Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-04-29

THE SICK ROOM,

THE SICK ROOM.
For this apartment, says an Eastern
journal, the sunniest room in the house
should be selected. There is life and
healing in the solar ray, even if it's
light, which is only part of the ray, is
quite excluded. We all feel directly,
on entering room on which the sun
light never directly falls, chill and an
absence Of something essential to cheer
and brightness. Observation shows
that in hospitals more patients die in
the shady than in the sunny wards, and
in cities disease is more fatal on the
shady side of the street than on it's OPP
posite.
Next in Importance to sunshine in the
sick room is ventilation. If well people
need fresh air, much more do they that
are sick. A free circulation of air must
be provided without endangering at all
the safety of the patient. In cool wealth
er an open stove Gfpossible soapstone
stove), with a wood fire, is perhaps as
effective and pleasant method as any
other Of securing this.
The aspect of the room should be in
viting and pleasant If the walls are
naked, bring the pictures from that
shut-up room, the parlor, or the guest
chamber, and hang them where the
patient can enjoy them. Set rose or
geranium in the window. If plants
were unhealthy, the air of greenhouses
would be different from the outer air.
which is not the case For the sake of
the nurse, we would have the sick room
on the first floor, to save the inconven-
fence and fatigue of continual running
patient, we would have it on the second
floor, which is usually more quiet and
more thoroughly warmed than the first
If it is Oh the second floor, let every
convenience be provided that can save
steps-a broom, a dustpan, poker, tongs,
by all means an earth-closet, and every
thing else that will be likely to come
into frequent requisition-so that every
thing necessary to be done can be at
tended to with the utmost facility. It
is the want of little conveniences at
hand that render nursing in private
families SO fatiguing.
The utmost tidiness and cleanliness
should be secured in the sick-room.
The senses of the patient, rendered
acute by disease, makes disorder and
dirt tenfold more trying than they are
IN health. Every soiled dish or cloth
should be at once removed from the
room, and no accumulations of anything
disagreeable permitted. We heard a
young gentleman of refinement and Gull
ture say once that he should have mar
ried such young lady if her brothers
sick-room, in which she was nurse, had
not been SO untidy. Not, however,
from interested motives should the
nurse abhor untidiness, but because it
is in itself abhorrent. Cleanliness is
next to godliness.
Well-aired bedding is essential to the
comfort of the patient This can be Sc
cured with q little management. The
patient may be removed to any easy
chair or lounge, and the bedding be
thoroughly shaken out of doors, if the
weather is fair, or in a room
with the windows opened, if the
weather is foul then warmed by the
fire and put upon the bed. None but
the sick are fully alive to the blessed
ness of clean sheets. How much of
disease is only the choking in one form
or another of the natural outlets of the
body!
The comfort of the patient in many
cases is greatly increased by bathing.
A cloth wrung from tepid saleratus or
saltwater may be passed over the
body under the bed-clothes, and, if fol-
lowed by dry towel, there is little dan
ger that the patient will take cold
If there must be light in the room all
night, by all means use tapers. A box
OF these, costing ten cents, can be
bought at the apothecary's, and will
last a good many weeks. Each box
contains tiny socket or circle Of tin,
with three sharp points, each holding a
bit OF cork into this socket sets but
tOn-mold quarter of an inch in diam
eter, with hole in the middle. in which
is inserted bit OF waxed wicking The
whole affair, not larger in circumference
than a walnut, floats on the surface of
cup or tUmbler full of lard oil. 1t
gives very soft and pleasantlight and
is perfectly safe. Kerosene lamps can
not be turned down without filing the
room with unconsumed products of
combustion, which are very unwhole-
some; candles and oil lamps are apt to
smoke. The taper is economical, pleas
ant, and safe. We have been thus cir
cumstantial in describing this little
continuance, SO that those at a distance
from drug stores can make it for them
selves In the nursery it is invaluable.
An outlay Of 80 cents will keep a light
in the sick room for months.
The nurse shall be "vigilant, prompt
firm, obedient, self-possessed, her pres
ence balm, her step soft, her eye like
May morning, her voice lullaby.
With these qualifications, and in room
that we have suggested, it would be al
most a pleasure to be comfortably sick