The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-08-20
MISCELLANEOUS.
RED. and Bedding for the Sick.

If a bed is higher than a sofa, the
patient often prefers not to get out at
all rather than undergo the fatigue OF
getting out. If the bed were a low one'
he might often feel like taking a few
minutes exercise every day IN "nothef
room, or even inthe open air. 1t is 50 very
odd that people never think Of this or OF
how many more times a patient who
il in bed for t~wenty-four hours is obliged
to get in and out of bed than they are
who only get into bed and out Of bed
perhaps during the twenty-iour hours
A patients bed should always be IN
the lightest spot in the room, and he
should be able to see out of a window.
1t is scarcely necessary to say that
the old four-post bed, with curtains is
utterly inadmissible,, whether tor the
sick or the well. Hospital bedsteads are
in many respects very much better than
private ones,
There is reason to believe that not
afew cases apparently resembling scrof'
ula, among children proceed from the
habit of sleeping with the head under
the bed clothes and so inhaling air al
ready breathed, which is further con-
taminated' by %exhalations from the skin
Patients are sometimes given to a SIM
liar habit, and it often happens that the
patient must necessarily breathe air
more or less poisoned by calculations
from his skim. A good nurse will be
careful 20 to, attend to- this. 1t is an
important part. so to speak, Of ventila-
ton.
1t may be worth. while to remark
that where there is any danger Of bed.
sores a blanket should never be placed
under the patient. 1t retains damp, and
acts like poultice:.
Never use anything but light blan.
kets as covering for the sick. The
heavy cotton and ~impervious counter
pane is bad, for the very reason that
it keeps en- the emanations from the
sick person, while the Blanket allows
them to pass through. Weak patients
are invariably distressed by a great
yeigAt Of bed clothes, which often pre-
vents their getting any sound sleep
whatever.
One word about pillows. Every
weak patient, be his illness what it may,
suffers more or less from difficulty in
breathing. To take the weight Of the
body from off the poor chest, which al
best is hardly up to its work, ought
therefore to-be the object Of the nurse
in arranging his pillows. Now what
does she do and what are the conse'
ouences : She piles the pillows enc
upon the other like a wall Of bricks, the
head is thrown upon the chest, and the
shoulders are pushed forward, SO as moi
to allow the lungs room to -ezpamd
The pillows, in fact, lean upon the pa
tient. not the patient upon the pillows.
It is impossible to give a rule for this,
because it must vary with the figure OF
the patient. Tall patients suffer much
more than short ones, because Of the
drag of the long limbs upon the waist
But the object is to, support with the
pillows, the back below the breathing
apparatus, and above the hips /; SO as to
allow the shoulders room to fall back,
and to support the head, without throw.
ing it .foryar6. The suffering of ex,
hausted patients is greatly increased by
neglect Of these points. And many an
invalid, too weak to drag about the pill
low himself, slips his book Or anything
at hand behind the lower part of his
back to support it.-Bosto~ Journal g,
Chemistry.