  of  strenuous 
training  to  qualify  themselves  for  all  branches 
of  general  nursing  work.  We  had  already  heard 
of  cases  where  she  had  come  into  the  field  to 
undersell  the  fully  trained  and  qualified  nurse. 
She  had  no  wish  to  appear  "  dog  in  the  manger- 
ish  "  in  raising  this  point,  but  it  was  a  very  serious 
menace  to  the  private  nurse,  and  must  be  recog- 
nised and  discussed.  To  her  it  always  appeared 
the  strangest  thing  that,  though  nurses  seemed 
to  be  alive  to  the  competition  they  might  look 
for  from  the  V.A.D-s,  many  of  them  were  ready 
to  turn  to  the  V.A.D.  chairman  when  he  "offered 
to  organize  •them.  By  what  strange  logic  they 
made  their  selection  of  a  leader  she  was  unable 
to  explain,  but  she  had  never  yet  met  a  nuise 
who  had  read  the  Memorandum  and  Articles  of 
Association  or  the  Registration  Bill  promoted  by 
the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.  The  leader  they  had 
chosen  might  be  quite  an  amiable  gentleman,  but 
he  was  neither  a  doctor  nor  a  trained  nurse,  and 
did  not  understand  the  position  of  the  working 
nurses,  neither  did  his  advisers.  The  only  means 
by  which  trained  nurses  could  protect  themselves 
from  the  partially  qualified  was  through  a  one 
portal  system  of  State  Registration. 

Anotiaer  development  which  she  regarded  a.y. 
serious  for  private  nurses  was  the  establishment 
of  the  so-called  Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses.  It 
was  not  a  National  Fund,  but  a  Fund  to  develop 
one  particular  organization,  and  that  the  newest 
and  most  untried  of  all— ^-a  Limited  Liability  Com- 
pany representative  of  the  employers  of  nurse.s 
and  their  officials. 

She  would  not  deal  mth  the  appeal, as  it  affected 
our  honourable  and  independent  position  in  the 
community,  to  see  the  streets  lined  with  posters 
begging  for  us.  Would  the  medical  profession 
ever  submit  to  have  their  benevolent  fundr, 
financed  by  such  methods.  They  were  bound  t*^ 
undermine  our  status.  Moreover,  wherever  you 
got  a  body  of  workers  provided  for  by  any  national 
charity  on  a  large  scale  you  were  bound  to  have , 
depreciation  in  the  scale  of  salaries  of  the  workers. 
Already  she  knew  of  two  cases  in  which  the  public 
said  they  approved  of  a  national  appeal  for  the 
nurses  because  they  would  require  smaller  fees 
in  the  future. 


Nation's  Fund  a  Double  Appeal. 

This  aspect  was  the  more  dangerous  because  the 
appeal  of  the  Nation's  Fund  was  a  double  one, 
and  there  was  no  indication  as  to  what  propoition 
of  the  money  collected  was  to  be  used  for  bene- 
volence, and  what  for  equipment,  buildings,  and 
travelling  expenses  for  the  College  of  Nut  sing, 
Ltd.  She  was  not  against  benevolent  funds  for 
nurses,  but  she  considered  when  any  appeal  for 
benevolence  was  launched  its  precise  purposes 
should  be  clearly  stated,  it  should  be  strictly 
limited  to  the  probable  needs  of  the  profession, 
and  it  should  be  promoted  with  some  degree  of 
dignified  reserve  ;  otherwise  it  was  bound  to 
have  an  effect  upon  the  economic  position  and 
status  of  the  independent  working  nurses. 

Private  Nursing  and  the  Hospital  Schools. 

Another  difficulty  nurses  must  be  alive  to  was 
the  growing  tendency  of  hospitals  to  organize 
private  nuising  staffs  of  their  own — ■&  more  serious 
thing  than  many  people  realized.  There  was  not 
the  slightest  doubt  that  a  very  large  proportion 
of  private  nursing  practice  would  become  more 
and  more  the  monopoly  of  the  hospital  schools^ 
and  the  sooner  the  nurses  woke  up  to  these  dangers 
and  came  together  to  protect  their  own  profes- 
sional interests  the  better  it  would  be  for  them. 
Unless  private  nurses  took  a  very  active  interest 
in  their  own  professional  affairs  there  were  serious 
times  before  them.  She  would  like  to  see  some 
informal  conferences  between  private  nurses 
arranged  by  the  Association,  and  some  scheme 
evolved  whereby  their  interests  and  independent 
practice  might  be  more  protected.  They  should 
combine  and  use  their  Charter,  use  their  organized 
societies,  use  their  professional  press,  and  use  their 
own  brain?  to  protect  their  own  interests. 
(Applause.) 

DISCUSSION. 

The  Chairm.an  then  invited  discussion,  when 
Miss  Beatrice  Kent  inquired  why  the  nurses  were 
so  full  of  fear.  The  rank-and-fle  were  afraid  of 
the  Matrons,  and  the  majority  of  the  Matrons 
afraid  of  their  committees. 

Nurses  had  been  coerced  into  joining-  the  College 
by  Matrons,  who  handed  them  their  certificates 
with  one  hand  and  an  application  form  for  mem- 
bership of  the  College  with  the  other,  and  the 
nurses  were  afraid  of  losing  posts  if  they  did  not 
accede.  Why  this  lack  of  courage?  The  President, 
Princess  Christian,  had  told  them,  in  her  letter  read 
by  the  Chairman,  that  there  was  nothing  within 
reason  which  nurses  could  not  attain  to,  for  them- 
selves and  their  great  profession. 

An  Epidemic  of  Fear. 

The  epidemic  of  fear  was  spreading  at  a  most 
alarming  rate.  It  vitiated  character  and  stultified 
ideals.  They  must  stand  for  higher  educational 
standards  and  a  higher  appreciation  of  corporate 
responsibility.  She  appealed  to  those  who  were  not 
members  of  the  Association  to  join  it  forthwith. 
Was  it  right  to  let  a  small  group  of  their  colleagues 


304 


ITbc  Britteb  3ournal  of  flursina.       November  i6,  1918 


work  year  in,   year  out,   while  they  stood  aside, 
whether  from  apathy  or  craven  fear  ? 

Mrs.  Glover  said  one  reason  why  nurses  were 
afraid  was  that  they  feared  they  would  not  get 
testimonials  if  they  did  not  conform  to  the  wishes 
of  the  Matrons. 

Mr  .  Bedford  Fenwick  pointed  out  that  it  was 
the  nurses'  own  fault  that  their  economic  condi- 
tions were  so  unsatisfactory.  They  had  had  a 
Royal  Charter  since  1893  and  had  made  very  little 
use  of  it.  She  supported  the  contention  of  the 
previous  speakers  that  they  must  co-operate  if 
they  hoped  to  manage  their  own  affairs  and  raise 
their  status.  Nurses  needed  a  wider  outlook ; 
in  the  past  they  had  been  too  genteel  for  a  trade 
union,  and  had  not  shown  sufficient  courage  for 
a  strong  piofessional  union.  They  should  make 
it  impossible  for  their  employers  to  intimidate 
them.  She  advised  the  nurses  to  go  away  from 
the  Conference  and  rebel  ag?inst  wrong. 
SOME    PHASES    OF    MODERN     NURSING. 

The  second  part  of  the  Afternoon  Session  was 
devoted  to  the  consideration  of  "  Some  Phases  of 
Modern  Nursing,"  dealt  with  by  Miss  Marsters, 
Miss  Sinzininex,  A.R.R.C,  and  Miss  K.  Atherton 
It  is  proposed  to  report  this  next  week,  and  to 
devote  the  rest  of  the  available  space  to  the  Evening 
Session. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  Session  tea  was  served, 
and  a  very  enjoyable  half-hour  spent. 

EVENING    SESSION. 
THE   REGISTRATION  BILLS. 

The  Differences  between  the  Two  Nurses' 
Registration  Bills,  and  Why  the  Royal  British 
Nurses'  Association  does  not  agree  with  the 
Bill  of  the  College  of  Nursing,   Ltd. 

At  the  Evening  Session  the  chair  was  taken  by 
Mr.  Herbert  J.  Paterson,  F.R.C.S.,  Medical  Hon. 
Secretary,  Royal  British  Nurses'  Association,  and 
Hon.  Treasurer  of  the  Central  Committee  for  the 
State  Registration  of  Trained  Nurses,  and  there 
was  a  crowded  meeting  of  Matrons  and  nurses. 
The  following  members  of  the  Council  of  the 
College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  were  present: — Pro- 
fessor Glaister,  Miss  Sidney  Browne,  Miss  Lloyd 
Still,  Miss  Hogg,  Miss  Cox-Davies,  and  Miss 
Barton,  Miss  Rundle,  and  Miss  Cowlin,  Secre- 
taries. 

The  Chairman  said  that  in  the  afternoon  they  had 
considered  the  economic  position  of  the  trained 
nurse.  This  was  closely  bound  up  with  a  just 
Registration  Bill,  and  a  subject  on  which  much 
light  was  needed.  He  hoped  there  would  be  a 
good  discussion. 

The  first  speaker  was  Lieut. -Colonel  Goodall, 
M.D.,  Hon.  Medical  Secretary  of  the  Central  Com- 
mittee, who  began  by  saying  that  they  might 
wonder  why  a  man  should  address  a  meeting  con- 
cerned chiefly  with  women's  affairs.  But  the  pro- 
fessions of  Medicine  and  Nursing  were  intimately 
bound  up.  He  would  leave  Mrs.  Fenwick  to  deal 
with  the  Memorandum  and  Articles  of  Association 
of  the  College,  as  she  was  more  thoroughly 
acquainted  w'th  them  than  he  was. 


In  a  lucid  and  logical  speech  Colonel  Goodall 
then  explained  why  any  Act  for  the  Registration  of 
Nurses  must  concern  the  Medical  Profession,  and 
said  that  the  British  Medical  Association,  which 
included  half  the  med'cal  practitioners  in  the 
country,  had  taken  great  interest  in  the  Bill,  and 
from  the  beginning  had  furthered  endeavours  to 
get  an  Act  of  Parliament. 

Differences  in  Bills. 

Contrasting  the  two  Bills  Colonel  Goodall  ex- 
plained that  the  Central  Committee's  Bill  had  been 
in  existence  for  nine  years,  and  was  promoted  con- 
jointly by  a  number  of  Societies.  Previous  to  1910 
there  had  been  two  or  three  Bills  before  Parliament, 
and  the  supporters  of  Registration  were  faced  by 
the  position  that  the  authorities  were  of  opinion 
that  they  should  decide  which  Bill  they  wished  to 
have.  Consequently  the  Central  Committee  was 
formed,  a  lot  of  trouble  was  taken,  delegates  from 
England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland  met  in  confer- 
ence and  adopted  a  Bill,  which  had  been  varied 
from  time  to  time  to  meet  the  varying  situation. 

At  a  later  date  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  was 
formed.  In  the  first  instance  it  was  not  eager  to 
promote  State  Registration,  but  when  it  found  it 
would  get  no  large  support  unless  it  did  so,  it  pro- 
moted a  Bill.  Communications  had  taken  place 
between  the  Central  Committee  and  the  Council 
of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  in  an  endeavour 
to  get  a  joint  Bill,  but  these  negotiafions  had  not 
led  to  agreement. 

There  were  several  Important  points  to  which  the 
Central  Committee  took  exception,  the  first  being 
that  the  College  of  Nursing  made  provision  that 
the  College,  without  the  word  "  limited,"  should 
be  included  in  the  Bill.  The  College  was  a  limited 
liability  company,  and  it  might  be  very  desirable 
for  it  to  drop  the  word  "  limited,"  but  there  were 
other  ways  by  which  this  might  be  effected.  The 
Central  Committee  objected  to  its  being  dealt  with 
in  the  way  proposed.  The  General  Nursing  Council 
set  up  under  the  Act  was  to  administer  it,  and 
it  was  undesirable  that  any  other  body  should  be 
included.  The  General  Medical  Council  might  as 
well  have  incorporated  the  College  of  Physicians. 
There  was  no  reason  why  any  particular  body 
should  be  mentioned  in  the  Bill.  He  did  not  know 
why  the  College  wished  to  be  put  in.  If  they 
joined  with  the  Central  Committee  and  supported 
its  Bill  they  would  have  no  difficulty  in  getting  rid 
of  the  word  "limited."  The  Central  Committee 
recognized  the  useful  function  of  the  College  as  an 
educational  body. 

In  regard  to  the  incorporation  of  the  Memoran- 
dum and  Articles  of  Association  in  the  Bill,  the 
Central  Committee  most  strenuously  objected.  It 
was  not  in  the  interest  of  the  nurses.  If  the 
College  was  recognized  in  the  Bill  and  received 
the  approval  of  Parliament  the  Memorandum 
would  have  the  force  of  an  Act  o^  Parliament 
behind  it. 

Colonel  Goodall  then  dealt  with  the  setting  up  of 
the  General  Nursing  Council. 

Under  the  Central  Committee's  Bill  the  First 
General    Nursing    Council    was    differently    con- 


November  i6,  1918 


CTbe  36rtti9b  3ournal  of  IRurginfl. 


305 


stituted  to  subsequent  Councils,  and  it  was  charged 
with  the  most  important  duty  of  framing  the  Rules 
and  Regulations  which  the  nurses  would  have  to 
obey.  The  College  of  Nursing  had  a  different 
arrangement.  It  proposed  to  appoint  certain 
persons  to  form  a  Provisional  Council,  and  that 
they  should  forthwith  prepare  and  present  to  the 
Privy  Council  the  Rules  to  be  made  for  setting  up 
the  General  Nursing  Council.  The  Central  Com- 
mittee thought  that  would  be  done  in  too  much  of 
a  hurry.  The  Electorate  in  that  case  would  be 
formed  of  members  of  the  College.  There  should 
be  a  longer  time  from  the  setting  up  of  the  First 
Council  for  the  formation  of  the  Register. 

In  regard  to  Supplementary  Registers  the  Cen- 
tral Committee  only  provided  for  those  of  male  and 
mental  nurses.  How  many  the  College  proposed 
to  set  up  was  not  known.  But  the  provision  in  the 
College  Bill  in  regard  to  such  registers  was  a  blow 
against  the  one-f)ortal  system,  which  was  the  chief 
point  of  the  Central  Committee's  Bill.  Supple- 
mentary Registers  opened  back  doors  and  side 
doors  to  the  nursing  profession.     (Applause.) 

These  were  points  which  would  very  seriously 
affect  the  working  of  the  Act.  The  Central  Com- 
mittee wanted  the  registered  nurses  to  have  control 
of  their  own  affairs. 

The  Chairman  then  called  on  Mrs.  Bedford 
Fenwick  to  address  the  meeting. 

MRS.     FENWICK'S     EIGHT     POINTS. 

Mrs.  Bedford  Fenwick  said  Colonel  Goodall 
suggested  that  she  should  refer  to  the  Memorandum 
and  Articles  of  Association  of  the  College  of 
Nursing,  Ltd. 

Briefly  in  1905  a  scheme  for  Promoting  the 
Higher  Education  and  Training  of  Nurses  was 
launched  by  the  officials  of  Guy's  Hospital,  and  an 
application  made  for  its  incorporation  by  the  Board 
of  Trade  without  the  word  "  Limited."  This 
scheme  included  clauses  for  the  registration  of 
nurses,  and  was  opposed  by  the  British  Medical 
Association,  and  the  Roj'al  British  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion, and  the  Society  for  State  Registration  (which 
had  Nurses'  Registration  Bills  before  Parliament), 
and  other  organized  societies  of  nurses  in  England, 
Scotland,  and  Ireland.  Indeed,  when  the  objectors 
appeared  before  the  Board  of  Trade  the  pile  of 
documents  in  opposition  were  over  a  foot  high. 

The  application  was  not  granted,  but  its  con- 
sideration deferred  "  until  the  Bills  now  before 
Parliament  for  the  Registration  of  Nurses  have 
been  disposed  of."  No  more  was  heard  of  the 
project  until  1915,  when  the  scheme  for  the  pro- 
motion of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  was  pro- 
posed by  the  Chairman  of  the  Red  Cross  Society, 
upon  the  suggestion  of  the  same  people,  notably 
Sir  Cooper  Perry,  Medical  Superintendent,  and 
Miss  Swift,  late  Matron  Guy's  Hospital.  Com- 
parison of  the  two  Constitutions  showed  that  they 
were  almost  identical. 

This  scheme  in  19 15  for  the  control  of  the 
nursing  profession  was  not  addressed  to  it,  but  to 
the  Chairmen  and  Governors  of  hospitals,  and  to 
Poor  Law  Guardians,  and  one  of  its  proposals  was 
the  formation  of  a  Consultative  Board,  representa- 


tive of  the  interests  of  employers,  which,  if  everyone 
invited  had  responded  to  the  invitation,  might  have 
consisted  of  some  2,000  lay  persons. 

The  proposition  was  that  Registration  of  Nurses 
should  be  carried  out  by  a  voluntary  body,  and  it 
was  astounding  that  such  a  recommendation,  sub- 
stituting a  voluntary  scheme  for  legal  status, 
should  have  been  supported  by  professional  men 
and  women.  During  the  many  years  in  which 
independent  trained  nurses  had  been  advocating 
and  working  for  State  Registration  in  this  country, 
many  of  our  overseas  Dominion  Governments  had 
effected  such  legislation,  and  by  1915  forty-two 
States  in  America  had  passed  Nurses'  Registration 
Acts.  We  in  this  country  had  been  working  and 
paying  for  this  reform  for  twenty  years,  and  it  was 
an  outrage  to  the  intelligence  of  the  trained  nurses 
in  this  country  to  attempt  to  offer  them  a  voluntary 
instead  of  a  legal  system  of  registration. 

When,  however,  the  promoters  of  the  College 
found  that  they  wxjuld  get  little  support  unless  they 
advocated  State  Registration,  they  adopted  that 
principle,  and  had  these  anti-registrationists  been 
really  converted  to  the  principle,  and  desirous  of 
supporting  self-government  for  nurses,  they  would 
have  approached  the  Central  Committee,  which 
had  already  drafted  a  Bill,  upon  which  much  con- 
scientious expert  thought  had  been  exj>ended,  but 
they  did  no  such  thing,  but  themselves  drafted  a 
Bill — a  mere  skeleton  of  legislation,  an  action 
lacking  both  in  courtesy  and  consideration  towards 
the  organized  members  of  the  nursing  profession ; 
since  which  time  there  had  been  seven  successive 
drafts  of  that  ineffective  Bill,  in  which  principles 
of  good  government  inserted  in  one  had  been 
eliminated  from  the  next ! 

There  were  certain  fundamental  principles  for 
which  the  Central  Committee  stood  firm  through- 
out subsequent  negotiations,  and  which  we  still 
demanded  should  be  incorporated  in  any  Bill  to 
which  we  could  give  our  support. 

The  Eight  Points. 

Mrs.  Fenwick  said  we  had  heard  a  great  deal 
lately  of  the  fourteen  points.  There  were  eight 
points  in  connection  with  the  differences  in  the  two 
Bills  drafted  by  the  Central  Committee  and  the 
College,  to  which  she  wished  to  briefly  allude. 

An  Independent  Governing  Body. 

I.  The  incorporation  of  a  lay  Company  (the 
College  of  Nursing),  as  proposed  in  its  Bill.  Inde- 
fXindence  of  outside  influence,  in  any  Statutory 
Authority  set  up  by  Parliament  to  govern  the 
nursing  profession,  was  essential.  The  medical 
colleges  were  not  incorporated  in  the  Medical 
Acts  which  provided  for  the  Registration  of 
memibers  of  the  medical  profession,  nor  did  these 
Colleges  attempt  to  enforce  discipline,  or  define 
educational  standards,  throughout  the  medical  pro- 
fession. That  was  the  function  of  the  General 
Medical  Council — an  independent  Governing  Body. 
Again  the  great  public  voice  of  the  medical  pro- 
fession was  expressed  through  the  British  Medical 
.\ssociation.  The  nurses  could  not  do  better  than 
follow  the  policy  of  the  inter-dependent  profession 


3o6 


(Tbe  »rttt0b  3ournal  of  Burelnc. 


November  i6,  1918 


of  medicine,  and  the  Bill  of  the  Central  Committee 
accordingly  provided  for  an  Independent  (k)vern- 
ing  Body.  (Applause.)  It  was  a  very  dangerous 
provision  that  the  Constitution  of  the  College 
should  be  incorporated  in  the  Bill.  The  College 
Constitution,  as  defined  in  its  Memorandum  and 
Articles  of  Association,  was  a  very  drastic  one,  and 
had  been  turned  down  by  a  concensus  of  medical 
and  nursing  opinion  in  1905.  The  powers  over 
nurses  claimed  by  the  College  and  incorporated  in 
its  Constitution  proved  that  those  who  drafted  it 
were  not  fit  to  govern  the  nursing  profession.  It 
not  only  took  power  for  the  Council  to  remove  a 
nurse's  name  from  the  register  without  power  of 
appeal — (Shame) — but  whilst  posing  as  a  Col- 
legiate Body  had  actually  taken  power  not  to  grant 
Diplomas  I  So  terrified  were  the  promoters  of  this 
scheme  of  giving  nurses  honourable  professional 
status  that  they  had  actually  taken  power  to  stultify 
their  educational  pretensions ! 

The  Danger  of  Supplementary  Registers. 

2.  The  College  had  widely  advertised  its  adoption 
of  the  principle  of  the  One  Portal  system,  or  entry 
by  equal  training  and  examination  to  the  General 
Register ;  while  in  recent  drafts  of  its  Bill  it  had 
made  provision  to  institute  as  many  Supplemen- 
tary Registers  (presumably  of  specialists)  as  it 
chose,  thus  opening  many  doors  to  semi-trained 
persons,  a  back  stairs  cut  to  registration  which 
would  inevitably  depreciate  the  General  Register, 
and  greatly  confuse  the  public. 

Moreover,  these  Supplementary  Registers  con- 
stituted a  grave  injustice  to  the  women  who  would 
be  registered  as  specialists,  and  had  been  instituted 
to  placate  institutions,  such  as  children's  hospitals, 
fever  hospitals,  &c.  Nurses  so  trained  had  been 
excluded  from  membership  of  the  Nursing  Services 
of  the  Crown  during  the  war,  and  could  only  nurse 
our  sick  and  wounded  in  a  subsidiary  position, 
usually  under  an  untrained  Commandant.  (Shame.) 
These  Supplementary  Registers  were  a  sop  to 
cheap  labour.  What  right  had  the  College  to 
induce  nurses  to  join  its  ranks  upon  the  distinct 
provision  that  it  stood  for  the  One  Portal  system, 
and  then  to  open  the  door  to  inefficient  and 
partially  trained  nurses,  who  might  include 
V.A.D.'s? 

The  Central  Committee's  Bill  provided  for  a 
statesmanlike  system  of  reciprocity  of  training,  so 
that  special  clinical  experience  could  be  included  in 
varied  curricula. 

Preferential  Treatment  on  the  First  Register. 

3.  The  College  Bill  provided  for  the  inclusion  of 
all  nurses  on  its  Register  on  the  State  Register, 
without  discrimination  or  further  fee.  This  pledge 
had  been  made  to  its  nurse  members  by  the  College 
Council.  It  had  no  right  to  make  such  a  promise, 
and  no  power  to  enforce  it.  It  was  pledging  Par- 
liament on  a  financial  arrangement — what  the 
registration  fee  should  be — a  right  on  which  the 
House  of  Commons  was  exceedingly  tenacious.  It 
had  recently  snubbed  the  House  of  Lords  and  held 
up  the  Mid  wives  Act  Amendment  Bill  on  a  much 

Jess  serious  violation  of  its  fin.inrial  supremacy. 


But  why  were  nurses  registered  Qy  the  College 
Company  to  have  precedence  of  those  on  the 
Register  of  the  Royal  Chartered  Corporation — or 
on  any  other  list  of  nurses  ?  Nothing'fould  be  more 
unjust.  The  College  was  attempting  to  make  a 
corner  of  registration  for  those  nurses  who  had 
paid  it  a  guinea. 

The  Central  Committee's  Bill  provided  for  a 
three  years'  term  of  grace,  during  which  time  all 
nurses  would  have  the  right  to  register,  under 
certain  defined  conditions;  and  it  was  not  likf^ly 
that  Parliament  would  permit  preferential  treat- 
ment for  a  few  nurses  to  the  detriment  of  those 
who  objected  to  the  College  Constitution  and 
declined  to  subscribe  to  it. 

Number  of  General  Nursing  Council  must  be 
Defined. 

4.  Then  in  the  Constitution  of  the  General  Nurs- 
ing Council  the  numbers  of  the  nominees  of  the 
various  bodies  it  was  proposed  should  be  repre- 
sented were  not  defined.  The  number  should  be 
stated  in  each  case.  This  was  done  in  the  Ceptral 
Committee's  Bill. 

Immediate  Dissolution  of  Provisional  Council. 

5.  Provision  was  made  in  the  College  Bill  for  the 
dissolution  "  forthwith  "  of  the  Provisional  Council 
set  up  under  the  Act,  on  which  the  trained  nurses' 
societies  were  represented,  immediately  it  had  pre- 
pared for  the  Privy  Council  the  Rules  regulating 
the  Constitution  of  the  General  Nursing  Council, 
so  that  all  the  Provisional  Council  had  to  do  was 
to  commit  suicide.  It  would  have  no  time  to  make 
the  Rules  and  Regulations  to  which  the  nurses  had 
to  conform,  or  in  which  to  establish  an  independent 
constituency  of  registered  nurses  to  elect  the 
Council  empowered  with  this  responsibility.  The 
scheme  was  to  adopt  the  College  Register,  and 
forthwith  constitute  its  members  the  electorate 
for  the  whole  Nursing  Profession.  To  this 
suggestion  the  Central  Committee  took  strong 
exception.  Under  the  Central  Committee's  Bill 
the  First  Council  would  have  a  two  years'  term  of 
office,  as  it  would  take  quite  that  time  to  frame 
Rules  and  form  a  representative  and  independent 
electorate. 

No  Control  by  Nurse-Training  Schools. 

6.  It  was  difficult  to  imagine  that  any  body  of 
British  people  would  deliberately  define  such  a 
system  as  that  incorporated  in  the  College  Bill,  but 
we  were  not  concerned  with  motives,  but  with  the 
letter  of  the  law.  We  claimed  the  right  of  self- 
determination  and  self-government  when  trained 
and  registered,  and  were  not  going  to  submit  to 
be  controlled  by  the  Nurse  Training  Schools, 
governed  by  laymen  and  their  officials,  which  had 
no  responsibility  for  trained  nurses  unless  in  their 
employment. 

Local  Boards.    The  Village  Pump. 

7.  The  College  had  introduced  into  its  Bill  pro- 
vision for  the  establishment  of  Local  Boards  in 
various  parts  of  the  United  Kingdom,  other  than 
Boards    national    in    character    in    England    and 


November  i6,  1918 


dbe  Britiab  3ournai  of  fturffina. 


307 


Wales,  Scx»tlan'  id  Ireland,  as  provided  in  the 
Central  Committee's  Bill,  a  form  of  legislation 
calculated  to  glorify  the  village  pump.  Paro- 
chialism was  vf;ry  undesirable  in  this  connection, 
and  might  interfere  with  the  nurses'  personal 
liberty  and  economic  independence. 

Reciprocal  Training. 

8.  Further,  there  was  no  provision  for  reciprocal 
training  to  qualify  for  registration  in  the  College 
Bill,  by  means  of  which  the  valuable  clinical 
material  in  well-managed  special  hospitals  could 
be  co-ordinated  and  utilised,  and  nurses  qualified 
for  a  wide  field  of  professional  usefulness,  as  in  the 
Central  Committee's  Bill. 

Concluding  Remarks. 

Mrs.  Fenwick  said  that  it  was  not  reasonable  to 
expect  persons  such  as  the  members  of  the  Central 
Committee,  who  had  spent  so  much  time  in  care- 
fully considering  these  questions,  to  conscientiously 
supf>ort  a  Bill  which  omitted  the  fundamental  prin- 
ciples which  they  considered  vital. 

The  Central  Committee,  after  a  careful  com- 
parison of  its  own  Bill  and  that  of  the  College  of 
Nursing,  Ltd.,  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  its 
own  Bill  was  the  better  Bill,  and  had  therefore 
formally  invited  the  Council  of  the  College  of 
Nursing  to  support  it,  and  help  to  get  it  through 
Parliament.     (Applause.) 

CLEAN-CUT     PRINCIPLES. 

The  third  speaker  was  Miss  Gladys  Le  Geyt,  a 
member  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Society 
for  the  State  Registration  of  Trained  Nurses,  who 
said  that  the  members  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses' 
Association  had  in  their  keeping  the  honour  of  their 
profession,  and  powers  sufficient  to  annihilate  any 
attempt  to  force  unjust  legislation  upon  them. 
We  needed,  to  achieve  our  purpose  : — (i)  An  ever- 
increasing  membership;  (2)  clean-cut  principles; 
and  (3)  a  policy  embodying  the  same.  We  could 
truthfully  say  we  possessed  these  essentials,  but 
our  concern  at  the  moment  was  to  prove  the  sound- 
ness of  our  policy. 

The  Royal  British  Nurses'  Association  staunchly 
supported  the  principle  of  State  Registration 
through  its  delegates  on  the  Central  Committee, 
and  had  given  valuable  assistance  during  the  past 
eight  years  in  drawing  up  and  revising  its  Nurses' 
Registration  Bill,  which  was  ready  for  presentation 
to  Parliament  at  the  earliest  opportunity. 

She  had  by  her  a  precious,  thumb-marked  copy 
of  the  Bill,  and  could  vouch  that  not  a  paragraph 
of  its  contents  had  been  hastily  drawn  up,  or  any 
Clause  inserted  without  serious  thought  and  judg- 
ment. Here  also  was  her  copy  of  the  seventh  draft 
of  the  Bill  for  Registration  drawn  up  by  the 
College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  all  crisp  and  fresh  from 
the  printer,  and  its  contents  ill  devised  and  indis- 
criminately strung  together,  alien  to  the  funda- 
mental reasons  which  underlie  our  long-drawn-out 
struggle  for  registration,  both  for  the  public  who 
employ  trained  nurses  and  the  safeguarding  of  our 
own  interests. 


Miss  Le  Geyt  then  supported  the  demand  of  the 
Central  Committee  for  an  Independent  Governing 
Body,  untrammelled  by  any  connection  with  the 
Memorandum  and  Articles  of  Association  of  the 
College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  or  any  other  body.  She 
said  that  the  College  offered  Registration,  without 
reserve,  to  every  name  on  the  Company's  Books  at 
the  passing  of  the  Act.  The  Register  which  we 
meant  to  acknowledge  was  one  that  would  be 
formed  after  the  passing  of  the  Act,  and  in  accord- 
ance with  that  Act.  There  should  be  no  side 
entrance  or  back  doors  into  the  Nursing  Profession, 
but  the  rights  of  all  nurses  eligible  for  registration 
should  be  equal. 

She  emphasised  the  provision  in  the  College  Bill 
that  the  first  General  Register  under  the  Act  should 
include,  without  further  fee,  the  registered 
members  of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.  This 
opened  up  an  unpleasant  vista  for  the  rest  of  us, 
who,  according  to  Clause  10  of  the  same  Bill, 
would  have  to  pay  the  General  Nursing  Council 
"such  fee  as  may  be  prescribed  by  the  Rules." 
We  might  therefore  be  expected  to  pay  such  sums 
as  would  adequately  cover  the  expenses  of  the 
Register,  while  members  of  the  College  Company 
were  to  have  the  right  to  registration  without 
further  fee.  What  fair  dealing  could  we  look  for 
at  the  hands  of  the  College  Council  after  such  a 
Clause  ? 

The  Colossal  Flaw. 

From  the  trained  nurse's  point  of  view  the 
colossal  flaw  in  the  College  Bill  was  the  loophole 
left  for  the  introduction  of  Supplementary  Regis- 
ters, other  than  those  of  male  and  mental  nurses; 
such  a  Clause  would  literally  undo  all  the  good 
that  the  title  of  "  Registered  Nurse  "  was  to  confer, 
and  leave  the  public  in  as  great  a  dilemma  as  to 
what  constitutes  a  trained  nurse  as  at  the  present 
time,  and,  by  covering  the  title  "  Registered 
Nurse,"  \\X)uld  create  appalling  possibilities  for 
fraudulent  practice  in  nursing. 

It  was  not  sufficient  to  think  of  Registration 
from  the  academic  and  institutional  standpoint 
only.  We  must  bear  in  mind  the  relations  in  which 
we  stood,  and  the  duty  we  owed  to  the  public  who 
employed  us,  generally  at  a  time  of  great  crisis  to 
themselves. 

After  touching  on  the  question  of  the  Provisional 
Council,  and  drawing  attention  to  a  new  Clause 
in  the  College  BUI  in  relation  to  the  registration 
of  deaths.  Miss  Le  Geyt  concluded :  "I  would 
venture  to  suggest  to  the  supporters  of  the  College 
that  they  intimate  to  their  Council  that  they  waste 
no  more  time  drafting  Registration  Bills,  but  give 
proof  of  their  sincerity  by  uniting  with  all  speed 
in  supporting  the  Registration  Bill  which  is  pro- 
moted by  the  Central  Committee  for  the  State 
Registration  of  Nurses."     (Applause.) 

DISCUSSION. 

The  Chairman  then  invited  discussion,  when 
Professor  Glaister,  of  Glasgow,  a  member  of  the 
Council  of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  said  he 
had  been  associated  with  Mrs.  Bedford  Fenwick  in 
drafting  the  Central   Committee's   Bill,   and  had 


Zbe  »ritl0b  3ournal  of  "Rureina.       Noven^er,:ii^^^j^. 


^pent  a  great  deal  of  time  in  North  Britain  in 
jiromoting  the  State  Registration  of  Nurses.  But 
we  got  no  nearer  while  we  were  engaging  our- 
selves iri  minor  disputes;,:,  He  was  out  for  State 
Registration.  ^ 

i  Everyone  wi'ould  wish  to  be  quite  fain  The 
(College  Bill  had  undergone  evolution;  the  Central 
Qommittee's  Bill  had  also  been  amended.  The 
CHause  criticised  by  the  previous  speaker,  regard- 
ing the  notification  of  death,  followed  the  lead  of 
the  Medical  Acts,  and  had  been  adopted  by  the 
Central  Committee. 

In  regard  to  the  Supplementary  Registers,  he 
was  the  last  person  in  the  world  to  try  to  admit 
people  by  side  doors.  The  Royal  College  of 
Nursing  [not  Royal,  the  meeting  reminded  him] 
did  not  propose  to  do  more  than  take  powers  to 
establish  Supplementary  Registers. 

i^  Hold  Hats  while  the  Fur  Flies. 

/  In  regard  to  the  duties  of  the  Provisional 
Council,  Professor  Glaistier  did  not  consider  these 
afforded  ground  for  differences,  but  if  so,  then 
someone  must  *'  hold  hats  while  the  fur  flies." 
'^r  As  to  the  constitution  of  the  General  Nursing 
Council,  Professor  Glaister  asserted  that  under 
the  College  Bill,  as  well  as  under  the  Central  Com- 
mittee's Bill,  conttx)!  wx>uld  be  in  the  hands  of  the 
nurses.  There  were  only  "  little  differences  " 
fetween  the  two  Bills. 

U  •'        No  Power  of  Appeal. 

t^;  Miss  Jentie  Paterson  drew  attention  to  the 
power  given  in  the  Memorandum  of  the  College 
to  remove  a  nurse's  name^fjrom  its  Register  without 
opportunity  of  appeal.      , 

'This  was  defended  by  Professor  Glaister,  who 
^id,  however,  that  Clause  V  (3)  of  the  College 
Bill  was  as  clear  as  daylight.  Nothing  in  the 
Memorandum  and  Articles  of  Association  incon- 
sistent with  the  Act  could  remain  in  force. 

Mrs.  Sherliker,  Miss  Kent,  Mrs.  Gibson,  Mrs. 
LcAWSON,  and  others  also  took  part  in  the  dis- 
cussion,  the  last-mentioned  remarking  that,  with 
ftie  College,  ^ucation'caine  first  and  registration 
second. 

^:  Professor    Glaister    inquired:     "Why    fight 
liix)ut  unimportant  details?  " 
'   Mrs.  Bedford  Fen  wick  :  "  We  are  standing  for 
fundamental  principles." 

The  discussion  then  ceased,  and  the  Chairman 
invited  the  speakers  to  reply. 

Colonel  Goodall  said  that  the  Central  Com- 
mittee desired  a  proper  State  Registration  Bill.  In 
the  Supplementary  Registers  the  College  took 
powers  to  open  the  doors  to  all  sorts  of  jseople, 
;  They  had  not  heard  why  they'  should  have  the 
College  in  the  Bill,  but  one  of  its  supporters  had 
acknowledged  that  it  placed  registration  second 
and  education  first.  The  organization  of  nursing 
education  should  be  carried  out  by  the  State,  by 
an  authofity  appointed  jby  the  State.  ;/ 

i^  The  Clause  providing  for  the  'framing  of  the 
Rules  and  Regulations  was  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant in  the  Bill.  They  were  for  the  protection 
of  the  nurses,  and  they  should  have  a  share  in 
framing  them. 


Miss  Cox-Davies  asked  leave  to  suggest  that  the 
College  did  not  put  education  first  and  registration 
second,  but  hand  in  hand. 

No  Blank  Cheques.       Q 
In  closing  the  meeting  the  CHAiRMAi*isara  they^ 
were  much  indebted  to  the  speakers,,  and  expressed 
the  opinion   that  there  was  too  much  permissive 
legislation  in  the  College  Bill.     It  wanted  a  blank., 
cheque.     The  Central  Committee  desired  regula-i; 
tions  laid  down  definitely.  -^ 

The  Conference  concluded  with  votes  of  thanks' 
to  the  Chairman  and  speakers. 

(Signed)     Isabel  Macdonald, 

Secretary  to  the  Corporation. 


THE  CENTRAL   COMMITTEE  AND   THE 
COLLEGE   OF   NURSING,   LTD. 

As  reported,  a  correspondence  has  recently 
taken  place  between  the  College  of  Nursing, 
Ltd.,  and  the  Central  Committee  for  the  State 
Reg-istration  of  Nurses.  Naturally  the  officials 
of  the  Central  Committee  consider  such  a  cor- 
respondence confidential,  until  the  reply  from 
the  Colleg-e  has  been  placed  before  its 
Executive  Committee. 

The  ethical  standards  of  business  apparently 
differ  in  the  opinion  of  the  College  officials, 
as  the  hon.  officers  of  the  Central  Committee 
have  been  informed  by  the  Secretary  of  the 
College  that  "  by  the  instruction  of  the  Chair- 
man (Hon.  Sir  Arthur  Stanley,  M.P.),  this  cor- 
respondence has  been  sent  for  publication  to 
the  Nursing  Press  this  week  "  ! 

It  will,  of  course,  not  appear  in  The  British 
Journal  of  Nursing  until  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  Central  Committee  has  authorised 
its  publication. 

Further  comment  is  superfluous  ! 


THE   IRISH    NURSES'  ASSOCIATION. 

A  few  of  Miss  Ramsden's  friends  gave  a  farewell 
supper  to  her  at  34,  St.  Stephen's  Green,  Diblin, 
on  Friday  last  week.     Owing  to  the  epidemic  of 
Influenza,  many  of  her  friends  were  unable  to  be 
present,  but  all  greatly  regret  her  departure  from 
Dublin.     A  quiet  but  pleasant  evening  was  sperit, 
and  only  "  Au  Revoir  "  was  said,  as  Miss  Ramsden  v 
bias  piomised  to  come  back  often,  and  will  try 
to  time  her  visits  so  that  she  may  sometimes 
attend     the     meetings    of   the   various   Nursing::^ 
Societies  ol  which  she  wll  remain  a  member.  1; 
Miss  Ramsden  has  received  very  handsome  gifts  -1 
from  the  Nursing  Staff  (past  and  present),  and  ?^ 
also  from  the  past  and  present  Masters  of  the  f^ 
Rotunda    Hospital.     The    Governors    have    also"" 
generously  recognised  h?r  devoted  work  for  the 
Hospital  and  midwifery  and  maternity  schools 
during  the  27  years  of  service.  ■: 


November  i6, 1918         tlbc  Brlti^b  Joumal  of  fluretng.  vh 

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii^ 

I  'Mustard  Gas'  | 

Burns 

A   NEW  TREATMENT  | 

HAVING  REMARKABLE  RESULTS  IN  HOSPITALS.  I 


'Mustard  Gas'  Burns  should  be  thoroughly  sprayed  with  Chlorcosane  Solution  of 
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Afterwards  cover  the  cotton  wool  with  more  melted  '  No.  7  Paraffin,*  giving 
special  attention  to  the  edges  to  ensure  an  air-tight  dressing. 

Relief  from  pain  is  assured  from  the  first  application 
of  this  treatment,  and  complete  recovery  is  effected 
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'No.  7  Paraffin'  is  the  nsune .  adopted  by  the  Army  Medical  Service  for  a 
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Chlorcosane  Solution  of  t>ichlorainine-T,  in  botdes, 

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BOOTS  PURE  DRUG  COMPANY  LIMITED 

Head  Offices:  Station  Street,  NOTTINGHAM.  ::  SIR  JESSE  BOOT,  Managing  Director. 
Telegratm:   DRUG.,  NOTTINGHAM. Telephone:   3 J 60  NotUngham. 


MT) 


310 


tlbc  36rin0D  3ourual  of  IRursing.       i^ovember  16,  1918 


APPOINTMENTS. 


lifllATRON    AND    LADY    SUPERINTENDENT. 

Charing  Cross  Hospital,  W.C. — ^Miss  Florence 
Tice  has  been  appointed  Matrom.  Sht  was  trained 
at  St.  Bartholomew's  Hospital,  and  subsequently 
held  the  position  of  Sister  at  University  College 
Hospital.  Since  1905  she  has  been  Matron  of 
the  Samaritan  Free  Hospital,  in  the  Marylebone 
Road,  London. 

Edith  Cavell  Home  of  Rest  for  Nurses,  Wintori 
House,  Church  Road,  Richmond. — Miss  Margaret  Car- 
ruthers  has  been  appointed  Lady  Superintendent. 
She  was  trained  at  the  Cumberland  Infirmary, 
Carlisle,  and  has  held  the  positions  of  Sister  at 
the  General  Infirmary,  Macclesfield  ;  Sister  and 
Home  Sister  at  the  Manchester  Children's  Hospital, 
Pendlebury  ;  and  Matron  for  fourteen  and  a  half 
years  at  the  Kensington  Dispensary  and  Child-, 
ren's  Hospital. 

^  Edith  Cavell  Home  of  Rest  for  Nurses,  Haslemere. 
• — Miss  Julia  Hurlston  has  been  appointed 
Lady  Superintendent.  She  was  trained  at  St. 
Bartholomew's  Hospital,  London,  and  has  held 
the  positions  of  Sister  at  St.  Peter's  H")spital, 
the  Victotia  Hospital  for  Children,  London  ;  has 
had  experience  of  Private  Nuising  as  a  member 
of  the  Registered  Nurses'  Society,  London,  and  in 
Egypt.  Sister-in-Chaige,  Muitfield  House,  Gul- 
lane,  attached  to  the  Royal  Hospital  for  Sick 
Children,  Edinburgh,  and  Matron  of  Military 
Auxiliary  Hospitals  since  1915. 

Rotunda  Hospital,  Dublin. — ^Miss  Winifred  A. 
Todd  has  been  app  inted  Matron  and  Lady 
Superintendent.  She  was  trained  at  Guy's  Hos  - 
pital,  London,  and  at  the  Rotunda  Hospital, 
Dublin,  and  holas  the  certificates  of  Guy's  Hos- 
pital, the  Central  Midwives  Boar  a,  and  the 
Incorporated  Society  of  Trained  Masseuses.  Miss 
Todd  has  had  a  wide  and  varied  experience  of 
nursing.  She  has  been  temporary  Sister  at  the 
Royal  General  Hospital,  Newport,  Mor.,  Ward 
Sister  and  Assistant  Matron  at  the  Rotunda 
Hospital.  In  1914  she  went  to  France  as  a 
member  of  the  French  Flag  Nursing  C  rps,  from  . 
1915-16  she  was  on  the  Reserve  of  Q.A.I.M.N.S., 
and  has  been  Superintendent  of  the  Womei  's 
Legior  attached  to  the  Army  Service  Corps. 

Cottage      Hospital,      Ballymena,     Co.     Antrim. — 

Miss  Ecnel  McMich  has  been  appointed  Macron. 
Sae  was  trained  at  the  Royal  Victoria  H  -spital, 
Belfast,  and  has  been  Sister  at  the  Fitzroy  Private 
Hospital  and  at  the  Ulster  Volunteer  Hospital 
n  the  same  city. 

QUEEN  VICTORIA'S  JUBILEE  INSTITUTE 

TRA.NSFERS   AND    APPOINTMENTS. 

Miss  Alice  Hulnia  is  app:)inted  to  Todmorden 
as  Sini^r  Nurse  ;  M^ss  Edith  E.  Bitten,  to  Man- 
chester (Ardwick)  ;  Miss  Alice  M.  M.  Corns,  to 
Sile;  Miss  Give  Carpenter,  to  Littleborough ; 
Miss  Aukje  SlaiierhofE,  to  Littleborough ;  Miss 
:  Muriel  Trayner,  to  Wilmslow. 


PRESENTATION    TO    MISS    ROW. 

FORMER    MATRON    OF    EAST    LONDON  - 
HOSPITAL    FOR    CHILDREN,   SHADWELL. 


It  Was  fjecttliarly  fitting  that  the  Board  Room 
at  the  East  London  Hospital  for  Children,  Shad- 
well,  which  is  decorated  with  many  mural  tablets 
commemorating  the  good  services  and  munificent 
acts  of  various  deceased  hon.  officers  of  the  Board 
of  Management,  should  have  been  chosen  as  the 
scene  of  a  very  interesting  little  ceremony  on 
Wednesday,  November  6th.  The  room  was 
further  adorned  with  flowers  and  ferns  to  do 
honour  to  the  occasion.  Miss  Adelaide  Row  has 
lately  retired  from  the  post  of  Matron  of  the  hos- 
pital, which  she  had  held  for  thirty-five  years.  It 
was  to  give  practical  proof  of  the  esteem  in  which 
she  is  held  and  of  appreciation  of  her  splendid 
services  that  a  meeting  was  called  in  order  to 
make  the  presentation.  A  handsome  sum  of 
money  was  collected  among  her  many  friends,  the 
bulk  of  which  was  invested  in  War  Bonds,  and  the 
surplus  presented  to  her  in  the  form  of  ^  cheque. 
Mr.  Machin,  Chairman  of  the  Board,  made  the 
following  graceful  tribute  : —  -' 

"  Miss  Row, — In  offering  you  this  gift,  I  want  to 
a^  you  to  accept  it  as  a  token  of  the  very  high 
esteem  in  which  you  are  held  through  your  thiity- 
five  years'  devoted  service  in  the  most  notle  pro- 
fession any  lady  can  adopt.  You  have  earned  the 
unbounded  gratitude  of  the  whole  neighbourhood. 
We  heaitily  appreciate  your  generous  services 
while  living  in  one  of  the  poorest  districts  in 
London. 

"  I  trust  you  may  be  spared  for  many  years  to 
enjoy  the  health  you  so  richly  ^deserve." 

Miss  Row,  in  replying,  said  it  was  impossible  for 
her  to  express  what  she  really  felt,  but  she  was 
extremely  touched  by  the  kind  words  uttered  by 
the  Chairman.  She  added  that  she  had  tho- 
roughly enjoyed  her  work  in  the  Children's  Hos- 
pital, and  modestly  disclaimed  any  right  to  the 
praise  so  kindly  expressed.  She  spoke  warmly  of 
the  friends  she  had  n^ade  in  that  time,  many  of 
whom  were  present :  also  many  of  her  nurses.  The 
meeting  then  terminated,  and  the  guests  were 
hospitably  entertained  to  tea. 


WEDDING     BELLS. 

Oa  November  9th,  at  Garforth  Church,  near 
Leeds,  Lieutenant- Surgeon  Hamilton,  Royal  Naval 
Auiiliary  Hospital,  Gravesend,  was  married  to 
Sister  A.  Howson.  The  bride  was  trained  at 
Beckett  Screet  Infirmary,  Leeds,  and  subsequently 
became  ScafE  Nurse  and  Sister.  On  leaving  her 
training  school  Sister  Howson  was  presented  by  the 
Matron  with  a  silver  tea  service  with  the  heartiest 
and  best  wishes  from  the  Infirmary  staff  for  future 
happiness.  Illness  pn  the  staff  unfortunately  pre- 
venced  the  ^Matron  and  some  of  the  Sisters 
attending  the  ceremony  at  Garforth.  - : 


November  i6, 1918       ^fjc  Bttttsb  3ournal  of  'Wuretno. 


tii 


ASSOCIATION   OF  NURSING   SUPER- 
INIENDENTS  OF  INDIA. 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 


Miss  M.  Bonsor,  Matron  of  the  Indian  War 
Hospitals  in  Karachi,  has  been  elected  President 
of  the  Association  of  Nursing  Superintendents  of 
India.  Miss  Bonsor  is  one  of  the  earliest  members 
of  the  Trained  Nurses'  Association  of  India,  and  at 
one  time  acted  as  its  Secretary. 

The  Nursing  Journal  of  India  announces  the 
appointment,  and  in  offering  Miss  Bonsor  a  warm 
welcome,  publishes  a  charming  picture  of  her,  and 
expresses  the  opinion  that  she  will  assist  the 
growing  process  of  the  Associations. 

These  professional  Associations  are  affiliated  to 
the  International  Council  of  Nurses,  and  have 
always  been  represented  by  delegates  at  the 
Triennial  Meetings,  who  have  contributed  to  their 
professional  value  and  prestige. 


OUTSIDE    THE    GATES. 


On  Wednesday,  November  6th,  the  Bill  making 
women  eligible  to  be  Members  of  Parliament 
passed  its  third  reading  in  the  House  of  Commons 
amidst  cheers  Attempts  to  confine  it  to  women 
over  thirty,  to  enlarge  it  so  that  women  may  sit  in 
the  House  of  Lords,  or  to  prevent  a  Peeress  from 
sitting  in  the  Commons  were  negatived. 

TRUE  TALES  WITH  A  MORAL. 

Doctor:  Well,  Nurse,  now  you  have  a  vote 
I  suppose  you  will  be  running  a  woman  candidate 
for  Parliament. 

Nurse  :  Quite  the  reverse.  No  more  bossing 
by  women  for  me.  I  have  learned  my  lesson 
under  the  untrained  commandant.     Never  again  ! 

COMING    EVENTS. 

November  21st. — Royal  British  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion. Lecture,  "  Ancient  Egypt,"  illustrated  by 
lantern  slide.-,,  by  Miss  Murray,  Assistant  to  Pro- 
fessor Flinders  Petiie,  Botanical  Theatie,  Uni- 
versity College,  Gowei  Street.  W.C.  Chair,  Mrs. 
Latter.  2.45  p.m.  After  Lectuie,  personally- 
conducted  tour  of  Egyptology  Department.  The 
collection,  which  is  said  tabe  second  to  none  in  the 
world,  comprises  the  concrete  remains  of  the  entire 
civilisation,  from  the  finest  examples  of  ait,  down 
to  the  simplest  domestic  utensils.  The  lecture  will 
be  open  to  all  nurses. 

November  z'^rd. — ^National  Union  of  Trained 
Nuises.  Meetii.g  to  discuss  the  proposed  Mir  istry 
qi  Health.  Speakers  ;  Dr.  Saleeby  and  Miss  H.  L. 
Pearse.  Chair,  the  Rev.  H.  R.  L.  Sheppaid, 
3,  Vere  Street,  Oxford  Street,  W.     2.3c  p.m. 

November  29/A.— Annual  Meeting  of  the  Grand 
Council  of  the  National  Council  of  1  rained  Nurses 
of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  431,  Oxford  Street, 
London,  W.     4  p.m. 


Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  for  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  be 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents. 

OPEN    CONFESSION  GOOD  FOR  THE  SOUL 
To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursikg. 

Madam, — I  was  at  the  meeting  of  the  R.B.N. A. 
on.  Thursday,  and  was  most  interested  in  all 
that  was  discussed.  This  is  the  first  time  I  have 
ever  heard  the  Bills  discussed  at  an  open  meeting. 
Perhaps  it  was  unfortunate  that  the  only  attempt 
to  explain  the  College  Bill  was  that  of  Professor 
Glaister  ;  he  evidently  had  a  long  paper  to  read 
and  quite  rightly  could  not  expect  the  same 
time  as  the  original  speakers,  but  I  think  that 
the  College — in  the  interests  of  the  nurses — 
should  arrange  with  your  Association  to  have  a 
meeting  at  which  each  side  would  read  papers. 
I  was  disappointed  that  the  Army  Matrons 
present,  whom  I  understand  are  College  members, 
did  not  air  their  views,  but  left  it  to  "  the  man 
from  Scotland."  Surely  EngUshwomen  with  a 
vote  should  not  require  to  receive  aid  from  Scotland 
to  uphold  and  explain  the  aims  of  the  Company 
they  have  joined  and  which  they  urge  their  nurses 
to  join.  I  myself  am  a  Scotchwoman  and 
1  wondered  when  Professor  Glaister  pleaded 
for  a  longer  hearing  because  he  had  come  from 
Scotland,  whether,  like  myself,  he  had  travelled 
third  at  his  own  expense,  or  first  class  on  the 
guineas  of  the  niu-ses.  Personally,  I  have  not 
join3d  the  College,  the  Scottish  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion, or  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Association  — 
being  Scotch  1  look  before  1  leap — but  I  have  very 
little  doubt  since  the  meeting  into  which  camp  one 
ought  to  leap — the  one  that  can  afEoid  to  hold  an 
open  meeting. 

'  am,  yours  truly, 

Glasgow  Bred  and  Born. 

KERNELS    FROM  CORRESPONDENCE. 

Huddersfield  Nurse. — Can  you  tell  me  if  a 
paid  suffrage  lecturer,  who  is  now  going  about 
lecturing  on  the  Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses,  is  also 
paid  for  this  job  ? 

[We  do  not  know,  but  strongly  object  to 
po  itical  lecturers — actors  and  actresses, &c. — pre- 
suming to  dictate  to  professional  nurses  about 
their  economic  affairs  of  which  they  know  nothing. 
Enquire  of  Lady  Cowdray,  16,  Carlton  House 
Terrace,  as  the  prime  mover  in  this  objectionable 
campaign. — Ed.] 

OUR     PRIZE     COMPETITION. 

QUESTIONS. 

November  2^rd. — What  precautions  would  yon 
take  if  nursing  a  case  of  septic  pneumonia  following 
influenza  ? 

November  jpth.  —  What  do  you  know  of 
"mustard  gas"  bums  and  their  treatment  ? 


3"     ni)€  Brttieb  Journal  of  flureinc  Supplement  November  re,  1918 

The   Midwife. 


A    TEXT-BOOK    FOR    MIDWIVES. 


The  ",Text  Book  for  Midxvives,"  by  Dr.  J.  S. 
Fairbairn,  F.R.C.P.  (Lond.;,  first  published  in 
1914,  met  with  the  reception  it  deserved  ;  and  a 
second  edition  has  now  been  published  by  the 
Joint  Committee  of  Henry  Frowde  and  Hodder  & 
Stojghton,  at  the  Oxford  Press  Warehouse, 
Falcon  Square,  London,  E.C.,  price  2os.  net.  In 
spite  of  the  war  and  the  cost  and  difficulty  of 
production,  the  edition  is  a  sumptuous  one, 
beautifully  printed  on  paper  which  is  both  thick 
and  fine,  and  with  three  plates  and  113  illustra- 
tions— five  of  which  are  in  colour. 

Dr.  Fairbairn  needs  no  introduction  to  mid- 
wives.  As  physician  and  lecturer  to  midwives 
at  the  General  Lying-in  Hospital,  York  Road, 
S.E.,  many  owe  much  to  his  teaching  ;  and  he 
is  also  an  examiner  to  the  Central  MidA^ives 
Board. 

He  tells  us  in  his  preface  to  the  first  edition 
that  his  reasoas  for  adding  another  to  the  many 
text  books  from  which  the  midwife  can  make  her 
ch  )ice  are  tw^  fold.  First,  that  the  book  has 
special  characteristics  of  its  own  ;  and  second, 
that  what  sp3cial  features  it  may  possess  represent 
an  expe  ience  of  the  needs  and  aspirations  of 
midwiv  s  acquired  by  over  twelve  yeais'  associa- 
tion with  them  as  "  teacher,  examiner,  post 
graduate  lecturer  and  medical  colleague."  He 
says  farther,  "  This  text  book  contains  more  than 
has  hitherto  been  cox^sidered  necessary  for  mid- 
wives  and  is  open  to  the  criticism  of  going  beyond 
what  is  required  by  them  and  of  them.  On  this 
■score,  however,  those  who  know  the  more  ad- 
vanced school  of  practising  midwives  will  make 
no  demur.  That  school  is  possessed  with  an 
insa  iable  thirst  for  knowledge,  and  is  rarely 
content  with  what  has  hitherto  been  given  it  in 
books  wiitten  sobly  for  midwives.  Formal 
medical  books  are  in  constant  use,  and  my  hope 
is  that  the  scope  of  this  book  has  been  made  wide 
enough  to  render  the  purchase  of  such  unnecessary. 

"  There  is,  however,  another  and  a  better 
justification  for  a  comprehensive  book.  A  more 
educated  class  is  now  coming  forward  to  qualify  as 
midwives.  .  .  .  This  book  is  my  contribution 
towards  meeting  the  legitimate  aspirations  of  the 
midwife  for  a  higher  professional  education." 

In  the  second  edition  the  text  has  been  carefully 
revised  in  accordance  with  the  changes  in  the 
Rules  of  the  Central  Midwives  Board,  and  points 
of  difficulty  in  the  chapters  on  the  Physiology  of 
Labour  and  on  Delayed  Labour  have  been  cleared 
up.  The  most  important  addition  is  a  fresh 
chapter  on  Antenatal  Care,  which  has  been  added 
in  view  of  the  part  the  midwife  may  be  called  on 
to  take  in  schemes  for  Maternity  and  Child 
Welfare. 


The  Care  of  the  Pregnant  Woman.      Ante- 
Natal  Hygiene  and  Treatment.    . 

We  agree  with  the  author  that  "  '  antenatal  * 
and  'prenatal  ■  as  applied  to  the  pregnant  woman 
are  not  satisfactory  terms  as  they  mean  '  before 
birth,'  and  suggest  an  application  to  the  child 
only."  The  Hygiene  of  Pregnancy  would  probably 
be  a  more  exact  description.  Antenatal,  however, 
is  the  term  in  general  use. 

"  Antenatal  care  involves  the  close  observation 
of  the  pregnant  woman  up  to  the  birth  of  her  child, 
and  aimS  at  keeping  her  in  health  in  body  and  mind, 
preserving  the  pregnancy  to  term,  avoiding  pre- 
ventable difficulties  and  complications  in  labovr, 
and  thus  diminishing  the  maternal  and  infantile 
mortality  at  childbirth.  Antenatal  treatment -is 
therefore  almost  entirely  preventive. 

"  What  part  the  midwife  may  be  ca'led  on  io 
play  in  this  crusade,  is  not  easily  determined, 
Owing  to  the  divergent  views  held  as  to  what  and 
how  much  antenatal  care  should  mean,  and  to  the 
differences  in  the  provision  made  for  it  in  different 
localities.  Some  would  magnify  it  so  fat  as  Io 
have  the  notification  of  pregnancy  made  compul- 
sory, as  if  it  was  an  infectious  disease  and  every 
pregnant  woman  under  continuous  medical  super- 
vision, but  probably  between  this  extreme  and  the 
other  of  entirely  neglecting  it,  some  intermediate 
course  will  be  taken  till  iime  and  experience  of  iis 
results  have  decided  its  true  worth  and  importance 
as  a  branch  of  preventive  medicine. 

"  As  the  prevention  of  abortion  is  so  large  a 
factor  in  antenatal  work,  and  as  abortion  is  most 
frequent  in  the  early  months  of  pregnanc-y,  it  is 
evident  that  if  success  is  to  be  obtained,  the 
pregnant  woman  must  come  early  under  observa- 
tion. Patients  should  be  encouraged  to  engage 
their  midwife  and  make  arrangeinents  for  their 
confinement  as  soon  as  they  know,  or  even  srspect 
that  they  are  pregnant.  The  loss  of  populalion 
from  the  high  abortion -rate  is  quite  as  great  as 
frorn  the  high  infant  mortality,  and  to  lower  it,  and 
to  diminish  the  invalidism  and  incapacity  follow- 
ing on  neglected  abortions,  it  is  essential  that  the 
midwife  should  use  her  influence  to  induce  her 
patients  to  report  their  pregnancy  early." 

Again,  "  overcrowding,  slum  life,  and  bad 
housing  conditions  in  the  big  towns  are  more  than 
anything  else  the  cause  of  the  high  infant  mortaHty 
rate,  and  therefore  all  efforts  to  combat  it,  whether 
antenatal,  natal,  or  postnatal  are  largely  a  social 
problem." 

■  A  chapter  is  devoted  to  venereal  disease,  a 
subject  upon  which  it  is  very  essential  the  midwife 
should  be  iiiformed. 

The  book  is  one  wTiich  should  be  in  the  library 
ofl  every  training  school  for  midwives,  and 
individual  midwives  who  purchase  it  will  be  well 
recompensed^for  the  outlay. 


THE 

WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 

THE  mmSIlKl  MECOBB 

EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


UBIO 


No.  1,599. 


SATURDAY,    NOVEMBER    23,    1918. 


Vol.    LXI 


EDITORIAL. 


THE    LIBERATION    OF    THE    NURSING 
PROFESSION. 

A   VICTORY   THANK    OFFERING. 

The  rejoicing  of  the  world  that  at  length 
the  end  of  the  war  is  in  sight,  and  that  the 
tyranny  and  brutal  domination  of  an  arrogant 
Empire  has  been  broken  on  the  wheel 
of  justice,  is  taking  concrete  expression  in  the 
organization  of  various  thank-offerings  in 
commemoration  of  this  event  of  soul-stirring 
magnitude.  %  ^' 

Liberty,  self-expression,  self-determination, 
for  the  small  as  well  as  the  great  nations  of 
the  world,  will  henceforth  be  safeguarded  by 
the  victorious  Allies,  who  recognize  that  might 
is  not  right,  and  that  the  weaker  nations  have 
an  inalienable  right  to  individuality. 

When  we,  as  nurses,  consider  what  form  our 
Victory  Thank  Offering  shall  take,  let  us 
remember  the  battle  which  has  been  waged 
by  the  Society  for  the  State  Registration  of 
Trained  Nurses  for  over  sixteen  years,  to 
secure  for  the  nursing  profession  just  those 
blessings  which  the  flower  of  mankind  has  gone 
into  battle  to  uphold,  and  thought  life  itself  not 
too  high  a  price  to  pay  in  order  to  secure. 

Never  have  those  nurses  who  have  stood  so 
faithfully  for  the  principles  of  freedom  and  self- 
determination  in  the  organization  of  their 
profession  been  confronted  by  so  serious  a 
situation  as  at  the  present  time,  when  the 
employers,  who  have  for  years  so  bitterly 
opfHDsed  the  effective  co-operation  of  the 
Nursing  Profession,  are  enlisting,  in  their  bid 
for  domination,  the  aid  of  wealth  and  social 
influence  in  forcing  dangerous  and  obnoxious 
legislation  upon  the  rank  and  file.  We  there- 
fore ask  those  who  have  so  generously  sup- 
ported the  Society  for  the  State  Registration 
of  Trained  Nurses  in  the  past  to  make  their 
Thank  Offering  for  Victory  a  donation  to  its 
funds,  to  enable  it  to  carry  on  the. campaign 
for  the  liberation  of  the  Nursing  Profession 
from  its  very  def>endent  position. 


The  record  of  the  successful  work  of  the 
Society  since  its  inception  in  meeting,  and 
defeating,  all  past  attempts  to  subjugate 
trained  nurses  will  be  found  in  historical 
sequence  in  the  Statement  on  page  ii  of  our 
cover ;  and  we  feel  sure  our  readers  will  agree 
that  it  is  a  record  of  which  the  organizers  of 
this  Society  may  be  exceedingly  proud. 

The  co-operation  (through  the  Central  Com- 
mittee for  the  State  Registration  of  Nurses) 
of  all  the  societies  which  had  been  working  for 
the  higher  education  and  registration  of  nurses, 
through  an  Act  of  Parliament,  rendered  the 
situation  in  191 4  hopeful  in  the  extreme,  and, 
had  time  been  given  by  the  Asquith  Govern- 
ment for  the  consideration  of  the  Bill, 
unquestionably  it  would  have  been  placed  on 
the  Statute  Book  before  the  war.  The  time 
asked  for  was  not  conceded,  and  now  the  clear 
issue  is  again  complicated  by  an  opposition 
Bill  drafted  by  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd. 
When  the  new  Parliament  comes  in,  however, 
let  us  hope  it  will  settle  the  question  in  a 
generous  and  honest  spirit,  having  due  regard 
to  the  dignity  of  labour. 

It  is  going  to  be  difficult  after  the  war  for 
nurses  to  counteract  the  domination  which 
social  influence,  and  the  money  at  the  disposal 
of  those  who  have  monopolised  the  wealth  of 
this  country,  can  exercise.  But  we  have 
had  in  the  war  a  magnificent  object-lesson  in 
the  all-conquering  power  of  right,  when  faced 
with  the  dastardly  methods  of  might,  and  those 
who  have  on  previous  occasions  saved  the  pro- 
fession from  subjugation  are  quite  prepared  to 
fight  its  battle  once  again.  They  have  every 
hope,  moreover,  that  the  awakened  spirit  of  the 
new  Parliament  will  see  justice  done  to  the 
workers. 

Propagandism,  with  an  inimical  press,  is 
very  costly,  and  we  therefore  ask  our  readers 
to  support  those  principles  which  the  Central 
Committee  has  incorporated  in  its  Bill,  by 
sending  their  Victory  Thank  Offering  to  the 
War  Chest  of  the  Society  for  the  State 
Registration  of  Trained  Nurses. 


3M 


(The  British  3ournal  ot  flurstng. 


November  23,   igi8 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITION. 


WHAT  PRECAUTIONS  WOULD  YOU  TAKE  IF 
NURSING  A  CASE  OF  SEPTIC  PNEUMONIA 
FOLLOWING     INFLUENZA? 

We  have  pleasure  in  awarding  the  prize  this 
week  to  Miss  Maude  Cullen,  West  Ham  Hos- 
pital, Stratford. 

PRIZH      PAPER. 

Nurses  who  are  attendant  on  cases  of  septic 
pneumonia  following  influenza,  should  be  most 
careful  to  minimise  the  risk  of  taking  the 
disease,  as  well  as  of  conveying  it  to  others 
V/ith  whom  they  come  in  contact. 

A  mask  may  be  worn  over  the  nose  and 
mouth,  soaked  in  some  non-poisonous  dis- 
infectant. Gargles  must  be  frequently  used. 
Plenty  of  fresh  air  is  essential.  Ill-ventilated 
rooms  and  crowds  are  to  be  avoided. 

In  nursing  a  case  of  this  sort,  the  chief  point 
to  bear  in  mind  is  to  isolate  the  patient  when- 
ever possible,  and  to  try  to  prevent  the  spread 
of  the  sepsis  by  the  disinfection  of  the  mouth 
and  nose.  Permanganate  of  potash,  in  a 
saline  solution,  for  gargling  and  sniffing  up 
the  nose,  is  useful,  also  tincture  of  iodine  in 
boiling  water,  quantity  3  i)  to  water  Oi,  is 
excellent  as  an  inhalation,  and  preferable  for 
children. 

Another  method  which  has  been  tried  effec- 
tively is  continuous  inhalations  of  oxygen  from 
a  gas-bag  which  has  a  soft  rubber  nose-piece 
passing  up  into  the  nostril. 

Numerous  organisms  are  present  in  the 
nose  and  also  may  be  found  in  the  mucus 
membrane.  Gargling  should  be  frequently 
resorted  to,  especially  if  the  person  attacked 
is  accustomed  to  breathing  through  the  mouth. 
Teeth  must  be  well  brushed  and  kept 
scrupulously  clean.  If  the  patient  is  too  ill 
to  do  it  himself,  then  it  must  be  done  for  him. 
The  tongue  and  whole  of  the  inside  of  the 
mouth  and  gums  must  be  well  swabbed  with 
glycerine  and  borax,  or  peroxide  of  hydrogen 
(diluted),  three  or  four  times  daily,  if  necessary, 
also  especially  before  and  after  feeds.  Pre- 
cautions must  be  taken  to  guard  against  chills. 
The  room  must  be  well  ventilated  and  kept 
at  an  even  temperature  of  65°  Fahrenheit,  or 
70°  Fahrenheit. 

A  steam  kettle  and  tent  have  often  proved  of 
great  benefit,  if  continued  until  the  tempera- 
ture is  down  to  normal.  This  has  been  very 
effectual  in  some  hospitals. 

There  is  a  vaccine  now  prepared  which  con- 
sists of  the  bacilli  of  (i)  influenzae,  (2)  strepto- 
cocci, (3)  pneumococci.  It  has  disadvantages. 
It  lowers  the  patient's  resistance  in  taking  the 
disease,   certainly   for  some  time  after.      It  is 


best  to  wait  till  the  disease  subsides,  and  then 
give  several  injections  to  prevent  any  further 
attacks. 

The  inoculations  so  far  against  the  influenza 
bacilli  have  not  proved  very  remedial. 
There  has  been  in  several  instances  next  to  no 
reaction,  and  the  dose  has  been  repeated  two, 
or  three,  or  four  times  without  more  effect. 
The  ward  or  room  wherein  the  patient  is 
nursed  should  be  thoroughly  sprayed,  or 
washed  all  over  with  some  disinfectant  daily, 
all  feeding  utensils  duly  marked  and  kept,  and 
washed  up  separately.  Evervthing  possible 
must  be  done  towards  trying  to  avoid  the 
spreading  of  this  highly  contagious  disease. 

It  is  in  the  nose  and  mouth  chiefly  where  this 
bacilli  thrives,  therefore  aseptic  measures  must 
be  employed  as  thoroughy  as  p>ossible. 

HONOURABLE    MENTION. 

The  following  competitors  receive  honour- 
able mention  : — Miss  Lucy  C.  Cooper,  Miss 
M.   Brent,  Miss  J.  Robinson. 

QUESTION    FOR   NEXT    WEEK. 

What  do  you  know  of  "  mustard  gas  " 
burns  and  their  treatment? 


THE  ROYAL  RED  CROSS. 


On  Saturday  last  the  King  decorated  the  follow- 
ing ladies  with  the  Royal  Red  Cross  : — 

First  Class. 
Matron  Vida  MacLean,  New  Zealand  A.N.S. 

Second  Class. 
C.N.S. :  Sisters  Winifred  Bimson,  Jessie  Reid  and 
Ethel  Robinson.  V.A.D.  :  Mrs.  Marjorie  Monks. 
New  Zealand  A.N.S.  :  Sisters  Mary  Christmas, 
Jean  Dodds,  Rose  Fanning,  Matilda  Fricker,  Emily 
Nutsey,  Alice  Ingles,  Florence  Siddells,  Mabel 
Wright  and  Carrie  Young. 


The  King  has  awarded  the  Royal  Red  Cross  to 
the  undermentioned  ladies  of  the  Nursing  Services 
in  recognition  of  valuable  services  in  connection 
with  the  war  : — 

First  Class. 

Miss  A.  Bennet,  Matron,  Aust.  A.N.S.  ;  Miss 
A.  E.  Dowsley,  Matron,  Aust.  A.N.S.  ;  Miss  T.  J. 
Dunne,  Matron,  Aust.  A.N.S.  ;  Miss  L.  B.  Dun- 
woodie.  Lady  Superintendent,  Q.A.M.N.S.L  ; 
Miss  I.  H.  McNally,  Senior  N.  Sister,  Q.A.M.N.S.L 

Second  Class. 
Miss  W.  M.  Aldridge,  Acting  Senior  N.  Sister, 
Q.A.M.N.S.L  ;  Miss  E.  B.  Butler,  Senior  Sister 
Aust.  A.N.S.  ;  Miss  E.  Dalyell,  Senior  Sister,  Aust. 
A.N.S.  ;  Miss  E.  L.  Home,  A.  Matron,  Aust. 
A.N.S.  ;  Miss  V.  I.  Lamb,  Senior  Niu-sing  Sister, 
Q.A.M.N.S.L  Nursing  Sister  F'orence  perdue, 
whose  decoration  was  notified  in  our  last  issue, 
belonged  to  the  Doughty  Wylie  Unit. 


I 


November  23,  1918       xi\)c  Britleb  3ournal  of  IRursiua. 


315 


FRENCH  FLAG  NURSING  CORPS. 


OUR     SECRETARY. 

Many  women  who  have  during  the  four  years  ot 
war  done  unobtrusive  yet  invaluable  work  for  the 
country  have  never  been  heard  of  beyond  the  imme- 
diate sphere  of  their  particular  usefulness.  They 
come  and  go  quietly,  without  fuss  and  without 
ulterior  motives.  We  do  not  see  them  dressed  up 
in  uniforms  they  have  no  right  to  wear,  posing  as 
heroines  before  the  camera,  their  names  in  all 
publicity  pars. 

One  of  these  real  workers  is  Miss  Isabel 
Hutchinson,  the  Secretary  almost  from  its  incep- 
tion of  the  French  Flag  Nursing  Corps,  who  has 
performed  all  her  clerical  duties  with  so  much 
kindness  and  tact — 
well    known    to    many 

of    the     Sisters    as    a 
good  friend  at  home. 
Miss  Hutchinson  has 

artistic      talent,      and 

studied      drawing      at 

South  Kensington  and 

in        Germany,        and 

specialised    in    design. 

The  Corps  owes  to  her 

the    charming    Badge 

of  the  French  Flag,  so 

greatly      admired      at 

home  and  abroad,  and 

her     beautiful      book- 
covers,    we   learn,    are 

greatly  appreciated  by 

the     best     publishers. 

Miss    Hutchinson 

learnt    typewriting    to 

help     her     father, 

Colonel      Hutchinson, 

in   his   work   as   Hon. 

Secretary  of  the  Royal 

Artillery  Charities,  and 

as    she   is   devoted   to 

music,    she    has    been 

Secretary  of  "  The  On- 

comers  Association. " 


tyranny  of  the  German  conquest  of  1870,  aiid  the 
brutal  terms  of  peace,  swept  away  let  us  hope  for 
ever.  Joy  bells  rang  everywhere  calling  the 
people  to  prayer,  and  our  Sisters  took  part  with 
their  brave  charges  in  many  a  solemn  service  of 
praise  and  thanksgiving.  From  Paris  we  learn 
that  the  joy  was  indescribable.  Happy  patriots  of 
all  ages,  dancing  like  children,  in  their  fields 
Elysian.  The  stolen  provinces  Alsace  and 
Lorraine  are  home  again  after  all  the  bitter  years 
of  alien  rule.     What  a  whirligig  of  time  ! 


Olga  is  the  name  of 
the  devoted  and  very 
clever  '  little  doggie 
friend  which  appears  in  the  picture  on  this  page. 

Miss  Hutchinson's  great  interest  in  the  welfare 
of  the  Corps  has  done  much  to  make  it  the  very 
great  success  it  is  acknowledged  to  be,  and  her 
work  is  much  valued  by  the  Hon.  Superintendent, 
Mrs.  Bedford  Fenwick,  with  whom  she  has  been 
closely  associated  for  the  four  years  of  the  war. 

LE    SOLEIL    DE     LA     VICTOIRE. 

The  Sisters  send  accounts  of  the  wonderful  joy 
of  the  "  poilus "  and  their  thankfulness  for 
Victory  and  Armistice.  The  sun  shone  brightly 
that  wonderful  nth  November,  191 8.  "  C'est  le 
soleil  da  la  Victoire,"  acclaimed  one  poetic  soldier. 
What  a  glorious  triumph  !      All  the  horror  and 


We  deeply  regret  to  record  the  death  of  Madame 
Dslord  (Mile,  de  I'Epine),  the  only  trained  French 
member  of  the  Corps.  Her  end  seems  very  tragic. 
She  was  soon  to  be  a  mother,  and  has  died  quite 

suddenly,  only  forty 
hom-s  after  leaving  her 
sister  to  rejoin  her 
husband,  and  just  as 
Sedan  was  to  be  again 
free,  where  her  mother 
had  been  interned  by 
the  Huns  from  the 
beginning  of  the  war. 
Now,  alas  !  she  regains 
her  liberty  to  find  her 
dear  daughter  has 
passed  away. 

Madame  Deloid  was 
trained  at  St.  Thomas 
Hospital,  London,  and 
joined  the  Corps  early 
in  the  war.  She  was 
one  of  the  Sisters  so 
happily  attached  to 
the  ambulance  at 
Verne uil,  where  she 
met  her  husband,  who 
was  Med.  Chef.  They 
were  parted  during 
the  terrible  attacks 
on  Verdun  where  he 
worked  for  months 
amidst  great  tragedy, 
and  on  our  visit  to 
Verneuil  last  autumn 
Mile,  de  I'Epine  was 
spending  a  few  days 
with  the  Sisters.  We  well  remember  her  bright- 
ness as  she  chatted  with  the  old  postman  over  the 
wall,  and  the  grace  with  which  he  offered  her 
"  the  last  rose  of  summer."  Then  we  wished  her 
many  happy  years  with  her  future  husband  . 
"  after  the  war,"  and  now,  when  peace  is  with 
us,  such  wishes   are  all  in  vain. 


miss    I5ABEL    HUTCHINSON. 
Secretary  French  Flag:  Nursing  Corps. 


OUR  ROLL  OF  HONOUR. 

NURSING    SERVICE. 

Died. 
Miss  G.  Llewellyn,  V.A.D-,  B.R.C.S.  ;  S.  Nurse 
E.  H.  Watson,  Q.A.I.M.S.R. 

StafE-Nurse  D.  Bernstein,  South  Afr.  M.C. 


3x6 


^be  British  3ournal  of  IRurstng.       November  23,  1918 


NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 

We  think  it  is  high  .time  trained  nurses  who 
have  given  four  years'  devoted  service  to  the  sick 
and  wound3d  and  their  country  began  to  wake  up 
to  the  necessity  of  looking  their  economic  prospects 
in  the  face.  We  hear  of  no  efijctive  organisation 
to  provide  them  with  well-paid  work,  excepting 
through  the  ofi&ce  of  the  National  Union  of 
Trained  Nurses,  which  has  throughout  the  war 
carried  on  a  most  successful  "  Professional  Nurses' 
Bareau  "  at  46,  Marsham  Street,  S.W.  The  Red 
Cross  and  V.A-D.  Committees  are  looking  well 
ahead  and  are  determined  to  protect  the  interests 
of  their  V.A.D.  nurses.  For  instan-^e,  as  we  have 
reported,  Army  Council  Instruction  No.  678  of  1918 
has  ear-mark3d  all  posts  in  Queen  Alexandra's 
Irapsrial  Military  Nursing  Service  for  V.A.D. s 
who  complete  three  years'  training  in  a  general 
hospital,  thus  excluding  for  many  years  to  come 
regular  probationers  who  are  compelled  to  give 
four  years'  service  for  the  same  certificate,  and 
now  we  learn  from  Lady  Qjill  in  the  Weekly 
Dispatch,  that  the  training  of  V.A.D.s  who  wish 
to  qualify  in  various  other  branches  of  Health  work 
is  to  be  paid  for.  Lady  Quill  (a  well-known 
woman  journalist)  says  on  this  important  matter. 

"  Now  with  peace  and  reconstruction  no  one 
fears  for  the  great  army  of  women.  Hundreds  of 
doors  tightly  closed  before  are  wide  open  for  the 
ambitious,  enterprising  woman.  Her  four  years' 
training  have  taught  her  what  she  can  do  best  or 
they  have  taught  her  how  to  find  out  what  she  can 
do  best,  and  she  is  going  to  be  more  needed  than 
ever  before,  for  the  peace  world  is  to  be  a  world 
of  hard  work  for  men  and  women  alike. 
"  For  V.A.D.s. 

