The nursing and care of the nervous and the insane / by Charles K. Mills.

  • Mills, Charles K. (Charles Karsner), 1845-1931.
Date:
1887
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The nursing and care of the nervous and the insane / by Charles K. Mills. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    in a large insane hospital. It follows as a matter of course from their mental condition that this should be so; but the highest type of nurse or attendant is one who, appreciating all this, is able to pursue a straight- forward, honorable course in caring for every patient. All disputes and differences of opinion should be referred to the physician. The highest tests of the quality of a good attendant in cases of mental disorder are those tests which are exhibited in the personal characteristics of the individual. Forbearance under temptation, the ability to suppress envy, jealousy, or self in any way, the willingness to do all things and deny all things for the sake of the patient, furnish the best evidences of the needed qualities. The nurse who is given chief authority in the care of a private patient should not be officious or exacting, but should make it her special aim to see that the directions of the physi- cian are implicitly carried out; should report to the physician in charge everything disagreeable, and all derelictions. In most cases it is well for the chief nurse to keep a careful record of the details of treatment and also of the meals, amount of sleep, exercise, kind of occupation or amusement, etc. A systematic method of recording the time of administration of medicines, and so on, is advisable. Printed blanks are used in some institutions, and if carefully prepared may be of great service. Attendants upon the insane should not become to any great extent routinists. They should not become so fa- miliar with their patients as to forget many of the little things that they may need. The insane often suffer for