Miami Valley Hospital School of Nursing - Lamp Yearbook (Dayton, OH)

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Eye Department YE NURSING as a special nursing service was first established in August, 1939, following the appointment of a full time eye supervisor, Miss Bernice Casey. With the increased specialization in ophthalmology, the specialists felt the need of anurse with post-graduate experience in eye nursing to organize and supervise a special program of nursing care for these patients. Eye nursing was first offered as an elective service to student nurses in April, 1940. Experience in post-operative care of eye cases, special treatments and procedures used in eye conditions has contributed much toward making the student nurse more aware of the importance of intelligent and thorough eye nursing. The growth of this field is indicated by an increase of one hundred and fifty percent in the number of cases treated in the past four years. Diabetic Department DIOPATHIC! To physicians this word seemed to cling to diabetes. As early as two years before Columbus discovered America, Paracelusus recorded certain urinary characteristics of this disease. By 1889 the pancreas was definitely known to control the sugar metabolism. Still people continued to starve, lose weight and finally die. It was not until 1921 when Banting and Best discovered Isletin that a treatment other than the starvation diet could be used to control diabetes. There followed many years of experimenting until today we have protamine zinc insulin, zinc insulin crystals and regular insulin. The diabetic education of a diabetic patient is essential. One of the medical staff members became interested in the treatment of this disease and in 1934 established the diabetic department. In July, 1935, Miss Martha Werner was appointed diabetic supervisor after she had post-graduate experience in diabetic nursing. The department now consists of two diabetic nurses with post-graduate experience and astudent nurse. Since diabetes is a metabolic disease, diet plays an important role in its control. The dietetic department, in cooperation with the diabetic supervisors, plans and serves all meals and teaches diet therapy to diabetic patients. Orthopedic Department IVE PERCENT of all patients admitted to The Miami Valley Hospital in 1940 were orthopedic cases. Due to the large number of orthopedic cases and the large amount of mechanical equipment involved in the treatment of such cases, an orthopedic supervisor became necessary. In July, 1940, an orthopedic supervisor was appointed to assist the orthopedic surgeons, to organize and supervise a program of nursing care for these patients, and to establish a central supply room for the mechanical equipment. One of the newest mechanical devices added to this department is the Albee-Comper table which is used in applying body casts. Orthopedics is not a special service to be practiced only on the orthopedic ward but its principles should be applied to general nursing. Students receive orthopedics as a service to gain a specialized knowledge and skill in the nursing care of such patients but they are expected to apply these principles to the prevention of crippling conditions on all patients. We are fortunate to have a separate building, Whitmore, for the care of state, public, and private crippled children. The bed capacity is twenty-eightg divided into three wards, one for boys, one for girls and one for cleft palate cases. 4- 57 +A

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