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at Albuquerque has three pueblos in her district, one thirteen miles in one direction from Albuquerque, and one fifteen miles in another direction.

The qualifications of these nurses are on a whole much higher than those of any other group of employees in the Indian medical service. All have had special public health training in addition to their regular nursing courses, in conformity with civil service requirements.

The public health nurses are making a very definite contribution to the health of the Indians. Due to their training and experience they are able to handle the perplexing problems that have been neglected for so long by the field matrons generally who have no training and have little conception of the health problems in the Indian homes on the reservations and in the camps.

The public health nurses’ work has been greatly handicapped by the following factors: The extensive territory to be covered; the poor transportation facilities available; inability to speak or understand the Indian language; lack of equipment with which to work; and the difficulties encountered in working with the present agency personnel, especially physicians. As a matter of fact, the first attempts of the nurses have been in some instances quite like those of many agency physicians, namely, to dispense some form of medicine. It has been different, however, in that drug dispensing is used only to gain the confidence of the Indians and very rapidly thereafter more constructive work was started in the homes. This establishment of confidence was admirably illustrated at one pueblo upon visiting homes with the public health nurse. The cordiality extended to her by Indian men and women in their homes after only a few months’ acquaintance, and the type of service she rendered demonstrated that a capable trained person could accomplish marvelous results in a comparatively short time in creating health habits for the prevention of illness and in raising living standards, provided her territory was not too extensive,

In view of the instances observed, it is believed that if a similar service could have been substituted years ago in place of the field matron service, the health situation among Indians would be far different today.

One of the most serious difficulties encountered by these nurses in the field is their relationship with the existing agency physician.