The BuLLfc^TiN. 41 



ONE OF THE LECTUKES DEJ.iVERED AT THE WOMEN'S 



INSTITUTES. 



HOME NURSING. By MRS. F. L. STEVENS. 



Upon tlio olficiency of the nurse depends the comfort and welfare of our 

 sick ones, in tlie lionie the physician is powerless unless there be au intelligent, 

 skillful assistant in the sick-room to execute orders. . In the country home, 

 where the visits of the family physician must of necessity be at more or less 

 irregular intervals, the nurse — and she is usually the mother or the sister — in 

 the family must have knowledge to deal with cases of emergency as well as 

 of prolonged illness. This talk, therefore, will be coulined strictly to a dis- 

 cussion of the simple remedies and preventives that are easily obtainable in 

 every country home. 



The simplest home remedy, and the one most commonly resorted to for 

 pains or aches, is the mustard-plaster, one part mustard to two parts flour, 

 mixed with water and made into a smooth, soft paste, is recommended for 

 common use. The proportion of mustard may be increased in case of severe 

 pains. There are two facts that should be borne in mind about the mustard- 

 plaster: (l)a mustard plaster should not be placed next to the skin— always 

 place a thin cloth between the plaster and the skin; (2) the mustard-plaster 

 should not blister. The blister is a disagreeable and slow-healing sore and is 

 of no remedial value. It is better to use a smaller proportion of mustard and 

 allow the plaster to remain a longer time. 



The poultice is also a common and often misused home remedy, and material 

 for poultices that may really cause harm, such as fat meat, milk and bread, 

 etc., are often used. A poultice should be made of only material that can be 

 thoroughly heated, in order to kill any organism that may be present, hence 

 two materials are recommended — the flaxseed boiled with water into a soft 

 paste and applied while hot, and common corn meal mush. These have practi- 

 cally the same efficiency, and should be applied in the same way. 



The turpentine stoop for severe pain in the region of the abdomen, particu- 

 larly when there are symptoms of appendicitis, is highly recommended. This 

 stoop consists of one or two table spoonfuls of turpentine to one gallon of 

 very hot water. Cloths wrung from this mixture and applied to the region of 

 pain give quick relief, always being careful in changing the cloths — which 

 should be done frequently — that the exposed surface of the body is carefully 

 covered. 



A word of information about germs in dealing with germ diseases iS neces- 

 sary. Germs, or bacteria, as they are more properly called, are very minute 

 plants, so small that from one to two hundred can lie end to end and not exceed 

 in length the thickness of an ordinary sheet of writing-paper. They repvoduce, 

 not as our flowering plfints, but by division, that is to say, when one of these 

 plants has reached mature size, it simply divides and makes two plants. It 

 takes about twenty minutes for a germ to grow to full maturity and divide 

 into two. When a germ which causes disease in the human body, and there 

 are many that so do, is taken into the system, they very quickly multiply in 

 great numbers. 



Common boils are caused by these minute plant forms. These germs are 

 present in the air, in garden soil, on garden utensils, and when the skin be- 

 comes injured in any way, these germs find their way into the wound and 

 boils are the result. All wounds should be promptly bathed with something 

 that will kill these organisms. For this purpose may be used a weak solution 

 of carbolic acid, one part to thirty of water ; bi-chloride of mercury, one part 

 to one thousand of water ; or creolin, one part to forty of water. Some mate- 

 rial for cleansing wounds should be kept on hand for immediate use. 



Lockjaw is produced by the presence of a germ that gains access to the 

 body in the same manner as does the boil germ. This germ is also found in 

 garden soil, on old iron, rusty nails, rakes, hoes and other garden utensils. 

 The same treatment of fresh wounds as was suggested in the case of boils is 

 recommended as a preventive for this dreaded disease. All bandages used 



