[from ‘Superintendent's Day’]

The woman-nurse in each little ward-room receives her tray or trays, having her china plates and cups, her knives and forks and tumblers, set out in order beforehand; divides the food according to a duplicate of the ward return hanging over her table, and the men-nurses carry it about. She follows immediately down the ward, helps and feeds those who are unable to help themselves, and sees that all have enough. If anything goes wrong, she is directed to send word at once to the Superintendent. She has means of heating over any simple thing if the patient does not incline to it at the fixed hour. A sick man will often take his food nicely if he may have his own time about it, and does not feel himself under observation. In critical cases a fresh ration is prepared instead of the rechauffe. The small special blanks (F) are meant for these and all other cases of emergency; or the woman-nurse can have anything urgently needed at the moment, by sending her own written request for it. Extra rations of one or two articles – such as beef-tea, oysters, eggs – are always on hand in the kitchen. The Government ration is so generous that when honestly used there is almost always margin enough for extra calls without extra requisitions for raw material.