Born in 1799, Sr. Mathilde Coskery wrote Advices on Care of the Sick in the mid-1800s. It is a no-nonsense, practical guide for nurses, with heavy emphasis on cleanliness. Included is information on caring for alcoholics and the insane. If the illness has been long, it helps them to move to another room once or twice. . .
Every reasonable gratification is an important means of recovery . . . .
Mathilde nursed soldiers at Antietam, Gettysburg, and at other Civil War battle sites.