"  Devonshire  H^use,  the  headquarters  for 
V.A.D.  workers,  is  as  busy  a  place  as  ever.  '  We 
shall  want  V.A.D.s  for  at  least  a  year,'  Lady 
Oliver  told  me  yesterday.  '  Some  of  the  girls, 
those  who  interrupted  university  careers  to  work 
for  us,  will  come  straight  home  and  take  up  their 
own  work.  For  other  V.A.D.s  we  have  a  great 
schema  in  progress  and  ;^50,ooo  to  start  it  working. 
We  intend  to  give  all  V.A.D.s  who  show  the 
inclination  and  aptitude  a  chance  to  train  for  the 
Public  Health  Service. 

"  '  Any  V.A.D.  may  write  to  us,  and  we  will  see 
that  her  application  is  attended  to.  We  feel  that 
these  girls  who  have  their  years  of  war  service  as 
groundwork  will  be  of  the  greatest  service  to  the 
State.  We  shall  see  that  they  are  trained  as 
sanitary  inspectors,  health  visitors,  nurses,  m.id- 
wives,  &c.,  and  with  the  co-operation  of  other 
organisations  plenty  of  work  will  be  found  for 
them  along  these  lines.'  " 


OUR  CHRISTIAN  DUTY  AND  NATIONAL 
OBLIGATION. 


EVERYONE  SHOULD   READ  IT. 

A  report  has  been  issued  by  Mr.  Justice 
Younger's  Committee  on  the  treatment  of  British 
prisoners  of  war  in  coal  and  salt  mines  in  Grermany. 
It  leaves  no  doubt  of  the  unrestrained  brutality 
which  Germany  has  habitually  practised  towards 
defenceless  men. 


Susan  Sinclair  was  left  a  widow  in  her  youth 
with  one  baby  boy  and  no  pennies. 

But  she  had  genius,  and  for  twenty  years 
she  worked  early  and  late,  a  perfect  and 
devoted  mother.  Johnny  grew  and  thrived, 
and  did  her  credit.  They  were  more  like 
brother  and  sister  than  mother  and  son. 
Then  came  War. 

Johnny,  as  became  a  son  of  Susan,  was  in 
khaki  in  the  first  flight  of  valour. 

Later  he  went  "over  the  top,"  was  crashed 
down,  and  weeks  later  notified  a  prisoner  in  a 
German  camp. 

Then  the  heart  of  Susan  Sinclair  became  as 
water. 

In  spite  of  the  Government  fHolicy,  which  cast 
a  veil  for  years  over  the  deadliest  infamies  of 
the  Hun — the  systematic  "  breaking  of  brave 
English  hearts  "  by  humiliation,  starvation, 
and  base  and  bestial  ill-treatment  of  the 
nation's  sons  in  captivity — this  mother  realised 
its  fullest  horror.  All  day  long  and  half  the 
night  she  spent  herself  for  the  prisoners ;  she 
pinched  and  screwed  in  food  and  fuel  and 
clothing,  and  dwindled  into  grey  middle  age. 

One  day  we  met.  Could  this  pale  flitting 
figure  be  bonny  Susan? 

"  Whither — whither?  "     I     cried,     catching 
her  sleeve.      "  How  is  Johnny?  " 
She  stood  vibrant. 

"Burned  alive,"  she  whispered  hoarsely; 
"  just  a  rat  in  a  trap.  A  hell  hole — a  locked 
door — a  barred  window.  Mercifully  the  sentry 
cracked  his  skull  with  a  carbine — I'tn  hoping, 
hoping  all  the  time  the  flames  did  not  reach 
him  in  time,  but  I  can  never  be  sure." 

Then  she  turned  away  her  withered  face, 
and  clutched  my  arm. 

"  Come  and  dine,"  she  said;  "  no  starvation 
these  days.  Do  you  realise  we  have  been 
informed  that  it  is  our  Christian  Duty,  our 
National  Obligation,  to  feed  these  mur- 
derers? " 

As  we  linked  arms,  no  doubt  she  noticed 
my  startled  heart  and  the  scalding  tears  that 
dripped  and  dripped. 

"  Happy  women  who  can  weep,"  she  sighed. 
We  stumbled  towards  her  charming  home, 
always  before  the  war  gay  and  beautiful ;  a 
bower  of  flowers,  so  snug  and  bright  and 
warm,  with  a  dog  and  cat,  the  best  of  friends ; 
and  Johnny — (oh  !  brave  boy  Johnny  !) — 
thumping  discords  on  a  fine  piano  to  impro- 
vised songs  out  of  tune  ! 


November  23,  1918       j^y^  British  Souriial  of  IRurstnfi. 


317 


During  War  all  had  been  hushed  and  dark 
and  colourless. 

"  Every  penny  for  prisoners,  my  dear — 
every  penny." 

We  arrived.  The  old  brightness  and  sweet- 
ness prevailed.  Glorious  fires  burned  in  the 
grates. 

By  and  bye  a  couple  of  spectres  in  khaki 
came  in.  I  was  introduced  to  "  two  brave  un- 
broken English  hearts,  prisoners  of  war  since 
Mons." 

We  dined  sumptuously,  as  in  Johnny's  day. 

"Behold  my  'Christian  Duty,'"  cried 
Susan,  toasting  spectre  No.  i,  "and  my 
'  National  Obligation,'  "  bowing  to  No.  2. 
"  Here  is  to  the  140,000  prisoners  coming 
home  from  the  Torture  Camps  of  the  Hun. 
Women  of  Britain,  see  to  it  that  these  *  brave 
English  hearts  '  have  every  available  bit  and 
sup  they  need  before  one  crumb  which  falls 
from  their  table  is  handed  to  the  Hun." 

We  clinked  glassesand  vowed  a  vow. 

E.  G.  F. 


NATIONAL  COUNCIL  OF  TRAINED 
NURSES. 


The  annual  meeting  of  the  Grand  Council 
(Delegates)  of  the  National  Council  of  Trained 
Nurses  will  be  held  at  431,  Oxford  Street, 
London,  W.  i,  on  Friday,  November  29th,  at 
4  p.m.  '{ 

Nominations  for  one  Vice-President  and  two 
Directors,  who  retire  annually,  should  be  sent 
to  the  Hon.  Secretary  at  431,  Oxford  Street, 
London,  W.  i,  before  that  date.  Each 
affiliated  Association  has  the  right  to  depute 
two  Delegates  to  serve  on  the  Grand  Council ; 
Associations  of  400  members  three  Delegates, 
and  over  600  four  Delegates,  after  which  there 
is  no  increase  of  representation. 

Office  Bearers  at  Present. 

President. — Mrs.  Bedford  Fenwick. 

Vice-Presidents. — Miss  Elma  Smith,  Matron, 
The  Infirmary,  Hendon ;  Mrs.  Strong,  Presi- 
dent, Scottish  Nurses'  Association ;  Miss  A.  M. 
Macdonnell.  R.R.C.,  Matron,  War  Hospital, 
Perth. 

Directors. — Miss  M.  Heather-Bigg,  R.R.C., 
Miss  H.  L.  Pearse,  Miss  A.  Dowbiggin, 
R.R.C.,  Miss  S.  A.  Villiers,  Miss  J.  W. 
Davies,  Miss  Carson-Rae. 

Hon.  Treasurer. — Miss  Christina  Forrest. 

Hon.  Secretary. — Miss  B.  Cutler. 

Ex-ofjicio. — ^The  Presidents  of  the  Matrons' 


Council,  the  Irish  Nurses'  Association,  and  the 
National  Union  of  Trained  Nurses. 

The  business  before  the  meeting  will  be  of 
professional  importance.  As  events  are 
framing,  it  is  probable  that  the  International 
Council  of  Nurses  may  be  convened  for  1920, 
instead  of  in  this  year  of  war,  1918*  when  it 
was  due  to  meet.  If  so,  it  will  be  none  too 
soon  for  the  National  Council  of  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland  to  begin  to  consider  this  great 
event. 

NATIONAL  UNION  OF  TRAINED  NURSES. 

|We  are  glad  to  hear  the  Meeting  organised  by 
the  N.U.T.N.,  "  To  consider  the  Influence  on  the 
Nation  of  a  Ministry  of  HealtH,"  promises  to  be 
well  attended  and  very  interesting.  It  is  to  be 
held  at  the  College  of  Ambulance,  3,  Vere  Street 
Oxford  Street,  W.,  and  Dr.  C.  W.  Saleeby  and 
Miss  Helen  Pearse  are  to  speak.  The  Rev.  H.  R. 
L.  Sheppard  will  be  in  the  chair,  and  we  hope 
there  will  be  a  lively  discussion.  The  work  of 
Trained  Niirses  should  be  recognised  at  its  true 
value  in  any  Health  scheme  for  the  community, 
and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  they  will  not  stand 
silently  by  and  permit  the  Service  to  be  largely 
composed  of  women  with  a  superficial  knowledge 
of  sanitary  science  and  home  nursing.  The 
pushing  amateur  is  ever  in  our  midst,  and  often 
commands  higher  remuneration  from  pubUc  furds 
than  the  skilled  worker.  We  all  know  the  cheap 
and  inefficient  standards  of  nursing  ofEered  to  the 
poor,  'especially  in  rural  districts.  Of  course 
nothing  will  alter  that  but  State  Authority  and 
the  escape  of  our  profession  from  plutocratic 
patronage.  We  must  see  that  under  a  Health 
Ministry  the  poor  get  the  right  thing,  and  the 
N.U.T.N.  means  to  do  its  part  to  bring  about  this 
happy   consummation. 


NUR5ES'    MISSIONARY    LEAGUE. 

A  Quiet  Day  for  Prayer  and  Meditation  will  be 
held  on  St.  Andrew's  Day,  Saturday,  November 
30th,  at  St.  Michael's  Church.  Chester  Square,  W.  i, 
conducted  by  the  Rev.  Cecil  White,  M.  A.,  and  the 
Rev.  J.  Gough  McCormick,  MA.  6  a.m.,  and 
8  a.m.  :  Holy  Communion,  10.30-12.30  :  Addresses 
by  the  Rev.  Cecil  White,  M.A.,  "  To  Strengthen 
Such  as  do  Stand "  (i)  By  a  clearer  vision, 
{2)  By  a  Brighter  hope,  (3)  By  a  stronger  faith. 
3-4. 30 :  Special  Thanksgiving  Service  and  Inter- 
cession. Address  by  Rev.  J.  Gough  McCormick, 
MA..,  "  To  Beat  Down  Satan  under  our  Feet." 
Fellowship  of  Silence.  There  will  be  periods  for 
Prayer  and  silent  meditation  after  each  address.  - 


Courage  for  the  great  sorrows  of  life  and 
patience  for  the  small  ones,  and  then,  when  you 
have  laboriously  accomplished  your  daily  task,  go 
to  sleep  in  peace.     God  is  awake. — Victor  Huf^o. 


3i8 


dbe  3Brtti9b  3ournaI  of  iRursmo.        ^^ovember  23,  1918 


Ropal  BrItlsD  Rur$c$'  dissociation. 


(Incorporated  Dp 


Ropal  Charter.) 


THIS   SUPPLEMENT    BEING   THE    OFFICIAL    ORGAN    OF    THE    CORPORATION. 


THE  CONFERENCE. 

(Concluded  from  page  308.) 


SOME    PHASES  OF    MODERN    NURSINQ. 

The  second  part  of  the  Afternoon  Session  at  the 
Conference  convened  by  the  Royal  British  Nurses' 
Association  at  11,  Chandos  Street,  Cavendish 
Square,  i,  on  November  7th,  dealt  with  "  Some 
Phases  of  Modern  Nurjjjig. " 

Modern  Nursing  as  it  affects  District  Nurses' 
Training. 

Miss  Marsters,  Superintendent  of  the  Pad- 
dington  and  District  Nursing  Association,  who 
presented  the  first  paper,  said  that  in  looking  back 
on  twenty-two  years  of  district  nursing  in  Lx)ndon 
one  must  realize  the  enormous  change  in  the  con- 
dition of  the  people  among  whom  the  district  nurse 
works. 

Twenty  years  ago  nursing  amongst  the  poor  was 
indeed  slum  work,  and  very  strenuous  it  was; 
nothing  to  make  use  of  in  the  homes,  and  it  was 
a  frequent  occurrence  to  have  no  towel,  soap,  or 
basin  for  washing  or  dressing  purposes ;  the  nurse 
had  to  improvise  in  nearly  every  case  she  attended. 

If  the  housing  were  bad  now  (which  it  was  in 
many  places),  what  was  it  then?  Underground 
cellars,  and  back  to  back  houses,  houses  in  back 
yards  to  which  the  only  entrance  was  through 
another  house,  abounded. 

Thanks  to  the  sanitary  authorities  many  of  these 
evils  had  been  done  away  with,  and  with  them 
many  of  the  diseases  the  district  nurses  were  con- 
stantly asked  to  attehd- — typhoid,  diphtheria,  &c. 
There  was  not  hospital  accommodation  for  all 
these,  and  many  were  nursed  in  their  own  homes. 

A  number  of  serious  cases  were  still  nursed  on 
the  district,  but  the  character  of  the  work,  and  the 
class  of  patient  in  large  towns  was  changing.  The 
work  of  district  nurses  to  a  great  extent  was 
becoming  preventive.  The  patients  were  much 
better  off,  and  it  was  seldom  that  they  could  not 
procure  what  was  required  in  the  way  of  dressings, 
&c.,  so  that  it  was  comparatively  easy  for  an  opera- 
tion to  be  i>erformed  at  honx-. 

Amongst  the  branches  of  work  undertaken  by 
district  nurses  were  nursing  for  the  Public  Health 
authorities  of  such  diseases  as  measles,  whooping- 
cough,  ophthalmia  neonatorum,  tuberculosis,  and 
she  hoped  soon  the  nursirii^  of  maternity  cases. 


Again,  there  were  the  school  work,  and  minor 
ailment  centres  for  school  children,  infant  welfare 
work,  ante-natal  clinics,  dispensaries  for  the  pre- 
vention of  consumption  and  for  venereal  disease, 
&c.  This  was  all  a  part  of  modern  nursing,  and  for 
the  fully  trained  nurse  to  do  this  work  well  she 
must  receive  instruction  during  her  training  in 
these  varied  branches  of  work ;  also  a  course  of 
lectures  in  sociology. 

To  nurse  the  poor  successfully  in  their  own 
homes  a  nurse  must  understand  their  ways  and  the 
available  means  of  helping  them. 

The  Queen  Victoria  Jubilee  Institute  gave  in- 
struction in  the  above  subjects  to  nurses  taking 
up  district  work,  and,  as  we  progressed  in  pre- 
ventive nursing,  fully  trained  nurses  would 
specialize  in  these  subjects. 

It  was  not  now  sufficient  when  a  nurse  attended 
a  member  of  a  family  for  her  to  simply  nurse  the 
patient ;  she  must  also  observe  the  manner  in  which 
(if  there  were  one)  the  baby  was  fed,  washed,  and 
clothed,  where  it  slept,  whether  it  attended  a  wel- 
fare centre,  the  state  of  the  mother's  health  and 
teeth,  and  her  ante-natal  symptoms,  and  in  the 
event  of  there  being  children  under  school  age, 
whether  they  were  attending  a  welfare  clinic. 

Although  there  was  no  glamour  about  district 
nursing,  and  no  honours  given,  it  was  worth  a 
great  deal  more  to  hear  a  poor  mother  say,  as  was 
often  said  to  her  :  "  Matron,  I  do  not  know  what 
I  should  have  done  without  nurse.  She  saved 
baby's  life.     I  shall  never  forget  her." 

The  Place  of  the  Trained  Nurse  in 
Preventive  Work. 

Miss  K.  Atherton,  Medallist  of  the  Royal  Sani- 
tary Institute  and  Educational  Organizer  of  the 
Hampstead  Council  of  Social  Welfare,  spoke  of  the 
work  of  the  trained  nurse  in  infant  welfare  centres, 
and  said  that  the  underlying  principle  of  all  work 
of  this  kind  was  to  get  the  mothers  to  bring  their 
children  regularly  to  the  centre  while  they  were 
well.  Then  the  onset  of  various  diseases,  such  as 
malnutrition,  anaemia,  spinal  curvature,  rheuma- 
tism, strained  heart,  or  nervous  system  could  be 
early  detected  by  the  medical  officers,  and  the 
mother  could  be  gradually  educated  and  brought 
to  the  realization  that  all  her  children  could  not  be 
treated  alike,  but  must  be  studied  individually. 

Everyone,  said  Miss  Atherton,  was  talking  about 
infant  welfare  centres  just  now.  They  were  the 
present   fashion,   for  it  was  realized  that  the  pre- 


November  23,  1918       (^bc  Brtttsb  Soumal  of  IRuremfl, 


3»9 


servation  of  child  life  and  health  was  all-important, 
not  only  to  the  child,  but  to  the  nation. 

All  such  work  was  very  costfy,  requiring  special 
equipment  of  all  kinds — special  training  and  ex- 
perienc*  on  the  part  of  the  doctor  and  nurse,  and 
the  very  best  equipment  for  the  Clinics,  embracing, 
as  they  often  did,  ante-natal  and  dental  depart- 
ment-..  It  was  only  by  having  the  very  best  that 
the  best  results  were  obtained.  The  doctors  were 
often  specialists  in  women's  and  children 's  diseases, 
and  the  nurses  usually  had  some  qualification  in 
public  health,  as  well  as  the  usual  hospital  training, 
and  were  preferably  midwives. 

The  children  dealt  with  were  of  the  ages  of  one 
to  five  years,  when  their  case  papers,  and  charts  of 
weight  and  height,  were  handed  on  to  the  School 
Medical  Officer,  and  were  invaluable  as  a  com- 
plete record  of  health.  Formerly  no  special  atten- 
tion was  paid  to  children  of  this  age.  It  was  not 
considered  necessary  to  fill  their  teeth,  and  dis- 
charging ears  were  supposed  to  be  the  natural 
result  of  bad  teeth.  Now  the  tiniest  holes  were 
filled,  thus  preserving  the  permanent  teeth.  The 
teeth  of  the  mother  also  received  attention  ;  at  some 
Centres  the  rule  was  that  all  mothers  attending 
dinners  must  first  have  their  teeth  put  in  order. 

Miss  Atherton  then  dealt  in  detail  with  the  work 
of  the  Ante-Natal  Clinics,  and  said  that  if  they 
could  only  get  a  mother  with  her  first  baby,  they 
could  probably  lay  the  foundation  of  a  large  and 
healthy  family. 

Home  visiting  was  an  Important  department  of 
the  work.  The  regular  visitor — trained,  though 
possibly  a  voluntary  wx)rker — gained  a  very  inti- 
mate knowledge  of  the  family,  and  watched  the 
growth  and  progress  of  the  children. 

In  the  discussion  which  followed.  Miss  Mar- 
QUARDT  inquired  the  qualifications  of  the  Home 
Visitors,  and  was  told  that  they  often  had  the 
certificate  of  the  Royal  Sanitary  Institute. 

Modern   Developments  in   Surgical  Nursing. 

Miss  Isabel  Macdonald,  Secretary  to  the  Cor- 
poration, then  read  an  interesting  paoer  prepared 
by  Miss  Sinzininex,  A.R.R.C.,  on  the  above  sub- 
ject. The  present  day  developments  of  surgical 
nursing  were  not,  the  writer  said,  merely  those  of 
ordinary  progress,  but  were  sf>ecial  developments 
due  to  conditions  arising  out  of  the  war.  They 
were  wide  in  the  extreme,  and  it  was  only  possible 
in  a  short  time  to  deal  with  one  chiefly,  and  perhaps 
to  touch  on  one  or  two  others.  She  confined  her- 
self, .therefore,  to  the  one  she  had  had  most  exp>eri- 
ence  of — the  variety  of  compound  fractures  met 
with  in  these  days.  The  paper  dealt  with  much  the 
same  subjects  as  the  one  bv  Miss  Sinzininex  pub- 
lished in  a  recent  issue  of  this  Journal. 
(Signed)     Isabel  Macdonald, 

Secretary  to  the  Corporation. 


OFFICIAL  CORRESPONDENCG  BETWHEN 
THE  COLLEGE  OF  NURSING,  LTD., 
AND  THE  CENTRAL  COMMI  i  TEE  FOR 
THE  STATE  REGISTRATION  OF 
NURSES. 


In  connection  with  the  high  salaries  earned  by 
Sisters  in  Canada,  Miss  Jen  tie  Paterson  desires  to 
make  it  plain  that  uniform  is  not  usually  provided, 
but  she  thinks  they  are  well  able  to  provide  that 
item  from  their  generous  emoluments. 


At  a  Meeting  of  the  Executive  Committee 
of  the  Central  Committee  held  on  Thursday, 
November  14th,  it  was  agreed  that  the  follow- 
ing correspondence  between  the  Central  Com- 
mittee and  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  be 
published  in  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing, 
as  it  had  already  been  sent  to  the  press  by  the 
Secretary  of  the  College  by  direction  of  the 
Hon.  Sir  Arthur  Stanley,  M.P.,  Chairman  of 
the  Council  of  the  College  : — 

THE     NUR5ES'     REGISTRATION     BILLS. 
The  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd. 
6,  Vere  Street,  London,  W., 

14th  October,  19 18. 

Dear  Madam,— At  the  last  Meeting  of  the 
Council  of  the  College  of  Nursing  the  Chairman 
informed  the  Council,  on  the  authority  of  Major 
Chappie,  that  your  Committee  had  received  copies 
of  the  7th  Draft  of  the  Bill  for  the  State  Registra- 
tion of  Nurses,  and  that  it  was  under  their  con- 
sideration. I  was  instructed  by  the  Council  to 
write  and  ask  whether  your  Committee  agrees  to 
the  introduction  of  this  Bill  by  Major  Chappie  as 
a  joint  measure. 

My  Council  further  instructed  me  to  say  that  if 
your  Committee  feel  that  any  difficulty  is  caused 
by  Clause  5  (3)  they  would  be  willing  to  delete  that 
Clause  if  this  is  the  only  objection  felt  by  your 
Committee  to  the  Bill  as  now  presented  to  them. 

As  my  Council  meets  next  Thursday  I  shall  be 
grateful  if  you  will  let  me  have  an  answer  before 
that  date. 

I  enclose  two  copies  of  the  7th  Draft  of  the  Bill. 
I  remain,  yours  faithfully 

M.  S.  Rundle, 

Secretary. 

From  Nurse  Hon.  Secretary,  Central  Committee 
FOR  State  Registration  of  Nurses,  to  Secre- 
tary, College  of  Nursing,  Ltd. 

19th  October,  1918. 
Dear   Madam, — I   have  received  your  letters  of 
14th  and  iSth  October. 

The  former,  as  corrected,   will  be  submitted  to 
the  Central  Committee  for  the  State  Registration 
of  Nurses  at  its  Meeting  on  October  26th. 
Yours  faithfully, 

Ethel  G.  Fenwick^    - 

Hon.  Nurse  Secretary. 

Central  Committee  for  the  State  Registration 
OF  Nurses. 
431,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.  i, 
November  ist,  1918. 
Dear    Madam, — The    letter   of    the    College    of 
Nursing,  Ltd.,  of  the  14th  ult.  was  placed  before 


3ao 


Zbc  Britieb  3ournal  ot  "Wursino. 


November  23,    1918 


the  Central  Committee  for  the  State  Registration 
of  Nurses  at  its  meeting  on  October  the  26th  last. 
The  Committee  considered  the  letter  in  connection 
with  a  report  presented  by  its  Executive  Com- 
mittee, upon  the  7th  Draft  of  the  College  of  Nurs- 
ing Bill.  As  a  result  of  its  delibera'tions,  the  Com- 
mittee passed  a  Resolution  to  the  efTect  that  its 
own  Bill  is  a  better  Bill  than  that  drafted  by  the 
College  of  Nursing,  and  should  be  adhered  to. 

VVe  were  instructed  by  the  Committee  to  acquaint 
your  Council  with  this  decision,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  ask  your  Council  whether  it  would  be 
willing  to  support  the  Bill  framed  by  the  Central 
Committee  as  a  joint  Bill.  The  Committee  is 
unable  to  support  the  Bill  proposed  by  the  College 
of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  even  if  Clause  5  (3)  were  deleted, 
and  for  the  following  reasons  : — 

1.  The  Committee  is  of  opinion  that  it  is  most 
undesirable  that  any  particular  body  should  be 
included  in  the  Bill,  in  the  manner  in  which  it  is 
proposed  •  to  incorporate  the  College  of  Nursing. 
It  would  equally  object  even  if  the  body  were  any 
other  body — say  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion or  the  Society  for  the  State  Registration  of 
Trained  Nurses — ^^because  it  is  of  the  opinion  that 
the  Greneral  Nursing  Council  should  be  free  and 
independent  of  any  such  influence  as  would  cer- 
tainly prevail  in  it  were  it  so  intimately  associated 
with  an  incorporated  body  as  is  proposed  by  the 
College  Bill. 

As  regards  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  in  par- 
ticular, the  omission  of  Clause  5  (3)  from  the  Bill 
will  not  prevent  the  Memorandum -and  Articles  of 
Association  of  the  College  from  remaining  in  full 
force  and  effect ;  and  with  these  Articles  and  Memo- 
randum the  Central  Committee  does  not  feel  itself 
able  to  agree.  If  the  College  is  taken  under  the 
protection  of  an  Act  of  Parliament,  its  Memo- 
randum and  Articles  of  Association  will,  by  that 
fact,  receive  the  approval  of  the  Legislature. 

2.  The  Committee  objects  to  the  proposed  imme- 
diate dissolution  of  the  Provisional  Council  pro- 
vided for  in  the  College  Bill.  According  to  the 
scheme  laid  down  in  that  Bill  there  will  be  no 
constituency  to  elect  the  General  Nursing  Council 
except  the  nurses  on  the  College  Register  at  the 
time  the  Bill  becomes  law.  In  the  view  of  the 
Committee  the  First  (provisional)  General  Nursing 
Council  should  draw  up  not  only  the  rules  provided 
for  in  Clause  5  (i)  (a)  of  the  College  Bill,  but  all 
the  remainder  of  the  rules,  and  it  should  not  go 
out  of  office  till  sufficient  time  has  elapsed  for  the 
growth  of  a  constituency  of  Registered  Nurses 
sufficiently  extensive  and  indej>endent. 

3.  The  institution  of  Supplementary  Registers, 
other  than  those  of  Male  and  Mental  Nurses,  is,  in 
the  opinion  of  the  Committee,  certain  to  lead  not 
only  to  a  many-portal  system,  instead  of  the  one- 
portal  system  which  the  Committee  has  always 
considered  to  be  one  of  the  most  essential  features 
of  State  Registration,  but  also  to  a  shorter  period 
than  the  three  years  which  is  the  minimum  period 
the^  Committee  believes  to  be  necessary  for  the 
training  of  a  nurse. 

lastly,  the  Committee  feels  bound  to  state  that 


it  fails  to  see  the  necessity  of  providing  for  the 
College  of  Nursing  or  any  other  body  in  the  Regis- 
tration Bill.  It  has  no  objection  to  offer  to  the 
College  as  an  educational  institution ;  but,  as  such 
an  institution,  the  College  will  be  but  one  amongst 
many,  and  why  should  the  College  be  singled  out 
for  special  favour? 

The  Committee  recognise  the  educational  import- 
ance of  the  College,  and,  on  that  ground,  is  quite 
willing  to  provide  for  its  representation  on  the 
General  Nursing  Council. 

As  the  Resolution  referred  to  above  states,  the 
Committee  is  of  opinion  that  its  own  Bill — which 
is  the  outcome  of  many  years'  thought  and  col- 
laboration on  the  part  of  a  number  of  societies 
which  are  interested  in  matters  connected  with  the 
nursing  profession — is  a  better  one  than  that 
drafted  by  the  College  of  Nursing,  and  therefore 
it  invites  the  College  to  co-operate  with  it  in  its 
promotion  in  Parliament. 

The  Committee's  amended  Bill  is  in  the  hands  of 
the  printers,  and  copies  will  be  forwarded  for  the 
information  of  your  Council  as  soon  as  they  are 
received. 

We  are,  dear  Madam, 

Yours  faithfully, 

Ethel  G.  Fenwick, 

Hon.  Nurse  Secretary. 

E.   W.   GOODALL, 

Hon.  Medical  Secretary. 
To  Miss  M.  S.  Rundle,  R.R.C., 

Secretary,  College  o'  Nursing,  Ltd. 

From  Secretary,  College;  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  to 
Hon.  Secretary,  Central  Committee  for 
State  Registration  of  Nurses. 

2nd  November,  1918. 
Dear  Madam, — I  beg  to  thank  you  for  your  letter 
of  the  1st  inst.,  which  shall  be  placed  before  the 
Council  of  the  College  at  its  next  Meeting. 
I  remain,  yours  faithfully, 

M.  S.  Rundle,  Secretary. 

The  College  op-  Nursing,  Ltd. 
6,  Vere  Street,  London,  W., 

9th  November,  19 18. 

Dear  Madam. — Your  letter  of  the  ist  inst.  was 
considered  by  the  Council  of  the  College  on  Thurs- 
day last,  and  I  am  directed  to  say  at  once  that  no 
Bill  for  the  State  Registration  of  Nurses  will 
receive  the  support  of  the  College  which  does  not 
provide  for  the  inclusion  on  the  first  Legal  Register 
(without  further  fee)  of  all  Nurses  on  the  College 
Register  at  the  time  of  the  passing  of  the  Act,  and, 
further,  for  the  election  of  two-thirds  of  the  General 
Nursing  Council  by  the  Nurses  upon  the  General 
Register  under  the  Act. 

Neither  of  these  essential  provisions,  to  which 
the  College  is  fully  pledged,  is  found  in  the  Bill 
framed  by  the  Central  Committee.  Under  these 
circumstances  the  Council  of  the  College  has 
decided  to  proceed  without  delay  to  promote  their 
own  Bill,  of  which  copies  have  been  already  fur- 
nished to  you,  with  such  modifications,  if  any,  as 
they  may  judge  expedient. 

The  Council  think  it  right  that  you  should  imme- 


November  23,  1918      (^f)e  Brtttsh  3ournal  of  "JRuremo. 


3*1 


diately  be  informed  of  what  they  propose  to 
do,  without  thereby  precluding  themselves  from 
making  a  fuller  reply  to  your  letter  when  they  have 
received  from  you  a  copy  of  the  Central  Com- 
mittee's Bill  with  the  latest  amendments. 
I  remain,  yours  faithfully 

M.  S.  RuNDLE,  Secretary. 

From  Secretary,  C6llege  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  to 
Hon.  Secretary,  Central  Committee  for 
State  Registration  of  Nurses. 

nth  November,  19 18. 
Dear  Madam, — I  think  you  should  be  informed 
that,  by  the  instruction  of  the  Chairman,  we  are 
sending  to  the  Nursing  Press  this  week  the  corre- 
spondence which  has  lately  passed  between  the 
Central  Committee  for  the  State  Registration  of 
Nurses  and  the  Council  of  the  College  of  Nursing, 
Ltd. 

I  remain,  yours  faithfully, 

M.  S.  RuNDLE,  Secretary. 

From  Hon.  Nurse  Secretary,  Central  Committee 
FOR  THE  State  Registration  of  Nurses,  to 
Secretary,  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd. 

1 2th  November,  1918. 
Dear  Madam,— I  beg  to  acknowledge  your  letter 
dated  November  9th,  which  will  be  placed  before 
my  Committee  at  its  next  meeting ;  also  your 
second  communication,  dated  November  nth, 
informing  me  that,  by  direction  of  your  Chairman, 
you  have  sent  the  recent  official  correspondence 
between  the  Central  Committee  and  the  College  of 
Nursing  to  the  so-called  Nursing  Press,  before  my 
Committee  has  considered  your  letter  of  Novem- 
ber 9th,  and,  as  courtesy  demands,  has  given  its 
consent  to  such  publicity. 

I  remain,  youes  faithfully, 
Ethel  G.  Fenwick, 

Hon.  Nurse  Secretary. 

Having-  considered  the  correspondence,  the 
Executive  Committee '^ssed  unanimously  the 
follov^ing  Resolution,  and  directed  that  it 
should  be  sent  to  the  Council  of  the  College 
of  Nursing',  Ltd.  : — 

Resolution. 
The  Executive  Committee  of  the  Central  Com- 
mittee for  the  State  Registration  of' Nurses  desires 
to'express  to  the  Council  of  the  College  of  Nursing, 
Ltd.,  its  strong  disapproval  of  official  correspon- 
dence between  the  two  Bodies  having  been  sent  to 
the  press  for  publication,  before  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  former  has  had  time  to  receive  and 
consider  the  letter  from  the  Council  of  the  College 
of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  dated  November  the  9th,  in  reply 
to  the  important  communication  ftx)m  the  Central 
Committee  dated  November  ist. 

Our  readers  will  learn  from  this  correspond- 
ence that  the  Central  Committee  for  State 
Registration  of  Nurses,  and  the  College  of 
Nursing,  Ltd.,  will  now  proceed  to  support 
their  own  Bills. 


DANCING    ON    THE    DEAD. 


What  is  known  as  the  "  Hulton  "  press, 
which  owns  the  Daily  Sketch,  the  Evening 
Standard,  and  other  papers  in  the  North,  is 
widely  advertising-  the  scheme  of  a  "  Victory 
Ball,"  to  be  held  at  the  Albert  Hall  on 
November  27th,  in  aid  of  the  War  Charity,  the 
Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses,  and  nearly  every 
paper  in  the  Metropolis  is  flooded  with  adver- 
tisements. We  professional  nurses  can  hardly 
conceive  such  an  outrage  to  our  ethical  stan- 
dards possible  at  the  present  time,  even  by  the 
Committee  of  the  Fund  and  their  supporters, 
who  continue  to  ig^nore  the  dignity  and  sensi- 
bilities of  our  profession,  in  spite  of  indignant 
protests. 

The  Nation's  Nurses  are  still  eng-aged  in  the 
sacred  and  often  heartrending  duty  of  attend- 
ing the  Nation's  Sick  and  Wounded,  broken  in 
battle  and  in  the  torture  camps  of  the  enemy, 
and  that  Society  and  the  Drama  should  dare 
to  make  our  honourable  work  the  excuse  for 
their  heartless  pleasure  and  diversion,  before 
the  corpses  of  our  valiant  dead  are  cold  in  the 
grave,  is  an  unendurable  offence  against 
decency  we  shall  not  easily  forg-ive. 

We  call  upon  the  galaxy  of  duchesses  who 
are  giving  their  patronage  to  this  function, 
to  realise,  if  possible,  the  injury  not  only  to 
the  Nursing  Profession,  but  to  their  own 
"Order"  in  the  opinion  of  the  "common 
people  "  of  unerring  instinct,  who  are  still 
mourning  their  dead,  and  who  are  heartbroken 
at  the  sight  of  the  returning  mad  and  mutilated 
prisoners,  who  are  "  bone  of  their  bone  and 
flesh  of  their  flesh." 

We  do  not  live  in  times  when  it  is  safe  for 
the  callous  rich  to  ignore  the  convictions  of 
those  whose  moral  ideals  and  work  form  the 
basis  of  a  solvent  State.  Already  the  warning- 
is  writ  large  upon  the  wall. 


NOT   A   NATIONAL  FUND. 

Dear  Nurses, — .During  the  past  week  I  have 
met  many  Nurses  who  one  and  all,  have  expressed 
indignation  and  strong  disapproval  of  the  scheme 
promoted  by  the  Committee  of 

The  Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses,  viz.  : 
"  A  Victory  Ball 
At  the  Albert  Hall." 

This  ball,  according  to  the  promoters'  pro- 
gramme, is  to  raise  funds  for  "  The  Nation's 
Nurses." 

I  undertook,  on  behalf  of  indignant  members  of 
the  nursing  profession,  to  call  at  the  Office  of  tlie 
Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses,  in  North  Audley  Street, 
and  to  voice  the  Nurses'  very  justifiable  protest 


322 


JlDc  IBrttteb  Sournal  of  flureino;      November  23,  1918 


against  the  action  of  the  Committee  in  begging  on 
their  bahalf  and  without  thsir  consent  at  a  time 
like  this,  when  our  prisoners  are  still  abroad  and 
starving,  and  our  H  >spitals  at  hom3  still  filled  with 
the  wounded  and  the  dying. 

I  think  the  readers  of  The  British  Journal  of 
Nursing  may  lik^  to  hear  what  occurred  at  the 
interview. 

I  informed  the  secretary  that  the  Nurses,  on 
whose  behalf  I  spok^,  were  grieved  and  distressed 
to  think  that  our  prisoners  and  wounded  should 
come  home  and  find  (at  a  solemn  time  of  thankful- 
ness like  the  present)  Society  women  levelling  to 
raise  money  for  Nurses,  who  object  at  all  times  to 
being  held  up  as  objects  for  patronage  and  charity 
and  3spicially  at  the  present  juncture. 

T-15  S3cr3cary  disagreed  with  m3. 

Si3  considered  it  was  just  the  time  when  the 
ofi&r,3rs  were  returning  from  the  front  to  have  an 
entertainment  for  them,  and  that  a  very  in- 
fluential section  of  the  nursing  profession  approved 
of  the  scheme,  including  Miss  Sidney  Browne,  who 
must  be  a  good  judge. 

I  replied  that  Miss  Sidney  Browne  was  only  an 
official  under  orders  and  not  an  independent  Nurse 
and  that  the  Nurses  whose  opinion  I  voiced  were 
members  of  organised  Societies  of  Nurses  who  were 
free  women. 

Another  official  then  appeared  from  behind  a 
screen,  and  expatiated  on  the  support  the  College 
of  Nursing  received,  &c.,  &c. 

I  had,  however,  uttered  my  protest  and  fulfilled 
my  mission,  so  I  wished  them  Good  Morning  with 
this  parting  remark  : 

"  I  think  you  will  get  into  trouble  before  long 
if  you  continue  to  beg  for  a  National  Fund,  as  your 
Fund  is  only  registered  to  provide  Funds  for  the 
members  of  The  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd." 

O.ie  of  the  ladies  replied  : 

"  Oh,  if  you  choose  to  stay  outside  the  move- 
ment we  cannot  help  that." 

I  came  away  thoughtful  but  triumphant  I 

Nurses  are  to  be  coerced  and  bribed  by  promises 
and  doles  to  enter  the  CoUegs  of  Nursing,  Ltd., 
and  many  do  so  and  hug  their  chains  ! 

And  what  of  the  independent  spirits  who  remain 
outside  ? 

There  is  one  possession  left  to  them,  and  it  is  a 

"  Pearl  without  price." 

Liberty  of  conscience  ! 

Freedom  to  fight  for  the  right ! 

And  we  have  just  seen  in  this  worldwide  conflict 
Might  collapse  before  Right. 

A  Friend  of  Nurses. 


AN  IMPUDENT  GAMBLE. 


WEDDINQ     BELLS. 

Members  of  the  Staff  of  the  Registered  Nurses' 
Society  will  congratulate  Miss  J.  Thomasina 
Grant,  one  of  their  number,  on  her  approaching 
marriage  to  Lieut.  J.*  E.  Reid,  i8th  Essex  Regt. 

The  wedding  will  take  place  on  E>ecember  4th 
at  St.  Luke's  Church,  West  Norwood.  We  wish 
bride  and  bridegroom  every  happiness. 


We  are  glad  to  learn  that  the  Lottery  started  by 
the  Dublin  Stock  Exchange  in  the  name  of  "  The 
Nation's  Tribute  to  Nurses,"  whereby  those  who 
bought  tickets  stood  to  win  large  money  prizes 
amounting  to  £1,000  before  any  benefit  to  the 
Nurses  accrued  has  been  stepped — ^we  hope  by  the 
Committee  of  the  Fund,  although  we  hear  the 
police  played  a  part  in  this  discreditable  afiair. 

The  "  Nation's  Nurses  "  are  the  sport  of  every 
notoriety  hunting  climber  ;  but  when  it  comes  to 
exploiting,  not  only  their  professional  work,  but 
hard  cash,  it  is  time  to  call  a  halt. 

An  Irish  Nurse  writes  :  "  The  lottery  has  been 
stopped  !  and  there  are  great  lamentations  in 
certain  quarters.  It  was  a  scandalous  business. 
Those  of  us  who  required  accurate  information 
concerning  '  the  gamble  '  could  not  get  it.  Any- 
way it  has  been  squashed.  The  Nation's  Tribute 
has  brought  in  roughly  ;{io,ooo.  Trustees  are  to 
be  appointed  to  invest  the  money.  Irishmen  and 
women  also  will  see  it  is  kept  in  Ireland.  A  Com- 
mittee will  be  formed  for  its  distribution.  It  is 
rumoured  that  now  war  is  over  the  College  of 
Nursing,  Ltd.,  is  to  start  a  great  campaign  to 
induce  Irish  nurses  to  join  it.  It  may  succeed  in 
Ulster,  but  will  only  arouse  contention  and  ill- 
feeling  in  other  parts  of  Ireland,  as  the  country  is 
much  more  disturbed  than  the  papers  say,  and 
Irish  nurses  mean  to  have  professional  Home  Rule 
as  the  doctors  have,  and  will  fight  for  it.  For 
English  Matrons  to  attempt  to  govern  Irish 
nurses  from  London  is  doomed  to  failure,  and 
shows  a  lamentable  lack  of  tact,  perception  and 
knowledge  of  history." 


PRIZES  FOR  NURSES. 

Viscountess  Allendale  distributed  the  prizes  and 
certificates  to  the  probationer  nurses  at  the  Poor 
Law  Infirmary,  Newcastle-on-Tyne.  The  prizes 
were  awarded  by  the  Heath  Trust  to  successful 
nurses  in  each  of  their  first,  second  and  third  year 
of  probation. 

The  following  were  the  successful  nurses  : — 
Certificates  for  three  years'  training :  Nurses 
Herdman,  Brinton,  Turnbull,  Blyth,  Spenceley, 
Armstrong,  Forrest,  McKinley,  Redpath,  Hall, 
McReady,  Davidson.  Heath  Prizes  :  Third  year. 
I,  McKinley ;  2,  Davidson  ;  3,  Hall.  Second 
year. — .1,  Harrison  ;  2,  Lowerson  ;  3,  Lawson. 
First  year.— I,  Gordon  ;  2,  Connelly  ;   3,  Park. 

A  Tribute  Sale  in  aid  of  the  EUzabeth  Garrett 
Anderson  Hospital  (the  New  Hospital  for  Women) 
will  be  held  on  November  21st,  22nd,  and  23rd  at 
the  Grafton  Ga  leries,  Grafton  Street,  W.,  with 
the  object  of  raising  funds  towards  the  completion 
of  the  endowment  of  the  various  beds  already 
started  under  the  Garrett  Anderson  Memorial 
Scheme.  Subscriptions  will  be  gratefully  received 
by  the  Secretary,  Miss  Imogen  H.  Murphy,  at  the 
Hospital,  144,  Euston  Road,  N.W.  i. 


November  23,  1918       ^|)e  Bcttlsb  3ournal  of  IRureinfl. 


3*3 


THE    PASSING    BELL. 


Miss  Edith  Mary  Harrison  died  at  the  post  of 
duty  from  influenza,  following  pneumonia,  during 
a  serious  outbreak  of  influenza  at  York  County 
Hospital,  where  she  was  training  as  a  nurse.  Miss 
Harrison  had  nearly  completed  her  secx)nd  year  of 
training.  She  had  taken  the  third  place  in  her 
first  examination,  and  was  a  great  favourite  with 
the  staff  and  the  patients  on  account  of  her  un- 
failing energy  and  great  kindliness  of  heart.  A 
beautiful  cross  of  carnations  and  violets  was  sent 
by  the  nursing  and  resident  staff  to  Whitby,  where 
Miss  Harrison  was  buried. 


Miss  J.  C.  van  Lanschot  Hubrecht,  whose  death 
was  announced  in  our  issue  last  week,  was  one  of 
the  leading  progressives  in  the  Dutch  Nursing 
World,   and  through  her  letters  to  this  Journal, 


The  Late  MISS  J.  C.  VAN  LANSCHOT  HUBRECHT. 
A  Pioneer  Worker  for  State  Registration  of  Nurses. 

the  part  she  took  in  helping  to  build  up  the  Inter- 
national Council  of  Nurses,  and  her  presence  at 
its  meetings,  was  well  known  to  many  British 
nurses,  who  will  sincerely  mourn  her  loss.  For 
years  she  was  a  member  of  the  Board  and  Hon. 
Secretary  of  the  Dutch  Nurses'  Association,  and 
worked  steadfastly  to  secure  the  State  Registration 
of  Nurses  in  Holland,  and  was  also  closely  con- 
nected with  its  paper,  Nosokomos.  She  also  acted 
as  Hon.  Secretary  of  the  International  Committee 
on  Nursing  Education  which  presented  a  report  on 
"  Preliminary  Training  "  at  the  Cologne  Meeting 
of  the  International  Council  of  Nurses  in  1912. 
Miss  Lanschot  Hubrecht  wis  trained  at  the  Chil- 
dren's Hospital,  Amsterdam,  and  in  the  Training 
School  of  "  La  Source  "  at  Lausanne.  We  offer  to 
our  Dutch  colleagues  our  sincere  sympathy  in  the 
loss  they  have  sustained. 


This  country  is  indebted  to  the  Dutch  Nurses  for 
much  kindness  in  the  care  of  interned  and  wounded 
soldiers,  and  for  their  work  on  hospital  ships,  and 
we  hope  when  the  International  Council  of  Nurses 
holds  its  next  meeting  that  our  gratitude  will  find 
some  public  expression. 


APPOINTMENTS. 

MATRON. 

Fusehill  War  Hospital,  Carlisle.  —  Miss  S.  G. 
Dalziel  has  been  appointed  Matron.  She  was 
trained  at  the  Kilmarnock  Infirmary,  Ayrshire,  and 
held  the  position  of  Charge  Nurse  at  the  City  Hos- 
pital, Hull.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Territorial 
Force  Nursing  Service,  and  has  worked  both  in 
Home  Hospitals  and  at  Salonika.  She  has  held 
the  position  of  Night  Superintendent  at  the  Fuse- 
hill  War  Hospital,  and  has  also  had  experience  of 
private  nursing. 

SUPERINTENDENT    NURSE. 

Union  Infirmary,  Bromsgrove.  — -  Miss  Leah 
Lillie  Simmonds  has  been  appointed  Suf>erinten- 
dent  Nurse.  She  was  trained  at  the  Dudley  Road 
Infirmary,  Birmingham,  and  has  held  the  ix>sition 
of  Superintendent  Nurse  at  the  Northampton 
Union  Infirmary,  and  at  the  Oswestry  Incor- 
porated Hospital. 

QUEEN    ALEXANDRA'S    MILITARY    NURSING 
SERVICE    FOR    INDIA. 

The  following  ladies  have  been  appointed 
members  of  the  above  Service  : — ^Miss  E.  E.  Bott, 
Miss  Vera  Francis,  Miss  G.  Harvey  James,  Miss 
F.  G.  Warren,  Miss  A.  L.  Blomfield  Dickson,  and 
Miss  E.  M.  McPherson. 


LEAGUE    NEWS. 

The  Winter  General  Meeting  of  the  League  of 
St.  Bartholomew's  Hospital  Nurses  will  be  held 
in  the  Clinical  Theatre  on  Saturday,  December 
14th,  at  2.30  p.m.  The  President,  Miss  H.  Todd, 
will  give  an  account  of  the  work  she  has  been 
doing  for  the  Women's  Royal  Air  Force,  and 
Miss  Heath  (Sister  Ophthalmic)  will  tell  of  her 
work  for  the  past  eighteen  months  for  the  Italian 
Red  Cross. 

The  Social  Gathering  and  tea  will  be  held  in  the 
Nurses'  Sitting  Room,  where  there  will  be  music 
by  members  of  the  Nursing  Staff,  arranged  by 
Miss  Bostock. 


SEQUEL. 

What  did 


Mummie  die    of 


Little  Daughter 
Daddy  dear  ?  " 

Daddy  :  A  broken'^heart." 

Little  Daughter  :  "  Wtio  braked  it  ?  " 

Daddy  :"  I  did."JP^ 

Little  Daughter  :  "  Poor,  poor  Daddy  !  How 
misfortunate.  Mummie  loved  you  best  of  best — 
and  so  do  I." 


3^4 


^be  »rtti0b  3oumaI  of  Hursinc       November  23,  1918 


NURSING    ECHOES. 


Bath  is  going  to  raise  ;£2,ooo  in  support  of 
the  Nurse  Cavell  Homes  of  Rest  for  Nurses. 
A  room  will  be  called  after  Bath,  and  the  local 
committee  will  have  power  to  nominate  a 
certain  number  of  nurses  to  occupy  it.  There 
are  now  Homes  at  Haslemere,  Bridport, 
Market  Drayton,  Wellington,  Tewkesbury, 
Bristol  and  Richmond,  which  will  meet  the 
needs  of  600  nurses.  At  present  the  Homes 
are  full.  

A  monument  to  Nurse  Edith  Cavell  and 
Canadian  nurses  killed  during  the  war  is  to  be 
erected  at  Ottawa  by  public  and  private 
subscription.  

It  was  announced  at  a  recent  meeting  of  the 
Lincoln  Guardians  that  the  Mayor  had  written 
stating  that  the  trustees  of  the  Bromhead 
institution  having  intimated  that  for  financial 
reasons  they  would  be  unable  to  carry  on  after 
December  31st  next  the  work  of  district 
nursing  in  the  city,  he  had  been  asked  to  call 
together  those  specially  interested  in  the 
n^atter  to  consider  what  steps  should  be  taken 
to  ensure  that  the  deserving  poor  of  Lincoln 
should  continue  to  have  available  in  case  of 
illness  the  assistance  of  trained  nurses.  It  was 
agreed  that  Mr.  Harley  and  Miss  Nevile 
should  represent  the  Board  in  the  matter. 


There  is  little  doubt  that  Lincoln  will  make 
arrangements  to  organize  and  continue  the 
benefits  of  district  nursing  for  its  poor,  and 
perhaps  on  a  more  modern  basis  than  that 
which  has  pertained  fiitherto.  A  high  standard 
of  training  is  most  essential  in  this  particular 
branch  of  nursing.  We  always  resent  the 
semi-trained  nurse  for  the  poor. 


At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Dunblane 
Nursing  Association,  it  was  reported  that  the 
number  of  cases  attended  by  Nurse  George 
was  229,  and  the  number  of  her  visits  4,233. 
The  income  of  this  Association  was  stated  to 
be  £130  OS.  gd.,  and  the  expenditure 
£i2s^  14s.  5d.  A  reverend  gentleman  described 
the  reports  as  "  most  gratifying."  He  said, 
**  They  were  greatly  pleased  with  the  diligence 
of  the  nurse."  A  second  minister  remarked 
that  "  without  such  an  Association  as  theirs 
at  the  present  time,  he  did  not  know  how  Dun- 
blane could  exist."  The  Rev.  D.  R.  Alexander 
ventured  to  throw  out  a  suggestion  that  the 
nurse  should  be.  more  highly  remunerated.  A 
Mrs.  Stewart  concurred,  but  pointed  out 
"that  the  nurse  was  paid  as  much  as  any 
nurse   they   knew   of."      Colonel   Arthur   Hay 


Drummond,  the  Chairman,  expressed  the 
opinion  that  "  with  regard  to  their  finances,  he 
thought  they  were  in  a  very  secure  position, 
and  that  a  church  collection  was  not  actually 
required  !  " 

We  are  not  a  bit  ''good  at  sums,  and  the 
report  failed  to  say  how  much  of  the  munificent 
sum  oi  £i2s,  14s.  5d.  was  paid  to  Nurse 
George  for  her  4,233  Visits  (think  of  the  shoe 
leather — or  brown  paper,  as  the  case  may  be), 
but  in  our  opinion  the  committee  of  the 
Dunblane  Nursing  Association  is  guilty  of 
sweating  in  connection  with  their  admirable 
nurse,  whose  salary  alone  should  certainly  not 
be  less  than  £2  a  week. 


The  State  Cabinet  in  Melbourne  has  been 
reviewing  a  question  of  concern  to  the  nursing 
profession — the  hours  and  the  working  condi- 
tions of  nurses  in  public  hospitals.  The  sweat- 
ing conditions  and  the  starvation  wages  paid 
have  amounted  to  a  public  scandal,  says  the 
Age.  Following  on  indignant  protests  in  Par- 
liament last  March,  and  the  case  stated  by  the 
Australian  Women's  Association  to  the  Chief 
Secretary  in  April,  the  Cabinet  directed  Mr. 
T.  E.  Meek,  chief  clerk  of  the  Treasury,  to 
carry  out  an  investigation.  Mr!  Meek's  report 
is  in  the  Premier's  hands,  and  it  is  understood 
that  a  reduction  of  hours  is  urged,  if  not  the 
institution  of  the  eight-hour  day  sought  for 
nurses.  The  Cabinet's  decision  to  direct  reform 
could  be  enforced,  it  is  observed,  through  the 
influence  of  the  Government  subsidies. 


Nursing  questions  have  been  to  the  fore 
recently  in  the  House  of  Commons  at  question 
time. 

On  November  6th  Lord  Henry  Cavendish- 
Bentinck  inquired  of  the  Secretary  for  Scotland 
the  names  of  the  prisons  and  Polmont  institu- 
tions in  which  trained  nurses  are  employed,  the 
number  of  such  nurses,  and  the  qualifications 
possessed  by  each  ;  also  what  provision  is  made 
fo*-  sick  prisoners  in  institutions  in  which  no 
trained  nurses  are  employed. 

Mr.  Munro  had  to  admit  that  "  trained 
nurses  in  the  professional  sense  are  not  em- 
ployed on  the  Scottish  prison  staff,  but  in  the 
mainland  prisons  there  are  male  and  female 
oflficers  trained  and  certified  after  examination 
to  be  qualified  for  simple  nursing.  He  also 
stated  that  medical  officers  are  authorized  to 
engage  trained  nurses  when  required,  and  that 
there  is  power  to  remove  serious  cases  to 
hospital.  

The  fees  paid  to  .masseuses  was  also  the 
subject  of  a  question  by  General  Page-Croft. 


November  23,   igi8 


^be  Brtttdb  3ournal  of  flurema. 


325 


CONTROL  OF  CURSES. 


The  Association  of  Poor  Law  Unions  (a  federa- 
tion of  Poor  Law  Guardians)  will  hold  its  twentieth 
annual  meeting  in  London,  on  November  21st 
and  22nd,  and  will,  of  course,  discuss  the  binning 
question  of  a  Ministry  of  Health.  In  this  con- 
nection the  Poor  Law  Officers'  Journal  states, 
under  the  heading  of  ''Control  of  Nursing": — 

Another  question  connected  with  the  Ministry  of 
Health  in  regard  to  which  there  can  be  no  difEerence 
of  opinion  is  raised  in  the  report  on  a  resolution  for- 
warded by  the  Chichester  Board  of  Guardians.  The 
Guardians,  "  in  view  of  the  proposal  to  institute  a 
Ministry  of  Health,  which  will  tend  to  create  a  demand 
for  additional  nurses,  and  in  view  of  the  action  of  the 
College  of  Nursing  and  the  Central  Committee  of  State 
Registration,  which  will  tend  to  diminish  the  supply  of 
nurses,  asked  the  Association  to  petition  the  Local 
Government  Board  to  institute  a  Register  of  Nurses 
to  be  subject  to  such  curriculum,  training  and  exaniina- 
tion  as  may  be  prescribed,  and  which  will  be  applicable 
to  all  Poor-Law  Infirmaries  where  nurses  are  trained 
at  present  or  where  superintendent  nurses  are  engaged." 
!Many  months  ago,  when  the  College  of  Nursing  first 
proposed  to  acquire  powers  for  the  Control  of  Nurses 
and  Nursing,  we  contended  here  that  a  proper  method 
would  place  this  pubhc  matter  in  the  charge — as  a 
central  authority — of  the  Local  Government  Board 
which,  as  a  Government  Department,  is  the  Ministry 
of  Health.  Any  further  development  of  central 
authority  in  the  direct  establishment  of  a  Ministry 
will  strengthen  the  argument  in  favour  of  such  a 
system  of  control,  nursing  being  an  indispensable 
adjunct  to  the  treatment  of  sickness  for  the  purposes 
of  restoration  to  health.  A  Ministry  of  Health  could 
not  di\est  itself  of  the  central  control  of  nursing. 
Concurrently,  the  Ministry  would  or  ought  to  work 
locally  through  the  several  Local  Authorities  which 
provide  nursing  as  a  part  of  the  whole  organization 
of  public  health.  A  wise  disposition  of  Local  Authority 
would,  as  regards  the  poor  or  necessitous,  allot  this  to 
the  Assistance  Authorities — the  Guardians  of  the  Poor.  . 
These  contingencies  appear  to  be  so  logical  in  their 
consecutive  apphcation  to  local  public  duty  that  we 
ought  not  to  look  farther  for  a  new  plan.  Unfortu- 
nately, however,  it  is  not  the  simple  and  direct  method 
which  always  finds  most  favour. 

We  venture  to  think  that  there  is  a  very  wide- 
spread difference  of  opinion  on  this  resolution — • 
we  take  the  strongest  exception  to  the  suggestion 
that  a  Ministry  of  Health  should  "  control  " 
the  whole  Nursing  Profession — and  then  delegate 
its  powers  to  lay  Assistance  Authorities — the 
Guardians  of  the  Poor  ! — or  that  Nurses  trained 
in  Poor  Law  Infirmaries  should  be  registered  as 
a  class  apart.  Trained  Nurses  have  at  last  got 
the  bit  between  their  teeth,  so  far  as  "  control  " 
is  concerned — and  they  intend  to  push  forward 
in  Parliament  (now  that  many  are  enfranchised 
citizens)  for  a  Bill  to  "control"  themselves. 
That  one  of  the  first  duties  of  a  Ministry  of  Hea'th 
will  be  to  organize  a  State  Service  of  Nursing 
for  the  poor  there  is  little  doubt ;  but  no  State 
Department  kas  a  right  to  deprive  the.  Nursing 
Profession  as  a  whole  of  self  determination. 
Thousands  of  nurses  will  not  be  employed  by  a 


Ministry  of  Health — which  will  be  in  no  way 
responsible  for  nurses  it  does  not  pay. 

We  have  just  won  political  liberty,  and  we 
must  remember  that  liberty  is  the  development 
of  the  personality  along  moral  lines  towaids 
moral  ideals,  tire  setting  free,  in  each  individual 
and  throughout  the  State,  of  a  greater  flood  of 
creative  eneigy. 

Our  Nurses'  Registration  Bill  provides  an  outlet 
for  this  great  flood.  Any  such  suggestion  as  that 
to  which  we  have  alluded  dams  it  at  its  source. 


OUTSIDE    THE    GATES. 


We  are  to  have  a  General  Election,  and,  of 
course,  there  are  v^ry  diverse  opinions  on  its  neces- 
sity and  efficacy.  Parliament  is  to  be  prorogued 
this  week;  on  November  25th  the  proclamation 
summoning  a  new  Parliament  will  be  read; 
December  4th  is  Nomination  Day,  December  14th 
Polling  Day,  the  votes  will  be  counted  from 
December  21st  to  28th,  and  according  to  the 
Coalition  if  their  candidates  are  returned  we  shall 
be  happy  ever  after  !     We  wonder. 


The  truth  is  that  the  Coalition  of  both  the  old 
Parties,  by  which  arrangement  they  have  agreed 
to  divide  power,  will  practically  disfranchise  many 
ardent  women  voters,  as,  of  course,  progressives 
will  not  trouble  to  vote  for  the  one  reactionary 
candidate,  and  vice  versa.  The  irony  of  fate — after 
their  monumental  efforts  to  wring  the  power  from 
Parliament  to  support  their  political  convictions. 

A'  few  women  candidates  have  been  nominated 
by  various  Parties  for  Parliamentary  honours.  It 
will  be  interesting  to  see  what  support  they  get 
from  their  own  sex.  We  hope  they  will  be  loyally 
supported,  and  their  right  to  help  to  make  laws  to 
which  women  have  to  conform  will  be  vindicated 
at  the  polls. 


A    WORD  FOR  THE  WEEK. 

Marshal  Foch,  in  a  speech  at  British  Head- 
quarters on  Sunday,  said  that  it  was,  above  all, 
the  hammer-blows  of  the  British  Armies  that  were 
the  decisive  factors  in  the  great  and  final  defeat  of 
the  enemv. 


BOOK    OP  THE   WEEK. 


"JOAN  AND  PETER."* 

When  Mi.  Wells  starts  out  to  discuss  a  subject, 
he  at  least  does  it  thoroughly  ;  one  must  any- 
how admit  that,  even  if  one  does  not  agree  with 
him.  He  calls  the  story  of  Joan  and  Peter 
a  story  of  an  education — and  it  begins  with 
Peter's  birth — before  Joan's— ends  with  their 
marriage,  and  they  are  being  educated  all  the 
time  ;    at  least  Peter  is,  and  Joan  so  soon  as  we 

*  Cassell  &  Co.     London. 


326 


dbe  »ritt9b  3ournal  of  "Hursina. 


November  23,   1918 


are  introduced  to  her,  which  is  at  a  very  tender 
age. 

Pater's  father  was  an  artist  and  he  designed 
the  little  low-browed  house  with  an  enoimous 
and  very  expensive  roof  of  gieen  slates,  where 
Peter  was  born.  His  nursery  was  a  perfect 
room  in  which  to  hatch  the  soul  ot  a  little  boy. 
Its  walls  were  done  in  a  warm  cream-coloured 
paint  and  upon  them  Peter's  father  had  put  the 
most  lovely  pattern  of  trotting  and  jumping 
horses  and  dancing  cats  ard  dogs  and  leaping 
lambs  and  a  cai nival  of  beasts.  There  were  many 
other  delectable  points  about  his  nursery.  There 
was  nothing  casual  about  the  early  years  of 
Peter. 

His  first  impressions  of  the  universe  are  as 
amusing  and  understanding  as  Mr.  Wells  is 
apt  to  be. 

Peter  could  not  remember  a  time  when  Joan 
was  not  in  his  world.  From  the  beginning  it 
seemed  the  chief  fact  was  Mary.  "  Nanny,"  you 
called  her,  or  "  Mare- we,"  or  you  simply  howled 
till  she  came.  She  was  omnipresent  or  just 
round  the  corner  night  and  day.  Ocher  figures 
were  more  intermittent — "  Daddy,"  a  large,- 
loud,  exciting,  almost  terrific  thing  ;  and  "  Mum- 
my," who  was  soft  and  made  gentle  noises, 
but  was,  in  comparison  to  Mary,  rather  a  fool  about 
one's    bottle. 

Arthur,  Peter's  father,  had  a  theory  that 
children  should  not  be  solitary.  From  their 
earliest  years  children  must  be  accustomed  to  co- 
operation. Mary  used  to  watch  the  proceedings 
with  a  cynical  and  irritating  expression. 

"  Peter's  tower,"  Peter  would  propose. 

"  Our  towei,"    Arthur  used  to  say. 

"  Dadda  not  put  any  more  bricks,  Peter  finish 
it." 

.   "  Na-ow,"  from  Joan,  in  a  voice  like  a  little  cat. 
"  Me  finish  it." 

Mary's  way  was  quite  different.  With  a  piece 
of  chalk  she  would  draw  a  line  across  the  floor. 

"  That's  your  share,  Peter  ;  and  that's  yours, 
Joan.  Them's  your  share  of  bricks,  and  them's 
yours.  Now  don't  you  think  of  going  outside 
your  share  either  of  you,  nowhow.  Nor  touch  a 
brick  that  isn't  youjra."  ,  Whereupon  theie  was 
peace  once  more. 

Peter's  father  and  mother  were  drowned  under 
circumstances  that  we  have  not  space  to  describe. 
As  we  have  intimated,  Peter  and  Joan  were  not 
brother  and  sister  ;  Joan  was  what  Peter's  aunt, 
Lady  Charlotte,  termed  in  their  hearing  a  "  Bye- 
blow." 

"  Which  is  the  Bye-blow,  my  dear,  the  boy  or 
the  gel  ?" 

Peter  made  a  note  df  "  Bye-blow  " — it  was  a 
lovely  word.  "  Can't  we  go  into  the  garden,  now. 
Auntie,  and  play  at  Bye- blows  ?" 

Mr.  Wells,  in  attacking  the  present  educational 
system  and  the  moral  training  of  boys,  is  no  doubt 
perfectly  justified,  but  does  he  imagine  that 
to  abolish  a  religion  that  has  stood  the  test  of 
the  ages  and  to  substitute  lus  own  theories  is  to 


resolve  the  problem  ?  If  he  wishes  to  destroy 
simple  faith,  let  him  at  least  offer  something  to 
take  its  place.  When  Mr.  Wells  has  long  since 
been  forgotten,  the  old  leligion  will  exist,  none 
the  worse  for  his  attacks. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  there  are  many 
inteiesting  and  arresting  people  in  the  story  of 
Joan  and  Peter.  Aunts  Phyllis  and  Phoebe  added 
their  quota  to  the  educational  scheme. 

"  Never  let  Peter  touch  meat  in  any  shape  or 
form,"  said  Aunt  Phoebe.  "  Once  a  human  child 
tastes  blood  the  mischief  is  done." 

"  Surround  him  with  beautiful  things.  Accus- 
tom him " 

She  winced  that  Arthur  should  hear,  but  spoke 
as  one  who  has  a  duty  to  perform.  "  Accustom 
him  to  the  nude  from  his  earliest  years.  Associate 
it  with  innocent  amusements.  Retrieve  the  fall." 
At  this  point  Peter  found  his  aunts  over  stimu- 
lating. 

"  He  must  be  almost  entirely  lungs,"  said  Aunt 
Phoebe  when  her  voice  could  be  heard.  "  Other 
internal  organs  will  no  doubt  develop  later." 

When  one  has  disentangled  the  3tory  of  Peter 
and  Joan  from  the  maze  ot  Mr.  Wells'  theories  and 
new  theologies,  one  decides  that  they  are  both 
quite  lovable  young  creatures. 

Joan  had  some  trouble  to  make  her  dear  "Petah" 
discern  that  she  wasn't  his  sister,  and  had  no  desire 
to  be.     We  aie  glad  she  succeeded.  • 

Of  course  the  book  had  to  end  up  with  the  war  ; 
how  could  it  do  otherwise  these  days  ? 

Some  of  our  readers  will  be  a  little  bored  if  they 
attempt  to  read  from  cover  to  cover. 

Mr.  Wells  is  a  capital  novelist,  but  not  much  of  a 
theologian,  and  he  should  stick  to  the  former, 
where  he  is  both  powerful  and  convincing. 

H.  H. 


COMINQ     EVENTS. 

November  22rd  — ^National  Union  of  Trained 
Nurses.  Meeting  to  discuss  the  proposed  MirJstiy 
of  Health.  Speakers  :  Dr.  Saleeby  and  Miss  H.  L. 
Pearse.  Chair,  the  Rev.  H.  R.  L.  Sheppard, 
3,  Vere  Street,  Oxford  Street,  W.     2.30  p.m. 

November  i^th. — West  London  Hospital, 
Hammei  smith.  Opening  Abercorn  Home  for  the 
Nursing  StafE  by  H.R.H.  Princess  Arthxu:  of 
Connaught.     2.30  p.m. 

November  zglh. — ^Annual  Meeting  of  the  Grand 
Council  of  the  National  Council  of  1  rained  Nurses 
of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  431,  Oxford  Street, 
London,  W.     4  n.m. 

November  ^oth. — Nurses'  Missionary  League. 
A  quiet  Day,  Sc.  Michael's  Church,  Chester  Square, 
W.  I.  Apply  Miss  H.  Y.  Richardson,  52,  Lower 
Sloane.Street,  S.W.. 


OUR 


of 


PRIZE     COMPETITION. 

QUBSTIONS. 

November    y:>th.  —  What    do     yoy     know 
"  mustard  gas  "  burns  and  their  treatment  ? 

December  yth. — Describe  the  management  of  a 
newly  born  infant  for  the  first  week  of  life. 


November  23,  1918        Zbc  Britl0b  Boumal  of  "Ruratng.  vh 


'Mustard  Gas' 

Burns 

A   NEW  TREATMENT 

HAVING  REMARKABLE  RESULTS  IN  HOSPITALS. 


'Mustard  Gas'  Burns  should  be  thoroughly  sprayed  with  Chlorcosane  Solution  of 
Dichloramine-T  5%.  Then  apply  to  the  burns  melted  *No.  7  Paraffin'  to  form  a 
wax  covering.  On  this  wax  covering  quickly  place  a  thin  layer  of  cotton  wool. 
Afterwards  cover  the  cotton  wool  with  more  melted  '  No.  7  Paraffin,'  giving 
special  attention  to  the  edges  to  ensure  an  air-tight  dressing. 

Relief  from  pain  is  assured  from  the  first  application 
of  this  treatment,  and  complete  recovery  is  effected 
more  quickly  than  by  any  other  treatment. 

'No.  7  Paraffin*  is  the  name  adopted  by  the  Army  Medical  Service  for  a 
preparation  containing  Beta  Naphthol,  Oleum  Eucalj^ati,  Paraffinum  Molle, 
Paraffinum  Durum,  and  Oleum  Olivae.  The  word  'BURNOL'is  the  trade  mark 
for  a  standardised  preparation  of  'No.  7  Paraffin'  prepared  under  analytical 
control  in  the  laboratories  of  Boots  Pure  Drug  Company  Limited,  Nottingham. 

Chlorcosane  Solution  of  Dichloramine-T,  in  bottles.     • 

price  4/-  and  12/-,  post  paid. 

Special  Spray  for  the  purpose       price  6/6  extra,  post  paid. 

Burnol  ('No.  7  Paraffin*)  in  4oz.  cakes  price  9/-  per  dozen,  post  paid. 

LARGE  STOCKS  ALWAYS  ON  HAND. 


BOOTS  PURE  DRUG  COMPANY  LIMITED 

Head  Offices:   Station  Street.  NOTTINGHAM.              SIR  JESSE  BOOT.  Managing  Director. 
Telegrams:  DRUQ,  NOTTINGHAM. Telephw:  3160  Nottingham. 


m 


3a8 


Q:be  asrinsf)  3ournal  of  IRurslng. 


November  23,   1918 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 


Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  for  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  he 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  pur  correspondents. 

]       ;• -^  MAKESHIFTS. 

•  TotheEiditorofTHK  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Bear  Madam, — I  must  apologise  for  delay  in 
replying  to  your  correspondent  in  the  issue  of 
November  2nd,  but  in  my  present  sphere  of  work 
W3  are  so  busy  celebrating  Italian  victories  and 
p5ac2  that  English  posts  and  papers  reach  us  very 
rarely,  and  after  long  delays  !  I  hope,  however, 
that  as  she  belongs  to  the  half  of  the  world  with 
its  summer  before  it,  my  information  may  still  be 
useful.  The  highly-developed  optical  organ  of  the 
common  fly  and  of  some  other  insects  is  blind  to 
the  blue  rays  of  the  spectrum.  I  will  not  be  so 
foolhardy  as  to  try  to  explain  why  this  is  so. 
The  exact  tint  of  blue  does  not  matter,  but  what 
is  generally  employed  is  the  full  "  royal  blue,"  of 

stthe  shade  used  for  old-fashioned  glass  salt- 
cellars. (The  most  hygienic  spittoons  are  made 
of  this  glass,  to  prevent  the  dissemination  of  their 

;. infectious  contents  by  visiting  flies.)  If  one  has 
quite  a  free  hand  in  doing  up  a  sick  room  or 
hospital  ward  for  the  fly  season,  the  best  plan  is  to 
col3U"Wish  the  walls  and  ceiling  of  as  rich  a  blue 
as  possible  ;  ordini"Tr  dry  paint,  mixed  with  the 
wLutewash  ;  this  makes  a  most  restful  "  ambiente," 
as  W3  say  in  this  country.  Then  drape  or  cover 
your  windows  with  net  or  muslin,  dyed  blue.  This 
is  easily  managed  with  Dolly  dyes  or  their  equi- 
valent ';  it  is  actually  suffi  uent  if  y  m  veil  the  upper 
part  of  the  window,  particu'arly  if  it  is  of  the  sort 
that  comes  down  to  the  ground.  If  the  windows 
are  half  shut,  colourwash  them  also  ;  but,  as  the 

•  plague  of  flies  is  usually  with  us  in  hot  weather 
^  I  am  supposing  that  all  the  air  possible  is  to  be 

.allowed  to  enter  the  room  or  tent,  for  the  colour 
scheme  is  of  course  equally  practicable  with  the 
latter.     If  the  fl  oor  can  share  in  the  prevailing  tint 
so  much  the  better,  as  the  wandering  fly  will  then 
see  what  appears  to  him  to  be  a  pitch-dark  cavern 
and  so  will  turn  his  attendom  elsewhere. 
I  am,  yours  faithfully, 
The  Writer  of  the  Article. 
Montecchio  Maggiore, 
-.' •  Forces  Franfiises  en  It.tlie. 

■-■"   THE    MISCHIEF  OF    MEDDLING. 

To  the  Editor  of '£nE  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 
Bear  Madam, — -In  your  issue  of  November 
2nd,  I  note  that  you  say  that  in  speaking  "  of  the 
cha'-ity,"  namely,  the  Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses, 
in  Manchester,  I  drew  attention  to  the  "  com- 
paratively few "  trained  nurses  at  the  front. 
Tjxs  is  not  so.  Wuat  I  said  was  that  had  the 
V.AB.s  been  more  efi&ciently  trained,  the  strain 
woud  have  been  considerably  less  for  the  trained 
nurses,  and  that  I  strongly  advised  any  V.A.D. 
who  thought  of  taking  up  nursing  as  a  profession 


to  go  in  for  regular  and  efficient  training,  in 
addition  to  the  experience  gained  during  the  war. 
I  would  also  like  to  point  out  that  I  particularly 
emphasised  that  the  College  of  Nursing  and  the 
Tribute  Fund  attach^^d  to  it  was  in  no  way  a 
charity,  but  a  tribute  due  to  those  nurses  who  had 
done  such  splendid  work.  I  know  nothing  what- 
ever of  a  "  V.A.B.  Register,"  and  in  speaking  of 
the  proposed  College  for  Nurses  I  have  regarded 
it  as  the  highest  tribute  to  a  profession  for  women 
which  I  honour  beyond  any  other. 

I  would  be  glad  if  you  would  kindly  correct 
the  misstatement  in  your  next  issue. 

Believe  me,  yours  faithfully, 

N.  Martin  Harvey. 

New  Theatre,  Cardiff. 

[We  made  no  "  misstatement  "  in  our  report  of 
Mrs.  Martin  Harvey's  speech  at  Manchester,  in 
our  issue  of  November  2nd.  Our  correspondent's 
account  concerning  the  "  comparatively  few " 
trained  nurses  at  the  Front,  to  which  she  alluded, 
in  eulrgising  V.A.Ds,  also  appeared  in  the 
Manchester  Guardian  of  O^.tober  18  th,  and  so  far 
has  not  been  contradicted,  and  Mrs.  Harvey's 
statement  "  that  the  establishment  of  the  College 
would  prevent  anything  of  the  kind  in  the 
future,"  also  appears  in  that  leading  paper. 

M"s.  Mirtin  Harvey  writes :  "  I  should  like  to 
point  out  that  I  particularly  emphasised  that  the 
College  of  Nursing  and  the  Tribute  Fund  attached 
to  it  was  in  no  way  a  charity."  We  have  before 
us  the  registration  certificate  by  the  London 
County  Council  under  the  War  Charities  Act 
1916,  of  "  The  Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses,"  estab- 
lished 2nd  Ju^y,  191 7.  the  objects  of  which  are 
d^fin-^d"  To  provide  Endowment  and  Benevolent 
Funds  for  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd."  One  is 
prompted  to  ask  M'"s.  Martin  Harvey  why  she 
attends  meetings  of  nurses,  and  particularly 
emphasises  an  uitrue  and  misleading  statement 
ca'culated  to  allay  the  objections  of  many  nurses 
who  may  be  present  to  the  begging  of  alms  upon 
their  behalf.  If  Mrs.  Mi'-tin  Harvey  has  not 
taken  the  trouble  to  acquaint  herself  with  the 
fac:s  as  to  the  constitution  of  the  College  of 
Nursing  and  its  "  charity  "  fund,  we  consider  it 
quite  inexcusable  of  her  to  interfere  with  the 
professional  and  economic  affairs  of  trained  nurses, 
and  in  so  doing  mislead  the  unwary.  We  nurses 
who  object  to  all  this  noisy  chatter  con  e-ning 
our  work  by  persons  who  know  nothing  about  it, 
cannot  be  blamed  for  protesting  against  the 
disastrous  results  of  it. 

~^  How  would  Mrs.  Martin  Harvey  and  her  fair 
colleagues  of  the  dramatic  profession  like  a  band 
of  trained  nurses  to  form  themselves  into  a.; 
Committee  and  stump  the  country  advocating 
their  eleemosynary  control  by  a  Council  of 
Actor-Managers  authorised  by  Act  of  Parlia- 
ment ?  If  we  know  anything  of  these  spiriteti 
women,  they  would  soon  expose  the  danger 
and  absurdity  of  such  a  situation.  Then, 
why  should  actresses  and  society  women  hold, 
our   honourable    profession    up   to   public   rom-^ 


November.  ^3, 1918      ^[jc  38rtti0b  Sourttal  of  IRuretno. 


t^9 


miseration  and  incidentally  help  to  find  the 
funds  to  enable  our  "  managers  "  to  control  our 
professional  and  personal  independence  ?  We 
consider  the  situation  equally  false  and  absurd. 
We  advise  Mrs.  Martin  Harvey  to  acquaint  herself 
with  the  true  inwardness  of  the  misnamedFundshe 
advocates  and  no  further  meddle  therein. — Ed.] 

THE    AWAKENING. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — The  Royal  British  Nuises' 
Association  is  to  be  congratulated  upon  the 
success  of  the  Conference  held  under  its  auspices 
on  November  7th.  It  was  my  privilege  to  attend 
both  sessions.  The  speakers  did  full  justice  to 
the  important  and  interesting  subjects  dealt  with. 
One  impression  gained  was  that  the  ntirses  are 
at  last  beginning  to  wake  up  and  take  an  intelligent 
interest  in  their  own  professional  affairs,  and  to 
realize  that  no  battle  can  be  won  by  the  generals 
alone,  the  rank  and  file  must  fight,  too,  if  piofes- 
sional  freedom  is  to  be  secured  and  deserved. 

It  was  refreshing  and  edifying  to  hear  the 
nurses  speaking  up  and  giving  their  views  upon 
a  matter  of  such  importance  as  a  Bill  for  the 
State  Registration  of  Tiained  Nmses.  It  was  a 
happy  idea  to  provide  a  special  session  to  explain 
and  compare  the  two  Bills.  It  was  quite  obvious 
that  the  one  drafted  by  the  Central  Committee 
was  the  one  to  which  the  audience  gave  its  support. 
Another  impression  I  gsiined  was  that  if  Professor 
G.aister  camo  from  Scotland  at  the  expense  of 
the  College  of  Nutsing  Co.,  Ltd.,  to  speak  on 
behalf  of  the  Bill  drafted  by  that  body,  it  was  a 
great  waste  of  the  company's  money.  To  call 
vital  principles  insignificant  "  trifles  "  i?  not  the 
way  to  con\Hnce  an  en  lightened  audience.  I  was 
pleased  to  observe  three  military  Matrons  present, 
who  also,  apparently,  supported  the  Bill  of  the 
Central  Committee  ;  at  least,  they  gave  no  support 
to  Professor  Glaister, 

A  "  Picker  up  of  Learning's  Crumbs." 

A    GREAT    BENEVOLENT    FUND    FOR    THE 
NURSING    PROFESSION. 

To  the  Editor  o/The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Madam, — In  a  lecent  issue,  you  draw  attention 
to  the  vulgarity  of  a  poster  begging  for  sub- 
scriptions for  Lady  Cowdray's  Fund  for  Nurses. 
It  is,  indeed,  sad  to  reflect  that  Matrons  con- 
nected with  the  Fund  should  have  submitted 
to  this  public  degradation  of  their  profession- 

But  there  aie  still  greater  evils  covered  by  this 
poster  which  appeals  for  funds  for  the  College  of 
Nursing  and  the  Tribute  Fund  for  Nurses. 

