Anna Louise Tittman Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

Anna Tittm
i
A. Well, smallpox; that would have to go. Typhoid fever wouldn l t ,g,
that would be t&en care of at home. Measles and scarlet fever would be
taken care of at horn and so on. I think it was
I don't thhk that many children ever went there.
the adults. I suppose maybe som ofthe sex
to that stage.
Q. Would you try to help the people with nutrition at thg
t
sarne tiw?
A. Well, yes, to a cerkain extent you did. Now there we n't any what
you'd call mother% clubs, but the mothers would conr? in omths if they
were called to a special meting-to a little meting In heir district, in
their school. I would talk to them and tell them what so of the problem
were that they ou@;ht to know about and could mention the utrition then. In
fact, I don't think I did too mch about it myself.
Q. Sanitation, boiling water if they had a well? i
A. CPI, yes. No, not the well. It was only when the watw becam (chuckles)
discolored or something like that-then the city--now you ee, the city is
so careful of notif'ying you when our water source is infeclted. "You'd
better boil your water for a certain length of time. It
Q. In those days, probably quite a few of the families h* outdoor facilitfes-toilet
facilities, didn't they?
A. Oh, yes. It was all that.
Q. And often I guess they were quite near their water supply?
A. But you'd be surprised how the people would neglect sqne of their
children's health. There Is a actor, for instance, who wwld have a little
boy in school. Wetll say he's nine years old.
Q. Ms own child you man?
A. Yes, his own child. Defective eyesi@t, never did a thing about it.
You could see then that that doctor didn't like to be showp up by a nurse.
Just that one doctor who was afkaid that I was going to t&e his practice
away from him. (chuckles) Do you have anymre questions myl regard to
school nurshg?
Q. Well, it fascinates m that you were the first one her
early. What happened to the program after you left? Was
A. Well, they appointed another nurse.
, and it was so
t continued?
Q. They probably had to appoint three to replace you.
A. Well, no, they didn't at once. It was quite a long ti
appoint one and before they put one in the hi@ school.
3 before they did