| Description | Letter from Amelia Nyasa Laws, St. Quentin, to her relatives, announcing that she has already posted one general letter but as she has no duties this afternoon she will now tell them some of the administrative details, still annoyed about the proposals concerning night-nursing, they thought that Mme. Leppert was infirmiere-major in Dr. Feuillette's service, but she is not, and Mlle. Bosc said that they were there for night duty which does not involve qualified staff and is paid at 20 francs a night, Mlle. Chiry spoke out against this, and the next day they went to see Dr. Feuillette, but he has no official post in the hospital and comes in to help out, 'en amateur', his mother-in-law and wife received them in the midst of weighing babies and advising young mothers, the mother-in-law, Mme. Beroberger, is very tough and slept in the ruined hospital during the war, as a result she has a cough which she regards as an honour, she very much wants to raise the status of the Hotel Dieu, with the help of the A.D.F. and without nuns, Amelia's summary of the situation, St. Quentin is to receive the Croix de Guerre next month, Dr. Feuillette is an idealist who thinks of the merit of night duty and not of ruining the health of his nurses, Amelia and Mlle. Chiry think they should leave now rather than later, there was no sterilising in the dressing room and the nurses were surprised that all the wounds became infected, 'it is criminal to carry microbes from one wound into another through sheer neglect', appalling standards of hygiene, at least if they each had their own ward some control would be possible, civilian control of hospitals is very poor and the experience has been interesting, the patients would rather have the nuns back than the A.D.F. volunteers, she has written to Mlle Guyon to ask if there is likely to be any vacancy where she is going to work. |