Image provided by: The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde; Grand Ronde, OR
About The Chemawa American (Chemawa, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1915)
THE CHEMAWA AMERICAN 25 tion. Nurses in the mission fields, in settlement work, and in the army. The best education, the most thorough and the broadest, is not wasted in professional nursing. The temperature of the body is an index to the disease, a danger sig nal as it were. It is ascertained by the clinical thermometer. For the sake of convenience only those degrees usually from 95 degrees to 100 degrees Fahrenheit are indicated. The scale is larger; the lines be tween the degrees being marked off into fifths. In America, England and the British Colonies the Fahrenetic scale is used. In taking the temperature the thermometer is placed under the tongue with the lips closed from one to three minutes. The general normal temperature of the body is about 98 degrees. It cannot be taken under the tongue with very young children, when the patient is delirious, where local inflamma tions are present or where from certain causes the mouth cannot be closed. It should never be used immediately after eating or drinking. There are various other places on the body from which to ascertain the tem perature of the patient, all of which will be suggested by the nature of the disease and the patient. The themometer should be washed in cold water after, using and kept in an antiseptic solution. It should be wiped dry before using again. The condition of the pulse is an indication of the state of the circu lation of the heart and blood vessels. Of any one symptom the heart is probably the most important. The pulse is taken by placing the fingers steadily over the artery for not less than one minute. The artery most often used is at the wrist, where the radical artery can be felt lying over the radius. The temporal artery is felt against the bony prominence in front of the external opening of the ear. The examina tions to ascertain are: First, the condition of the artery; second, the amount of tension; third, volume of the pulse; fourth, number of beats to the minute; fifth, character, regularity and irregularity. It varies however with age, people, and other conditions, ranging from 120 in infants to 80 or 90 beats in adults. In young children there is no dif ference between the pulse rate of the sexes. In adult life a woman's pulse rate is perceptibly higher than that of a man. In health the pulse is accelerated by exercise, excitement, emotion, drinking and eating. It is slower during repose and sleep and in consequence of fatigue, ex posure or fasting. These conditions should be kept in mind when ex amining the pulse. Bandages are used for support, to apply pressure, or to retain splints, dressings, and applications in their place. Two varieties are used, the roller and the handkerchief. Roller bandages are made of unbleached muslin, gauze, flannel or rubber. They are cut in lengths from seven to nine yards and one to six inches in width. Gauze bandages are
