Newspapers / InterCom (Durham, N.C.) / Oct. 1, 1961, edition 1 / Page 6
Part of InterCom (Durham, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Page 6 Duke Hospital, InterCom Pediatrics on the Move (C’oiitinned from pa^e 1) The second such center in the country at the time, this one program lias rendered an invaluable public service in teachinf? both public and i)hysician about the j)revention and treatnu^nt of the traffic poisoninji;s of children. This 24-hour a day service allows a phy sician anywhere to call Duke, find out immediately the poisonous in;redi- ents of one of the hundreds of un labeled j)roducts used in homes that are harmful and be driven instructions for proj)er treatment. One of the latest additions to the many new programs of this depart ment is the in-teaching plan estab lished in 1959 through the interest of Dr. Dees. A specially trained teacher is now available to keej) school-age ])a- tients up to date with their stuclies during prolonged hospitalizations. This program has proved a blessing to everyone concerned; teachers at home, ])arents, ward per.soniu‘1, as well as the patients themselves who suffer ex treme boredom (and worry about their school work) after a ■while. Throughout the history of the de- j)artment of pediatrics three goals have guided its growth: teaching, .serv ice to children and research, hi the early years, of course, most attention was given to the service to children, but just as soon as ])ersonnel and si)ace was available attention was given to all three of these goals. As the staff and number of patients in creased the need for sj)ace became more aiul more ])res,sing, as anyone who has been around Duke for any number of years recalls only too well! The de})artment’s first big break through in the problem of sj)ace came in 1957 with the o])eniiig of the new out-patient clinic in the basement of the “new addition” to the hos|)ital. These bright new s])aces were sorely needed because of what Dr. Davison called the “])ediatric shift.” This refers to the trend toward the treat ment of children on an out-])atient basis rather than on an in-patient basis. J\Iore j)reventive medicine and better nu'thods of treatment make hosj)italizations unnecessary excc[)t for more serious or long-term illnesses. Thus the iu*w OPC gave the j)ediati-ic dei)artment theii- first of several dra matic. updatings. In 1958 the (lei)artment received vitally lUM'ded research sj)ace in the new addition to the Hell Building. While most of us find this addition le.ss exciting than the additions to clinical s))ace, the fact is that research sj)ace is vital to a healthy, gi’owing department in these times. Most dramatic of all is the 0{)eiung this summer of the renovated and ex- j)anded Howland Ward, which has al most doubled the capacity for in patients. Delightful in every respect, this “race-track” type ward has the most modern devices available for the best and most comfortable care of the ])atient seen most fre(|uently at Duke: the difficult diagnostic j)roblem, the child with chronic disease and the child recjuiring si)ecialized procedures. The completely air-conditioned ward for 55 children features an outer ring of rooms for patients that open into a corridor built around a central area containing nurses’ stations, treatment rooms and other sj)ecial facilities. One of the special features is the “controlled euviroinnent rooin” where heat and humidity can be reg ulated and the air specially filtered. Believed to be the first of its kind in North Carolina, the room will be used ])rimarily in the care of children with asthma and various res]ura1ory dis eases. Of particular interest to ])arents w'ith children on the new ward is the house physician’s room which enables a house officer to be im mediately available around the clock in case of emergency. Another spirit- brightener is the large play patio just off the ward where anibulatoi'y chil dren can enjoy the sunshine. The Duke Hospital Auxiliary is furnishing the ])lay toys and an awning that will shade j)art of the patio and will give rainy weather play space. They will also help the nursing staff' sui)ervise the us(? of the area. Hince Duke IIosj)ital, according to Dr. llari'is, has always believed that it is i)sych()logically souiul whei'ever j)ossible for the mothers of patients to be nearby, the inclusion of six mother-child units is of particular in terest. This section features rooms with chair beds for the mother so that she can be comfortable and be right with her child. The cheerful, homey atni()si)here of the new Howland would delight another recently retired mem ber of the i)ediatric department—one who has played so strong a role in the slui])ing of this department from the very beginning. Miss Mildred M. Sherwood, R.N., supervisor of nurses for the children from 1929 until Au gust, 19()0, has been called by Dr. Davison and by Dr. James Cleland (when he presented a portrait of Miss Sherwood to the Hospital in 1949) “the ideal nurse, the outstanding chil drens’ inir.se in the world, wiio is in terested primarily in the care and wel fare of her patients.” Although this very shy lady has retired, her mark has been left with the many student nurses and medical students in whom she tried to stress the importance of kindness and charity in the treatment of her children. And so the opening of Howland and the coming Sym{)osium on “The Com monwealth of ("hildren” in Dr. Davi son’s honor bring us to the present in the story of the history of our pediatrics department. What of the future? Dr. Harris has something very specific to say about this. He and the rest of the staff" would like to see the establishment, as a further honor to Dr. Davison, of a “Univer sity Child Health Center.” A University Child Health Center would, Dr. Harris feels, bring to fruition the goal of today’s jiediatri- cians—not just to keep our children healthy, but to helj) each child develop into a responsible citizen capable of working at his oj)timum capacity. This is a very large order to fill. Such a Center would improve the training of medical students, pediati'icians and teachers; materialize a different con- eej)t of patient and community serv ice, and facilitate and stimulate re search into all phases of child life. Whether this wonderful tribute to a fine i)ediatrician materializes with in the next few years or not, we can all be proud of our dei)artment of pedi atrics for the large contribution they have made over the past thirty years and are now making toward the emergence of Duke Medical Center as the honored institution it is to- day.
InterCom (Durham, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Oct. 1, 1961, edition 1
6
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75