professionally and also personally agreeable to her patient. Some
regard advanced years as essential to the first of these
qualifications, but this does not necessarily hold good.

The personal qualities generally welcome in a nurse are neatness,
thoughtfulness, a sympathetic nature, an even disposition, and a
cheerful view of life. Since a short interview is insufficient for
taking the measure of a nurse, patients usually rely upon the opinion
of someone else in selecting her. The judgment of her former patients
is frequently prejudiced in one direction or the other, and such an
estimate must always be accepted with caution. Much the most
trustworthy method is to allow the physician to select her. He will
know nurses who possess the requisite qualities, and certainly he is
most competent to judge their professional attainments. If the choice
of a nurse be left to the doctor, the two are sure to work
harmoniously, and the patient will benefit by their cooperation.
Otherwise she may suffer because of their dissensions, for, if the
doctor is accustomed to one procedure and the nurse to another,
misunderstandings may occur, although both methods yield equally good
results. Whenever he does not select her, she should be asked to
confer with him long before the case is due. Obviously, a physician
cannot be held responsible for a nurse's ability unless he is
acquainted with her training and methods of work.

In an effort to economize, many are inclined to employ "half-trained"
or "practical nurses." When the confinement is not the first and
there is no reason to anticipate any irregularity during labor or
thereafter, I can see no vital objection to such an arrangement. It
is of the first importance, however, to be assured that the
"practical nurse" is neat and appreciates the necessity of keeping