ON
BEARING PAIN
From a recent article in a daily paper one sees once
more the growing unwillingness or inability of the present generation
to bear pain—or, what is perhaps for some people harder, to
witness it. The article is the result of a strange case reported from
New York where two people hastened the death of bedridden companion
by administering chloroform. It raises the question how far in the
face of prolonged and irremediable article points out there is much
to be said on the other side; which, perhaps, in these days when anesthetics
are universally and constantly used, there is danger of forgetting-
Pain in perhaps the greatest aid in diagnosing disease-directly a
sedative is used the doctor is greatly handicapped and important symptoms
may escape notice again. If the above course is ever to come into
use, it must be the doctor who takes the responsibility, and he is
the one whom all except to fight disease to the very end and never
to give up hope. But even in cases which do seem impossible to cure-is
there no use for pain? How many of us who have nursed in “ Incurable”
Hospitals could tell of characters beautified by suffering so that
all who come in contact with them are reminded-“ we can make
our lives sublime” and is it not part of our work to help our
patients to realize that? To relieve pain when possible, and advisable
for the patient, is obviously the duty of doctor and nurse-and in
this connection is there not very much the latter can do? The apparent
inability to bear pain usually means overstrained nerves; calmness,
wise sympathy, a strong personality and hopefulness can do much towards
making others”strong to bear” , but perhaps each must
learn the secret herself first.
ANNUAL
CONFERENCES
Place and Date- the Annual Conferences of the A.N.S.I.
and the T.N.A.I. will be held in the Y.W.C.A., 134 Corporation Street,
Calcutta, On November 28th,29th and 30th.
Programme- Papers will be read and discussed – “Male Nursing”
Miss Cooke.
Also papers by Miss Davies, Miss Tindall and Miss Fahs.
Additional subjects for discussion are:- Each province
or language area to have a Central Examination board for Nurses.
Books for Nurses.
The Memorial to Miss Thorpe.
A Register of Trained Nurses.
Business- The election officers for 1912; to fix the time and place
of the 1912 Conference; to pass and consider the accounts of the Associations
and the Journal Fund; to arrange for papers to be read at next Conference.
N.B.- A form will be found at end of the Journal to be filled up and
sent to Mrs. Moore as soon as possible by those intending to be present
at the conferences.
PRIZES
FOR CONFERENCE.
Given by Miss Tindall-
1 To Eurasian Nurse in training.
1 To Indian Nurses in training.
On the best article (not more than 200 words) on what
would make a nurse merit the title of “ A Good Trained Nurse.”
Given by Miss Bonser.
One Prize (open) for the best article on “Practical Sympathy”
as applied to nursing. All papers to sent in to papers will be judged
by a Conference Committee.