The  following  resolution,  adopted  by  the 
Council  of  my  Society  in  May,  1918,  expresses  the 
opinion  of  all  those  who  care  for  the  independence 
and  dignity  of  the  nursing  profession  : — 

"  The  Council  of  the  Nacional  Union  of  Trained 
Nurses  protests  against  the  methods  by  which  the 
British  Women's  Hospital  Committee  is  raising 
Funds  for  providing  annuities  for  nurses,  for  the 
following  reasons  : — • 

"  I.  It  objects,  as  being  inconsistent  with  the 
dignity  of  the  profession,  that  appeals  for  charity 


should  be  made  by  means  of  advertisement  in  the 
Press  and  by  posters  placarding  the  streets. 

"2.  It  maintains  that  such  a  Benevolent  Fund 
should  not  be  coupled  with  an  Endowment  Fund, 
especially  for  an  unrepresentative  body  such  as  the 
College  of  Nuising,   Ltd.,  which  has  ^is  yet  AO  ; 
established    claim    to    confidence.  .,         ^     , 

V»  "  3.  It  urges  most  strongly  that  the  Biitish 
Women's  Hospital  Committee,  whose  feelings  of 
sympathy  for  the  nursing  profession  it  fully 
appreciates,  should  place  the  management  of  the 
Nation's  Fund  in  the  hands  of  a  really  natibnal  aud 
representative    body.    .  .       . 

"  For  this  pui pose  the  Council  of  the  National 
Union  of  Trained  Nurses  suggests  that  a  joint 
committee  should  be  formed  of  the  existing  bene- 
volent funds,  such  as  the  Trained  Nurses'  Annuity 
Fund,  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Association 
Benevolent  Fund,  the  Queen's  Nurses'  Benevolent 
Fund,  the  Edith  Cavell  Homes,  the  Junius  Morgan 
Benevolent  Fund,  and  any  other  that  may  appear 
suitable." — I  am,  yours  faithfully, 

Evelyn  L.  C.  Eden, 

Hon.  Adviser  to  the  National  Union  of : .. 

Trained  Nurses. - 

46,  Marsham  Street,  S.W.  i. 

REVERENCE     FOR    THE    DEAD:      IS    It, 

REALLY    TRUE?  '  :,/ 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  NursinGj 
Dear  Madam, — -Tnis  is  the  question  I  asked 
of  the  pleasant- mannered  Secretary  of  the  British 
Woman's  H  «pital  Committee,  at  her  office  a  few 
days  ago.  Har  reply  was  that  it  was  perfectly 
tru2  ;  a  "  Victory  Ball  "  was  to  be  given  at  the 
A'b3rt  Hall,  on  November  27th,  in  aid  of  "  The 
Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses,"  to  celebrate  victory*.  . 
Sae  was  very  surprised  at  my  indignant  protest. 
In  the  first  place,  paace  has  not  been  proclaimed, 
technically,  therefore,  the  war  is  not  over.  An 
armistice  m^ans  a  temporary  cessation  of  hostilities. 
Surely  the  dominant  thought  in  the  mind  of  all 
tru3  patriots  in  this  connection  is  that  this  large 
measure  of  victory  has  been  won  for  us  by  the- 
incJmparable  yalour  of  our  sailors  and  soldiers- 
wound -d  and  otherwise — and  above  all  by  the 
"great  sacrifice"  of  those  unconquerable  souls 
who  fell  in  their  tens  of  thousands  on  the  battle*; 
field.  Was  there  ever  such  a  strange  way  of^ 
celebrating  their  passing  ? 

If  people  like  to  dance  on  such  an  occasion 
they  are,  I  suppose,  at  liberty  to  do  so  ;  \)Ut 
they  are  tiot  at  liberty  to  do  so  in  the  name  of 
and  much  against  the  wishes  of  patriotic  nurses 
(some  400  of  whom  have  also  made  the  great 
sacrifice).  It  is  an  act  of  sacrilege  towards  the 
dead,  and  an  insult  to  the  great  profession  of 
nursing.  This  was  the  substance  of  my  con- 
versation with  the  lady,  who  could  not  see  my 
point  of  view.  We  are  certainly  entitled  to; 
rejoice,  but  our  hearts  are  full,  and  we  incline: 
more  towards  the  giving  of  unbounded  thank^*, 
to  the  "  only  Giver  of  all  victory,"  for  the 
conquest  of  an  evil  power  in  the  world-.'  "~.'l 
Reverence  for  the  PeXxj.':'; 


33?     Zhc  3Brtti6b  Journal  of  "Rurelnc  Supplement  November. 22,igis 


THe   Midwife. 


I  BABY    WEEK    COUNCIL. 

I  Oa  Monday,  Novembsr  25th,  National  Baby 
gWeek  Council  is  organising  a  Meeting  at  the 
"Arraitage  Hall,  224,  Great  Portland  Screet,  W. 
•jat  5  p.m.,  to  discuss  "  The  Ministry  of  Health 
Bill :  Our  Hopes  and  Fears."  The  following 
have  already  kindly  consented  to  speak  : — "  Why 
We  JSTeed  a  Ministry  of  Hsalth,"  Major  Waldorf 
Astor,.  M.p.  ;  "  Tae  Responsibility  of  Voters," 
Trhe  Viscountess  Rhondda ;  "  The  Ministry  of 
Health  and  the  Poor  Law,"  The  Rt.  Hon.  Lord 
George  Hamilton  ;"  The  Ministry  of  Health  and 
the  Racial  Perils  of  Peace,"  Dr.  C.  W.  Saleeby, 
]F.R.S.E. 

l.  Admission  to  the  Meeting  is  free,  and  all  inter- 
ested    are      cordially 
invited. 


A     "FREAK"    OF    NATURE. 

Miss  Amelia  M.  Burke  sends  us  from  Bombay 
the  picture  of  an  Indian  baby  with  a  patch  of 
white  hair.  No  reason  for  this  "  freak  "  is  forth- 
coming, although  it  has  caused  a  fair  amount  of 
interest. 


TREATMENT  OF  ANTE-NATAL  AND 
POST-NATAL  SYPHILIS. 

Mr.  John  Adams,  F.R.C.S.,  Medical  Officer  in 
Charge  of  the  Thavies  Inn  Venereal  Centre  for 
Pregnant  Women  (the  only  hospital  of  the  kind), 
gives  an  extremely  interesting  account  of  the 
results  of  the  first  year's  work  in  the  British 
Medical  Journal,  in  the  course  of  which  he  says, 


WORKERS' 

SECTION, 

ASSOCIATION    OF 

INFANT 

WELFARE    AND 

I    MATERNITY 

I     CENTRES. 

f  A  conference  will  be 
held  on  Wednesday, 
December  4th,  at 
5(45  p.m.,  at  24, 
Underwood  Street, 
V^illance  Road,  E. 
Subject.  —  The  Ideal 
Health  Visitor  for 
Irifant  Welfare  Work, 
ai|d  the  Qualifications 

Needed.  Chair. — Miss  Macdonald,  Secretary, 
Royal  British  Nurses'  Association.  Speakers. — 
Miss  H.  Walters,  and  others.  'Bus  25  and 
Aldgate  Station.     Tea  at  5.30. 


E|:TRA  COAL  RATION  FOR  MATERNITY 
CASES. 

Mr*  W.  H.  Gaunt,  Secretary  of  the  Coal  Mines 
Department  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  has  informed 
Miss  Halford,  Secretary  of  the  National  Association 
for  the  Prevention  of  Infant  Mortality,  that  a  claim 
could  certainly  be  submitted  for  fn  additional 
allowance  of  coal  on  the  ground  of  illness  in  the 
ca»e  of  childbirth,  and  would  be  allowed  for  a 
reasonable  period  thereafter. 

I^he  maximum  quantity  of  fuel  that  may  be 
granted  on  such  a  claim  is  5  tons,  but  the  decision 
as  |o  the  actual  quantity  granted  must  depend  on 
thi|GJrcumstances  of  the  particular  case. 


A    PRGAK    TUFT    OF    WHITE     HAIR.     AN     INDIAN     BABY. 


in  regard  to  the  children,  "  the  results  are  most 
encouraging.  But  the  future  treatment  of  ante- 
natal and  post-natal  syphilis  cannot  be  allowed  to 
remain  where  it  has  been  in  the  past;  and  the 
treatment  which  is  being  adopted  to-day  will  be 
improved  on  to-morrow.  I  am  certain  that  the 
lives  of  thousands  of  syphilitic  children  have  been 
lost  unnecessarily  in  the  past,  while  it  would  have 
been  a  blessing  to  themselves  and  humanity  if 
many  of  those  who  have  survived  had  never  lived 
in  misery  to  be  a  burden  to  the  State.  In  the 
future  such  children  may  be  made  healthy  and 
useful  members  of  the  community.  .  .  . 

"  If  I  were  to  criticize  my  year's  work  I  should 
say  that,  had  the  drugs  been  in  bigger  doses,  the 
results  would  have  been  still  better;  but  one  had 
to  tread  with  caution  the  unknown  paths  of 
research* in  the  case  of  these  newly  born  children, 
and,  on  the  whole,  I  am  of  opinion  that  the  means 
adopted  are  only  the  beginning  of  still  greater 
progress  in  the  future  treatment  of  ante-natal  and 
post-natal  syphilis." 


misiloinlLo'lmc 


WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 


No.  1,600. 


SATURDAY,    NOVEMBER    30,    1918. 


Vol.    LXI. 


EDITORIAL. 


A    DANGER    OF    DEMOBILIZATION. 

One  of  the  dangers  apprehended  when 
demobilization  takes  place  in  the  near 
future  is  the  increase  in  venereal  diseases, 
and  none  know  better  than  trained  nurses 
the  ill-health  and  sorrow  which  these  bring 
in  their  train,  and  no  section  of  the  com- 
munity should,  therefore,  be  more  on  the 
alert  to  assist  in  enforcing  such  preventive 
precautions  as  are  indicated  by  expert 
knowledge  and  sanitary  science. 

In  a  letter  to  the  press  Lord  Sydenham, 
the  President  and  other  officers  of  the 
National  Council  for  Combatting  Venereal 
Diseases,  on  its  behalf,  urge  that  unless 
strong  measures  are  taken  there  will  be 
grave  danger  to  the  public  health. 

It  is  understood,  they  say,  that  there  will 
be  about  300,000  men  of  the  Army  and 
Navy  under  treatment,  and  infective,  on 
detaobilization.  The  incidence  of  venereal 
disease  in  the  Army  where  instruction,  treat- 
ment and  discipline  combine  to  reduce  in- 
fection, is  put  at  only  2  per  cent. ;  in  the 
adult  civilian  population,  where  these  in- 
fluences do  not  obtain,  it  is  estimated  at 
nearly  20  per  cent.,  and  it  is  urged  that 
immediate  steps  must  be  taken  to  prevent 
the  spread  of  disease  tp  wives,  families  and 
others. 

The  Committee  ask  the  public  to  support 
the  following  plan  of  action. 

That  the  Local  Governm,ent  Board  should 
authorize  the  appointment  of  whole-time 
venereal  officers  (a  man  and  a  woman)  on 
the  staffs  of  the  medical  officer  of  each 
county  or  county  borough.  That  the  pre- 
sent hospital  accommodation  should  be 
supplemented  by  ad  hoc  clinics  under  the 
supervision  of  such  venereal  officers  in  every 
town  of  10,000  inhabitants,  and  also  in  the 
county  boroughs.      Such  clinics  to  open  for 


continuous  and  early  treatment  both  for 
men  and  women,  and  to  be  available  early 
in  the  New  Year. 

Over  a  dozen  other  recommendations  are 
made,  amongst  them  the  appointment  of 
women  police,  and  an  adequate  number  of 
voluntary  women  patrols,  but  throughout 
these  recommendations  there  is  no  word  to 
suggest  that  the  co-operation  of  trained 
nurses  is  desired,  or  that  it  is  essential  to 
success  in  the  war  against  venereal  diseases. 
Yet,  when  there  was  still  a  conspiracy  of 
silence  as  to  the  ravages  of  these  diseases 
the  trained  nurses  were  on  the  alert,  and 
drawing  attention  to  the  necessity  for  deal- 
ing with  their  effects,  instead  of  concealing 
and  ignoring  them. 

Speaking  in  support  of  the  Ministry  of 
Health  Bill,  and  its  relations  to  problems 
of  Reconstruction,  at  the  Armitage  Hall  on 
Monday  last.  Dr.  Saleeby  stated  that 
venereal  disease  had  increased  during  the 
war,  and  said  that  "  the  real  danger  was 
the  infection  of  hosts  of  healthy  men  who 
had  fought  for  us,  on  their  release,  by 
exposure  to  the  greatly  extended  area  of 
infection  among  our  young  women  at  the 
present  time."  Better  were  it  for  our 
brave  men  that  they  should  die  on  the  field 
of  honour,  than  infected  and  infectious  drag 
out  a  miserable  existence,  and  transmit 
a  horrible  disease  to  their  wives  and 
children. 

Small  wonder  that  nurses  who  know  the 
misery  entailed  by  even  one  case  and  its 
consequences,  are  appalled  at  the  prospect 
of  widespread  infection,  and  desire  to  be 
effectively  associated  with  any  schemes  for 
its  prevention. 

The  work  of  nurses  is  not  primarily  to 
fight  the  disease  on  moral  grounds,  but 
certainly  the  moral  side  needs  emphasising 
and  such  a  campaign  would  have  wide- 
spread support  among  nurses. 


332 


Zbc  Brittsb  3ournal  of  •Rurging. 


November  30,   1918 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITION. 


WHAT     DO     YOU     KNOW     OF     "MUSTARD     GAS" 
BURNS     AND    THEIR    TREATMENT? 

We  have  pleasure  in  awarding-  the  prize  this 
week  to  Miss  Marjorie  E.  Thorpe,  University 
War  Hospital,  Southampton. 

PRIZB     PAPER. 

Mustard  gas  (Dichlorethyl  sulphide)  derives 
its  name  from  its  odour,  reminiscent  of 
mustard.  It  is  an  oily  liquid,  and  when  re- 
leased it  slowly  evaporates. 

The  fluid  may  be  scattered  on  clothing,  rifles, 
and  on  the  ground,  &c.,  and  may  thus  become 
infective  throug-h  direct  contamination  of  the 
skin. 

The  g-as  attacks  the  mucus  membrane  and 
the  skin.  The  principal  symptoms  take  from 
four  to  twenty-four  hours  to  develop.  The 
burns  start  with  widespread  erythema  and  local 
vesication.  The  commonest  sites  are  the 
axillae,  genitals,  and  back,  but  any  area  may 
be  attacked.  The  surfaces  affected  show  very 
marked  pigmentation.  Deep  burns  sometimes 
occur. 

Laryngitis,  pharyng-itis,  and  broqchitis  may 
occur  in  from  twenty-four  to  forty-eight  hours. 
The  degree  of  the  lesion  varies  from  a  simple 
irritation  to  an  ulceration  of  the  mucous 
membrane  of  the  whole  passages,  followed  by 
infection  of  the  raw  surfaces.  Vomiting:  and 
epigastric  pain  also  occur  if  the  mucous 
membrane  of  the  stomach  and  oesophag-us  is 
affected.  Conjunctivitis  is  the  first  symptom 
to  appear.  Intense  photophobia  results  and 
swelling  of  the  eyelids. 

Treatment  {Skin). — The  slighter  burns  heal 
perfectly  with  some  non-irritating  protective 
application,  i.e.,  boric  ointment,  Lassar's 
paste,  &c. 

Severe  burns  are  gienerally  indolent  in  heal- 
ing. If  there  is  suppuration,  repeated  hot  boric 
fomentations  give  relief. 

If  the  burns  are  extensive  and  dressings  pain- 
ful, hot  alkaline  baths  may  be  given.  The 
patient  may  be  totally  submerged  for  twenty 
minutes  or  half  an  hour.  The  dressing  may 
then  be  painlessly  removed,  and  a  liquid 
paraffin  dressing  applied.  In  later  stages  of 
healing,  ung.  eucalyptus,  boric,  or  Lassar's 
paste  may  be  applied. 

For  uncomplicated  cases,  a  dusting  powder 
of  boric  acid,  starch  and  zinc  oxide  may  be 
applied  freely. 

Eyes. — If  f>ain  is  severe,  fomentations  over 
the  eyeballs  give  relief.  If  inflammation  is 
severe,  the  patient  may  wear  a  shade  or  dark 
glasses,  or  the  room  may  be  darkened. 


The  eyes  may  be  irrigated  with  boric  lotion, 
and  liquid  paraffin  (which  is  not  irritant,  and 
acts  as  a  lubricant)  should  be  instilled  into  the 
conjunctival  sacs  three  times  daily. 

When  inflammation  subsides,  drops  contain- 
ing zinc  sulphate,  boric  acid  and  adrenalin  are 
beneficial. 

The  laryngeal  condition  is  best  relieved  by 
inhalations  of  menthol  and  benzoin.  For  the 
throat  and  nose,  warm  alkaline  washes  at  least 
three  times  a  day  are  necessary. 

Functional  aphonia  of  varying  degree  is 
often  present,  and  may  be  cured  by  breathing 
exercises  and  a  brisk  rubbing  of  the  pharyngeal 
wall  with  a  laryngeal  mirror.  The  cough, 
which  is  a  very  distressing  later  symptom,  may 
be  relieved  by  cough  mixtures  and  by  heroin 
gr.  |.  If  the  respiratory  organs  are  very 
severely  involved,  the  oxygenation  of  the  blood 
is  interfered  with,  and  the  patient  dies  through 
suffocation.  In  this  case  oxygeji  may  be  given 
as  a  palliative  treatment,  and  the  patient 
should  be  left  in  the  open  air. 

HONOURABLE   MENTION. 

The  following  competitors  receive  honour- 
able mention  : — Miss  E.  F.  James,  Miss 
Phillips,  Miss  P.  Robertson. 

QUESTION    FOR   NEXT    WEEK. 

Describe  the  management  of  a  newly  born 
infant  for  the  first  week  of  life. 

THE  ROYAL  RED  CROSS. 


Second  Class. 
On  Saturday  last,  at  the  Investiture  at  Bucking- 
ham Palace,  the  King  decorated  the  following  lady 
with  the  Royal  Red  Cross. 

Sister  Jessie  Ferguson,  South  African  Military 
Nursing  Service. 

■  ♦  ■ 

FOR  COURAGE  IN  THE  FIELD. 


The  King  has  been  pleased  to  approve  of  the 
award  of  the  Military  Medal  to  the  following 
ladies  for  distinguished  services  in  the  field  : — 

Miss  Rosa  Brain  (S./Nurse),  T.F.N.S.— For 
exceptional  courage  and  devotion  to  duty  during 
a  hostile  air  raid,  when  bombs  were  dropped  on 
the  hospital.  One  of  the  bombs  wrecked  the 
hut  in  which  she  was  on  duty,  and,  with  the 
greatest  coolness,  she  attended  to  all  the  patients 
in  the  ward,  though  she  hers  If  was  wounded. 

And  to  the  following  members  of  the  First  Aid 
Nursing  Yeomanry  Corps  : — 

Miss   Evelyn   M.   Cridlan. 

Miss   Gwendolyn    G  rrish    Peyton    Jones. 

Miss  Mary  Devas  Marshall. 

Miss   Rachel   Gertrude   Moseley. 

Miss   Ellen   Russell. 

Miss  Christina  Margaret   Urquart. 


November  30,  1918       ji\yc  Biltisb  3ournal  of  IRurelnfi. 


333 


NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 

When  we  nurses  celebrate-  Victory  and  Peace 
let  it  be  with  quiet  thankfulness  and  homage. 
Let  it  bf  a  holy  day,  rather  than  a  holiday.  The 
Royal  British  Nurses'  Association  and  its  Affiliated 
Societies  should  be  ready  to  celebrate  Peace  in  a 
nurse-like  spirit  and  not  by  any  frivolous  function 
calculated  to  give  the  public  an  entirely  wrong 
impression  of  our  real  feelings.  War  may  cease, 
but  what  true  nurses  have  faced  and  suffered 
during  this  tragic  time  will  not  be  effaced  from 
their  hearts  or  their  m.emories  for  many  years  to 
come.  The  agony  has  been  so  intense  and  world- 
wide, many  of  us  will  never  be  the  same  again  ; 
and  it  is  not  well  that  we  should  be. 


Sister  Watkins,  who  has  been  awarded  the 
Military  Medal  for  bravery  during  the  bombard- 
ment by  the  enemy  of  a  casualty  clearing  station 
in  France,  w?s  trained  at  Guy's  Hospital,  and  went 
to  France  under  the  British  Red  Cross.  Society  in 
1914,  joining  the  Army  Nursing  Service  in  1915- 
Sister  Watkins  remained  at  her  post  until  wounded 
in  the  leg,  and  was  later  sent  to  London  and 
admitted  to  hospital.  She  hopes  shortly  to  return 
to  duty  in  France. 

We  are  indebted  for  our  portrait  to  the  courtesy 
of  the  Editor  (  f  the  Oxford  Chronicle. 


The  authorities  of  the 
Edmonton  Military  Hos- 
pital, where  four  nurses 
have  died  from  influenza, 
which  they  caught  while 
nursing  wounded  patients, 
have  received  the  follo>ving 
letter  from  the  War  Office  : 

"  The  Director-General 
wishes  it  to  be  known  in  all 
military  hospitals  in  the 
Eastern  Command  how 
much  he  appreciates  the 
unselfish  devotion  to  their 
duty  of  the  members  of  the 
Nursing  Services  at  this 
time  of  emergency. 

"  He  is  aware  that  they 
are  being  much  over- 
worked, and  regrets  that  in 
Spite  of  all  efforts  which 
have  been  and  .  are  being 
made  to  procure  more 
nurses,  it  is  quite  impos- 
sible, owing  to  the  wide- 
spr^d  epidemic  of  influ- 
enza, to  send  the  necessary 
help. 

"  The  admirable  spirit  of 
devotion    to    duty    of     all 

ranks  of  the  Nursing  Service  will  be  brought  to  the 
notice  of  the  Nursing  Board  of  the  Army  Council." 

The  letter  is  to  be  reprinted  in  the  form  of  a 
Christmas  card  and  distributed  to  the  nurses  at  the 
Edmonton  Military  Hospital. 


The  Burdett  Press  exclaims  : — "  We  are  all 
looking  with  expectation  to  Sir  Arthur  Stanley, 
G.B.E.,  promptly  to  put  himself  at  the  head  of  a 
Great  Free  Will  Movement, 
which  we  have  no  doubt 
would  produce  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  pounds 
without  dela.y."  This  large 
Sum  is  to  be  expended  in 
controlling  the  Nursing 
Profession,  but  we  are  not 
enlightened  as  to  where  the 
"  Free  Will  "  comes  in. 
How  heartily  sick  we  are  of 
all  this  fuss-potting  upon 
our  behalf  by  the  proprie- 
tors of  newspapers  (charity 
ads.  are  very  lucrative), 
and  of  climbing  plutocrats 
who  hanker  after  proximity 
to  the  tabouret  !  We  long 
to  be  left  alone  to  work 
out  our  own  salvation  on 
self-supporting  and  inde- 
pendent lines.  That  is  the 
only  great  Free  Will  Move- 
ment as  far  as  traiiied 
nurses  are  concerned  which 
matters. 


SI5TER    WATKINS 


We  havt  heard  of  many  deaths  of  young  nurses 
during  this  really  serious  epidemic  of  illness  which 
has  not  yet  been  surely  defined.  No  doubt  the 
general  health  has  for  months  been  undermined 
by  overwork  and  the  unnourishing  food  on  which 
we  are  existing,  although  we  hear  from  many 
private  nurses  that  the  tables  of  the  rich  are  still 
loaded  with  every  luxury,  in  spite  of  the  profiteer- 
ing of  the  provision  dealers.  We  are  glad  to  note 
that  this  question  of  food  prices  may  receive 
attention  after  th#  Election. 


It  now  appears  that 
the  beautiful  hospital 
established  at  the  Hotel 
Astoria  in  Paris  is  to  b5 
closed  down  forthwith,  so  that  it  may  be  used  as 
offices  by  the  British  Government  during  the 
Peace  Conference.  Our  legion  of  representatives 
will  be  located  at  the  Hotel  jVIajestic,  so  that  there 
should  be  ample  room  for  Mr.  Hughes  and  the 
other  Dominion  Premiers.  We  should  feel  safer 
about  those  German  Colonies  if  he  were  there. 


Miss  Muriel  ■G3adys  Hutton,  daughter  of  Alder- 
man W.  L.  Hutton,  J. P.,  of  Moss  Bank,  Aughton, 
who  was  recently  invested  by  the  King  with  the 
Royal  Red  Cross  (first  cla-ss)  decoration,  has 
been  fu^her  honoured  by  the  presentation  of  the 
Granton  Nautical  Button  by  Admiral  James 
Starton,  at  Edinburgh,  "  in  token  of  the  appre- 
ciation of  her  courtesy  and  kindness." 


334 


Zbc  ffirltteb  3ourual  of  1Rur0ina.       November  30,  1918 


FRENCH  FLAG  NURSING  CORPS. 


THE  WEST   LONDON    HOSPITAL, 
HAMMERSMITH. 


DEVOTED    SERVICE    RECOGNISED. 

The  French  Ministry  has  asked  for  the  names  of 
all  the  Sisters  who  have  served  in  the  Corps  for  two 
years  and  upwards,  and  have  thus  devoted  them- 
selves to  the  sick  and  wounded  in  military  hospitals 
imder  the  French  medical  authorities. 

The  French  Flag  Nursing  Corps  is  the  only 
Service  of  British  Nurses  working  under  the  direct 
authority  of  the  French  War  Office  which  through- 
out the  war  has  maintained  the  minimum  qualifica- 
tion of  a  Certificate  of  three  years'  training  in 
general  nursing,  thus  its  members  well  deserve  the 
honour  which  the  French  Gk)vernment  proposes  to 
award  them,  the  "  M6daille  de  la  Reconnaissance 
Frangaise. "  * 


We  have  been  having  more  compliments,  and  we 
will  just  repeat  what  an  important  official  at  Paris 
in  the  Service  de  Sant6  said  : — "  I  do  not  wish  to  be 
complimentary  nor  yet  flattering,  but  the  Service  de 
Santd  has  found  the  nurses  of  the  F.F.N.C.  the 
most  satisfactory  of  all  the  nurses — English, 
French,  or  American — ^who  have  worked  under  its 
formation  in  point  of  view  both  of  discipline  and 
work,  and  should  any  of  them  care  to  remain  on, 
after  the  signing  of  i>eace,  we  shall  be  only  too 
pleased  to  place  them  in  their  various  formations." 
Isn't  that  some  reward  for  three  and  four  years' 
real  work,  and  recognition  of  the  value  of  the 
standard  of  three  years'  general  training  of  the 
members  of  the  Corps? 

We  as  Hon.  Superintendent  are  specially  gratified 
with  the  recognition  by  the  Service  de  Sante  of  the 
value  of  discipline — the  more  especially  as  it  has 
been  maintained  throughout  the  four  years  on  duty 
by  mutual  understanding  between  officials  and 
Sisters,  and  without  the  sinister  support  of  a  Serf 
Clause ! 


Several  of  the  ambulances  to  which  the  Sisters 
are  attached  are  on  the  march  to  Germany. 

A  Sister  writes  : — I  wish  I  could  describe  to  you 
the  sights  on  the  road,  especially  when  crossing  the 
line — terrible  devastation  and  death — many  German 
corpses  lying  just  where  they  were  killed — caught 
in  acts  of  destruction  and  pillage. 


A  Sister  writes  fron)  Paris  :  "  I  had  not  seen 
any  mention  of  the  '  Victory  Ball '  till  I  read 
my  B.J.N.  It  sounds  horrible.  How  I  wish 
I  could  take  some  of  these  heartless  women  and 
dump  them  in  some  of  the  hospitals  for  the  gassed 
cases — where  the  death  struggles  and  agony  of 
these  poor  stricken  men  will  never  be  effaced  from 
one's  memory — or  let  them  see  the  returned 
French  and  British  prisoners  who  have  crr.wled 
to  the  line,  before  they  have  been  cleansed  and 
fed.  If  they  fed  like  dancing  after  such  heart- 
rending sights,  then  indeed  they  could  '  Dance  on 
the  Dead.'  " 


OPENING  OF  THE  NEW  NURSES'  HOME. 

The  Abercorn  Home,  which  is  otherwise  the 
Nurses'  Home  for  the  West  London  Hospital, 
was  formally  opened  on  Monday,  November 
25th.  Some  disappointment  was  felt  at  the 
unavoidable  absence  through  illness  of  H.R.H. 
Princess  Arthur  of  Connaught,  who  was  to 
have  performed  the  ceremony,  but  her  place 
was  gracefully  taken  by  Lady  Evelyn  Far- 
quhar,  who,  in  the  name  of  Her  Royal  High- 
ness, accepted  the  silver  key  of  the  Home,  and 
received  the  address  in  the  recreation  room 
before  a  large  audience. 

The  Chairman,  Mr.  G,  F.  Marshall,  in 
presenting  the  latter,  said  the  Home  was  a 
memorial  to  their  late  President,  the  Duke  of 
Abercorn,  who  had  always  had  this  scheme  at 
heart. 

Lady  Evelyn  then  read  Princess  Arthur's 
address,  in  which  she  expressed  her  pleasure 
at  being  asked  to  perform  the  ceremony.  Fpom 
her  personal  knowledge  she  could  appreciate 
the  benefit  that  such  a  Home  would  be  to  the 
nurses.  Since  the  war  much,  attention  had 
'been  drawn  to  the  needs  of  this  skilled  body  of 
workers. 

The  Prayer  of  Blessing  was  then  offered  by 
the  Chaplain,  the  Rev.  Nelson  Walshe,  who 
asked  that  this  Home  might  be  for  the  mental 
rest  and  bodily  refreshment  of  those  for  whom 
it  was  provided,  and  that  it  should  be  used  for 
their  comfort  and  God's  glory. 

Sir  William  Bull  said  that  this  Home  wa.s  a 
model  of  what  a  Nurses'  Home  should  be,  as 
everything  had  been  carefuUy  studied  to  give 
the  maximum  of  comfort.  Different  sitting- 
rooms  for  various  grades  of  nurses  might 
appear  a  small  matter,  but  a  little  thought 
would  show  how,  if  a  junior  nurse  were  com- 
fortably toasting  her  toes  before  the  fire  and 
her  senior  entered  the  room,  etiquette  would 
oblige  her  to  give  place  to  her. 

The  Home  would  repay  the  authorities  a 
hundred  times  (not  in  money)  by  making  the 
nurses  happy  and  comfortable. 

The  Chairman  then  moved  a  vote  of  sym- 
pathy w'ith  Princess  Arthur  of  Connaught  in 
her  indisposition,  and  said  he  was  proud  to 
think  she  had  seen  her  first  surgical  oj>eration 
in  the  wards  of  the  West  London  Hospital. 

The  visitors  were  then  free  to  inspect  the 
charming  arrangements.  Tea  was  provided  in 
the  various  sitting-rooms,  an<f  organised  so 
that    there    was    no    overcrbwding. 


/ 


November  30,  1918       (jjje  BrUlsb  Soumal  of  •Ruremg. 


335 


A  tablet  in  the  entrance  hall  of  the  Home, 
placed  there  by  the  Board  of  Managers, 
notifies  that  the  erection  was  largely  due  to  the 
generous  benefaction  of  Dan  Mason,  Esq., 
who  also  gave  the  land  upon  which  it  stands. 
The  Home  is  fortunately  placed,  inasmuch  as 
there  are  open  spaces  near  by.  It  also  has  a 
garden  of  its  own,  and  a  lady  who  has  made  a 
study  of  the  flowers  and  shrubs  which  will 
grow  in  London  soot,  and  has  undertaken  its 
supervision,  anticipates  that  something  will  be 
flowering  all  the  year  round. 

The  Home  contains  104  bedrooms,  and  it  is 
the  pride  of  the  Matron,  Miss  Florence  Nevile, 
and  the  joy  of  Sisters,  nurses,  and  maids  that 
each  one  has  a  separate  room.  The  building 
is  heated  by  radiators,  so  that  it  is  very  warm 
and  comfortable.  There  is  a  bathroom  to 
five  bedrooms,  and  shampooing-rooms  are  pro- 
vided with  electric  dryers,  which  will  dry  the 
thickest  head  of  hair  in  fifteen  minutes. 

All  the  clocks  in  the  building  are  timed  by 
the  control  clock  in  the  hall,  which  is  kept  in 
order  by  the  Standard  Electric  Time  Company. 
The  floors  are  of  dolament,  a  material  smooth 
in  texture  and  deep  red  in  colour,  which, 
polished  with  Shell  Brand  Polish,  presents  a 
most  attractive  appearance. 

All  the  principal  meals  are  served  in  the 
hospital,  but  the  nurses  can  make  tea  from 
8.30  to  9.30  at  night,  boiling  the  water  on  gas- 
rings  provided  for  the  purpose,  as  well  as  at 
other  off-duty  times,  when  they  may  receive 
"cousins  from  the  Front  "  and  other  visitors 
in  rooms  which  are  at  their  disposal.  There 
are  also  reading,  writing,  and  sewing  rooms, 
with  the  free  use  of  a  sewing  machine  and 
electric  irons. 

The  sick  rooms,  daintily  furnished  and  with 
glowing  fires,  must  be  most  attractive  to  a 
tired  nurse.  The  night  nurses'  quarters  are  cut 
off  with  doors  from  the  rest  of  the  building,  so 
that  quiet  is  assured.  Lastly,  mention  must  be 
made  of  the  flat  roof,  provided  with  four  teak 
seats  and  eighteen  deck  chairs,  which  Is  sure 
to  be  a  very  popular  rendezvous  in  summer. 
The  Matron  will  be  pleased  to  show  the  Home 
to  other  Matrons  or  to  former  nurses  any  after- 
noon between  2  and  4  p.m. 

M.  B. 


A  VICTORY  THANK  OFFERING  FOR 
STATE    REGISTRATION. 


NATIONAL  COUNCIL  OF  TRAINED 
NURSES. 

We  hope  for  a  full  Meeting  of  the  Delegates 
on  Friday  next  at  431,  Oxford  Street,  W. 
International  questions  will  be  considered,  and 
they  are  of  a  somewhat  delicate  nature  just 
now.     Tea  at  4  p.m. 


Our  Appeal  for  funds  to  promote  our  State 
Registration  Campaign,  which  will  be  found 
on  i>age  ii  of  the  cover,  is  meeting  with  success, 
and  offerings  large  and  small  will  be  equally 
welcome. 

The  sister  of  the  Editor  has  given  ;^so  "  for 
propaganda  through  The  British  Journal  of 
Nursing,  and  as  a  protest  against  the  most 
unfair  boycott  of  the  press  of  the  Trained 
Nurses*  just  demand  for  self-government  and 
independence,  hoping  others  will  help  this  just 
cause  according  to  their  means." 


CENTRAL  COMMITTEE  FOR  THE  STATE 
REGISTRATION  OF  NURSES. 


The  amended  Bill  is  now  in  print,  price  3d. 
and  postage.  Copies  can  be  obtained  from  the 
Office,  431,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W. 

This  is  a  just  Bill.  All  nurses  should  study 
it — and  join  a  Society  which  supports  it. 
Times  are  critical.  The  profession  is  faced 
with  great  danger  to  personal  liberty  at  the 
present  time  under  the  College  Constitution. 
Grod  helps  those  who  help  themselves. 


HOMAGE  TO   EDITH  CAVELL. 


Now  that  Belgium  is  once  again  free  from  the 
heel  of  the  oppressor  one  of  the  first  acts  of  the 
Military  and  Civil  Authorities  is  to  honour  the 
graves  of  its  martyrs. 

The  Belgian  Councillor  of  Justice,  M.  Moor- 
decker,  and  the  French  Captain  Benoit  Stein,  who 
is  attached  to  the  Staff  of  the  Military  Administra- 
tion accompanied  the  members  of  the  Communal 
Council  last  week  to  the  Evere  Cemetery  to  lay 
wreaths  on  the  graves  of  Belgian  soldiers. 

The  party  then  went  to  the  spot  where  Nurse 
Edith  Cavell  is  buried.  There  they  saluted  the 
dead,  41  others  shot  by  the  Germans  being  buried 
close  by. 

"  They  knelt  with  deep  emotion  at  the  grave  of 
the  British  national  heroine,  Miss  Edilh  Cavell 
who  rests  among  the  Allied  martyrs,"  says  a  tele- 
gram sent  by  the  Military  Governor  of  Western 
Flanders  to  the  vice-president  of  the  Imperial 
Graves  Committee  at  the  British  Headquarters. 


The  S  jldiers'  Council  in  Brussels  has  decided  to 
send  a  report  to  the  German  Government  on  the 
situation  in  Belgium,  demanding  the  punishment 
of  those  responsible  for  the  execution  of  Nurse 
Cavell  and  other  crimes. 


336 


Hbe  36ritt0b  3ournal  of  l^ureinQ.       November  30,  1918 


Ropal  BrItisI)  nurses*  flssociatiom 


(Incorporated  Dp 


Ropal  Charter.) 


THIS   SUPPLEMENT    BEING   THE    OFFICIAL    ORGAN    OF    THE    CORPORATION. 


LECTURE— ANCIENT   EGYPT. 

The  Members  of  the  Association  who  were  able 
to  be  present  at  the  Lecture  given  to  nurses  at 
University  College  on  21st  inst.  agreed  that  they 
had  rarely  spent  a  more  delightful  afternoon. 

Mrs.  Latter,  who  presided,  said  that  it  required 
no  words  of  hers  to  emphasise  the  privilege  of  being 
able  to  listen  to  a  lecture  by  Miss  Murray,  whose 
name  was  so  well  known  to  all  who  were  interested 
in  Egyptology.  The  civilization  of  Egypt  dated 
back  thousands  of  years,  and  in  this  ancient  civili- 
zation were  to  be  found  all  the  aims  and  ideals  of 
the  nineteenth  century. 

Miss  Murray,  in  commencing  her  lecture,  of 
which  we  can  only  give  a  short  synopsis,  said  that 
the  Egyptian  civilization  may  be  said  to  end  where 
our  own  commences;  roughly  speaking,  we  can 
find  traces  of  this  ancient  civilization  back  to  six 
thousand  years  before  Christ,  but  probably  the 
Egyptians  were  civilized  at  even  an  earlier  date. 
Miss  Murray  put  several  examples  of  ancient  hiero- 
glyphics on  the  screen  and  explained  those,  saying 
that  the  ancient  Egyptian  writing  was  certainly 
the  most  beautiful  in  the  world.  She  drew  atten- 
tion to  the  lining  and  beautiful  grouping  of  the 
■picture  words,  and  explained  the  meaning'of  certain 
of  them.  Pictures  were  also  shown  throwing  light 
on  the  religious  beliefs  of  Ancient  Egypt ;  accord- 
ing to  one  of  those,  when  an  Egyptian  died  he 
divided  into  seven  different  parts  :  body,  soul,  mind, 
heart,  shadow,  Ka,  and  name.  Many  very  won- 
derful pictures  of  kings  of  the  various  dynasties 
were  put  on  the  screen,  and  those  present  were 
amazed  to  find  the  amount  of  character  portrayed 
in  those  faces  carved  in  stone,  particular]}-  in  the 
lower  portions  of  the  face.  A  picture  of  the  Sphinx 
was  shown.  Miss  Murray  adding,  at  the  close  of 
her  description  of  this,  that  she  considered  it  one 
of  the  most  impressive  things  to  be  found  in  Egypt ; 
the  "  Father  of  Terrors  "  it  had  been  called  in  olden 
times.  Next  came  pictures,  all  carefully  explained, 
showing  the  various  things  found  in  the  tombs, 
and  put  there  by  the  friends  of  the  dead  in  the  firm 
belief  in  a  future  life.  There  were  utensils  of  all 
sorts,  game,  jewels,  and  different  kinds  of  games, 
some  of  the  latter  very  similar  evidently  to  those 
of  the  present  day.  In  another  picture  the  lion  and 
the  unicorn  were  shown  playing  chess,  and,  as  the 
lecturer  remarked,  it  was  evident  from  the  expres- 
sion of  the  lion  that  he  was  winning.  In  another 
view  there  was  the  portrayal  of  a  lady  preparing 


for  some  feast  or  dance,  and  engaged  in  touching 
her  lips  with  a  colour  brush.  Pictures  were  shown 
indicating  the  custom  of  killing  the  animals  which 
had  belonged  to  the  dead  person,  in  order  that  h^ 
might  not  be  lonely  when  he  "  crossed  the  bar." 
Miss  Murray  pointed  out  a  remnant  of  this  custom 
in  these  later  days,  in  which  the  charger  of  a  chief 
or  an  officer  is  frequently  led  behind  his  coffin, 
although  it  is  not  now  slaughtered. 

A  most  beautiful  slide  was  shown  representing 
the  arm  of  a  mummy  with  gorgeously  coloured 
jewels.  Miss  Murray  told  of  how  this  was  dis- 
covered by  Professor  Flinders  Petrie.  The  tomb 
must  have  been  robbed  in  ancient  times,  and  the 
thieves  had  been  discovered  or  at  least  interrupted, 
and  this  arm  had  been  hidden  away  in  a  crevice  in 
the  rock.  The  tomb  was  explored  at  different 
periods,  in  one  case  as  early  as  600  B.C.,  but  the 
jewelled  arm  was  not  discovered  then  nor  on  any 
of  the  later  dates  at  which  there  is  evidence  that 
the  tomb  was  entered,  until  a  few  years  ago  when 
Professor  Petrie  was  engaged  in  research  work  in 
Egypt.  His  servant  came  to  tell  him  that  he 
had  discovered  something  bright,  and  when  he 
examined  the  object  the  Professor  saw  the  bright 
central  jewel  of  an  ornament.  He  cut  up  the 
covering,  and  disclosed  the  arm  weighted  with  its 
wonderful  bracelets.  Several  views  of  ancient 
temples  were  also  shown,  Miss  Murray  remarking 
that  curves  were  never  found  in  the  architecture  of 
ancient  Egypt. 

A  fresh  treat  awaited  the  nurses  after  the 
lantern  lecture,  for  Professor  Flinders  Petrie,  Miss 
Murray,  and.  others  took  them  round  the  great 
Egyptology  Collection  of  the  University  College, 
which  is  second  to  none  in  the  world.  It  has  not 
quite  so  many  large  specimens  as  the  collection  at 
the  British  Collection,  but  there  is  far  greater 
variety,  and  one  gazed  with  amazement  at  the 
beautiful  pottery,  the  vases  carved  in  rare  stone 
materials,  the  dainty  sculptured  heads,  the  perfect 
enamelling  of  certain  tiles,  and  many  other  beauti- 
ful and  wonderful  things.  The  perfect,  graceful" 
curves  of  some  of  the  vases  carved  in  stone  were 
greatly  admired,  and  on<>  realized  the  marvellous 
control  which  those  ancient  Egyptians  must  have 
had  over  their  muscles  to  produce  such  f>erfect 
work.  In  one  case  we  .s;iw  the  scent-bottle  of  the 
mother  of  the  Princess  who  found  Moses ;  it  was 
of  a  beautiful  cream  stone,  adorned  with  bands  of 
lovely  gilding,   fresh  as  the  day  when   it  was  put 


November  30,  1918       ^|)e  British  3oiirnal  of  TRursiiiG. 


337 


on  many  thousands  of  years  ago.  Many  of  the 
necklaces  were  very  beautiful,  and,  as  Miss  Murray 
fKJinted  out,  it  was  interesting  to  note  that  they 
were  mostly  of  a  colour  which  suited  the, dark  com- 
plexion of  the  Egyptians.  Those  beads  might 
almost  be  said  to  take  one  through  an  entire  civili- 
zation, from  four  little  iron  sf>ecimens  of  a  very 
early  period  and  others  of  wonderful  lustre  and 
representative  of  lost  arts,  down  to  the  decline  of 
the  Egyptian  dynasties, 'when  the  beads  gradually 
became  much  coarser  and  more  vulgar  in  appear- 
ance. Two  nurses  had  brought  rings  with  ancient 
Egyptian  carvings  or  stones  in  them,  which  they 
showed  to  Professor  Petrie,  who  said  that  one 
belonged  to  a  period  three  hundred  years  before 
Christ,  and  another  to  one  fifteen  hundred  years 
before  the  Christian  era. 

COURSE     OF     LECTURES. 

The  following  lectures,  of  which  particulars  wi  1 
be  given  later,  will  commence  on  December  5th. 
On  that  date  Edward  Price  Bell,  Esq.,  M.A.,  the 
fam,ous  American  Journalist  and  Editor, will  lecture 
on  "America  and  the  New  World  Order,"  at 
II,  Chandos  Street,  Cavendish  Square,  at  2.45  p.m. 
Those  who  had  the  privilege  of  listening  to  Mr. 
Price  B^ll  a  few  weeks  a.go  at  Bedford  College  will 
look  forward  with  great  pleasure  to  this  lecture, 
and  we  urge  all  our  members  to  make  every  effort 
to  be  present  ;  Miss  Meakin,  Fellow  of  the  Royal 
Geographical  Society,  vnll  lecture  on  "Bokhara 
and  Samarkand,"  on  December  igth  ;  M^-.  Herbert 
Paterson,F.R.C.S.,on"ScottishWit  and  Humour"; 
Professor  Flinders  Petrie  on  "  Ten  Thousand  Years 
of  Civilisation";  and  Mr.  Selwyn  Image,  late  Slade 
Professor  of  Fine  Art  in  Oxford  University ,  on  "  Two 
Famous  Dia-ists  of  the  Seventeenth  Century  " 
(John  Evelyn  and  Samuel  Pepys).  Mr.  James 
Berry,  F.R.C.S.,  will  lecture  on  "  Land  and  Peoples 
of  the  Lower  Danube."  All  these  educational 
Subjects  have  been  carefully  chosen  and  as  a 
relief  from  professional  questions. 

APPOINTMENTS. 

Miss  H.  C.  Sadleir  has  been  appointed  Matron 
of  the  Harrow,  Wealdstone  and  District,  War 
Memorial  Maternity  Hostel,  lo.  College  Road, 
Hajrow,  Middlesex,  to  be  opened  on  December 
7th.  Miss  Sadleir  has  been  a  member  oi  the 
R.B.N.  A.  since  1895.  She  was  trained  and 
certificated  at  the  Royal  Free  Hospital,  and  at 
Kensington  Infirmary  for  Midwifery,  and  holds 
Certificates  in  Gynaecology  and  Monthly  Nursing, 
and  CM.B.  She  has  done  many  years  of  private 
nursing,  and  taken  Sisters'  holiday  duty  at  several 
V.A.D.  Hospitals  in  Harrow. 


A   PkOFESSIONAL   PROTEST. 


Miss  Edith  Robinson  has  been  appointed 
Assistant  Housekeeper  at  St.  Mary's  Hospital  for 
the  East  End.  Miss  Robinson  was  tra.ined  at  the 
Royal  Hants  County  Hospital,  and  became  a 
Member  of  the  Corporation  in  191 3. 


The  following  letter  was  sent  from  the  Office 
last  week  to  certain  ladies  patronising  the  Victory 
Ball  promoted  by  the  Daily  Sketch  in  the  name  of 
"Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses,"  as  it  was  felt  they 
could  not  have  been  informed  of  the  natural  indig- 
nation felt  by  thousands  of  the  Nation's  Nurses, 
that  such  a  function  was  to  take  place  during  a 
period  of  mourning  by  those  who  have  lost  their 
dearest,  and  whilst  sick,  wounded,  and  prisoners 
are  still  suffering  as  the  cost  of  Victory  : — 

Mad.am, — At  the  urgent  request  of  Members  of 
this  Corporation,  and  of  the  organised  societies  of 
Nurses  alTiliated  to  it,  I  am  to  express  to  you  their 
deep  regret  on  hearing  that  you  have  given  your 
support  to  the  Victory  Ball  at  the  Albert  Hall  in 
aid  of  the  so-called  Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses. 

They  have  pointed  out  to  us  that  they  freely  gave 
their  services  to  their  King  and  Country,  and  that, 
to  use  their  own  words,  "  Some  have  made  sacri- 
fices even  to  the  death."  It  is  with  feelings  akin 
to  horror  that  they  realise  that,  while  the  sufferings 
they  have  witnessed  are  still  fresh  in  their  memory, 
while  the  casualty  lists  are  still  appearing  in  the 
press,  while  our  men,  on  their  march  back  from 
the  German  prison  camps  are  undergoing  the  most 
terrible  hardships  and,  according  to  some  reports, 
dying  by  the  wayside,  and  while  the  cloud  of 
sorrow  and  bereavement  is  still  hanging  over  so 
many  homes,  the  Members  of  the  Profession  of 
Nursing  are  to  be  made  the  excuse  for  a  charity 
ball. 

Moreover,  the  nurses  maintain  that  the  public  do 
not  understand  the  precise  purpose  of  the  appeal, 
which  purports  to  be  an  appeal  for  the  Nation's 
Nurses,  but  which,  according  to  its  Registration 
Certificate  under  the  War  Charities  Act,  is  secured 
for  one  section  of  nurses  only,  namely,  the  College 
of  Nursing,  Ltd. 

I  am,  Madam, 

Yours  very  truly, 

Isabel  Macdonald, 

Secretary. 

■   m   • 

DONATIONS. 

The  Hon.  Treasurer  acknowledges  with  thanks 
donations  from  the  following  : — 

General  Purposes  Fund. — Miss  Bainbridge, 
5s.  6d.  ;     Miss  Mitchell,  2s.  6d.  ;    Miss  E.  Hal,  2s. 

Fund  for  State  Registration. — ^Miss  C.  J.  Cowie, 
£2  i8s.  6d.  ;  Mrs.  Bartlett,  los.  ;  Miss  E.  Hall, 
5s.  6d.  ;  Miss  A.  M.  Burfield,  5s.;  Miss  M.  Stein, 
5s.  ;  Miss  A.  James,  4s.  ;  Miss  Cobbett,  2s.  6d.  ; 
Miss  E.  R.  Diver,  2S.  6d. ;  Mrs.  Findlater,  2s.  6d.  ; 
Miss  H.  Halsall.  2s.  6d.  ;  Miss  E.  H.  Kenny, 
2s.  6d. 

Helena  Be\ievolent  Fund. — ^F.  F.  C,  /i  is.  ; 
Miss  H.  L.  White  5s. ;  Miss  Neighbour,  2s.  6d.  ; 
Miss  Barry,  is. 

(Signed)  Isabel  Macdonald, 

Secretary  to  the  Corporation. 
10,    Orchard  St.,  Portman  Sq.,  W. 


338 


Zbc  »rttt0b  3ournal  of  flurstnc. 


November  30,   1918 


NATIONAL  UNION  OF  TRAINED  NURSES. 


CONFERENCE    TO    DISCUSS    PROPOSED 
MINISTRY    OF    HEALTH. 

A  largely  attended  Conference,  convened  by  the 
National  Union  of  Trained  Nurses,  was  held  on 
Saturday,  November  23rd,  at  the  College  of  Ambu- 
lance, 3,  Vere  Street,  W.,  to  discuss  the  proposed 
Ministry  of  Health.  In  the  unavoidable  absence 
of  the  Rev.  H.  R.  L.  Sheppard,  the  Chair  was  taken 
by  Miss  M.  Heather-Bigg,  R.R.C.,  and  the 
audience  was  evidence  of  the  wisdom  of  the  policy 
of  consolidating  the  self-governing  societies  of 
nurses  through  afi&liation  with  the  Royal  British 
Nurses'  Association,  and  with  the  prestige  con- 
ferred by  its  Royal  Charter,  for  it  included  many 
members  of  these  societie's,  as  well  as  of  the  general 
public,  which  was  well,  for  it  is  highly  important 
that  the  public  should  hear  the  nurses'  point  of 
view  on  matters  which  vitally  affect  them. 

The  Conference  was  opened  by  a  brilliant  speech 
by  Dr.  C.  W.  Saleeby,  who  paid  a  high  tribute  to 
the  work  of  the  late  Lord  Rhondda  at  the  Local 
Government  Board  in  promoting  a  Bill  for  the 
establishment  of  a  Ministry  of  Health,  and  said  that 
the  Bill  introduced  by  Dr.  Addison  last  Session 
was  the  product  of  much  hard  work.  There  was 
not  a  vested  interest  which  had  not  been  con- 
sulted, and  there  was  not  time  to  discuss  the  Bill 
in  detail  clause  by  clause  before  the  end  of  the 
S3Ssioa.  It  was  important  that  the  Bill  should  be 
introduced  as  early  as  possible  next  Session. 

In  essence  the  Bill  was  a  small  thing  out  of 
which,  as  such,  nothing  proceeds,  but  it  was  the 
germ  of  a  good  thing.  Its  aim  was  to  get  rid  of  our 
ridiculous  muddling  in  Whitehall  by  co-ordinating 
in  one  department  the  health  activities  of  a 
number  of  departments.  Lord  Rhondda  had  found 
fourteen  Government  Departments  exercising 
control  in  this  connection,  but  that  was  not  final, 
and  the  Admiralty  was  qow  engaged  in  starting  a 
maternity  department.  (Laughter.)  The  work 
must  be  done  in  a  logical  and  coherent  way. 

Tae  Mi.aistry  of  HoiHh  was  bound  to  be  a 
feature  in  electioneering  speeches,  and  candidates 
for  Parliamentary  honours  were,  said  Dr.  Saheby, 
writing  to  him  to  know  what  it  meant.  He  put 
the  position  thus.  There  is  poverty  in  the  world, 
and  there  are  also  great  resources.  The  State 
oaght  to  function  as^  a  Miaistry  of  Health. 

But  it  was  possible  to  deal  with  the  question 
so  that  the  more  help  was  supplied  the  more 
help  would  have  to  be  given^ 

iThe  foundations  on  which  such  a  Department 
should  be  built  were  four  square.     They  were — 

To  learn   and  to   teach  ; 
To  guard  and  to  help. 

1.  To  learn. — The  Ministry  m.ust  set  out  with 
the  function  of  learning  the  facts  of  life  and 
death,  aviling  itself  of  medical  learning  and 
research,  of  demographic  research,  and  must  con- 


tinuously observe  the  conditions  affecting]  the 
health  of  the  people. 

2.  To  teach. — The  Ministry  must  be  responsible 
for  the  teaching  given  on  health  subjects  and 
must  itself  teach.  On  the  whole,  teaching  in  this 
country  was  very  bad.  North  of  the  Tweed  they 
were  much  in  advance  of  England,  where  the 
virtues  inculcated  were  pluck,  luck  and  muddle 
through.  A  Ministry  of  Health  should  immedi- 
ately raise  the  standard  of  education  for  the 
professions,  including  doctors,  dentists,  nurses 
and  mid  wives. 

It  was  not  our  way  to  put  things  in  the  hands 
of  experts,  and  the  fellow  feeling  of  the  Govern- 
ment made  it  tender  to  quackery  of  every  des- 
cription. 

All  who  knew  the  difference  between  knowing 
their  job  and  not  knowing  it  must  hold  together, 
and  exact  that  those  employed  under  the  Ministry 
of  Health  should  be  trained  for  their  work. 
There  might  be  geniuses,  but  even  a  heaven-sent 
nurse  was  improved  by  training,  and  the  notion 
that  amateurs  were  as  good  as  experts  was  a 
pernicious  one.  AH  who  had  sat  down  and 
sw  atted,  because  it  was  the  only  thing  to  be  done 
if  they  were  to  learn  their  work  thoroughly,  knew 
that  it  was  simply  monstrous. 

But  we  had  tradition  south  of  the  Tweed 
against  us,  and  we  should  have  hard  work  to 
secure  the  recognition  of  the  expert,  but  we  were 
right  and  we  had  got  to  win.    .  ^' 

3.  To  guard. — It  would  be  the  duty  of  the 
Ministry  of  Health  to  guard  the  country  against 
disease.  It  was  for  the  most  part  born';  into  our 
bodies  by  the  channels  which  conveyed  to  them 
the  necessaries  of  life,  such  as  air,  water  and  food  ; 
all  these  were  liable  to  coi.vey  disease.  The 
Ministry  of  Health  must  prevent  them  from 
conveving;  the  germs  of  disease. 

4.  To  help. — ^There  were  cases,  however,  in  which 
from  the  nature  of  the  case  help  was  required. 
The  mother  and  infant  were  cases  in  point.  It  was 
monstrous  that  in  England  and  Wales,  3,000 
mothers  should  die  annually  from  puerperal  fever. 
The  country  of  Lister  and  Florence  Nightingale 
should  not  know  the  disease.  But  the  deaths  were 
not  all ;  there  was  also  the  damaged  motherhood 
and  damaged  infancy.  The  need  of  the  mother 
and  infant  was  a  biological  law.  They  must  have 
a  special  service.  If  ever  knowledge  were  wanted 
it  was  wanted  here.  A  highly  qualified  woman 
should  be  highly  placed  in  the  mother  and  baby 
department. 

Dr.  Saleeby  also  advocated  the  formation  of  a 
special  department  dealing  with  adolescence, 
which  should  include  a  section  of  recreation  to 
teach  the  young — amongst  other  things — ^how  to 
use  their  leisure  without  doing  themselves  damage, 
and  how  to  avoid  the  racial  poisons,  such  as 
venereal  disease  and  alcohol .  At  present,  the  only 
people  who  studied  recreation  were  those  who 
knew  how  much  money  could  be  got  out  of  it. 
If  adolescence  were  to  be  protected  recreation  must 
be  provided  ;   it  was  a  physiological  necessity. 


Novembe>'  30,  1918       (^be  Brlti0b  Soumal  of  IRursina. 


339 


Dr.  Saleeby  concluded  by  emphasising  the  four 
points  he  had  laid  down,  and  said  that  the  pro- 
posals for  a  Ministry  of  Health  might  be  perverted 
unless  disinterested  people  kept  them  on  the 
right   lines. 

Miss  Isabel  Macdonald  pointed  out  the  dangei 
of  the  tendency  to  put  health  work  into  the  hands 
oi  the  incompetent,  and  said  that  the  training  she 
had  found  most  useful  for  work  of  this  kind  wa  ■ 
that  given  in  the  wards  of  a  hospital.  Health 
V  orkers  should  have  a  full  nursing  qualification  in 
addition  to  training  in  hygiene.  Preventive 
nursing  was  even  more  important  than  curalive. 
Mr,  Williams  emphasised  the  need  for  expert 
knowledge  on  the  part  of  welfare  supervisois  in 
factories,  and  Mr.  C.  H.  Wigington  spoke  strongly 

of  the  need  for  nurses  in  factories  where  the  work 

w^as  of  a  dangerous  character. 

THE  NEED  OF  THE  CO-OPERATION  OF  THE 
TRAINED  NURSE  IN  THE  EFFECTIVE 
WORKING    OF  A  MINISTRY  OF  HEALTH. 

Miss  Helen  Pearse,  who  regarded  the  co-operation 
of  the  trained  nurse  as  essential  to  any  effective 
Ministry  of  Health,  impressed  upon  her  hearers  the 
value  of  training  in  helping  them  to  preserve  their 
own  health,  and  consequently  the  good  temper  so 
important  in  a  nurse.  Training  also  he'ped  a  nurse 
to  estimate  facts,  to  give  proof  of  knowledge,  to 
attain  accuracy,  and  to  cond  nse  and  writedown 
the  result  of  her  observations  for  the  benefit  of 
others.  In  connection  with  the  administration  of 
public  health  work  nurses  were  essential  and  she 
considered  that  a  trained  nurse  should  be  head 
of  any  Maternity  and  Child  Welfare  Departmejit. 
She  spoke  of  the  value  of  the  work  of  School 
Nurses,  and  said  that  district  nurses  were  a  credit 
to  J  rivate  endeavour.  She  emphasised  the  fact  that 
only  women  who  had  expert  knowedge  could 
effectively  supervise  others.  It  was  sometimes 
asserted  that  nurses  were  not  organisers.  Nothing 
could  be  more  ridiculous.  From  the  moment  a 
probationer  entered  a  hospital  she  was  obliged  to 
organise  in  order  to  get  through  her  work. 

Miss  Cancellor  gave  a  personal  account  of  public 
health  work  for  which  she  considered  desirable  not 
only  general  training,  but  fever  training,  a  know- 
ledge of  the  manifestations  of  skin  diseases  and 
venereal  diseases,  as  well  as  the  certificates  of  the 
Central  Midwives  Board  and  the  Sanitary  Insti- 
tute. She  hoped  that  fully-trained  nurses  would 
help  to  administer  the  Ministry  of  Health  Act ; 
they  knew  they  would  have  to  help  to  work  it. 

Miss  Beatrice  Kent  spoke  of  social  work  done 
at  the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital,  the  system 
employed,  and  the  educational  standard  of  the 
nurses  and  had  with  her  for  inspection  the 
beautiful  charts  illustrative  of  the  hospital's 
activities  in  this  connection. 

Miss  Jentie  Paterson  expressed  the  view  that 
women  who  had  not  had  three  years'  training  were 
employed  as  nurses  by  the  London  County 
Council,  and  were  talking  the  pay  which  should  be 
reserved  for  the  fully-trained  nurse.  It  was  not 
right  that  this  should  be  so. 


Mrs.  Bedford  Fenwick  said  that  when  we  had  a 
Ministry  of  Health,  she  concluded  that  Dr.  Saleeby 
anticipated  it  would  exercise  tht  same  powers  that 
the  General  Medical  Council  and  the  Central  Mid- 
wives'  Board  which  the  Privy  Council  now  did. 
He  had  not  mentioned  a  General  Nursing  Council 
or  a  State  Nursing  Service,  both  of  which  were 
urgently  required. 

The  Minister  of  Health  would  be  faced  with  the 
question,  "  What  is  a  trained  nurse  "  ?  No 
uniform  standard  had  ever  been  defined. 

Trained  nurses  must  endeavour  to  get  a  Nurses' 
Registration  Bill  passed  without  delay  by  the  new 
Parliament,  they  had  suffered  severely  from  lack 
of  organization  during  the  war,  and  it  was  time 
that  those  who  passed  successfully  through  the 
recognised  training  should  have  the  hall  mark 
conferred  by  a  State  Register. 

It  was  a  fundamental  necessity,  if  a  Ministry  of 
Health  was  to  bt  a  success,  that  a  standard  of 
training  should  be  established  for  nurses  as  well  as 
doctors  and  midwives,  otherwise  when  a  Minister 
of  Health  came  to  deal  with  nursing  in  relation  to 
his  Department  he  would  have  nothing  to  guide 
him. 

Miss  Macdonald  warned  trained  nurses  not  to 
permit  their  legitimate  work  to  be  usurped,  and 
mentioned  that  in  sever?  1  factories  welfare  super- 
visors, with  no  training,  were  earning  from  ^^400  to 
^800  per  annum,  while  trained  nures  were  working 
under  tht  m  at  salaries  of  from  £-0  to  ;^i3o.  It  lay 
with  nurses  to  be  alive  to  this  danger.  They  must 
protect  their  own  profession— no  one  else  would 
do  so. 

RESOLUTIONS. 

Dr.  Saleeby  then  moved  the  following  Resolution 
which  was  carried  unanimously. 

I. 
That  this  meeting  of  the  National  Union  of  Trained 
Nurses  welcomes  the  introduction  of  a  Ministry  of 
Health  Bill  by  the  Minister  of  Reconstruction,  and,  in 
view  of  the  grave  delay  of  the  past  eighteen  months, 
and  the  danger  of  racial  infection  during  demobilization, 
urges  the  Government  to  proceed  with  such  a  measure, 
as  the  foundation  of  racial,  and  therefore  of  all  recon- 
struction. 

Mrs.  Bedford  Fenwick  proposed  the  following 
Resolution,  which  was  seconded  by  Miss  Jentie 
Paterson,  and  carried  unanimously. 

II. 

That  this  meeting  of  the  National  Union  of  Trained 
Nurses  urges  upon  the  Government  the  need  for  the  State 
Registration  of  Trained  Nurses,  and  of  a  General 
Nursing  Council  as  an  indispensable  corollary  of  the 
establishment  of  a  Ministry  of  Health. 
It  was  agreed  that  copies  of  these  Resolutions, 
should  be  sent  to  the  Prime  Minister,  Dr.  Addison, 
Sir  Auckland  Geddes,  Sir  Robert  Morrant  and  the 
Press. 

The  meeting  closed  with  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the 
chair  and  speakers,  proposed  by  Miss  Cancellor 
and  seconded  by  Miss  Marsters. 


On  either  side  of  the  entrance  in  the  sireet, 
as  the  meeting  assembled,  a  trained  nurse,  wearing 


340 


JLbc  »rttt0b  3ournaI  of  "Wursinfl.       November  30,  1918 


the  patriotic  colours,   stood,  bearing  a' placard 
inscribed — 

Dancing  on  the  Dead. 

« Patriotic  Nurses  protest  against  money  being  raised 
in  tlieir  name  by  a  Victory  Ball  before  our  splendid  men 
are  cold  in  their  graves." 

In  the  unfair  fight  between  the  employers  wilh 
the  power  of  wealth  behind  them,  and  the  under- 
paid and  overworked  trained  nurses,  the  former 
can  .secure  the  interest  and  support  of  the  press 
at  Sumptuous  luncheon  parties  and  teas  organized 
for  the  purpose  ;  the  nurses  cannot  employ  this 
method  of  placing  their  case  before  the  public, 
for  their  scanty  salaries  in  most  instances  barely 
suf&ce  to  supply  their  needs,  but  personal  service 
they  can  and  do  give,  and  \he  public  are  with 
them.  While  many  expressions  of  sympathy 
were  heard,  as  men  and  women  stopped  to  read 
the  posters,  not  one  voice  was  raised  in  defence 
of  the  .heartless  section  of  society  in  making  the 
nursing  profession  their  excuse  for  this  ill-timed 
festivity. 

APPOINTMENT. 


MATRON. 

The  Welsh  TNational  Hospital,  Netley.  —  Miss 
Helen  Mary  Akerigg  has  been  appointed  Matron. 
She  was  trained  at  Addenbrooke's  Hospital,  Cam- 
bridge, and  has  been  Matron  of  Clayton  Court 
Auxiliary  Hospital,  Liss,  Sister^  at  the  ist 
Southern  Hospital,  Birmingham,  as  a  member  of 
the  Territorial  Force  Nvrsing  Service,  Matron  of 
the  Cottage  Hospital,  Fleet,  Hampshire,  Acting 
Matron  of  the  Cray  Valley  Hospital,  and  Sister 
at  St.  George's  Hospital,   London. 


PRESENTATION  TO  MISS  M.  HEATHER= 
BIGQ,  R.R.C. 


On  Tuesday  evening  last  the  Sisters  and  nurses 
of  Charing  Cross  Hospital  assembled  in  the 
Lounge  of  the  Nurses'  Home  at .  9  o'clock,  to 
present  their  Matron,  Miss  Heather-Bigg,  with 
tokens  of  the  affectionate  regard  of  members  of 
the  past  and  present  Nursing  Staff,  on  her  retire- 
ment. 

Sister  Annie  (Miss  Hke)  made  the  presentation, 
comprising  a  silver-plated  tray,  suitably  ifiscribed, 
with  coffee  pot  and  milk  jug,  and  a  silver  sugar 
basin,  with  a  morocco-bouad  book  containing  the 
names  of  the  subscribers,  and  a  box  of  goodies. 

In  thanking  them  warmly  for  their  beautiful 
gift.  Miss  Heather-Bigg  said  that  the  high  standard 
set  during  her  16  years  tenure  of  office  had  been 
greatly  due  to  the  good  work  and  feeling  of  the 
nursing  staff ;  they  had  never  had  any  disagreeables 
but  had  always  worked  together  for  the  good  of 
tbt  patients. 

She  counselled  the  nurses  always  to  receive  and 
treat  the  patients  as  they  would  their  own  mothers 


and  sisters,  and  to  be  true  to  themselves,  and 
not  to  evade  rules  because  they  thought  they 
would  not  be  found  out,  but  to  be  good  women 
and  good  nurses. 

She  then  presented  to  Sister  Annie  a  fitted 
writing  cast,  with  th'e  love  and  affection  of  the 
donors,  and  spoke  "warmly  of  the  help  she  had 
received  from  her  in  the  work. 

Tea,  by  invitation  of  the  Sisters,  was  then 
served,  and  a  pleasaat  cert  mony.  concluded  with 
three  cheers  for  the  Matron,  followed  by  three 
for  Sister  Arnie. 

Other  gifts  on  view  were  a  pewter  card  baskat 
from  the  Secretary^  Mr,  Alvey  ;  a  beautiful  week- 
end case  from  the  outsioc  workers  ;  an  attach^ 
case  from  Miss  Rees  (a  war  probationer)  ;  and  a 
black  cat,  made  and  presented  by  the  soldier 
patients  in  Worcester  Ward.  The  clerks,  domes- 
tics and  charwomen  are  also  presenting  a  fitted 
work-box  and  a  thermos  flask. 


PRESENTATION  OF  MEDALS  AND 
CERTIFICATES. 


At  the  Whipps  Cross  Infirmary,  Leytonstone, 
on  November  13th,  the  annual  distribution  of 
medals  and  certificates  took  place.  The  Chairman 
of  the  West  Ham  Board  of  Guardians — Mr.  A. 
Lewis  Evans — supported  by  members  of  the 
Board,  was  in  the  chair,  and  gave  a  short  history 
of  the  training  school,  founded  when  the  new 
Infirmary  was  built  thirteen  or  fourteen  years  ago. 

The  medals  and  certificates  were  then  presented 
by  Lady  Simon  to  the  following  recipients  : — 

Gold  Medal  and  Certificate  (awarded  for  the 
highest  marks)  :  Nurse  Bertha  Jane  Maddock. 

Silver  Medal  and  Certificate  (awarded  for  the 
second  highest  marks)  :  Nurse  M.  E.  Marsh. 

Bronze  Medal  and  Certificate  (awarded  for  the 
third  highest  marks)  :  Nurse  W.  O.  Clarke. 

Certificates  :  Nurses  Austin,  Ayton,  Bailey, 
Baker,  Barker,  Blackmore,  Boddington,  Buffee, 
Chapman,  Cooper,  Cornwell,  Courts,  Cullen, 
Curtis,  Dabbs,  Foley,  Foster,  Gamer,  Gudgin, 
Hansford,  King,  Lafferty,  McArd,  McKeller,  Page, 
Pratt,  Richardson,  Riley,  Soames,  Stokes,  Taylor, 
West. 


THE  PASSING  BELL. 

At  St.  James'  Church,  Brighton,  on  November 
15th,  a  Requiem  Service  was  held  for  Sister  Daisy 
Ethel  Cox,  Assistant  Matron  at  the  Brighton  and 
Hove  Hospital  for  Women.  She  was  beloved  in 
the  district  where  she  had  done  midwifery  for 
years,  and  much  appreciated  by  the  Committee  as 
a  valuable  member  of  the  hospital  staff.  The 
service  was  conducted  by  the  Vicar,  the  Rev.  W. 
Breton,  and  was  attended  by  many  members  of 
the  nursing  staff  of  the  hospital.  The  funeral  took 
place  on  Monday,  November  i8th,  at  Chard,  in 
Somerset. 


November  30,  1918        ^be  Biitlsb  3ournal  of  'Wursino.  vh 


'Mustard  Gas' 

Burns 

A   NEW  TREATMENT 

HAVING  REMARKABLE  RESULTS  IN  HOSPITALS. 


'Mustard  Gas'  Burns  should  be  thoroughly  sprayed  with  Chlorcosane  Solution  of 
Dichloramine-T  5%.  Then  apply  to  the  burns  melted  'No.  7  Paraffin'  to  form  a 
■wax  covering.  On  this  wax  covering  quickly  place  a  thin  layer  of  cotton  wool. 
Afterwards  cover  the  cotton  wool  with  more  melted  'No.  7  Paraffin,'  giving 
.  special  attention  to  the  edges  to  ensure  an  air-tight  dressing. 

Relief  from  pain  is  assured  from  the  first  applicatioi) 
of  this  treatment,  and  complete  recovery  is  effected 
more  quickly  than  by  any  other  treatment. 

'No.  7  Paraffin'  is  the  name  adopted  by  the  Army  Medical  Service  for  a 
preparation  containing  Beta  Naphthol,  Oleum  Eucalypti,  Paraffinum  Molle, 
Paraffinum  Durum,  and  Oleum  Olivae.  The  word  '  BURNOL*  is  the  trade  mark 
for  a  standardised  preparation  of  'No.  7  Paraffin'  prepared  under  analytical 
control  in  the  laboratories  of  Boots  Pure   Drug  Company  Limited,  Nottingham. 

Chlorcosane  Solution  of  Dichloramine-T,  in  bottles, 

price  4/-  and  12/-,  post  paid. 
^  Special  Spray  for  the  purpose       ...         ...         ...      price  6/6  extra,  post  paid. 

Burnol  ('No.  7  Paraffin*)  in  4oz.  cakes     ...     price  9/-  per  dozen,  post  paid. 

LARGE  STOCKS  ALWAYS  ON  HAND. 

BOOTS  PURE  DRUG  COMPANY  LIMITED 

Head  Offices:  Station  Street,  NOTTINGHAM.  ::  SIR  JESSE  BOOT,  Managing  Director. 
Telegrams:   DRUQ,  NOTTINGHAM. Telephone:   3160  Nottingham. 


342 


^he  3Brlti0b  Sournal  of  Burslna.       November  30,  1918 


THE  DEPRECIATION  OF  PROFESSIONAL 
ETHICS. 

Fleet  Street  agrees  that  the  Daily  Sketch,  one 
of  the  group  of  the  "  Hulton  "  newspapers,  has 
made  a  fine  "  scoop  "  in  utilising  the  unfortunate 
Nursing  Profession  as  the  raison  d'etre  of  its  Victory 
Ball  at  the  Albert  Hall,  and  what  the  public  and 
the  nurses  have  a  right  to  know  is,  vvill  the  huge 
amount  spent  in  advertising  the  Daily  Sketch 
Ball  be  paid  direct  by  the  London  Publishing 
Company.  Anyway,  Jrleet  Street  agrees  the 
whole  movt  is  good  "  biz." 

By  the  bye,  the  victijnised  Nursing  Profession 
have  had  a  lesson  in  the  value  of  loyal  co- 
operation, second  to  none,  over  this  distasteful 
affair,  which  they  may  well  take  to  heart. 

Mr.  HiHon  Carter,  the  manager  of  the  Albert 
Hall,  refused  to  let  it  for  a  Labour  Conference. 
By  way  of  reprisal  the  members  of  the  Kensington 
Branch  of  the  Electrical  Trades  Union  arranged 
to  cut  ofi  the  light  in  themiddle  of  the  Victory  Ball 
(imagine  the  flutter  in  frivolous  society  circles  I) 
Members,  however, were  too  impatient  and  removed 
the  links  from  the  box  in  front  of  the  hall  on 
Friday  last,  greatly  to  the  inconvenience  of  the 
manager.  Oa  the  recommendation  of  the  Labour 
Minister  the  Hall  is  now  at  the  disposal  of  victorious 
trades  unionism,  for  their  meeting  next  Saturday, 
and  Society  will  trip  the  light  fantastic  toe  as  we 
go  to  press,  from  lo  p.m.  till  5  o'clock  in  the 
morning— in  the  name  of  the  Cinderella  of  working 
women,  the  Trained  Nurse  !  According  to  Mr. 
George  Lansbury,  who  has  been  in  politics  for  forty 
years,  now  is  the  time  to  keep  the  safety-valves 
wide  open  and  have  perfect  freedom  of  discussion. 
He  wrote  to  Mr.  Lloyd  George  and  the  Home 
Secretary  when  the  Hall  was  refused,  and  both 
declined  to  intervene. 

"  Now,"  says  Mr.  Lansbury,  in  the  Weekly  Dis- 
patch," when  the  men  cut  off  the  electric  light  the 
Minister  of  Labour  intervenes  and  we  get  the  Hall. 
"  Tliisisabadlesson  to  teach  the  workers.  The 
Government  has  conceded  to  Fear  what  they  would 
not  concede  to  Reason." 


EMPLOYER  AND  EMPLOYED. 

As  it  is  intimately  concerned  with  the  right  of 
professional  co-operation  amongst  trained  nurses, 
we  shall  deal  fully,  next  week,  with  the  exchange 
of  opinion  in  the  press  between  the  representatives 
of  the  Nurses'  Organizations  and  Sir  Arthur 
Stanley,  M.P.,  Chairman  of  the  British  Red  Cross 
Society,  Treasurer  of  St.  Thomas'  Hospital, 
Chairman  of  the  College  of  Nursing  Company, 
and,  incidentally,  the  largest  employer,  of  nursing 
labour  at  the  present  time. 


PRESENTATIONS. 

Nurse  Harlock  has  been  presented  by  the 
residents  with  a  cheque  for  £ii'\,  upon  her  retire- 
ment after  thirty  years'  service  as  district  nurst 
at  Egham. 

The  Leeds  Mercury  announces  that  the  district 
nurse  at  Hebden  Bridge  has  received  the  special 
badge  of  the  Queen  Victoria  Jubilee  Institute  for 
Nurses,  in  recognition  of  twenty-one  years' 
continuous  service.  We  wonder  if  our  contem- 
porary is  not  acquainted  with  the  name  of  this 
devoted  nurse  who  spent  nearly  a  quarter  of  a 
century  in  the  service  of  the  poor  of  Leeds. 


Believing  that  shuttle  kissing  in  cotton  mills 
spreads  infection  and  is  largely  responsible  for 
the  influenza  epidemic,  the  Blackburn  Weavers' 
Association  has  appointed  a  deputation  to  wait  on 
the  Medical  Officer  of  Heal  th . 


COOK'S  FARM   EQQS. 

One  of  the  greatest  probk  ms  which  confront  the 
housekeeper  in  these  days,  whether  in  private 
houses  or  institutions,  is  how  to  provide  nourishing 
and  attractive  dishes  now  that  the  price  of  eggs  is 
prohibitive. 

Cook's  Farm  Eggs  (Dried)  come  therefore  as  a 
boon  to  the  worried  housewife,  for,  while  they  are 
really  new  laid  eggs,  from  which  the  moisture  has 
been  removed  by  a  new  patent  process — and 
which  can  be  restored  by  the  addition  of  water  as 
directed — the  cost  of  the  eggs  is  within  reach  of 
all.  Thus  in  cartons  of  twelve  eggs  the  cost  is 
24s.  per  dozen  cartons,  or  of  twenty-four  eggs  44s. 
per  dozen  cartons.  They  are  obtainable  whole- 
sale only  from  Donald  Cook  &  Son,  Ltd.,  35-37, 
Bermondsey  Street,  London,  S.E.  1.  When  pur- 
chased in  single  cartons  from  grocers,  in  the 
ordinary  way,  the  cost  is  2s.  6d.  per  carton  of  one 
dozen  eggs.  Certainly  hospitals,  infirmaries  and 
nursing  homes  should  make  a  point  of  procuring 
supplies  of  these  dried  Farm  Eggs,  and  so  not  only 
effect  a  necessary  economy,  but  procure  a 
thoroughly  satisfactory  and  reliable  article.  For 
making  custards,  omelettes,  scrambled  eggs, 
puddings, cakes,  buns  and  scones  these  eggs  (which 
are  guaranteed  absolutely  pure)  may  be  used  with 
the  assurance  of  success  if  the  directions  are 
carefully  followed. 


WORD     FOR    THE     WEEK. 

"  The  British  Empire  is  one  of  the  few  Empires 
that  in  its  greatest  material  prosperity  has  never 
lost  its  high  regard  for  moral  force,  and  stands 
forth  as  one  of  the  greatest  craftsmen  of  moral 
law." — Echo  de  Paris, 


COMING     EVENTS. 

November  yjth. — 'Nurses'  Missionary  League. 
A  quiet  Day,  St.  Michael's  Church,  Chester  Square, 
W.  I.  Apply  Miss  H.  Y.  Richardson,  52,  Lower 
Sloane  Street,  S.W. 

December  ^th. — Royal  British  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion. Lecture  :  "  America  and  the  New  World 
Order,"  by  E.  Price  B'll,  Esq.,  M.A.  Chair, 
Herbert  Paterson,  Esq.,  F.R.C.S.  Rooms  of  the 
M(dical  Society  of  London,  n,  Chandos  Street, 
Cavendish  Square,  W.     2.45  p.m. 


