General nursing / by Eva C.E. Lückes.

  • Lückes, Eva C. E. (Charlotte Ellis), 1854-1919.
Date:
1898
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: General nursing / by Eva C.E. Lückes. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    fact. Their little wants are endless, and when a nurse has many under her care, all crying and wanting things at once— as must occasionally happen in a children's ward—the most devoted lover of children may be forgiven for feeling momen- tarily wearied and impatient with them, though not, perhaps, for showing it. The self-control which some nurses exhibit under worrying circumstances is truly admirable, and their example should be earnestly followed by others who are anxious to excel with children. It is a matter of common experience that many nurses, who subsequently become devoted to the little ones, find children's wards very trying when they first begin working there. This is partly owing to the constant attention children claim, and partly to the noise which the little people rejoice in, as well as to the occasional crying, to which nurses speedily become accustomed, but which is perplexing at first. Women who are under the impression that they do not care much for children, soon feel, if they have any innate gift for nursing, the influence of the special charm which a children's ward pos- sesses. Many who are not familiar with the conditions of hospital life are apt to think that it will make things easier for them if they are sent first to a children's ward; this is not the case. The third essential to the well-being of children, after suitable diet and cleanliness, is plenty of warmth, light, and fresh ail-. Warmth and sunUght are a necessity for children. If they are deprived of them to any great extent, they die. It is, unfortunately, a not unheard-of thing for cold to be the active agent in killing some of the poor neglected little creatures in our overcrowded cities. A certain amount of external warmth is essential, and children do not possess sufficient vitality to do without it. I mean that, in proportion, children are infinitely more sensitive to cold than adults. Acute chest attacks are far more fatal to children than to grown-up