“Widal’s 
Test.” 
BACTERIOLOGY IN A NUTSHELL. 
.V 
the system again and the disease is both aggra¬ 
vated and lengthened. *Study to acquire right 
methods of bathing in this disease. 
The care and watchfulness necessary in nurs¬ 
ing typhoid fever holds good in nursing all germ 
diseases. It will therefore be unnecessary to 
speak of these at length when dealing with other 
communicable diseases. 
A Blood Test. If there is reasonable doubt 
as to the disease from which a patient is suffer¬ 
ing being typhoid fever, a test discovered by 
Widal of the University of Koenigsberg, is some¬ 
times resorted to. 
Widal’s Test is based upon the fact that the 
blood serum of a person who has typhoid fever 
is antagonistic to the bacillus typhosus. A drop 
of blood is obtained from the suspected patient 
by pricking the lobe of his ear. This drop is 
placed on a clean glass slide and covered imme- 
*While it is not the purpose of the writer to speak 
of methods of treatment given in diseases caused by 
bacterial invasion, several years experience in training 
nurses has revealed the fact that many pupils fail to 
grasp the proper methods of applying hydrotherapeutics 
when nursing typhoid fever. If the physician orders 
tub baths, they seem to fail to recognize the necessity 
for using friction systematically in order to bring about 
the requisite reaction. When they do use friction, they 
go about it in such a haphazard fashion that frequently 
there is an increased elevation of temperature instead 
of a decreased, and the nervous symptoms at the end 
of the treatment are more pronounced than before be¬ 
ginning it. (This does not refer to patients whose 
peculiarities of constitution were such as to contra¬ 
indicate “tubbing,” but to those who, when properly 
handled, responded admirably). In giving sponge 
baths, also, very often the right method of sponging 
is not observed. It seems to be necessary for nurses 
who are training pupils to pay particular attention to 
practical teaching in this direction. 
48 