November  30,    ^g\S 


ZTbe  Brttteb  3ournal  ot  Tlurstno. 


343 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 


Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  for  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  be 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents, 

THE     DEEP    SIGHING    OF     THE     POOR. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Madam, — Have  we  reverted  to  somethiiig  akin 
to  the  old  state  of  things  ? 

"Rattle  his  bones  over  the  stones, 
He's  only  a  pauper  whom  nobody  owns." 

I  refer  to  the  conditions  of  affairs  existing  at 
this  moment  in  the  East  End,  where  large  numbers 
of  dead  have  been  lying  unburied  for  an  unseemly 
length  of  time. 

Would  not  the  problem  have  been  grappled  with 
long  ago  if  such  indecency  had  been  experienced 
by  influential  members  of  the  community  ? 

One  whose  long  life  has  been  spent  in  intimate 
touch  with  the  poor  asks  :  "  Why  w  ere  not  soldiers 
experienced  in  trench  digging  released  in  order  to 
dig  graves  at  this  crisis  ?  " 

Similarly  one  might  ask,  "  and  carpenters  to 
make  coffins  ?  " 

Will  the  proposed  Ministry  of  Hea.lth  provide 
against  a  recurrence  of  such  callousness  towards 
the  helpless  ? 

"  It  is  well  it  is  cold  weather,"  said  my  saintly 
old  friead,  significantly.  She  lives  in  the  slums, 
you  see — and  knows. 

Henrietta  Hawkins. 

PUBLIC  HEALTH  NURSES  MUST  ORGANIZE. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Editor, — At  the  Conference  of  the  Royal 
British  Nurses  I  was  greatly  interested  in  the 
observations  made  by  the  speakers,  but  I  must  say 
I  differed  when  the  lady  who  spoke  upon  the  ,sub- 
ject  of  Infant  Welfare  described  voluntary  visitors 
who  had  attended  a  course  of  lectures  as  being 
"  highly  trained." 

It  does  not  seem  to  me  as  if  the  best  aspect  of 
Infant  Welfare  was  put  forward.  Would  it  not  be 
better  for  the  Association  to  advocate  the  provision 
of  fully  trained  nurses,  with  the  C.M.B.  certificate, 
for  visiting,  and  advising  mothers?  It  is  nothing 
to  go  into  a  house  and  find  people  seriously  ill  or 
dying.  People  who  have  to  deal  with  emergencies 
like  that  need  to  have  had  experience  in  recognising 
symptoms  of  illness.  ' 

Mothers  are  often  in  need  of  advice  about  the 
care  of  themselves  and  the  feeding  of  their  babies. 
I  think  only  the  trained  nurse  is  suitable  for  that. 

It  seemed  to  me  rather  waste  of  time  to  be 
talking  about  boot-mending  when  the  more  press- 
ing problems  are  the  provision  of  suitable  homes 
for  motherless  babies,  the  provision  of  good  cow's 
milk,  and  the  appalling  ignorance  among  all 
classes  of  people  about  the  feeding  of  babies  and 
the  real  duty  of  a  mother  towards  her  home. 

Some  of  the  Infant  Welfare  Centres  are  not  really 
giving  the  right  teaching  to  the  people.     The  sale 


of  patent  foods  is  advocated  far  too  much.  I  know 
of  one  where  the  principle  of  feeding  babies  on 
tinned  milk  was  run  for  years. 

Is  it  possible  to  have  a  gathermg  of  fully  trained 
nurses  engaged  in  public  health  work,  with  a  view 
10  getting  up  a  really  good  public  health  section 
and  putting  forward  good  papers  at  the  Confer- 
ences? 

I  should  be  glad  to  help  if  there  was  anything 
to  be  done. 

Yours  truly, 

C.  Margaret  Alderman. 

Westcliff. 

[We  are  in  favour  of  these  views,  and  would  urge 
trained  nurses  engaged  in  Public  Health  Work  to 
form  a  League  and  formulate  a  sound  policy  for 
the  future. — Ed.I 


KERNELS. 

Wilting  on  paper,  headed  "  British  Red  Cross 
Society  "  and  "  The  Order  of  St.  John  of  Jeru- 
salem in  England,"  Miss  May  Beeman  replies  to  a 
nurse's  protest  agaii.st  the  Victory  Bail  in  the 
nameof  the  Nation's  Nurses,  as  thf  "  kickup  "is  in 
aid  of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  and  it  has  no 
authority  to  speak  for  the  profession  genera  ly 
or  to  associate  our  profession  with  this  type  of 
entertainment. 

"  I  have  received  your  letter  protesting  against 
the  appeal  of  the  Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses.  I 
cannot  understand  any  member  of  the  profession 
protesting  in  this  way.  Surely  it  must  be  plain  to 
all  that  a  College  of  Nursing  on  the  same  lines  as 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  must  go  a 
lor.g  way  to  raise  the  nursing  profession  to  the 
position  it  ought  to  hold  in  our  national  life.  I 
mean  to  devote  every  effort  to  raise  half  a  million  of 
money,  so  that  there  may  be  a  good  endowment 
fund  and  pension  fund,  and  incidentally  a  College 
of  Nursing." 

[This  is  the  type  of  reply  a  professional  woman 
may  expect  from  a  lady  who  knows  absolutely 
nothing  of  our  educational  or  economic  con- 
dition— whose  life  is  now  spent  in  collecting  for 
Charity  schemes. 

It  is  quite  plain  to  a  professional  nurse  that 
the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  is  not  "  on  the  same 
lines  as  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons." 
If  it  were,  it  would  not  attempt  to  monopolise  the 
duties  under  one  lay  Corporation  of  the  Colleges 
aforesaid,  the  General  Medical  Council  and  the 
British  Medical  Association — all  composed  of 
members  of  the  medical  profession,  and  therefore 
expert  professional  brdifS. 

The  colossal  ignorance  of  these  professional 
philanthropists  concerning  uursing  organization 
is  on  i  of  the  most  serious  daiigers  to  which  our  work 
has  ever  been  exposed  ;  and  it  will  be  quite  time 
for  them  to  buy  up  our  independence  and  hand  it 
over  to  a  lay  Corporation  when  we  are  willing  to 
Submit.  At  present  we  resent  the  impertinent 
interference  of  Miss  May  Beeman  and  her  asso- 
ciates in  our  affairs,  as  we  hop?  to  prove  effectively 
in  the  near  future. — Ed."  1 


344     Zbt  Brttteb  3ounuil  of  fluretnc  Supplement  November  30,  1918 

The   Midwife. 


CENTRAL  MIDWIVES  BOARD. 

THE     MONTHLY     MEETING. 

The  Monthly  Meeting  of  the  Central  Midwives 
Board  was  held  at  the  Board's  Offices,  i,  Queen 
Anne's  Buildings,  Dartmouth  Street,  Westminster, 
S.W.,  on  November  21st,  Sir  Francis  Champneys 
in  the  Chair. 

Report  of  Standing  Committee. 

The  Committee  reported  that  a  further  com- 
munication had  been  received  from  the  Acting 
Registrar  of  the  General  Medical  Council  with 
reference  to  the  action  of  a  medical  practitioner 
who  had  given  a  certificate  to  an  uncertified  woman 
certifying  that  she  was  "  quite  capable  of  under- 
taking the  dlities  of  an  ordinary  midwife." 

A  letter  from  the  Local  Government  Board 
asking  the  Board  to  consider  the  advisability  of 
framing  a  new  rule,  E.  22  (i)  (/),  in  terms  similar 
to  the  corresponding  Rule  of  the  Central  Midwives 
Board  for  Scotland,,  which  requires  a  midwife  to 
notify  the  Local  Supervising  Authority  "  whenever 
under  Rule  19  (b)  she  has  advised  the  substitution 
of  artificial  feeding  for  breast  feeding."  The 
Board  decided  to  rep>ly  that  they  were  prepared  to 
submit  such  a  Rule  for  the  approval  of  the  Privy 
Council. 

.  The  case  of  a  candidate  for  the  Board's  examina- 
tion of  November  ist,  who  had  presented  a  birth 
certificate  which  had  been  tampered  with,  was 
further  considered,  and  it  was  decided  not  to  admit 
her  to  any  examination  prior  to  that  of  May  ist, 

1919- 

The  Board  decided  to  reply  to  an  applicant  for 
admission  to  Examination  by  a  Norwegian  subject 
that  the  time  has  not  yet  arrived  for  the  admission 
to  the  Board's  Examination  of  candidates  who  are 
neither  of  British  nor  of  Allied  nationality. 

A  letter  was  considered  from  the  Secretary  of  the 
Four  Boroughs  Maternity  Clinics  bringing  to  the 
notice  of  the  Board  a  scheme  for  the  payment  of 
midwives  for  ante-natal  visiting.  The  Board,  in 
acknowledging  the  letter,  expressed  the  fear  that 
any  scheme  by  which  additional  payment  was  made 
to  midwives  for  bringing  patients  to  a  Clinic  could 
hardly  fail  to  be  utilized  for  the  notification  of 
pregnancy,  and  therefore  to  prevent  early  engage- 
ment of  midwives.  It  was  strongly  in  favour, 
however,  of  promoting  ..the  co-operation  of  mid- 
wives  in  ante-natal  and  maternity  care. 

A  letter  was  received  from  the  Secretarv  of  the 
National  Poor  Law  Officers'  .Association  asking 
the  Board  to  amend  Rule  C.  i  (2)  (b)  by  deleting 
the  words  "  and  maintaining  a  Resident  Physician 
or  House  Surgeon  and  a  Matron  or  Superintendent 
N'urse. "  The  Board  replied  that  it  was  not  pre- 
pared to  amend  the  rule  in  the  sense  suggested. 

Permission  was  given  to  a  nurse  on  the  staff  of 
the  Notts  Nursing  Federafion  about  to  undergo  a 
course  of  midwifery  training  to  count  three  of  the 


four  months'  training  she  had  received  at  the 
Jessop  Hospital,  Sheffield,  as  part  of  the  qualifying 
period  of  six  months  required  to  admit  her  to  the 
Board's  Examination. 

A  similar  privilege  was  granted  to  an  applicant 
who  in  1915  underwent  a  course  of  three  months' 
training  as  a  Maternity  Nurse  at  the  Clapham 
Maternity  Hospital,  and  now  proposes  to  take  a 
course  of  midwifery  training  under  an  approved 
midwife  at  Paget  House,  Loughborough  Park. 

A  letter  was  received  from  the  County  Medical 
Officer  of  Health  for  Derbyshire,  asking  that  a 
pupil  who  had  undergone  a  portion  of  her  training 
at  the  Birmingham  Maternity  Hospital  might  be 
allowed  to  complete  it  with  the  Royal  Derby  and 
Derbyshire  Nursing  Association.  The  Board 
decided  to  reply  that,  having  regard  to  the  refusal 
of  the  Matron  of  the  Birmingham  Maternity  Hos- 
pital to  sign  on  behalf  of  the  applicant  the  certifi- 
cates of  training  required  by  the  Rules,  it  had  no 
power  to  facilitate  her  admission  to  the  Exainina- 
tion. 

Applications. 

For  Appointment  as  Examiner. — Dr.  Harold 
Clifford  and  Dr.  William  Fletcher  were  added  to 
the  list  of  examiners  for  the  Manchester  and  Liver- 
pool Centres. 

For  Removal  from  the  Roll.— The  applications  of 
sixteen  certified  midwives  for  removal  from  the 
Roll  were  granted. 

For  Approval  as  Lecturer. — Dr.  Mabel  Eliza  May 
was  approved  as  a  lecturer,  and  Dr.  Thomas 
Gibson  pro  tem. 

For  Approval  as  Teacher. — The  following  cer- 
tified midwives  were  approved  as  teachers  : — Annie 
Brownlie  Edington  (No.  28617),  Helena  Gertrude 
Sunimerbell  (No.  37367),  Gertrude  Smith  (No. 
37070),  and  Martha  Hannah  I>.  Wilson  (No.  32557). 

Report. 
It  was  agreed  that  the  Report  submitted  by  the 
Secretary  on  the  work  of  the  Board  for  the  year 
ended  March  31st,   1918,  be  approved  and  adopted, 
and  forwarded  to  the  Privy  Council. 

The  Midwives  Bill. 

The  Secretary  reported  that  the  Midwives  Bill 
had  passed  both  Houses  of  Parliament,  and  had 
probably  at  the  time  he  was  speaking  received  the 
Royal  .Assent  in  the  words  "  Le  Roi  le  veult."  The 
Act  would  come  into  force  on  January  ist,  1919. 

The  Chairman  reported  that  he  had  received  and 
replied  to  a  telegram  of  congratulation  from  Sir 
Halliday  Crcom,  Chairman,  Central  Midwives 
Board  for  Scotland,  on  the  passing  of  the  Midwives 
Bill,  1918,  facilitating  reciprocal  arrangements 
between  the  three  kingdoms. 

NOVEMBER    EXAMINATION. 

At  the  Examination  of  the  Central  Midwives 
EJoard  held  in  London  and  the  Provinces  on 
November  ist,  450  candidates  were  examined  and 
346  passed.     TTie  percentage  of  failures  was  23.1. 


WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 

Z.  imilSIM€ 

EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


No.  1,601. 


SATURDAY,    DECEMBER    7,    1918. 


Vol.    LX 


EDITORIAL. 


•♦  THEIR  NAME    LIVETH    FOR    EVERMORE." 

By  order  of  the  King,  British  officers  have 
carried  a  number  of  floral  tributes  to  the 
cemeteries  of  Paris  to  be  placed  on  the 
graves  of  French  soldiers  who  have  fallen 
in  the  w^ar,  and  in  so  doing  His  Majesty 
interpreted  the  feelings  of  every  person  of 
sensibility  in  the  Empire,  whose  first  instinct 
is  to  pay  homage  to  the  glorious  dead. 

"  With  a  great  price  obtained  I  this 
freedom."  As  we  think  of  the  seven 
hundred  thousand  British  soldiers  who  have 
paid  that  price,  those  of  us  whose  freedom 
was  purchased  at  the  cost  of  their  lives 
realize  the  magnitude  of  their  sacrifice,  and 
pray  that  we  may  be  worthy  of  it,  for  its 
splendour  and  its  wonder  surpass  our 
comprehension. 

The  small  seasoned  army  whose  business 
in  life  had  been  soldiering  led  the  van,  and 
thousands  fell  as  heroes  fall,  face  to  foe, 
fighting  for  freedom  and  honour.  Then 
without  hesitation  there  leapt  into  the  gaps 
the  young  manhood  of  the  Empire,  fresh 
from  the  public  schools,  debonair  and 
unafraid,  from  city  offices,  from  the  slums 
of  the  great  towns,  from  country  home- 
steads, from  the  furthest  outposts  of  Empire. 

Shoulder  to  shoulder  they  made  of  their 
flesh  and  blood  a  living  barrier  against 
which  the  hordes  of  Huns  flung  shell  and 
shot  and  poison  gas  in  vain.  They  too 
died  gallantly  in  their  thousands,  so  did  the 
heroes  of  Gallipoli,  and  other  gallant  men, 
under  tropical  suns  in  Mesopotamia  and 
Africa,  and  on  many  another  battle  front 
and  "  some  there  be  who  are  perished  as 
though  they  never  had  been,"  but  "  their 
name  liveth  for  evermore." 

Nor  do  these  700,000  dead  British  soldiers 
complete  the  toll  taken  of  brave  young 
lives.  Our  hospitals  are  still  filled  with 
the    aftermath    of    war,    we    cannot    walk 


abroad  without  meeting  men  maimed,  or 
disfigured  or  blinded,  and,  as  to  their  lives' 
end  they  will  bear  the  burden  of  their 
gallantry,  so  we  too,  for  whom  they  made 
the  great  sacrifice  must,  if  we  have  any 
sensibility,  share  their  burden,  and  feel  its 
weight — a  weight  of  suffering  so  great  that 
it  oppresses  the  world.  Our  thankfulness 
that  at  last  the  holocaust  of  butchery  and 
rapine  has  ceased  will  be  marked  by  the 
sober  joy  of  those  whose  freedom  has  been 
bought  with  a  price,  and  who  cherish  in 
their  hearts  the  remembrance  of  the  sacrifice 
of  countless  dead.  We  are  compassed 
about  by  so  great  a  cloud  of  witnesses,  that 
we  instinctively  walk  reverently  as  if  on  holy 
ground. 

Grief  hears  the  funeral  knell ;     hope  hears   the 
ringing  of  birthday  bells  on  high  ; 
Faith,  hope,  and  love  make  answer  with  soft 
singing, 

Half  carol  and  half  cry. 

So  will  we  cherish  the  memory  of  our 
dead,  and  in  days  to  come  beautify  the 
graves  where  their  bodies  hallow  the 
countryside  where  they  fell.  The  inscrip- 
tion selected  for  their  sleeping  places  by 
Mr.  Rudyard  Kipling,  "  Their  name  liveth 
for  evermore,"  will  keep  fresh  in  our  minds 
our  obligation  by  lofty  purpose,  and  high 
endeavour,  to  walk  worthy  of  the  heritage 
bequeathed  to  us  by  those  who  died  that 
we  might  live. 

When  a  Sovereign  of  these  Realms  is 
gathered  to  his  fathers,  the  accession  of  his 
successor  is  proclaimed,  and  then  a  period 
is  set  before  the  Coronation  and  accom- 
panying festivities,  a  custom  which  we 
recognise  as  seemly  and  fitting. 

Would  it  not  also  be  decorous,  in  a 
country  in  which  there  is  hardly  a  house 
which  has  not  mourned  one  near  and  dear, 
that  after  the  proclamation  of  Peace,  a 
period  of  public  mourning  should  be  officially 
proclaimed  in  honour  of  our  dead  ? 


346 


^be  Britieb  3ourhal  of  Bureina. 


December  7,   1918 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITION. 


DESCRIBE    THE    MANAQEMENT  OF    A   NEWLY-BORN 
INFANT  FOR  THE   FIRST   WEEK   OF  LIFE. 

We  have  pleasure  in  awarding  the  prize  this 
week  to  Miss  Dorothy  M.  Clarke,  the  Infant 
Welfare  Centre,  Sydenham,  S.E.  26. 

PRIZE     PAPER. 

The  management  of  a  newly  born  infant 
must  be  divided  into  two  classes  : — 

(a)  The  child  born  at  full  term. 

[b)  The  child  born  prematurely. 

(a)  At  birth  the  child  is  covered  with  a  greasy 
substance,  the  vemix  caseosa.  This  is  re- 
moved by  applying  olive'  oil,  and  then  washing 
with  warm  soapy  water.  The  temperature  of 
the  first  bath  should  be  100°  F.,  gradually 
reducing  the  heat  to  80°  F.  A  strong  healthy 
baby  should  be,  from  the  beginning,  bathed 
twice  daily. 

Great  care  must  be  taken  with  the  eyes 
of  a  new-born  baby.  They  should  be  bathed 
night  and  morning  with  warm  boracic  lotion, 
being  careful  to  use  a  fresh  swab  for  each  eye, 
and  bathing  from  the  inside,  outwards.  At  the 
least  sign  of  discharge,  a  doctor  must  be  sent 
for. 

Baby's  mouth  must  not  on  any  account  be 
cleaned  out — there  is  no  need.  Baby  has  a 
natural  mouth  wash,  its  own  saliva,  and 
although  this  is  present,  only  in  a  very  minor 
degree,  in  the  newly  born  child,  it  is  sufficient 
to  be  a  satisfactory  mouth  cleanser.  The  poor 
baby  who  has  his  mouth  carefully  cleaned  out 
with  boracic,  &c. ,  is  almost  sure  to  be  a  victim 
to  thrush,  because  the  delicate  lining  to  the 
baby's  mouth  becomes  injured  and  the  thrush 
parasite  can  dc>  its  worst. 

A  healthy  baby  should  be  out  of  doors  as 
much  as  possible,  from  the  very  beginning. 
Windows  should  be  kept  open  and  the  room  at 
a  temperature  of  55°  to  60°.  A  delicate  baby 
should  be  out  on  fine  warm  days,  well  wrapj>ed 
up,  and  a  hot  bottle  to  its  feet.  The  tempera- 
ture of  the  room  in  which  it  is  should  be  60° 
to  65°  F. 

Baby's  clothes  should  be  loose  and  warm. 
The  only  clothes  needed  for  the  new-born  baby 
are  : — A  woollen  vest,  flannel  binder  until  the 
navel  is  healed,  a  napkin,  pair  of  booties,  and 
a  woolly  coat.  When  baby  is  not  in  his  cot, 
he  should  have  a  light,  warm  shawl. 

Before  putting  on  the  napkin,  it  is  advisable 
to  put  vaseline  on  the  buttocks,  because  the  first 
stools  consist  of  a  dark  greenish  substance,  the 
meconium,  which  is  very  sticky.  Baby  should 
be  put  to  the  breast  every  four  hours  from  the 
time  it  is  born.     Even  before  the  mother  has 


anything  for  the  child,  it  is  good  for  both 
mother  and  child  that  it  should  be  put  to  the 
breast  very  regfularly. 

Baby's  day  could  be  divided  as  follows  : — 
20  hours'  sleep,  i  hour  30  minutes  feeding  (six 
feeds  15  minutes  each),  2  hours  30  minutes 
to  be  spent  in  kicking,  being  nursed,  crying 
(the  crying  at  intervals  is  good,  it  helps  to 
expand  the  lungs),  and  ablutions. 

(b)  The  premature  baby  should,  as  far  as 
possible,  have  its  pre-natal  conditions  imitated 
for  it — warmth,  quietude  and  darkness. 

The  baby  born  before  full  term  should  not 
be  bathed.  It  should  be  oiled  twice  daily  with 
warm  oil  and  wrapped  in  cotton  wool,  and 
should  have  a  cap  of  cotton  wool  made  for  its 
head.  The  child  should  be  either  kept  in  a  cot 
with  hot-water  bottles,  an  incubator,  or  an 
electric  cot,  the  latter  being  the  most  practical, 
as,  without  any  difficulty,  the  child  is  kept  at 
an  even  temperature.  The  bed  should  be  made 
by  lining  the  cot  with  a  full-size  blanket,  and 
then  putting  in  the  mattress,  &c.  The  iwo 
sides  of  the  blanket  can  then  be  folded  over 
the  child,  and  it  is  in  this  way  protected  from 
draught.  Electric  wires  are  now  fixed  from 
any  light  in  the  room  and  brought  on  either 
sidte  of  the  cot  (outside)  where  two  long  bulbs 
(as  used  for  a  heating  radiator)  are  fixed.  A 
thermometer  should  be  kept  inside  the  cot,  and 
the  light  turned  out  should  it  rise  above  70°. 

The  room  should  be  kept  darkened  and  quiet. 
No  visitors  should  be  allowed. 

The  child  should  be  put  to  the  breast,  or  have 
the  milk  drawn  off  and  be  fed,  if  too  feeble  to 
suck,  three-hourly,  and  as  it  gets  stronger, 
four-hourly.  

The  above  method  of  managing  a  baby's 
mouth  represents  modern,  and  no  doubt,  sound 
teaching.  We  are  learning  to  leave  Dame 
Nature  alone  as  much  as  possible,  realizing  that 
she  knows  what  is  best  for  her  children. 

But  we  cannot  agree  that  a  baby  who  has 
his  mouth  "  carefully  anointed  with  boracic, 
&c.  "  (glycerine  and  borax  for  choice),  "  is 
almost  certain  to  be  a  victim  to  thrush.'' 
Experience  proves  the  contrary.  A  maternity 
nurse  should  always  ascertain  the  wishes  of  the 
physician-in-charge  on  this  point. 

HONOURABLE    MENTION. 

The  following  competitors  receive  honour- 
able mention  : — Miss  Isolen  M.  Moore,  Miss 
E.  Ford,  Miss  Catherine  Wright,  Mrs.  M. 
Farthing,  and  Miss  Alice  M.  Burns. 

QUESTION   FOR    NKXT    WEEK. 

Describe  your  method  of  disinfecting  after  an 
infectious  case  in  a  private  house,  (a)  the 
patient's  room,  (b)  yourself. 


December  7,   1918 


Ebe  Brittab  Journal  of  'Wuretno. 


347 


NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 

Miss  Constance  E.  Todd,  who  has  received  the 
much-prized  Military  Medal,  is  Matron  of  the 
Brigade  Hospital  maintained  by  the  Order  of  St. 
John  of  Jerusalem  in  this  country,  which  was  first 
established  at  Etaples,  and  suffered  so  severely 
in  the  deliberate  bombardment  of  that  colony 
of  hospitals  by  the  Huns.  Not  only  were 
buildings  and  equipment  provided  so  generously 
through  the  self-denial  of  many  members  of  the 
Order,  destroyed,  but,  more  precious  still,  wounded 
men  as  they  lay  in  their 
beds  were  done  to  death, 
\vith  the  heroic  Sisters 
who  remained  at  their 
side.  As  the  bombs  were 
falling  and  shells  burst- 
ing. Miss  Todd  went  from 
ward  to  ward,  cheering 
the  patients  and  encour- 
aging the  nursing  staff. 
Later  the  hospital  was 
rebuilt  at  a  greater 
distance  from  the  Front. 
Miss  Todd  was  trained 
at  Guy's  Hospital,  and 
when  selected  as  Matron 
of  the  Brigade  Hospital, 
was  Matron  at  St.  James' 
Infirmary,  Wandsworth. 

It  was  a  great  pleasure 
to  see  Miss  Helen  Scott 
Hay,  R.N.,  and  Miss 
Robinson,  R.N.,  lately 
Chief  Nurse  of  the 
American  Ambulance  in 
Paris,  when  they  spent  a 
day  in  London  last  week 
on  their  way  to  the 
Balkans,  where  they  will 
be  engaged  in  all  phases 
of  rehef  work  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Balkan 
Commission  of  the 
American  Red  Cross  at 
Salonika.  The  party, 
which  is  going  out  under 
the  leadership  of  Colonel 
Anderson,  includes  six 
women  — •  three  trained 
nurses  one  dietitian,  one 

social  worker,  and  one  interpreter.  Later  it  is 
hoped  that  Miss  Rachel  Torrance,  at  present  Chief 
Nurse  of  the  American  Red  Cross  in  Great  Britain, 
will  join  the  party. 

Miss  Hay  is  eminently  qualified  for  this  work. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  in  September,  19 14,  she 
took  a  party  of  American  Red  Cross  Nurses  to 
Russia,  and  afterwards  worked  in  the  Balkans, 
principally  in  Bulgaria,  helping  the  late  Queen 
Eleanore.  She  has  recently  been  associated  with 
Miss  Anna  W.  Goodrich  in  the  organisation  of  the 
Army  School  of  Nursing,    and   she  relates  with 


some  pride  that  when  the  mental  capacity  of  the 
accepted  candidates  was  scientifically  tested  the 
large  proportion  were  of  a  very  high  average. 

Miss  Hay  is  looking  forward  with  great  pleasure 
to  her  new  sphere  of  work. 


The   special   correspondent   of     The   Matin   at 
Brussels  has  succeeded  (says  the   Central  News), 
after    overcoming    countless    difficulties,    in    dis- 
covering the  grave  of  Edith  Cavell.   It  is  situated 
in  a  field  at  Brussels  which  had  been  a  firing  range , 
but  which  the  Germans   had  transformed  into  a 
great  cabbage  patch.  The 
grave  bears  the  number 
6  and  lies  close  to  that  of 
Philippe  Bacq,  who  was 
shot  on  the  same    day. 
For    three    months    the 
German  commander    re- 
fused to  permit  any  name 
to    be  inscribed    on   the 
cross  which  indicates  the 
sepulchre  of  the  British 
nurse.   Burgomaster  Max 
has  been  to  the  spot  to 
pay  homage  to  the  dead 
martyr,  axid  a  monument 
will     commemorate    her 
glory  at  the  very    spot 
where,    with 
pardons,    she 
firing  party. 


her    corn- 
faced   the 


Those  who  have  worked 
for,  and  are  interested 
in  Russia,  should  read 
General  Gourko's  great 
book,  "  Memories  and 
Impressions  of  War, 
1914-1917."  It  is  a  per- 
fectly fascinating  record 
of  a  terrible  tragedy ;  but 
do  not  let  us  condemn 
Russia  until  we  have 
realized  her  heroic  efEorts 
before  the  reign  of 
Bolshevism — by  which 
heroism  France  was 
saved  if  Russia  was  cast 
into  the  abyss. 


MISS  CONSTANCE    E.    TODD,    M.M.,   R.R.C. 


Writing  from  Lyons, 
where  she  was  helping 
the  AmericanJTRed  Cross,  Miss  Grace  ElHson 
says  :  ' '  The  Nurses  of  the  S.T.  Zone  here, 
of  which  Lyons  is  the  chief  city,  send  you  their 
congratulations  on  the  25th  anniversary  of  your 
control  of  the  British  Journal  of  Nursing, 
and  wish  you  every  success  in  your  campaign. 
It  is  a  very  great  surprise  to  them  all  here  that 
the  British  Nurses  are  not  registered,  and  they 
wonder  if  it  is  not  a  little  the  nurses'  fault  that 
they  have  not  got  registration,  as  in  America  it 
is  only  too  evident  to  laywomen  that  it  is  for  their 
own  protection.     Every  nurse  in  the^A.R.C.  is  a 


34« 


ZTbe  Britieb  3ournaI  of  IRurslna. 


December  7,    1918 


graduate  and  registered,  and  no  one  has  the  right 
to  wear  her  uniform,  which  she  must  wear  through- 
out her  military  or  overseas  service.  We  certainly 
are  behind  the  times  !  " 


Commanding  the  Fourth  Army,  warmly  com- 
mended Scott's  self-sacrificing  act.  These  men  of 
ours  can't  help  being  heroes  ! 


FLORENCE  NIGHTINGALE  COLLEGE 
OF  NURSING. 

The  American  Red  Cross  have  invited  Mrs. 
Bedford  Fenwick  to  accompany  Dr.  Anna  Hamilton 
of  Bordeaux,  as  its  guest,  on  a  mission  to  New 
York  to  collect  funds  for  the  Florence  Nightingale 
College  of  Nursing,  and  new  hospital  it  is  hoped  to 
build  at  "  Bagatelle."  "What  a  delightful  pro- 
posal !  but  alas  !  duty  to  the  profession  at  home 
makes  it  imperative  at  this  crisis  that  Mrs. 
Fenwick  should  remain  at  her  post.  Dr.  Hamilton 
leaves  France  for  America  on  December  7th,  and 
the  hearty  good  wishes  of  her  friends  in  England 
for  the  success  of  her  appeal  will  go  with  her 
across  the  Atlantic.  It  is  to  be  hoped  she  will 
return  with  a  pocketful  of  money  and  that  the 
erection  and  equipment  of  a  beautiful  and  up-to- 
date  hospital  and  Nursing  School,  the  desire  of  her 
heart,  will  materialise  for  the  benefit  of  France. 


HONOURS  FOR  NURSES. 

For  Distinguished  Service. 

The  following  notice  appeared  in  the  Leader  : — 
"  For  distinguished  service  rendered  during  the 
East  African  Campaign  numerous  decorations  have 
been  conferred  upon  the  British  troops  by  King 
Albert  of  Belgium."  Then  follow  nine  classes  of 
decorations,  including — • 

Croix  de  Chevalier  de  I'Ordre  de  Leopold  (Sixth 
Class). — Mrs.  Eva  O'Hagan,  Hon.  Nurse,  East 
African  Service. 

Croix  de  Chevalier  de  I'Ordre  de  la  Courranne 
(Seventh  Class). — Miss  Constance  Watney,  Senior 
Sister,  Uganda  Medical  Service.  Miss  Watney 
was  trained  at  St.  Bartholomew's  Hospital,  and 
has  for  years  been  on  the  Staff  of  the  C.M.S. 
Hospital  at  Mengo,  Kampala,  Uganda,  British 
East  Africa. 


CARE    OF    THE    WOUNDED. 

Lieut.-Colonel  Sir  Henry  Webb,  M.P.,  of 
Dean  Rise,  Newnham,  Gloucester,  has  given 
£25,000  to  the  King's  Fund  for  the  Disabled. 
This  Fund  is  not  registered  as  a  War  Charity. 


Asserting  that  he  wished  to  see  "  how  the 
trick  was  done,"  Driver  J.  E.  Scott,  a  Cleethorpes 
artilleryman,  decided  to  be  chloroformed  while 
blood  was  transfused  from  his  body  to  that  of  an 
apparently  dying  comrade.  The  operation  was 
successful  and  last  week-end  Scott  and  the  man 
whose  life  he  had  saved  travelled  home  together 
on  convalescent  leave.     General  Sir  H.  RawUnson, 


ANGLO=FRENCH    SERVICE    BAR. 

(Authorised   by  the   British  War  Offtce  and   the 
Ministere  de  la  Guerre,   Paris.) 

To  BE  Awarded  to  men  and  women — British 
Allied  or  Neutral — -whose  work  has  been  carried 
out  in  England  or  abroad. 

(i)   With    the    Anglo-French    Certificate    or 

the  Pink  Certificate  of  the  British  Committee 

of  the  French  Red  Cross. 

(2)  Otherwise  in  the  service  of  the  British 
Committee  of  the  French  Red  Cross. 

(3)  In  the  service  of  other  organisations 
recognised  by  the  British  Committee  of  the 
French  Red  Cross,  working  for  the  French,  who 
do  not  hold  either  Anglo-French  or  Pink  Certifi- 
cates, on  productions  of  certificate  of  service 
from  the  said  organisation,  signed  by  the  head 
of  it. 

1.  One  bar  will  be  awarded  on  the  completion 
of  one  year's  whole-time  service,  which  may 
include  the  regular  periods  of  leave  (the  total 
duration  of  which  may  not  exceed  one  month  in 
every  twelve),  any  additional  leave  to  be  deducted. 

2.  The  bar  to  be  of  saxe-blue  cloth,  similar  to 
this  forming  the  facings  of  the  regulation  Anglo- 
French  uniform,  and  to  measure  2  ins.  long  by 
J  in.  wide  (50  m/m  by  12.5  m/m).  To  be  placed 
horizontally  on  the  left  upper  arm  of  the  tunic 
sleeve,  three  inches  from  the  point  of  the  shoulder. 

3.  A  further  bar  will  be  awarded  for  every 
subsequent  six  months'  service  completed,  such 
additional  bars  to  be  of  the  same  material  as  the 
first  year's  bar,  but  half  the  width  (2  ins.  long  by 
J  in.  wide,  50  m/m  by  6.25  m/m).  To  be  placed 
parallel  to  the  first  year's  bar,  and  \  of  an  inch 
(3.12  m/m)  below  it. 

4.  Service  bars  may  only  be  worn  by  those 
possessing  permission  in  writing  from  the  British 
Committee  of  the  French  Red  Cross,  signed  by 
the  Presidente  or  Director-General,  whose  decision 
on  all  points  shall  be  final. 

5.  "  Service  Abroad."  The  qualifying  time  to 
count  from  the  date  on  which  the  worker  leaves 
England  for  abroad,  until  the  date  of  reporting  on  ' 
return  to  England,  as  shown  by  the  endorsements 
on  passports  and  by  the  records  of  the  British 
Committee. 

6.  Application  for  chevrons  to  be  made  to  the 
British  Committee  of  the  French  Red  Cross,  9, 
Knightsbridge,  S.W.  i  ;  envelopes  to  be  marked 
"  Chevrons." 

French  Flag  Nursing  Corps. 
Application  is  being  made  through  the  office 
for  chevrons  for  the  Sisters  to  whom  they  are  due, 
so  Sisters  need  not  apply  individually.  What  a 
fine  row  of  bars  may  be  worn  by  those  who  have 
served  four  years  ! 


December  7,   1918 


^be  British  3ournal  of  fluretno. 


349 


NATIONAL  COUNCIL  OF  TRAINED 
NURSES  OF  GREAT  BRITAIN  AND 
IRELAND. 


The  Annual  Meeting-  of  the  Grand  Council, 
composed  of  the  Delegates  of  Affiliated 
Societies  of  Trained  Nurses,  was  held  at 
431,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.,  on  Friday, 
November  29th,  at  4  p.m.  The  President, 
Mrs.  Bedford  Fenwick,  was  in  the  chair.  The 
majority  of  the  affiliated  societies  were  repre- 
sented. The  absence  of  Miss  B.  Cutler,  Hon. 
Secretary,  owing  to  indisposition  and  absence 
from  town,  was  much  regretted,  and  the 
Council  welcomed  Miss  Christina  Forrest,  the 
Hon.   Treasurer,   from   Bournemouth. 

Business  Referred  to  in  Minutes. 

The  Minutes  having  been  read  and  confirmed, 
the  President  said,  as  referred  to  in  the  Minutes, 
the  Hon.  Secretary  had  sent  the  following  letter  to 
the  Presidents  of  the  Royal  Free  Hospital  Nurses' 
League  and  the  President  of  the  Chelsea  Infirmary 
Nurses'  League,  upon  the  retirement  of  these 
Leagues  from  the  Council  : — 

No  Change  in  the  Principles  or  Policy  of  the 
National  Council  of  Trained  Nurses. 

431,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.   i, 

February  2nd,  1918. 

Dear  Madam, — At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  National 
Council  of  Trained  Nurses  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland, 
held  on  December  15th,  1917,  your  letter,  notifying  that 
the  League  of  Royal  Free  Hospital  Nurses  had  decided 
to  withdraw  from  affiliation,  owing  to  the  attitude 
adopted  by  the  Council  towards  the  College  of  Nursing, 
was  read  and  directed  to  be  recorded. 

In  notifying  you  of  the  fact,  I  was  desired  to  say  that 
the  position  of  the  National  Council  towards  the  question 
of  the  organisation  of  the  Nursing  Profession,  and  the 
State  Registration  of  Nurses,  is  the  same  as  when  the 
League  of  Ro\al  Free  Hospital  Nurses  joined  it.  It  has 
supported  the  Central  Committee  for  the  State  Registra- 
tion of  Nurses  in  its  demands  for  : — 

(i)  An  Independent  Governing  Body  for  the  organisa- 
tion of  the  educational  standards  of  the  Nursing  Pro- 
fession, and  the  State  Registration  of  Trained  Nurses, 
on  which  they  themselves  have  direct  representation. 

(2)  The  representation  of  the  self-governing  Societies 
of  Nurses  on  the  Provisional  Nursing  Council  created 
under  a  Nurses'  Registration  Act,  which  Council  will 
frame  the  rules  which  the  Registered  Nurses  will  have 
to  obey. 

(3)  A  One-Portal  System  of  Registration  after  a  three 
years'  term  of  training  in  a  hospital,  or  hospitals,  and 
a  central  examination. 

These  principles  for  the  organisation  and  good  govern- 
ment of  the  Nursing  Profession  are  incorporated  in  the 
Nurses  Registration  Bill,  introduced  into  the  House  of 
Commons  by  Major  Chappie  on  behalf  of  the  Central 
Committee,  to  which  are  affiliated  several  of  the  most 
important  Nurses'  Organisations  in  the  National  Council. 

That  the  Council  of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  has 
deliberately  omitted  these  great  principles  in  the  Bill 
it  has  drafted  is  deeply  to  be  regretted. 


Beyond  its  support  of  the  consistent  policy  of  the 
Central  Committee  the  National  Council,  as  such,  has, 
since  the  College  was  incorporated,  taken  no  part  in  the 
controversy,  as  the  interests  of  the  nurses  have  been  safe- 
guarded by  other  organisations  ;  but  the  Council  is  aware 
that  many  of  its  members  are  strongly  opposed  to  the 
policy  of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  as  tending  to 
economic, dependence,  and,  through  a  charitable  appeal 
of  a  committee  of  actresses,  to  place  trained  nurses  in 
an  exceedingly  dependent  and  invidious  position. 

Charity,  resulting  in  economic  dependence,  is  calcu- 
lated to  degrade  any  body  of  working  women,  and  cuts 
at  the  very  root  of  the  principles  of  their  self-support 
and  solidarity  in  the  body  pyolitic. 

If  these  great  principles  are  not  recognised  by  the 
Council  and  exclusively  male  executive,  which  govern 
the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  as  apparently  they  are  not, 
then  it  would  appear  the  management  of  the  College 
requires  drastic  reform. 

I  was  requested  to  ask  you  to  place  this  letter  before 
the  next  General  Meeting  of  the  League  of  the  Royal 
Free  Hospital  Nurses. 

I  am,  yours  faithfully, 

Beatrice  Cutler, 
Hon.  Secretary. 
Miss  Isobel  Yule,  Hon.  Sec, 

League  of  Royal  Free  Hospital  Nurses. 

Report  from  the  President. 
The  President  said  she  had  written   no   formal 
Report.      Owing  to  the  war  the  activities  of  the 
Council  had  been  in  abeyance,  and  it  had  taken  no 
part  in   the  Nursing  Controversy  as  a  whole,   as 
several   of   its    component    Societies   were   actively 
engaged   in    guarding   and   fighting   for   the   true 
interests  of  the  Nursing  Profession,  and  were  sup- 
porting, as  self-governing  organizations,  the  pro- 
gressive and  just  legislation  proposed  for  the  pro- 
fession  by   the   Central   Committee.     There   were 
now  two  Bills  ready  to  present  to  Parliament,  and, 
owing   to    the    isolated    action   of    the    College  of 
Nursing,    Ltd.,   we  had  unfortunately  reverted'  to 
the   lack  of  unity  in  which   the  profession    found 
itself   in    1909   before   the   promoters  of   the   three 
Bills  came  into  touch,  and,  with  reasonable  good 
sense  and  expert  knowledge,  agreed  upon  one  Bill, 
and    harmoniously   supported   it.       There   was   no 
doubt  that,  had  the  College  not  thrown  the  apple 
of   discord    into    the   nursing   arena,    the    Nurses' 
Registration  Bill,  supported  by  English,   Scottish, 
and  Irish  nurses,  and  the  British  Medical  Associa- 
tion,  would  have  become  law  in   the  last  Parlia- 
ment.    The  reactionary  element  which  evolved  and 
controlled  the   College  was  entirely  to  blame  for 
depriving  the  State  Registrationists  of  the  fruit  of 
their  long  years  of  work  for- the  benefit  of  the  public 
and  the  nursing  profession — work   for  w'hich   the 
nurses  had  paid  thousands  of  pounds  out  of  their 
own  slender  remuneration.     The  College  Bill  was 
not  a   Bill   for  the  State   Registration  of  Trained 
Nurses,  but  (i)  a  Bill  to  incorporate  the  College  of 
Nursing  and  its  drastic  Constitution  •  (2)  to  secure 
for   its  own   members  (and   not   for   the    Nursing 
Profession  as  a  whole)  the  power  to  form  the  First 
Register  to  elect  the  Council  which  had  power  to 
frame  the  Rules ;   and  (3)   to   constitute  as  many 
Supplementary  Registers  as  this  Council  chose,  to 
register  sf>ecialists,  and  thus  depreciate  the  value 


350 


(Lbc  British  3ournal  of  'Wureina. 


December  "J y   1918 


of  the  General  Register  of  thoroughly  trained 
Nurses  and  open  innumerable  portals  to  the 
Register,  instead  of  the  One  Portal  it  promised  its 
members.  The  Central  Committee's  Bill  provided 
for  an  independent  Governing  Body,  equality  of 
opportunity  for  all  trained  nurses,  two  Supple- 
mentary Registers  only — one  for  male  and  one  for 
mental  nurses — and  the  One  Portal,  after  three 
years'  general  training  in  hospital  wards,  to  the 
Women  Nurses'  General  Register.  The  Central 
Committee  intended  to  oppose  privileged  legisla- 
tion calculated  to  injure  the  nurses  who  refused  to 
join  the  College,  and  to  work  energetically  for 
their  Bill,  designed  to  benefit  the  whole  Nursing 
Profession. 

Financial"  Statement. 

The  Hon.  Treasurer  (Miss  Forrest)  presented  the 
Financial  Statement,  which  showed  expenditure 
of  ;^4  7s.  6d.,  and  a  Balance  in  the  bank  of 
;^22  4s.  iid.    The  Statement  was  adopted. 

Correspondence. 

1.  A  letter  was  received  from  Miss  Hulme,  Hon. 
.Secretary  of  the  Matrons'  Council,  notifying  that 

Miss  Lucy  Ramsden,  formerly  Matron  of  the 
Rotunda  Hospital,  Dublin,  and  Miss  Bushby, 
Matron  of  the  Queen's  Hospital  for  Children, 
Hackney  Road,  E.,  had  accepted  nomination  as 
Delegates  on  the  Council.  The  nominations  were 
approved. 

National  Baby  Week  Council. 

2.  A  letter  from  Miss  S.  F.  Musson,  inviting  the 
Council  to  appoint  a  representative  on  the  National 
Baby  Week  Council,  was  received.  The  appoint- 
ment of  the  President  was  confirmed.  Mrs.  Bed- 
ford Fenwick  said  the  Council  was  doing  very 
useful  work,  especially  since  the  appointment  of 
Miss  S.  F.  Musson  as  Secretary,  and  its  activities 
would  be  increased  under  a  National  Health 
Ministry. 

Ministry  of  Health  Watching  Council. 

3.  A  letter  was  received  and  considered  from  the 
Viscountess  Rhondda,  inviting  the  Council  to  send 
a  representative  to  a  Meeting  of  the  Ministry  of 
Health  Watching  Council,  to  enlarge  its  scope  to 
include  not  only  Infant  and  Maternity  Welfare, 
but  women's  Interests  generally;  as  a  Council 
which  oould  really  be  said  to  represent  Women's 
Organizations  would  carry  great  weight  at  the 
present  time,  and  might  be  of  very  great  value. 

Advisory  Council  of  Women. 

The  following  resolution  would  be  considered  at 
the  Meeting  : — 

Resolution. 

"  That  the  Watching  Council  adopt  as  part  of 
its  policy  to  press  for  an  Advisory  Council  of 
Women  at  the  Ministry  of  Health,  elected  on 
democratic  lines,  and  in  an  analogous  position  to 


and  with  the  same  rights,  privileges,  and  powers 
as  any  other  Advisory  Council." 

A  copy  of  the  proposed  Constitution  was  enclosed. 
It  was  agreed  to  send  a  representative  to  the 
Meeting. 

The  President  in  this  connection  reminded  the 
Meeting  how  important  it  was  that  trained  nurses 
should  have  access  to  the  Ministry  of  Health,  as 
it  was  proposed  that  the  medical  profession  should 
have.  Trained  Nurses  and  Midwives  would  be 
called  upon  to  do  most  of  the  practical  work  in 
connection  with  such  a  Ministry,  and,  if  precedent 
were  followed,  certainly  the  most  laborious  and  ill- 
paid  work.  But  as  their  trained  skill  was  of  para- 
mount importance  to  all  classes  in  the  prevention 
of  and  care  of  disease,  they  must  be  alive  to  the 
best  interests  of  the  community  by  refusing  to 
agree  to  any  system  which  forced  semi-trained  or 
amateur  workers  on  the  sick  poor— at  salaries  far 
in  excess  of  their  value.  There  would  be  respon- 
sible positions  under  such  a  Ministry,  and  the 
trained  and  skilled  workers  should  be  appointed  to 
them. 

In  the  past  lay  women's  organizations  had 
shown  a  lamentable  lack  of  appreciation  of  the 
powers  and  status  of  the  trained  nurse.  After 
association  for  upwards  of  twenty  years  with  the 
National  Council  of  Women,  the  afTiliated  nurses' 
societies  were  still  without  direct  representation  on 
its  Executive  Committee,  so  that'  decisions  were 
arrived  at  on  nursing  affairs  without  expert  advice. 
For  the  future  it  was  imperative  that  in  all  ques- 
tions referring  to  legislation  and  the  economic 
conditions  of  trained  nurses  that  they  should  pre- 
sent their  own  case,  and  she  advocated  an  Advisory 
Council  of  Nurses  as  admissible  in  the  Ministry 
of  Health  Bill. 

Resolution. 

The  following  resolution  was  proposed  from  the 
chair,  and  it  was  passed  unanimously  : — 

"  That  this  Meeting  of  the  National  Council  of 
Trained  Nurses  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  urges 
upon  the  Government  the  urgent  need  of  an  Act 
for  the  State  Registration  of  Nurses,  providing  for 
an  independent  General  Nursing  Council,  as  an 
indispven sable  corollary  of  the  establishment  of  a 
Ministry  of  Health." 

Questions  for  Parliamentary  Candidates. 

4.  A  communication  was  received  from  the  Hon. 
Secretaries,  Legislation  Committee  of  the  National 
Council  of  Women  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland, 
enclosing  the  following  list  of  questions,  suggest- 
ing that  some  or  all  might  be  included  among  the 
questions  to  be  addressed  to  candidates  for  the 
Parliamentary   Election. 

1.  Are  you  in  favour  of  removing  the  disqualifica- 
tion of  women  being  admitted  and  practising  as 
solicitors  (and  as  Law  Agents  in  Scotland)? 

2.  Are  you  in  favour  of  abolishing  the  existing 
practice  of  penalising  married  {>ersons  by  taxing 
their  incomes  together? 


December  7,   1918 


Tlbc  36rtti6b  3ournal  ot  TRursina* 


351 


3.  Are  you  in  favour  of  making  parents  the  equal 
joint  guardians  of  their  children  ? 

4.  Are  you  in  favour  of  providing  that  in  any 
change  in  the  Divorce  Laws  the  equality  of  the 
sexes  should  be  recognised? 

5.  Are  you  in  favour  of  legalising  the  adoption  of 
children,  with  proper  safeguards? 

6.  Are  you  in  favour  of  granting  to  women  the 
right  to  retain  British  nationality  on  marriage  with 
an  alien  (a  right  enjoyed  by  them  under  the  laws 
of  the  United  Kingdom  until  1870),  and  that  she 
should  be  given  the  same  choice  of  nationality  as 
a  man? 

7.  Would  you  support  legislation  to  increase  the 
responsibility  of  the  father  for  his  illegitimate 
child? 

All  the  questions  were  approved.  Further  in- 
formation re  No.  5  was  desired,  and  it  was  agreed 
to  draw  the  attention  of  the  Legislation  Committee 
N.C.W.  to  the  omission  of  any  reference  to  the 
important  national  question  of  the  State  Registra- 
tion of  Trained  Nurses,  and  to  invite  the  N.C.W. 
to  include  the  following  question  in  its  list : — 

8.  Are  you  in  favour  of  legislation  for  the  State 
Registration  of  Trained  Nurses,  providing  for  an 
independent  Governing  Body  with  adequate  repre- 
sentation of  the  Nurses  themselves? 

Women  as  Members  of  Parliament. 
5.  A  letter  was  received  from  Mrs.  Vulliamy, 
Cambridge,  Chairman  of  a  Committee  formed  to 
promote  the  candidature  of  independent  women  as 
members  of  Parliament,  in  which  she  wrote  : — 
.'*  We  feel  that  any  reforms  which  Societies  exist  to 
promote  or  any  subjects  on  which  women's 
opinions  are  organized,  would  gain  immensely  by 
having  an  independent  M.P.  always  on  the  alert 
to  watch  their  interests  and  to  remind  the  Govern- 
ment of  its  importance. 

We  shall  be  very  glad  if  you  will  consider  the 
policy  of  running  a  candidate  and  working  for  her 
through  your  Society,  and  if  so  will  give  you  any 
advice  or  help  that  is  in  our  power.  We  wish 
to  point  out  that  even  if  the  candidate  is  unsuc- 
cessful, an  election  campaign  would  give  an  oppor- 
tunity for  more  eflfective  propaganda  than  any  other 
means  now  available. 

You  have  probably  heard  that  two  nurses  have 
been  returned  to  the  Canadian  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, and  a  nurse  would  undoubtedly  be  a 
popular  candidate  just  now." 

This  letter  was  received  with  evident  pleasure, 
all  present  agreeing  that  National  Health  and 
Nursing  questions  would  receive  more  consideration 
in  the  House  of  Commons  if  in  charge  of  an  expert. 

A  Nurse  M.P. 

Miss  Wade  then  proposed  and  Miss  H.  L.  Pearse 
seconded  the  following  Resolution  : — 

"  That  the  National  Council  of  Trained  Nurses, 
in  Annual  Meeting  assembled,  hereby  invite  Mrs. 
Bedford  Fenwick,  President,  to  stand  for  election 
as  a  Member  of  Parliament  to  represent  the 
interests  of  the  Nursing  Profession." 

Mrs.  Fenwick  said  she  felt  much  gratified 
by  this  mark  of  confidence  of  the  Council.     She 


feared  it  was  too  late  to  stand  as  a  candidate  in 
the  present  election,  but  she  would  accept  nomina- 
tion on  the  Nursing  and  National  Health  Ticket 
when  a  suitable  constituency  could  be  found. 
This  decision  was  greeted  with  much  applause. 

Election  of  Hon.   Officers. 

Vice-President. 

As  no  Vice-President  was  elected  in  19 15,  it  was 
agreed  that  there  should  be  no  change  until  next 
year. 

Directors. 

Miss  Carson  Rae's  term  of  office  having  expired, 
Miss  Lucy  Ramsden  was  nominated  in  her  stead. 

Hon.  Secretary  and  Hon.  Treasurer. 

Miss  Beatrice  Cutler  and  Miss  Christina  Forrest 
were  unanimously  re-elected  to  office  for  the 
ensuing  year,  and  the  thanks  of  the  Council 
expressed  for  their  valuable  services. 

The  Presidents  of  the  Matrons'  Council,  the 
National  Union  of  Trained  Nurses,  and  the  Irish 
Nurses'  Association  were  confirmed  as  ex  officio 
members  of  the  Council. 

The  Royal  British  Nurses'  Association  and 
the  National  Council. 

A  courteous  communication  was  received  from 
the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Association  notifying 
that  a  Consultative  Committee  had  been  formed  in 
connection  with  the  Chartered  Corporation,  and 
extending  to  the  National  Council  an  invitation  to 
affiliate  with  it. 

The  intimation  that  the  Royal  British  Nurses' 
Association  was  co-ordinating  Nurses'  Organiza- 
tions was  received  with  pleasure,  and  it  was 
reported  that  the  four  largest  Nurses'  Societies  in 
the  National  Council  had  accepted  the  invitation — 
the  Matrons'  Council,  the  Society  for  State  Regis- 
tration, the  National  Union,  and  the  Irish  Nurses' 
Association — and  to  avoid  duplication  it  was  agreed 
that  for  the  present  it  might  be  better  for  the 
smaller  societies  to  take  independent  action,  and 
thus  avoid  any  suspicion  of  coercion — to  which 
the  self-governing  Leagues  of  Nurses  so  strongly 
objected.  The  National  Council  would  work  in 
complete  harmony  with  the  Royal  British  Nurses' 
Association,  and  hoped  that  the  Royal  Corporation 
would  take  an  active  interest  in  its  International 
programme. 

The  International  Council  of  Nurses. 
A  letter  had  been  received  from  Miss  L.  L.  Dock, 
Hon.  Secretary  of  the  International  Council  of 
Nurses,  pointing  out  that  owing  to  the  war  the 
triennial  Meeting  due  this  year  must  be  postponed, 
and  it  was  improbable  that  it  could  take  place  until 
1920.  Those  present  expressed  the  opinion  that 
international  intercourse  between  the  nurses  of 
various  countries  was  of  the  utmost  benefit  to  all, 
and  the  proposal  to  hold  an  Interim  Meeting  in 
1919,  as  had  been  done  in  1901  and  in  1907,  was 
warmly  received.  It  was  agreed  that  Trained 
Nurses  had  covered  themselves  with  glory  all  over 
the  world  during  the  war,  and  a  gathering  of  the 


Zbt  Briti9b  3ounial  ot  Burainc. 


35' 

nurses  of  the  Allies  in  Conference  would  have  a 
significance  all  its  own. 

It  was  agreed  that  such  a  Conference  was  to  'be 
arranged  if  possible. 

With  votes  of  thanks  the  exceedingly  interesting 
Meeting  terminated. 

Margaret  Breay, 

Pro  Beatrice  Cutler, 

Hon.  Secretary. 

STO    ET    ST  A  BO. 

We  have  to  thank  an  unknown  hast  of  kind 
friends  for  their  individual  approval,  and  support, of 
the  action  taken  by  the  National  Council  of  Trained 
Nurses,  at  the  annual  meeting  on  November  29th, 
in  inviting  by  resolution  the  Editor  of  The  British 
Journal  of  Nursing  to  stand  for  election  in  the 
interests  of  the  Nursing  Profession ;  especially  for 
their  expressions  of  confidence  in  our  ability  to 
"  stand  for  our  principles  "  and  "  not  to  betray 
the  rank  and  file." 

Some  compensation  these  letters  for  many  tugs 
of  war. 

TRUE  TALES  WITH  A  MORAL. 

College  Matron  No.  i  :  Kow  do  ycu  m?.nag'^ 
about  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing  ?  It 
seems  to  give  the  nurses  ideas. 

College  Matron  No.  2  :  I  skim  through  it,  and 
if  there  is  anything  in  it  I  do  not  consider  the 
nurses  ought  to  read,  I  just  don't  send  it  down. 

In  Nurses'  Sitting  Room. 
Nvurse  No.  i  :  B.J.N,  come  down  this  week  ? 
Nurse  No.  2  :    Not  yet. 

Nurse  No.  i  :  Ah  !  then  there  is  something 
we  ought  to  read.     I'll  bring  it  in  when  I  go  out. 


December  7,   1918 


WHO  NEEDS  A  MINISTRY  OF  HEALTH  ? 

Mother  {to  Poor-Law  Gurdian)  :  "  You'll 
excuse  me  speaking  to  you,  Miss,  but  when  I  see 
you  comin'  down  the  street,  I  was  rather  antici- 
pated, as  I  thought  you  was  come  to  tell  me  as  my 
little  girl  was  going  to  be  discharged  from  the 
infirmary.  I  should  be  very  sorry  if  she  'ad  to 
come  'ome  now,  as  they  'ave  done  wonders  for  'er 
— .they  '  ave  give  her  outward  massage  with  cod 
liver  oil,  which  she  could  never  take  inwardly, 
which  no  'ospital  'as  ever  done  for  'er.  She  is 
quite  'eavy  to  lift  now,  so  it  stands  to  reason  there 
must  be  some  transformation  in  'er  inside,  don't 
it?" 

1   m  I 

USEFUL   WORK. 

The  National  Food  Reform  Association,  Danes 
Inn  House,  256,  Strand,  is  putting  a  series  of 
questions  to  Parliamentary  candidates,  as  it  did 
at  both  elections  in  19 10.  The  subjects  include 
Milk  Supply,  Food  Adulteration,  Health  and 
Temperance,  &c.  Copies  may  be  had  post  free, 
lid. 


THE    RANYARD    NURSES. 

(25,  Russell  Square,  W.C.  1.) 
The  Ranyard  Nurses  have  been  quietly  cele- 
brating their  Jubilee  Year,  the  first  three  or  four 
nurses  having  been  placed  in  London  districts 
in  1868. 

The  celebrations  were  brought  to  a  close  by  a 
concert  on  behalf  of  the  Nurse  Fund,  at  the 
^olian  Hall,  on  November  22nd.  Very  grateful 
thanks  are  due  to  those  who  gave  their  services — 
Miss  Margaret  Balfour,  Miss  Audrey  Richardson, 
Miss  Irene  Scharrer,  and  Mr.  Plunket  Greene. 

The  programme  was  a  delightful  one  and  very 
much  appreciated  by  the  audience,  and  a  sum 
of  £128  was  realised.  During  the  interval  the 
Archdeacon  of  Westminster  spoke  of  the  work 
of  the  Ranyard  Nurses,  who  number  eighty-three, 
referring  to  the  friendly  co-operation  which  now 
exists  between  the  various  Nursing  Associations 
of  London,  helped  by  the  Central  Council  for 
District  Nursing,  which  meets  at  the  Local 
Government  Board.  He  appealed  for  more  sup- 
port, mentioning  a  gift  of  /50  which  hadfjust  been 
received  from  H.R.H.  the  Princess  Louise, 
Duchess  of  Argyll,  vnth  the  assurance  that  the 
helpful  work  of  the  Ranyard  Mission  has  Her  Royal 
Highness'    sincere    sympathy. 

The  Archdeacon  also  appealed  for  more  workers. 
There  is  great  need  and  many  opportunities  for 
developing  the  Nursing  Service  of  London,  and 
it  is  hoped  that  many  who  have  been  giving  their 
services  for  special  war  work  will  in  future  dedicate 
their  services   to   the  poor  of   London."'  ^  |^ 

District  Nurses  are  wanted  to  play  their  part 
in  the  schemes  for  the  welfare  of  the  nation  by 
helping  to  make  the  homes  healthier  and  happier, 
and  so  more  worthy  of  the  heroes  who  have 
fought  and  died  for  them.  This  work  calls  for  a 
true  spirit  of  adventure  and  a  grip  of  social 
problems,  as  well  as  a  heart  of  sympathy  and 
understanding. 

Ranyard  Nurses  must  have  had  three  years' 
General  Hospital  Training  and  be  women  of 
vision,  seeking  to  serve  not  only  in  obedience  to 
the  example  of  Christ,  but  in  the  strength  of  His 
power .  -  -  ^,» 

"HOME    RULE"    IN    HEALTH. 

A  movement  is  afoot  in  Scotland,  promoted 
largely  by  insurance  interests,  for  the  creation  of 
a  separate  Ministry  of  Health  for  Scotland, 
entirely  free  of  any  control  from  London.  The 
advocates  of  this  "  revolution  "  want  to  see  the 
Scottish  Health  Ministry  swallow  the  Local 
Government  Board,  the  Education  Department, 
the  Registrar-General's  Department,  and  the 
Commissioners  of  Scottish  Insurance.  This  is  a 
pretty  big  bid  for  Home  Rule  in  health  matters 
(says  a  correspondent  in  the "  Weekly  Dispatch), 
and  is  attracting  much  attention  in  Scotland. 

How  about  a  Scottish  Colle're  of  Nurses  '  We 
have  always  advocated  the  devolution  of  educa- 
tional facilities  for  Scottish  and  Irish  Nurses,  as 
well  as  for  English  N-irses  ;  and  the  Irish  mean 
tD  have  it. 


December  7,  1918         (^foe  Brttl0b  Soumal  of  IRurstno. 


353 


ANOTHER  "  GAMBOL  "  IN  SUPPORT  OF 
THE  COLLEGE  OF  NURSING,  LTD. 

The  hot  indignation  of  the  independent  members 
of  the  Nursing  Profession,  and  the  very  widespread 
disgust  at  the  exploitation  of  its  prestige  by  the 
Daily  Sketch  Victory .  Ball,  would  need  little 
further  comment  on  the  part  of  this  Journal,  were 
it  not  for  incidents  connected  with  it  that  require 
our  criticism.  Suflfice  it  to  say  that  at  this  most  un- 
timely "  gambol,"  thousands  of  the  most  frivolous 
section  of  the  community  danced  and  romped  at  the 
Albert  Hall,  on  the  27th  November,  from  10  p.m. 
until  5  o'clock  on  the  following  morning,  that  drink 
flowed  freely  until  such  time  as  it  was  con- 
sidered advisable  to  notify  that  it  had  "  run  out," 
and  that  when  the  doors  at  last  closed,  the  riotous 
maenads  continued  their  dizzy  gyrations  in  the 
public  thoroughfares !  Best  draw  a  veil — as  we 
note  many  of  the  daily  papers  considered  it  wise 
to  do. 

"  Eye-Witness  "  reports,  "  The  best  f>eople 
vere  not  there — but  the  wrong  'uns  were,"  and 
the  lack  of  patronage  from  the  Royal  Family  was 
as  significant  as  it  was  decisive — so  far  as  the 
"  right  thing  "  was  concerned.  We  are  in- 
formed that  the  statement  made  by  the  Evening 
Standard  (Hulton  press)  on  November  15th,  that 
*'  the  Victory  Ball  has  the  complete  approval  of 
the  King  and  Queen,"  was  quite  unauthorised. 
?nd  we  consider  that  this  statement  was  calculated 
to  place  Their  Majesties  in  a  totally  false  position 
in  the  opinion  of  thoughtful  members  of  the 
community. 

In  this  connection  we  must  intimate  to  the  Hon. 
Sir  Arthur  Stanley,  the  Chairman  of  the  Ball ;  to 
the  Viscountess  Cowdraj',  and  other  persons  whvO 
inflicted  it  upon  us,  that  what  is  not  good  enough 
for  Royalty  is  not  good  enough  for  the  self- 
respecting  members  of  the  Nursing  Profession. 
We  must  now  direct  our  readers'  attention  to  the 
following  correspondence : — 

A    PROTEST    AND    THE    REPLY. 

A  Protest  against  the  holding  of  the  Victory  Ball 
at  the  Royal  Albert  Hall  was  issued  by  Isabel 
Macdonald,  Secretary  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses' 
Association;  Mildred  Heather-Bigg,  R.R.C.,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Matrons'  Council  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland ;  Ethel  G.  Fenwick,  President  of  the  Society 
for  the  State  Registration  of  Trained  Nurses ;  and 
M.  L.  Rimmer,  Hon.  Secretary  of  the  National 
Tjnion  of  Trained  Nurses.  In  their  protest  the 
signatories  say  : — 

We,  representing  many  thousands  of  professional  men 
and  women,  beg  to  offer  a  whole-hearted  protest  against 
the  so-called  Victory  Ball  to  be  held  at  the  Albert  Hall 
on  November  27th  ;  especially  we  protest  because  it  is 
declared  to  be  given  on  behalf  of  the  Nation's  Fund  for 
Nurses.  The  organised  Societies  of  Nurses  have  never 
been  consulted;  they  thoroughly  disapprove,  and  have 
repeatedly  protested.  We  know,  better  than  most 
people,  by  what  awful  suffering  the  measure  of  victory 
we  are  enjoying — and  it  is  not  complete — has  been  won. 
This  ball,  held  at  such  a  time,  seems  to  us  like  dancing 
over  the  graves  of  the  dead,  and  we  object  to  its  being 
associated  with  the  Profession  of  Nursing. 


Sir  Arthur  Stanley  communicated  to  the  press 
the  following  reply  to  the  Protest  : — 

Sir, — My  attention  has  been  drawn  to  the  letter 
issued  by  officials  of  four  associations,  claiming 
to  speak  on  behalf  of  the  nurses  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland,  protesting  against  the  holding  of  the  "  Victory 
Ball."  To  those  who  know  that  the  high-sounding  titles 
of  the  societies  which  these  ladies  claim  to  represent, 
cover  a  very  small  and  insignificant  minority  of  the 
nursing  profession,  the  protest  carries  no  weight.  The 
College  of  Nursing,  in  aid  of  which  the  ball  is  being 
held,  numbers  at  least  three,  and  probably  four,  times 
as  many  nurse  members  as  all  these  four  associations 
put  together.  It  should  also  be  remembered  that  a 
large  part  of  the  proceeds  of  the  ball  will  go  to  the 
Tribute  Fund,  which  is  being  established  to  help  all 
nurses — not  only  those  belonging  to  the  College  of 
Nursing,  as  has  been  falsely  stated,  who.  are  sick  or 
suffering  or  have  fallen  on  evil  days. 

Those  of  us  who  are  res]x>nsible  for  the  College  of 
Nursing — the  only  body  that  can  fairly  claim  to  speak 
in  the  name  of  the  nurses — are  accustomed  to  those 
protests,  which  occur  with  almost  wearisome  regularity 
from  the  same  quarters  whenever  any  effort  is  made 
by  the  College  to  raise  funds  which  will  be  for  the 
benefit  of  nurses,  who  have  done  so  much  for  others, 
and  who  take  so  little  thought  for  their  own  welfare. 
The  Council  of  the  College  of  Nursing  approves  the 
holding  of  the  ball ;  that  the  public  approves  the  objects 
for  which  it  is  held  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  all  the 
boxes  and  tickets  have  already  been  sold. 
Yours  faithfully, 

Arthur  Stanley, 

Chairman  of  the  Council  of  the  College  of  Nursing, 
Ltd. 

The  professional  women  who  signed  the  Protest 
did  not,  as  Sir  Arthur  Stanley  states,  '*  claim  to 
sp>eak  on  behalf  of  the  Nurses  of  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland."  In  their  official  capacities  they 
presented  the  views  of  the  members  of  the 
Organized  Nurses'  Associations — which  comprise 
the  intelligent  and  independent  wing  of  the  nurses 
—  and  they  protested  against  this  War  Charity,  the 
Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses,  being  associated  with 
the  Profession  of  Nursing  of  which  they  are 
members,  at  this  time,  when  thousands  of  our 
people  are  still  mourning  their  dead.  The  cheap 
sneers  of  the  autocratic  Chairman  of  the  College 
of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  who  informs  the  public  that 
those  who  are  responsible  for  his  Company  are 
'*  the  only  body  that  can  fairly  claim  to  speak  in 
the  name  of  nurses,"  is  as  ridiculous  as  it  is  mis- 
leading, but  when  he  adds  that  "  the  Council  of 
the  College  of  Nursing  approves  the  holding  of  the 
ball,"  then  it  is  time  for  the  members  of  the  pro- 
fession at  large  to  estimate  the  danger  of  the 
College  policy  at  its  true  economic  value.  For  it 
means  that  the  Matrons  of  the  Nurse  Training 
Schools  originally  nominated  by  Sir  Arthur  Stanley 
to  form  his  Council,  and  who  are  largely  respon- 
sible for  the  tone  and  discipline  of  the  nurses  of 
the  future,  are  content  that  our  profession  should 
be  based  on  charity  obtained  by  reprehensible 
methods,  controlled  by  laymen,  and  the  whole 
fabric  of  its  prestige  reduced  to  dust  and  ashes. 
Alas !  how  are  the  mighty  fallen  !  Surely  such  a 
betrayal  of  our  hitherto  high  ethical  standards  is 
enough  to  make  Florence  Nightingale  turn  in  he*' 
grave ! 


354 


Ebe  16ritt0b  3ournal  of  fluraina. 


December  7,    igi8 


"  The  Protest  Carries  No  Weight." 

To  quote  Sir  Arthur  Stanley  further,  he  tells 
the  public  that  the  opinion  of  those  trained  nurses 
who  refuse  to  subscribe  to  the  dangerously  auto- 
cratic Constitution  of  his  College  Company,  which 
has  taken  power  to  remove  a  nurse's  name  from  its 
register — without  power  of  appeal — "  carries  no 
weight."  That  has  yet  to  be  proved,  when  the 
organized  workers  come  to  grips  with  their  em- 
ployers, in  their  coming  struggle  for  legal  status 
and  freedom  from  tyranny,  in  the  House  of 
Commons. 

But  enough  said. 

The  result  of  the  Protest  was  instant  and  extra- 
ordinary, ~to  judge  from  our  post-bag,  and  sym- 
pathy with  the  "  insignificant  minority  "  produced 
immediate  effect. 

The  Labour  Party,  which  has  always  most 
loyally  supported  the  claims  of  the  organized 
nurses  for  State  Registration — and  voted  for  their 
Bill  to  a  man  when  introduced  into  the  House  of 
Commons  in  19 14 — at  once  grasped  the  economic 
significance  of  the  Protest,  "  Nurses  do  not  want 
Charity  and  plutocratic  control — they  ask  for 
Justice,"  and  that  "  funds  to  finance  their 
Employers'  Union  through  such  a  method  as  the 
Victory  Ball  was  an  insult,  not  only  to  the  working 
nurses,  but  to  the  dead  and  mutilated  men,  whose 
intense  suffering  and  heroic  sacrifices  the  best 
nurses  have  shared  with  them  all  the  years  of  the 
war." 

The  Labour  Party  and  Plutocratic  Waste. 

Having  been  denied  the  use  of  the  Albert  Hall 
for  a  few  hours  in  which  to  hold  a  meeting, 
members  of  the  Socialist  wing  of  the  Labour  Party 
attended  the  Victory  Ball  to  judge  what  sort  of 
people  were  to  be  p>ermitted  to  disport  themselves 
there  all  night.  Why  this  extravagant  waste  of 
light,  coal,  food  and  drink  for  the  leisured  class, 
when  thousands  of  poor  people  are  deprived  of  a 
mere  sufficiency?  Also,  "  a  mother  of  men  killed 
in  battle  "  threatened,  "  if  the  Queen  or  any  of  the 
Royal  Family  are  present,  I  will  make  a  protest." 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  what  these  visitors  saw  added 
fuel  to  the  fire  of  their  discontent,  and  one  described 
as  "  sacrilegious  "an  *'  abandoned  female  wearing 
the  honourable  blue  suit  of  the  wounded  soldier, 
with  crutches  all  complete." 

Wiping  out  the  Insult. 

On  Saturday  and  Sunday  last  overflowing  meet- 
ings of  the  Labour  Party  were  held  at  the  Albert 
Hall,  and  where  a  few  days  before  "  light 
London"  had  capered  to  finance  the  College  of 
Nursing,  Ltd.,  a  Protest  was  offered  from  the 
platform  from  Matrons  and  Nurses  against  the 
notorious  function  organized  by  the  Daily  Sketch. 

"  Nurses,"  it  was  stated,  "  do  not  want  Charity. 
They  ask  for  Justice  and  your  help  in  passing  their 
democratic  State  Registration  Bill,  now  before  the 
House  of  Commons  in  charge  of  Major  Chappie." 
At  the  words,  "  Nurses  do  not  want  Charity,"  the 
huge  audience  broke  into  such  tumultuous  and 
sympathetic  applause  that  the  final  words  of  the 
speaker  could  not  be  heard. 

It  was  the  sound  of  the  tocsin  so  far  as  the 
ancien  rigime  in  relation  to  Nursing  is  concerned. 


APPOINTMENTS. 


MATRON. 

Kensington  Dispensary  and  Children's  Hospital, 
Church  Street,  Kensington. — Miss  K.  M.  Moore 
has  been  appointed  Matron.  She  was  trained  at 
St.  Bartholomew's  Hospital  and  subsequently 
held  the  position  of  Sister  at  the  Hospital  for  Sick 
Children,  Great  Ormond  Street,- W.C,  Matron  of 
its  Convalescent  Branch  at  Highgate,  and  Matron 
of  the  Children's  Hospital,  Nottingham 

Samaritan  FreeTHospitan  for  Women,  (Marylebone 
Road,  N.W.  I.  —  Miss  Winifred  Tice  has  been 
appointed  Matron.  She  was  trained  at  St. 
Bartholomew's  Hospital,  London,  and,  as  a 
member  of  Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military 
Nursing  Service  Reserve,  was  Sis ter-in- Charge  of 
a  Clearing  Station  in  France  and  at  the  Military 
Hospital,  Colchester.  .  ■■  it 

Eitham      and      Mottringham      Cottage      Hospital. 

— Miss  Mary  Young  Thomson  has  been  appointed 
Matron.  She  was  trained  at  Addenbrooke's 
Hospital,  Cambridge,  and  has  been  Theatre  Sister 
in  a  women's  surgical  ward,  and  Assistant  Matron 
at  the  General  Infirmary,  Worcester,  and  Sister 
at  the  Royal  Herbert  Hospital,  Woolwich,  and  in 
connection  with  the  Salonika  Field  Force  in 
connection  with  Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial 
Military  Nursing  Service  Reserve. 

Bideford  ^and    District     Hospital,     North    Devon.— 

Miss  Jennie  Jones  has  been  appointed  Matron. 
She  was  trained  at  the  General  and  Eye  Hospital, 
Llanelly,  and  has  held  positions  of  responsibility 
in  the  same  institution,  at  the  Cancer  Hospital, 
Fulham  Road,  S.W.,  and  at  the  Aberystwyth 
Infirmary  and  Cardigan  General  Hospital. 

Isolation  Hospital,  Malvern.— Miss  J.  E.  Gilbert 
has  been  appointed  Matron.  She  was  trained  at 
the  City  Hospital,  Colinton  Mains,  Edinburgh, 
and  the  Royal  Berks  Hospital,  Reading,  and  has 
been  Ward  Sister  and  Deputy  Matron  at  the 
Infectious  Diseases  Hospital,  Huddersfield,  Sister 
in-Charge  of  the  Sankey  Sanatorium,  Warrington, 
and  Superintendent  of  Nurses  at  the  Fever  Hos- 
pital, Blackburn. 

ASSISTANT  MATRaN. 

Royal     Hants    County    Hospital,     Winchester.  — 

Miss  Margaret  L.  Adans  has  been  appointed 
Assistant  Matron.  She  was  trained  at  the  Royal 
Hospital  for  Sick  Children,  Edinburgh,  and  at 
King's  College  Hospital,  London,  and  has  done 
•.,ar  service  with  the  Scottish  Hospitals  atRoyau- 
mont  and  Villers  Cotteret.  She  has  also  been 
Night  Superintendent  at  the  Empire  Hospital 
Vincent  Square,  S.W.      !^i-   ^^»«i-«^P^^*^^.#il?i^l 

'^.Royal     Hospital      for"!  SickTChlldren,     Aberdeen. 

— Miss  Christian  B.  Lumsden  has  been  appointed 
Assistant  Matron  (temporary).  Stie  was  trained 
at  the  Royal  Infirmary,  Dundee,  and  has  been 
Sister  at  the  Royal  Hospital  for  Sick  Children, 
Aberdeen ;  Assistant  Matron  at  Morningside 
Asylum,  Edinburgh  ;  Matron  at  the  James  Murray 


December  7,   1918 


^be  »riti0b  3cmrnal  of  fluraina. 


355 


Royal  Asylum,   Perth  ;    and  Sister  at  the  first 
Scottish  General  Hospital  (Territorial),  Aberdeen. 

Royal  Asylum,  Glasgow.— Miss  Florence  M. 
Gordon  Dufi  has  been  appointed  Assistant  Matron. 
She  was  trained  at  the  Epsom  Infimiary,  and  has 
done  private  nursing. 

Miss  Eva  Cuthbert  has  also  been  appointed  to 
a  similar  position.  She  was  trained  at  the  Belfast 
Infirmary. 

SISTER-IN.CHARGE. 

Maternity  Home,  Edinburgh.  —  Miss  Laura 
Bruford  has  been  appointed  Sister-in-Charge  of 
the  Maternity  Home  attached  to  the  Royal 
Scottish  Nursing  Institution,  Edinburgh.  She~ 
was  trained  at  the  General  Hospital,  Cheltenham, 
and  has  had  experience  both  in  fever  and  maternity 
nursing,  having  been  on  the  staff  of  Queen  Char- 
lotte's Hospital  for  nearly  three  years.  For  the 
last  four-and-a-half  years  she  has  been  on  the 
stafE  of  the  Registered  Nurses'  Society,  part  of 
which  time  she  has  acted  as  Sister-in-Charge  of 
the  V.A.D.  Hospital,  Thame.  Oxon. 

THEATRE     SISTER. 

Children's  Hospital,  Sheffield. — Miss  Mary 
Stanley  has  been  appointed  Theatre  Sister.  She 
was  trained  at  the  Swansea  General  and  Eye 
Hospital,  and  has  been  Stafi  Nurse  and  Temporary 
Theatre  Sister  in  the*  same  hospital. 


NURSING    ECHOES. 


HOME  NURSING. 

Under  the  above  heading  a  handy  little  book, 
entitled  "  Home  Nursing,"  has  been  published  at 
St  John's  Gate,  Clerkenwell,  E.C.  4.  It  has  been 
compiled  at  the  request  of  the  Ambulance  Com- 
mittee of  the  Order  of  St.  John  as  the  official  Home 
Nursing  Handbook  of  the  St.  John  Ambulance 
Association  chiefly  from  the  manuscript  of  Miss 
Mildred  Heather  Bigg,  R.R.C.,  whose  name  it 
bears  on  its  title  page.  The  book  follows  the  plan 
adopted  in  the  ofi&cial  First  Aid  Manual  and  is 
in  the  square  form  used  by  the  Association 
bearing  its  seal,  with  the  eight-pointed  Maltese 
Cross  on  the  cover.  We  commend  the  book  to  the 
notice  of  nurses. 

PRISON     FOR     BOGUS     NURSE. 

For  giving  false  information  as  to  her  identity 
at  the  Abbotsford  Hotel,  Russell  Square,  where 
she  registered  herself  as  "  Sister  D.  P.  Gordon," 
Annie  Jarrett,  22,  was  at  Bow  Street  Police  Court 
sentenced  to  six  months'  hard  labour. 

