Mother, Nurse and Infant A Manual Especially Adapted for the Guidance of Mothers and Monthly Nurses

The object of the author in writing this volume is tooffer to nurses, and especially to those women who desireto make “monthly nursing” a vocation, the instructionwhich they need for that purpose, sufficiently illustratedand at a moderate price.

The book is written under a firm conviction in themind of the author that a work of this character is neededat the present time—a work that combines some informationto the monthly nurse in regard to her peculiar dutieswith considerable instruction in midwifery. He hasmany times heard inquiries made for a book of this kindand has not been able to point to one of the characterdesired. He has learned during the forty-five years thathe has practiced medicine in a small city and its vicinity,that mother and nurse are often combined in the sameperson. The important duty of nursing the sick is sogenerally performed by mothers, that they also, as a class,require some scientific knowledge to be acquired bymeans of plain, practical instruction. And, in fact,throughout our country, every mother is liable, in anemergency, to be called upon to fill the office of anaccoucheur.

For the professional nurse, such technical and accurateknowledge should be considered indispensable. Thetraining schools for nurses in some of our largest citiesare doing a noble work, and are elevating the standard ofrequirements for those who seek this field of true womanlyivlabor. But comparatively few of the many thousandswho follow this vocation are able to attend such schools;yet they are willing and desirous to learn. Women seeminstinctively to desire such knowledge. A proper effortto place within their reach the means of obtaining thenecessary technical knowledge for their work, and especiallyfor the work of the nurse who attends upon themother in childbirth, will not, the author trusts, bedeemed presumptuous. There are many excellent nurses,who have become so without the aid of training school orsuch a book as this, but it is hoped that this volume maymake the acquirement of the necessary knowledge moreeasy and furnish ready information of value to thosenurses who are most thoroughly perfected in their work.Physicians, they will find, stand ready to aid them. Theattending physician, as a rule, may be depended upon togive such help as may be necessary to the understandingof the instructions here presented, and through their cooperationthe number of earnest students in this departmentof womanly labor may be multiplied.

The author, during the preparation of it, consultedmany writers upon obstetrics, medicine and nursing;and it is only because it would not be compatible withthe size of this volume, that he has not made frequentreferences to these excellent works. But all that he haswritten has been founded on his own knowledge, experience,and observation, while it coincides with the expressedopinions of others who may be considered goodauthority. In only two or three things has the authorventured to advance beyond others.

From the nature of the subjects treated in