SCANDALOUS MISBEHAVIOUR.

19

during the whole caique voyage down the Bosphorus every sort of abuse and bad language were showered down upon his head. Our trials were not ended. A similar case of bad conduct obliged the dismissal of one whom we had looked upon as one of our best nurses. Another was found intoxicated in the wards; these two went a few weeks or two more for the same reason; and so on till, out of the twenty-one, in less than eight months we had eleven left. To our profound astonishment we found that our sending home so many gave great umbrage to the authorities at home. They thought fit to send a reproof, demanding more particulars of the cases, and evidently displeased at the number sent back.

They were respectfully reminded that our superintendent's duties did not include the reformation of women of loose character and immoral habits, nor did we imagine the authorities would require details which were

20

AN EXCEPTION.

often too terrible to dwell on.

We cer

tainly did expect that the ladies intrusted with the arduous charge of controlling the nurses in our Eastern hospitals were better judges of what class of persons were or were not fit for that work, than those who, safe in English homes, had perhaps never entered an hospital ward at all-certainly never toiled in a military one night and day.

Of the remaining nine two were very unsatisfactory (Mrs. Woodward, who came from Oxford, and had been recommended by Dr. Acland, was quite an exception to what has been said. She was perfectly respectable and trustworthy, and altogether a most valuable person). The other six were respectable and industrious, and under a lady's supervision did very well, but not a single one, except Mrs. Woodward, could be trusted alone. They would give things to favourite patients without the surgeon's leave, or omit to carry out his orders unless they were made to do it.

MANAGEMENT OF NURSES.

21

In ordinary hospitals the nurses constantly do this. I have been told by medical men that, humanly speaking, they have known lives among their patients lost by the nurses' disobedience; but in English hospitals the doctors submit to this-they must have nurses, they can get no better-while in Eastern hospitals the nursing was acknowledged to be an experiment, and it was of the greatest importance strict obedience should be paid to the commands of the surgeons, or we knew not but that it might end in their refusing to accept our aid altogether. It was no easy thing to introduce a new element into the beaten routine of military hospitals, and needed great care, skill, and prudence in those intrusted with its management to do it successfully.

CHAPTER II.

Extra diet kitchen-Its growth and improvementsWaste resulting from bad management—A kitchen and store-room for the General Hospital-Muchprized presents from Mr. Gamble-Contents of the store-room-Lessons in rice-pudding making-Characteristics of contract supplies-The gelatine difficulty-Cooks sent out by Government-Routine of the extra store-rooms-Sunday arrangements-The cook's letter-Disorderly Greeks-Constantine, the Italian-His pantomimic defence-Monsieur Soyer and his tea-An unusual tea party.

I WILL now speak more fully of what I can with justice say was the most important part of our work. When Miss Stanley first entered Koulali Hospital and asked the principal medical officer what sort of work her nurses should undertake, the answer at once was that they should undertake the cooking and seeing the diets given at proper times.

THE EXTRA DIET KITCHEN AGAIN.

23

"It is not the surgical cases," said one of the first-class staff-surgeons, "for which we require your assistance. Their wounds are as well or better dressed by the regular dressers, but it is the medical cases which require watching and feeding, and just that constant care which nurses can and we cannot give, and a large proportion of the present cases require good nursing more than medical skill.”

We have described the first formation of the kitchen, its gradual advance from charcoal brasiers to a shed in the yard, and a kitchen in the Sultan's quarters of the hospital. This latter we gave up when we left our apartments there, as it was required for the officers' use. The shed in the barrackyard was enlarged and improved, and all the extra cooking carried on there, but still it was far from possessing all necessary conveniences.

At the General Hospital for all these