Nursing Hx:Share Oldtime Ineffective tx's?

bagladyrn, RN · Sep 17, 2002

Hey Mark - how about delee suctioning the baby with the suction provided by mouth (one tube in your mouth, the other down the baby)

nursekac · Sep 17, 2002

I do remember most of these from nursing school. Glad I went on to practice in the state pscyh hospital. We just outlawed glass thermometers last year! & I helped w/ ECT with one of those big ole shock boxes.

RNCM · Sep 17, 2002

Even before I became a nurse, my mother used to put mercurachrome on scraped knees and such - YOWWWWWIEEEEEE!!

So glad we don't do that anymore!

Zuniceratops · Sep 17, 2002

So many memories, these posts have brought back many.

I too remember washing and sharpening needles as well as washing gloves hanging them on a rack to air dry then packaging and autoclaving. Everything stainless steel, ah the good ole days. Wash, rinse, dry, package, autoclave and distribute.

Another thing I remember, with horror, are the tap water enemas to reduce fevers. :eek:

And, yes, ichthammol is a great "drawing salve".

kkersch · Sep 17, 2002

These comments are really a blast from the past. Remember green soap?

Morco ointment for burns--anyone know if you can still get that stuff?

Potassium permangenate baths for patents with severe skin breakdown--if you got one drop on your nice white uniform or your hands, it was with you forever! We even had a special maroon-colored tub for the patient to soak in.

K-pads for cold packs.

Potato ricers to wring out hot packs.

deespoohbear · Sep 17, 2002

My Grandma used to use the Meruachrome on our scrapes too. My head would have to be severed before I would tell Grandma I had an "ouchie."

sjsap · Sep 17, 2002

What a trip down the lane for me! I recall having to wash out metal bedpans in a "sterilizer" in the utility room when I was an nursing assistant. We would collect them room by room and bring them to the utility room at least once a week (not my favorite assignment!- hot and stinky)

I once heard of a patient on my unit chewing up a glass thermometer-(another n.a. had put it in his mouth and left the room for a minute) what a time we had getting all the pieces back! We had wards of 6-8 patients in one room (adult med surg) and you would shake down all the thermometers and pop them in everyone in the room and go around the room with the bp cuff on wheels to get the vs, then go back around to remove the thermometers. Of course, the patients would all be asking for stuff, need to go to the bathroom, drink of h2o, etc, so vs would take a while.

We had a doc who would order IV etoh for his patients who drank daily at home to prevent DTs while in the hospital.

Thank goodness for KDUR- any one remember SSKI?

Mercurochrome was my grandfather's favorite remedy for all my cuts and scrapes- taught me to walk tall(on my toes! yeeowch!!!!!!!)

and the joys of iced etoh baths for fevers- gets those rigors going strong!

and specific gravities on urines, S&A urines q.shift- how did we get it all done?

:)

LasVegasRN · Sep 17, 2002

Originally posted by bagladyrn
Hey Mark - how about delee suctioning the baby with the suction provided by mouth (one tube in your mouth, the other down the baby)

I remember that!

I remember the orthodontist seeing about 5 of us kids (all in a row) using his BARE HANDS in our mouths and just using Ivory soap in between adjusting our braces. I remember the day my dentist STARTED USING gloves, it was weird!

Sleepyeyes · Sep 17, 2002

I seem to remember peroxide used to disinfect stuff, too....

JonRN · Sep 17, 2002

Anyone remember New Skin? It burned twice as bad as merthiolate. I once scraped my big toe while swimming and my Dad put some of that crap on it, I danced and screamed for an hour!!!

Pappy

mamabear · Sep 17, 2002

ECT's ("shock treatments") for alcoholism.

EEG's using tiny little pins that were inserted into various spots on your head:eek:

Giving barbiturates to women in labor (I had two kids while given Seconal; 1968 and 1971).

Delivery "tables" with leather wrist restraints:eek:

HHH enemas and pubic hair shaving early in labor.

Routine episiotomies.

General anesthesia for a normal lady partsl delivery. :confused:

deespoohbear · Sep 17, 2002

Vegas-I remember the orthodontist doing that! It was about 1980 or so. When he started wearing gloves it was so weird! The taste of the latex, yuck!! :eek: