Anna Louise Tittman Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

Anna Tlttlllan 31
Q. It looks like a beautiful dress. Did you have any help picking out the
fabric or making it?
A. Oh, it was just ducking; ducking I think we called it.
Q. Did you sew it by hand? '
A. NOW, we had a machine at the hospital. It was in--weu, it was a little
reading room before you went into the kitchen. It wasnl t pur dining room,
it was just more of a little wating room or something 1' that, where the
machine was. I worked on hours off, usually at ni@t%n it. 1 had
sewed at horn before because everybody made their own cl
And so-Say, have you ever tried to put a lining in a ski
to wear with the brush tape at the bottom and clear down
wore off, you know. When I was a jmior in high school I
long, [ankle length]. Well, so now what?
9. When you were in nurses training, ad you all eat meals 4Eq@ther,
you student nurses?
I
A. No, we had to go in goups. Now usually our eating-t- cam in with
our tim that we quit our horn. We went on duty at 6: 30 a.m. and at 12:OO
noon, we rriL@;ht have an hour off duty, if conditions on the floor permitted
our absence. After we had our d5nner we'd go off duty. T)latls what it was,
6:30 a.m.. to 6:30 p.m. . But you'd have Just enom tim/for your meal, .
then you'd go back on duty and the others could come off. You always had to
have som workers on. And at nighttine, there'd only be owe nurse on a
division. For instance, one side had patients on each si* of the hd1, a
big hall and a wad usually at the end. You were alone there because your
patients would sleep and so on. They'd manage all ri$-it. But I guess some
patients had to wait for the bedpan, I don't know. And the thing that was
always wrong and I suppose is still wmg is waking up
to get
them ready for breakfast. But it was f'un. One old
keeper, she had a grocery store. I can't tell you
this or not. I went in to her in the morning, she
new customers last night?" (laughter)
END OF SIDE ONE
A. There were four halls that ran from Fifih Street to alley-two on
. each Elcod. There was a mnfs ward that cam off here. we were three
floors. On this side were all nurses; there were
and nwrsesl
moms up on third floor on the north side. On the
rics and that's it, nothin@; else. The obstetrics
reasons. We had waylds at the of these two wings, and then there was the
hall and a stairway going up. led you to the office, the kitchen, and
the dining room. Then you here and you had this @tkr hall. These
moms o m here were big,
the wards.
4. Were they private rooms? I
A. Yes, they were private mow. There was a big ward [of six or e y t beds]