Subsidiary notes as to the introduction of female nursing into military hospitals in peace and war.

  • Nightingale, Florence, 1820-1910.
Date:
1858
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Subsidiary notes as to the introduction of female nursing into military hospitals in peace and war. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material is part of the Elmer Belt Florence Nightingale collection. The original may be consulted at University of California Libraries.

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    (ill.) The mode of cleaning this flooring, while it avoids damp, daily purifies the ward air. (iv.) The floor, and its mode of cleaning, get rid more than by any other way of dust, and of the miasma dust often conveys. (v.) The time, labour, and expense of scrubbing are saved. (ti.) The Berlin authorities consider that these oiled boards, with a small quantity of laque, are, on the whole, decidedly cheaper than the common boards; that the boards last rather longer; and that the avoidance of scrubbing saves more than the extra preparation and its renewal cost, apart from the sanitary gain. VI. Against these advantages, the following disadvantages are to be placed: (i.) This flooring shows where most used, instead of the uniform appearance of the white scrubbed boards. (ii.) Scratches show, and remain upon it; so all furniture must be lifted, not dragged over it. (hi.) The tread sounds a little more, little, but more, than on white boards. (iv.) It would not stand the constant tread of nailed shoes ; and patients of a ward so floored, ought to wear slippers with moderately thick soles. (The German Doctors consider the use of slippers preferable to that of shoes, by the patients, as keeping a ward much quieter, cleaner, and disturbing the severe cases less.) (y.) Carpets could not be nailed on it, as the floor should be daily cleaned. Several Hospital authorities whose rooms are thus floored, have large pieces of carpet round the furni- ture most used, bed, tables, sofas, &c.; these are daily taken up and dusted while the floor is being cleaned. To many English minds, the sight and feel of a carpet is essential to the idea or feeling of comfort; and it might be sound policy, in the event of a trial being made of this flooring, to leave the Officers, Military and Medical (I do not mean patients), in possession of scrubbed rooms and carpets. The Superinten- dent might have one or two pieces of carpet for her rooms; and the Nurses should dispense with carpet. Both in the new part of the Charite and at Bethanien, long broad corridors run along the back of the wards which open into them. The corridors are floored like the wards. In those