Page:A short history of nursing - Lavinia L Dock (1920).djvu/373

The Past and Future 357 felt it necessary to guard her virtue by wrapping her round in a special mantle of sanctity and bind- ing her with irrevocable vows. It is one of the proudest achievements of modern nurses that this is no longer necessary —that their own high sense of responsibility and their own inherent whole- someness and dignity of character have brought about a new attitude and tradition which is not yet, however, accepted in all countries of the world, and which is not too firmly established even in America. The old religious name of "Sister" gives very happy expression to the spirit which should exist between men and women in hospital work. It is not always easy, however, to maintain this more natural and ideal relationship with patients and doctors, and for the nurses' own protection, there have been built up certain rather formal observ- ances which tend to discourage undue familiarity and guard against any slackening in dignity or morale. Knowing the dreadful demoralization of hospital conditions in the period just preceding this and the situation in many continental hospitals today, no nurse should hesitate at any slight sacri- fice of personal freedom which may be necessary to protect her own good name and that of the whole nursing sisterhood.