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Working Nurse l WorkingNurse.com 21 January 13–February 17, 2020 milk supply provided by the station's wet nurses. Although Lundeen strove to be as rigorous and methodical as possible, her work often relied as much on instinct as science. Formal clinical evidence was still limited, and some things Lundeen recognized from experience, like the fact that exposing babies to sunlight helped to reduce jaundice, weren't scientifically validated until years later. Some of Lundeen's other tricks, like putting drops of whiskey in the patients' milk to help them sleep or bathing infants in mustard to improve circulation, would get her written up today. However, no one — nurse, parent or doctor — questioned her judgment or her dedication to her tiny charges. Alwin C. Rambar, M.D., a former student of Hess, recalled Lundeen as "an autocrat who knew more about the care of the premature than the doctors did, and woe unto them who dared to write orders." Preemie Programs By the early '30s, public health officials had taken notice of the Premature Infant Station's effectiveness. In 1935, the county Board of Health passed new rules for preterm births, including mandatory reporting requirements and a new staff of county- funded home health nurses to provide maternal educational and follow-up care. Although those nurses were Cook County employ- ees, they were trained by Evelyn Lundeen and her staff. Similar premature infant stations soon appeared in other major cities, funded in part by the 1935 Social Security Act. By World War 2, health departments in more than two dozen states had established premature infant care programs. Most followed the "Chicago model" Lundeen and Hess had pioneered. Lundeen died in 1963, eight years after the death of Julius Hess. Caring for premature infants had become Lundeen's entire life. She lived in the hospital nurses' dormitory and never married. Toward the end of her life, her own health problems limited her ability to work, but she remained a fixture of the premature nursery. A Lifesaving Legacy When that nursery was founded, the average survival rate for pre- emies was only about one in five, but Lundeen and her nurses saved more than 70 percent of their patients. The widespread adoption of the techniques and strategies Hess and Lundeen developed saved countless more lives across the U.S. and around the world, reducing infant mortality rates and expanding the range of medical knowledge about premature infants. William Oh, M.D., who worked with Lundeen as a resident, later remembered her as "a marvelous person" and said she was "the inspiration and the stimulus that made me go into research." Alvin Rambar called her "the epitome of the devoted nurse." ____________________________________________________________________ Aaron Severson is the associate editor of Working Nurse. You can find his recent historical features William Rathbone VI (1819-1902), Father of English District Nursing and A Brief History of Measles and Its Vaccines, at WorkingNurse.com. WN Tiny premature infants in incubators were once a Coney Island sideshow exhibit. Photo: PBS WCU cannot guarantee employment. For graduation rates, median debt of graduates completing these programs and other important information, visit westcoastuniversity.edu/disclosures To learn more about West Coast University and apply for this exciting opportunity please visit our Employment Page at WestCoastUniversity.edu West Coast University is a private university with the singular focus of educating health care professionals through student-centric learning and transformational education. We are seeking adjunct faculty to teach clinical classes at our Southern California campuses in the following areas—Medical Surgical, Pediatrics, OB-GYN, Mental Health, Fundamentals, Simulation Lab, and NCLEX Review. Come be part of our growing team f Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (Masters of Science in Nursing degree preferred) f Active California RN license in good standing f Current BLS certificate and at least 3 years of clinical RN experience providing direct patient care f Teaching experience is strongly preferred, but RN's with completed BSN and or MSN will be considered Successful candidates will have these qualifications: West Coast University is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and we seek candidates who desire to work in and serve an ethnically-diverse population.