A Case of Scarlet Fever Makes 9-Year-Old Choose Nursing

For most of the years from 1911 to 1938, I did "private duty" nursing. This entailed a single patient, in private homes, usually on farms, often several miles in the country. In later years I "specialized" which meant many of my patients were in hospitals over a considerable territory.

During my first years, I received $25.00 per week for 24 hour days, 7 days per week, plus fare if my case required a railway trip. While waiting for someone to call me, I packed suitcases with things I would need. Standard equipment included three long-sleeve starched white poplin uniforms, a robe, bedroom slippers, and other necessary clothing in one suitcase.

Other things I always took were: a bedpan, an enema can, an emesis basin, a hot water bottle, a hypodermic syringe, a thermometer, and a supply of drugs. The drugs included morphine, heroin, codeine, "HMC" tablets, strychnine, and digitaline. With these drugs, we often called the doctor and he could order them over the telephone and save himself a drive of several miles."

Kate recalled one of her first practical nursing experiences, "My first call came in January 1911 from Marble Rock, Iowa. I took the train and arrived at noon. No one met me so I walked two blocks to Dr. C.J. O'Keefe's office. His office man said that Dr. O'Keefe must have gone to the hotel for dinner. I walked to the hotel and met the doctor. He told me to sit down and eat a good meal as it would be the last decent food I would get until I returned to town. How well he knew!

Dr. O'Keefe took me to a farm home three miles in the country. The first thing I noticed was a white oilcloth under a soft coal heating stove in the living room and evidence that the floor had not been swept in weeks or months. My critically ill patient, Mrs. Louis Schroder, was in a small bedroom off the living room. She was suffering from a punctured uterus and general peritonitis. Her condition was such that she required being rolled in hot wet blankets frequently both day and night as well as other treatments requiring hot water.

The kitchen range was hot 24 hours a day to keep the supply of hot water I needed. I cannot remember any meal I ate as  I was too busy to pay much attention. But I remember early the day before I left that my patient's sister brought a young goose to the house. The goose was picked and looked very good, I supposed it had been dressed or would be at once. Of course, they stored it in an open pantry off the kitchen where I kept the range red hot all day and night.

I came to the kitchen the next day at noon and found the girl's mother dressing the goose. You may use your imagination as to the aroma! My patient died an hour or two later and I left almost immediately. I was paid $16.25 for my services.

A few weeks later Dr. C. J. O'Keefe came and took me to a farm home six miles from Marble Rock to prepare for surgery the following day. I cleaned the kitchen and dining room. On the stove, I put a wash boiler of water and boiled it briskly until I was sure it was sterile and left it to cool. I found pans and cooking utensils and boiled them until they were sterile to be used for the water and other solutions during surgery. After wrapping sheets and towels in packages and then they were put in the oven, hot enough to sterilize them but not burn them.

The doctor and his brother Dr. J. E. O'Keefe arrived on the ten o'clock train to operate. I had water boiling ready to put the surgical instruments on the stove to be sterilized and the patient prepared for surgery. The doctors brought surgical instruments, sterile dressing, the necessary sterile sponges, and a registered nurse to care for the patient following surgery.

One half-hour later Mrs. Boom was placed on the dining room table and the operation was performed. The local doctor gave the anesthetic. The double herniotomy was a success. The patient came through the operation in very good condition and the two doctors caught a two o'clock train to return to Waterloo, with $7.50 in hand for my assistance. 

Further memorable tales were related in Kate's writings. She recalled a particularly amusing experience while caring for a farm wife. Daisy, the "hired girl", was well known for her cooking. Cleanliness however was not a priority on this dairy farm. The dairy barn was never swept and the milk strainers were simply turned upside down, the cow hair and straw were shaken out onto the floor, which was already littered with dead flies. This is where Daisy churned butter for their meals. When the butter formed, she took the lid off the churn, came to the house for cold water to add to the butter so the bits of butter would collect.

While Daisy was in the house the churn overturned and all the butter and milk spilled onto the floor. Daisy did not hesitate, she scooped it all up into a dishpan, took it to the house, melted it on the stove, and strained the hair, straw, and dead flies out of it. Fortunately, the threshing machine broke down and the threshers didn't come for several days.