OBSTETRICS FOR NURSES BY CHARLES B. REED, M.D., Obstetrician to Wesley Memorial Hospital, Chicago. _ONE HUNDRED THIRTY ILLUSTRATIONS_ ST. LOUIS C. V. MOSBY COMPANY 1917 COPYRIGHT, 1917, BY C. V. MOSBY COMPANY _Press of C. V. Mosby Company St. Louis_ TO HIS LOYAL FRIEND EUGENE S. GILMORE THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PREFACE It might seem that an apology was necessary for presenting a new textbook on obstetrics for nurses when so many are to be had for the asking. But when a teacher is rarely or never satisfied with his own work it is too much to expect that he will ever fully endorse the product of another. It may be therefore largely a personal matter that none of the existent books seem to exhibit the fullness of information, the conciseness of expression, and the emphasis due to certain subjects that the present writer would hope to find. The necessities apparently demand such an arrangement of our obstetrical doctrine that the book may serve for class instruction and at the same time be complete enough for post-graduate reference. To secure this much discrimination is necessary. The confusion attendant upon overabundance must be avoided as well as the discouragement that is not infrequently produced by a large book or a periphrastic style. Hitherto there has been a tendency to teach the nurse too little rather than too much but conditions have changed. Vocational instruction is not only more methodical and far reaching but it is developmental. The present day nurse expects not merely to assist the physician and earn a stipulated reward, but she is constantly alert to attain her own maturity as a professional woman. To be a capable and intelligent assistant it is not sufficient to have a clear comprehension of her particular duties, but she must have a defined and critical conception of what the doctor is aiming to accomplish. This is especially true in obstetrics where the nurse has the additional responsibility of giving support and counsel to her patient in the various emergencies that arise. Moreover, to attain her intellectual maturity the nurse must strive unremittingly to understand the complicated processes that take place under her observation.