Letter from a Mission District Nurse

Kai Tiaki : the journal of the nurses of New Zealand, Volume XI, Issue 3, 1 July 1918, Page 155

Letter from a Mission District Nurse

Since 1 have got settled to my work here, I have wished to write to you, that you may know the state of this district from a health point of view. Every day I am thankful that I was able to have the midwifery course before coming here. Though the Maoris do not need help at the confinement, many have difficulty in maintaining their milk supply, and many have sore nipples. One had a badly suppurating breast before the child was born, which might have been prevented had she sought help sooner. To the end of March, in about five weeks, thirty -one cases had been treated, and there have been fourteen new ones since . Many are minor troubles, as sores, coughs, sore throats, and the patients come to our home for remedies for such. But to others I've had to ride or drive, and pay daily visits, as the case demanded. One young Maori called on his way with milk for the factory, and his throat was so bad it needed constant attention, and I asked him to come back and stay a few days. He had not returned by late afternoon, so a Maori girl and I rode up to the place he worked at to find him huddled up in a whare, having just milked thirty cows. He could not leave them as all the others on the place had gone motoring. He was very ill, and there was no possibility of nursing him in that whare, so we got him on to one of the horses and brought him home, :s doublebank " style. It was raining heavily and quite dark, but there was less risk in his coming three miles under these conditions than in leaving him in that cold place. He had double quinsy, but was over the acute

stage in a week, and full of gratitude, which now expresses itself in wood-chop-ping and care of the harness and gig. Another night call was to an English lady threatened with a miscarriage. As no woman Was within a mile of the station, I brought her home for rest and observation, and she was able to go back in a week knowing I would come if she needed help. Another case I had to bring here was a Maori woman and her two-weeks-old baby. She could not eat the food they had, and had a very variable temperature, assignable to no other cause apparently than improper food. I suspected typhoid at first, but a week's attention and dieting made her fit to go back home. The Opoutama school teacher reported an outbreak of ake ake, and to him I sent ointment, etc., with instructions, till I could go there a week later. The teacher's wife is very good in doing treatment for those children who cannot be trusted to do it for themselves. The way has been made easy for me by the sisters here. On the first appearance of trouble the Maoris seek advice from us. It has not been an autumn of sickness, such as we anticipated to follow the Patriotic Hui held here. The weather conditions prevented the crowd coming, and so the gathering broke up early, much to our relief. I Was glad to see the names of nursing journals recommended, as I am concerned about keeping up-to-date in treatment, and oae is out of touch in these parts. tc Kai Tiaki '' is read from beginning to end, and much appreciated.