When  arrested  she  was  wearing  the  uniform  of 
a  Red  Cross  Nurse,  badges,  and  the  Military  Medal 
and  D.C.M.  ribands.  She  carried  one  of  her  arms  in 
a  sling  and  walked  with  a  limp,  supported  by  a 
crook  stick,  but  there  was  nothing  the  matter  with 
her.  She  also  pleaded  guiltj^  to  steaUng  a  lady's 
golf  cape  from  the  Mid-Surrey  Ladies'  Golf  Club'at 
Richmond. 

We  regret  to  note  several  bad  cases  of  theft 
amongst  nurses  from  Nursing  Institution,  in 
Torquay.  Careful  investigation  before  engagement 
should  protect  private  patients  and  fellow-nurses 
from  this  danger. 


The  second  birthday  party  of  the  Nurses' 
Imperial  Club,  Ebury  Street,  was  celebrated 
on  Friday  afternoon,  when  the  additional  new 
bedrooms  were  on  view.  The  guests  were 
warmly  welcomed  by  Miss  Mayer,  the  popular 
Lady  Superintendent.  Quite  early  in  the  after- 
noon the  table  of  birthday  gifts  was  burdened 
with  useful  and  ornamental  donations  to  the 
Club.  Pictures  to  adorn  the  new  rooms,  hot- 
water  bags,  candlesticks,  soap,  pickles,  salad 
oil,  made  a  motley  collection,  and  showed  that 
the  donors  were  in  the  secret.  Another  table 
showed  a  collection  of  articles  left  by  former 
guests,  who  apparently  had  an  embarras  de 
richesse,  as  there  were  many  desirable  things 
in  this  lost  property  department. 

The  new  bedrooms  are  snugly  and  tastefully 
furnished,  and  only  require  some  of  the  new 
birthday  gifts  to  complete  their  attraction, 
although  we  understand  from  Miss  Mayer  that 
any  further  offers  of  pictures  and  ornaments 
would  not  be  despised.  The  cosy  drawing- 
room  looked  very  alluring,  in  contrast  with 
depressing  climatic  conditions  without. 

An  excellent  tea  and  music,  to  which  latter 
Miss  Mayer  contributed  some  delightful  piano- 
forte playing,  helped  to  make  this  second 
birthday  of  the  Club  most  enjoyable. 


We  are  glad  to  observe  that  the  Committees 
of  County  Hospitals  are  considering  the  ques- 
tion of  raising  the  salaries  of  their  nursing 
staffs. 

At  the  County  Hospital,  York,  the  salaries 
have  been  revised  and  the  following  scale 
sanctioned: — Assistant  Matron,  £70;  Night 
Sister,  ;^6o ;  Ward  Sisters,  commencing  salary 
£So,  rising  by  annual  increment  to  ;;^55  and 
;£6o.  Further  increase  at  the  Matron's 
request. 

At  the  Royal  Victoria  and  West  Hants 
Hospital,  Bournemouth,  the  Finance  and 
General  Purposes  Committee  have  recently 
authorized  the  following  increases  in  the 
salaries  payable  to  the  Nursing  Staff  : — 

Ward  Sisters,  from  ;^50  per  annum,  to  First 
Year,  £^0,  Second  Year  £c:,^,  Third  Year  ;^6o 
per  annum,  together  with  an  allowance  of  ;^3 
for  uniform. 

Staff  Nurses  are  to  receive  £40  f>er  annum, 
increased  to  £4^  after  one  year's  service  as 
Staff  Nurse,  with  £2  los.  per  annum  for 
uniform. 

The  salaries  of  probationers  have  been  in- 
creased. First  Year  from  ;{^io  to  £15,  Second 
Year  from  ;i^i5  to  £20,  Third  Year  from  £20 


356 


Cbe  Britieb  3ournal  of  iRuretuo. 


December  7,   1918 


to  ;£28,  with  £2  los.  allowance  for  uniform 
for  the  first  year,  and  £2  per  annum  for  the 
second  and  third  year. 

Departmental  Sisters  receive  various  addi- 
tions to  the  salaries  laid  down  for  Ward 
Sisters. 


Lady  Stirling-  Maxwell  (President)  presided 
at  the  twenty-fifth  annual  meeting  of  the  Glas- 
gow and  West  of  Scotland  Co-operation  of 
Trained  Nurses  in  Charing  Cross  Halls, 
Glasgow,  on  November  21st,  when  Dean  of 
Guild  Hunter,  in  moving  the  adoption  of  the 
reports,  said  that  seventy-three  of  the  Nurses 
of  the  Co-operation  had  gone  to  France  and 
were  doing  magnificent  work.  Dr.  A.  E.  May- 
lard  referred  to  the  resignation  of  Miss 
Helen  M.  Rough,  to  whom  the  Co-operation 
owed  its  inception,  and  to  the  appointment  of 
Miss  E.  E.  Taylor,  who  had  had  wide  profes- 
sional experience,  as  her  successor. 


BOOK    OP  THE   WEEK. 


"THE    MIRROR     AND    THE     LAMP."* 

"  But,  mother,"  said  the  little  boy,  firmly, 
' '  you  are  pretty  now ;  you  are  the  prettiest 
person   I    have   ever   seen." 

And  perhaps  then,  for  who  can  say  what  tiny 
tortuous  paths  will  one  day  make  the  widest 
roadway  to  a  woman's  heart  ? — Mrs.  Churchill, 
for  the  first  time,  was  plainly  aware  that  she 
loved  this  boy  more  tenderly  than  the  other 
two. 

Neither  Tom  nor  Charles  could  have  made  such 
an  answer  ;  neither  could  as  yet  have  dimly 
guessed  that  out  of  all  the  possible  things  that 
might  be  said,  this  was  the  right  thing  to  say — 
the  only  thing  that  from  boy  to  man,  would  at 
that  moment  give  exquisite  pleasure.  Edward 
was  more  sensitive  than  the  other  two,  a  finer 
organism,  a  more  complex  instrument  that 
responded  to  fainter  stimulus — -he  was  going  to 
be  very  clever  and  -io  make  his  mother  very 
proud. 

It  was  Mrs.  Churchill's  earnest  wish  that  her 
beloved  son  should  enter  the  ministry,  and  when 
after  a  certain  service  at  the  cathedral  Edward 
announced  that  he  had  heard  the  call,  she  could 
hardly  speak  for  joy.  "  You  crown  my  life  with 
gladness,"    she  told  him. 

And  that  night  she  made  their  supper  a  feast. 
She  wore  her  finest  dress,  put  on  one  of  her  poor 
little  ornaments  ;  looked  radiant,  grand  and  at 
least  ten  years  younger  than  before. 

Edward's  ideals  were  of  the  most  lofty.     He 

,    ♦By  W.  B.  Maxwell.     London  :    Cassell  &  Co. 


dreamt  of  a  slum  parish  with  his  darling  mother 
as  his  life-long  and  best-loved  companion.  His 
first  curacy  found  him  located  in  the  vicarage  of 
a  poor  parish  in  the  neighbourhood  of  East  India 
Docks.  Inside  the  vicarage,  from  roof  tree  to 
the  basement,  its  inmates  were  always  busy, 
always  trying  to  do  more  than  was  humanly 
possible — 'knowing  that  it  was  so,  yet  still 
trying. 

Edward's  first  shock  was  the  defection  of  his 
mother,  who  shattered  his  dreams — both  of  his 
own  happiness  and  his  faith  in  her  perfection — 
by  marrying  a  stout,  vulgar,  albeit  worthy  man, 
named   Battersby. 

She  spoke  about  the  furniture.  "  It  was  as 
though  I  had  cheated  you,  dear  ;  I  led  you  to 
expect  it ;  of  course,  you  have  been  counting  on 
the   furniture." 

He  bowed  his  head  so  that  she  should  not  see 
his  eyes,  and  there  came  from  his  throat  a  sound 
that  was  half  a  cough  and  half  a  sob.  He  was 
stifling  the  words  that  had  nearly  said  them- 
selves :  "I  was  counting  on  you  mother  more 
than   on   your  furniture." 

"  All  ties  of  family  were  broken  and  not  a  single 
personal  affection  was  left  to  him.  But  the 
blank  must  be  filled  that  was  a  necessity.  Mankind 
in  the  mass  was  surely  large  enough  to  supply 
what  had  been  withdrawn  by  a  few  individuals." 

It  would  have  been  well  had  our  friend  Edward 
stuck  to  the  mass,  but  his  sympathies  became 
enlisted  in  the  ill-used  young  wife  of  the  loud, 
blustering  Vickers,  and  pity  soon  changed  into 
love.  The  primitive  man  in  him  was  roused  to 
fury  at  the  evidence  of  Vickers'  brutality  on  this 
frail  young  creature,  and,  after  a  violent  scene, 
in  which  he  thrashed  the  bully,  he  took  Lilian 
under  his  protection.  Henceforth,  he,  of  course, 
had  to  renounce  his  sacred  office,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  he  renounced  his  faith. 

It  was  not  until  some  years  after  that  the  death 
of  Vickers  enabled  Edward  to  make  Lilian  his 
wife.  In  the  meantime  he  had  become  successful 
as  a  novelist,  and  had  further  been  made  indepen- 
dent by  various  legacies.  But  it  is  not  until  the 
close  of  the  book  that  he  is  reinstated  by  the 
bishop  to  his  office. 

His  return  to  his  faith  is  very  gradual  and  is 
marked  by  no  dramatic  incident. 

"  I  don't  think  I  should  care  to  go  to  church 
regularly,  perhaps  scarcely  at  all  a — I  mean,  no 
more  than  in  the  past." 

He  said  to  himself  :  "I  will  belive  all  that  I 
can  ;  I  will  believe  all  that  I  can't  for  their  sakes 
(his  wife's  and  Allan  Gate's).  Love  can  make  me 
believe,  perhaps,  as  nothing  else  can."  The  kindly 
Bishop,  when  he  Ufts  the  ban,  makes  his 
resumption  of  office  possible  to  Edward's  fUckering 
faith  by  giving  him  a  position  that  carried  with  it 
little  responsibility  and  no  emoluments.  But  the 
reader  is  left  with  the  comfortable  certainty  that, 
in  course  of  time,  Edward  will  take  up  work  once 
more  with  his  old  ardour  and  his  old  faith. 

This  is  a  powerful  sketch  of  an  unusual  personal- 


December  7,    1918 


Ebe  Britteb  3ournal  ot  flureino. 


357 


ity  showing  both  the  force  of  temptation  to  a  good 
man  and  the  long  and  painful  process  of  his 
restoration.  H.  H. 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 


OUTSIDE    THE    GATES. 

OUR     POLICY. 

Don't  forget  that  December  14th  is  Polling  Day, 
and  if  possible  before  that  date  interview  the 
Parliamentary  candidates  in  your  constituency 
and  ask  them  a  few  pertinent  questions  as  follows: 

1.  Are  you  going  to  work  for  a  just  peace  with 
indemnities  for  the  cost  of  the  war,  damage  made 
good,  to  hold  what  we  have  in  hand  in  German 
colonies,  the  banishment  of  Germans  from  our 
shores  for  years  to  come — in  fact,  Britain  for  th  e 
British— so  that  our  race  may  not  be  further 
contaminated  by  the  criminal  strain  of  the  Hun  ? 

The  deplorable  fiabbiness  of  the  attitude  of  Ihe 
average  politician  towards  a  treacherous  and 
savage  foe  makes  it  the  more  imperative  that  true 
patriots  should  be  very  firm  on  these  points.  It 
was  Coventry  Patmore  who  said,  "Nations  die  ol 
softening  of  the  brain,  which,  for  a  long  time, 
passes  for  softening  of  the  he^rt." 

2.  Are  you  heart  and  soul  in  favour  of  a  Health 
Ministry,  so  that  there  may  be  fresh  air,  pure  water, 
unadulterated  food,  a  good  house,  a  bit  of  garden, 
plenty  of  coal,  light  and  transport  for  all,  also  of 
a  practical  education  and  plenty  ot  work,  so  thai 
it  may  be  possible  for  women  to  bear  and  rear 
children  without  heartbreak  ? 

Don't  forget  that  we  have  a  higher  percentage  of 
physical  unfits  than  any  belligerent  country  ! 

3.  Will  you  support  the  just  Bill  for  the  Statr 
Registration  of  Nurses,  promoted  by  the  Central 
Committee,  so  that  their  educational  and  eco- 
nomic conditions  can  be  defined  and  protectee 
to  enable  them  to  take  their  place  in  the 
general  scheme  for  rsusing  the  standard  of  thr^ 
nation's  health,  free  from  grinding  poverty  and 
unskilled  competition  ? 

If  the  candidate  is  in  sympathy  with  these 
demands,  vote  for  him  or  her,  as   the  case  may  t( 


COMING     EVENTS. 

t)ecembey  jth. — .General  Hospital,  Birmingham. 
Nurses'  League.  Autumn  Meeting  at  General, 
Hospital,  Birmingham.  Address  by  Miss  Bartleet 
on  "  Local  Government  Work."     3  p.m. 

December  jth. — -Irish  Nurses'  Association.  Meet- 
ing Executive  Committee,  34,  St.  Stephen's  Green, 
DubUn.     8  p.m. 

December  14^/8.— League  of  St.  Bartholomew's 
Hospital  Nurses'  League.  Winter  General  Meeting. 
Clinical  Theatre,  St.  Bartholomew's  Hospital. 
2.30  p.m.  Social  gathering.  Nurses'  Sitting  Room. 
Tea,  music. 

December  19/A.— Royal  British  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion. Lecture:  "Bokhara  and  Samarkand" 
(fully  illustrated  by  lantern  slides)  by  Miss 
Annette  Meakin,  F.R.G.S.  Chair  :  Miss  Mildred 
Heather  -  Bigg,  R.R.C.,  Vice  -  President.  The 
Rooms  of  the  Medical  Society  of  London,  11, 
Chandos  Street,  Cavendish  Square,  W.  i.  2,45  p.m. 


Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  for  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  be 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents. 

"THE     UNTRAINED    COMMANDANT." 

To  the  Editor  o/The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 
Dear  Madam, — .1  have  read  so  often  the  unkind 
and  unjust  criticisms  of  V.A.D.  Commandants,  that 
I  feel  bound  to  protest. 

Why,  when  these  ladies  undertake  the  duties 
of  a  commandant,  should  they  be  expected  to  be 
trained  ? 

Surely,  in  that  case,  their  duties  would  lie  in  the 
nursing,  not  the  administration,  of  a  hospital  ! 
One  does  not  expect  the  chairman  ot  a  hospital  to 
have  the  qualifications  of  a  physician  or  surgeon. 
I  have  worked  under  our  Commandant  now  for 
over  two  and  a-half  years,  and  under  her  manage- 
ment of  clear  judgment,  justice,  firmness  and  great 
understanding,  our  hospital  has  been  run  in  all  its 
branches — .office,  wards  and  kitchen,  in  perfect 
harmony  and  unison. 

Our  patients  (now  numbering  over  1,100)  well 
fed  and  well  cared  for,  are  always  happy  and  very 
well  behaved.  The  whole  staff,  both  in  kitchen 
and  wards,  have  always  been  very  happy  and  con- 
tented in  their  work,  their  only  regret  being  the 
fact  that  in  the  natural  course  of  events  our 
hospital  must  soon  close. 

If  the  many  hundreds  of  posts  held  by  the  hard- 
worked  and  long-suffering  Commandants  in  the 
past  four  years  had  been  held  by  highly  trained 
and  efficient  nurses,  who  would  have  nursed  our 
wounded  soldiers  ? 

The  "  Untrained  Conimandant,"  I  presume  ! 
Sister-in-Charge. 

56,  Herts. 

[We  are  glad  to  hear  of  a  Commandant  who 
apparently  does  not  interfere  with  the  professional 
duties  of  the  Sister-in-Charge,  but  according  to 
her  charge  she  has  the  right  to  do  so — .and  in 
hundreds  of  Red  Cross  Hospital  -  engages  the 
Nursing  Staff,  and  controls — -or  fails  to  maintain 
discipline  ;  moreover  the  Commandant  wears  the 
cap  and  apron  of  the  professional  nurse.  Why  ?* 
Chairmen  of  hospitals  do  not  don  the  surgeon's 
operating  gown. 

During  the  war  we  have  constantly  been  applied 
to  for  Nurses  by  Commandants,  and  all  corres- 
pondence concerning  these  professional  nurses  is 
conducted  by  them,  even  if  there  is,  which  often 
there  is  not,  a  Sister-in-Charge.  Moreover,  we  have 
before  us  testimonials  written  by  Commandants, 
expressing  opinions  concerning  the  professional 
qualiji  cations  and  work  of  trained  nurses — -and  in 
many  instances  they  practically  act  as  Matfona 
and  interfere  with  the  nursing  of  the  patients,  of 
which  they  know  nothing.  Some  have  the 
effrontery  to  attempt  to  control  the  medical 
officer.     To  quote  :  "  Can  you  find  me  a  working 


158 


(The  3Britt0b  3ournal  ot  Buretno. 


December  7,    1918 


nurse  ?  I  myself  shall  act  as  Matron — don't  send  a 
dragon  ;  our  V.A.D.s  are  very  efficient.' 

"  I  want  a  trained  nurse  to  take  the  lead  ;  but  I 
prefer  she  should  not  be  called  Matron,  as  our 
duties  might  clash." 

Trained  nurse  writes:  "  Please  recall  me  from 
this  hospital.  I  am  the  only  trained  nurse,  and 
•  have  to  be  on  call  at  night  for  fear  the  V.A.D.  on 
duty  requires  help  ;  moreover  the  Commandant 
arranges  all  off  duty  times  and  I  never  know  who 
will  be  on  duty  from  hour  to  hour." 

"  I  have  been  Matron  in  two  Red  Cross  Hos- 
pitals, and  the  Commandants  have  both  been 
awarded  the  R.R.C.  Where  do  the  nurses  come 
in  ?  "  And  so  on  by  the  yard  ;  the  system  is 
wrong.—  Ed.] 

FREEDOM   OF  SPEECH    BY   UP-TO-DATE 
METHODS. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam,— As  the  "Free  Press"  is  noi 
free,  we,  independent  freedom-loving  members  of 
the  nursing  profession,  having  proved  on  various 
occasions  that  posters  in  the  open  streets  are  a 
most  effectual  method  of  protest,  sallied  forth 
(those  of  us  who  had  time)  on  November  26th, 
adorned  with  posters  bearing  the  following 
words  :  "  Dancing  on  the  Dead—  Patriotic  Nurses 
protest  against  money  being  raised  in  their  name 
by  a  '  Victory  Ball,'  before  our  splendid  men  are 
cold  in  their  graves."  We  walked  up  and  down 
in  front  of  the  Automobile  Club  (now  being  used 
for  overseas  officers)  and  the  offices  of  the  British 
Red  Cross  Society.  The  hour  and  the  place 
favoured  our  enterprise.  It  was  a  scene  of  cease- 
less activity,  of  coming  and  going  of  the  military 
and  civic  population  of  men  and  women.  Eyes, 
which  were  opened  wide,  were  expressive  of  many 
emotions  :  scorn,  amusement,  indifference,  anger, 
kindness  and  sympathy. 

Civilian  :  "  1  admire  you  for  coming  out  to 
protest  in  such  a  manner.  It  is  more  fitting  at 
this  time  to  be  on  our  knees  with  thankfulness 
than  to  dance." 

Poster  Paraders  :  "  Thank  you,  sir,  for  your 
sympathy  "  (with  a  few  more  words  of  enlighten- 
ment) . 

Officer  (reading  thoughtfully)  :  "  Oh,  I  thought 
this  ball  was  under  the  auspices  of  the  Red  Cross 
Society." 

This  remark  illustrates  in  the  clearest  manner 
the  wrong  done  by  the  promoters  of  the  ' '  Victory 
Ball,"  in  using  this  sacred  symbol  to  cover  their 
advertisement  for  a  purpose  which  has  no  con- 
nection whatever  with  it.  Have  not  Britons  often 
bewailed  indignantly  the  Huns'  misuse  of  the  Red 
Cross  ?  The  difference  is  only  one  of  degree,  not 
of  principle. 

We  made  our  explanations  to  the  officer  who 
left  Us  an  enlightened  man. 

A  Lady  :  ' '  What  is  this  protest  ?  " 

We  explained.  She  showed  sympathy  and 
understanding . 

Porter  of  Automobile  Club  :  "A  lady  inside 
says  you  must  not  stand  here." 


We !  We  do  not  recognise  her  authority ; 
we  intend  to  remain,  and  we  did  ! 

A  Poster  Parader. 
JUSTICE     NOT    CHARITY. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Madam, — My  attention  .  has  been  drawn  to  Sir 
Arthur  Stanley's  reply  to  the  protest  issued  by 
the  Secretary  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion and  the  President  of  the  Society  for  the  Stat  ■ 
Registration  of  Trained  Nurses,  &c.,  &c.  The 
protest  is  a  valuable  one,  and  Sir  A.  Stanley's 
remarks  about  these  societies  are  not  correct  and 
also  appear  to  be  very  ungentlemanly. 

Mrs.  Bedford  Fenwick  has  represented  the 
Nursing  Profession  for  many  years.  She  has  con- 
sistently pressed  for  State  Registration  of  Nurses' 
and  for  better  salaries.  She  is  indeed  a ' '  Pioneer  " 
in  their  cause.  She  has  exceptional  knowledge  of 
nurses  and  their  status  and  salaries.  It  is  a  well- 
known  evil  that  trained  nurses  have  always  been 
paid  insufficiently  in  institutions  of  all  kinds, 
having  regard  to  the  skilled  work  they  are  required 
to  undertake.  They  do  not  ask  for  charity  ;  they 
ask  for  justice,  and  on^  hopes  that  with  the  ' '  new 
order  "  of  things,  viz.,  the  Women's  Vote  in  the 
future,  they  will  attain  this. 
Yours  faithfully, 

Dora  H.  Colman, 

Commandant  "  Surrey  100." 

KERNELS  FROM    CORRESPONDENCE. 

Disgusted  Private  Nurse  :  My  patient  is  still  in 
danger,  but  both  mother  and  daughter  attended 
the  Victory  Ball.  Nothing  was  discussed  but 
fancy  dress  for  days,  and  a  sum  which  would  have 
kept  a  sick  soldier  for  a  year,  or  taught  him  a  trade 
was  lavished  on  their  get  up.  They  were  simply 
furious  at  the  Nurses'  Protest  in  the  Press  (guilty 
conscience  as  one  son  was  killed  in  the  war).  As 
you  know,  my  dear  brother  is  still  missing  and  all 
this  frivolity  in  our  name  is  most  hurtful.  I  had  a 
good  cry  over  it." 

"  A  N  rs  "  wr  tes  :  "  I  went  to  52,  North 
Audley  Street  to  make  a  protest  against  the 
Victory  Ball.  Whilst  in  the  shop,  someone  dressed 
in  a  Red  Cross  uniform  (with  white  shoes  and 
stockings)  asked  the  saleswoman  if  men  in  evening 
dress  would  be  admitted,  and  it  was  suggested  to 
her  '  the  man  might  borrow  khaki  !  '  " 

"  Milit  iry  Nurs:>  "  :  "  Here  Victory  Ball  tickets 
were  sent  to  the  Me^s  and  young  officers  were 
urg^d  to  buy  them  by  the  colonel,  who  had  had 
them  sent  for  disposal — '  for  a  good  cause,  our 
broken-down  military  nurses,'  as  he  explained. 
What  a  shame  to  make  these  young  men  waste 
^3  3s.,  even  over  us  broken  old  war  nurses  !  Also 
Sisters  and  nurses  in  this  hospital  are  told  by  the 
Matron  they  must  join  the  College  or  it  mil  be 
most  serious  for  their  future,  and  they  may  pay 
the  guinea  in  instalments.  How  about  Kaiser- 
ism  ?  Is  our  boasted  liberty  all  '  pot-calling- 
kettle  '  ?  " 

[We  regret  to  hold  over  a  number  of  in  teres  l;n 
letters. — Ed,] 


December  7,  1918   (ffee  Bdtt0b  Jourtuil  ot  flitrftna  Supplement,     359 


The   Midwife. 


CENTRAL  MIDWIVES  BOARD. 

LIST    OF    SUCCESSFUL    CANDIDATES. 

At  the  examination  of  the  Central  Midwivcs 
Board,  held  on  November  ist,  in  London  and  the 
Provinces,  450  candidates  were  examined  and 
346  passed  the  examiners.  The  percentage  of 
failures  was  23.1. 

London. 

British    Hospital    for    Mothers    and    Babies. — 

E.  Francis,  L.  Nield,  I.  E.  Wilson. 

City  of  London  Lying-in  Hospital, — E.  C. 
Anderson,  E.  Bettinson,  M.  L.  Goulding,  M.  G. 
Leader,  E.  A.  Maxwell,  E.  L.  K.  Moore,  M.  A. 
Robertson,  A.^C.  Smith,  F.  M.  Webster,  L.  M. 
Wright. 

Clapham  Maternity  Hospital. — E.  M.  Campbell, 
A.  Child,  S.  A.  M.  Kent,  E.  J  Markham,  A.  Roberts. 

East  End  Mothers'  Home. — M.  Alexander,  E.  A. 
Camp,  E.  R.  James,  M.  M.  Picken,  L.  L.  Standley, 
G.  Watkins. 

General  Lying-in  Hospital. — A.  P.  Barnes,  G. 
Browne,  W.  Burt,  D.  Cohen,  E.  B.  Creasy,  A. 
Edwards,  S.  M.  Jones,  E.  Lambert,  D.  A.  Leak, 
J.  M.  Pinhorn,  M.  Pipe,  H.  M.  Richer,  A.  M. 
Sadlier,  B.  M.  Scott,  M.  Senior,  A.  E.  Stubbs,  A 
M.  Williamson,  M.  E.  Wilson. 

Guy's  Institution. — G.  L.  Olley,  E,  M.  Shephard, 
M.  W.  Sparkes,  G.  B.  Thomson. 

Kensington  Union  Infirmary. — A.  Gifford,  L. 
Heading. 

Lambeth  Parish  Workhouse. — E.  O.  Price,  J.  M. 
Watson. 

London  HospitaL-^J),  Baker,  R.  W.  Derrick, 
M.  Pring. 

Maternity  Nursing  Association. — D.  E.  Bee,  O. 
Cozens,  C.  Earnshaw,  A.  E.  Roughton. 

Plaistow  Maternity  Charity. — E.  Barker,  A.  L. 
Bennett,  E.  A.  Brooke,  E.  Cantrell,  E.  M.  Cook, 

F.  E.  Cummings,  M.  E.  Davies,  A.  B.  Delaine, 
M.  F.  Dier,  C.  Dixon,  I.  Edmonds,  J.  M.  Ferguson, 
S.  A.  Garner,  E.  G.  Gough,  M.  J.  Hand,  M.  E. 
Hudson,  M.  M.  Jessop,  C.  J.  Jones,  M.  Legg, 
L.  Lunn,  F.  M.  May,  A.  Nuttall,  M.  G.  Owen, 
R.  Parry,  M.  E.  Pritchard,  A.  Purser,  L.  E. 
Rowles,  L.  B.  Spencer,  J.  Tough,  K.  Troop,  A. 
Turner,  C.  Wallbank,  A.  J.  Wilson,  F.  Wood, 
A.  Wylie,  E.  Jones. 

Middlesex  Hospital. — L.  F.  Hartley,  E.  Letters. 
'  Queen  Charlotte's  Hospital. — W.  E.  H.  Bell, 
M.  L.  Berger,  G.  C.  Bickerstaff,  T.  E.  Bowman, 
W.  C.  Chapman,  F.  E.  Chubb,  F.  Colson,  I.  M. 
Cooper,  C.  M.  A.  Curtis,  L.  M.  Dyne,  E.  A.  Eacott, 
J.  Fraser,  E.  E.  Hayman,  I.  M.  Hopkins,  R.  H. 
Hopkins,  M.  F.  James,  K.  Jones,  B.  M.  Lewis, 
W.  A.  Lintott,  M  Manger,  F.  M.  Masters,  F.  L. 
Morrison,  M.  E.  Packer,  D.  A.  Parker,  M.  F. 
Parker,  E.  C.  H.  Purvis,  R.  N.  Singer,  M.  Stewart, 
A.  F.  Thomas,  E.  Webb,  M.»M.  Williams,  E.  L. 
Wolsey. 


Salvation  Army  Mothers'  Hospital. — A.  E 
Carter,  R.  A.  Cas  le. 

St.  Marylebone  Workhouse  Infirmary. — K.  Reed, 
E.  G.  Vallance. 

St.  Pancras  South  Infirmary.—  D.  Driver. 

St.  Thomas'  Hospital.— B.  K.  Newill,  E.  K. 
Servetopoulos. 

Provincial. 

Aldershot,  Louise  Margaret  Hospital. — N.  Greg- 
son,  G.  Johnstone,  E.  Lazenby,  F.  M.  Wheatley. 

Birkenhead  Maternity  Hospital. — E.  Adams, 
M.  E.  McCabe,  E.  Quinn. 

Birmingham  Maternity  Hospital. — C.  Barber, 
M.  Burghall,  A.  E.  Charnley,  E.  M.  Coxon,  A.  M. 
Derrick,  L.  Gold,  E.  E.  Hamilton,  E.  Herring, 
H.  A.  Mead,  L.  Palfreyman,  B.  M.  Parry,  W.  M. 
Prince,  H.  Roberts,  R.  Sedgwick,  S.  I.  Sewart, 
K.  Sheridan.  E.  Stuttard,  L.  Wright. 

Birmingham,  Selly  Oak  Union  Infirmary.—' 
Emily  Brayne. 

Bradford  Union  Hospital. — 'J.  Marshall. 

Brighton  Hospital  for  Women. — M.  E.  Darby- 
shire,  G.  Ede,  C.  E.  Hilton,  K.  A.  Moore,  H.  M. 
Nash,  D.  D.  Sharpe,  L.  Willey,  A.  Wolsey. 

Bristol,  Eastville  Workhouse  Infirmary. — •£.  M. 
Dawe. 

Bristol  General  Hospital. — A.  D.  Bermingham, 
N.  J.  Bryant,  L,  M.  Lawrence. 

Bristol  Royal  Infirmary. — F.  G.  Clarke,  M.  A.  A. 
Henley. 

Cheltenham  District  Nursing  Association. — 'E. 
Leigh,  E.  M.  Reid. 

Coventry  Union  Infirmary. — M.  Pilkington. 

Derby,  Royal  Derbyshire  Nursing  Association. — 
B.  M.  Bevan,  I.  Morton,  M.  E.  Pendlebury.  B.  M. 

A.  Wilson. 

Devon  and  Cornwall  Training  School. — ^M. 
Barker,  J.  Barnes,  R.  K.  Sharp,  E.  E.  Tremlett. 

Devonpori,  Alexandra  Nursing  Home. — ^E.  M. 
Crichton,  F,  Davis,  A.  T.  Hailes,  A.  S.  Lovely. 

Gloucester  District  Nursing  Society. — -F.  R. 
Beazer,  S.  E.  M.  McKenna,  R.  N.  Wheeler. 

Halifax  District  Nursing  Association  and 
Huddersfield  Union  Workhouse. — E,  M.  Sands. 

Hastings  District  Nursing  Asso  iation. — L. 
Fifield. 

Hartlepool  Union  Infirmary  and  Newcastle-on- 
Tyne  Union  Hospital. — E.  Elstob. 

Huddersfield  Distria  Nursing  Association  and 
Huddersfield  Union  Workhouse.— K.  Taylor. 

Kingston-on-Thames  Union  Infirmary. — M.  M. 
Kemp. 

Leedi  Maternity  Hospital. — E.  Booth,  F.  J. 
Dale,  E.  M.  Lloyd,  E.  E.  Robson,  A.  Slee. 

Leicester  Maternity  Hospital.— F..  Carter,  M.  C. 
Chappell,  L.  WooUey. 

Leicester  Union  Infirmary.— "E.  M.  B  amley, 
K.  Tipper,  F.  E.  Wood. 

Liverpool     Maternity     Hospital.—  E.     Barlow, 

B.  Bracewell,  F.  Cardwell,  B.  M.  Dubberley,  C.  H 


3«o_  (Tbe  »rttt0b  3ournal  of  f^urefnc  Supplement  December  7,  1918 


Ferguson,  L.  H.  Foale,  L.  Hall,  E.  P.  M.  Harlow, 
E.  Heald,  M.  Hindley,  S.  E,  Jones,  M.  A.  Lewis, 
M.  O'Keefe,  E.  C.  Parry,  M.  E.  Peacock,  H.  M. 
Robertson,  D.  M.  Vickers. 

Manchester,  St.  Mary's  Hospitals.— "E.  L.  Ash- 
worth,  E.  M.  Barlow,  S.  A.  Bradshaw,  M.  Collins, 
H.  Graydon,  M.  Jones,  A.  Pickles,  M.  Popplewell, 
A.  A.  Roscoe,  M.  E.  Sraethurst,  M.  E.  Tetlow, 
S.  Walker,  S.  A.  Wilson. 

Manchester  Workhouse  Infirmary,  and  St.  Mary's 
Hospitals.— 1.  Burrill,  E.  Halliday,  N.  Hawkins, 
E.  Taylor,  N.  Tranter,  J.  Watkinson,  M.  White- 
hurst. 

Newcastle'on-Tyne  Maternity  Hospital.  — ■  C. 
Lupton,  E.  Price,  M.  Robinson. 

Newcastle-on-Tyne  Union  Hospital. — ^I.  Mac- 
kenley,  A.  Young. 

Northampton  Q.V.N.I.^H.  Hollies,  E.  J.  Page, 
J.  Trueman. 

Nottingham  Workhouse  Infirmary. — H.  Widdow- 
son. 

Oldham  Union  Infirmary. — E.  M.  Bulley. 
Preston  Union  Infirmary.- — R.  Mackenzie. 
Preston  Union  Workhouse. — M.  A.  Wilson. 
Sheffield,  Jessop  Hospital.— G.   Allchin,  G.  W. 
Hickson,  L.  Pilkington,  E.  Smith,  A.  Thorne,  F.  I. 
Vieler. 

Sheffield  Union  Infirmary. — E.  Upton. 
Staffs    Training  Home  for  Nurses. — A.  Brown, 
M.    J.  F.  Challoner.  G.  Davies,  M.  DufEy,  E.  E. 
Redhead,  J.  Watkin,  J.  Weaver,  E,  Wilcox. 
Steyning  Union  Infirmary. — K.  Penfold. 
Walton,  West  Derby  Union  Infirmary. — G.  M. 
Seilar. 

West  Riding  Nurses'  Home. — -D.  E.  Beeton,  N. 
Matthews. 

Wilts  Nursing  Association. — -E.  Crabb,  A.  M.  E. 
May. 

Wolverhampton  District  Nurses'  Home. — S.  Bake- 
well,  E.  J.  Griffiths,  C.  H.  Lovatt. 

Wolverhampton  Union  Infirmary. — H.  E. 
Cooper,  F.  M.  Finn,  F.  Mason,  C.  M.  B.  Smith. 

Worcester  County  Nursing  Association. — Alice 
Tranter. 

York  Maternity  Hospital.  — -  H.  F.  Cook,  F.  C . 
Sedgwick,  M.  A.  Shipley. 

Wales. 
Cardiff  Q.V.J.N .I.—R.    Johns,    N.   Lewis,    A 
Mil  s,  E.  Tunley. 
Monmouth  Nursing  Association. — 'M.  A.  Brown. 
Monmouth  Training  Centre. — -A.  Adams. 
Swansea  District  Nursing  Association. — L.  G.  M. 
Thomas. 

Scotland. 
Dundee  Maternity   Hospital.—  ^.  E.  Bodin,  E. 
Hinchclille,  A.  Lake,  C.  Wilson. 

Edinburgh  Royal  Maternity  Hos^itnl.  —  E. 
M.  Baxter,  Douglas  S.  Wetherell. 

Glasgow  RoyalMaternity  Hospital,'^—].  T.  Taylor, 
M.  Ti  da  1. 

Govan  Nurses'  Home. — M.  Jackson. 

Ireland. 
Dublin,   Rotunda  Hospital. — E.  M.    Ba'"czinsky, 
C.  A.  Fisher,  S.  S.  Ireda'e,  V.  A.  Peel. 


Belfast   Union  Maternity  Hospital. — ^M.   Getty, 
R.  Glazier,  S.  Kennedy,  S.  E.  Smyth. 
Dublin,  Coombe  Hospital. — K.  Hartley. 

Private  Tuition. 
A.  M.  Brown,  M.  M.  Chin-Chen,  C.  Collins,  E.  M. 
Deverell,  F.  M.  Evans,  J.  A.  Geers,  G.  Jones,  S. 
Mills,  A.  M.  Morris,  E.  Stubbs,  E.  Swift. 

Private  Tuition  and  Institutions. 

Preston  Union  Workhouse. — H.  S.  H.  Burton. 

Birmingham  Maternity  Hospital. — E.  L.  Chinery, 
E.  A.  Owen. 

General  Lying-in  Hospital. — S.  Clark,  E.  L. 
Shinnie,  M.  E.  Thorold. 

St.  Mary's  Hospital,  Manchester. — M.  A.  Hall, 

E.  Leigh,  E.  Leyland,  E.  Rigby. 
Newcastle-on-Tyne  Union  Hospital. — ^M.  Hall. 
Fulham    Midwifery    School. — A.    C.    Hubbard, 

F.  M.  Palmer,  M.  A.  Scovell. 

East  End  Mothers'  Home. — J.  M.  Lundy. 

Birkenhead  Maternity  Hospital. — ^M.  Metcalfe.  . 

Liverpool  Maternity  Hospital. — C.  P.  Morgan. 

Belfast  Union  Maternity  Hospital. — ^M.  E. 
Robinson. 

Jewish  Maternity  District  Nursing  Home. — S.  A. 
Virgo.  , , 

PENAL  CASES. 

A  Special  Meeting  of  the  Central  Midwives 
Board  was  held  at  i.  Queen  Anne's  Gate  Buildings, 
Westminster,  on  Thursday,  November  21st,  for 
the  hearing  of  the  charges  alleged  against  six 
certified  midwives,  with  the  following  results  : — > 

Struck  off  the  Roll  and  Certificate  Cancelled. — • 
Midwives  Mary  Austin  (No.  2207),  Mary  Cor- 
bishley  (No.  1622),  Frances  Davies  (No.  18829), 
Charlotte  Etherington  (No.  20154),  Rose  Hannah 
Keaveney  (No.  1557)  ;  also  Elizabeth  Conley  (No. 
2050)  and  Charlotte  Major  (No.  41223),  whose 
cases  had  been  adjourned  for  judgment. 

Sentence  Postponed. — .In  the  case  of  Lucy  Smith 
(No.  30861)  C.M.B.  Examination,  the  Board  found 
the  charges,  with  one  exception,  proved,  but  post- 
poned sentence,  and  asked  for  a  report  from  the 
Local  Supervising  Authority  in  three  and  six- 
months'  time.  If  they  found  she  was  contuma- 
cious, she  would  be  removed  from  the  Roll.  If 
not,  nothing  further  would  be  done. 

In  this  case  it  transpired  that  the  Register  of 
Cases  kept  by  the  midwife  had  been  signed  by 
eleven  people  in  two  years,  and  that  these  were 
members  of  the  Committee  of  the  Kenilworth 
Maternity  Nursing  Association.  The  Chairman 
said  the  Board  disapproved,  they  must  not  sign  its 
official  Register.  The  books  should  be  signed  by 
the  inspector.  The  Nursing  Committee  had  no 
business  to  sign  them.  They  must  leave  the 
Board's  books  alone. 

Harriet  Ehza  Garnett  (No.  34531)  was  restored 
to  the  Roll.  , 

PENAL    BOARD. 

The  next  Penal  Board  is  fixed  for  Thursday, 
December  19th,  at  10.30  a.m.,  the  same  day  as  the 
Monthly  Meeting. 


WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 

MEMSIIK.  <.^^ 

EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


UBtC 


No    1,602. 


SATURDAY,    DECEMBER    14,    1918. 


Vol.    LXI. 


EDITORIAL. 


THE  QUEENS  MESSAGE  TO  THE  WOMEN 
OF    THE     EMPIRE. 

The  Queen  has  addressed  the  following 
message  to  the  women  of  the  Empire  : 

'*  Buckingham  Palace. 

"  A  few  months  ago,  at  the  height  of  our 
anxiety  and  strain,  I  sent  a  message  in  the 
name  of  the  women  of  our  lands  to  our  men 
fighting  for  us  across  the  seas.  Now,  in  an 
hour  of  thankfulness  and  hope,  I  should  like 
to  give  a  message  to  the  women  of  the 
Empire.  During  the  war  they  have  been 
given  the  high  privilege  of'  service,  they 
have  risen  to  the  great  opportunity,  and 
have  proved  their  courage,  steadfastness 
and  ability. 

*'  I  have  been  allowed  to  watch  and 
appreciate  their  work  in  many  parts  of  the 
country,  and  my  heart  is  full  of  admiration 
and  gratitude  for  what  I  have  seen.  I 
earnestly  trust  that,  though  the  thrill  and 
glamour  of  war  are  over,  the  spirit  of  self- 
sacrifice  and  helpfulness  which  it  has  kindled 
will  not  wane  in  the  coming  days.  A  new 
era  is  dawning  upon  the  world,  bringing 
with  it  many  difficulties,  fresh  responsibi- 
lities, and  serious  problems  to  be  faced. 

"  Parliament  has  secured  for  the  whole 
country  greater  opportunities  of  more 
thorough  and  varied  education,  but  it  will 
depend  upon  the  parents  whether  these 
opportunities  are  used  to  the  full.  We  all 
rejoice  that  plans  are  afoot  for  bringing  to 
an  end  the  existence  of  such  bad  and 
crowded  housing  as  makes  home-life  almost 
impossible. 

"  To-day,  more  than  ever,  the  Empire 
needs  her  daughters,  for  in  the  larger  world 
of  public  and  industrial  work  women  are 
daily  taking  a  more  important  place.  As 
we  have  been  united  in  all  our  work, 
whether  of  head  or  hands,  in  a  real  sister- 
hood of  suffering   and    service   during    the 


war,  let  us  go  on  working  together  with  the 
same  unity  of  purpose  for  the  resettlement 
and  reconstruction  of  our  country. 

"Mary  R." 

Her  Majesty's  message,  which  will  be 
gratefully  received  by  every  woman  who 
has  striven  to  do  her  duty  during  the  four 
years  of  war,  reminds  us  of  the  fresh  respon- 
sibilities which  we  shall  have  to  face. 

For  the  great  gift  of  citizenship,  which  is 
the  Christmas  gift  to  the  women  of  the 
Nation  this  year,  places  upon  them,  for  the 
first  time,  the  deep  responsibility  of  helping 
to  fashion  the  destinies  of  the  Empire  at  a 
time  when  the  direction  of  its  policy  is  a 
matter  of  more  vital  importance  than  ever 
before  in  the  national  history. 

As  the  Prime  Minister  reminded  us  at 
the  great  meeting  at  the  Queen's  Hall,  on 
Monday,  it  is  the  duty  of  every  woman 
who  possesses  a  vote  to  record  it  at  the 
polling  booths  on  December  14th.  Especi- 
ally he  reminded  his  audience  of  the  great 
social  programme  of  the  Government  which 
commanded  general  acceptance.  If  women 
rose  to  their  responsibilities  the  whole  of 
their  sex  would  be  lifted  to  a  higher  level 
of  well  being,  and  they  would  be  able  to 
exercise  a  sacred  trust  for  the  advancement 
of  the  race. 


CHRISTMAS     GREETINGS. 

The  Christmas  greetings  of  the  Nursing 
Profession  go  forth  with  this  issue  to  the 
Men  of  the  Navy,  Army  and  Air  Service — 
the  men  who  have  saved  the  Empire  and  in 
conjunction  with  our  Allies  have  delivered 
the  world  from  militarism.  To  the 
Prisoners  of  War  returned  to  this  country 
our  heartfelt  thanks  go  out.  May  they 
spend  the  happiest  Christmas  they  have 
ever  known. 

And  to  every  Nurse  striving  to  maintain 
the  high  ideals  of  her  profession  we  heartily 
wish  Christmas  joy. 


362 


^be  »riti9b  3ournal  of  "Wureino.       December  14,  1918 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITION. 


DESCRIBE  YOUR  METHOD  OF  DISINFECTING  AFTER 
AN  INFECTIOUS  CASE  IN  A  PRIVATE  HOUSE— 
(a)  THE     PATIENTS    ROOM;    (ft)' YOURSELF. 

We  have  pleasure  in  awarding  the  prize  this 
week  to  Miss  Isolen  M.  Moore,  Registered 
Nurses'  Society,  431,  Oxford  Street,  London, 
W.  I. 

PRIZE     PAPER. 

(a)  To  disinfect  a  room  after  an  infectious 
case  the  following  method  may  be  adopted. 

After  the  patient  has  vacated  the  room  all 
'  cheap  books,  toys,  and  valueless  clothing 
should  be  burnt  in  the  bedroom  grate.  Bed- 
ding, blankets,  and  eiderdowns  should  be»rolled 
up  in  a  dust  sheet  and  sent  to  be  stoved.  If 
there  is  no  stoving  room  in  the  district,  then 
they  must  be  spread  out  over  the  bed  and  chairs 
in  the  bedroom  while  it  is  being  fumigated. 
All  drawers  or  wardrobes  containing  clothing 
should  be  opened. 

Washable  articles,  such  as  sheets,  towels,  or 
cotton  garments  can  be  soaked  in  lysol  i  per 
cent.,  and  afterwards  boiled  for  ten  minutes 
before  being  sent  to  the  laundry. 

Crockery  should  be  washed  and  put  into 
lysol  2  per  cent.  ;  eating  and  drinking  utensils 
kept  separate  from  toilet  crockery,  and 
sterilised  by  boiling. 

The  carpet,  if  not  previously  removed,  should 
be  rolled  up  loosely  and  left  in  the  room. 
Window  curtains,  ornaments,  and  all  super- 
fluous furniture  ought  to  have  been  removed 
before  the  occupation  of  the  room,  but  if  they 
have  not  been  taken  out,  then  they  must  be 
left  until  after  fumigation. 

The  fire  is  extinguished,  and  the  fireplace 
and  windows  sealed  over. 

The  cleanest  and  one  of  the  best  disinfect- 
ants is  formalin,  and  this  can  be  procured  in  a 
very  convenient  'form  in  a  McDougall's  vap- 
lamp.  This  should  be  lighted  and  placed  on  a 
tin  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  the  door  her- 
metically sealed,  and  the  room  left  so  for 
twenty-four  hours. 

After  that  it  should  be  thoroughly  aired  by 
opening  doors  and  windows. 

Where  it  is  impossible  to  have  the  bedding, 
&c.,  stoved,  it  is  always  wise  to  have  mat- 
tresses and  pillows  recovered. 

The  carpet,  after  being  put  out  into  the  sun 
for  some  hours,  should  be  sent  to  be  cleaned. 

The  bedroom  can  now  be  spring  cleaned, 
and,  if  possible,  re-papered. 

(b)  To  render  myself  free  from  infection  and 
to  prevent  the  infecting  of  others  I  should  take 


a  bath  containing  sufficient  permanganate  of 
potash  to  make  it  a  pale  pink,  and  wash  my 
hair  in  hot  soapy  water  to  which  a  little  lysol 
was  added. 

For  the  hands  the  best  and  most  efficient  dis- 
infectant is  scrubbing  with  soap  and  water,  and 
afterwards  steeping  in  carbolic  1-40. 

The  nails  should  always  be  kept  cut  short 
when  nursing  infectious  cases. 

For  the  mouth  and  throat  frequent  gargling 
is  very  necessary,  and  for  this  Listerine — an 
excellent  disinfectant — ^and  Formamint  tablets 
slowly  dissolved  in  the  mouth  are  most  useful 
preventives. 

All  clothing  worn  in  the  patient's  room 
must  be  laundered  before  being  worn  again. 
If  a  dressing-gown  or  soft  slippers  were  worn 
in  the  patient's  room,  these  should  be  stoved. 

Before  going  to  another  case  the  nurse  must 
go  into  quarantine  for  the  prescribed  time. 

HONOURABLE  MENTION. 

The  following  competitors  receive  honour- 
able mention  : — Miss  E.  Tipton,  Miss  James, 
Miss  F.  Barnes,  Miss  B.  O'Connor. 

QUESTION   FOR   NEXT    W'EEK. 

Describe  the  nursing  care  of  a  case  of  double 
pneumonia. 


"  DR.  WISE  ON  INFLUENZA." 


Under  the  auspices  of  Sir  Auckland  Geddes, 
President  of  the  Local  Government  Board,  a 
kinematograph  film  has,  says  the  Lancet,  been 
prepared  by  Mr.  Jos.  Best,  B.Sc,  on  influenza. 
The  film,  which  takes  about  15  minutes  to 
show,  is  entitled  "Dr.  Wise  on  Influenza." 
The  doctor  on  the  screen  lectures  to  the 
audience  on  the  precautions  to  be  adopted  by 
a  person  suffering  from  influenza,  in  the 
patient's  own  interest,  as  well  as  the  interest 
of  those  he  comes  in  contact  with.  The  ex- 
hortations of  the  doctor  are  emphasised  by  the 
kinematograph  pictures  in  a  popular  vein, 
designed  with  the  intention  of  leaving  a 
marked  impression  on  the  audience.  The  film 
is  prefaced  by  an  appeal  from  Sir  Auckland 
Geddes  to  the  public  to  assist  the  health 
officials  by  adopting  the  precautions  indicated. 
The  Board  have  a  certain  number  of  copies  of 
the  film,  which  they  are  prepared  to  lend  to 
medical  officers  of  health  for  exhibition  pur- 
poses. Application  for  the  loan  of  a  film  should 
be  addressed  to  the  Medical  Officer  of  the 
Board. 


December  14,  1918       ^^e  BrUlsh  3ournal  of  IRurstno. 


363 


FRENCH  FLAG  NURSING  CORPS. 

Wedding  Bells. 
Sister  Helen  Canning,  of  the  French  Flag 
Nursing  Ccrps,  who  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Corps  for  three  years,  and  did  much  good 
service  at  Caen,  has  recently  resigned  upon  her 
marriage  to  Mr.  G.  Taylor.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor 
live  in  London,  and  we  unite  with  many  of  her 
colleagues  in  wishing  both  a  very  happy  future. 

Thanked  God. 

The  Sisters  with  Ambulance  12/2,  who  so  coolly 

escaped  by  the  back  door  as  the  Huns  rushed  in 

at  the  front,   during  those  terrible  days  of  the 

retreat,  are  again  passing  through  exciting  times. 


FOLLOWINQ     THE     FRENCH     FLAG. 
SISTERS'    QUARTERS    IN    THE     BACKQROUND. 


The  Armistice  was  announced  amidst  intense  ex- 
citement and  joyous  acclaim—  ' '  "Vive  la  France ' ' — 
"  Vive  I'Angleterre,"  and  then  all  the  Sisters  went 
to  I'Eglise  and  thanked  God  for  glorious  victory. 
"  It  is  exactly  four  years  since  we  all  left  Scotland 
together,"  writes  a  member  of  this  ambulance, 
"  and  little  did  we  think  that  we  should  have  to 
wait  so  long  for  victory,  but  we  knew  it  would 
come  at  last."     And  so  it  has. 

En  Avant. 

Ambulance  "16/2 1  thanks  its  stars  that,  it  is 
always  "  en  avant."  "  We  hope  soon  to  cross  into 
Germany,"  writes  a  Sister.  "  Isn't  it  wonderful ; 
just  like  a  dream  ?  We  have  had  some  civilian 
prisoners  in  our  hospital,  their  condition  is  truly 


pitiful.  Covered  with  vermin,  just  skin  and  bone. 
Their  joy  at  being  with  us  and  having  decent 
food  to  eat  was  enough  to  reduce  one  to  tears. 
How  they  must  have  sufferedt!" 

Another  Sister  writes  : — "  We  are  on  the  way 
to  '  Bochie,'  as  the  Poilus  call  it.  Our  army  corps 
has  been  in  the  thick  of  everything,  and  all  the 
most  interesting  events  of  the  last  few  weeks  have 
occurred  on  our  bit  of  the  front ;  we  are  close  to 
where  the  '  pourparlers '  came  across,  and  it 
makes  us  very  proud  to  be  with  this  corps.  For 
the  first  time  for  many  months  we  are  in  a  village 
undamaged  by  '  German  Kultur,'  and  also  for 
the  first  time  amongst  French  civiHans  in  a  town 
which  the  Germans  have  had  under  their  vile  rule 
for  four  years.  The^stories  of  their  captivity  are 
terrible.  One  wonders 
how  ever  they  survived 
such  hardships.  Of 
course,  the  Germans 
had  mined  the  roads 
and  railway  all  round 
here,  and  the  explosions 
are  tremendous  at 
times.  The  story  goes 
it  was  the  intention  to 
blow  up  the  whole 
town,  but  two  Alsatian 
soldiers  cut  the  wires 
and  so  saved  the  town 
and  some  25,000  people 
— •  extraordinary  how 
devilish  these  Boches 
are  even  when  whining 
for  peace.  More  of  their 
atrocities  when  we 
meet.  Our  work  now 
consists  of  looking  after 
sick  soldiers  (those 
needing  surgical  care) 
and  also  surgical 
women.  The  civilians 
under  the  Huns  have 
been  horribly  neg- 
lected ;  they  just  cried 
with  joy  when  they 
came  to  us.  One  poor 
lad  had  suffered  for 
two  years.  The  Boches  even  left  their  own  dead 
unburied  in  the  hospital  we  are  now  in ;  the  corpses 
were  found  by  civilians — twenty-five  of  them !  We 
can  hardly  beUeve  these  things.  These  poor  people 
have  had  no  meat  for  two  years,  other  food  almost 
uneatable,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  American 
relief  they  would  have  starved.  What  work  there 
is  facing  the  AlUes,  especially  for  France  ;  not 
only  rebuilding  the  towns  but  reUef  for  the  people. 
The  devastation  is  complete.  You  can  buy 
nothing  ;  aU  the  shops  have  been  depleted  of 
everything,  also  private  houses.  Everything  was 
stolen  and  taken  to  Germany — mattresses,  furni- 
ture, blankets,  clothing  ;  even  shoes  were  com- 
mandeered for  the  '  Sisters.'  One  wonders  what 
sort  of  nurses  they  could  be  who  could  wear  shoes 


364 


(The  Britieb  Journal  of  IRurstna.       December  14,  1918 


snatched  from  these  poor  people.  We  believe 
we  axe  going  to  C — > —  ;  it  will  be  a  great  pleasure 
to  me  to  see  Germany  under  opposite  circumstances 
to  19 1 4  !  Altogether,  these  last  six  months  have 
been  a  wonderful  time  for  us.  I  only  wish  I 
could  write  it  all  down." 

"  There  was  a  great  ceremony  to-day,"  says 
another  Sister.  ' '  Two  of  our  doctors  were 
decorated  with  the  Croix  de  Guerre,  and  the 
General  made  some  charming  speeches.  We  were 
told  we  were  to  follow  the  corps  wherever  it  went ; 
and,  as  it  is  forming  part  of  the  '  troops  of  occupa- 
tion,' we  expect  ere  long  to  be  camping  on  the 
borders  of  the  R — •.  We  are  all,  of  course,  very 
anxious  to  enter  Germany." 

"  Chez  Etrx." 
"  Our  dear,  brave  Poilus  are  absolutely  over- 
whelmed with  joy  at  the  prospect  of  soon  going 
'  Chez  eux  '  once  more.  I  shall  never  forget  my 
experience  of  them,  their  gratitude,  their  manli- 
ness, their  splendid  cheerfulness,  courage  and  fine 
moral.  .  .  .  Thanking  you  for  all  the  good  you 
have  established  for  us  at  the  Front,  and  for 
having  so  well  looked  after  our  welfare  through 
thick  and  thin  all  these  psist  eventful  four  years." 

Recognition  by  French  Government. 
Certain  information  is  required  by  the  French 
War  Office,  in  reference  to  the  recognition  of  the 
services  of  the  Members  of  the  French  Flag 
Nursing  Corps  who  have  served  for  two  years  and 
upwards  under  its  authority.  Mrs.  Fenwick  will 
be  obliged  if  the  present  address  of  Miss  Beatrice 
Ackroyd,  Cert.  Brownlow  Hill  Infirmary,  Liver- 
pool, and  of  Miss  Florence  Morris  (Canadian  Unit), 
Cert.  General  Hospital,  Vancouver,  can  be  com- 
municated to -her  at  431,  Oxford  Street,  London, 
W.,  without  delay. 


NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 


OUR    ROLL   OF    HONOUR. 

Staff  Nurse  Bessie  Coltman,  who  died  recently 
at  Lenzie,  was  buried  with  military  honours  at 
Alloa.  Miss  Coltman  transferred  from  a  civilian 
to  a  military  hospital  at  the  outbreak  of  war,  and 
had  seen  service  abroad,  botliin  East  and  Central 
Africa  and  at  Malta.  For  devotion  to  duty  she 
was  awarded  the  M.B.E.  a  few  months  ago. 

REPLY    TO     BIRTHDAY     MESSAGE. 

Queen  Alexandra,  replying  to  a  birthday 
message  from  "  all  ranks  of  the  British  Armies  in 
France,"  sent  by  Sir  Douglas  Haig,  said  : — • 

"  With  a  deeply  grateful  heart  I  thank  you  and 
all  our  splendid  and  brave  Army  in  France  for  kind 
wishes  on  my  old  birthday.  Accept  all  my  heart- 
felt congratulations  for  your  splendid  and  glorious 
achievements  and  peace." 

TRUE  TALE  WITH  A  MORAL.     1930. 

Another  little  grand-daughter  :  "  What  did  you 
do  in  the  Great  War,  grannie  ? ' " 

Grannie  (triumphantly)  :  "  I  married  twice." 


Miss  Winifred  Wood  has  been  appointed  Matron 
of  the  Royal  Air  Force  Convalescent  Hospital  at 
Swanage,  a  beautiful,  breezy  watering-place  on 
the  south  coast,  where  the  gulls  which  frequent 
the  clifEs  and  sweep  over  the  bay,  will  afford  many 
a  lesson  in  the  art  of  flying.  Miss  Wood,  until 
recently,  has  been  Head  Sister  at  the  Royal  Air 
Force  Hospital  in  London. 


All  the  service  patients  capable  of  moving  or  of 
being  moved,  and  practically  the  entire  staff 
of  Princess  Patricia  Military  Hospital,  Bray, 
assembled  at  the  railway  station  to  bid  au  revoir 
to  Sister  Mcllroy,  who  had  relinquished  her 
appointment  after  two  years'  service  at  the  Insti- 
tution. The  affection  in  which  Sister  Mclhoy 
was  held  was  given  tangible  expression  in  an 
attache  case  and  gold  brooch  from  the  staff,  and 
gold  signet  ring  and  gold  bracelet  from  the  patients. 


Miss  Torrance,  recently  Chief  Nurse  of  the 
American  Red  Cross  in  Great  Britain,  has  left 
London  to  join  the  Mission  to  the  Balkan  States, 
iti  which  from  previous  experience  she  is  deeply 
interested.  American  Mission  Nurses  un- 
doubtedly led  the  van  in  such  work  before  the 
war — especially  in  China  and  in  the  Far  East — and 
have  now  immense  scope  for  pouring  oil  on  the 
troubled  waters  after  months  of  war.  We  hope 
our  own  trained  nurses,  especially  those  who  have 
been  attached,  to  Pioneer  Corps,  whose  experience  is 
of  great  value,  will  be  encouraged  to  go  far  afield 
and  help  bind  up  the  world's  wounds  by  carrying 
the  teaching  of  the  prevention  of  disease,  and 
skilled  nursing,  into  many  insanitary  and  mal- 
odorous places. 


We  are  glad  that  attention  is  being  drawn  in  the 
Press  to  the  arrangement  that  AustraUan  nurses 
on  active  service  may  be  granted  leave  without 
pay,  prior  to  their  leaving  for  AustraHa.  It  is 
pointed  out  that  a  soldier's  pay  is  not  stopped 
when  he  gets  leave,  and  neither  should  that  of 
the  nurses  be.  The  British  Australian  sa\s: — 
"Their  work  is  as  laborious  as  that  of  any  soldier- 
much  more  so  than  that  of  an  ofiicer— and  very 
often  they  have  shared  the  same  dangers. 
Throughout  the  war  the  conduct  and  devotion 
of  the  military  nursing  stafE  have  called  for  nothing 
but  admiration.  This  has  been  accorded  freely 
enough,  but  praise  is  cheap,  and,  if  unaccompanied 
by  justice,  paltry." 

"POT-POURRI     FROM     AN     EDITH     CAVELL 
GARDEN." 

Anyone  wishing  to  help  an  Edith  Cavell  Home 
of  Rest  for  Nurses  can  do  so  by  purchasing  pot- 
pourri made  from  an  old  recipe  (1804).  All  the 
proceeds  are  given  to  the  Home.  Apply  to  Hon 
Mrs.  Corbet,  Raven  House  Edith  Cavell  Home, 
Adderley,  Market  Drayton. 


December  14,  1918       (^j)c  3Britl0b  Soumal  of  Tlurstufi. 


365 


THE  COMMANDANT. 


By  the  Surgeon. 

She  was  a  lady  of  boundless  energy  and  a 
newly  acquired  title,  and  she  had  a  husband 
who,  having  supplied  the  money,  devoted  most 
of  his  time  to  laborious  efforts  to  efface  himself 
in  the  triumphal  march  towards  the  distant 
peerage,  the  pace  of  which  was  being  so  skil- 
fully forced  by  his  more  capable  spouse. 

When  war  broke  out  she  decided  to  run  a 
hospital,  and  gave  up  one  of  her  five  "  country 
seats  "  for  the  purpose.  As  she  said,  '*  All  of 
my  houses  have  marble  floors,  so  they  can 
easily  be  disinfected  afterwards." 

I  was  the  surgeon — ^at  least,  I  suppose  I  was 
— but  before  the  craze  for  being  "  interested 
in  the  war  "  had  passed  off,  and  the  hospital 
had  therefore  been  closed,  I  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  I  was  rapidly  qualifying  myself 
mainly  as  an  expert  in  the  dark  and  devious 
ways  of  diplomacy. 

Some  of  the  incidents  in  the  career  of  the 
hospital  are  sufficiently  amusing  to  be  recorded, 
but  when  the  final  closing  down  took  place  I 
felt  a  little  out  of  breath,  and  rather  as  if  I  had 
been  acting  as  referee  in  a  North  Country  cup 
tie.  I  emerged  much  battered  as  to  reputation, 
and  with  a  plentiful  increase  of  grey  hairs. 

The  equipment  of  the  place  was  gorgeous — 
in  many  senses.  When  the  problem  came  up 
for  solution,  the  third  footman  (it  was  before 
the  days  of  conscription)  was  sent  to  bring  up 
three  weighty  surgical  catalogues  which  had 
just  arrived,  and  the  process  of  selection  took 
place.  This  was  simple,  because  the  Com- 
mandant not  only  selected  all  the  most  expen- 
sive items  in  each  section,  but  also  ordered 
many  of  them  in  duplicate,  or  even  in  half- 
dozens,  while  I  stood  by  and  gasped.'  She  even 
went  up  to  Town  to  choose  the  instruments  her- 
self, and  I  shall  never  forget  the  arrival  of  what 
was  apparently  the  entire  contents  of  about 
three  instrument  makers'  shops — Si  collection 
of  useless  ironmongery  dating  from  the  ark  to 
the  present  time.  Much  to  her  regret,  there 
was  no  time  to  have  her  crest  engraved  on  the 
handles  of  the  scalpels. 

Then  the  uniforms  !  We  had  a  nucleus  of 
very  capable  sisters  and  qualified  nurses,  who 
saved  the  patients  from  destruction,  and  the 
surgeon  from  an  untimely  grave,  and  they 
flatly  refused  to  be  camouflaged  in  any  way ; 
but  there  was  a  long  procession  of  "  help>ers  " 
— Heaven  save  the  mark  ! — each  of  whom  did 
"duty"  for  about  three  hours  a  day — when 
there  were  no  social  functions  to  be  attended 


outside.  As  the  Commandant  wanted  as  large  a 
' '  staff  ' '  as  possible,  and  none  of  her  numerous 
friends  had  any  objection  to  wearing,  or  being 
photographed  in,  the  extremely  decorative 
uniform  which  sh€  had  designed  for  them, 
recruiting  was  not  attended  with  any  obvious 
difficulties. 

Oh,  those  uniforms  !  They  were  carried  out 
in  a  groundwork  of  some  white,  silky-looking 
stuff,  with  a  bordering  of  various  colours,  each 
of  which  was  repeated  in  the  shoes  and  stock- 
ings. The  principle  of  free  ventilation  was 
emphasized  in  the  "blouse"  part,  and  the 
skirts  were  exiguous.  Red  crosses  were  stuck 
on  every  available  square  foot  of  space,  and 
the  caps  reminded  one  of  a  Breton  "  Pardon." 
The  situation  was  aptly  summed  up  by  a  dear 
old  "  brass  hat  "  who  inspected  us  one  day. 
As  I  was  conducting  him  round  the  wards,  a 
sort  of  procession  gradually  formed  of  all  the 
available  "  helpers  "  in  the  building.  The 
great  man  grew  more  and  more  perplexed  and 
fidgety,  until  at  last  he  broke  cover  with  :  "  If 
you  will  kindly  shift  that  beauty  chorus  a  little 
further  off,  we  shall  be  able  to  discuss  the 
treatment  of  the  patients."  After  his  tour  of 
inspection  he  had  to  be  revived  with  what  the 
text-books  call  a  "  diffusible  stimulant  "  before 
he  could  go  on  to  the  next  hospital  on  his  list. 

By  a  process  of  mixing  up  what  was,  with 
what  was  not,  I  managed  to  keep  the  peace 
in  a  sort  of  triangular  duel  between  the  Com- 
mandant, the  sisters,  and  the  helpers,  and  to 
get  a  fair  amount  of  work  done  in  the  intervals 
between  entertainments  for  the  patients  and 
the  constantly  recurrent  photographings  of  the 
staff,  but  I  never  knew  what  was  coming  next, 
or  when  I  would  be  myself  crushed  between  the 
upper  and  nether  millstones  of  surgery  .and 
diplomacy. 

The  first  surprise  came  when  I  arrived  in  the 
theatre  just  in  time  to  begin  on  a  "  list,"  and 
found  the  Commandant  sittihg  there  in  a 
uniform  (devised  for  the  purpose)  resembling 
that  worn  by  the  fashionable  contralto  when 
she  sings  "  The  Rosary  "  in  costume  at  a 
music-hall.  She  had  come  as  a  spectator  of 
the  morning's  procedure  !  The  sister  managed 
to  whisper  as  she  was  tying  on  my  mask  that 
it  wcLsn't  her  fault  and  what  wa*  she  to  do,  but 
she  was  obviously  much  perturbed.  I  am 
afraid  that  my  solution  of  the  problem  was 
somewhat  brutal.  I  had  intended  to  begin  with 
a  nerve  suturing,  but  started  instead  with  the 
amputation  of  an  especially  septic  leg,  which 
resulted  in  hasty  retreat  and  sounds  of  internal 
commotion  in  the  passage  outside  ! 

For  a  short  time  at  the  beginning  some  of 
the  numerous  male  staff  of  the  house  helped  in 


366 


(The  Britt0b  3ournal  ot  Burstng. 


December  14,   igi8 


the  work,  and  I  shall  never  forget  the  wooden 
face  of  (I  think)  the  third  footman,  who  had 
been  delegated  to  wheel  the  dressing  trolley, 
as  he  said  to  me:  "Will  you  take  cyanide 
gauze  or  plain,  Sir?  "  He  joined  up,  incident- 
ally, almost  immediately  afterwards,  and  was 
killed,  poor  fellow,  in  an  act  of  great  gallantry 
later  on. 

I  shall  never  forget  one  incident.  It  hap- 
pened when  we  were  expecting  a  fresh  convoy, 
and  all  the  patients  were  up  and  about  except 
an  abdominal  section  case,  who  thus  had  the 
wards  to  himself  in  the  daytime.  "  Her  lady- 
ship "  thought  she  would  entertain  him  with  a 
little  music,  so  a  procession  was  formed,  con- 
sisting of  herself,  "vested"  in  uniform 
(number  six  or  thereabouts),  the  second  foot- 
man carrying  the  gramophone,  and  the  butler 
bringing  up  the  rear  with  some  records.  The 
patient  was  a  little  rat-faced  man  hailing 
originally  from  the  slums  of  a  northern  town, 
and  he  listened  stolidly  and  without  moving  a 
muscle  to  "  Abide  with  Me,"  enlivened  by  the 
"  Bing  Boys."  At  the  conclusion  the  Com- 
mandant asked  him  how  he  liked  the  music, 
but  the  only  reply  was  :  "  We've  got  a  bigger 
one  than  that  in  our  'ouse."  She  subsequently 
told  me  that  she  thought  he  was  not  quite  a 
nice  man  ! 

I  have  poked  gentle  fun  at  this  good  lady. 
and  I  suffered  daily  attacks  of  what  Army 
forms  call  "  D.A.H."  in  efforts  to  avoid 
putting  a  patient  into  a  new  and  completely 
unsuitable  splint  which  she  had  seen  in  an 
instrument  maker's  catalogue,  and  had 
promptly  bought  because  it  was  so  expensive, 
but  when  the  place  closed  down,  and  the  last 
photograph  had  been  taken  (and  sent  to  the 
Sketchier),  and  the  last  patient  had  gone  off, 
blushing  from  the  effusive  compliments  of  the 
"  helpers,"  I  found  I  had  a  real  liking  for  her 
after  all.  Mainly,  there  was  nothing  she 
would  not  do  for  the  patients.  She  got  their 
wives  and  families  up,  even  from  the  regions  of 
the  Isles  of  Skye,  clothed  and  fed  them,  and 
put  them  up  in  the  town,  and  to  this  day  has 
kept  in  constant  touch  with  every  man  who 
had  passed  through  the  hospital  and  got  his 
discharge.  In  her  view,  nothing  was  too  good 
for  any  man  who  had  fought,  and  the  osten- 
tatious ironmongery  was  not  purely  swagger. 
All  honour  to  her,  anyhow,  for  she  had  a  big 
heart  underneath  her  parti-coloured  uniforms. 
But  whatever  nerve  centres  are  involved  in  the 
process  known  as  "  keeping  a  straight  face  " 
have,  in  my  case,  almost  succumbed  to  over- 
work, and  I  still  feel  as  if  I  had  been  acting  in 
the  "  Pantomime  Rehearsal." 


RHYMES  OF  THE  RED  TRIANGLE. 


Mr.  John  Lane,  of  the  Bodley  Head,  Vigo  Street, 
W.,  and  of  the  John  Lane  Company,  New  York, 
has  published  for  our  enjoyment  a  series  of 
"  Rhymes  of  the  Red  Triangle,"  the  verses  being 
from  the  talented  pen  of  Hampden  Gordon  and 
the  pictures  by  Joyce  Dennys,  whose  inimitable 
portra^T^al  of  the  V.A.D.  in  "  Our  Hospital  A. B.C.," 
and  of  "  Our  Girls  in  War  Time,"  has  earned  for 
her  a  distinguished  place  amongst  war-time  artists. 

The  opening  verse  propounds  the  following  : — 
A  Riddle. 
"  What  is  it  that  can  spread  its  limbs  to  reach 

From  Euston  Square  to  fabulous  Baghdad  : 
That  has  a  thousand  arms,  and  lends  with  each 

A  helping  hand  to  cheer  the  fighting  lad  : 
That  follows  fast  where  Freedom's  forces  go. 

Through  dust-storms  of  the  desert,  Alric  rains, 
The  mud  of  Flanders,  Macedonian  snow. 
The  palpitating  heat  of  -Indian  plains  : 
Whose  growth  keeps  pace  with  ev'ry  changing 
need 
And  flourishes  the  most  where  battle  rages  ? 
*         *         m         *         * 

The  answe^,  if  you'll  stop,  and  look,  aqd  read. 
Lies     (somewhat    camouflaged)   within     these 
pages." 

The  picture  which  we  here  reproduce  (reduced) 
is  a  sample  of  the  quality  of  those'  contained  in 
the  "  Rhymes  of  the  Red  Triangle  "  (the  sign  of 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  Huts).  It 
illustrates  the  following  rhyme,  and  appears  on 
page  367:— 

Unskilled  Labour. 
"  The  Duchess  at  the  Maytair  Hut 

Made  cocoa  for  a  '  Wounded  Boy.' 
She  said  :    '  I  can't  come  often,  but 

I  love  to  see  their  smile  of  joy.' 
As  Tommy's  smile  ot  joy  grew  louder. 
She  grasped  the  tin  was  marked 

'  Knife  Powder.'  " 

Our  space  only  permits  us  to  quote  one  other 
verse. 

Movies. 

"  You'll  meet  all  the  fighters  to-night,  boys. 

At  the  Eagle  American  Hut, 
The  sailor  man  back  from  the  Bight,  boys. 

The  Londoner  lately  at  Kut. 
From  Boston,  from  Auckland,  from  Devon, 

From  Melbourne,  the  Rockies,  the  Rand, 
They're  meeting  for  '  Movies  '  at  seven 

Along  down  the  Strand." 

':i^Other  subjects  dealt  with  by  pen  and  brush  are 
Concerts,  Night  Patrol,  Breakages  (Penelope, 
you'll  drop  them!  Yes,  you  will  !),  Letters  Home, 
and  many  more  besidf  s.  The  cost  of  the  book  is 
4s.  6d.,  and  it  should  be  secured  without  delay, 
as  it  will  make  a  delightful  Christmas  gift.  It  will 
no  doubt  be  quickly  out  of  print. 


December  14,  1918       ^^^  Britisb  Sourtial  of  IFlureina. 


3^7 


OUR  CHRISTIAN  DUTY  AND  NATIONAL 
OBLIGATION. 

The  return  of  our  prisoners  from  torture  camps 
and  starvation  in  Germany  is  now  well  in  hand, 
and  thousands  of  these  men,  who  have  suffered 
intolerable    misery    and    insult    (all    for    us)    are 


We  fear  there  is  very  little  doubt  that  a  certain 
number  of  our  poor  sufEering  men  wounded  in  the 
war  have  become  "  drug  addicts,"  and  one  would 
urge  nurses  to  keep  a  sharp  eye  on  any  patient 
who  may  be  suspected  of  the  drug  habit,  and 
help  them  by  every  means  in  their  power  to 
overcome  it.  Gallant  men  who  have  fought 
and  suffered  |for  us 
have  been  given  mor- 
phine to  allevi  te 
their  intolerable  suffer- 
ings. Many  do  not 
realise  its  insidious  and 
demoralising  influence. 
It  is  up  to  our  nurses 
to  help  those  addicted 
to  it  to  overcome  the 
craving. 


Is  it  too  much  to 
hope  that  the  dear 
animals  who  have 
suffered  so  terribly  for 
want  of  food  during  the 
war,  may,  at  least,  have 
a  real  feast  on  Christmas 
Day.  The  saddest  sight 
in  our^streets^ — -next  to 
that  of  our  mutilated 
men — -is  the  ribs  of 
the  horses.  This  evi- 
dence of  their  privations 
and  weakness  makes 
one's  heart  sick. 


UNSKILLED    LABOUR. 


"  Christie  "  is  going 
to  sell  the  thirty  graded 
^earl  necklaces  by 
auction,  on  December 
19th,  in  support  of  the 
Red  Cross,  and  they 
will  be  on  view  from 
the  1 6th  inst.  No 
doubt  they  will  bring 
a  handsome  sum — as  ho 
self-respecting  society 
woman  can  afford  to 
be  minus  pearls.  We 
recently  saw  a  wealthy 
peeress  wearing  a  sham 
peaxl  necklace  in  the 
morning  !  We  hope 
she  will  now  treat 
herself  to  the  real 
thing. 


returning  home.  The  Queens  and  Princesses 
have  done  themselves  honour  in  meeting  prisoners 
on  their  arrival  in  London,  and  letting  them  know 
how'every  woman's  heart  has  grieved  over  their 
sorrows.  Now  is  the  time  to  try  and  make  it  up 
to  them  by  every  means  in  our  power ;  and  if 
every  grateful  woman  does  her  bit,  organized 
help  should  quickly  and  materially  restore  these 
martyrs  to  happiness,  and,  let  us  hope,  to  health. 


THE    NURSE. 


Dear,  tender-hearted  womaif,  full  of  rare 
Rich  qualities  ;  a  spendthrift  in  your  care 

Of  those  who  greatly  need. 
Searing  your  heart  by  contact  with  their  pain. 
Be  comforted,  for  never  yet  in  vain 
j'^'^^'^Was  done  a  kindly  deed. 


368 


TTbe  Brttteb  3ournal  ot  Hurslnc. 


December  14,   igi8 


SHOULD  NURSES  STRIKE? 


NURSING    ECHOES. 


In  reply  to  the  question,  Do  you  consider  any 
conditions  justify  a  strike  of  nurses?  we  reply 
"  No."  But  offer  the  following  expression  of 
opinion  for  what  it  is  worth. 

This  is  supposed — we  only  say  supposed — 
to  be  a  free  country,  and  if  every  worker  were 
loyal  to  her  cloth  and  to  her  soul  there  would 
be  no  need  for  strikes.  People  usually  find 
themselves  in  unendurable  positions  because 
they  have  acquiesced  in  wrong-doing  and  have 
failed  in  moral  courage.  Nurses  in  hospitals 
are  often  extraordinarily  cowardly.  Why? 
Because  their  sense  of  self-interest,  as  apart 
from  a  sense  of  justice,  is  so  strong.  We  can 
imagine  no  conditions  which  can  excuse  a 
woman  for  submitting  to  injustice  and  in- 
dignity— at  the  worst  in  protesting  she  may 
s  ffer  personally,  then  take  the  risk. 

Our  experience  of  life  leads  us  to  the  con- 
clusion that  human  beings  are  reasonable 
animals,  however  ignorant  and  wanting  in 
sensibility,  and  that  even  the  most  selfish  are 
greatly  influenced  by  right  if  a  fellow  human 
declines  to  endure  a  wrong.  In  nine  cases  out 
of  ten  in  which  nurses  complain  to  us  of  unjust 
methods  of  control,  and  bad  conditions  of  insti- 
tutional life,  they  are  themselves  to  blame. 
Grumble — yes,  but  how  many  will  go  straight 
to  the  Matron,  or  the  Committee  (if  the  Matron 
herself  is  a  weak  woman),  and  just  quietly  place 
the  case  before  them? 

That  is  what  we  did  in  every  hospital  in 
which  we  ever  worked  in  the  good  (or  bad)  old 
days,  and  never  once  did  we  fail  to  have  the 
wrong  rectified.  Nottingham,  Manchester, 
the  Lxjndon,  Barts — we  could  a  tale  unfold. 
Some  day  when  we  have  time  we  will  recall  a 
few  interesting  incidents  in  this  connection. 
And  in  no  instance  were  we  penalised.  A  Pro. 
at  the  Children's,  Nottingham,  ist  April,  1878. 
(Mother,  who  hated  careers  for  girls,  pro- 
nounced it  a  very  suitable  date  to  enter  for 
training.)  Matron,  Barts,  ist  April,  1881. 
Three  years'  combat,  but  no  lack  of  promotion. 
Then  six  years'  strenuous  reform  work,  yet 
perfect  concord  and  happiness  all  the  time. 
No  necessity  for  a  strike  on  any  issue,  but  no 
wrong  condoned,  and  every  issue  satisfactorily 
attained.  Often  on  duty  sixteen  hours  out  of 
twenty-four — that,  of  course,  would  be  unpar- 
donable in  these  enlightened  times.  Even  so 
long  ago  as  1879  we  remember  being  taken  to 
task  by  an  old  Sfster  at  the  "  London  "  for 
"  never  sitting  down,  and  exposing  the  older 
Sisters,  who  looked  to  remove  their  cap-tails 
for  a  nap  in  the  afternoon,  to  odious  com- 
parison." 


