Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1874-05-06
The Sick Room.

winter, the sunniest room in the house
should be selected. There is life
and healing in the solar ray, even If
its light, which is only part Of the
ray, is excluded. We all feel instant
ly, on entering room on which the
sunlight never falls, a chill and On alb
sence of something essential to cheer
and brightness. Observation shows
that in hospitals more patients die in
shady than in the sunny wards, and in
cities disease is more fatal on the shady
sido Of tho street than on the opposite.
Next in importance to sunshine in
the sick room is ventilation. If well
people need fresh air, much more do
they that arc sick. A free circulation
Of air must be provided without en-
dangering at all the safety Of the pa
tient. In cool weather an open stove
(if possible, soap.stone 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
inviting and pleasant If the walls
are naked, bring the pictures from
that shut.up room, the parlor or the
estchamber, and hang them where
the patient can enjoy them. Set q
rose or geranium in the window. If
plants were unhealthy, the air of green
houses 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 inconvenience and fatigue of con-
tinual running up and down stairs !;
for the sake of the patient We would
have it on the second floor, which is
usually more quiet and more thorough
ly warmed than the first. If it is on
the second floor, let every convenience
be provided that can save steps--a
broom, dust. pan, poker, tongs, by all
means an carth-c closet, and everything
else that is likely to come into FIRE.
quent requisition-so that everything
necessary to be dono can be attended
to with the utmost facility. 1t is the
want of little conveniences al hand
that renders nursing in private fami-
lies so fatiguiDg.
The utmost tidiness and cleanliness
should be secured in the sick ROOM.
The senses of the patient, rendered
acute by disease, make disorder and
dirt ten-fold moro 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 young gentleman of refine
ment and culture say once that he
should have married 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 abhorent. "Clean-
illness is next to godlness."
| Well-aired bedding is essential to
the comfort of the patient. This can
be secured with little management.
The patient may be removed to an
easy chair or lounge, and the bed
ding be thoroughly shaken out OF
doors, if tho 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 bodyl
The comfort of the patient in many
cases is greatly increased by bathing.
A cloth wrung from tepid saleratus or
soda water may be passed over the
body under the bedclothes, and, If fol-
lowed BY dry towel, there is little
danger 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 good many weeks. Each box
contains a tiny socket or circle of tin
with three sharp points, each holding
q bit Of cork; into this socket sets a
button-mould quarter Of an inch in
diameter, with a hole in the middle, in
which is inserted bit of waxed wick
ing. The whole affair, not larger in
circumference than a walnut, floats on
the surface of q cup or tumbler full OF
lard oil. 1t gives very soft and
pleasant light, and is perfectly safe.
Kerosene lamps cannot be turned
down without filling the room with
unconsumed products of combustion,
which are very unwholesome candles
and oil lamps are apt to'smoke. The
taper is economical, pleasant and safe.
We have been thus circumstantial in
describing this little contrivance so
that those at distance from drug
stores can mako II for themselves. In
the nursery it is invaluable. An out
lay of 33 cents will keep light in the
sick room for months.
Tho nurse shall be "vigilant, prompt,
firm, obedient, self-possessed, her pres
ence q balm, her step soft, her eye
like May morning, her voice lula.
by" With these qualifications, and a
room that we have suggested, it would
DO almost pleasure to be comforta-
bly, sick.