The nurse had thoroughly familiarized herself with all the books and treatises relating to diabetes, especially the works of the specialist from whom she had received such valuable training. She therefore had a complete understanding of what was required of herself and her patient, both while taking the treatment and afterwards. She was bright, companionable, a good reader, and frequently entertained him by reading aloud. She prescribed every article in his diet, explaining to him the virtues and harmfulness of various articles of food, the values of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats and the care with which sugar and starches must be used, if permitted at all. She made daily tests of his urine, voided at 7 o’clock every morning, after which she weighed him carefully and recorded the gain or loss from day to day.
She instructed her patient that it was better for him to eat too little than too much, and thus avoid the danger of becoming upset. She planned the daily diet in advance, so that he should receive the proper amount of each necessary element, and cautioned the patient to eat slowly. She recorded the character and quantity of food taken daily by the patient. She saw to it that all vegetables were properly cleaned and prepared before cooking, and served the given portions raw. For breakfast she gave him coffee, cream, bacon and one egg; for luncheon, clear soup, meat or fish, and vegetables; for dinner, tea, or cracked cocoa, and a small portion of a cooked vegetable, salad, meat or fish.
She insisted that his bowels move freely, but gave no cathartic for that purpose, as she knew of much better ways to produce this result. She saw that he took moderate exercise, played games and indulged in other forms of entertainment, but all reference to his disease was positively forbidden, so that his mind did not dwell upon his condition, while his surroundings were made as cheerful as possible.
When giving an occasional massage, she used cocoa butter or other preparation containing fat, but no alcohol, owing to its drying effect, and was instructed to report promptly to the doctor any symptoms signifying coma, but fortunately nothing of this kind occurred.
She remained a member of the patient’s household for six months, during the latter part of which he was able to go to his office and attend to business, but she limited his working hours to four each day, with positive instructions to come home at once upon the least signs of fatigue.
From that time on, she was never without a patient, and though her work was not hard, it required all her resources, so that she was warranted in charging well for her services.
PLAN No. 569. MOTION-PICTURE ADVERTISING
An advertising man in a western city successfully carried out a plan of advertising in the motion picture theaters of his own and thirty of the surrounding towns, and found it a profitable business.
He arranged with the managers of all these houses for a certain amount of advertising matter to be thrown upon their screens once each week for a year, at a figure which was very low. They were also to show motion pictures of the various departments of the manufacturers who were his regular advertisers, with attractive mottoes designed to encourage the patronizing of home industries. These were highly educational to each community.
He then made advertising contracts with a large number of merchants, manufacturers and others in the various towns for space on the screens, at rates that netted him a profit of 300 or 400 per cent, and in addition agreed to supply his advertisers free, with all items of a local character which might aid them in securing more business. He subscribed for one paper published in each of these towns, and his free information bureau he conducted with the aid of a girl to cut out and mail these items to such advertisers as might be interested in or benefited by them.