We  have  received  from  the  General 
Infirmary,  Leeds,  a  most  interesting  and 
important  Report  of  a  Sub-Committee 
appointed  on  July  5th  last  to  examine  the  con- 
ditions under  which  the  nursing  of  the 
Infirmary  is  carried  on,  to  formulate  any 
improvements  which  they  deem  necessary,  to 
estimate  the  extra  cost  involved  in  such 
improvements,  and  to  report  to  the  Board. 
The  inquiry  was  undertaken  in  consequence  of 
a  report  from  the  Lady  Superintendent  of 
Nurses  that  the  Infirmary  was  understaffed 
with  Nurses,  and  that  the  individual  Nurses 
were  underpaid. 

The  special  importance  of  the  Report  is  that 
it  intimates  that  the  Committee  further 
requested  the  Sisters  and  Nurses  to  formulate 
any  recommendations  which  they  might  be  able 
to  make  for  the  improvement  of  their  condition, 
and  to  appoint  four  Sisters  and  eight  Nurses 
to  meet  the  Committee  and  discuss  their  recom- 
mendations. Individual  Matrons  have  done 
wonders  with  the  material  at  their  disposal,  but, 
knowing  the  need  for  economy,  it  is  not  sur- 
prising that  they  hesitate  to  recommend  a  large 
increase  in  the  way  of  expenditure  in  regard 
to  salaries.  In  this  connection  it  is  quite  the 
right  thing  that,  as  the  preliminary  to  consider- 
ing the  revision  of  salaries,  the  views  of  those 
chiefly  concerned  should  receive  consideration. 


The  shortage  of  private  nurses  has  resulted 
in  the  death  of  many  civilians,  especially  the 
stricken  children,  during  the  pneumonia  epi- 
demic, and  we  hear  of  no  offer  of  help  from 
V.A.D.'s  or  other  "  patriotic  "  lay  women  for 
these  sufferers,  whilst  we  learn  that  the  officers' 
hospitals  in  London  have  a  very  full  comple- 
ment of  trained  and  untrained  nurses. 


There  is  no  doubt  that  in  this  country 
drastic  reforms  as  to  salaries  and  hours  of  work 
will  have  to  be  made  at  an  early  date.  And 
if  parents  are  unable  to  pay  for  their  daughters' 
nursing  education,  as  they  pay  for  medical 
education,  then  the  State  must  step  in  and 
subsidize  our  nursing  schools.  At  present 
many  are  schools  dnly  in  name.  Thorough 
education  is  costly,  and  the  present  lack  of 
standards  can  no  longer  pertain.  Women  of 
culture  and  education  paid  for  their  training  in 
the  'seventies  and  'eighties.  What  is  to  hinder 
them  from  doing  so  now?  But  the  quid  pro 
quo  must  be  worth  their  while. 


December  14,  1918       ^|3e  36rltl0b  3ournal  or  IRursinfl. 


369 


For  the  future  the  "  cottage  helps  "  attached 
to  the  Ipswich  Nurses'  Home,  sent  out  to  those 
who  cannot  afford  a  private  nurse,  are  to  be 
known  as  "  home  nurses."  Is  this  fair,  either 
to  the  poorer  patients  or  the  trained  members 
of  the  staff?  Not  in  our  opinion.  Surely  it  is 
hig-h  time  lay  Committees  running  Nursing 
Associations  realised  that  it  is  the  severity  of 
the  illness  and  not  the  fatness  of  the  purse 
which  should  decide  the  standard  of  nursing 
required.  Let  us  hope  the  new  Ministry  of 
Health  will  go  carefully  into  nursing  conditions 
so  far  as  the  poor  are  concerned,  and  evolve  a 
co-operative  scheme  for  providing  a  high  stan- 
dard of  nursing  for  all  classes.  And  do  not  let 
us  forget  there  is  or  ought  not  to  be  any 
"  class  "  distinction  in  sickness. 


In  lamenting  the  death  of  Queen's  Nurse 
Sowerbutts,  who  for  five  and  a  half  years  had 
laboured  with  so  much  devotion  for  the  sick  at 
Haywards  Heath,  the  chairman,  Mrs.  Holgate, 
said  the  Association  will  have  the  greatest  diffi- 
culty in  filling  her  place.  Mrs.  Holgate  states 
that  rich  and  poor  alike  shared  the  benefit  of 
her  willing  service,  and  she  pleads  for  a 
Nurses'  Home,  whence  nurses  of  various 
qualifications  could  deal  with  the  needs  of  the 
surrounding  neighbourhood.  We  hope  this 
does  not  mean  that  there  is  to  be  one  standard 
of  nursing  for  the  poor — and  another  for  the 
rich  !  Indeed,  we  strongly  disapprove  of 
Queen's  Nurses  being  used  by  persons  who 
can  well  afford  to  pay  for  their  service,  just 
because  they  give  a  trifling  subscription  to  the 
charity.  This  is  often  done  without  the  well- 
to-do  paying  anything  like  the  cost  of  skilled 
service.  But  in  any  scheme  for  raising  the 
health  of  the  community  generally,  co-operative 
nursing  for  the  middle  classes  will  have  to 
find  its  place.  

Arrangements  are  being  made  at  Lincoln  to 
form  a  district  nursing  association,  to  be 
operated  from  the  Bromhead  Institute,  for  the 
benefit  of  Lincoln  and  Boultham. 


The  monthly  meeting  of  the  Committee  of 
the  Queen  Victoria's  Jubilee  Institute  for 
Nurses,  Rutland  Square,  Dublin,  showed  the 
extraordinary  amount  of  work  done  by  the 
nurses  in  visiting  the  sick  poor  in  their  own 
homes  during  this  awful  epidemic  of  influenza. 
In  the  month  of  October  six  nurses  visited 
317  cases,  and  paid  3,444  visits — 269  of  these 
cases  were  influenza  and  pneumonia.  Two  of 
the  nurses  contracted  the  epidemic,  leaving  the 
burden  still  heavier  on  the  remainder  of  the 
staff^.      The  only  outside   help   was  from   two 


V.A.D. 's,  who  came  to  their  assistance.  St. 
Lawrence's  Home  should  have  a  staff  of  twelve 
nurses  at  least,  but  want  of  funds  has  obliged 
the  Committee  to  reduce  the  number  to  six.  If 
only  the  public  would  give  more  help  to  the 
Committee,  the  work  could  be  extended 
indefinitely  to  the  great  advantage  of  the  poor 
of  the  city. 

Let  us  hope  when  we  have  a  Ministry  of 
Health  all  such  work  will  be  co-ordinated  and 
subsidised  by  the  State. 


The  Scottish  Nurses'  Club  will  be  formally 
launched  on  Saturday,  December  14th,  when 
the  opening  ceremony  will  be  performed  by  the 
Right  •  Honourable  the  Lord  Provost  of 
Glasgow,  at  three  o'clock.  The  President  and 
Trustees  of  the  Club  have  issued  invitations  for 
this  function,  and  we  much  regret  that  our 
engagements  do  not  permit  of  our  accepting 
that  with  which  we  have  been  honoured. 


Miss  H.  Hawkins'  letter  in  a  recent  issue, 
headed  the  "Deep  Sighing  of  the  Poor,"  in 
which  she  referred  to  the  scandal  that  large 
numbers  of  dead  in  the  East  End  of  London 
were  left  unburied  for  an  unseemly  length  of 
time,  has  aroused  much  indignation,  as  well  it 
may. 

Miss  Mary  L.  Breay  writes  in  this  connec- 
tion : — 

"  Miss  Hawkins'  letter  about  the  dead  lying  un- 
buried in  the  houses  of  the  poor  of  London  fills  one 
with  horror  and  indignation.  May  I  suggest  that  if 
the  Government  and  local  bodies  are  so  callous  as 
to  neglect  this  imperative  duty  of  burying  the  dead, 
that  a  mortuary  chapel  should  be  built  in  every 
parish,  and  that  the  names  of  those  who  have  laid 
down  their  lives  for  their  country  should  be  re- 
corded in  plain  letters  on  the  walls.  Thus  the 
chapel  would  be  a  memorial  of  the  war  and  serve 
the  dead  and  the  living  at  the  same  time.  And  let 
the  chapel  be  the  most  beautiful  that  can  be  built. 
Whoever  has  seen  the  lovely  little  chapel  at 
Compton,  near  Guildford,  designe.d  by  the  late  Mr. 
G.  F.  Watts,  R.A.,  -will  know  how  beautiful  it 
might  be.  The  chapel  outside  is  in  the  form  of  a 
cross  inside  a  circle  ;  the  latter  represents  eternity. 

I  believe  all  the  villagers  made  a.stone  and  laid  it  in 
this  building.  Inside,  the  chapel  is  perfectly  round 
and  opposite  the  entrance  door  is  the  holy  table 
with  the  symbol  of  our  faith  upon  it.  The  u-alls 
are  one  mass  of  glowing  colour,  which  entiiely 
dissipates  all  thought  of  gloom  and  dreariness 
connected  with  death.  R(jund  the  walls  in  artistic 
colouring  are  the  words,  "  The  souls  of  the  righteous 
are  In  the  hands  of  God."  The  centre  of  the 
chapel  is  empty,  but  there  are  benches  oi  artistic 
design  placed  against  the  walls.  The  whole  effect 
IS  beautiful  and  nothing  can  give  one  a  better  idea 
of  the  triumph  of  "  life  over  death  "—or  lather  the 
"  continuity  of  life." 


370 


JLbc  Brttiab  3ournal  of  "Wuretno,       December  14,  1918 


Ropal  Britisi)  nurses'  Association 


(Incorporated  bp 


Ropal  CDarter,) 


THIS  SUPPLEMENT  BEING  THE  OFFICIAL  ORGAN  OF  THE  CORPORATION. 


OUR  ROYAL  CHARTER. 


Numbers  of  the  Members  have  requested, 
from  time  to  time,  that  a  photograph  of  Her 
Royal  Highness  the  Princess  Christian,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Association, 
should  be  inserted  in 
their  official  organ. 
We  therefore  asked 
for  and  obtained  the 
gracious  permission 
of  Her  Royal  High- 
ness to  have  it  put 
into  the  Christmas 
issue.  The  Princess 
has  ever  had  the  in- 
terests of  the  nurses 
very  close  to  her 
heart,  and  there  are 
many  movements  con- 
nected with  their  pro- 
fession w^hich  owe 
their  success  in  large 
measure  to  the  in- 
fluence and  support  of 
Her  Royal  Highness; 
The  Members  of  the 
Royal  British  Nurses' 
Association  have,  time 
and  again,  expressed 
with  no  uncertain  voice  their  feelings  of  loyalty 
and  devotion  to  their  President  for  all  her 
kindness  to  their  Association,  and  for  ever- 
ready  sympathy  and  help  in  connection  with 
any  work  which  it  finds  good  to  undertake. 
But  in  the  pages  of  Nursing  History,  both  of 
the  present  time  and  time  to  come,  her  name 
will  always  be  prominently  associated  with  the 
grant  of  a  Royal  Charter  to  the  nurses.  For, 
in  beautiful,  old-time  phraseology,  the  Pre- 
amble of  the  Charter  commences,  "  Victoria, 
by  the  Grace  of  God  of  the  United  Kingdom 
of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  Queen,  Defender 
of  the  Faith,  to  all  to  whom  these  presents 
COME  greeting  :  Whereas,  it  has  been  repre- 


HERJ     ROYAL     HIQHNESS     PRINCESS    CHRISTIAN 

PRINCESS    OF     GREAT     BRITAIN     AND     IRELAND. 

PRESIDENT  OF  THE    ROYAL  BRITISH    NURSB5' 

ASSOCIATION. 


sented  to  us  by  Our  Most  Dearly  Beloved 
Daughter,  Helena,  Princess  Christian,"  and 
there  follow  the  representations  made  by  Her 
Royal  Highness  as  to  why  a  Royal  Charter 
should  be  granted  to  the  Association,  and  later 
a  list  of  Signatories,  to  the  Charter. 

A  Royal  Charter  is 
extremely  difficult  to 
acquire,  particularly 
in  modern  times  when 
the  Companies'  Act 
has  come  into  force ; 
almost  any  body  can 
obtain  incorpvoration 
under*  the  Board  of 
Trade,  but  the  pos- 
session of  a  Royal 
Charter  implies  incor- 
poration  by  the 
Crown.  The  most 
famous  is,  as  most 
people  know,  the 
MagnaCharta  of  King 
John,  granted  in  1215, 
and  it  was  demanded 
in  order  to  preserve  the 
liberties  of  the  Eng- 
lish people.  Ever  since 
then  Royal  Charters 
have  been  associated 
with  constitutional  privileges,  granted  under  the 
sign  manual  of  a  Sovereign  of  the  Realm.  The 
Royal  Charter  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses' 
Asociation  offers  to  the  nurses  very  far- 
reaching  powers — powers  which,  if  they  would 
but  combine  and  use  them,  would  place  their 
profession  in  the  forefront  of  all  women's  pro- 
fessions and  employments,  and  which  could 
shelter  and  protect  them  individually.  A  close 
study  of  the  Charter,  too,  shows  the  wisdom 
with  which  it  was  drafted,  for,  although  it  gives 
to  the  Corporation  a  status  and  a  prestige 
which  no  other  body  of  nurses  in  the  Empire 
possesses,  or  is  likely  to  possess,  there  is 
nothing  in   it  to  militate  against  the  general 


December  14,  1918       ji\yc  Brlttsb  3ournal  of  'Wurefna. 


zn 


good,  or  to  favour  any  oppressive  monopoly. 
It  is,  therefore,  a  great  power  in  the  hands  of 
the  nurses,  and  they  owe  to  Her  Royal  High- 
ness, the  President  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses' 
Association,  a  deeper  debt  than  they  realise  that 
this  priceless  and  historical  document  belongs 
to  the  Members  of  the  Royal  Corporation. 


A  CHARTER  TEA. 

The  Executive  Committee  invite  members  01  the 
Corporation,  Members  of  the  Societies  affiliated  to 
it  and  other  Trained  Nurses  to  tea  at  10,  Orchard 
Street  on  Tuesday,  December  17th,  from  3.30  to 
6.30  p.m. 

Instructions  have  been  given  that  the  Royal 
Charter  shall  be  brought  from  the  strong  room  at 
the  Bank  so  that  nurses  who  would  like  to  see  this 
document,  which  is  of  such  paramount  importance 
in  the  present  struggle  to  safeguard  their  liberties 
and  privileges,  may  have  opportunity  for  doing  so. 
All  trained  nurses  will  be  cordially  welcomed. 


AMERICA  AND  THE  NEW  WORLD  ORDER. 

Mr.  Price  Bell,  Editor  of  the  Chicago  Daily 
News,  delivered  an  eloquent  lecture  on  December 
5th,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Corporation,  at 
II,  Chandos  Street,  Cavendish  Square,  W.  Mr. 
Herbert  Paterson  occupied  the  Chair  and  intro- 
duced the  distinguished  American  journalist  to 
the  meeting.  In  commencing,  Mr.  Price  Bell 
said  that,  as  he  was  to  speak  to  the  members  of 
a  large  and  highly  skilled  profession,  he  would 
make  no  apology  for  devoting  his  remarks,  not 
to  anything  pertaining  to  their  life  work,  but  to 
matters  political.  All  who  belonged  to  democratic 
countries,  men  and  women  alike,  were  politicians 
now,  even  the  children  breathed  an  air  charged 
with  political  aspiration  and  political  thought. 
Democracy  had  been  reborn,  and  in  its  veins 
flowed  a  new  and  abounding  life.  Everyone  in 
these  days  felt  an  enormously  heightened  respon- 
sibility for  what  goes  on  politically,  and  democracy 
was  thoroughly  out  of  conceit  with  secretive 
leadership  and  was  minded  more  and  more  to  pro- 
ject its   will   into   the  domain  of   political   control. 

The  lecturer  referred  to  the  traditional  devotion 
of  America  to  principles  of  f>olitical  and  social 
libefrty.  She  had,  as  a  nation,  always  been  a 
protagonist  of  freedom ;  all  her  wars  had  been 
fought  for  freedom ;  and  all  her  threats  of  war 
had  been  in  the  interests  of  freedom. 

American  Democracy,  Mr.  Bell  continued,  was 
enthusiastically  for  a  LeagTje  of  Nations.  Cynics 
had  called  the  proposed  League  of  Nations  "  a 
Rainbow."  Such  persons  held  that  our  civiliza- 
tion is  to  be  maintained,  if  at  all,  by  steel,  but  the 
"  rainbow  "  exercised  a  sure  and  universal  mastery 
over  steel.  What  was  it  which  won  the  war 
against  the  Hun?  Was  it  steel?  Was  it  the  big 
gun?  Was  it  the  aeroplane?  Was  it  any  material 
thing  at  all  ?    It  was  the  great  and  beautiful  "  rain- 


bow "  of  free  civilisation's  invincible  ideal. 
Material  weapons  were  wholly  useless,  unless  be- 
hind them,  supporting  them,  wielding  them,  was 
that  most  marvellous  of  all  things — the  righteously 
inspired  human  soul.  "So,"  said  Mr.  Bell,  "let 
us  not  dismiss  the  League  of  Nations  idea  because 
it  is  a  dream.  Personally,  I  thank  God  for  the 
women  and  men  of  our  world  who  dream  dreams; 
but  for  them — but  for  the  cooling  springs  of  their 
prophecy  and  faith — we  should  parch  and  faint  in 
a  spiritual  Sahara." 

Mr.  Bell  next  brought  forward  contentions  based 
on  the  histor}'  of  the  great  war,  to  support  his 
belief  in  a  League  of  Nations.  He  was  aware 
that  statesmen  talked  a  great  deal  about  the  diffi- 
culties in  the  way  of  this  great  world  political 
conception.  He  himself  wished  that  they  would 
talk  less  of  those  and  display  more  confidence  in 
one  another  and  themselves ;  that  they  would  be 
less  fearful  of  the  unknown ;  and  remember  the 
dramatic  achievements  which  had  come  from 
inarching  boldly  against  the  unknown.  A  League 
of  Nations,  as  defined  by  Mr.  Bell,  was  a  league 
of  law  abiders,  of  respecters  of  sound  morality,  and 
a  league  of  the  defenders  of  the  fruits  of  human 
progress.  We  talk  much  of  national  honour,  but 
what  reason  and  right  ask  is  simply  that  we  shall 
be  honourable  and  do  what  in  imperfect  human 
nature  lies  to  realise  the  supreme  doctrine  of 
humanity,  "  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thy- 
self." It  was  further  explained  that  the  proposed 
Ivcague  of  Nations  would  not  bind  any  nations 
except  by  its  treaties.  In  no  way  would  such  a 
league  interfere  with  the  domestic  affairs  of  any 
single  nation  by,  for  instance,  dictating  as  regards 
its  fiscal  or  defensive  policy.  Neither  wouM 
there  be  any  system  of  subordination,  but  only  one 
of  co-ordination. 

Speaking  of  Bolshevism,  Mr.  Bell  said,  "  It 
is  a  horrible  thing;  it  is  civilization  on  the  rack; 
it  is  the  ghastly  negation  of  everything  for  which 
humanity  has  hoped  and  prayed  and  toiled  and 
bled.  It  is  a  mirror  in  which  the  misguided,  cal- 
lous, avaricious,  criminal  man  may  look  up>on 
himself.  A  thousand  things,  abhorrent  to 
Christianity  and  to  justice — these  are  the  ugly  and 
mis-shapen    forebears   of    Bolshevism." 

In  Mr.  Bell's  opinion,  British-American  soli- 
darity was  the  corner-stone  of  free  civilization  in 
the  world.  In  closing,  he  advised  his  audience 
to  neglect  no  opportunity  by  word  or  act 
to  further  such  a  re-union  of  our  race  as 
shall  make  it  proof  against  any  strain.  More 
certainly  than  in  any  other  way,  this  great  object 
can  be  obtained  by  mutual  tolerance  of  superficial 
differences,  by  mutual  words  and  acts  of  friendship, 
by  mutual  sympathy  and  respect.  All  at  their 
various  posts  of  duty,  in  the  Empire  and  elsewhere, 
could  bear  with  them  a  mighty  wave  of  influence 
for  British-American  harmony  and  happiness,  and 
so  for  the  well-being  of  the  world. 

The  Chairman  expressed  the  appreciation  of  those 
present  of  a  brilliant  lecture. 

(Signed)     Isabel  Macdonald, 

Secretary  to  the  Corporation. 


372 


(The  Britieb  3ournal  of  IRuretno.       December  14,  1918 


OUR    VICTORY    THANKOFFERINQ    FOR 
STATE  REGISrRATION. 

The  President  of  the  Society  for  the  State 
Registration  of  Trained  Nurses  begs  to  thank 
many  friends  of  the  cause  for  their  generous 
contributions  to  the  State  Registration  Cam- 
paign. The  "  Insignificant  Minority  "  are  well 
to  the  fore  this  week,  and  every  shilling  that 
can  be  spared  will  be  welcomed  in  support  of 
just  legislation — and  in  opposition  to  pluto- 
cratic and  charitable  control  of  our  profession. 
See  page  x. 

APPOINTMENTS. 

MATRON. 

Evelina    Hospital     for    Cliildren,    Soutliwarlt,  S.E. 

Miss   Judith  E.   Hancock  has  been   appointed 

Matron.  She  received  her  Children's  Training  at 
the  Sheffield  Children's  Hospital,  and  for  the  past 
year  has  been  Assistant  Matron  at  the  East 
London  Hospital  for  Children,  Shadwell.  Miss 
Hancock  had  her  General  Training  at  the  Dread- 
nought (Seamen's)  Hospital,  Greenwich,  and  at 
the  Samaritan  Free  Hospital  for  Women  (four 
years'  joint  certificate)  ;  since  then  she  has  held 
the  posts  of  Surgical  Ward  and  Theatre  Sister  at 
Shadwell  Children's  Hospital  and  the  Belgrave 
Hospital  for  Children,  also  of  Night  Sister  at  the 
Samaritan  Free  Hospital.  Before  returning  to 
Shadwell  as  Assistant  Matron,  Miss  Hancock 
was  for  more  than  three  years  a  Sister  in  the 
Royal    Naval    Nursing    Service    Reserve. 

London  County  Mental  Hospital,  Claybury, 
Woodford,  Essex.  -  Miss  Helen  Lamb  has  been 
appointed  Matron.  She  was  trained  at  St. 
George's  Hospital,  Bombay,  and  has  been  Matron 
at  Craig  House,  Momingside,  Edinburgh. 

Isolation  Hospital,  Pengam.— Miss  Jessie  A. 
Brown  has  been  appointed  Matron.  She  was 
trained  at  Belvidere  Fever  Hospital,  Glasgow,  and 
the  Glasgow  Royal  Infirmary,  and  has  been  sister 
and  assistant  matron  at  Heathfield  Hospital,  Ayr  ; 
matron,  Invalid  Girls'  Home,  Bridge  of  Weir ; 
sister  at  Muswell  Hill  Isolation  Hospital,  and  has 
undertaken  matron's  duties  and  had  experience  of 
private  nursing. 

ASSISTANT    MATRON. 

Evelina    Hospital    for    Children,   Southwark,    S.E. 

— -Miss  M.  Irene  Lindars  has  been  appointed 
Assistant  Matron.  She  was  trained  in  Children's 
work  for  nearly  four  years  at  the  Evelina  Hospital ; 
she  then  went  to  Westminster  Hospital  for  General 
Training  (four  years'  certificate),  afterwards 
returning  to  the  Evelina  as  Night  Sister.  From 
that  post  she  was  transferred  to  day  duty  as 
Surgical  Sister  ;  from  the  latter  post  she  has  now 
been   promoted. 

The  King  and  Queen  of  tlie  Belgians  have  been 
to  the  shooting  range  ground  where  are  buried  the 
bodies  of  persons  shot  during  the  German  occupa- 
tion. The  Queen  laid  a  wreath  on  the  grave  of 
Miss  Cavell. 


EXAMINATION  OF  NURSES  IN 
SCOTLAND. 

On  November  12th  and  subsequent  days  the 
Local  Government  Board  for  Scotland  held  an 
examination  for  the  certification  of  trained  sick 
nurses  and  of  trained  fever  nurses.  The  exami- 
nation was  h^d  at  Glasgow,  Edinburgh,  Dundee, 
and  Aberdeen.  The  examiners  were  Professor 
Glaister,  The  University,  Glasgow  ;  Dr.  Chalmers, 
Medical  Officer  of  Health,  Glasgow  ;  Dr.  Gordon, 
Aberdeen  ;  and  Dr.  Ker,  City  Hospital,  Edinburgh, 
who  were  assisted  in  the  practical  part  of  the 
examination  by  Miss  Merchant,  Matron  of  the 
Eastern  District  Hospital,  Glasgow,  and  by  Miss 
Lindsay,  Matron  of  Belvidere  Hospital,  Glasgow. 

The  subjects  of  examination  were  Elementary 
Anatomy  and  Physiology  ;  Hygiene  and  Dietetics  ; 
Medical  and  Surgical  Nursing  ;  Midwifery  (for  Poor 
Law  and  General-trained  nurses)  ;  and  Infectious 
Diseases  (for  Fever- trained  nurses  only).  In  all  214 
candidates  presented  themselves  for  examination. 
Of  these,  94  were  examined  in  Anatomy  and 
Physiology  ;  69  in  Hygiene  and  Dietetics  ;  27  in 
Medical  and  Surgical  Nursing  (for  Poor  Law  and 
General- trained  nurses);  51  in  Medical  and  Surgical 
Nursing  (for  fever- trained  nurses);  23  in  Midwifery; 
and  56  in  Infectious  Diseases. 

The  following  candidates  have  now  completed 
the  examination  and  subject  to  the  completion  of 
three  years'  training  in  hospital  to  the  satisfaction 
of  the  Local  Government  Board,  are  entitled  to  the 
certificate  of  efficiency  granted  by  the  Board  : — ■ 
I.     Certificate  in  General  Training. 

Eastern  District  Hospital,  Glasgow. — Elizabeth  M. 
Carson,  Mary  Frame,  Medling  MacT^er,  Margaret  F. 
Pace,  Marion  W.  Proctor,  Isabella  E.  Somerville,  Jane 
Wintour,  Nellie  Davidson. 

Govan  Poorhouse  Hospital, Glasgow. —^eaxinie  Hannan, 
Georgina  Mills,  Isabella  :VIcGilp,  Sophia  S.  Osman, 
Violet  Sillars,  Catherine  B.  Wilson. 

Barnhill  Poorhouse  Hospital,  Glasgow. — ^Mary  H. 
McConnachie,  Margaret  McLellan,  Mary  W.  Mac- 
pherson. 

Paisley  Poorhouse  Hospital.-—Eliza.  S.  R.  Stevenson, 
Agnes  W.  Taylor. 

Craiglochhart  Poorhouse  Hospital,  t.dinhurgh.- ■'i^ema 
Aitken,  Ann  Iredale,  Helen  T.  Pairman. 

Aberdeen  Poorhouse  Hospital. — Helen  Gill. 

II.     Certificate  in  Fever  Training. 

Belvidere  Hospital,  G/asgou'.- -Margaret  Reid. 

Ruchill  Hospital,  Glasgow.^  Annie  S.  Allan,  Catherine 
H.  Barlas,  Agnes  W.  C.  Brand,  Janet  M.  Brown,  Helen 
S.  Cruickshank,  Mary  Flatlev,  EUa  M.  Forsyth.  Edith 
Heughan,  Caroline  K.  McBain,  Euphemia  W.  F. 
Simpson,  Margaret  E.  K.  Smith. 

County  Hospital,  Motherwell— 'Ma.ry  K.  Lindsay, 
Elsie  B.  McFwan,  Maud  S.  Wright. 

Gateside  Hospital,  Green ock.~Ma,Tga.Tet  H.  Gordon, 
Marv  liowatson,  Jeanie  A.  Matthews,  Ella  ]\tcGill, 
Margarita  A.  T.  Shewan,  WiUiamina  S.  Wilson. 

Blawarthill  Hospital,  Yokey.—^laxy  A.  Bowie,  Rhoda 
M.  Keillar,  Jean  A.  McClurc. 

Duntocher  Joint  if os/)i/a/.— Christina  J.  M.  Lindsay. 

Combination  Hospital,  Johnstone. — Lily  McQuillan. 

Infectious  Diseases  Hospital,  Patstey.— Isabella  J. 
Gemmell.  .    . 

Fever  Hospital,  Dunfermline. — Catherine  V.  Chnstie. 


December  14,    1918 


(Tbc  Brttisb  3ournal  ot  •Rursino. 


375 


r  City  Hospital,  Edinburgh. — Gertrude  Browna,  Eliza- 
beth Christie,  Effie  D.  Clark,  Jessie  B.  Cowie,  Innes  H. 
Craigen,  Nancv  M.  Grieve,  Isabella  S.Henderson,  Jean 
S.  Jack.  iSIarjorv  I.  Mvles,  Margaret  W.  W.  McArthur, 
Flora  McLeod.  'Isabella  S.  Rennie.  Joan  F.  H.  Rigg, 
Margaret  S.  Scott. 

King's  Cross  Hospital,  Dundee. — Helen  M.  Garden. 

City  Hospital,  Aberdeen. — Annie  C.  Cameron, 
Beatrice  R.  Davidson,  Dorcas  Eraser p  Charlotte  J. 
Grant,  Annie  S.  Leith,  Helen  Mearns,  Jessie  A.Murdoch, 
Marion  A.  McATpine,  Georgina  B.  Riddell,  NelUe  L. 
Weir. 

The  Papers  set  at  the  examination  were 
eminently  practical  and  we  congratulate  those  who 
passed  on  gaining  their  certificates. 


PRIZES  FOR  NURSES. 

The  nurses'  annual  prize-giving  was  held  at 
the  Bristol  General  Hospital,  where  there  was  a 
large  gathering  of  nurses  and  representatives  of 
the  various  committees  of  the  institution.  Mr. 
G.  A.  Wills  presided,  and  several  of  the  speakers 
referred  to  the  valuable  work  of  the  Matron,  Miss 
Densham,  and  Dr.  Albert  Sim  ;  and  thanks  were 
conveyed  to  the  nursing  staff. 

The  prizes  were  awarded  as  follows  : — Gold  medal. 
Nurse  Ethel  Clark ;  silver  medal.  Nurse  Eleanor 
Keene.  Certificates  of  efficiency  :  Nurse  Dorothy 
Morris,  Nurse  Beatrice  Godfrey,  Nurse  Ethel  Panes. 
The  Lottie  Cuh'ervvell  Memorial  Prize,  given  by  Mrs. 
Samuel  Hos  egood  to  the  best  nurse  of  her  year  :  Nurse 
Ethel  Clark .  First  prize  on  an  examination  on  medical 
nursing  :  Nurse  Clarie  Wood ;  second  prize.  Nurse 
Ethel  Panes.  First  prize,  surgical  nursing.  Nurse 
Ethel  Panes  ;  second  prize.  Nurse  Irene  North.  First 
prize,  physiology.  Nurse  Eleanor.  Keene ;  second 
prizes.  Nurse  Winifred  I>ong  and  Nurse  Dorothy 
Crocker.  First  prize,  anatomy.  Nurse  Kate  Wells ; 
second  prize.  Nurse  Nellie  IMoody.  First  prize, 
practical  nursing.  Nurse  Jessie  Franklin ;  second 
prize.  Nurse  Eva  Heard. 


QUEEN  VICTORIA'S  JUBILEE  INSTITUTE 
FOR    NURSES. 


A  meeting  of  the  Council  of  Queen  Victoria's 
Jubilee  Institute  for  Nurses  was  held  at  58, 
Victoria  Street,  S.W.  i,  last  Wednesday  Captain 
Sir  Harold  Boulton,  Bt.,  C.V.O.,  C.B.E.,  being 
in  the  chair. 

The  estimates  for  the  expenditure  during  the 
coming  year  received  very  careful  consideration, 
as  it  was  realised  that  the  expansion  and  many 
developments  in  connection  with  health  work 
would  involve  an  increased  expenditure,  but  the 
Council  felt  that  any  retrenchment  would  be 
disastrous  to  the  work  which  the  Institute  is 
carrying  on  for  the  benefit  of  the  nation. 

Most  satisfactory  progress  was  reported,  more 
especially  when  the  very  great  shortage  of  nurses, 
caused  by  the  absence  of  some  600  of  the  Queen's 
nurses  on  war  service,  is  taken  into  consideration. 
New  districts  are  being  formed  in  readiness  for 
the  hoped-for  release  of  these  nurses  in  the  near 
future. 


Special  attention  was  called  to  the  self-sacrificing 
and  devoted  work  of  the  Inspectors,  Superinten- 
dents and  nurses  during  the  prevalence  of  the 
influenza  epidemic,  and  a  resolution  was  passed 
expressing  the  Council's  high  appreciation  for 
what  they  had  done.  The  Council  heard  with  the 
deepest  regret  of  the  death  of  nine  of  the  Queen's 
nurses  as  the  result  of  contracting  the  disease  in 
the  discharge  of  their  duties 

Transfers  and  Appointments. 

Miss  Hannah  F.  Hobbs  is  appointed  to  Kings- 
wood  as  Superintendent ;  Miss  Ida  L.  Benson  to 
Watford  as  General  Training  Sister  ;  Miss  Annie 
M.  Stringer  to  Kilbum. 


AN  UNPARDONABLE  ATTACK. 


Sir  Henry  Burdett,  the  anti-registration  protag- 
onist for  a  quarter-of-a-century,  and  now  the 
ardent  supporter  of  the  Employers'  Registration 
Bill,  drafted  by  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  in 
opposition  to  the  organized  Nurses'  Bill,  lost  his 
temper  badly  in  his  paper.  The  Hospital,  last  week ; 
and  the  scurrilous  attack  made  upon  Miss  Isabel 
Macdonald,  the  very  popular  and  greatly  respected 
Secretary  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Association 
is  going  too  far,  even  for  the  employers'  Press. 
Sir  Henry  and  his  anonymous  correspondents  must 
be  made  to  realise,  either  in  or  outside  the  Law  Courts, 
that  virulent  abuse  of  ever^^  trained  nurse  who  dares 
to  hold  and  express  professional  opinions  distaste- 
ful to  those  advocated  in  the  quack  commercial 
nursing  Press,  must  now  stop.  Thirty  years  of  such 
methods  would  have  taught  anyone  less  pachyder- 
matous than  Sir  Henry  Burdett  that  the  more  he 
bullies  the  less  efiect  results.  That  is  a  psycholo- 
gical fact  so  far  as  the  convinced  reformer  is 
concerned.  Tyranny,  intimidation,  insult,  perse- 
cution— history  proves  to  us  that  against  convic- 
tion, courage  and  truth  they  are  absolutely  non- 
effective. 

But  we  have  also  learned  from  the  present  war 
the  inevitable  doom  of  tyrants. 

Sir  Henry  Burdett,  in  his  thirty  years'  useless 
campaign  in  The  Hospital  and  Nursing  Mirror 
against  the  professional  co-operation  and  organiza- 
tion of  trained  nurses  has  had  scope  enough.  We 
advise  him,  during  his  declining  years  to  modify 
the  vitriolic  ardour  of  his  futile  pen.  We  are  tired 
of  his  twaddle. 


THE  BATTERSEA  POLYTECHNIC. 


Supplementary  Courses  for  Trained  Hospital 
Nurses  and  Certified  Midwives. 
The  Hygiene  and^Physiology  Department  of  the 
Battersea  Polytechnic,  Battersea  Park  Road, 
S.  W.  II,  the  Head  of  which  is  Miss  Hilda  Bideleu  x, 
is  arranging  supplementary-  Courses  of  Train  ng 
to  meet  the  demand. 


374 


ITbc  3Briti0b  3ournal  of  Hurslna.       December  14,  1918 


These  courses  are  intended  for  {a)  Fully  trained 
Hospital  Nurses,  [b)  Certified  Midwives  who  have 
practised  for  at  least  two  years,  [c)  Trained  Matrons 
of  Day  Nurseries  who  are  desirous  of  entering  the 
Public  Health  Service  as  Health  Visitors  and 
Infant  Welfare  Workers,  or  Superintendents  of 
Infant  Welfare  Centres. 

The  aim  of  the  course  will  be  to  supplenaent 
previous  training  and  experience  by  giving  a  more 
specialised  training  in  [a)  Public  Health  and 
Hygiene,  (6)  Maternity  and  Infant  Welfare  Care, 
(c)  Food  and  Dietetics,  including  Practical  Cookery. 
The  length  of  the  Course,  which  will  begin  on 
January  14th  and  April  29th  respectively,  will  be 
12  weeks,  and  the  fee  £6.  Hours  of  attendance, 
9.30-1:2.30  and  2-5  each  day,  except  Saturday. 
At  the  end  of  the  Course  an  examination  will  be 
held  by  Professor  Henry  Kenwood- Chad  wick. 
Professor  of  Hygiene,  University  of  London. 
Further  information  may  be  obtained  from 
Miss  Bideleux. 


CHRISTMAS  GIFTS. 


SARAH  QAMP   IN  KHAKI. 

The  ways  of  the  War  Of&ce  have  caused  some 
thing  of  amusement  as  well  as  indignation  during 
the  war.  An  expert  middle-aged  gardener  was 
enlisted  in  the  summer  and  posted  as  an  orderly 
to  nurse  sick  Huns,  whilst  the  fruits  of  the  earth 
were  left  to  rot  until  the  services  of  a  "  land  girl  " 
could  be  procured.    This  is  his  ditty  : — 

They've  put  me  in  the  Army  (?) 

With  non-commissioned  rank, 
And  duties  that  debar  me 

From  corps,  and  'plane  and  tank, 
From  battery  and  camp  fire 

Route  march  and  sentry  go, 
Tho'  paid  to  serve  the  Empire 

With  all  the  zeal  I  know. 
Likewise  from  hght  to  dark  I 

Don't  even  hear  a  gun, 
I'm  Sarah  Gamp  in  khaki. 

And  nurse  the  pleasing  Hun. 

(He  might  be  less  enchanting — 
It's  said  the  case  might  be 

If  I  a  limb  were  wanting 
And  he  were  nursing  me  ! ) 

Before  I  joined  the  Forces 

I  led  a  busy  life. 
Whose  coldest  steel,  of  course,  is 

The  hefty  pruning  kniie. 
I  planted,  sowed  and  nourished 

(..utside  and  indoor  crops. 
And  proved,  while  all  things  flourished, 

The  sturdiest  of  props. 
Success  repaid  my  labours 

In  all  the  ends  I  sought. 
I  helped  to  feed  my  neighbours. 

And  cost  my  country  nought  ! 

Oh  !    what  a  transformation 
At  this  quaint  time  occurs. 

Eve's  got  my  occupation. 

And  I  have  one  of  hers  !      C.  B.  M, 


With  the  lightening  of  the  war  cloud  most 
people  are  locrtcing  forward  to  a  Christmas  which 
shall  reflect  in  some  measure  our  thankfulness 
that  the  Christ  Child  will  this  year  find  not  .a 
sword  but  peace  upon  the  earth ;  and  one  of  our 
first  instincts  fe  to  make  the  season  a  happy  one 
for  the  children  across  whose  Uves  the  shadow 
of  war  has,  in  many  instances,  fallen  withj[un- 
a voidable   heaviness. 

CHRISTMAS     BAZAARS. 

At    Messrs.    Garrould's. 

The  Christmas  Bazaar  of  Messrs.  Garrould, 
150-162,  Edgware  Road,  is  always  a  feature  of 
this  estabUshment  and  even  in  these  days,  though 
shorn  of  some  of  its  pre-war  glories,  its  attractions 
are  varied  enough  to  satisfy  the  most  exacting. 
To  begin  with,  there  are  dolls,  dressed  and  un- 
dressed, English  and  French,  beautifully  modelled, 
one  priced  as  low  as  2s.  6d.,  and  of  English  make, 
being  a  really  beautiful  model ;  others  priced 
from  5s.  I  id.  to  ;^2  12s.  6d.,  would  appeal  to  the 
heart   of   any   child. 

Then  there  are  stockings  of  all  sizes,  stuSed 
with  small  toys  and  surprise  packets  ;  moderate- 
priced  games  ;  Noah's  Arks,  from  a  few  shillings 
in  price  up  to  2  guineas.  There  are  dollies'  cots, 
bears,  cats,  rabbits  and  elephants  in  plush ; 
Chinese  lanterns,  Japanese  umbrellas,  and  a 
large  collection  of  children's  picture  books  and 
story  books. 

For  grown-ups  we  noticed  in  a  department  just 
outside  the  Christmas  bazaar  some  "  cosy  under- 
blouses,"  in  a  number  of  shades,  which  well 
deserve  their  name,  and  are  just  the  thing  to  wear 
under  a  coat  instead  of  the  chilly  muslin  blouse  at 
this  season,  when  a  woollen  garment  is  always  so 
comfortable.  Their  price  (6s.  iid.)  brings  them 
within  reach  of  most  purses. 

At  Messrs.  Gayler  &  Pope's. 

Messrs.  Gayler  &  Pope's  establishment  in  High 
Street,  Marylebone,  W.,  is  one  which  is  in  the 
centre  of  the  nursing  home  district  and  near  many 
hospitals,  and  is  used  by  many  nurses  as  their 
shopping  place.  At  the  present  time  its  Christmas 
bazaar  is  being  widely  patronized,  and  Matrons, 
Sisters  and  Nurses  are  finding  it  most  useful  in 
meeting  their  needs  for  the  toys  and  small  presents, 
which  go  to  make  so  much  happiness  in  hospital 
wards  at  this  season, 

A  visit  of  inspection  will  show  the  bazaar  as 
a  storehouse  of  desirable  gifts — calendars  and 
cards,  drums,  trumpets,  crackers,  stockmgs  filled 
with  trifles  beloved  of  cliildren,  decorations  for 
Christmas  trees,  dolls  of  all  sorts,  sizes  and  prices 
untearable  picture  books,  and  much  besides. 

Does  anyone  want  to  present  a  colleague  with 
a  gift  sure  to  be  appreciated,  there  are  tea-sets 
for  six  persons  from  13s.  i id  ;  and  if  nursing  homes 
need  extra  plenishings,  white-and-gold  tea-pots, 
hot- water  jugs  and  soup-bowls  are  to  be  found  at 
most  reasonable  prices. 


December  14,  1918       ;j|)e  Brtttab  3curnal  of  "Wureino- 


375 


We  also  noticed  at  the  head  of  the  stairs  leading 
to  this  department  a  "  Teach- to- Walk  Infant 
Ealance,"  which  would  be  a  boon  to  mothers 
and  nurees.  By  means  of  a  strap  round  the 
waist  attached  to  a  handle  bar,  the  child  can  be 
held  in  the  upright  position,  while  having  perfect 
freedom  of  action. 

At  Messrs.  T.  Wallis  &  Co.'s. 

Buy  !    Buy  !    Buy  ! 

Everyone  is  in  a  spending  mood  this  Christmas, 
whether  they  have  money  to  spare  or  no. 

Messrs.  Wallis  &  Co.,  Holborn  Circus,  will  help 
you  to  spend  what  you  have,  and  purchasers  will 
find  there  gifts  to  suit  all  tastes  and  all  purses. 

There  are  charming  toys  for  the  children  of  all 
descriptions,  and  actually  dolls  which  are  not 
prohibitive   in   price. 

One  fascinating  person  in  yellow  knitted  cap 
and  jersey  was  especially  attractive. 

The  Christmas  stockings  (all  sizes  kept)  just 
showed  their  varied  contents  through  the  trans- 
parent material.  An  ainbulance  set  of  cunning 
little  khaki  men,  all  complete  with  a  stretcher,  is, 
we  hear,  a  very  popular  toy 

The  brass  smoker's  set  will  be  an  ideal  present 
for  our  men  home  from  the  Front ;  and  in  these 
days  of  expensive  food,  nothing  can  be  more 
handy  than  the  neat  little  luncheon  cases.  No  one 
need  be  with  unadorned  tables  this  Christmas, 
in  spite  of  the  profiteering  in  fresh  flowers,  for 
Messrs.  \^^aIlis  are  selling  lovely  sprays  of  clematis, 
poppies  and  autumn  leaves  that  almost  defy 
detection. 

Only  would-be  buyers  must  not  delay,  for  this 
popular  emporium  is  besieged. 

Hot  Water  Bottles. 

Hot  water  bottles  are  sure  to  give  satisiaction 
as  Christmas  gifts,  provided  that  the  quality  and 
workmanship  are  sound.  This  is  assured  in  the 
Perfected  Hot  Water  Bottle  supplied  by  the 
Hospitals  and  General  Contracts  Co.,  Ltd. 
19-35.  Mortimer  Street,  W.i,  with  the  one-piece 
stopper  and  neck,  providing  security  against 
leakage,   in   three  standard  sizes. 

Messrs.  A.  E.  Braid  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  30,  Gower 
Place,  W.C.  I,  also  supply  hot  water  bottles  of 
guaranteed  quality  at  moderate  prices  ;  and  the 
Medical  Supply  Association,  167-185,  Gray's 
Inn  Road,  W.C.  i,  also  offer  a  varied  selection  at 
reasonable   terms. 

For  the  Store  Cupboard. 

Do  not  forget  in  ordering  in  stores  for  Christmas 
to  include  some  bottles  of  Bovril  (be  sure  to 
return  the  bottles  when  emptv),  some  cartons  of 
Cook's  Dried  Farm  Eggs,  and  some  packets  of 
Vi-CocoA.  You  will  feel  the  more  secure  when 
shops  are  shut  and  provisions  difficult  to  obtain, 
and  all  are  useful  stand-bys  to  keep  in  the  store 
cupboard. 


A    SPORTING    OFFER. 

Owins  to  the  need  for  fuel  economies  and  the 
conservation  cf  coal  supplies,  the  tendency  in  some 
quarters  to  push  the  use  of  electricity  for  cooking 
in  National  Cooking  in  the  place  of  gas  demands 
investigation,  with  a  comparison  of  the  costs  [a)  to 
the  consumer  in  money,  and  [b)  to  the  nation  in 
coal.  The  British  and  Commercial  Gas  Company 
recently  challenged  an  enthusiast  as  to  the  merits 
of  electiicity  to  a  test  before  an  independent 
umpire  from  the  staff  of  the  National  Training 
School  of  Cookery.  The  result  was  a  triumph  for 
gas. 

The  electrician  claimed  that  in  cooking  15 
million  pounds  of  meat  by  electricity  a  saving 
would  be  effected  of  [a)  3,150  tons  of  coal,  [b)  of 
;^2,50o,  (u)  of  1,500,000  lb.  of  meat.  The  tests 
proved  that  there  would  be  a  lof^s  [a)  of  3,500  tons 
of  coal,  [b)  of  ;^io,ooo,  and  [c)  there  would  be  no 
saving  in  meat  if  it  were  properly  cooked  in  both 
cases. 

The  umpires  report  also  revealed  other  dis- 
advantages attending  cooking  by  electricity. 

CHRISTMAS  SHOPPING. 

At  Messrs.  Boots,  Ltd. 
Just  now  the  show  of  seasonable  gifts  at  the 
establishments  of  Messrs.  Boots'  Pure  Drug 
Co.,  Ltd.,  is  specially  desirable.  Attractiveness, 
combined  with  sound  quality,  are  the  distinguish- 
ing features  of  the  tempting  selection  of  gifts  for 
Christmas   offered   by   this   firm. 

Invalid  Chairs. 
No  more  acceptable  gift  could  be  made  to  an 
invalid  than  a  wheel  chair,  and  of  such  chairs 
the  Surgical  Manufacturing  Co.,  85  &  86, 
Mortimer  Street,  W.  i,  have  a  wide  selection. 
Moreover,  there  is  the  advantage  that  they  are 
supplied  on  hire,  so  that,  if  a  chair  does  not  suit  a 
customer  after  he  has  fried  it,  it  can  be  exchanged 
for  a  different  pattern,  or  it  may  be  purchased  at 
the  listed  price  during  the  first  month. 

The  Treasure  Cot. 

The  Treasure  Cot  is,  as  its  name  implies,  a 
valuable  possession  in  any  household  where 
King  Baby  reigns.  It  is  supplied  in  various 
designs  by  the  Treasure  Cot  Co.,  Ltd.,  124, 
Victoria  Street,  W.  i,  near  Victoria  Station, 
where  it  is  on  view. 

Hats. 

If  you  want  a  hat  don't  forget  to  pay  a  visit 
to  Madame  Mills,  296,  Regent 'Street,  W.i.  She 
will  find  something  to  suit  you. 

Useful  and  Dainty  Footwear. 
Dainty  foot  wear  is  always  an  acceptable  gift, 
for  the  wise  woman  appreciates  that  she  cannot 
be  really  well  dressed  unless  she  is  well  shod. 
At  the  many  establishments  of  Manfield  &  Sons 
there  is  a  profusion  of  boots  and  shoes,  for  adults 
and  children,  dainty  and  charming,  useful  and 
enduring. 


376 


ZTbe  »ritl0b  Journal  of  'Wurstno.       December  14,  1918 


FOODS  AND  COMFORTS  FOR  INVALIDS 
MOTHERS  AND  INFANTS. 

Bynogen. 
Amongst  the  nerve  foods  frequently  prescribed 
in  illness  and  convalescence  is  Bynogen — -a  pre- 
paration of  the  well-known  firm,  Messrs.  Allen 
&  Hanburys',  Ltd.,  of  Lombard  Street,  E.G.  It 
is  a  combination  of  pure  Milk  Protein  and  the 
Glycerophosphates  of  Soda  and  Lime  and  Magnesia 
combined  with  the  skill  and  knowledge  for  which 
this  firm  is  famous. 

SA.NATOGEN. 

Sanatogen,  as  most  of  our  readers  know,  is  a 
product  of  Genatosan,  Ltd.  {the  British  Pur- 
chasers of  the  Sanatogen  Co.,  12,  Chenies  Street, 
London,  W.C.  i,  of  which  Viscountess  Rhondda 
is  Chairman),  and  is  owned  and  manufactured 
solely  by  the  Company,  which,  with  commendable 
promptitude,  have  displaced  the  German  Sana- 
togen which  was  being  largely  used  in  this  country 
at  the  outbreak  of  war,  by  a  more  perfect  stan- 
dardised form  of  the  original  preparation 

Benger's  Food. 

This  preparation,  supplied  by  Benger's  Food, 
Ltd.,  Otter  Works,  Manchester,  is  frequently 
ordered  in  cases  of  enfeebled  digestion.  It  is  a 
farinaceous  food  containing  the  natural  digestive 
principles  of  Trypsin  and  Amytopsin,  with  the 
result  that  it  is  very  suited  to  persons  of  enfeebled 
digestion. 

Robinson's  Barley 

Robinson's  "  Patent "  Barley,  prepared  by 
Messrs.  Keen,  Robinson  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  London, 
E.  I,  is  invaluable  in  the  preparation  of  barley 
water  and  for  the  dilution  of  milk,  for  the  feeding 
of  infants  brought  up  by  hand,  it  is  an  extremely 
satisfactory  preparation,  as  is  testified  by  its 
widespread  use  in  hospitals,  especially  maternity 
hospitals,  and  by  private  nurses.  In  many  house- 
holds it  has  become  a  stand-by. 

Nestle's  Milk. 

Nestl6's  Milk,  which  is  supplied,  both  in  the 
sweetened  and  unsweetened  form,  by  Nestle's, 
6-8,  Eastcheap,  E.C.  3,  and  is  on  sale  throughout 
the  kingdom,  is  of  proved  value  where  it  is  neces- 
sary to  resort  to  artificial  feeding  for  infants. 
The  records  published  in  the  Nestle's  Baby  Books 
which  have  appeared  annually  since  191 1,  offer 
convincing  proof  of  this. 

Virol. 

Nor  must  we  forget  the  usefulness  of  Virol  in 
the  feeding  of  delicate  infants.  The  fact  that  it 
is  used  in  more  than  2,000  Hospitals  and  Infant 
Clinics  is  testimony  to  this  fact.  It  is  British  made 
and  British  owned  by  Virol,  Ltd.,  145-166,  Old 
Street,  E.C. 

Ingram's  "  Agrippa  "  Band  Teat  and  Valve. 
A  Teat  which  will  not  slip  oS  is  of  the  highest 
importance  for  an  infant's  feeding  bottle,  and  this 
is  secured  by  using  the  "  Agrippa  "  Band  Teat 
supplied  by  Messrs.  J.  G.  Ingram  &  Sons,  Ltd., 
Hackney  Wick,  E.  9,  and  obtainable  through  all 
chemists. 


OUTSIDE    THE    GATES. 

A    HISTORIC  MEETING. 

At  the  meeting  held  at  the  Queen's  Hall,  on  Mon- 
day, December  9th,  an  enfranchised  sex  came  to 
meet  the  Prime  Minister,  who,  in  the  words  of 
Mrs.  Henry  Fawcett,  chairman,  had  carried  the 
greatest  Reform  Bill  ever  passed  in  this  country, 
and  had  removed  the  stigma  of  disability  from  an 
entire   sex. 

Representative  members  of  various  Women's 
Leagues,  Organisations  and  Societies  were  on  the 
platform,  including  Lady  Aberconway,  the  Lady 
Ampthill,  Miss  Barker,  Lady  Barrett,  M.D.,  the 
Countess  of  Dudley,  Miss  Durham,  Mrs.  BedforA 
Fenwick,  Mrs.  Ogilvie  Gordon,  Muriel  Lady 
Helmsley,  Miss  Amy  Hughes,  Hon.  Emily  Kinnaird, 
Dr.  Janet  Lane-Claypon,  Mrs.  Burleigh  teach, 
the  Marchioness  of  Londonderry,  and  Mrs. 
Prothero.  It  was  a  special  pleasure  to  us  as 
representing  the  organised  societies  of  nurses,  to 
be  on  the  platform  when  the  Prime  Minister,  whose 
name  will  go  down  to  posterity  as  having  en- 
franchised women,  cam^  to  greet  women  and  to 
impress  upon  them,  with  eloquent  earnestness,  the 
importance  of  discharging  their  obligations  as 
citizens  of  the  State.  We  are  not  quite  sure  that 
the  women  present  realised  as  a  whole  the  extent 
of  their  indebtedness  to  Mr.  Lloyd  George,  if  they 
had,  the  quality  of  their  welcome  would  have  been 
more  in  keeping  with  the  occasion,  and  they  would 
have  refrained  from  the  heckling  interruptions 
which,  considering  that  the  Prime  Minister  had 
spared  precious  time  during  an  election  campaign 
to  address  them,  appeared  out  of  place  and  un- 
dignified. / 

To  a  student  of  psychology  it  was  interesting 
to  observe  in  this  representative  meeting  the  temper 
of  women  generally,  both  from  the  applause  and 
the  silences.  They  desire  to  Punish  the  Kaiser, 
Expel  the  Huns,  and  make  the  Germans  pay. 
None  of  the  remarks  which  fell  so  tersely  and 
crisply  from  the  Prime  Minister  were  more 
applauded  than  the  following  : — • 

"  Those  responsible  for  the  atrocity  of  this  war 
must  be  made  responsible.  The  higher,  the  more 
exalted  they  are,  the  more  necessary  that  they 
should  be  brought  to  justice." 

"As  to  whether  the  Germans  are  going  to  be 
turned  out  of  this  country,  I  have  repeatedly  said 
that  in  my  judgment  these  people,  having  abused 
our  hospitality,  must  not  get  another  opportunity 
to   do  so." 

In  regard  to  the  third  point  women  see  no  justice 
in  this  generation,  and  generations  to  come,  being 
compelled  to  bear  a  staggering  load  of  taxation 
to  pay  for  the  infamy  of  Germany. 

The  meeting  ended  with  hearty  votes  of  thanks 
both  to  Mr.  Lloyd  George  and  Mrs.  Fawcett,  and 
trained  nurses  in  the  audience  observed  with  a 
smile  that  Mrs.  Bedford  Fenwick  detained  the  Prime 
Minister  in  passing  and  had  a  word  in  his  ear. 

The  women  who  were  crowded  out  of  the  meeting 
called  for  Mr.  Lloyd  George,  and  he  addressed  them 
for  a  few  minutes  from  the  balcony  of  the  Hall; 


December  14,  1918      Ebc  Bcltleb  3ournal  of  murstna. 


377 


BOOK    OP   THE    WEEK. 


"  YELLOW    ENGLISH."* 

At  this  moment,  when  the  test  question  for  our 
politicians  is  the  alien  menace  in  this  country, 
the  novel  under  our  notice  should  be  read  wth 
interest,  for  it  is  written  in  order  to  bring  into 
prominence  the  spy  system  which  was  so  active  in 
this  country  prior  to  and  during  the  war. 

The  successful  banker.  Otto  Friedrich  Shultz, 
early  in  his  career  had  realised  the  need  of  a  know- 
ledge of  women  as  well  as  men  in  order  to  succeed . 
He  used  that  wisdom  when  by  sheer  force  of  will, 
the  Marchioness  was  led  to  the  altar  a  second  time, 
and  at  the  time  the  story  begins  she  had  fulfilled 
the  desire  of  his  heart  by  presenting  him  with  a  son. 
An  EngUsh  son,  bom  of  an  English  mother,  just  as 
he  had  planned  ten  years  ago,  when  he  had  first 
seen  Lady  Mary  Cranleigh,  daughter  of  the  impe- 
cunious Duke  of  Shadford.  She  had  floated 
haughtily  by  him,  leaning  on  the  arm  of  her  father, 
and  then  and  there  the  rising  young  clerk,  Shultz, 
had  vowed  in  his  mind  that  this  aristocratic  woman 
must  become  the  mother  of  the  son  he  saw  he 
would  need  for  his  life's  work. 

He  received  a  bad  blow  when  he  heard  of  her 
marriage,  but  he  bided  his  time  and  married  her 
some  years  later. 

His  Hfe  work  was  needless  to  say,  the  interest  of 
the  Fatherland  at  the  expense  of  England,  or,  to 
speak  more  correctly,  the  Fatherland  made  it  very 
much  to  his  interest  to  play  the  part  of  spy. 

Freddie,  his  little  son,  grew  up  a  horrid  little 
boy  under  the  careful  tutelage  of  his  father. 
Everything,  down  to  the  smallest  detail  of  the 
child's  life,  was  carefully  planned,  so  that  in  time 
he  could  fulfil  his  unworthy  destiny.  As  soon  as 
the  child  was  bom  a  German  cousin  was  instructed 
to  perfect  herself  in  the  Enghsh  language  in  order 
that  she  might  prove  an  able  instructress  in  more 
subjects  than  one  to  Master  Freddie  Shultz. 

At  six  years  he  was  to  be  taught  the  importance 
of  trifles,  and  also  to  keep  his  own  counsel. 

Lady  Mary,  although  she  had  no  inkUng  of  the 
truth,  was  puzzled  and  disgusted  at  the  crooked 
ways  of  her  Uttle  son,  and  she  conceived  an  in- 
stinctive dislike  to  the  child  she  had  borne,  which 
she  vainly  tried  to  overcome. 

She  pours  herself  out  to  Major  Couter,  who  had 
always  loved  her.  She  tells  him  that  Shultz  is 
no  more  her  husband  than  Freddie  is  her  son.  "  I 
go  cold  sometimes  with  horror  when  I  watch  that 
hard,  perpetually-working  machine  in  human  form 
plotting,  working,  planning." 

"  For  what  ?  " 

"  That  is  what  I  ask  myself.  Worldly  ambition 
I  could  understand,  riches,  title,  honour.  No,  it  is 
something  more.  I  know  no  more  than  you  do, 
any  more  than  I  can  explain  why  he  has  Freddie 
taken  to  his  study  every  evening  to  teach  him  to 
watch,  listen,  report,  and  God  knows  what 
beside." 


Co. 


*By  Dorota  Flatau.     London :    Hutchinson 


This  outburst  was  on  the  occasion  of  her  own 
daughter.  Marigold,  announcing  her  desire  to 
finish  her  education  in  Germany,  which  desire  had, 
of  course,  been  planted  in  her  breast  by  Father 
Frederick,  as  she  was  wont  to  call  him. 

It  was  not  until  the  artless  Freddie  was  grown 
into  a  man  that  the  truth  burst  upon  Lady  Mary 
that  both  her  husband  and  son  were  German  spies. 

In  the  meantime  Freddie  had  married  charming 
Joan,  who,  strange  though  it  may  seem,  really 
loved  her  contemptible  young  husband,  but  then 
she,  too,  had  married  him  in  ignorance  of  the  real 
state  of  affairs. 

When  Lady  Mary's  eyes  were  opened  she 
denounces  her  husband. 

"  I  have  watched  you  for  years,"  she  was  saying, 
"  ever  since  the  first  year  of  our  married  life.  Your 
mean  household  spying,  contemptible  though  it 
was,  I  might  have  disregarded  as  serious,  only  that 
I  found  you  carried  these  methods  into  every 
phase  of  hfe." 

In  return  for  her  accusations  the  wily  banker 
caused  a  rumour  to  be  circulated  that  Lady  Mary 
was  mentally  unbalanced,  and  he  finally  divorced 
her  on  some  unfounded  accusation. 

But  Lord  WeUrock,  cis  he  was  now  known,  was 
not  to  escape  his  just  punishment,  and  the  book 
closes  on  the  scene  of  his  trial.  His  miserable  son 
met  the  fate  he  richly  deserved,  by  being  thrown 
over  the  cliff  by  the  women  relatives  of  the  men 
who  had  perished  at  sea  as  the  result  of  his 
treachery. 

The  author  ends  with  an  impassioned  appeal 
"  to  tear  out  this  canker  that  we  have  weakly 
fostered." 

We  mourn  our  valorous  dead ;  but  can  we 
mourn  them  honourably  if  we  hold  the  hands,  kiss 
the  lips,  nurture  in  our  bosoms,  the  vipers  that  have 
caused  their  deaths  ? 

"  Tear  out  this  canker.  Tear  it  out.  Tear  it  out." 

H.  H. 

COMLNQ     EVENTS. 

December  i^th.—  League  of  St.  "Bartholomew's 
Hospital  Nurses.  Winter  General  Meeting. 
Clinical  Theatre,  St.  Bartholomew's  Hospital. 
2.30  p.m.  Social  gathering.  Nurses  Sitting  Room. 
Tea,  music. 

December  ijth. — Royal  British  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion. Charter  Tea.  (Royal  Charter  on  view.) 
10,  Orchard  Street,  Portman  Square,  W.  3.30 
p.m.  to  6.30  p.m. 

December  igth. — -Royal  British  Nurses*  Associa- 
tion. Lecture:  "Bokhara  and  Samarkand" 
{fully  illustrated  by  lantern  shdes)  by  Miss 
Annette  Meakin,  F.R.G.S.  Chair  :  Miss  Mildred 
Heather  -  Bigg,  R.R.C.,  Vice  -  Chairman.  The 
Room.,  of  the  Medical  Society  of  London,  11, 
Chandos  Street,  Cavendish  Square,  W.     2.45  p.m. 

December  igth. — Central  Mid  wives'  Board. 
Penal  Cases  and  Monthly  Meeting. 

December  igth. — 'Babies  of  the  Empire  Society. 
Conference.     Man-sion  House,  E.C.     3  p.m. 

December  25th. — Christmas  Day.  A  Happy 
Time  in  the  Hospitals. 


378 


(Tbe  BrinsD  Journal  of  "Wurstno.       December  14,  1918 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 


Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  for  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  he 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents. 

CONGRATULATIONS     FROM     HOLLAND. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Editor, — -It  was  with  great  pleasure  that 
we  noted  from  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing 
your  twenty-five  years'  feat  as  Editor. 

We  are  utterly  sorry  that  our  congratula- 
tions will  not  reach  you,  together  with  those 
of  other  Corporations. 

The  reason  for  this  delay  is  due  to  the 
decease  of  our  beloved  Miss  v.  Lanschot 
Hubrecht,  which  fact  was  the  cause  that  the 
time  of  our  members  of  the  board  was  so  taken 
up  by  the  many  necessary  arrangements,  that 
the  reading  of  the  foreign  periodicals  had  to  be 
postponed. 

We  trust,  however,  that  you  will  still  accept 
our  most  hearty  congratulations,  which  before 
all,  mean  to  express  the  hope,  that  we  will  still 
see  you  a  long  time  as  the  leader  of  the 
British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

With  our  best  wishes,  we  are. 
Faithfully  yours. 
The  Members  of  the  I3oard  of  Nosokomos. 

Amsterdam. 

CHILD     WELFARE. 

To  the  Editor  of  Tfj-E  Bbitish  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — .1  should  like  at  once  to  disclaim 
the  idea  that  anyone  becomes  "  highly  trained  " 
by  one  course  of  lectures.  But  many  of  our 
voluntary  visitors,  have  worked  twelve  years  at 
a  centre  and  have  many  courses  of  lectures  and 
numberless  consultations  to  their  credit,  and  may 
thus  have  become  experts  in  child- welfare. 
Rather  than  repeat  my  paper,  may  I  refer  all 
interested  in  finding  out  what  I  really  said,  to  the 
report  in  the  Journal  of  November  23rd. 

I^advocate  highly-trained  specialists  to  supervise 
and  co-operate  Avith  the  service  of  local  residents, 
which  has  its  recognised  place  in  all  social  effort, 
and  while  we  wait  for  far-reaching  national  schemes 
to  house  and  secure  a  clean,  abundant  milk  supply 
for  our  teeming  populations,  some  of  us  feel  it 
well  to  tackle  the  wet  feet  of  the  children — ^a  more 
manageable  proposition  after  all. 

Boot- repairing  clcisses  at  our  schools  for  mothers 
release  pennies  which  can  be  spent  on  milk,  and 
both  have  their  place  in  the  prevention  of  illness. 
We  all  know  that  every  centre  depends  on  its 
"  personnel,"  and  it  is  on  this  account  that  the 
League  for  Maternity  and  Child- Welfare  provides 
these  helpful  lecture  courses,  so  that  we  may 
approximate  in  all  our  centres  to  uniformity  of 
teaching.  Such  conferences  as  suggested  are 
often  held  by  our  Workers'  Section  of  the  above 
Association,  and  we  are  always  glad  of  suggestions 
and    welcome    new    members.     Miss    Wise,    22, 


Canonbury  Park,  N.  i,  is  our  Hon.  Secretary,  and 
will  be  pleased  to  give  details.  There  are,  at 
least,  two  organisations  discussing  vital  points 
affecting  health  workers.  They  are  :  The  Council 
of  Professional  Women,  92,  Victoria  Street,  S.W.  i  ; 
and  the  Organisation  of  Social  Workers,  5,  Adelphi 
Street,  Strand,  W.C.  2.  In  addition,  the  Babies 
of  the  Empire  Society  is  holding  an  important 
conference  at  the  Mansion  House  on  December 
19th,  at  3  p.m.,  at  which  all  the  points  mentioned 
will  be  ventilated. 

•  I  am,  yours  faithfully, 

Kate  C.  Atherton. 
Kingsgate  House, 

107,  Kingsgate  Road, 
Kilbum,  N.W.  6. 

THE    DEEP    SIGHING    OF    THE    POOR. 

To  the  Ediio/  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 
Madam, — -With  regard  to  my  letter  in  your  issue 
of  November  30th  regarding  the  unburied  dead  in 
the  poorer  parts  of  London,  I  have  been  asked  if 
the  bodies  referred  to  were  not  all  lying  in  the 
public  mortuaries.  Certainly  this  was  not  the 
case.  They  were  in  the  crowded  homes  where 
they  had  died.  I  know  of  one  instance  where  the 
body  of  a  man  who  had  died  of  cancer  of  the  throat 
in  the  Infirmary  was  brought  to  his  home  ten  days 
after  death,  and  it  remained  there  for  another 
thirty-six  hours  before  the  burial  took  place.  His 
family  only  occupied  two  roomS  in  all. 
Yours  faithfully, 

Henrietta  Hawkins. 

AN     URGENT    NEED. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 
Dear  Editor, — -In  the  hot  weather  I  had  three 
months'  holiday.  I  was  very  tired,  but  I  thought 
to  travel  in  a  new  part  of  India  and  see  new  faces 
and  hear  new  voices  would  interest  me  and  rest 
me,  so  I  went  to  Sikkim,  a  small  independent  State 
between  Napal  and  Bhulair,  and  truly  I  was  well 
rewarded.  I  enjoyed  my  trip  very  much,  but  in 
all  that  State  there  is  not  a  trained  nurse  and  only 
an  assistant  surgeon,  acting  as  civil  surgeon  with 
Indian  assistants.  I  saw  a  nun  (Tibetian)  with  her 
radius  bone  broken  at  the  wrist,  and  they  had  put 
lotion  on  it  for  a  sprain.  She  was  twenty-one  days 
in  this  condition ;  and  women  who  have  ille- 
gitimate children  have  to  go  into  the  forest  and 
there  stay  until  it  is  all  over.  My  heart  acheil 
much  for  those  poor  women. 

Yours  in  work, 

A.  R.  Creighton. 

OUR     PRIZE     COMPETITION. 

QUESTIONS. 

December  21st. — .What  diseases  may  be  caused 
by  fault>'  dieting  ?  Mention  some  of  the  effects 
which  may  follow  the  consumption  of  putrid  or 
diseased  meat. 

December  28th. — -Describe  the  signs  and  symp- 
toms of  acute  bronchitis  in  an  adult.  Give  an 
account  of  (a)  the  nursing  and  [b)  the  diet  required 
in  a  case  during  (i)  the  acute  stage  and  (2)  the 
convalescent  stage.  \Miat  complications  may 
occur  ? 


December  14,  1918  (^i)e  »rltt6b  Soumal  ot  Bur»tna  Supplement.     379 


The   Mi 


JOY    BELLS. 

Come,  rock  the  cradle  for  Him, 

Come,   in  the  crib  adore  Him, 
Dull  care,  I  pray  you,  bury. 
And  in  the  Lord  make  merry. 

Sweet  little  Jesu,  sweet  little  Jesu. 

One  of  the  joys  of  this  Christmas  will  be  that, 
for  the  first  time  in  the  lives  of  many  little  children, 
they  can  make  merry  without  the  sinister  shadow 
of  war  being  flung  across  the  Christmas  festival, 
and  the  grown-ups  can  enter  unfeignedly  into 
their    merriment,    without    anxiety    gnawing    at 


a  place  in  which  children — all  children,  not  the 
favoured  few — -shall  be  well  born  and  have  space, 
light,  air,  food  sufficient  for  their  needs,  and  that 
through  their  young  live.:;  the  joy  bells  shall  ring — 
those  bells  whose  sound  is  so  often  stilled  by  the 
harshness  and  the  injustices  and  the  cruelties  of 
humankind.  Let  us  cherish  the  joy- bells,  and  do 
everything  in  our  power  to  make^melody  .for  all 
with  whom'.we  come  in  contact,  and  especially  for 
the  little  children. 

"  It  is  a  comely  fashion  to  be  ^lad, 
Joy  is  tlie  g^race  we  say  to  God." 


MOTHERHOOD— A    CHRISTMAS    UIFT. 


their  hearts  and  without  listening  for  the  dreaded 
knock  accompanied  by 

"Just  a  little  scrap  of  paper 
f-^y;  In  a  yellow  envelope, 

And  the  whole  world  is  a  ruin. 
Even  Hope     " 

As  the  joy- bells  fling  their  message  over  the 
countryside  this  Christmas — ^the  bells  which  have 
been- silent  for  four  years  on  Christmas  night — and 
as  we  kneel  in  adoration  at  the  crib  of  the  Christ 
Child — "  Sweet  little  Jesu,  sweet  little  Jesu  " — 
we  shall  surely  record  a  vow  each  one  of  us  that  so 
far  as  in  us  lies  we  will  help  to  make  the  world 


THE    DEVELOPMENT   OF  SPEECH. 

Dr.  \V.  E.  Robinson,  in  his  book  on  "  Baby 
Welfare,"  published  by  Mr.  T.  Fisher  Unwin,  says 
that  "  Speech  develops  slowly.  At  quite  an  early 
age — four  months  about — the  infant  crones  to 
itself.  A  little  later  it  begins  to  imitate  sounds  of 
words,  and  at  about  nine  months  it  learns  to 
respond  with  such  words  as  '  ta,'  '  dada  '  and 
'  mama.'  In  many  babies,  and  especially  when 
there  are  other  children  in  the  nursery,  stringing 
together  of  words  begins  at  about  thirteen  months. 
Where  there  is  but  one  child,  however,  this  string- 
ing together  of  words  is  postponed  to  sixteen  or 
eighteen  months,  or  even  later." 


38o     zb€  3Brttl6b  3ournal  of  "Wuretnc  Supplement,  ^'-ccmhcr  14,  1918 

PRIVATE    BROWN'S  CHRISTMAS   BOX.  MARGARET    PaTTESON. 


"  This  'ere  is  orl  right  for  Christmas,"  says  Bir 
huskily  to  himself,  as  he  tramps  backwards  and 
forwards  in  the  cold,  dirty,  slushy  streets.  "  Jist 
abart  to  get  to  bed  I  was,  my  first  night  back,  too, 
when  my  gal  said  she  felt  queer  and  I  best  go  for 
the  nuss.  So  off  I  starts  and  when  I  gets  to  'er 
'ouse  blest  if  I  could  wake  'er.  Howsomever,  I 
manages  to  at  last  and  she  pops  'er  'ead  art  of  the 
windel:.  "  Oo  is  it  ?  "  she  says  and  when  she 
ketches  sight  of  me  khaki  she  ses,  "  If  I  didn't 
think  it  wovild  be  Mr.  Brarn.  I  'eerd  you  was 
'ome.  Jess  you  wait  a  minute,"  she  says,  and  in 
a  few  twinks  she  opens  the  door  and  puts  some 
mince  pies  and  'ot  coffee  into  my  'ands.  "To 
keep  you  art  o'  mischief  whiles  I  finishes  dressin'," 
she  says.  A  fair  sport  I  calls  'er,  though  I'd 
sooner  'ad  a  drop  of  Scotch.  She  arstes  me  a  few 
questions  as  we  goes  along,  and  I  felt  a  fair  fool,  it 
being  the  first  occasion,  yer  see. 

When  we  gets  back  poor  old  Nell  warnt  'alf  bad- 
and  nuss  she  says,  "  Na,  Mr.  Brarn,"  she  says,  "  I 
must  trouble  you  to  make  yourself  scarce,"  she 
says,  "  whiles  I  sees  to,  yer  wife."  All  right  that 
fer  a  man  whats  fought  for  'is  country,  ain't  it 
only  to  'ave  one  room  wot  'e  can  call  'is  own,  and 
'ave  to  walk  the  streets  Christmas  night  when  'is 
missis  is  in    er  trouble  ? 

"  You'll  'ave  to  alter  this,  Mr.  Lloyd  George,  you 
and  your  Coalition.  Strikes  me  that's  abart  all 
the  coal  we  shall  git,  if  the  prices  don't  come  down 
soon.  'Ark  at  me  grousin'  wen  I  might  be  art  in  the 
bloomin'  trenches  wif  somefin'  to  grouse  for.  Last 
Christmas  I  were  art  in  'em,  and  Fritz  'e  wern't 
'alf  lettin'  loose,  and  me  athinkin'  abart  my  gal 
and  wondering  if  I  should  ever  bealive  to  go  'ome 
to  marry  'er  when  my  leaf  come  due. 

Wonder  'ow  she's  gettin'  on.  I  daresn't  go  in- 
I'm  skeered  o'  that  nuss.  She's  a  starchy  piece  for 
all  'er  mince  pies,  and  corfee.  Poor  ole  Nell  ! 
She  was  fair  knocked  when  I  walked  in  to-day. 
She  said  it  gave  her  a  turn.  It  seems  a  long  time. 
I  'opes  she  ain't  wus  nor  she  ought  to  be.  "  Orl 
right,  nuss,  'ere  I  am.  'Ow's  the  missis  ?  Is  it 
over  ?  Which  is  it,  boy  or  gel  ?  Both  ?  Get 
out!  Yer  kiddin'.  No?  Stright  ?  'Well  I  m 
blowed  !  Never  mind,  Nell,  old  dear^  you'll  get 
the  extry  allowance  and  there's  that  ere  subsidy 
comin'  for  kids,  as  they  say  the  women  means  to 
'ave. 

Good  night.  Sister,  and  thank  yer.  The  same 
to  you.  I  shall  be  merry  to-night,  I  don't  fink  ! 
Give  us  a  kiss,  Nell.  You  done  your  bit,  the  same 
as  I  done  mine.  Thank  God  I'm  'ome  with  yer 
to-night.  I  used  sometimes  to  think  when  I  was 
in  the  trenches — .but,  there,  you'd  best  get  to  sleep, 
old  dear.  Four  of  us.  It  don't  'alf  seem  rum. 
But  I  wishes  us  all  four  a  'appy  Christmas,  and  I 
mean  to  see  as  we  gets  it  for  the  future. 

H.  H. 


AN    APPRECIATION. 

Dr.  Annie  McCall  writes  : — ■"  Margaret  Patteson, 
who  passed  away  on  November  21st,  1918,  became 
known  to  me  in  October,  1899,  when  she  first 
entered  my  house  to  train  for  the  L.O.S.  Already 
a  fully-trained  nurse,  she  had  held  several  good 
appointments  and  had  won  golden  opinions  from 
all  those  with  whom  she  worked. 

In  1900  she  became  Matron  of  Rudgwick 
Sanatorium,  Sussex,  and  only  left  that  post 
towards  the  end  of  1901  to  take  up  the  greater  re- 
sponsibility of  the  Matronship  of  Clapham  Maternity 
Hospital.  This  she  held  until  late  in  1906,  when 
her  health  made  it  imperative  to  take  on  less- work, 
and  she  took  a  trip  to  the  Canary  Islands  for  some 
months.  Later  again  in  19 10  she  helped  us 
as  Honorary  Tuberculosis  Nurse  at  St.  John's 
House,  Battersea,  for  three  years,  until  war  broke 
out,  when  she  felt  it  incumbent  upon  her  to 
nurse  in  a  Military  Hospital  first,  and  then  for 
a  year  was  Night  Superintendent  at  Queen  Mary 
Hospital,  Roehampton  (for  armless  and  legless 
soldiers).  Then  she  became  Army  Nurse  in 
charge  of  ambulance  trains,  but  her  health  again 
broke  down,  and  after  recovering  she  took  the 
post  of  Home  Sister  to  the  I^ondon  Homceopathic 
Hospital. 

She  was  absolutely  an  ideal  nurse,  fulfilling  all 
the  best  traditions  of  the  nursing  profession.  A 
strong  supporter  of  the  Registration  of  Nurses, 
she  kept  herself  up  in  all  directions  by  reading  and 
study.  As  a  personal  friend,  I  can  hardly  yet 
realise  what  I  have  lost.  Unvarying  in  her  kind- 
ness and  consideration  for  the  feelings  of  other 
people,  she  was  an  example  in  her  devoted  unselfish- 
ness, which  characteristic  is  what  made  her  the 
best  -  of  friends.  As  a  valued  worker  on  the 
Committee  of  our  hospital  for  the  last  twelve  years 
she  is  truly  mourned,  and  the  Committee  hope  to 
start  a  small  scholarship  in  her  name. 


CHRISTMAS. 

Come   sail   with   me 

O'er  the  golden  sea 
To  the  land  where  the  rainbow  ends  ; 

Where   the   rainbow   ends, 

And  the  great  earth  bends 
To  the  weight  of  the  starry  sky  ; 

Where  tempests  die 

With  a  last  fierce  cry. 
And  never  a  wind  is  wild — 

There's  a  Mother  mild. 

With  a  little  child 
Like  a  star  set  on  her  knee. 

Then  bow  you  down, 

Give  Him  the  crown, 
'Tis  the  Lord  of  the  world  you  see. 

-From  "  Rough  Rhymes  of  a  Padre," 
By  G.  A.  Studdert  Kennedy,  M.C.  C.F. 


WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 

^  Mmsiiic 

EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


\mK 


No.  1,603. 


SATURDAY,    DECEMBER    21,    1918. 


Vol.    LXI. 


EDITORIAL. 


A  MINISTRY     OF     HEALTH. 

Long  delayed,  long  expected,  and  definitely 
promised  we  may  hope  that  a  Bill  to 
establish  a  Ministry  of  Health  will  be  part 
of  the  declared  Government  programme 
when  the  new  Parliament  assembles  at 
Westminster  next  month. 

