Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-09-09
Nursing the Sick.
BY FAITH ROCHESTER,.

No woman has all the womanly accom-.
plishments who is unqualified tomalye her
presence in the sick room blessing to the
sufferer All rules for behavior toward
sick or well may. be summed up by the
Golden 'Rule-1do as you would be doneby
but in the absence Of experience it is
well to have some definite directions. +,
You can hardly be too careful about
neatness and order. The sick-room should
be kept perfectly tidy. Especially should
all soiled garments and utensils be re-
moved and cleansed before a second use
The towels and napkins should be clean,
and the food offered should be arranged
to please the eye. If any thing Is askew
about the curtains or table cover or rugs,
straighten it at once, or the invalid will
have to do it mentally over and over
again To prevent the patient from hunt
ing out every case of bad matching in the
figure of the wall paper, or wearing the
mind with observation Of every defect in
the furniture, bring in fresh bouquets sof
flowers or other objects upon which the
eye loves to linger. Think of this in ar
ranging your dress. Avoid glaring colors
and noisy fabrics, and put on your gar
ments with care. The patients bed
should be kept as clean and orderly as
smooth the pillows quietly, whenever
they get disordered, and in making the
bed az the regular periods, doit with care
and thoroughnessl Ii it is impossible to
! change the bed linen daily, try TO have
two sets and alternate their use, 80 as TO
have each set aired well when taken of
at night and morning.
Let all the work of the sick-room be
done unostentatiously, so that, to the pa
tlent, everything will seem to be moving
along smoothly and easily Do not ques-
| ton invalids when you can avoid it. Get
your directions from the physician in at
tendance, and carry them out without
criticism. If you give medicine, be
punctual, and say nothing about it until
you have it neatly prepared, and after.
wards put cups. spoons and phials out ol
sight. Keep medicine beyond the reach
of children.
In giving baths, be gentle but use &c
tirm hand that your patient will under
stand that you are self possessed, and
need feel no concern. In giving the pa
tient general sponge bath, wash only q
part at time-an arm for instance--and
wipe 1t before proceeding further, keeping
the rest of the body covered Do not use
| water that is uncomfortably cool to the
invalid. If the feet are cool, warm foot
bath is very comforting, and may be
given to the patient in bed, by using a
smals shallow tub, the sick person lying
on the back with the knees bent-keep
ing the whole covered with a blanket
and after leaving the feet in the warm
water about fifteen minutes, rub with q
towel wet In cool water Ito contract the
relaxed pores TO their natural state, and
SO prevent catching cold), and then wipe
well with dry towel. A Jug filed with
hot water and rolled up in flannel is the
best foot-wsrmer to put in bed
II you know what healthful dishes viii
please your patient, prepare them prompt
ly without previous consultation. OBJ
serve the greatest delicacy in all this. A
nurse who would taste the inyalid's food
or cool it with her breath, ought not L
be tolerated. Never season an invalid
food highly, and remember that melted
butter Is one Of the most indigestlbl
things you can offer. Cream is bette
than butter on toast or roasted potatoes
Ihere Is some danger of using toast to,
freely. 1t is more constipating than plail
bread, and person confined to the bed O
to the room is more likely to suffer from
this than one who has outdoor exercise
Plain, subacid fruit, and bread or gem
made OF good Graham flour (minus a par
OF the bran) are the best articles of diet
but variety can be made by using some
times the various delicate preparations Q
starch, tapioca, ssgo, rice, etc. !
is hard tor sick person to wal
long for food when hungry. Don
keep your patient aoaiting for any
thing If you can help it. Minutes seer
like hours to an invalid at such time.
Do not rattle your newspaper, nor cIesl
your chair, nor wear noisy shoes Speal
in1gentle tones, and do not talk too muct
Do not allow your patient to talk long a
a time, and let the conversation take
lively turn. Better not discuss diseasl
Do your best to keep long-faced visitor
away. Have no whispering in the lroor
or just outside the door. Unless in ez
treme cases, have the room dark an
quiet, and cool at night. Look out fc
good ventilation, and air the msttrass an
bedding frequently. Let in sll the SUI
shine you can without hurting the IL
valid's eyes. Be as much of sunbeam 8
possible yourself, without being frivolou
and with patience and fsithfulness 20
may be able to do a great amount of goo(
| -Amerirln AOricuLLIriM