Helmstadter C S
Ontario Nurses Association, Toronto, Canada.
Int Hist Nurs J. 1996 Autumn;2(1):58-69.
'One of the greatest difficulties which occurs in completing the arrangements of a hospital is the procuring of proper persons to act as nurses; since as much perhaps depends on the humane endeavours of a kind and attentive female as upon the ability of the medical attendant', Benjamin Golding wrote in 1819. He had just qualified as a doctor at St Thomas' and was impressed by the way a skilful nurse could often secure a patient's recovery when the doctor had given up all hope. This article addresses the problem which Golding identified, the recruitment and retention of nurses in the London teaching hospitals during the 19th century. The recruitment and retention of sisters and matrons was much less difficult, and I therefore confine my discussion to the problems involved in finding what Golding called 'proper persons to act as nurses'.
本杰明·戈尔丁在1819年写道：“在完成医院的各项安排时遇到的最大困难之一，就是找到合适的人来担任护士；因为病人的康复，在很大程度上可能取决于一位善良且细心的女性的人道努力，就如同取决于医生的能力一样。” 他刚在圣托马斯医院获得医生资格，一位技艺娴熟的护士常常能在医生已放弃所有希望时使病人康复，这给他留下了深刻印象。本文探讨了戈尔丁所指出的问题，即19世纪伦敦教学医院护士的招募与留用。护士长和女护士长的招募与留用困难要小得多，因此我将讨论局限于寻找戈尔丁所说的 “合适的人来担任护士” 所涉及的问题。