The  Bill  introduced  by  Dr.  Addison  last 
Session,  which  will  doubtless  serve  as 
a  model  for  legislation  with  the  same 
object  in  the  future  —  placed  upon  the 
Minister  of  Health  to  be  appointed  under 
the  Act  the  duty  of  taking  "  all  such  steps 
as  may  be  desirable  to  secure  the  effective 
carrying  out  and  co-ordination  of  measures 
conducive  to  the  health  of  the  people,  in- 
cluding measures  for  the  prevention  and 
cure  of  diseases,  the  treatment  of  physical 
and  mental  defects,  the  collection  and  pre- 
paration of  information  and  statistics  rela- 
ting thereto,  and*  the  training  of  persons 
engaged  in  health  services." 

The  Bill  further  transferred  to  the  Minister 
of  Health  "  (a)  all  the  powers  and  duties  of 
the  Local  Government  Board  ;  (6)  all  the 
powers  and  duties  of  the  Insurance  Com- 
missioners and  the  Welsh  Insurance  Commis- 
sioners ;  (c)  all  the  powers  of  the  Board  of 
Education  with  respect  to  attending  to  the 
health  of  expectant  mothers  and  nursing 
mothers  and  of  children  who  have  not 
attained  the  age  of  five  years,  and  are  not 
in  attendance  at  schools  recognised  by  the 
Board  of  Education  ;  (d)  all  the  powers  of 
the  Privy  Council  and  of  the  Lord  Presi- 
dent of  the  Council  under  the  Midwives 
Act,  1902  ;  (e)  such  powers  of  supervising 
the  administration  of  Part  I  of  the  Children 
Act  1908  (which  relates  to  infant  life  pro- 
tection) as  have  heretofore  been  exercised 
by  the  Secretary  of  State." 

Points  of  special  interest  to  nurses  in 
the  proposed  legislation  are  the  transference 


to  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Minister  of  Health 
of  the  powers  and  duties  of  the  Local 
Government  Board,  which  at  present  em- 
ploys thousands  of  nurses.  This  is  also 
important  because  it  dissociates  the  infirm- 
aries controlled  by  this  authority  from  any 
connection  with  the  hated  "  poor  law  "  to 
which  many  of  the  poor  will  only  apply  for 
relief  as  a  last  resource.  This  point  is  of 
both  economic  and  individual  importance, 
because  the  expense  is  far  less  and  the 
result  more  satisfactory  if  a  case  is  taken 
in  hand  and  treated  at  an  early  stage,  than 
if  it  is  allowed  to  develop  ;  and,  further, 
because  the  wage  earner  is  out  of  employ- 
ment for  a  far  shorter  period. 

The  prevention  of  disease  is  a  very  im- 
portant duty  placed  upon  the  Minister  of 
Health.  Consider,  for  instance,  mental  dis- 
ease. With  a  delicate  organ  such  as  the  brain 
any  symptom  of  disease  should  be  attacked 
in  its  incipient  stage  when  the  chance 
of  effecting  a  cure  is  most  hopeful.  But, 
under  the  provision  at  present  made  for  the 
treatment  "of  cases  of  mental  disease,  a 
patient  must  be  certified  as  insane  before 
admission  to  an  asylum  (more  properly  a 
mental  hospital)  is  possible.  By  that  time 
the  disease  is  in  an  advanced  stage,  and  the 
prospect  of  a  cure  much  more  remote. 

Another  point  of  considerable  interest  to 
nurses  in  the  Bill  is  that  the  Minister  of 
Health  is  charged  with  the  duty  of  securing 
the  effective  carrying  out  and  co-ordination 
of  measures  for  "  the  training  of  persons 
engaged  in  health  services."  Hitherto 
while  many  nurses  have  been  trained  in 
infirmaries  under  the  Local  Government 
Board,  the  training  given  has  been  limited 
to  the  needs  of  the  institutions,  and  in  no 
sense  been  arranged  with  regard  to  turning 
out  the  most  efficient  nurse.  The  Bill  under 
consideration  appears  to  place  upon  the 
Minister,  responsibility  for  the  quality  of 
the  training  given  to  persons  engaged  in 
health  services  under  his  control. 


38. 


^be  British  3ournal  ot  "Hurslnfl. 


December  21,    1918 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITION. 


DB5CRiBB  THE  NURSING  CARE  OP  A  CASE  OF 
DOUBLE  PNEUMONIA. 

We  have  pleasure  in  awarding-  the  prize  this 
week  to  Miss  Maude  Cullen,  Queen  Mary's 
Hospital,  Stratford,  E.  15. 

PRIZE     PAPER. 

In  a  case  of  double  pneumonia  the  nursing 
is  of  the  highest  importance.  There  is  no 
means  known  of  arresting  the  disease,  which 
runs  a  definite  course. 

The  patient  must  .be  kept  absolutely  at  rest 
in  bed.  The  room  or  ward  well  ventilated,  and 
kept  at  an  even  temperature  from  63°  to  65° 
Fahr.  ;  in  some  cases  it  may  be  necessary  to 
raise  this.  Abundance  of  fresh  air  is  required  ; 
the  lungs  being  unable  to  work  properly,  the 
air  admitted  must  be  as  pure  as  possible. 

The  patient  will  choose  his  own  position.  A 
pneumonia  jacket,  or  g-amgee,  must  be  worn 
next  the  skin,  and  cover  the  back  and  chest. 
A  flannel  nightgown  on  top,  which  should  be 
open  down  the  back  and  fastened  with  tapes ; 
<-his  will  allow  changing,  when  necessary,  with 
the  minimum  of  disturbance  to  the  patient. 

The  temperature,  pulse,  and  respiration 
should  be  taken  every  four  hours,  and  if  the 
temperature  is  very  high,  as  105° or  106°  Fahr., 
steps  must  be  taken  to  reduce  it ;  if  continued 
it  seriously  affects  the  heart.  Tepid  or  cold 
sponging  may  be  resorted  to  in  some  cases,  or 
the  cold,  or  ice-pack,  but  it  is  necessary  to 
closely  observe  the  pulse  all  the  time,  if  giving 
the  cold  treatment,  and,  if  the  pulse  becomes 
weak,  to  immediately  discontinue  it. 

For  relieving  the  pain  in  the  chest  cold  appli- 
cations may  be  ordered,  in  the  form  of  an  ice- 
bag,  cold  compresses,  &c.  This  treatment  is  of 
more  use  in  the  early  stag-es,  and  for  those  only 
whose  constitution  can  stand  it. 

Hot  applications  are  preferred  by  many 
medical  men,  such  as  mustard  or  linseed  poul- 
tices ;  these,  if  applied  hot  and  made  properly, 
should  retain  the  heat  for  two  to  three  hours. 
Poultices  may  often  be  discontinued  alter  a  few 
days. 

Cougfh  is  a  troublesome  symptom,  and  may 
be  relieved  by  a  "Unctus,"  containing  ipecac- 
uanha, squills,  or  some  other  expectorant. 
Linctus  heroin  (dose  30  'S  sometimes  pre- 
scribed ;  as  this  contains  some  morphia  it  is 
valuable,  as  it  acts  as  a  mild  narcotic. 

The  bowels  must  be  kept  freely  open.  Mist, 
alba,  or  salts,  are  often  ordered  to  be  given  in 
the  early  morning.  Calomel  is  useful,  but 
should  not  be  given  unless  specially  ordered. 

In  cases  of  sleeplessness  it  may  be  necessary 


to  give  drugs,  although  simpler  measures,  such 
as  tepid  sponging,  keeping  the  room  quiet  and 
dark,  and  giving  a  hot  drink  of  milk,  may  be 
enough  to  induce  sleep;  but  if  not,  the  doctor 
may  order  a  hypodermic  injection  of  morphia  to 
be  given,  as  it  is  most  essential  for  the  patient 
to  have  mental  or  well  as  physical  rest. 

The  most  serious  complication  of  pneumonia 
is  heart  failure.  Should  the  heart  show  sigfns 
of  weakening,  strychnine  may  be  ordered,  or 
alcohol  (brandy).  The  pulse  rate  will  g-o  up 
perhaps  as  high  as  120  or  more,  and  become 
irregular.  The  finger  nails  will  be  seen  to 
become  blue,  also  the  lips.  As  much  as  gvi  of 
brandy  may  be  given  in  the  24  hours,  but 
usually  §iii  is  sufficient.  Close  watch  must  be 
kept  on  the  pulse.  When  it  goes  up,  the  doctor 
usually  orders  brandy. 

Delirium  is  another  troublesome  complica- 
tion. It  may  be  only  slight,  or,  on  the  other 
hand,  most  marked  ;  especially  is  this  the  case 
when  the  patient  is  an  alcoholic  subject. 

A  nurse  should  do  all  in  her  power  to  combat 
this  distressing  symptom.  Often  tepid  spong- 
ingf,  a  warm  drink  of  milk,  to  which  brandy  is 
added,  may  induce  sleep,  if  the  delirium  is 
slight. 

One  should  never  deal  forcibly  with  a  de- 
lirious patient,  but  as  g^ently  as  possible  ;  it  is 
the  best  and  really  only  way  to  try  and  coax, 
instead  of  using-  force  with  him.  Usually,  if 
the  delirium  becomes  violent,  the  doctor  orders 
morphia  hypodermically. 

The  diet  should  consist  of  liquids  only,  in  the 
early  stag-es  of  the  disease.  Milk  being  the 
chief  article  of  diet,  it  should  be  given  reg'u- 
larly,  at  intervals  of  two  to  four  hours.  Egg 
(beaten  up),  beef-tea,  chicken-broth  are  all 
nourishing.  The  strength  of  the  patient  must 
be  maintained  throughout  the  whole  illness, 
because  it  is  due  to  the  proper  feeding  that  his 
recovery  to  a  certain  extent  dejyends. 

If  there  is  any  sputum,  the  amount  and 
character  must  be  noted.  In  double  pneumonia 
the  "dyspnoea"  may  become  troublesome. 
Oxygen  g-ives  relief  in  many  cases,  but  it  is  not 
wise  to  continue  its  use  too  long. 

A  mixture  of  "  ammonia  c.  ether  "  is  often 
given  in  treating  this  troublesome  complaint. 

The  back  and  mouth  of  a  patient  suffering 
from  pneumonia  both  require  sp>ecial  attention, 
as  the  neglect  of  such  denotes  bad  nursing. 

The  crisis  as  a  rule  takes  place  from  the 
seventh  to  tenth  day  ;  after  that,  the  chief  point 
to  bear  in  mind  is  to  guard  the  patient  from 
taking  a  chill  or  having  a  relapse. 

Brandy  is  sometimes  ordered  at  this  stage, 
as  there  may  be  a  certain  amount  of  prostra- 
tion, and  mav  be  continued  for  some  time  after. 


December  21,  1918       ^j^e  Biltlsb  3ournal  of  IRurslno. 


383 


Convalescence  is  usually  rapid.  Tonics  may  be 
given,  diet  increased,  and  ds  soon  as  possible 
the  patient  should  have  a  change  of  air. 

There  is  hardly  any  other  illness  which  calls 
for  more  careful  nursing  than  pneumonia. 

HONOURABLE    MENTION. 

The  following  comi>etitors  receive  honour- 
able mention  : — Mrs.  E.  J.  Gotlob,  Miss  J. 
Evans,  Miss  P.  James,  Miss  N.  Adams.  We 
regret  that  an  excellent  paper  from  Miss 
Winifred  Appleton  only  arrived  on  Wednesday 
morning. 

OURSTION    FOR   NEXT    WEEK. 

What  diseases  may  be  caused  by  faulty  diet; 
ing?  Mention  some  of  the  effects  which  may 
follow  the  consumption  of  putrid  or  diseased 
meat. 


DOPING. 


It  may  be  cold  comfort  to  self-respecting 
members  of  the  Nursing  Profession  in  connec- 
tion with  being  exploited  by  the  Daily  Sketch, 
in  support  of  the  sinking  fund  of  the  College 
of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  through  the  now  very 
notorious  Victory  Ball  at  the  Albert  Hall,  that 
the  terrible  vice  of  Doping  has  been  dragged 
into  the  light  of  day  at  the  inquest  on  the  young 
actress  Billie  Carleton,  found  dead  in  bed  after 
attending  the  Ball,  and  to  which  w-e  allude  in 
another  column.  Great  public  interest  has  been 
aroused  in  this  sad  case,  and  the  prevalence  of 
drug  taking  by  the  most  vicious  coterie  of 
society  and  its  hangers-on  (a  fact  well  known 
to  trained  nurses)  has  come  as  a  rude  shock, 
and,  let  us  hoj>e,  as  a  salutary  warning  to  the 
community  in  general.  One  good  result  of  the 
exposure  in  the  Westminster  Coroner's  Court 
is  the  wide  publicity  given  in  the  daily  press  to 
the  demoralization  of  p>ersons  addicted  to 
"doping,"  as  the  more  the  terrible  results  of 
this  vice  are  known,  the  greater  the  hope  that  the 
traffickers  in  murderous  drugs  will  be  brought 
to  justice,  and  ignorant  people  saved  from  their 
cruel  lust  of  filthy  lucre.  We  would  advise 
trained  nurses  to  be  keenly  on  the  watch  for 
sufferers  from  the  "drug  fiend,"  and  to  use 
their  utmost  endeavour  to  counteract  the  evil 
machinations  of  drug  "profiteers"  in  our 
midst.  It  would  appear  that  the  police  might 
be  more  alert  in  this  connection  ! 

Or  do  they  not  know  there  is  a  wide  illicit 
traffic  in  the  following  dangerous  drugs,  which 
chemists  may  not  sell  without  the  presentation 
of  a  doctor's  prescription,  and  that  all  such 
sales  must  be  reported  in  the  chemist's 
register? 

Wh.at  the  Drugs  are. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  drugs  in  which 
there  is  an  illicit  traffic  : — 


Cocaine. — A  white  powder  made  from  coca, 
a  plant  extensively  cultivated  in  South  America.- 
By  the  medical  profession  it  is  largely  used  as 
a  local  anaesthetic.  In  normal  times  it  is  cheap. 
A  small  quantity  worth  a  few  pence  is  now 
illicitly  sold  in  the  West  End  for  four  or  five 
pounds. 

Heroin. — Another  form  of  morphine. 

Both  cocaine  and  heroin  are  taken  as  snuff. 

Opium. — For  smoking  a  sj>ecial  preparation 
is  used  known  as  "chandoo."  Opium-smok- 
ing carried  to  excess  is  utterly  demoralising. 

Haschisch. — Tbe  top  leaves  and  tender  parts 
of  Indian  hemp,  dried  for  smoking  and  chewing 
and  used  as  a  narcotic  in  the  East. 

Morphine. — ^The  chief  alkaloid  of  opium. 
Once  the  use  of  morphine  becomes  a  habit  it  is 
very  dangerous,  and  brings  about  rapid  rrioral 
degeneration. 

THE  ROYAL  RED  CROSS. 

The  King  conferred  the  decoration  of  the  Royal 
Red  Cross  upon  the  following  ladies  at  Buckingham 
Palace  on  Friday,  December  1 3th  : — 
First  Class. 

Assistant  Matron  Margaret  Weir,  Territorial 
Force  Nursing  Service  ;  and  Matron  Emily  Power, 
British  Red  Cross  Society. 

Second  Class. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing 
Service.- — Sister  Annie  Buyers  and  Sister  Beatrice 
Thomas. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing 
Service  Reserve.- — Sister  Mary  Collier,  Sister  Anna 
Stuart,  and  Staff  Nurse  Matilda  Tate. 

Civil  Nursing  Service. — Matron  Elizabeth  Price 
and  Matron  Evelyn  Pugh. 

Voluntary  Aid  Detachment. ^ — ^Mrs.  Minnie  Scott. 

American  Nursing  Service.- — Assistant  Matron 
Alvira  Stevens  and  Sister  Letitia  Kelly. 

The  King  also  conferred  the  following  honours : — 

THE    MILITARY    MEDAL. 

Miss  Mary  Campbell,  Voluntary  Aid  Detach- 
ment ;  Miss  Gertrude  Johnston,  Voluntary  Aid 
Detachment ;  and  Sister  Meta  Hodge,  Canadian 
Army  Nursing  Service. 


Queen  Alexandra  received  at  Marlborough 
House  the  Members  of  the  Military  and  Civil 
Nursing  Services  subsequent  to  their  Investiture 
by  the  King  with  Decorations  at  Buckingham 
Palace. 

QUEEN    ALEXANDRAS    HOSPITAL    FOR 
OFFICERS. 

Her  Majesty  afterwards  received  Mr.  Herbert 
J.  Paterson.  F.R.C.S.  (Honorary  Surgeon  in 
Charge),  and  Miss  Mary  C.  Sinzininex  (Matron), 
of  Queen  Alexandra's  Hospital  for  Officers,  Mill- 
field  Lane,  Highgate,  and  several  Members  of  the 
Staff  to  whom  she  presented  the  Badge  of  the 
hospital. 


384 


Hbe  Briti0b  3ournal  of  Bureino. 


December  21,    1918 


NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 

It  is  proposed  that  an  Empire  War  Memorial 
Shrine  and  Cloisters,  in  the  form  of  a  Greek  Cross, 
shall  be  erected  in  Old  Palace  Yard.  We  hope 
one  of  the ^78  recesses  to  be  used  as  small  memorial 
chapels  will  commemorate  trained  nurses. 


The  Brussels  correspondent  of  the  Times  writes 
from  that  city,  on  December  loth  •.' — "  The  site  of 
Nurse  Cavell  s  grave  in  the  Tir  National  seems, 
now  to  be  established  with  sufficient  certainty 
judging  by  the  German  plan  of  the  cemetery 
shown  to  me  there  by  the  Belgian  authorities. 

"  The  first  occasion  was  taken  this  afternoon 
by  the  British  community  to  hold  a  commemora- 
tion service  at  the  grave,  conducted  by  the  Rev. 
H.  S.  T.  Gahan  and  attended  by  the  British 
Minister,  Sir  F.  H.  Villiers,  who  laid  a  wreath  from 
King  George  and  Queen  Mary,  inscribed  in 
memory  of  '  A  brave  and  splendid  Englishwoman.' 
Sir  F.  H.  Villiers  also  deposited  a  wreath,  likewise 
bound  with  the  British  colours,  in  the  name  of  the 
British  Legation  and  colony,  to  which  the  American 
Minister,  Mr.  Brand  Whitlock,  who  was  present, 
added  a  tribute  of  his  own.  In  spite  of  a  steady 
downpour,  a  large  company  did  not  shrink  from 
the  slippery,  muddy  walk  across  the  wind-swept 
butts  to  the  graveside.  In  addition  to  Lady 
Villiers  and  the  members  of  the  Legation  stafi 
and  their  ladies,  those  present  included  the  Earl 
of  Athlone,  the  Spanish  Minister,  and  the  Belgian 
Foreign  Minister  and  Mme .  Hy m  ans 

"  Among  King  Albert's  first  acts  after  his 
re-entry  into  Brussels  was  to  visit,  in  company 
with  hiis  Queen,  the  Martyrs'  Cemetery,  where 
the  latter  laid  a  wreath,  '  To  Edith  Cavell.' — 
Elisabeth." 


A  general  evacuation  of  British  sick  and 
wounded  from  Belgium  and  France,  has  been 
ordered,  and  is  going  on  now.  Of  course,  some 
cases  cannot  be  moved,  but  most  of  the  hospital 
staffs  and  women  in  the  nursing  services  will  come 
home.  The  demobilisation  of  nurses  and  V.A.D.s 
at  home  is  also  beginning  to  make  the  former 
consider  their  future.  The  past  four  years  have 
been  very  strenuous,  and  the  majority  of  war 
nurses  mean  to  have  "  a  nice  long  rest."  This  is 
wise  ;  they  will  thus  begin  a  new ' '  administration ' ' 
refreshed  and  fit. 


It  must  not  be  forgotten,  however,  that  during 
the  past  four  years,  the  training  schools  have 
certificated  hundreds  of  young,  up-to-date  nurses, 
and  many  a  post  resigned  is  not  now  vacant. 
There  is  plenty  of  good  work  waiting  to  be  done 
in  private  nursing,  which,  we  fear,  "  war  "  nurses 
will  not  find  to  their  taste  after  all  the  change 
and  excitement.  We  believe  the  Overseas  Nursing 
Association  has  vacancies  abroad  in  our  Crown 
Colonies  for  well-trained  general  nurses  holding 
also  the  C.M.B.  certificate,  and  information  as 
to  future  spheres  of  work  can  be  obtained  at  the 
office  of  the  National  Union  of  Trained  Nurses' 


Employment  Bureau,  at  46,  Marsham  Street, 
Westminster.  There  will  also  be  every  effort 
made  to  help  nurses  in  every  particular  at  the 
new  Scottish  Nurses'  Club,  205,  Bath  Street, 
Glasgow.  In  Dublin,  the  nurses  have  their 
professional  centre  at  34,  St.  Stephen's  Green, 
Dublin. 


Last  week's  Truth  asks  :■ — 

"  Why  should  the  Matron-in-Chief  of  Queen  Alex- 
andra's isTursing  Service  be  allowed  to  hold  her  appoint- 
ment for  an  indefinite  period  when  the  Pay  Warrant 
limits  the  tenure  of  her  office  to  a  maximum  of  five 
years  ?  My  War  Of&ce  friends  will,  of  course,  tell 
me  that  the  lady  in  question  is  highly  qualified  for 
her  position,  and  from  what  I  hear  outside  the  War 
Office  this  is  undoubtedly  the  case.  None  the  less 
rules  are  made  for  observance,  and,  as  the  Matron-in- 
Chief  has  had  an  eight  years'  innings,  I  think  the  time 
has  come  for  her  to  give  a  step  of  promotion  to  the 
Matrons  and  Sisters  below  her.  General  Goodwin  is 
naturally  anxious  to  have  an  efficient  Matron-in-Chief 
at  the  head  of  the  Nursing  Service,  but  there  are  as 
good  fish  in  the  sea  as  come  out  of  it. 


"  Apropos  of  this  matter,  I  am  by  no  means  satisfied 
with  the  system,  or  rather  with  the  want  of  system, 
of  promotion  in  the  Nursing  Service.  There  is  neither 
a  time,  nor  any  other,  scale  of  promotion  for  the 
staff  nurses  and  Sisters,  who  are  absolutely  at  the 
mercy,  tender  or  otherwise,  of  the  Matron-in-  Chief. 
Male  autocrats  are  bad  enough,  but  when  autocratic 
power  is  given  to  female  officials,  especially  when  they 
are  strong  enough  to  hold  their  own,  it  is  hopeless 
to  look  for  impartiaUty  of  judgment.  Women  are 
not  made  that  way.  I  think  a  Promotion  Board 
should  be  set  up  for  the  Nursing  Service,  and  I  am 
disposed  to  think  that  the  Director-General  or  his 
deputy,  should  be  president  of  it." 

We  wonder  if  Truth  has  seen  the  offensive  "  Serf 
Clause,"  set  up  during  the  war,  and  without 
subscribing  to  which  Sisters  and  nurses  of 
the  Military  Nursing  Service  Reserve  are  not 
eUgible  for  the  ;^20  rise  in  salary.  It  is  easy  to 
exercise"  autocratic  power  "  with  such  a  pro  vision, 
and  we  demand  once  more  that  our  Mihtary 
Nursing  Services  "shall  be  freed  from  the  taint  of 
tyranny  and  the  Clause  abrogated. 

The  members  of  the  Nursing  Board,  as  well  as 
the  Matron-in-Chief,  are  to  blame  for  thrusting 
this  ignoble  system  upon  Sisters  and  nurses, 
during  a  war,  when  they  must  submit  to  it  or 
fail  to  care  for  our  devoted  troops  in  their  ^rgent 
need.  To  bleat  about  fighting  for  freedom  and 
liberty  and  the  "  rights  of  man,"  and  to  permit 
this  despotic  system  to  continue  at  the  War  Office 
gives  cause  for  the  accusation  of  our  enemies  that 
we  are  a  nation  of  hypocrites. 

We  hope  Truth  will  look  into  this  matter  and 
help  to  have  this  injustice  rectified. 

TRUE    TALES    WITH    A    MORAL.      1930. 

Another  little  Grand-daughter  :  What  did  you 
do  in  the  Great  War,  Grannie  ? 

Grannie  (bridling)  :  I  appeared  constantly  in 
the  pictorial  Press  in  Nurses'  iiiifomi.  Sweet 
studies." 


December  21,  1918       (j[)e  Brtttsb  3ournal  of  IRursmo, 


385 


EDITH  CAVELL  HOME  OF  REST. 


WEDDING    BELLS. 

On  December  17th,  at  St.  Bartholomew's  Church, 
Haslemere,  by  the  Rev.  W.  Wragge,  the  marriage 
was  solemnised  between  Miss  Mary  Gwladys  John, 
Hon.  Serving  Sister,  Order  of  St.  John  of  Jerus- 
alem, and  Capt.  Robert  Nixon  Armstrong  Bailey, 
H.L.I,  The  hymns  selected  for  the  occasion  were, 
"  The  Voice  that  Breathed  o'er  Eden,"  and 
"<Now  Thank  We  All  Our  God  "  (the  latter  being 
very  appropriate,  as  Serving-Sister  John  was  on 
duty  at  Etaples  when  the  hospital  was  bombed 
and  destroyed,  and  Capt.  Bailey  has  also  passed 
through  many  dangers).  The  happy  pair  left 
the  church  to  the  strains  of  the  Wedding  March. 


the  civilian  dresses  of  the  numerous  well-wishers 
present. 

The  bride  and  bridegroom  left  Haslemere'^at 
five  o'clock  for  Bournemouth,  where  the  first 
part  of  their  honeymoon  will  be  spent.  The 
bride's  travelling  dress  was  a  saxe-blue  costume 
with  hat  to  match. 

After  the  ceremony  the  ladies  of  the  Coombe 
Head  Committee,  assisted  by  the  Matron,  Miss 
Hurlston,  held  a  reception  at  Coombe  Head,  where 
the  bride  and  bridegroom  received  the  hearty 
congratulations  of  the  many  friends  of  the  Hr  me. 

After  the  departure  of  Capt.  and  Mrs.  Bailey, 
the  visitors  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  over 
the  Home,  and  remarks  of  admiration  were  ex- 
pressed on  the  excellent  taste  and  the  comfort 
displayedin  all  the  arrangements.     The  bedrooms 


EDITH    CAVELL    HOME,    COOMBE    HEAD,    HASLEMERE. 


The  bride— who  was  married  from  the  Home  and 
given  away  by  Mr  F  Rosher  Vice-Chairman,  i-i  iho 
unavoidable  absence  of  Lt.-Col.  Sir  Richard  Temple, 
Bart,  C.B.,  CLE.,  Chairman  of  the  Edith  Cavell 
Homes-— wore  her  mess  uniform.  She  was  attended 
by  the  Misses  Payne  and  Pooley,  nurse  probationers, 
who  were  staying  at  Coombe  Head  ;  they  wore 
their  indoor  uniform.  Lieut.  P.  C.  Randall 
undertook  the  duties  of  best  man. 

The  N.irsing  Sisters  staying  at  the  Home,  with 
Miss  Coventry's  detachment  of  Girl  Guides, 
formed  a  guard  of  honour.  Among  the  con- 
gregation were  a  number  of  soldiers  from  the 
Australian  Military  Hospitals,  their  honourable 
"  blues  "  giving  a  picturesque  touch  of  colour  to 


— ^ten  in  number — are  named  after  flowers,  each 
guest  having  a  separate  room.  "  Jessamine " 
being  occupied  by  Sister  John,  that  flower  was 
chosen  for  the  table  decorations  with  a  centre 
vase  of  fine  chrysanthemuiuS.  The  large  drawing- 
room  looked  very  inviting,  with  its  plentiful  supply 
of  easy  chairs,  sofas,  and  a  handsome  piano  ;  in 
fact,  everything  has  been  tjiought  of  to  encourage 
the  nurses  to  "  rest  "  thoroughly.  This  room  was 
decorated  with  pink  and  white  flowers. 

The  nurses  express  warm  appreciation  of  all 
the  thoughtful  kindness  bestowed  on  them"^; 
this,  combined  with  the  good  air  and  beautiful 
walks,  is  an  excellent  tonic  for  them  after  their 
strenuous  work  of  the  past  four  years.     They  were 


386 


Ebe  Britieb  3ournal  of  "Wurslnfi.       December  21,  1918 


very  gratified  when  they  heard  the  committee 
had  invited  Sister  John  to  be  married  from  Coombe 
Head  ;  it  proved  to  them  that  these  kind  friends 
were  anxious  to  have  the  guests  use  it  as  a  real 
Home  in  every  way,  in  the  spirit  in  which  Edith 
Cavell  would  approve. 

■  •  ■ 

THE  ROYAL  CHARTER  TEA. 

It  was  a  happy  thought  that  the  Royal  Charter 
— the  precious  document  which  is  the  unique 
possession  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Association 
— should  be  brought  from  the.  safe  at  the  bank 
where  it  has  reposed  for  the  last  quarter-of-a- 
century,  and  shown  to  the  members,  whose 
priceless  property  it  is. 

The  members  evidently  were  in  the  same  mind 
as  their  officers,  and  a  steady  stream  on  Tuesday 
afternoon  last  came  to  lo.  Orchard  Street,  Portman 
Square,  W.,  where  a  warm  greeting  from  Miss 
Macdonald,  and  one  of  the  real  Scotch  teas — • 
for  which  she  is  famous — awaited  them.  In  the 
place  of  honour  they  found  the  Royal  "Charter, 
engrossed  on  parchment,  given  by  warrant  under 
Queen  Victoria's  sign-manual,  and  sealed  with 
the  Great  Seal,  which  was  examined  with  the 
deepest  interest. 

Amongst  those  present  were  Mrs.  Bedford 
Fenwick  and  Miss  M.  Breay  named  in  the  Incor- 
poration Clause  of  the  Charter,  Mr.  Herbert  J. 
Paterson  and  Mrs.  Campbell  Thomson,  the  popular 
Hon.  Secretaries,  Mrs.  Broadfoot,  Lady  Consul 
for  India,  and  her  daughter.  Miss  Saunders,  and 
Miss  NichoUs,  both  of  whom  attended  the  meeting 
at  St.  George's  Hall  in  February,  1888,  at  which 
the  Association  was  publicly  launched  ;  Miss 
O'Brien,  of  the  American  Navy  Nursing  Service, 
Miss  AUce  Cattell,  and  many  others  interested 
in  the  organisation  of  nurses  and  the  welfare  of 
trained  nursing. 

The  party  was  so  enjoyable  that  at  half-past 
six,  instead  of  adieux  being  said,  fresh  tea  was 
being  brewed  and  fresh  relays  of  cakes  making 
their  appearance — .and  disappearance.  The 
general  verdict  of  the  members  was  that  such 
social  gatherings  should  be  of  frequent  occurrence, 
and  thus  opportunity  provided  for  friendly  inter- 
course between  the  members  of  the  Royal 
Chartered  Corporation. 

GIFTS. 

The  gift  that  makes  the  Dreamers  into  Doers  : 
The  gift,  through  Joy  or  Sorrow,  Light  or  Murk, 
To  play  with  all  your  soul  and  heart  a  Christ-like 

part ; 
The  gift  of  Discontent,  to  keep  you  driving 
Forward  and  up,  forever  striving 
For  something  better  in  the  days  hereafter  ; 
The  gift  of  Kindness  and  the  gift  of  Laughter 
And  all  the  gifts  of  Love  and  Faith  and  Friends 

and  Purity  and  Truth, 
And  in  your  heart,  until  life's  journey  ends, 
The  priceless  gift  of  Youth  : 
Hope  that  inspires  and  Courage  that  endures — 
May  all  these  gifts  be  yours. 

From  The  Canadian  Nurse. 


THE  SCOTTISH  NURSES'  CLUB. 


On  Saturday,  December  14th,  the  Scottish 
Nurses'  Club,  205,  Bath  Street,  Glasgow,  was 
opened  by  the  Lord  Provost  (Mr^  J.  W.  Stewart), 
the  Marchioness  of  Ailsa,  President,  presiding  at  the 
successful  opening  ceremony,  at  which  the  large 
reception  room  was  crowded.  The  Club,  located 
in  one  of  the  most  beautiful  houses  in  Bath 
Street,  is  largely  the  outcome  of  the  work  for  the 
nursing  profession  of  Mrs.  Strong,  late  Matron  of 
the  Royal  Infirmary,  Glasgow,  and  President 
of  the  Scottish  Nurses'  Association,  a  pioneer 
worker  for  the  nursing  profession  who  is  still  in 
the  van  of  progress ;  and  Dr.  McGregor  Robertson, 
who  has  proved  such  a  true  friend  to  nurses  who 
are  endeavouring  to  organize  their  profession  on 
sound  economic  fines.  Perhaps  no  body  '  of 
•vyorkers  need  a  professional  Club,  or  appreciate  it 
more,  than  trained  nurses,  who,  whether  they  live 
in  hospitals  or  are  engaged  in  private  nursing,  or 
in  branches  of  social  service,  long  for  a  home  of 
their  own,  for  the  best  women  are  by  instinct 
home-makers,  and  one  of  the  trials  of  a  nurse's  fife 
is  that  she  so  seldom  has  the  opportunity  of 
exercising  that  instinct. 

The  Club  is  appointed  with  great  taste  and  is 
most  comfortably,  and,  indeed,  luxuriously 
furnished.  To  spend  their  off  ,  duty- time  in 
harmonious  surroundings  is  to  many  nurses  a 
greater  rest  than  is  often  understood,  for 
beautiful  form  and  perfectly  blended  colours  are 
not  only  an  enjoyment  but  a  real  rest  to  nerves 
which  are  con.stantly  at  tension  during  duty  hours. 

The  Scottish  Nurses'  Association,  which  formed 
the  nucleus  of  the  present  Club,  is  one  of  a  number 
of  societies  o,f  nurses  affiliated  to  the  Royal 
British  Nurses'  Association,  and  the  following 
telegram  of  congratulation  was  read  at  the  opening 
of  the  Club,  from  Her  Royal  Highness  Princess 
Christian,  President  of  the  Association  : — 

Please  convey  the  congratulations  of  Her 
Royal  Highness  the  President,  the  Hon.  Officers, 
and  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Royal 
British  Nurses'  Association,  to  the  President, 
Trustees,  and  Members  of  the  Scottish  Nurses' 
Club,  and  their  hope  that  the  future  may  hold 
for  it  great  success. 

Herbert  J.  Paterson  ]        Hon. 

Emily  Campbell  Thomson    [  Secretaries  , 

Lady  Ailsa,  in  welcoming  the  Lord  Provost, 
gave  a  brief  account  of  the  origin  of  the  scheme, 
and  referred  to  the  office  and  recreation  rooms  of 
the  Scottish  Nurses'  Association  at  103,  Bath 
Street,  which  had  quickly  enrolled  400  members. 
From  that  sprang  the  idea  of  forming  a  Club 
which  might,  in  time,  come  to  be  recognized  as 
the  headquarters  of  the  nursing  profession  in 
Scotland,  and,  thanks  to  the  interest  taken  in  the 
proposal  by  Sir  Thomas  Dunlop,  when  Lord 
Provost  of  Glasgow,  and  to  the  present  Lord 
Provost,  the  scheme  had  materialised.  She  said 
that  the  Scottish  Nurses'  Association  had  reafised 
the  impossibility  of  running  a  Club  of  that^kind 


December  21,  1918      ^[^e  Britieb  Soumal  of  IRursiuG. 


387 


under  any  one  body,  and  emphasised  the  fact  that 
the  Club  would  be  managed  by  nurses  themselves 
for  the  whole  body  of  nurses,  as  a  house  of  their 
own,  where  they  would  have  opportunities  of 
comradeship. 

The  Lord  Provost,  in  formally  declaring  the 
Club  open,  spoke  in  high  terms  of  the  willing  and 
valuable  service  rendered  by  the  profession  of 
nursing  to  the  community.  He  wished  the  Club 
every  success,  and  hoped  that  the  nurses  would 
avail  themselves  fully  of  the  advantages  which  it 
ofEered  as  a  place  of  rest  and  refreshment  in  the 
midst  of  their  arduous  duties. 

On  behalf  of  the  nurses,  ]\Irs.  Strong,  who  was 
warmly  received,  thanked  the  Lord  Provost  and 
Trustees  for  their  interest,  and  gave  the  nurses  a 
short  address  which  was  greatly  appreciated. 
The  vote  of  thanks  was  appropriately  seconded 
by  Miss  Finn,  Matron  of  the  Abbey  Hospital, 
Paisley,  the  nurses  of  which  raised  the  money 
which  was  the  means  of  originating  the  Club. 

The  Rev.  M.  McGibbon,  of  Glasgow  Cathedral, 
was  then  called  upon  to  dedicate  the  Club  and 
bless  its  members,  after  which  there  was  music, 
and  visitors  were  served  with  tea. 

We  congratulate  the  Scottish  nurses  on  their 
beautiful  Club,  and  hope  that  with  Miss  M.  R. 
Stewart  as  Secretary,  and  with  a  strong  committee 
of  management,  formed  of  the  nurses  themselves, 
it  will  develop  into  headquarters  to  which  Scottish 
nurses  Avill  naturally  turn  for  rest,  refreshment 
and  professional  help. 


OVERSEAS  NURSES' CLUB,  EDINBURGH. 

For  some  time  past  the  Overseas  Nurses'  Club 
has  been  in  use  and  greatly  appreciated  in  Rutland 
Square,  Edinburgh,  and  on  Friday,  the  13th  inst., 
it  was  formally  opened  under  the  title  of  King 
George  and  Queen  Mary  Club,  at  27,  Drumsheugh 
Gardens,  to  meet  the  need  of  i  ncreased  accommo- 
dation. The  Marchioness  of  Linlithgow,  President 
of  the  Edinburgh  Branch  of  the  Victoria  League, 
which  promoted  the  Club,  occupied  the  Chair,  and 
many  influential  people  supported  her  on  the  plat- 
form, including  Lady  Jersey,  Mrs.  David  Wallace 
(Hon.  Sec.)  and  Miss  Hay  (Hon.  Superintendent). 

Lady  Linlithgow  said  that  nurses  had  come  from 
all  over  the  world  to  give  their  services,  and,  if 
necessary,  to  risk  their  Uves,  to  succour  the  sick  and 
wounded,  and  in  that  Club  they  would  have  a  well- 
earned  rest.  No  words  could  adequately  express 
their  feelings  of  gratitude  to  the  nurses  for  their 
magnificent  courage  and  endurance  during  the  last 
four  years. 

Lady  Jersey  declared  the  Club  open,  and  con- 
veyed the  grateful  thanks  of  the  Victoria  League 
in  London  to  the  Edinburgh  Branch  for  the  work 
they  had  done.  Nearly  everybody  who  came  from 
overseas  wanted  to  visit  Scotland.  One  reason  of 
that  was  that  wherever  they  went  they  would  find 
Scotsmen  doing  good,  gallant  and  faithful  work. 
They  heard  a  great  deal  about  a  League  of  Nations, 
and  hoped  and  trusted  it  would  come  into  existence. 


But  there  was  already  a  brotherhood  of  nations. 
Canada,  South  Africa,  Australia,  New  Zealand, 
Newfoundland,  India,  Egypt,  and  all  the  Crown 
Colonies  joined  with  the  United  Kingdom  in  a 
brotherhood  that  would  stand  together  in  peace 
and  war. 

Surgeon-General  Wilson,  in  the  course  of  a  short 
address,  paid  tribute  to  the  work  of  the  nurses,  and 
referred  particularly  to  their  heroism  on  the  occa- 
sion of  the  bombing  of  a  casualty  clearing  station 
at  Bailleul  and  of  the  base  hospitals  at  Etaples. 

A  vote  of  thanks  to  Lady  Jersey,  Lady  LinUth- 
gow,  the  Hon.  Officers,  and  other  workers,  pro- 
posed by  Dr.  M'Kenzie  Johnston,  President  of  the 
Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  concluded  the  pro- 
ceedings. 


THE    IRISH    NURSES'  ASSOCIATION. 

A  meeting  of  the  Irish  Nurses'  Association  was 
held  at  the  Club  Rooms,  34,  Stephen's  Green, 
Dublin,  on  Saturday,   7th  inst. 

The  President,  Miss  Carson  Rae,  was  in  the 
chair.  The  usual  routine  business  was  transacted, 
and  a  letter  was  read  from  the  secretary  of  the 
Scottish  Nurses'  Club,  Glasgow,  saying  that 
members  of  the  Irish  Nurses'  Association  may 
have  the  use  of  the  Club  when  visiting  or  passing 
through  Glasgow,  without  the  payment  of  fee  or 
annual  subscription,  a  courtesy  warmly  appre- 
ciated by  all  present.  New  members  were  elected. 
M.  L.  O'Keeffe, 

Secretary. 

TAINTED  MONEY. 


"  Rather  than  touch  a  penny  of  that  tainted 
money  resulting  from  the  College  of  Nursing 
Victory  Ball  I'd  starve  !  "  writes  an  indignant 
Sister  ;  and  she  adds,  "Now  that  the  Bil  ie  Carletcn 
inquest  has  exposed  the  source  of  some  of  the 
;{i 6,000  profit,  many  other  nurses  feel  with  me." 

Anyway,  the  professional  Editor  of  this  Journal 
sympathises  warmly  with  this  expression  of 
opinion. 

Miss  Billie  Carleton  was  a  beautiful  young 
actress  who  attended  the  BaU,  and  who,  at  about 
4  a.m.,  left  in  the  company  of  a  ci  .ema  actor — 
Lionel  Herbert  Belcher — ^Miss  O'ive  Richardson, 
a  Dr.  Stewart,  Miss  Fay  Compton,  and  Lieutenant 
Barraud.  On  the  journey  home  to  Savoy  Court 
Mansions,  Dr.  Stewart  was  dropped  near  KnightS' 
bridge,  and  Miss  Fay  Compton  and  Lieutenant 
Barraud  were  dropped  together  at  hf  r  residence 
in  Hereford  Square,  Belcher  and  Richardson 
returned  with  BilJie  Car  e*^ on,  where  they  break- 
fasted in  her  bedroom,  leavin?  the  yo^ner  actrass 
in  bed,  where  she  was  found  sleepii  g  heavily,  and 
later  dead,  by  her  maid  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
same  day. 

The  inquest  on  this  young  girl  "has  been  widely 
reported,  and  stands  adjourned  unii'  January 
2nd,  but  the  disclosures  during  the  two  enquiries 


388 


Hbe  Britieb  Journal  of  iRurstno. 


December  21,   1918 


at  the  Westminster  Coroner's  Court  revealed 
widespread  demoralisation  amongst  a  group  of 
people  addic'ed  to  "doping"  with  opium, 
cocaine,  heroin,  and  other  deadly  drugs,  who, 
even  down  to  the  servant  employed  by  a  man 
dressmaker  (d3  Veulle),  to  procure  opium  from  a 
Chines  3  at  Limehouse,  attended  the  Victory  Ball 
at  the  Albert  Hall  and  paid  cash  in  support  of  the 
"  Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses,"  run  by  Lady  Cow- 
dray  and  a  Committee  of  actresses,  in  support  of 
the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.  The  strong  oppo- 
sition of  the  organised  Nurses'  Societies,  has  been 
explained  to  this  Committee  of  persons — who 
have  no  right  whatever  to  interfere  with  the 
nurses'  professional  affairs — ^to  having  their  pro- 
fession based  on  vicarious  chaiity,  and  their 
protest  appeared  in  the  press,  before  the  Ball,  at 
this  method  of  obtaining  money  in  their  name. 

Since  the  exposS  at  the  aforesaid  inquest,  we 
have  been  asked  if  the  lace  Miss  Billie  Carleton 
was  a  member  of  Lady  Cowdray's  Committee. 
She  was  not,  but  Miss  Fay  Compton  is  a  member, 
and  has  publicly  tegged  for  the  Nurses  ! 

We  need  say  no  more  than  to  advise  the  Members 
of  our  profession  who  resent  association  with  the 
promoters  of  the  Nation's  Fund,  to  carefully  read 
the  scandalous  revelations  at  the  inquest,  which 
appeared  in  the  daily  press  on  December  13th, 
and  when  the  whole  case  is  before  the  public  (with 
reservations  for  the  highly-placed,  no  doubt),  that 
they  will  bring  it  to  the  notice  of  their  new  Member 
of  Parliament,  to  prove  how  dangerous  it  is  for 
professional  women  workers  to  be  associated  in 
any  way,  or  controlled  by,  either  financiaUy  or 
otherwise,  the  type  of  persons  who  are  content  to 
promote  such  a  function  as  the  Victory  Ball  in 
their  name. 

We  spurn  the  "  tainted  mon'iy  "  acquired  by 
Such  means. 


IN     A     NUTSHELL. 

Last  week's  John  Bull  puts  the  Nation's"  Fund 
for  Nurses,  in  so  far  as  the  College  of  Nursing  is 
concerned,  in  a  nutshell  in  the  following  paragraph : 

Missing  the  Fund. 
Before  we  give  our  contribution  to  the  Nation's 
Fund  for  Nurses,  we  should  like  to  know  where 
the  money's  going.  The  purport  of  the  Fund  is 
to  benefit  a  limited  company,  "  The  College  of 
Nursing,  Ltd."  What  is  the  object  of  this  con- 
cern ?  Has  it  an3rthi  g  to  do  with  the  passing 
of  the  Nurses'  Registration  Bill,  which  will  shortly 
deprive  the  employers  of  nurses  of  their  reservoir 
of  cheap  labour  ?  The  Fund  must  be  already 
enormous.  For  instance,  ^16,000  was  netted  at 
the  Albert  Hall  Ball,  and  ^6,000  at  a  Tombola  in 
Manchester.  Who's  going  to  administer  it  ? 
And  why  are  Lady  Cowdray,  Sir  Arthur  Stanley, 
and  the  other  organisn-s  calling  this  sinking  fund 
for  a  company  "  The  Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses  "? 


"  Nation "  has  been  entirely  deluded  by  the 
misnaming  of  this  appeal  by  Lady  Cowdray, 
and  it  is  high  time  the  London  County  Council 
put  a  stop  to  the  methods  by  which  the  Nursing 
Profession  as  a  whole  is  being  exploited  through 
the  War  Charities  Act,  to  finance  the  College  of 
Nursing  Company,  and  thus  to  thrust  upon  nurses 
the  autocratic  constitution  of  the  College,  of  which 
intelligent  nurses  realise  the  danger  to  personal 
and   professional  freedom. 


We  are  not  surprised  to  learn,  from  an  authorita- 
tive source  that  the  subsidised  daily  press  has 
been  requested  to  leave  out  all  reference  to  the 
College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  and  the  so-called  Nation's 
Fund  for  Nurses  in  reporting  the  "  Doping " 
scandal  in  connection  with  the  Victory  Ball,  by 
which  they  netted  ;^i  6,000  ! 


PLEASE    NOTE. 

Miss  OLIVE  RICHARDSON,  of  2,  Windsor 
Mansions,  296,  Streatham  tiigh  Road,  daughter 
of  the  late  Professor  J.J.  Richardson,  and  teacher 
of  dancing,  elocution  and  dramatic  art,  wishes  to 
inform  the  public  that  she  is  in  no  way  connected 
with  the  Olive  Richardson  who  drove  away  from 
the  Victory  Ball  in  company  with  an  officer  and  the 
late  Miss  Billie  Carleton. 


AMERICAN  NURSES  AND  THE  "  SOUND" 
CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  COLLEGE 
OF  NURSING,  LTD. 


With  the  Editor  of  John  Bull,  many  trained 
nurses  demand  an  answer  to  these  questions.    The 


Miss  A.  Lloyd-Still,  Matron  of  St.  Thomas' 
Hospital,  London,  states  in  the  American  Journal 
of  Nursing  that  the  College  Council  knows  nothing 
of  invitations  to  American  nurses  to  join  it,  but 
"  I  have  been  informed,  however,  by  a  member  of 
the  Council  that  a  certain  number  of  American 
nurses,  who  were  impressed  with  the  sound 
constitution  of  the  College  and  its  splendid  aims, 
asked  if  they  might  not  become  members,  or,  at 
least  associates." 

If  American  nurses  have  had  the  opportunity 
of  studying  the  constitution  of  the  College,  it  is 
more  than  British  nurses  have  ;  and  it  would  be 
interesting  to  know  what  type  of  American  nurse 
is  prepared  to  sign  an  agreement  to  have  her  name 
removed  by  he  Council  from  the  College  register 
without  power  oj  appeal,  and  considers  such  a  con- 
stitution, which  enforces  this  type  of  control, 
"  sound."  Our  advice  to  such  nurses  is  imme- 
diately, upon  their  return  to  their  own  free 
country'-,  to  cast  an  eye  over  that  priceless  docu- 
ment, the  Declaration  of  Independence.  Also 
why  not  send  a  copy  of  this  "  sound"  Declaration 
to  the  Council  of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.  ? 
Too  late  this  year,  we  fear,  as  a  Christmas 
greeting. 


December  21,  1918       ^bc  3Brlti0b  Sourual  or  TRursmo. 

APPOINTMENTS.  NURSING    ECHOES. 


389 


MATRON, 

Isolation  Hospital,  Malvern. — IVIiss  J.  E.  Gilbert 
has  been  appointed  Matron.  She  was  trained  at 
the  City  Hospital,  Edinburgh,  and  the  Royal 
Berkshire  Hospital,  Reading,  and  has  been  Ward 
Sister  and  Deputy  Matron  of  the  Infectious 
Diseases  Hospital,  Huddersfield,  Sister- in-Charge 
of  the  Sanatorium,  Warrington,  and  Superintendent 
of  Nurses  at  the  Blackburn  Fever  Hospital. 

Bideford  and  District  Hospital,  Bideford,  North 
Devon. — -Miss  Jennie  Jones  has  been  appointed 
Matron.  She  was  trained  at  Llanelly  General 
and  Eye  Hospital,  and  has  held  positions  of 
responsibility  at  the  Infirmary,  Aberystwyth,  the 
General  Hospital,  Cardigan,  and  elsewhere. 

Royal  Victoria  Eye  and  Ear  Hospital, 
Dublin. — Miss  E.  M.  Power  has  been  appointed 
Matron.  She  was  trained  at  the  Adelaide  Hospital, 
Dublin,  and  has  held  the  post  of  Sister  in  the 
Royal  Victoria  Hospital  for  the  last  nine  years. 

SUPERINTENDENT     NURSE. 

Union  Infirmary,  Blackburn. — -Miss  Mary  AUce 
Wood  has  been  appointed  Superintendent  Nurse. 
She  was  trained  at  the  Prescot  Poor-Law  Infirm- 
ary and  has  been  Home  Sister  and  Deputy  Superin- 
tendent Nurse  and  Night  Superintendent  at 
Beverley  Road  Infirmary,  Hull ;  Sister- in- Charge 
at  Bradford  Children's  Hospital ;  and  is  at  present 
Superintendent  Nurse  at  the  Lincoln  Union 
Infirmar}^     She  is  a  certified  midwife. 

■    m    ■ 

NATIONAL  UNION  OF  TRAINED  NURSES. 


NURSES'    EMPLOYMENT     CENTRE. 

Recent  Appointments. 

Marrows.— Auxiliary  Military  Hospital,  Glen- 
darroch,  N.B,  Miss  M.  O.  Wilson  ;  War  Hospital, 
Clop  ton,  Miss  A.  Purchas. 

Night  Sisters. — Roehampton  House,  Miss  D.  M. 
Argent ;  St.  Peter's  Hospital,  Covent  Garden, 
Miss  Keene. 

Ward  Sisters. — War  Hospitals,  Exeter,  Misses 
L.  A.  Boniface,  A.  E.  Ellis,  E.  Bleazby,  L.  Hum- 
phreys. 

Nurse. — Paddington  District  Nursing  Associa- 
tion, Miss  A.  M.  Harding. 

Nnrse  and  Midwife.  -  English  Hospital,  Cairo, 
Miss  Lake. 

MEDALS     FOR     NURSES. 

At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Management 
of  the  King  Edward  VII  Hospital  at  Cardiff, 
the  Sir  William  James  Thomas  meda's  for  the 
three  probationer  nurses  who  had  attained  the 
greatest  proficiency  at  the  institution  were  awarded 
to  the  following : — Gold  medal,  Nurse  Marie 
Goldsworthy  ;  silver  medal,  Nurse  Jane  Nixrn ; 
bronze  medal.  Nurse  Alice  M.  Thomas.  Each 
of  the  recipients  was  congratulated  in  vvrarm  terms 
by  the  chairman,  as  was  also  the  Matron  (Miss 
Montgomery    Wilson). 


Now  that  women  have  a  voice  in  the  making 
of  our  laws  we  hope  that  those  relating  to  the 
law  of  libel  in  regard  to  venereal  disease  will 
receive  attention. 

The- following  instance  of  the  way  in  which 
the  disease  is  spread  was  given  by  Mr.  E.  B. 
Turner,  F.R.C.S.,  at  the  third  annual  general 
meeting  of  the  National  Council  for  Combating 
Venereal  Diseases,, and  is  published  in  its  third 
annual  Report  : — 

"  With  regard  to  this  disease,  the  law  of  libe 
afiects  both  the  layman  and  the  doctor,  and  in 
different  ways.  The  layman  may  become  cog->» 
nisant  that  a  person  is  liable  to  spread  this 
infection  in  the  most  ghastly  and  horrible  way. 
I  will  give  you  one  instance,  and  could  easily 
multiply  examples.  Some  time  ago  a  girl  went 
into  a  lock  hospital ;  she  was  dissatisfied  with 
her  treatment  there  and  took  her  discharge  — 
as  she  had  every  right  to  do  under  our  present 
system — being  in  a  virulently  infectious  stage  of 
the  disease.  She  went  away  ;  in  two  or  three 
weeks'  time  she  came  back  to  take  tea  with  the 
Sister  garbed  as  a  nurse  ;  she  was  nursing  at  the 
time,  and  was  continuing  to  do  so.  Can  you 
imagine  anything  more  horrible  than  that  a  poor, 
unfortunate  sick  person  should  be  attended  by 
someone  liable  to  give  him  or  her  a  loathsome 
disease  ?  The  Sisters  in  that  ward,  the  visitors 
to  that  hospital,  could  take  no  action  whatever, 
because  it  is  a  distinct  libel  to  say  that  any  person 
is  suffering  from  this  disease  ;  and  had  they  said  so, 
they  would  have  been  Hable  to  any  action  which 
might  have  been  brought  against  them.  And, 
although  a  competent  judge  and  jury  might  have 
found  that  there  was  no  mahce,  and  have,  therefore, 
decided  in  favour  of  the  defendant,  still,  an  action 
brought  by  a  person  might  easily  result  in  the 
defendant  being  cast  in  damages,  and  in  any  case 
becoming  liable  for  costs  and  thus  fined  for  her 
altruistic  exertions.  That  is  how  that  law  at 
present  stands  with  regard  to  lay  people." 

Presumably  trained  nurses,  having  no  legal 
status,  rank  as  "  lay  people  "  in  the  eyes  of  the 
law. 

Had  we  been  a  Sister  in  that  hospital  we 
would  have  risked  the  action  for  libel  and  the 
damages. 


Bush  nursing  in  Australia  is  work  of  real  and 
wonderful  national  importance.  A  friend  sends 
us  the  following  little  report  : — 

"  Sister  Greer  told  a  wonderful  story  of  heroic 
endurance  last  night  before  the  National 
Council  of  Women.  With  the  aid  of  many  fine 
lantern  slides,  she  described  the  work  per- 
formed by  the  Bush  nurses  in  the  outlying  dis- 
tricts from  10  to  80  miles  away  from  railways. 


390 


^be  Britteb  3ournal  of  IRursinfi.       December  21,  1918 


The  settlers  and  their  wives  and  families  find 
the  Bush  nurse  the  one  person  to  whom  they 
can  look  in  dire  emergencies,  such  as  the  acci- 
dent occurring-  when  a  giant  tree  falls  the 
wrong  way,  ptomaine  poisoning,  childbirth,  &c. 
Where  children  are  reared  on  a  diet  of  white 
bread  and  corned  beef,  in  parts  where  milk  is 
unobtainable,  the  nurses  find  themselves  with 
plenty  to  do  ;  but  every  isolated  settlement  has 
its  own  peculiar  difficulties.  The  ominous  word 
'  drought '  is  again  being  whispered,  and  if  it 
comes  the  central  council  of  the  Bush  Nursing 
Association  may  find  it  necessary  to  do  what  it 
has  never  done  before — appeal  for  financial  help 
from  Melbourne  people. 

Sister  Greer  told  stories  that  sounded  like 
fairy  tales  of  magic  growth  of  produce.  She 
showed  a  slide  where  four  children  were  rowing 
in  the  midst  of  the  Snowy  River,  and  their  boat 
consisted  of  one-half  a  pumpkin  !  The  women 
of  Buchan  use  these  pumpkins  for  all  sorts 
of  purposes,  such  as  washtubs,  washing-up 
dishes,  and  even  cradles.  There  is  an  hotel  of 
thirteen  rooms  at  Gunyah  Gunyah  all  built  from 
one  tree.  From  12,000  to  14,000  i>alings  are 
split  from  one  tree,  and  these  giants  are  valued 
at  ;^5o  each  in  the  rough.  Yet  they  are 
destroyed  by  fire  in  countless  thousands  merely 
to  get  rid  of  them." 


It  is  profKJsed  that  the  memorial  to  the  late 
Miss  Sowerbutts,  Queen's  Nurse  at  Hayward's 
Heath,  shall  take  the  form  (i)  of  a  tablet  in 
St.  Richard's  Church,  and  (2)  of  a  fund  to  be 
called  the  Nurse  Sowerbutts'  \lemorial  Fund 
for  helping  the  work  of  the  Association  in 
Hayward's  Heath.  Amongst  the  suggestions 
as  to  the  disposal  of  this  Fund  the  following 
proposals  were  made  at  a  well-attended  meet- 
ing convened  by  the  Hayward's  Heath  and 
District  Nursing  Association  : — (i)  The  estab- 
lishment of  a  Maternity  Home,  with  two  beds 
for  abnormal  cases,  under  the  Government 
scheme  of  maternity  and  infant  welfare  ;  (2)  the 
establishment  of  a  Nursing  Home,  where  two 
or  three  nurses  could  live  together  and  form  a 
local  centre  for  nurses ;  {3)  the  provision  of  an 
additional  nurse  for  Hayward's  Heath ;  (4)  the 
establishment  of  a  nurses'  pension  scheme.  It 
was  resolved,  on  the  motion  of  Mrs.  Talbot 
Baines,  seconded  by  Mrs.  Parez,  that  primary 
consideration  be  given  to  a  Maternity  Home, 
and  it  was  arranged  to  appoint  a  Sub-Com- 
mittee to  arrange  for  the  raising  of  funds  and 
report  to  the  General  Committee,  who  would 
submit  their  recommendations  to  a  further 
public  meeting. 


EXAMINATIONS. 

At  the  examination  for  nurses  held  in  the  fever 
hospitals  of  the  Metropolitan  Asylums  Board,  58 
nurses  and  probationers  entered,  and  53  passed  the 
examiners. 

The  gold  medal  was  won  by  Probationer  E.  E. 
Thwaites  (South- Western  Hospital),  with  550 
marks  (91.6  per  cent);  the  silver  medal  by 
Probationer  A.  J.  Le  G.  Smith  (North- Western 
Hospital),  with  545  marks  (90.8  per  cent.),  and  the 
bronze  medal  by  Probationer  T.  Austin  (South 
Western  Hospital),  with  523  marks  (87.2  per  cent.) 


THE    WELLCOME     PHOTOGRAPHIC 
EXPOSURE  RECORD  AND   DIARY,    1919. 

The  publication  of  the  Wellcome  Photographic 
Exposure  Record  and  Diary  is  always  eagerly 
looked  forward  to  by  the  many  nurses  who  make 
a  hobby  of  photography — a  large  and  increasing 
number. 

The  present  edition  tells  us  that  "  however 
experienced  a  photographer  may  te,  he  will 
always  find  something  to  learn  in  this  fascinating 
pursuit,  but,  the  more  experienced  he  is,  the  more 
will  he  recognize  that  there  are  certain  necessities 
which  are  vital  to  success."  These  are  :  How  to 
give  a  reasonably  correct  exposure,  how  to  develop 
a  plate  correctly,  and  how  to  mak6  a  good  print. 
There  are  many  refinements  and  many  up-to-date 
methods  ;  but  the  foregoing  points  are  fv  nda- 
mental.  For  the  latest  information  on  photo- 
graphy, consult  the  Wellcome  Photogr?,phic 
Exposure  Record  and  Diary,  for,  in  the  v  ords  of 
a  distinguished  member  of  the  Royal  Photographic 
Society,  "  the  book  improves  every  year,  and 
whoever  originally  invented  the  Exposure  Calcu- 
lator deserves  the  combined  thanks  of  the  photo- 
graphic world."  It  is  published  by  Messrs. 
Burroughs.  Wellcome  &  Co.,  Snow  Hill  Buildings, 
E.C. 


AN     ACCEPTABLE     CHRISTMAS     GIFT. 

We  have  received  from  Messrs.  Cadbury  Bros., 
Ltd.,  Boumville,  Birmingham,  a  parcel  of  the 
various  preparations  of  cocoa  for  which  the  firm 
has  a  world-wide  reputation.  Their  Cocoa  and 
Milk  Powder  is  a  preparation  which  has  only  to 
be  known  to  be  appreciated  ;  and  no  doubt  when 
war  restrictions  are  relaxed  will  be  even  more 
largely  used  in  hospitals  and  nursing  homes  and 
by  district  nurses  than  at  the  present  time.  The 
great  advantage  of  this  preparation  is  that  both 
milk  and  sugar  are  incorporated  in  it,  so  that  it 
only  needs  the  addition  of  boiling  water. 

The  Cocoa  Essence  and  Boumville  Cocoa  are 
also  favourite  preparations,  and  considerable 
attention  has  been  given  by  the  firm  to  their 
production  just  now,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the 
use  of  cocoa  is  specially  urged  by  the  Food  Con- 
troller. 


December  21,  1918       tlbc  Bdtieb  Soumal  of  •nuremg. 

Hill 


'Mustard  Gas' 

Burns 

A  NEW  TREATMENT 

HAVING  REMARKABLE  RESULTS  IN  HOSPITALS. 


M  'Mustard  Gas*  Burns  should  be  thoroughly  sprayed  with  Chlorcosane  Solution  of 

g  Dichloramine-T  5%.     Then  apply  to  the  burns  melted  'No.  7  Paraffin*  to  form  a  | 

^  wax  covering.    On  this  wax  covering  quickly  place  a  thin  layer  of  cotton  wool.  [ 

M  Afterwards    cover  the   cotton  wool  with   more   melted   'No.    7   Paraffin,'  giving  | 

=  special  attention  to  the  edges  to  ensure  an  air-tight  dressing.  I 

1  Relief  from  pain  is  assured  from  the  first  application 

1  of  this  treatment,  and  complete  recovery  is  effected 

1  more  quickly  than  by  any  other  treatment. 

=  'No.    7    Paraffin*   is    the    name    adopted    by  the    Army  Medical    Service    for   a  i 

M  preparation    containing    Beta    Naphthol,    Oleum    Eucalypti,    Paraffinum    Molle,  = 

=  Paraffinum  Durum,  and  Oleum  Olivae.    The  word  '  BURNOL'  is  the  trade  mark  I 

M  for   a  standardised   preparation   of   'No.    7    Paraffin'   prepared   under   analytical  I 

M  control  in  the  laboratories  of  Boots  Pure  Drug  Company  Limited,  Nottingham.  I 

g  ChlorcoiBane  Solution  of  Dichloramine-T,  in  bottles,  I 

=  price  4/-  and  12/-,  post  peud.  | 

g             Special  Spray  for  the  purpose       price  6/6  extra,  post  paid.  I 

M  Burnol  ('No.  7  Paraffin')  in  4oz.  cakes     ...     price  9/-  per  dozen,  post  paid.  | 

I  LARGE  STOCKS  ALWAYS  ON  HAND.  | 

I  '                                           °  I 

I  BOOTS  PURE  DRUG  COMPANY  LIMITED  | 

I  Head  Offices:   Station  Street,  NOTTINGHAM.      ::      SIR  JESSE  BOOT,  Managing  Director.  j 

I                 Telegrams:   DRUQ,  NOTTINGHAM. Telephone:   3160  NoUingham.  I 

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin^ 


392 


Jlbc  Brttteb  3ournal  of  "Ruretnc. 


December  21,    1918 


OUTSIDE    THE    GATES. 


Women   Citizens 

Polling  Day,  December  14th,  passed  without 
undue  excitement,  and  we  must  preserve  our  souls 
in  patience  until  the  28th  inst.  before  knowing  the 
result.  Women  were  well  to  the  fore  with  their 
votes,  and  their  influence  will  have  decided  the  fate 
of  many  candidates.  Sixteen  women  candidates 
sought  election,  and  it  is  computed  that  three  or 
fou  may  win  success  and  proudly  write  M.P.  after 
their  names.  Miss  Christabel  Pankhurst  was 
given  every 'chance — ^recommended  by  the  Premier 
and  well  pushed  by 
the  Coalition  Press 
■ —  and  Major 
Thompson,  the 
favourite  local  can- 
didate, retired  most 
chivalrously  in  her 
favour — the  type  of 
man  we  women 
should  help  to  sup- 
port at  some  future 
day. 

One  of  the  few 
candidates  to  rouse 
enthusiasm  was  Mr. 
Bottomleyin  South 
Hackney.  The 

women  recognised 
he  has  stood  by 
"Tommy  and 
Jack  "  all  through 
the  war,  and  one 
flung  her  arm  round 
his  neck  and  said  : 
"  I've  put  a  kiss  to 
your  name  on  the 
voting  paper,  now 
I  give  you  another 
for  yourself  for 
what  you  have 
done  for  our  boys 
in  France."  To 
which  "  Horatio  " 
replied     with      his 

usual  "  vim  "  :    "  It's  a  good  job  for  me  the  boys 
are  still  there  !  " 

Everywhere  women  showed,  by  voting  in  large 
numbers,  their  appreciation  of  the  responsibility 
of  citizenship. 

The  Nurses'  Vote. 
We  learn  that  260  nurses  from  the  London 
Hospital  went  in  batches  to  record  their  votes. 
This  is  very  good  news  as  it  establishes  a  precedent 
for  trained  nurses  in  similar  institutions,  where 
they  have  been  denied  this  right.  At  Bristol,  a 
group  of  nurses  who  had  received  literatxire  from 
the  Labour  candidate  presented  themselves  in 
the  Central  Division,  and  it  was  with  the  greatest 
difficulty  that  the  officials  convinced  them  they 
were  not  entitled  to  vote. 


But  why  this  discrepancy  ?  This  matter  must  be 
at  once  taken  in  hand,  and  equality  for  all  hospital 
nurses  defined.  Rouse  up,  nurses,  and  see  to  it 
yourselves  and  don't  be  put  ofi  by  registration 
officials.  . 

Our  illustration  is  of  exceptional  interest  and 
depicts  nurses  recording  their  votes  on  the 
historic  14th  of  December.  1918. 


The  Children's  Jewel  Fund  aims  at  promoting 
the  cause  ol  child  welfare  throughout  thf  kingdom  ; 
fifty-five  infant  welfare  centres  have  received 
grants  as  the  result  of  the  first  appeal  for  jewels  (the 

sale  of  which  at 
Christie's  in  June 
alone  reached  over 
;^26,ooo)  but  5,000 
centres  are  needed. 
The  Doll  Show, 
held  from 

December  loth  to 
20th  at  Sunderland 
Hou£e,  Mayfair,  is 
one  of  the  many 
schemes  by  which 
it  is  hoped  that  a 
sufficient  sum  of 
money  will  be 
raised  to  enable 
this'  object  to  be 
achieved.  We  own 
t )  a  weakness  for 
do' Is,  and  this 
exhibit  was 
something  quite 
supreme. 


BALLOT 
BOX 
Nn38 


NURSES    RECGRDINQ   THEIR  VOTES  AT   POLLING    STATION. 


A  scheme  for 
providing  schools 
for  the  education  of 
2,000  tube:  culous 
children,  has  been 
approved  by  the 
L.C.C.  Education 
Committee. 


A    FOURTEENTH    CENTURY   CAROL. 

Jesu,  sweete  sor.6,  dear  ! 

On  poor-full  bed  liest  thou  here. 

And  that  me  grieveth  sore  ; 
For  thy  cradle  is  as  a  bier. 
Ox  and  assS  be  thy  fere. 

Weep  I  may  therefor. 

Jesu,  sweetfi,  be  not  wroth, 
Though  I  have  no  clout  nor  cloth 

Thee  on  for  to  fold, 
Thee  on  to  fold,  nor  to  wrap. 
For  I  have  neither  clout  nor  lappe, 
But  lay  thou  thy  feet  to  my  pappe. 

And  wite  thee  from  the  cold. 


December  21,  1918      j^y^  Brttteb  3ournal  of  "Rureinfl. 


393 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 


Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  for  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  be 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents. 

"PUBLIC     HEALTH     NURSES    MUST 
ORQANISE." 

To  the  Editor  0/ the  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Madam, — -Permit  me  to  reply  to  your  corresj 
pondent  in  t  e  issue  of  The  British  Journal  of 
Nursing  of  No  em'  er  30th. 

I  will  take  the  side  issues  first.  The  teaching  of 
boot-mending  in  Welfare  Centres,  to  which  such 
scornful  allusion  is  made,  is  just  one  of  the  small 
matters  which  will  help  the  mother  in  her  "  real 
duty  towards  her  home."  Those  who  have' much 
experience  in  Infant  "Welfare  work  know  how 
fatally  boring  it  is  to  the  mother  if  the  one  string  of 
the  proper  feeding  of  infants  is  harped  upon  to  the 
exclusion  of  all  other  subjects.  The  atrophied 
capacity  for  assimilating  knowledge  of  the  mother 
has  to  be  coaxed  and  interested  and  invigorated 
if  she  is  to  profit  by  her  attendance  at  the  'Welfare 
Centre. 

Such  classes  as  boot-mending,  patching,  cooking 
are  useful  in  interesting  the  mother  in  various 
ways  of  managing  and  contriving,  not  only  for 
the  baby,  but  for  the  other  children,  too.  It  'is  a 
fairly  general  rule  that  "  father  "  keeps  the  boots 
in  condition,  but  with  father  away  at  the  war,  and 
the  high  price  of  boots  (12s.  6d.  for  a  pair  for  a 
boy  of  eleven,  and  then  they  are  "  through  "  in  a 
fortnight  !),  added  to  the  great  difficulty  in  getting 
repairs  done,  surely  it  is  better  for  mother  to  seize 
the  chance  of  keeping  the  school  children  dry  shod 
than  that  she  should  sit  still  and  wait  while  poli- 
ticians and  philanthropists  discuss  plans  for 
smoothing  the  many  creases  out  of  her  very 
crumpled  lot. 

The  suggestion  that  nurses  engaged  in  Public 
Health  work  should  hold  conferences  was  fore- 
stalled some  eighteen  months  ago,  when  the 
workers'  section  of  the  Association  of  Infant 
"Welfare  and  Maternity  Centres  was  formed.  Only 
those  who  are  actively  engaged  in  Infant  "Welfare 
work  are  admitted  to  membership.  Periodical 
Conferences  are  held,  at  which  various  aspects  of 
the  work  are  discussed  ;  and  recently  the  meetings 
have  been  arranged  at  different  centres,  so  that 
those  attending  may  be  able  to  study  methods 
adopted  in  other  localities  than  their  own. 

"We  are  naturally  anxious  for  the  co-operation  of 
all  nurses  engaged  in  this  branch  of  social  work, 
and  would  welcome  any  help  in  extending  the 
scope  of  usefulness  of  the  organisation. 
F.  E.  Wise, 
Hon.  Sec.  Workers'  Section  A.I.  W.M.C. 

22,  Canonbury  Park  North,  N.i. 


STUDY    AND     READ. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 
Dear     Editor, — I     acknowledge    with    many 
thanks  the  5s.  prize  which  I  was  fortunate  enough 
to  win  for  the  competition. 

#  It  is  with  great  pleasure  and  interest  I  do  the 
competitions.  After  one  has  finished  training 
I  think  it  so  necessary  to  study  and  read  up,  as 
one  is  .  so  apt  to  get  slack.  I  have  taken  the 
British  Journal  of  Nursing  for  a  few  yefrs 
now,  and  wish  it  most  heartily  every  success. 
I  only  hope  we  shall  before  long  have  State  Regis- 
tration, as  I  fear  the  war  has  not  in  any  way 
helped  to  raise  the  standard  of  nursing  in  our 
training  schools,  but  rather  the  reverse.  One  must 
hope  for  the  best  and  look  forward  to  better  days 
in  the  near  future. 

Yours  truly, 

M.    CULLEN. 

Queen  Mary's  Hospital  for  the  East  End. 

THE    DEEP    SIQHINQ    OF    THE    POOR.     ' 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Madam, — It  is  reported  in  the  press  that 
the  Southwark  Board  of  Guardians  recently 
complained  to  the  Local  Government  Board  of 
the  long  delays  in  the  burial  of  the  poor,  who, 
through  lack  of  hearses,  had  to  be  conveyed  to 
the  houses  of  their  relatives  in  a  fish  cart. 

A  reply  has  just  been  received  that  the  Local 
Government  Board  had  been  in  communication 
with  the  Ministry  of  Laboiir  with  reference  to 
skilled  undertakers,  and  they  understood  the 
Ministry  would  consider  the  question  of  release 
from  military  service  of  men  whose  names  were 
put  before  them  by  the  Undertakers'  Association. 
They  asked  that  all  names  should  be  sent  to 
Alderman  J.  R.  Hurry,  the  Hon.  Secretary  of  the 
association. 

Yours  truly. 

Poor  Law  Sister. 

[An  appetising  arrangement  for  those  buying 
fish  in  the  district  I — Ed.] 

KERNELS    FROM    CORRESPONDENCE. 

Country  Matron  writes. — "  I  note  Sir  Arthur 
Stanley  calls  the  women  who  have  worked  and 
paid  for  State  Registration,  the  '  Insignificant 
Minority.'  I  prefer  the  title  of  '  Old  Contempt- 
ible.     What  say  you  ?  " 

[We  agree,  but  it  does  not  matter  a  jot  what 
w?  are  called  so  long  as  we  stick  to  our  principles  ; 
and  that  we  intend  to  do. — Ed.] 

We  regret  to  hold  over  many  letters  and 
"Kernels." 

OUR     PRIZE     COMPETITION. 

QUESTIONS. 

December  2  8^A.— Describe  the  signs  and  symp- 
toms of  acute  bronchitis  in  an  adult.  Give  an 
account  of  [a)  the  nursing  and  [b)  the  diet  required 
in  a  case  during  (i)  the  acute  stage  and  (2)  t'le 
convalescent  stage.  "What  complications  may 
occur  ? 


394     ibe  »rltt0b  Journal  of  fturstnc  Supplement.  December  21,  1918 


The   Mid'wife. 


THE    NAMING    OF    INFANTS'    COTS    AT 
QUEEN    CHARLOTTE'S    HOSPITAL. 

The  Committee  of  Queen  Charlotte's  Hospital 
are  appealing  for  contributions  for  the  naming 
of  infants'  cots  in  the  hospital,  and  the  appeal 
has  already  met  with  some  success.  For  a  gift 
of  £105,  the  donor  may  have  the  right  to  name  a 
cot,  and  donations  for  five  cots  have  so  far  been 
received.  In  some  cases  they  have  been  given 
as  thank-offerings  for  the  safety  of  a  son  during 
the  war. 

While  during  the  war  the  general  hospitals  have 
been  treating  our  wounded  soldiers  and  sailors, 
Queen  Charlotte's  Hospital  has  been  admitting 
the  wives  of  our  soldiers  and  sailors,  of  whom 
over  5,000  have  been  received  into  the  wards  or 
attended  in  their  own  homes,  and  many  letters 
have  been  received  from  men  at  the  front,  expres- 
sing their  appreciation  of  what  has  been  done  for 
their  wives  in  their  absence. 


apart  from  the  trouole  it  gives,  it  had  brought  to 
light  the  fact  that  there  are  an  enormous  number 
of  women  in  England  who  are  absolutely  hungering 
for  a  child.  "  It  is  extraordirary  the  number  who 
applied  to  adopt  the  children,"  he  added. 


THE    IDEAL    HEALTH    VISITOR. 

By  kind  permission  of  the  Jewish  District 
Nursing  and  Sick-Room  Help  Association,  a 
meeting  of  the  Workers'  Section  of  the  Association 
of  Infant  Welfare  and  Maternity  Centres,  was 
held  on  December  4th  at  24,  Underwood  Street,  E., 
the  subject  under  consideration  being  "  The  Ideal 
Health  Visitor  for  Infant  Welfare  Work,  and  the 
Qualifications  Necessary."  Miss  Isabel Macdonald, 
Secretary  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses  Association, 
was  in  the  chair. 

:Miss  French,  Superintendent  of  the  Lough- 
borough Junction  Maternity  and  Child  Welfare 
Centre,  suggested  a  two  years'  training  which 
should  include  six  months  in  a  children's  hospital, 
midwifery,  six  months'  social  training,  and  some 
experience  in  a  welfare  centre. 

Miss  Brownsdon,  Matron  of  the  American 
Welfare  Wards,  North  Islington,  advocated  the 
three  or  four  years'  hospital  training  as  the  basis 
of  qualifications,  and  said  that  experience  as  a 
school  nurse  is  very  valuable. 

Miss  Elliott,  of  St.  George's  House,  Cable 
Street,  considered  three  years'  training,  plus 
district  midwifery  experience,  essential. 

In  the  discussion  which  followed  it  was  generally 
agreed  that  nothing  but  the  best  is  good  enough  ; 
one  speaker  said  if  adequate  salaries  are  paid  the 
best  will  be  forthcoming. 

In  summing  up.  Miss  Macdonald  thanked  the 
speakers  and  emphasised  the  view  that  three 
years'  training  in  the  wards  of  a  hospital  should 
be  an  essential  qualification  for  anyone  holding 
a  responsible  position  in  infant  welfare  work. 


CENTRAL    MIDWIVE5    BOARD    FOR 
SCOTLAND. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Central  Midwives  Board 
for  Scotland,  held  in  the  offices,  50,  George  Square, 
Edinburgh,  Sir  Halliday  Croom  in  the  chair, 
intimation  was  made  of  the  appointment  of  Sir 
John  Lome  MacLeod,  as  representative  of  the 
Convention  of  Royal  Burghs  in  place  of  the  late 
Sir  Robert  Kirk  Inches. 

PENAL  BOARD. 

The  following  are  the  decisions  in  the  cases  of 
midwives  heard  before  the  Penal  Board  : — 

No.  1240.  For  failing  to  send  the  proper  form 
for  medical  assistance  in  a  case  of  still-birth,  &c. 
The  midwife  was  cautioned  strictly  to  observe 
the  rules  of  the  Board,  and  the  local  supervising 
authority  was  instructed  to  report  to  the  Board 
at  the  end  of  one  month  upon  her  conduct  as  a 
midwife,  and  as  to  her  fitness  to  take  pulse  and 
temperatures. 

No.  179.     For  failing  to  advise  medical  assist- 
ance in  the  case  of  a  child  suffering  from  serious 
skin  eruptions  and  for  other  breaches  of  the  rules. 
The   midwife   was   suspended   from   practice 
for  one  month  and  the  local  supervising  author- 
ity was  instructed  to  report  on  her  ability  to 
take  pulse  and  temperatures  before  she  resumed 
practice. 

No.  1724.  For  failing  to  send  for  medical 
assistance  in  a  case  of  ophthalmia  neonatorum 
and  for  other  breaches  of  the  rules. 

The  Secretary  was  instructed  to  remove  the 
name  from  the  Roll  of  Midwives  and  to  cancel 
the  certificate. 


HUNGERINQ    FOR   A    CHILD. 

Interviewed  upon  the  leaving  of  foundling  babies 
in  Hampstead,  the  clerk  to  the  guardians  said  that 


THE    MENE    ACCOUCHEMENT   SETS. 

Private  nurses  and  midwives  will  be  glad  to 
have  their  attention  directed  to  the  Mene  Accouche- 
ment Sets,  which  are  procurable  from  drapers, 
ladies  outfitters  and  chemists  throughout  the 
country.  They  are  supplied  both  at  40s.  and  20s., 
and  contain  mackintosh  sheets,  accouchement 
sheets,  the  dressings  and  supplies  necessary  to 
furnish  both  mother  and  infant's  basket,  and  a 
supply  of  Mene  towels,  which  are  antiseptic, 
absorbent,  and  economical,  and  have  the  advan- 
tage that  they  can  be  destroyed  by  burning. 

