A series of lectures on surgical nursing & hospital technic

Front matter

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Preface

WHEN I was asked by the Superintendent of the Protestant Hospital Training School to deliver a series of lectures to the nurses on "Surgical Nursing," I did not appreciate the lack of literature on the subject; in fact, but for the many requests I had for copies of my lectures from different points of the state, I never would have realized how inadequately the subject had been treated in the numerous books on nursing, It seems incredible, that progressive as the medical profession is, especially in the line of literature, the nurse's library should consist chiefly of such books as remind us of the commercial productions known as the "Family Doctor" and the "Medical Adviser." Every subject pertaining to nursing is crowded into one small volume ; obstetrics is given a few pages, dietetics is briefly discussed, the care of the infant is touched on, a few pages are devoted to materia medica, and so on through the category of the different departments of medicine, while surgical nursing is treated as though it were a minor subject. Feeling that the nurse should be treated with more consideration, I decided to place my lectures in book form in an endeavor to broaden the nurse's education by giving in a simple way the scientific basis of surgical nursing. Indeed, I was further induced to do so from the encouragement which I received from out-of-town practitioners, who expressed a desire for such a work as a guide in the after-treatment of surgical cases that were compelled by circumstances to undergo operations at their homes.

I desire to express my indebtedness to the many authors whose names appear in the various bibliographies of this volume. Their wide experience as surgeons has been of great assistance to me in its preparation.

To those of the profession whose names appear in the text I am under personal obligations because of their interest in the work. In some instances they have donated their valuable time in writing their suggestions on the various subjects on which they are authorities.

To my colleagues Drs. J. J. Coons, J. D. Dunham, W. E. Lloyd, E. N. Ludwig. and \V. I. Jones, I especially desire to express my gratitude for the assistance I received at their hands.

Many practical suggestions were made by Mrs. Harriet Fenzel, Superintendent of Nurses at the Protestant Hospital, and Miss Margaret Knierim, vi Preface

Chief Operating-room Nurse at the same institution, for which I am pleased to make acknowledgment.

The reading of the manuscript and revision of proofs were intrusted to my friend Mr. Paul C. Carty, Instructor of Printing in the Columbus Trade School. The difficulties of such an undertaking are only appreciated by those who have attempted a like task. I am deeply grateful to him for his services.

There is no portion of this book in which my secretary Miss Lucy E. Dodds did not play an important part in its preparation. Many of the lectures were revised by her and reduced to their simplest terms, so as to omit the more technical expressions the profession is prone to use, and to bring the subject-matter easily within the range of the intelligent nurse. All references to authorities were left to her care. She also supervised the sequence of the lectures, besides aiding in the manuscript and in the details incident to the production of the illustrations. Without her aid the book would not have been produced, so that it is a pleasure to express my gratitude, and give credit for the part she had in the work.

With all the help and encouragement I received, and the efforts that were put forth, I feel very much like the one who wrote : "The very best of us leaves his tale half untold, his message imperfect ; but if we have been faithful, then because of us, some one who follows us, with a happier heart and in happier times, shall utter our message better and tell our tale more perfectly."

Contents

LECTURE PAGE

I Some Brief Historical Sketches .... 1

Florence Nightingale — The International Red Cross Society — Clara Barton — The Pre-antiseptic Age — Louis Pasteur — Sir Joseph Lister.