Lectures on nursing / by William Robert Smith.

  • William Edward Smith
Date:
1875
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Lectures on nursing / by William Robert Smith. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    was freely given to her by all with whom she came in contact. And although, unfortunately, her noble life of self-sacrificing love ended in a premature death,—yet, to deserve the words, “She hath done what she could,” is a reward which neither you nor I can adequately estimate. Here, then, is a great work for women, hut, at the same time, how requisite is training and organization. The qualifications essentially necessary in a nurse are sobriety, honesty, truthfulness, trustworthiness, punctuality, quietness, cleanliness, and neatness: these are all indispensable requisites in a good nurse. Sobriety is unquestionably required. We dare not trust you with the care of the sick and dying, if you are given to acts of intemperance. The allowance which is made you here is certainly ample if you are in good bodily health. You notice how little stimulant is used in the wards: it is only ordered where the patient’s previous intemperate history, or the nature of the case, renders its administration necessary. As to honesty, I will not hurt your feelings by en- larging upon it; but I have seen such a person as a dishonest nurse, who drank a portion of the patient’s wine, and substituted water instead to supply the deficiency; who appropriated the tea given out for the patients, these poor things getting, as a conse- quence, something even worse than “ husband’s tea who, being too idle to give the patients their medi-