The  Mene  Accouchement  Sets  and  Mene  Towels 
are  the  speciaUties  of  Messrs.  Robinson  &  Sons, 
Ltd.,  Chesterfield,  and  168,  Old  Street,  E.C.i. 


umo 


WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 

.  mmsiiKi  urn 

EDITED  BY  MRS  BEDFORD  FENWICK 


No.  1,604. 


SATURDAY,    DECEMBER   28,    1918. 


Vol.    LXI. 


PRINCIPAL  EVENTS   IN  THE   NURSING 
WORLD   IN   1918. 


The  year  now  closing  is  one  which  will 
always  stand  out  as  a  red-letter  year,  for  two 
principal  reasons — the  cessation  of  hostilities 
and  bloodshed  in  a  war  of  unparalleled  mag-ni- 
tude,  and,  after  a  struggle  of  sixty  years' 
demand  for  the  suffrage,  for  the  granting  of 
the  Parliamentary  Franchise  to  women  in  the 
United  Kingdom. 

*'  The  old  order  changeth,  yielding  place  to 
new,"  and  the  measure  of  power  thus  put 
into  the  hands  of  women  workers  is  only  yet 
dimly  realized.  If,  then,  we  are  sometimes 
tempted  to  exclaim — 
"  What  is  that  which  I  should  turn  to,  lighting 

upon  days  like  these  ? 
Every  door  is  barr'd  with  gold,  and  opens  but  to 

golden  keys." 

Let   us   take   heart  of   grace   and   trust   the 
prevision  of  the  poet — 
"Men.  my  brothers,  men  the  workers,  ever  reaping 

something  new : 
That  which  they  have  done  but  earnest  of  the 

things  that  they  shall  do  ; 

For  I  dipt  into  the  future,  far  as  human  eye  could 

see. 
Saw  the  vision  of  the  world,  and  all  the  wonder 

that  would   be. 

***** 
Heard  the  heavens  fill  vdth  shouting  and  there 

rained  a  ghastly  dew 
From  the  nations'   airy  navies  grappling  in  the 

central  blue. 

Far  along  the  world-wide  whisper  of  the  south 

wind  rushing  warm. 
With    the    standards    of    the    peoples    plunging 

tlirough  the   thunder-storm  : 

Till  the  war-drum  throbb'd  no  longer,   and  the 

battle  flags  were  furl'd 
In  the  Parliament  of  men,  the  Federation  of  the 

world. 

There  the  common  sense  of    most    shall    hold    a 

fretful  realm  in  awe. 
And    the    kindly    earth    shall    slumber,    lapt    in 

universal  law." 


The  Health  of  the  People. 

One  thing  that  the  war  has  taught  the  com- 
munity is  the  supreme  importance  of  the  health 
of  the  people  and  of  its  conservation.  The  Bill 
brought  in  last  Session  by  Dr.  Addison, 
Minister  of  Reconstruction,  to  secure  the 
effective  carrying  out  and  co-ordination  of 
measures  conducive  to  the  health  of  the  j>eople, 
IS  an  earnest  of  the  Government  programme  for 
social  reform  and  reconstruction  in  the  new 
Parliament.  Nurses  and  midwives  who, 
coming  into  close  touch  Avith  the  people,  have 
long  been  deeply  conscious  of  conditions 
inimical  to  health,  and  who  have  been  handi- 
capped in  their  own  work  for  physical  and 
social  betterment,  by  conditions  which  could 
and  should  be  altered,  await  with  impatience 
the  opportunity  of  helping  to  influence  legis- 
lation for  the  raising  of  the  standard  of 
national  health.  The  war  drum  throbs  no 
longer,  thank  God,  on  the  battle  fields  of 
the  world,  but  the  trained  nurse  still  marches 
breast  forward  against  her  immemorial 
enemies,  and  on  the  banner  which  she  follows 
are  inscribed  the  words,  "  War  on  disease 
and  the  conditions  which  produce  it,"  "  War 
on  slums  and  the  evils  which  they  breed," 
"  War  on  sweated  labour  and  the  misery  it 
causes  "  ;  and  on  the  companion  banner  gleam 
the  words,  "  Prevention  is  better  than  cure," 
"Healthy  homes  breed  healthy  people,"  "A 
living  wage  for  all."  May  the  present 
generation  see  her  demands  fulfilled. 

Royal  British  Nurses'  Association. 

An  event  of  outstanding  importance  in  the 
nursing  world  during  the  past  year  has  been 
the  affiliation  of  a  number  of  important  societies 
of  nurses  to  the  Royal  British  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion, as  the  result  of  a  conference,  to  which 
invitations  were  issued  by  Her  Royal  Highness 
Princess  Christian,  President  of  the  Corpora- 
tion. The  Societies  so  affiliated  are  the 
Matrons'  Council  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland, 
the  Society  for  the  State  Registration  of 
Trained  Nurses,  the  National  Union  of  Trained 
Nurses,  the  Fever  Nurses'  Association,  the 
Scottish    Nurses'    Association,    and   the    Irish 


39^ 


Jlbc  ©rltigb  3ournal  of  'Nursing.       December  28,  1918 


Nurses'  Association.  Such  affiliation  is  not 
only  an  advantagfe  to  the  Corporation,  whose 
sphere  of  influence  is  thus  enlarged,  but  to  the 
affiliated  societies,  which,  while  retaining  their* 
own  autonomy,  benefit  by  the  strength  derived 
from  union,  and  from  the  prestige  and  power 
which  association  under  the  Royal  Charter 
confers.  It  is  a  unique  and  most  powerful 
combine.  A  Consultative  Committee,  repre- 
sentative of  the  Affiliated  Associations,  has 
been  formed,  which',  i^t  is  Roped,  will  keep 
them  in  touch  with  the  Association  and  with 
one  another. 

Another  important  step  taken  by  the  Royal 
British  Nurses'  Association  has  been  the 
adoption,  by  arrangement  with  the  Editor, 
of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing  as  the 
official  organ  of  the  Association.  The  Journal 
now  includes  a  Royal  British  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion Supplement  every  other  week,  and  the  pub- 
lication of  the  monthly  organ  of  the  Association 
has  been  discontinued.  By  this  means  forces 
are  consolidated  and  the  members  of  the 
R.B.N. A.  get  their  Association  news  more 
frequently. 

The  Central  Committee  and  the  College  . 
OF  Nursing,  Ltd. 

The  Nurses'  Registration  Bill  of  the  Central 
Committee  for  the  State  Registration  of  Nurses 
— the  parent  Bill,  which  has  behind  it  the  con- 
sidered opinion  of  the  British  Medical  Associa- 
tion and  the  organized  societies  of  nurses — has 
been  revised  and  reprinted.  A  seventh  draft 
of  the  Bill  of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd., 
has  also  been  published,  and  bears  the  impress 
of  the  patient  negotiations  of  the  Central  Com- 
mittee, inasmuch  as  it  provides  guarantees  that 
the  qualification  for  admission  to  the  General 
Register,  after  the  period  of  grace,  shall  be 
not  less  than  three  years'  training  and  the 
passing  of  a  central  examination,  and  that  a 
certain  number  of  seats  shall  be  secured  on  the 
Permanent  Council,  which  is  to  administer  the 
Act  to  registered  nurses. 

Nominally,  also,  the  principle  .that  the 
organized  nurses'  societies  shall  be  represented 
on  the  first  Council,  has  been  conceded,  but 
this  concession,  valuable  as  it  appears  on  the 
surface,  has  been  rendered  valueless  by  the 
fact  that  the  only  duty  which  this  Provisional 
Council  can  perform  is  to  prepare  and  present 
to  the  Privy  Council  the  rules  required  to  be 
made  under  the  Act  for  setting  up  the  first 
General  Nursing  Council,  on  which  the  nurses' 
societies  are  not  to  be  represented. 

This  is  a  dangerously  subtle  provision,  as, 
superficially,    it    appears    to    concede    to    the 


organized  societies  the  right  which  the  College 
has  persistently  denied. 

The  Bill  of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  also 
incorporates  the  College,  with  its  autocratic 
Memorandum  and  Articles  of  Association  in  the 
Bill,  and  virtually  seeks  to  secure  an  unfair 
preference ;  indeed  practically  to  obtain  a 
monopoly  for  the  College  Register. 

It  must  be  remembered  in  this  connection  that 
the  Memorandum  of  the  College  gives  the 
Council  the  right  to  remove  a  nurse's  name 
from  its  Register  without  power  of  appeal,  and 
that  right  of  appeal  was  only  inserted  in  the 
Nurses'  Registration  Bill  drafted  by  the 
College  after  strenuous  representations  on 
behalf  of  the  Central  Committee. 

A  new  and  most  dangerous  Clause  of  the 
Bill  is  that  which  empowers  the  Council  to  form 
as  many  Supplementary  Registers  as  it  pleases, 
thus  undercutting  the  value  of  a  three  years' 
standardized  certificate  and  dealing  most  un- 
fairly with  nurses  by  the  registration  of  special- 
ists, who  will  find  themselves  unqualified  for 
the  best  positions  in  the  hospital  world  and  the 
most  remunerative  work  outside. 

The  Central  Committee,  after  carefully  con- 
sidering both  Bills  and  adopting  certain  minor 
details  in  the  College  of  Nursing  Bill,  expressed 
the  unanimous  opinion  that  the  present  Bill  of 
the  Central  Committee  is  a  better  Bill  than 
that  drafted  by  the  College  of  Nursing  and 
should  be  adhered  to. 

It  further  resolved-^- 

"  That  it  is  the  considered  opinion  of  the 
Committee  that  the  Bill  drafted  by  the  Central 
Committee  for  the  State  Registration  of  Nurses 
should  be  presented  to  Parliament,  and  that  the 
College  of  Niusing,  Ltd.,  be  formally  invited  to 
agree  to  this  Bill,  and  join  in  getting  it  passed." 

This  invitation  has  been  refused  by  the 
Council  of  the  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  with- 
out consulting  its  members,  and  the  responsi- 
bility therefore  rests  upon  that  Council  of  once 
again  sowing  dissension,  where  the  various 
interests  concerned  in  nurses'  registration  had 
been  carefully  co-ordinated,  and  three  Bills 
amalgamated  in  one  agreed  Bill. 

The  radical  difference  between  the  two  Bills 
and  the  reason  for  the  impossibility  of  co- 
ordinating them  is  that  the  Bill  of  the  College, 
however  camouflaged,  is  framed  in  the  interests 
of  the  employers,  whereas  that  of  the  Central 
Committee  safeguards  those  of  the  workers. 

It  is  now  proposed  to  introduce  both  Bills 
into  the  House  of  Commons,  and  it  remains 
for  Parliament  to  frame  a  just  Bill,  protecting 
this  great  body  of  professional  women  from 
interested   control,    and    almost    universal    ex- 


December  28,  1918       ^f^e  BiltUb  Soumal  of  IRursinfi. 


397 


ploitation,  by  hospital  committees  and  poor  law- 
guardians. 

The  Society  for  the  State  Registration 
OF  Trained  Nurses. 

This  Society  has  been  actively  on  the  alert, 
and  has,  from  time  to  time,  undertaken  work 
at  short  notice  in  the  interests  of  the  State 
Registration  movement,  when  quick  decisions 
and  action  have  been  necessary. 

In  the  past,  before  the  formation  of  the 
Central  Committee  in  1909,  this  Society  acted 
as  the  promoter  of  legislation  for  nurses,  and 
most  carefully  guarded  their  interests,  and 
defeated  repeated  attempts  made  by  the 
nursing  schools  to  assurne  absolute  power  over 
their  economic  condition  ;  and  at  this  crisis  in 
the  nursing  profession,  when,  through  the  con- 
stitution of  the  College  of  Nursing,  this  policy 
is  most  active,  the  Society  is  appealing  for 
financial  support  to  save  alive  the  soul  of  the 
profession  of  nursing. 

Should  the  employers'  Bill  be  forced,  by 
social  influence,  through  the  House  of 
Commons,  nothing  wi^l  then  remain  to  the 
workers  but  to  realize  that  they  must  take 
part  in  the  drastic  programme  for  the  emanci- 
pation of  the  f)eople  already  under  considera- 
tion by  the  proletariat. 

The  members  of  this  Society  have  conducted 
their  political  campaign  with  the  utmost  cir- 
cumspection and  with  due  regard  to  consti- 
tutional procedure,  but  the  exp>erienced  leaders 
of  the  State  Registration  movement  in  this 
country  have  never  lacked  courage,  and  they 
do  not  intend  to  see  the;  nursing  profession 
enslaved,  without  recourse  to  methods  against 
which  no  form  of  tyranny  will  be  able  to  stand 
in  the  free  England  of  the  future. 

The  Royal  Air  Force  Nursing  Service. 

During  the  year  the  Roval  Air  Force  Nursing 
Service  has  been  organized,  with  a  Matron-in- 
Chief  as  chief  executive  officer.  The  members 
have  honorary  rank  as  officers,  the  Matron-in- 
Chief  ranking  a  major.  Neither  rank  nor  pay, 
however,  compares  favourably  with  that  of 
the  members  of  the  Women's  Royal  Air  Force, 
for  which  the  training  is  three  weeks,  while 
that  of  the  nurses  is  three  years. 

The  Spirit  of  Vocation. 

It  is  with  thankfulness  and  pride  that,  with 
j)eace  within  sight,  we  salute  the  trained 
nurses,  who  have  foregathered  from  all  parts  of 
the  British  Empire,  and  have  rallied  round  the 
flag  wherever  its  red,  white,  and  blue  floated 
over   the   sick   and   wounded,   whether  behind 


the  lines  in  comparative  safety,  or  "  standing 
to "  under  shell  fire,  efficient,  disciplined, 
steadfast,  putting  the  safety  of  their  patients, 
and  of  fighting  men,  before  their  own,  as  did 
those  also  who  went  down  into  deep  waters, 
done  to  death  by  a  treacherous  foe,  untouched 
by  humane  feeling  and  regardless  of  the  recog- 
nized rules  of  civilized  warfare. 

It  is  the  tradition  of  the  Navy  to  meet  death 
with  a  cheer,  and  it  is  the  tradition  of  the 
trained  nurse  to  meet  it  with  a  smile. 

A  certain  sectjon  of  society  claims  to  have 
discovered  the  nurse  during  the  war,  and  it  is 
the  fashion  to  gush  over  her  devotion  to  duty. 
But  that  devotion  did  not,  as  some  would  have 
us  believe,  awake  with  the  roll  of  the  war  drum. 
It  was  nourished  in  stillness  in  childhood  and 
cherished  in  girlhood  ;  it  surmounted  difficulties 
in  early  womanhood  till  it  gained  the  right  to 
take  its  place  by  the  bedside  of  sick  and  dying 
in  hospital  wards,  that  it  might  learn  the  best 
methods  of  caring  for  them,  and  it  inspired  the 
certificated  nurse  as,  without  ostentation,  she 
took  her  place  wherever  her  services  were 
needed,  by  man,  woman,  or  little  child,  bring- 
ing in  her  wake  the  skill  and  consolation 
inspired  by  the  Spirit  of  Vocation. 

It  is  that  spirit  which  must  be  cherished  in 
our  hospitals  if  British  nursing  is  to  maintain 
the  position  it  has  established,  and  we  should 
view  somewhat  with  distrust  the  vocation 
which  develops  with  the  outbreak  of  war,  and  is 
limited  in  its  interest  to  the  needs  of  one  sex. 

"  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing." 

This  Journal  continues  to  be  the  only  weekly 
organ  which  is  professionally  edited,  and  con- 
trolled, by  nurses  in  the  interest  of  the  profes- 
sion. It  has  over  and  over  again  provided 
practical  proof  of  the  indisf>ensability  to  nurses 
of  a  voice  in  the  press,  for,  without  its  fighting 
force,  the  profession  would  have  been  com- 
pletely submerged. 

The  Journal  has  always  claimed  a  high 
educational  standard  for  nurses,  and  the 
organization  of  the  profession  of  nursing  on 
a  stable,  self-supporting,  economic  foundation, 
in  which  policy  it  voices  the  views  of  the  group 
of  organized  societies  of  nurses  associated  in 
the  Central  Committee. 

The  College  of  Nursing,  Ltd.,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  endeavouring  through  the  so-called 
Nation's  Fund  for  Nurses  to  build  up  the  pro- 
fession on  a  charitable  basis,  raised  by  methods 
which  rouse  the  indignation  of  every  nurse  who 
rightly  esteems  the  honour  of  her  profession. 

We  shall  continue  to  claim  for  nurses  the 
right  of  self-determination,  self-support,  and 
self-expression. 


398 


Jl\)c  Briti0b  3ournal  of  "Wurainfi. 


December  28,   1918 


OUR    PRIZE    COMPETITION. 

WHAT     DISEASES     MAY     BE     CAUSED     BY     FAULTY 

DIETING?    MENTION    SOME  OF  THE  EFFECTS  WHICH 

MAY    FOLLOW    THE    CONSUMPTION    OF     PUTRID    OR 

DISEASED   MEAT? 

We  have  pleasure  in  awarding  the  prize  this 
week  to  Miss  J.  G.  Gilchrist,  Gillespie  Crescent, 
Edinburgh. 

PRIZB     PAPER. 

The  diseases  which  are  commonly  met  with 
in  one's  practical  experience  and  may  be 
termed  constitutional  are  :  Rickets,  a  disease 
of  infancy  most  evident  about  the  first  and 
second  years  of  life  and  characterized  by 
impairment  of  general  nutrition  and  by 
alterations  in  the  growing  bones.  The 
essential  cause  is  faulty  dieting,  the  chief 
factors  being  the  use  of  poor  condensed  milk, 
many  proprietary  foods  (which  nearly  all 
contain  starch),  and  too  much  starchy  food 
generally,  with  a  deficiency  in  animal  fat, 
proteids  and  lime  salts.  Contributory  factors 
are  lack  of  sunshine,  pure  air  and  exercise. 
It  is  especially  common  in  large  cities  amongst 
the  poor,  ill-clad  and  ill-housed.  If  the  digestive 
disturbances  can  be  remedied  by  early  treat- 
ment, enabling  good  nourishment  to  be  taken, 
deformities  in  the  bones  may  be  prevented  and 
the  child  regain  tone  generally. 

Late  Rickets. — Recurrence  of  early  rickets 
may  be  seen  in  rapidly  growing  girls,  from 
nine  to  fifteen  years,  due  to  faulty  dieting  and 
strain  put  upon  young  children  in  poor  districts 
where  mothers  are  in  the  habit  of  going  out 
to  work  all  day,  leaving  the  children  to  manage 
as  best  they  can  on  "  pieces,"  tea,  &c.,  with 
a  properly  cooked  meal  occasionally.  The 
disease  may  manifest  itself  in  flat-foot,  knock- 
knee  and  lateral  curvature  of  the  spine. 
Remedies  are  good  feeding,  regular  meals, 
porridge,  pure  milk,  eggs,  fatty  tonics — such 
as  malt  and  cod  liver  oil,  and  Virol. 

Scurvy  may  "be  seen  in  infants  as  well  as 
adults,  in  rich  as  well  as  the  poor.  It  is  due 
to  a  limited  diet — mainly  the  consumption  of 
preserved,  salted  «r  artificial  foods,  and  a  lack 
of  tonic  properties  such  as  are  obtained  in 
fresh  fruit  and  green  vegetabes.  In  the  child 
the  exclusive  use  of  sterilized  milk  may  bring 
about  the  condition.  The  characteristics  of 
this  disease  are  usually  seen  in  the  swelling  of 
the  salivary  glands,  sponginess  of  the  gums, 
unhealthy  mouth  generally,  and  pallor.  Raw 
meat  juice,  fresh  foods,  whole  milk,  fruits — ^ 
lemons  and  oranges  especially- — counteract  the 
tendencies  of  the  disease. 

Ancemia. — The  ordinary  chlorosis  is  common 
in  young  girls,  from  fourteen  to  seventeen, 
who  are  underfed  and  overworked,  especially 


if  living  or  working  in  close,  unventilated 
workshops  and  unhygienic  homes.  The  appe- 
tite becomes  capricious,  and  they  usually  come 
to  prefer  acids  and  highly  spiced  foods,  which 
exaggerates  the  lack  of  haemoglobin — the  pro- 
tein and  iron  contents  of  the  blood — and  cause 
further  dyspepsia  and  constipation.  Green 
vegetables,  especially  cabbage,  which  contains 
iron,  and  wholesome,  easily  digested  foods, 
simply  and  well  cooked,  should  be  given. 

Diseases  due  to  over-indulgence  or  excess  in 
foods  which  are  richly  prepared,  fatty  and 
sweet  articles,  alcoholic  liquors  and  wine  (such 
as  champagne),  are  unnatural  obesity  and 
gout.  Abstinence,  plain  food,  exercise  in  open 
air  are  indicated. 

Gastritis,  inflammation  of  the  stomach,  may 
be  caused  by  irritating,  highly  seasoned  foods, 
frequent  drinking  of  boiled  tea  with  excess  of 
tannic  acid.  Other  organs,  such  as  the  liver 
and  kidneys,  may  be  affected  in  their  functions 
by  faulty  dieting.  • 

Eating  fish  out  of  season,  or  tainted  or  de- 
composed food  stuffs  of  any  kind,  leads  to 
poisoning  of  the  digestive  tract  and  inter- 
ference of  function. 

Meat  may  be  dangerous,  through  the 
development  of  putrefaction  ;  disease  of  a  more 
or  less  virulent  character  may  follow  the 
presence  of  parasites  which  may  not  be  killed 
in  cooking. 

In  this  country  tuberculous  or  diseased  meat 
rarely  comes  into  the  market,  and  the  meat  is 
usually  sufficiently  coojced  to  destroy  the  para- 
sites, which  may  be  worms  of  two  kinds,  the 
cestoda  or  flat  worms— the  nematoda  or  round 
worms.  Should  those  parasites  gain  an  entrance 
into  the  body,  they  usually  adhere  tenaciously 
to  the  intestinal  mucous  membrane,  causing" 
local  irritation  of  more  or  less  severity. 

Bad  meat  has  a  very  irritating  effect  on  the 
alimentary  tract  as  the  result  of  the  action  of 
the  bacteria,  which  produce  an  accumulation  of 
poisons  or  ptomaines.  Tinned  meat  is  often 
subject  to  excessive  decomposition,  if  at  all 
moist  or  the  tins  imperfectly  made,  or  air  not 
wholly  excluded. 

The  symptoms  of  ptomaine  poisoning  may 
be  very  severe — vomiting,  purging,  or  diar- 
rhoea, intestinal  pain,  collapse  or  shock  ;  mental 
prostration  may  be  severe  and  the  heart  affected 
and  beats  slow.  Prompt  skilled  treatment  is 
necessary  to  get  rid  of  the  irritant  and  soothe 
the  digestive  canal. 

HONOURABLR   MENTION. 

The  following  competitors  receive  honourable 
mention  : — Miss  A,  E.  Noblett,  Miss  Susan 
Grey,  Miss  May  Farmer,  and  Miss  Alice  M. 
Burns. 


December  28,  1918       xibc  Butisb  Soumal  of  TlureuiG. 


399 


THE 


JOINT    WOMEN'S 
DEPARTMENT. 


V.A.D. 


SCHOLARSHIP     SCHEME. 

The  problem  of  what  is  to  become  after  the 
war  of  the  unit,  who,  by  a  misapplication  of  the 
English  language,  is  called  a  "  V.A.D."  (Voluntary 
Aid  Detaclunent),  is  one  which  is  engaging  the 
attention  of  a  sub-committee  of  the  Joint  Women's 
V.A.D.  Department  at  Devonshire  House,  and 
it  is  announced  that  the  Joint  Committee  of  the 
British  Red  Cross  Societ3^  and  the  Order  of  St. 
John  of  Jerusalem  "  have  decided  to  give  a  sum 
of  money  for  scholarships  and  for  training,  as  a 
tribute  to  the  magnificent  work  so  generously 
given  by  V.A.D.  members  during  the  war."  Only 
those  members  who  served  prior  to  January,  1917, 
will  be  included  in  the  scheme. 

The  -widespread  lack  of  preparation  of.  girls 
for  the  duties  of  life,  whether  in  the  home  or  the 
world,  is  one  of  the  facts  emphasised  by  the  war, 
and  we  are  glad  that  the  lesson  that  serious  tiaining 
is  a  necessary  preparation  for  a  definite  career 
has  been  taken  to  heart. 

In  August,  19 14,  there  was  a  large  reserAJ^oir  of 
willing  service  to  draw  upon,  but  a  great  proportion 
of  it  was  neither  skilled  nor  competent.  We  have, 
therefore,  only  commendation  for  the  efiort  to 
impress  upon  young  women  the  need  of  honour- 
ablv  qualifying  for  any  work  undertaken,  more 
especially  when  that  work  is  concerned  with  so 
delicately  balanced  an  organism  as  the  human  body. 

It  is.  however,  a  debatable  question  whether  the 
Joint  Committee  should  spend  money  subscribed 
in  the  name  of  "the  sick  and  wounded  "  to  relieve 
parents  of  the  obligation  of  maintaining  superfluoixs 
daughters,  by  paying  for  their  professional  training. 
If  the  Department  decides  to  help  to  place 
t  e  V.A.D. 's  in  suitable  positions  for  training, 
and  assist  them,  if  they  or  their  parents  are  unable 
to  find  the  necessary  fees,  wherever  possible 
such  payments  should,  in  our  view,  be  regarded 
as  loans,  and  the  money  subscribed  to  the  societies 
associated  under  the  Joint  \\'ar  Committee — at 
the  cost  of  much  self-denial,  in  many  instances, 
on  the  part  of  the  general  public — conserved  for 
future  use.  We  wonder  how  parents,  impover- 
ished by  the  war  and  handicapped  by  the  fees 
they  are  paying  for  the  education  of  their  daugh- 
ters and  for  placing  them  out  in  the  world,  -will 
appreciate  pacing  for  the  education  of  the  daugh- 
ters of  other  people,  in  many  instances  better  off 
than  themselves  ! 

The  Committee  has  drawn  up  a  list  of  professions 
and  occupations  towards  which  scholai  ships 
covering  the  cost  of  training  or  grants-in-aid 
will  be  given,  under  the  headings  "  Type  of  Work," 
"  General  Conditions,"  "  Qualifications,"  and 
"  Approximate  Length  of  Training,"  and  a 
comparison  of  these  is  very  instructive.  First, 
the  salaries  to  be  earned  when  trained,  are  in 
some  instances  below  the  margin  which  will 
permit  the  worker  to  be  self  supporting  ;  and  we 
hope  the  committee,  if  it  spends  public  money 
on  training,  will  also  endeavour  to  obtain  a  rise 


in  the  standard  of  pay  for  the  trained  worker,  so 
that  a  living  wage  may  be  secured. 

A  point  to  be  noted  is  the  anomaly  of  remunera- 
tion in  relation  to  the  length  of  training.  We 
give  a  few  instances. 

School  Nursing.  > —  Qualifications :  Hospital 
training,  special  experience  in  children's  diseases 
an  advantage.  Remuneration  when  trained,  ;^6o 
to  /120.     Non-resident. 

Welfare  Supervisors.' — Training  :  Six  months 
to  a  year  ;  special  courses  for  welfare  workers, 
social  study,  diploma  of  recognized  university  and 
university  degree  an  advantage  ;  experience  in 
social  work  very  helpful.  Salary'  ;£i20-/400. 
non-resident. 

Hospital  Almoners.  —  Training :  Eighteen 
months,  university  degree  an  advantage.     Salary 

/l20-^400. 

X-Ray  Ass'stants.' — Training  :  Six  months. 
Salary  in  hospitals,  about  ^60,  resident ;  /80  to 
^150,  non-resident  Private  work  (non-resident)  may 
rise  to  ;^4  per  week. 

We  wonder  how  many  V.A.D. s,  weighing 
the  relative  advantages  of  the  different  occu- 
pations and  professions,  will  select  nursing  for 
which  the  length  of  training  is  four  years,  though 

the  course  may  be  slightly  reduced  for  members 
with  long  ser\ice."  The  pay  is  not  given,  but 
nurses  know  well  that  the  salaries  they  can  com- 
mand (for  most  responsible  work)  make  nursing 
the  Cinderella  amongst  the  professions.  Who 
can  wonder,  therefore,  if  the  V.A.D.  rejects 
nursing  as  a  career  as  too  arduous  and  too  un- 
productive, if  she  must  serve  an  apprenticeship 
of  at  least  three  or  four  years  to  obtain  a  pxDst  as 
a  school  nurse  at  a  salary  of  from  £to  to  ;^i20 
a  year,  when,  after  only  six  months'  training, 
she  can  secure  from  /120  to  /400  as  a  welfare 
supervisor  ? 

(There  are  also  inequalities  of  rank  which  may 
here  be  noted,  thus,  while  the  Commandant-in- 
Chief  of  the  Women's  Royal  Air  Force  holds  the 
dazzling  position  of  a  brigadier-general,  the 
Matron-in-Chief  of  the  Royal  Air  Force  Nursing 
Sersice  is  accorded  the  relatively  humble  rank  of 
major.) 

Such  anomalies  must  be  rectified,  lest,  with  the 
way  made  easy  for  women  to  enter  professions  and 
occupations  at  once  more  attractive  and  remunera- 
tive than  nursing,  the  stream  of  desirable  candi- 
dates is  diverted  from  this  essential  occupation. 

I.^astly,  we  note  that  the  occupations  and 
professions  tabulated  by  the  Committee  are 
mainly  those  for  workers  who  have  a  capacity  as 
drudges.  But  the  talents  of  a  certain  proportion 
at  least  of  the  V.A.D.s  must  lie  in  the  direction 
of  the  arts  and  sciences  which  make  the  joy  of 
life.  If  the  greater  proportion  are  content  to 
be  "  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water,"  we 
should  like  to  see  opportunity  offered  to  talent 
whatever  direction  it  may  take. 

TRUE  TALES  WITH  A  MORAL. 

Irate  War  Widow  :  "  If  I  don't  get  my  pension 
soon,  I  shall  have  to  go  on  the  streets  and  take  to 
immortality." 


49©  zbe  British  3ournal  of  flurgtno.       Decemher  2s  -.qis 

Ropal  BrltisD  nurses'  Jlssoclatloii. 


(Incorporated  bp 


Roual  CDarter.) 


THIS   SUPPLEMENT    BEING   THE    OFFICIAL    ORGAN    OF    THE    CORPORATION. 


HER  ROYAL  HIGHNESS  THE  PRINCESS 

ARTHUR  OF  CONNAUGHT  AND  THE 

MARQUIS    OF    MACDUFF. 

We  have  pleasure  in  reproducing  this  week 
a  photograph  of  Her  Royal  Highness  the 
Princess  Arthur  of  Connaught  and  Lord 
Macduff.  Her  Royal  Highness  is  a  Vice- 
President  of  the  Royal  British  Nurses' 
Association,  and,  as  is  well  known,  she  takes 
a  very  enthusiastic  and  practical  interest  in 
all  branches  of  nursing.  For  over  three  years 
and  a  half  she  worked  at  St.  Mary's  Hospital, 
Paddington ;  and  for  some  time  also  in  the 
wards  of  Queen  Charlotte's  Hospital.  The 
Princess  is  in  no  sense  one  of  those  who  can 
be  accused  of  having  merely  "  played  ctt 
nursing,"  for  she  has  shirked  none  of  the 
difficult  or  trying  duties  in  the  daily  round  of 
the  hospital  wards,  and  has  taken  every  oppor- 
tunity which  offered  of  acquiring  a  sound  know- 
ledge of  nursing. 

The  Princess,  who  is  Duchess  of  Fife  in  her 
own  right,  is  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  Princess 
Royal  of  England  and  the  late  Duke  of  Fife. 
Macduff  was  the  patronymic  of  the  first  or 
Celtic  Earls  of  Fife ;  and  Dufagan  Comes,  who 
lived  in  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  First  is  the 
first  recorded  Earl  of  Fife  and  was  descended 
from  the  kingly  stock  of  Moray.  In  the  early 
days  of  Scottish  history,  Fife  held  a  very  high 
position  as  an  earldom,  probably  because  in 
former  times  it  was  the  demesne  of  the  Pictish 
Kings.  In  olden  times  the  privileges  of  the 
Clan  Macduff  were  three  :  first,  that  they 
should  sit  on  the  right  of  the  Royal  Chair  on 
Coronation  Day  ;  second,  that  they  should  lead 
the  vanguard  in  every  Royal  battle ;  and  third, 
a  remission  for  homicide  on  a  fixed  payment, 
and  sanctuary  at  Cross  Macduff. 

LECTURE. 

BOKHARA    AND    SAMARKAND. 

We  have  seldom  listened  to  a  more  fascinating 
lecture  than  that  given  by  Miss  Meakin,  F.R.G.S., 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Corporation  on  Decem- 


ber 19th.  In  commencing  Miss  Meakin  ^aid  that 
she  would  conduct  her  audience  across  the  sandy 
desert  of  the  wild  Turkomans  (the  Parthia  of  the 
Ancients)  to  the  Gates  of  Bokhara  the  Noble. 
The  attitude  of  Russia  in  connection  with  Bokhara, 
for  a  considerable  number  of  years,  was  explained 
and  also  why  the  present  condition  of  afiairs  in 
Russia  had  opened  up  the  Moslem  States  of 
Central  Asia  to  the  civilised  world.  She  referred 
to  the  iniluence  of  the  Bolsheviks  in  connection 
with  Bokhara,  and  the  dangers  which  might  arise 
were  they  to  possess  themselves  of  the  Moslem 
States  on  the  Indian  frontier. 

Miss  Meakin  said  that  Bokhara's  civilisation  is 
a  thousand  years  behind  our  own,  her  people  are 
the  strictest  and  most  fanatical  Mohammedans  in 
the  world.  They  are  like  grown  up  children  so  far 
as  the  outer  world  is  concerned  and  have  to  learn 
before  they  can  stand  alone.  "  From  what  great 
Power  01  Powers  are  they  to  learn  ?  That  is  one 
of  the  nuts  that  the  Peace  Conference  has  to 
crack."  Bokhara  is  not  far  from  the  frontiers  of 
India  and  if  the  Indian  Government  does  the  duty 
that  lies  near  it,  said  Miss  Meakin,  she  will  lend 
a  helping  hand  to  Bokhara.  The  lecturer  strongly 
emphasised  the  importance  of  help  for  Russia. 
"  The  old  Russia  lies  in  ruins.  Russia's  noblest 
sons  are  fighting  for  the  unity  of  Russia,  just  as 
America's  sons  fought  in  their  civil  war  for  the 
unity  of  America.  Just  as  naturalised  Germans 
penetrated  England  before  the  war  and  sapped  her 
commercial  wealth,  so  the  Germans,  who  were 
naturalised  Russians  sucked  the  wealth  of  Russia, 
and  if  we  do  not  help  Russia  they  will  do  it  again. 
Now  is  the  day  for  English  and  Russian  merchants 
to  join  hands  and  cope  with  the  clever  German, 
now  is  the  time  for  Russo-British  enterprise  to 
develop  the  natural  wealth  of  Bokhara." 

The  women  of  Bokhara  are  the  most  secluded 
in  all  the  world,  and  the  Russian  residents  were 
struck  dumb  with  astonishment  some  years  ago 
when  the  Amir  of  Bokhara  suddenly  announced 
that  he  was  going  to  give  a  ball.  "  Would  the 
ladies  of  Bokhara  throw  aside  their  great  black 
horsehair  veils  for  once  ?  "  No  such  thing  ;  the 
real  ladies  of  Bokhara  could  not  be  expected  to 
leave  the  seclusion  in  which  their  lives  were  spent, 
even  for  a  short  time,  and,  if  they  could,  they 
would  not  have  been  able  to  waltz  !  This  is  how 
the  Amir  got  over  his  difficulty — he  sent  invitations 
to  all  the  Russians  in  or  near  his  territory.  Everj' 
man,   every  woman,   no  matter  their  degree  or 


December  2S,  1918      j^yc  BHItob  Sounwl  ot  Tlursfng. 


40M 


staticm  were  invited  to  the  Amir^s  balL  And  they 
all  came,  too,  irum  the  di^ified  Political  Agent 
swollen  with  his  own  importance,  to  the  boy  who 
washed  the  bottles  in  the  ajjothecary's  shop.  And 
the  Amir  peeped  down  on  them  from  behind  a 
curtain  on  a  balcony  above,  and  thought  it  a  very 
fine  sight  indeed.  It  was  quite  right  and  proper 
in  his  eyes  that  the  Russians  should  provide  him 
with  such  an  excellent  sho^'i-.  It  is  the  contem- 
•piatioa  at  other  people's  exertions  that  gives 
pleasure  in  the  East.  But  more  amusing  remi- 
nisceiices  followed  of  the  Amir's  ball  which, 
unfortunately,  we  have 
not  the  space  to  record. 

The  pictures  which 
were  put  upon  the 
screen  were  perfectly 
unique,  and  some 
were  most  wonderfully 
beautiful,  and,  as  Miss 
Heather  Bigg,  who 
occupied  the  chair, 
remarked,  it  was  very 
difficult  indeed  to  say 
whether  the  lecture  or 
the  views  had  afforded 
the  greater  pleasure 
althongh  personally  she 
thought  she  had  most 
enjoyed  the  lecture. 

At  the  close  of  the 
lecture  Miss  Mealdn 
said  that  she  had 
ordered  four  of  her 
books  to  be  brought 
to  the  hall  and  they 
would  be  sold  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Trained 
Nurses'  Annuity  Fund. 
To  the  great  disap- 
pcHntment  of  some  of 
the  nurses  they  were 
all  gone  before  they 
could  walk  across  ihe 
hall,  but  we  have 
looked  at  one  of  the 
copies  and  can  inform 
them  that  the  cost  of 
the  Ixxdcis  3s.  6d.  and  it 
can  be  obtained  throu!^, 
any  bookseller  <m 
mentioning  the  name 
of  its  publishers, 
Messrs.  Allen  &  Unwin. 
We  have  dipped  into 
its  pages  and  find  it  ver\-  fascinating  indeed,  in 
iact,  some  members  went  a  sectHid  journey  to 
far  Bokhara,  by  way  of  its  pages,  <m  the  evening 
of  the  lecture. 

INVITA-nON    TO    SECOND    CHARTER   TEA. 

Several  members  have  explained  that  they  were 
unable  to  accept  the  invitation  of  the  Executive 
Committee  to  the  "  C3iarter  Tea  "  at  10,  Orchard 
Street  on  the  17th  inst.  owing  to  their  being  free. 


HER  ROYAL  HIOHNESS  THE    PRINCESS   ARTHUR   OP 
COKNAUOHT    AND    THE    MARQUIS    OP   MACDUFP. 


in  the  daytime,  oaiy  on  a  Saturday  afternoon. 
It  has  therefore  been  arran^jed  that  there  shall  be 
a  second  "  Charter  Tea  "  on  Saturday,  January  4th 
from  3.30  p.m.  to  6  pjn.,  to  which  trained  nurses 
are  very  cordially  invited. 

QUAUFIED  WOMEN   FOR  PUBLIC  HEALTH 
WORK. 

Seme  members  of  the  Corporation  ask  us  to 
announce  that  f-ey  have  arranged  that  a  Con- 
ferrence  shall  take  place  in  their  Oubroom  at  10, 
Orchard  Street,  Portman  Square,  W.  i,  en  Satur- 
day, January  nth,  at 
3pm.  Miss  Wise  and 
3iis5  Alderman  will  read 
papers  deaH"g  with  the 
urgent  need  for  propeiiy- 
qualified  women  for 
posts  in  all  branches  of 
Public  Health  Work. 
>Dss  Atiierton  will  take 
the  Chair,  and  an  in- 
formal discusncm  will 
follow  the  papers.  Tea 
win  be  served  after  the 
meeting.  Conferences 
on  such  a  subject  are 
of  the  utmost  impMt- 
ancc  at  the  present 
time,  and  the  nurses.  ' 
who  have  arranged  that 
for  nth  prox  ,  sent  up 
a  request  to  the 
Executive  Committee 
that  a  larger  Conference 
should  take  place  on  the 
same  subject  under  tiie 
auspicesci  their  Associa- 
tion early  in  the  new 
year-  The  Committee 
hope  to  hold  this  in 
February.  Only  fully- 
tiained  nurses  may 
attend  on  January  i  ith. 

APPOINTMENT. 

Miss  Ethel  Wallis  has 
been  appmnted  Matron 
of  Sherfoum  Hospital, 
near  Durham.  She  was 
trained  at  the  Royal 
Infirmary.  Sunderland, 
and  joined  the  Associa- 
tion during  the  current 
\ear. 


OBITUARY. 

It  is  with  deep  regret  that  we  have  to  report  tiio 
death  of  Dr.  Percy  Losfa,  who  became  a  member 
oftheCorporatfoninigoo.  He  always  took  a  great 
interest  in  its  work  and  has  frequently  seri'edon 
the  General  Council. 

(Signed)     Isabel  Macdonald, 

Secretary  to  the  Corporation. 
10,  Orchard  Street,  London,  W, 


402 


Cbe  iBritieb  3ournal  of  TRuretng.       December  28,  1918 


NURSING    ECHOES. 


For  all  the  kind  wishes  received  from  friends 
far  and  near  we  return  heartfelt  thanks.  A 
Happy  New  Year  to  all. 


Once  more  Christmas  has  come  and  gone. 
We  hear  that  a  real  ' '  Victory  ' '  tone  pervaded 
the  hospitals  and  the  festivities  for  the  troops, 
and  that  a  spirit  of  thankfulness  inspired  one 
and  all — the  glorious  dead  were  not  forgotten 
by  the  comrades  who  loved  thern. 


One  young  soldier  said  to  us  : — "  Just  to  be 
alive,  how  glorious  !  But  I  took  the  risk.  Yet 
when  I  think  of  the  dead  and  broken — some- 
how I  dt>  not  feel  I  ought  to  be  so  glad.  I  just 
lie  awake  nights  springing  with  joy." 

"  Got  a  mother?"  we  asked. 

"  Yes — better  than  anybody's  mother." 

"  Got  a  sweetheart?" 

"You  bet." 

* '  That  accounts  for  it.     These  two  dear  ones 
are  just  doing  a  bit  of  wireless — Honour  the 
dead,   help  the  broken,   deserve  happiness." 
•     "  Right  you  are." 


A  very  enjoyable  "  At  Home  "  was  held 
recently  at  the  County  Hospital,  York,  in 
the  Nurses'  Home,  where  the  Hon.  Sec.  of 
the  York  County  Hospital  Linen  Guild  and 
the  Nurses'  Needlework  Guild  held  the  annual 
show  of  garments  sent  by  the  members  of  the 
Nurses'  Needlework  Guild.  288  garments  were 
shown,  all  most  useful  and  pretty  things  for 
the  Children's  and  Adult  Wards.  The  Hon. 
Sec,  Miss  Ethel  Crombie,  who  is  an  invalid 
and  indefatigable  in  her  good  works  for  the 
hospital,  personally  manages  both  guilds.  The 
members  of  the  Linen  Guild  sent  627  articles  of 
linen  this  year,  making  a  total  of  915  for  both 
guilds.  Several  friends  of  the  hospital  were 
also  present. 

APPOINTMENTS. 


MATRON, 

Infectious      Diseases      Hospital,      Kelso,      N.B. — 

Miss  J.  M  Findlater  has  been'^re-eleeted  Matron. 
She  has  been  engaged  in  a  Military  Hospital  during 
the  war.    |-  ^ 

SISTER. 

City  ot  Westminster  Union  Infirmary,  Fulliam 
Road,*^  London.— Miss  Emma  Marsh  has  been 
appointed  Sister.  She  was  trained  at  Marylebone 
Infirmary,  where  she  was  Sta"?  Nurse  and  Sister, 
and  has  seen  military  service  as  stafE  nurse  in 
the  Reserve  of  Q.A.I  .M.N.S.  at  the  Lord  Derby  War 
Hospital,  Warrington. 


CROIX  DE  GUERRE   FOR   BRITISH 
WOMEN. 

At  the  Scottish  Women's  Hospital,  known  as 
the  Hopital  des  Armees  No.  30,  installed  in  the 
Abbaye  de  Royaumont,  not  far  from  Villers- 
Cotterets,  General  Nourisson  recently  presented 
thirty  Croix  de  Guerre  to  members  of  the  staff. 
The  hospital  was  in  May  subjected  to  heavy 
bombardment. 

With  Miss  I vens,  the  head  physician,  the  list  of 
women  decorated  includes  :  Miss  Nicholson,  Mrs. 
Berry,  Miss  Courtauld,  Miss  Maitland,  and  Miss 
Henry,  the  five  surgeons  ;  Mme.  Manuel,  bacteri- 
ologist. Miss  Storey,  radiologist.  Miss  Collum, 
assistant  radiologist,  who  was  badly  injured  when 
the  Sussex  was  torpedoed  ;  Miss  Ramsay  Smith, 
treasurer ;  Miss  O'Rorke,  and  Miss  Lindsay, 
Matrons  ;  Miss  Goodwin,  Miss  Anderson,  Miss 
Inglis,  Miss  Chapman,  Miss  Rolt,  Miss  Smieton, 
Miss  Armstrong  and  Miss  Daunt,  Nurses;  Miss 
Murray,  Miss  Fulton,  and  Miss  Smeale,  chaufieurs. 

RECONSTRUCTION   IN   FRANCE. 

Many  of  the  splendid  hospitals  organised  in 
the  finest  hotels  in  Paris  have  closed  their  doors, 
and  the  war  nurses  have  gone  home,  or  have 
flitted  to  pastures  new.  The  Astoria  is  now 
given  up  to  clerical  workers  for  the  British  Peace 
Conference  section,  and  Miss  da  Sautoy,  the 
Matron,  and  Lady  Hermione  Blackwood  have 
been  entrusted  v>ith  some  very  important  recon- 
struction work  at  Pierrefonds  by  the  British 
Committee  of  the  French  Red  Cross,  which, 
when  they  get  the  staff  together,  promises  to 
be  of  deep  interest  and  extremely  useful,  as 
every  sort  of  organisation  to  help  the  people  in 
the  devastated  areas  is  required  to  set  civilised 
life  running  again.  The  British  Committee  is 
spending  part  of  the  grand  sum  of  ;^36o,ooo, 
subscribed  to  its  funds  this  year,  in  tackling  the 
immense  question  of  the  tuberculous  soldier,  and 
providing  food,  clothes,  and  creches  in  France, 
where  every  penny  can  be  well  spent. 

Miss  du  Sautoy  is  a  practical  organiser  to  her 
finger  tips,  and  is  just  the  woman  to  meet  and 
overcome  the  tremendous  difficulties  to  be  faced 
in  this  woik  of  healing  social  conditions.  We 
wish  her  and  her  staff  all  success. 

THE    "NATION^    NOBLEST." 

The  reply  sent  to  the  press  in  answer  to  the 
letter  of  the  Hon.  Sir  Arthur  Stanley  by  the 
nurses  who  objected  to  the  exploitation  of  their 
profession  by  such  a  function  as  the  widely- 
advertised  Daily  Sketch  Victory  Ball,  was 
apparently  placed  on  the  Index  Expurgatorius 
of  the  lavishly  subsidised  Capitalist  newspapers. 
It  did  not  appear  in  one  of  them. 

Manchester  and  Dublin  are  to  repeat  this  type 
of  function ;  let  us  hope  not  in  its  entirety, 
as  the  more  details  we  hear,  the  more  inexcusable 
were  its  methods.  We  presume  neither  Manches- 
ter nor  Dublin  wishes  to  tap  ill-gotten  gains  for 
the  "  Nation's  Noblest." 


December  28,  1918       (j;be  3Brtti0b  3ournal  of  flursinQ. 


403 


THE  "  GAZETTE  "  OF  THE  3RD  LONDON 
GENERAL  HOSPITAL,  WANDSWORTH. 


The  Christmas  Number  of  The  Gazette,  the  most 
witty  of  war  hospital  magazines  is  up  to  its  usual 
first-rate  form  for  191 8,  and  one  regrets  to  realise 
that  it  may  be  the  last.  F'ortunate  those  who 
have  kept  and  bound  their  copies  from  its  incep- 
tion they  are  wise,  as  it  ranks  as  the  "  Punch  "  of 
mihtar^'  hospital  Journals  and  as  a  mirror  of  the  war. 


YOU  DEAR.  BRAVE   FELLOW  !     MAY  I    KISS  YOU?" 
'  LOR  LUV  YER,  MISS,  DON'T   YOU  THINK   I    HAVE 
SUFFERED  EHOUOH?" 


bed.  flags  waving,  hands  clasping,  all  to  the  mad 
sounds  of  revelry  extracted  from  a  distracted 
piano  ;  empty  beds,  and  men  on  cnitches  and  sup- 
|X>rted  by  sticks,  out  of  bed  and  out  of  doors  "  for 
the  first  time  without  permission  !  "  The  scrub 
ladies  dancing  the  Highland  fling  in  the  corridors  ; 
and  Sister  discovering  "  another  cork "  the 
"  morning  after  "  to  the  amusement  of  "  Dono- 
van," the  hero  of  so  many  pleasantries  in  the 
Gazette. 

Private  H.  M.  Hemsley  presents  the  agony  of  a 
"  brave  fellow  "  when  approached 
by  a  "  Liza  "  with  mistletoe.  Behold 
them  (by  the  kind  consent  of  the 
Editor)  on  this  page. 

"  Christmas,  1918,"  by  Helen  M. 
Nightingale,  in  touching  verse  gives 
thanks  to  God — 

That  those  we  loved  the  best. 

Some    living    yet — some    entered     into 

Uc  rest — 

In  that  dread  hour  made  with  unfalter- 
ing voice, 

\\Tiether  for  Life  or   Death,   the    hero's 
choice. 

«         «         *         *         * 

Thanks  be  to  God  for  those  who  come 

again^ 
Preserved  by  Him  by  air  and  land  and 

main. 
Thanks,   too,    for    those    whose   sacred 

memory 
Makes  real  the  dream  of  ImmoftaUty. 
•  ♦         *         *         *         * 

Thanks   be  to  God-  that  now  the  Child 

is  given 
As  ver\^  Prince  of   Peace  from  Highest 

Heaven, 
That     with      the      joy,     which    greets 
*--  Emanuel's  birth. 
Mingles  once  more  the  jov  of  Peace  on 

Earth  ! 


"OUR  DAY." 

The  response  to  the  "  Our  Day  " 
appeal  of  the  British  Red  Cross 
Society  and  the  Order  of  St.  John 
amounted  to  a  total  of  ;^i,  146,365,  a 
magnificent  record  of  generosity  from 
subscribers  at  home  and  overseas. 

The  Fund  for  Sick  and  Wounded 
to  date  amounts  to  ;^i  2,962,872 
7s.  2|d. 


The  frontispiece  by  Mr.  Noel  Irving,  the 
Editor,  presents  "  The  Empty  Stocking,"  and 
Uttle  Fritz  and  Gretchen,  plastered  with  the  spread 
eagles,  are  shown  howling  copiously  before  a 
strip  of  land,  shaped  like  a  stocking,  from  Zee- 
brugge  to  •  St.  Mihiel,  now  rescued  from  the 
rapacious  clutches  of  the  Hun. 

Lance-Corpoial  J.  H.  Dowd,  in  presenting  The 
Historic  Day  (nth  ultimo)  gives  one  a  Uvely  idea 
of  the  joy  and  pranks  of  the  "  bedridden  "  after 
the  maroons  went  off.   Sphnt  cases  hopping  out  of 


THE  PASSING   BELL. 

We'^regret  to'^record  the  death  in  a  nursing 
home  in  Hampstead  on  December  iQth,  of  Miss 
Mildred  Isabel  Reid,  a  V.A.D.,  who,  since  the 
early  days  of  the  war,  has  worked  steadily  and 
devotedly.  Shef'died  of  acute  septicaemia,  due 
to  an  infection  in  her  face,  contracted  while  at 
work  in  a  war  hospital  at  Exeter. 

A  Sister  who  had  her  loyal  co-operation  for 
nine  'months,  writes  :     "  I.  thank.  God  for  her." 


404 


JLbc  Brittsb  3oiirnal  of  IRurstng.       December  28,  1918 


THE  ROYAL  RED  CROSS. 

At  the  Investiture  held  by  the  King  on  Thursday. 
December  iQth,  His  Majesty  decorated  the  follow- 
ing ladies  with  the  Royal  Red  Cross  : — 

First  Class. 
Sister    Ethel    Harwood,    Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.  ;    and 
Sister  Mary  Thomson,  Q.A.LM.N.S  R. . 

Second  Class., 
Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing 
Service  Reserve/ — Sisters  Fanny  Boulton,  Mabel 
Campbell,  Frances  Hobbs,  Sidney  Rea,  Janet 
Rodger,  Priscilla  Walker,  and  Staff  Nurse  Kate 
Rossi.  Territorial  Force  Nursing  Service.- — Sister 
Esther  Ashby.  Civil  Nursing  Service.- — Sister 
Mary  Lintall.  Voluntary  Aid  Detachment.- — Miss 
Victoria  Dunn  and  Miss  Helena  Nisbett. 


The  King  held  an  Investiture  at  Buckingham 
Palace  on  December  21st,  when  he  decorated  the 
following  ladies  with  the  Royal  Red  Cross  and 
one  with  the  Military  Medal : — 

First  Class. 
Matron    Katherine    Hagar,    American    Nursing 
Service  (Harvard  Unit). 

Second  Class. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing 
Service. — Matron  Florence  Tosh  and  Assistant 
Matron  Rose  Rooke. 

Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial  Military  Nursing 
Service  Reserve. —Siister  Isabel  Anderson,  Sister 
Jeanie  Cameron,  and  Sister  Mary  Dunbar. 

Territorial  Force  Nursing  Service.- — Sister  Alice 
Lowe  and  Sister  Maud  Taylor. 

Civil  Nursing  Service. — Matron  Emily  Porter. 

Voluntary  Aid  Detachment.- — Miss  Ruth  Lindsay, 
Miss  Annie  Philip,  and  The  Lady  Tollemache. 

American  Nursing  Service. — Sister  Helen 
Hinckley. 

THE    MILITARY    MEDAL. 

Sister  Linda  Bowles,  Queen  Alexandra's  Imperial 
Military  Nursing  Service  Reserve. 

Queen  Alexandra  received  at  Marlborough 
House  the  members  of  the  Military  Nursing 
Services  who  have  been  awarded  the  Royal  Red 
Cross  and  the  MiUtary  Medal,  subsequent  to  the 
Investiture  at  Buckingham  Palace. 


Among  the  honours  and  awards  for  War  Services 
announced  in  a  Special  Supplement  to  the  London 
Gazette  the  following  ladies  are  awarded  the  Royal 
Red  Cross  : — 

First  Class. 

Miss  J.  Durie,  Matron,  S.A.  Med.  Coips  ;  Miss 
R.  N.  Fogarty,  Matron,  S.A.  Med.  Corps. 

Second  Class. 
Miss  E.  Covey,  Matron,  S.A.  Med.  Corps  ;   Miss 
A.  O'Brien,  Sister,  S.A.Med.  Corps. 


NURSING    AND    THE    WAR. 

Nurses'  Uniform  Grants. 
An    Army  Council    instruction  which   has    just 
been  issued  gives  the  following  new  rates  of  uniform 
allowance  :  — 

Q.A.I.M.N.S.,  Q.A.I.M.N.S.[R.)  and  T.F.N.S.— £10 
on  enrolment,  to  cover  the  cost  of  a  winter  outfit  ; 
further  instructions  will  be  issued  in  due  course  as  to 
the  issue  of  any  grant  that  may  be  approved  for  those 
who  are  required  to  provide  themselves  with  a  summer 
outfit  V.A.D.  {Nursing  Members),  and  Special  Mili- 
ary Probationers.— £4  each  six  months,  payable  in 
advance  ;  in  the  event  of  their  ceasing  to  serve  within 
three  months  of  becoming  eligible  for  such  a  grant 
(otherwise  than  through  illness  or  unavoidable  acci- 
dent) a  refund  of  £2  will  be  required.  V.A.D.  (Nursing 
Members)  and  Special  Military  Probationers  appointed 
prior  to  this  date  will  receive  the  new  rate  of  grant 
.sanctioned  above  when  the  next  six-monthly  payment 
falls  due.  To  prevent  misunderstanding  it  is  notified 
that  the  above  increases  are  temporary,  and  will  only 
continue  while  the  present  exceptional  conditions 
subsist. 

SISTERLY  RECIPROCITY. 

The  Committee  of  the  Scottish  Nurses'  Club, 
105,  Bath  Street,  Glasgow,  has  extended  an  invi- 
tation to  members  of  the  National  Union  of 
Trained  Nurses,  to  make  full  use  of  the  Club  when 
in  Glasgow.  This  courtesy  has  been  acknow- 
ledged with  much  gratitude  by  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  N.U.T.N. 

Let  us  hope  that  before  long  English  nurses  in 
London  will  be  in  a  position  to  offer  reciprocity  to 
their  Scottish  and  Irish  sisters  in  the  use  of  a  Club 
centre.     Little  birds  are  busy  twittering  ! 


TIAIEI 

Bermondsey  Board  of  Guardians  have  been  in- 
formed by  Dr.  Bell,  medical  superintendent  at 
their  infirmary,  that  the  probationer  nurses,  with 
few  exceptions,  refused  to  go  on  duty  unless  the 
whole  day  weekly  leave  was  immediately  restored. 
This  had  been  stopped  temporarily,  and  a  half  day 
substituted  on  account  of  the  sick  staff"  and  the 
number  of  unfilled  vacancies.  On  the  promise  that 
the  whole  day  would  be  resumed  they  returned  to 
duty.  Dr.  Bell  added  that  the  staff'  were  in  a  state 
of  unrest  owing  to  the  fact  that  they  had  not  been 
granted  any  war  bonus,  whilst  other  boards  had 
granted  a  bonus.  The  guardians  decided  to  con- 
sider the  grievances. 

We  do  not  approve  of  strikes  where  the  sick  are 
concerned.  But  we  hope  that  Boards  of  Guardians 
will  realise  that  drastic  reorganisation  in  their 
Nursing  Departments  are  necessary.  The  twelve- 
hour  day  or  night  must  go.  The  strain  on  the 
nerves  is  too  great. 


COMING  EVENTS. 

January  1st,  1919.' — New  Year's  Day. 

Royal  British  Nurses'  Association. 
January    4th.  —  Charter    Tea    at    10,    Orchard 
Street,  W.     3.30  to  6  p.m. 


December  28,  1918       ^bc  IBdtieb  Joumal  of  "Wuretna.  vh 

Hill 


'Mustard  Gas' 

Burns 

A   NEW  TREATMENT 

HAVING  REMARKABLE  RESULTS  IN  HOSPITALS. 


'Mustard  Gas'  Burns  should  be  thoroughly  sprayed  with  Chlorcosane  Solution  of 
Dichloramine-T  5%.  Then  apply  to  the  bums  melted  'No.  7  Paraffin'  to  form  a 
wax  covering.  On  this  wax  covering  quickly  place  a  thin  layer  of  cotton  wool. 
Afterwards  cover  the  cotton  wool  with  more  melted  'No.  7  Paraffin,'  giving 
special  attention  to  the  edges  to  ensure  an  air-tight  dressing. 

Relief  from  pain  is  assured  from  the  first  application 
of  this  treatment,  and  complete  recovery  is  effected 
more  quickly  than  by  any  other  treatment. 

'No.  7  Paraffin'  is  the  name  adopted  by  the  Army  Medical  Service  for  a 
preparation  containing  Beta  Naphthol,  Oleum  Eucalypti,  Paraffinum  Molle, 
Paraffinum  Durum,  and  Oleum  Olivae.  The  word  '  BURNOL'  is  the  trade  mark 
for  a  standardised  preparation  of  'No.  7  Paraffin'  prepared  under  analytical 
control  in  the  laboratories  of  Boots  Pure  Drug  Company  Limited,  Nottingham. 

Chlorcosane  Solution  of  Dichloramine-T,  in  bottles, 

price  4/-  and  12/-,  post  paid. 

Special  Spray  for  the  purpose       ...      price  6/6  extra,  post  paid. 

Burnol  ('No.  7  Paraffin')  in  4oz.  cakes     ...     price  9/-  per  dozen,  post  paid. 

LARGE  STOCKS  ALWAYS  ON  HAND. 


BOOTS  PURE  DRUG  COMPANY  LIMITED 

Head  Offices:   Station  Street.  NOTTINGHAM.       ::       SIR  JESSE  BOOT,  Managing  Director. 
Telegrams:   DRUQ,  NOTTINQHAM. Telephone:   3160  Nottingham. 


4o6 


Zbt  BrttUD  3ournal  of  'nurdinc. 


December  28,   1918 


LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR. 


Whilst  cordially  inviting  communications  upon 
all  subjects  for  these  columns,  we  wish  it  to  he 
distinctly  understood  that  we  do  not  in  any  way 
hold  ourselves  responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed 
by  our  correspondents. 

FOR     A     JUST    BILL. 

To  the  Editor  o/The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Editor, — Miss  Sanderson  and  I  are  so 
glad  that  you  have  been  asked  to  stand  for  Parha- 
ment,  and  deeply  regret  that  you  cannot  enter 
for  the  present  election,  but  it  is  good  to  know 
you  will  when  opportunity  offers,  although  I 
should  have  liked  you  to  be  one  of  the  first  elected . 
Maybe  you  will. 

We  are  sending  you  a  combined  cheque  for  £=>, 
for  the  Victory  Thank  OfEering  for  State  Regis- 
tration ;  also  that  you  have  been  given  health  and 
strength  to  work  for  the  nurses'  cause  for  so  many 
years,  and  may  you  be  spared  to  see  the  fruit  of  your 
labours  in  a  just  Act  for  the  registration  of  nurses. 
The  gambols  of  the  Fund  for  Nurses  (as  it  is  not 
national  it  has  no  right  to  be  called  the  Nation's 
Fund)  make  me  furious  ;  such  things  make  for 
Bolshevism.  I  sometimes  wonder  when  they  will 
start  a  rummage  sale,  but  as  that  would  mean 
work  and  not  fun  and  frolic  I  suppose  we  shall  be 
spared  that  indignity. 

I  cannot  tell  you  how  much  I  should  like  to  be 
able  to  share  in  all  the  work,  but  I  hope  you 
understand  me  well  enough  to  know  all  that. 

With  every  good  wish  for  the  success  of  ^'^our 
work,  believe  us,  your  sincere  good  wisheis, 
Mary  Burr. 

Les  Capucines,  Clarens  Vaud, 
Switzerland. 

[A  shop  where  "  gifts  "  are  sold  in  support  of 
the  Nation's  Nurses  has  been  opened  by  the 
Committee  of  this  Fund  in  North  Audley  Street, 
London,  so  that  we  are  not  even  spared  this  form 
of  pauperisation.  The  plutocrat  produces  the 
Bolshevik. — Ed.] 

THE    WOMEN     SANITARY     INSPECTORS 
AND     HEALTH     VISITORS'     ASSOCIATION. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Madam,' — In  your  issue  of  November  30th, 
you  publish  a  letter  from  a  correspondent,  in 
which  she  urges  the  need  for  "  a  really  good  public 
health  section." 

I  wonder  if  she  knows  that  such  a  section  already 
exists. — "  The  Women  Sanitary  Inspectors'  and 
Health  Visitors'    Association  "  ? 

The  Association  is  not  exclusively  for  trained 
nurses,  but  many  fully-trained  women  are  mem- 
bers, and  as  you  will  sec  by  the  rules  (a  copy  of 
which  1  enclose),  all  the  workers  are  trained, 
most  of  them  very  highly. 

The  Association,  too,  shares  your  correspon- 
dent's disapproval  of  the  untrained  voluntary 
worker,  and  is  doing  its  best  to  ensure  that  Infant 
Welfare  Workers  shall,   in  future,  be  compelled 


to    undergo    an    adequate    training    and    pass    a 
statutory  examination  before  securing  aii  appoint- 

"^^"^-  Yours  truly, 

M.  Blanchard, 
Trained  Nurse  and  Infant  Welfare  Worker. 

29,   Broadwater  Road, 
Tottenham,  N.  17. 

[The  handbook  of  the  Association  can  be 
obtained  by  waiting  to  the  Hon.  Secretary,  Miss 
Sayle,  12,  Buckingham  Street,  Strand,  London, 
WC.  2.] 

A    FACT   OR    A    FARCE. 
To  the  Editor  of  The  British  Journal  of  Nursing. 

Dear  Editor, — Being  desirous  to  know  the 
truth  respecting  Women's  Franchise,  may  I  ask 
whether  it  is  a  "  fact  "  or  a  "  farce  "  ? 

I  am  a  "  Queen's  Nurse  "  living  in  apart- 
ments (I  possess  a  key).  In  the  district,  as  you 
know,  we  all  live  under  similar  conditions,  or  in 
District  Homes.  Last  week  I  was  informed  I 
would  have  no  vote. 

I  shall  be  indebted  to  you  if  you  will  kindly  state 
through  your  invaluable  organ.  The  British 
Journal  <  f  Nursing  (the  only  paper  for  trained 
nurses)  if  this  is  correct  ?  Thanking  you  in 
anticipation. 

I  am,  faithfully  yours. 

State  Registrationist. 

Life  Member  National  Union  of  Trained 

Nurses,  and  Affiliated  to  R.B.N. A. 

[A  district  nurse  living  in  rooms  with  latchkey 
is  certainly  qualified  for  the  Parliamentary 
franchise,  but  her  name  must  be  on  the  register  in 
the  district  in  which  she  has  resided  for  six  months. 
Each  nurse  should  call  at  the  Registration  Office , 
obtain  the  prescribed  form,  fill  it  in,  and  then  see 
for  herself  that  her  name  is  on  the  Register.  It  is 
no  use  waiting  for  any  official  to  do  his  duty. 
This  question  of  votes  for  Nurses  must  now  be 
submitted  to  Counsel  for  a  legal  opinion,  as  many 
nurses'  names  were  on  the  Register  living  in 
hospitals,  and  they  voted,  whilst  others  under 
identical  conditions  were  refused  registration.- — 
Ed.] 

OUR     PRIZE     COMPETITION. 

QUESTIONS. 

December  28th. — .Describe  the  signs  and  symp- 
toms of  acute  bronchitis  in  an  adult.  Give  aji 
account  of  [a)  the  nursing  and  [b)  the  diet  require  i 
in  a  case  during  (i)  the  acute  stage  and  (2)  t  le 
convalescent  stage.  What  complications  may 
occur  ? 

January  ^ih.- — State  what- you  know  about  the 
result  of  taking  the  following  drugs :  Cocaine 
and  morphine  ;  and  how  the  patients  should  be 
nursed. 

LAST     WORDS     FOR     1918. 

Yet  do  thy  work ;     it  shall  succeed 

In   thine   or  in  another's  day  ; 
And,    if   denied   the   victor's   meed, 

Thou  shalt  not  lack  the  toiler's  pay. 


bcccmhcr  .8,  1918  (^fje  tttttldb  Joumal  of  flur0ing  Supplement,     407 


The   Midwife. 


CENTRAL  MIDWIVES'  BOARD. 


En'glank. 

In  England  the  most  important  event  in  the 
midwifery  world  has  been  the  passing  of  the  Mid- 
wives  Act,  19 1 8  (which  comes  into  force  on 
January  ist  next).  The  President  of  the  Local 
Government  Boatd  annoimced,  in  the  debate 
on  the  Committee  Stage  in  the  House  of  Commons, 
that  "it  is  the  intention  of  the  Privy  Council 
to  give  direct  representation  to  midwives  on  the 
Board."  The  hopes  of  the  midwives  were  raised 
high  by  this  statement,  but  unfortunately  the  term 
"  direct  representation  "  was  afterwards  interpreted 
by  Mr,  Hayes  Fisher  (now  Lord  Downham)  to 
mean  the  appointment  of  midwives  to  seats  on 
the  Board,  under  powers  conferred  on  the  Central 
Midwives  Board  by  the  Act.  This,  although  a 
step  forward,  is  not  direct  representation. 

The  Act,  which  received  the  Royal  Assent  on 
November  26th,  repeals  the  Clause  (Clause  g)  in 
the  principal  Act  giving  County  Councils  the  right 
to  delegate  their  powers  to  District  Councils,  and 
makes  provision  for  reciprocal  treatment  of  mid- 
wives  certified  in  other  parts  of  His  Majesty's 
Dominions. 

Scotland. 

In  Scotland  we  have  to  record  with  regret  the 
death  of  Sir  Robert  Kirk  Inches,  representative 
on  the  Central  Midwives'  Board  of  the  Conven- 
tion of  Royal  Burghs.  Sir  John  Lome  MacLeod 
has  been  appointed  to  succeed  him. 

The  Scottish  Midwives'  Association,  which  has 
as  its  President  the  Duchess  of  Montrose,  has  held 
several  meetings  during  the  3'ear.  In  our  view  the 
President  of  an  Association  of  professional  workers 
should  always  be  a  member  of  the  profession 
concerned,  and  elected  by  her  fellow  members. 

Ireland. 
The  Bill  "  to  ensure  the  better  training  of  mid- 
wives  in  Ireland,  and  to  regulate  their  practice  " 
has  become  law  during  the  year.  The  Bill  was 
blocked  in  1917  because  the  Irish  Nurses' Associa- 
tion, which  represents  the  interests  of  the  mid- 
wives  in  Ireland,  was  not  satisfied  with  the  repre- 
sentation provided  for  midwives  on  the  Board 
under  Mr.  Duke's  Bill,  namely,  one  midwife,  out 
of  a  Board  of  thirteen  persons,  to  be  appointed 
by  the  Privy  Council.  The  Irish  Nurses' Associa- 
tion obtained  the  support  of  the  Royal  College  of 
Physicians  in  Ireland,  and,  so  efiectively  voiced  its 
demand  for  representation  of  the  midwives,  that, 
when  the  Bill  received  the  Royal  Assent  on  Feb- 
ruary 6th,  four  out  of  eleven  seats  were  secured  on 
the  Irish  Midwives  Board  to  certified  midwives. 
These  midwives  are  referred  to  in  the  Act  as 
"  midwives  representatives,"  and  are  appointed 
bv  the  I. oral  Government  Board,  thre**  out  of  the 


four  being  appointed  after  consultation  with 
recognised  nursing  associations  in  Ireland.  The 
laurels  are  with  the  Irish  Nurses'  Association, 
which  Exercised  such  an  effective  influence  on 
legislation  in  spite  of  vested  interests  and  the 
unwillingness  of  the  Government  Department 
responsible  for  drafting  the  Bill. 

The  Midwives  appointed  on  the  Board  are  : 
Miss  J.  H.  Kelly,  Matron  Maternity  Hospital, 
Belfast ;  Mrs.  M  Blunden,  late  Matron  Lying-in 
Hospital,  Cork  ;  Miss  A.  Michie,  Superintendent 
for  Ireland  O.V.J.I.  ;  and  Miss  G  O'Carroll. 
Matron  Combe  Lying-in  Hospital,  Dublin. 

The  lesignation  by  Miss  L  Ramsden  of  the 
position  o*  Lady  Supe'intendent  at  the  Rotunda 
Hospital,  Dublin,  which  she  has  held  with  dis- 
tinction, has  caused  wide-spread  regret. 

Midwives  and  Raids. 

It  is  to  the  credit  of  the  midwives  in  I-ondon  and 
elsewhere  that,  in  spite  of  air-raids,  their  service 
of  the  poor  in  their  own  homes  suffered  no  inter- 
ruption, although  in  the  East  End  of  London,  at 
least,  the  position  was  so  menacing  that  the  police 
obliged  the  midwives  to  wear  shrapnel  helmets 
and  other  protections  in  case  of  raids,  when  going 
to  cases  in  the  night.  Their  posts  were  posts  of 
danger  and  honour,  quite  as  much  as  those  of 
nurses  overseas,  though  no  decorations  reward 
services  gallantlj'^  performed. 

A    State-aided    Midwifery    Service. 

The  proposals  for  a  State-aided  Midwifery 
Service  made  by  the  Association  for  Promoting 
the  Training  of  Midwives,  to  which  we  referred 
last  December,  have  since  been  revised  and 
embodied  in  a  memorandum  as  a  basis  for  legis- 
lation. It  is  proposed  that  by  means  of  an  ex- 
chequer grant,  a  fee  of  25s.  per  case,  including 
ante-natal  care,  shall  be  ensured  to  midwives. 

The  Women's  Co-operative  Guild  published 
an  opportune  pamphlet  giving  the  views  of  the 
w^orking  women  themselves  in  regard  to  a  Mid- 
wifery Service.  They  consider  that  there  should 
be  a  Public  Health  Service,  free  to  all  who  desire 
to  avail  themselves  of  it. 

National  Baby  Week. 

National  Baby  Week  has  now  established 
itself  as  an  annual  function,  with  a  permanent 
council,  and  at  its  Confeience  held  in  conjunction 
with  an  exhibition,  in  the  first  week  of  July,  at 
the  Central  Hall,  Westminster,  and  elsewhere, 
much   useful  propaganda  work  was  done. 

The  Maternity  and  Child  Welfare  Bill. 

The  Maternity  and  Child  Welfare  Bill  became 
law  in  July.  Discussion  settled  around  the  points 
as  to  whether  the  powers  given  under  the  Act 
should    be    entrusted    to    both    large    and    .small 


4o8     zhc  jBrltt0b  3ournaI  of  Burdinc  Supplement  i^^cember  28,  1918 


authorities.  Eventually  it  was  decided  that  the 
County  Councils  in  England  and  Wales,  exercising 
powers  under  the  Act,  should  establish  maternity 
and  child  welfare  committees,  and  might  delegate 
their  powers  to  such  committees  with  the  exception 
of  raising  a  rate  or  borrowing  money. 

Babies  of  the  Empire. 

The  foundation  of  a  Babies  of  the  Empire 
Society,  which  has  its  headquarters  in  the  General 
Building,  Aldwych,  of  which  Lord  Plunket  is 
chairman,  has  for  its  first  object  "  To  uphold  the 
sacredness  of  the  body  and  the  duty  of  health." 
It  has  established  a  Mothercraft  Training  Centre 
at  29  and  31,  Trebovir  Road,  Earl's  Court,  S.W. 

The  number  of  schemes  on  foot  at  the  present 
time  for  the  benefit  of  infants,  prove  that  the 
nation  is  of  opinion  that  all  is  not  well  with  its 
babies.  The  rearing  of  healthy  infants  is  one  of 
the  first  es.sentials  for  putting  mothercraft  on  a 
sure  foundation. 


CIVIC    RESPONSIBILITIES    WITH 
REGARD    TO    CHILD    WELFARE. 


Amongst  the  excellent  pamphlets  published  by 
the  National  Baby  Week  Council,  27,  Cavendish 
Square,  London,  W.  i,  is  one  by  Dr.  Harold 
Scurfield,  D.P.H.,  Medical  Officer  of  Health  for 
Sheffield,  the  motto  of  which  is  "  Every  child  a 
chance,  and  every  family  a  home."  It  deals  with 
the  subject  under  the  headings  :  Healthy  parents, 
efficient  mothers,  reasonable  income,  efficient 
medical  service,  and,  on  the  last  point,  says  :— 

"  Efficient  Medical  Service. 

"  The  mother  has  not  yet  got  an  efficient 
medical  service  at  her  disposal  for  herself  and  her 
children,  and  the  provision  of  this  is  one  of  the 
after-war  problems  which  the  citizens  have  to 
settle. 

"  We  need  a  system  by  which  there  will  be 
secured  a  family  doctor  for  each  family.  The 
relations  of  the  family  doctor  to  the  special  institu- 
tions such  as  School  Clinics,  Tuberculosis  Dis- 
pensaries, Maternity  and  Child  Welfare  Centres 
and  Venereal  Disease  Clinics  will  have  to  be  deter- 
mined. The  family  doctor  must  be  linked  up  with 
the  consulting  surgeons  and  physicians,  and  the 
hospitals,  convalescent  homes,  midwives,  district 
nurses  and  mothers'  helps,  so  that  his  patients 
may  have  the  benefits  of  these  services  in  time  of 
need.  More  lying-in  hospitals,  more  children's 
hospitals  and  open-air  schools  are  required. 
Especially  do  we  need  more  hospitals  for  crippled 
children  on  the  lines  of  Lord  Mayor  Treloar's 
Hospital  at  Alton. 

"  Besides  this,  arrangements  must  be  made  for 
dentists  to  look  after  the  teeth  of  the  children. 
This  has  been  done  to  some  extent  with  regard  to 
the  children  of  school  age  by  School  Clinics  and  the 
system  will  have  to  be  extended. 

"  The  Poor  Law  medical  service  will  obviouslv 


become    involved    in   the    changes   which    take 
place. 

"  Another  matter  urgently  requiring  attention  is 
the  reform  of  out-patient  departments.  These 
are  at  present  swamped  by  cases  which  ought  never 
to  be  sent  there.  Mothers  who  take  their  children 
to  out-patient  departments  are  frequently  required 
to  spend  the  whole  day  in  the  waiting-room,  to  the 
great  detriment  of  their  homes.  Out-patient  de- 
partments ought  to  be  restricted  to  accidents, 
cases  requiring  special  treatment,  and  those  cases 
which  are  sent  by  a  general  practitioner  for  a 
consultant's  opinion. 

"  The  Maternity  and  Child  Welfare  Centre  is  the 
institution  which  chiefly  affects  babies  and  young 
children,  and  it  will  be  right  to  say  a  few  words  on 
this  matter.  County  Councils  and  Sanitary 
Authorities  are  now  required  to  establish  Maternity 
and  Child  Welfare  Centres,  and  the  representatives 
of  the  citizens  must  see  that  these  are  as  efficient 
as  possible.  There  should  be  provided  advice  and 
hospital  treatment  if  required  for  expectant 
mothers  ;  medical  attendance  under  certain  cir- 
cumstances and  hospital,  treatment,  if  required, 
during  confinement ;  and  advice  and  hospital 
treatment,  if  required,  for  both  mother  and  baby 
after  confinement,  the  advice  to  be  continued,  in 
case  of  the  baby,  up  to  the  school  entrance  age.  As 
regards  hospital  treatment,  I  believe  the  usual  way 
is  for  the  Sanitary  Authority  which 'establishes  the 
Centre  to  make  arrangements  with  the  existing 
hospitals,  but  some  sanitary  authorities  may  find  it 
advisable  to  establish  lying-in  hospitals  and  infant 
hospitals. 

"  At  present  we  have  medical  supervision  of 
children  from  birth  up  to  the  age  at  which  they 
leave  school,  but  no  provision  has  been  made  for 
the  gap  between  leaving  school  and  the  age  of 
sixteen,  when  those  who  go  to  work  come  under  the 
scheme  of  the  Insurance  Act. 

"  In  many  districts  there  are  voluntary  societies 
working  in  the  interests  of  mothers  and  children, 
and  it  is  very  necessary  that  these  voluntary 
workers  should  be  linked  up  with  the  work  of  the 
Maternity  and  Child  Welfare  Centre.  Cordial 
co-operation  is  needed,  also  a  spirit  of  tolerance. 
Voluntary  M'orkers  sometimes  seem  to  think  that 
an  official  paid  by  the  Sanitary  Authority  must  be 
soulless  and  void  of  sympathy.  It  is,  of  course, 
absurd  to  suppose  that  a  hospital  nurse  when  paid 
her  salary  by  a  voluntary  hospital  or  the  Queen 
Victoria  .District  Nursing  Association  is  sympa 
thetic,  and  that  the  same  woman,  when  her  salary 
is  paid  by  a  County  Council  or  a  Sanitary  Autho- 
rity, must  necessarily  become  hard  of  heart  and 
lose  her  sympathy  with  the  people  amongst  whom 
she  works. 

"  Another  danger  is  that  the  voluntary  worker 
will  not  appreciate  the  difficulty  in  giving  sound 
advice  to  mothers  with  regard  to  their  infants. 
Each  infant  is  a  study  in  itself  and  until  recently 
even  the  medical  profession  has  not  appreciated 
what  a  large  amount  there  is  to  be  learned  about 
babies.  Care  is  therefore  needed  lest  the  voluntary 
worker  should  develop  into  a  quack  doctor." 


74 1  3 


K"