St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1899-11-08
HINTS ABOUT THE SICK ROOM.
Paper Rend by Miss Alice Baker ut the
Womnn's Club Monday Afternoon.

quiet, sunlight, fresh air, convenience,
nearness to bathroom and ease of isola-
ton from the rest Of the house. II pos.
slble it should be connected with another
room in which the distinction of excreta,
etc, may be carried out.
Sunlight and fresh air is wholesome
and will not disturb the patient il he is
protected by screens from glare and
draughts. An open fire adds to the
cheertulness and to ventilation. A
window should be opened to some
extent throughout the day, except in
really severe weather, when air may be
let in from another room. With the
lower sash raised a few inches and a
strip OF board put in the opening some
air gets through the space between the
upper and lower sashes. If instead of a
solid board, a frame covered with flannel
is used to hold up the lower sash the
circulation OF air is still better and yet
not so great as to be felt as a draught.
Once or twice a day the window should
be opened wide and the room thoroughly
aired, the patient meanwhile being well
protected by blankets. The need of fresh,
cool air in fever is overlooked by friends
OF the patient in their anxiety lest he
should, as they say, catch cold" But
do not be afraid a fever patient will take
cold. If they are well protected there is
little danger of it.
Noises disturb a very sick patient.
Coal should not be dumped on the FIRE,
but put into paper packages and placed
in the CRATE.
Whispering is especially annoying.
But perhaps more annoying than any
thing else during the height OF the fever
are questions as to how he is feeling and
what he wants. He will probably
answer you, he wants to be let alone.
Visitors should not be admitted with
out orders from the physician.
The room should be kept as attractive
as possible without having too many
unnecessary articles. Medicines should
be kept out OF sight; discharges should
be disposed of quickly; baths, food and
medicine given regularly. 1t is better to
write down the doctors orders as they
are given so there will be no mistake.
Patients should be kept in bed, not
even allowed to get up or raise up unless
otherwise ordered by the physician.
Feather beds are not only announcement
Tor handling of the patient but are very
likely to cause bed.sores. as they cannot
be kept smooth and are hot and damp,
and envelop the patient as in a poultice.
All sheets should be kept cry, clean
and smooth, both for comfort and on
account Of the danger of bed.sores. The
pillows should be low rather than high
a., ,t1ncf racaS aud tIa cAuarnu Entt
rather than heavy. Clothing the patient
wears in bed should be open all the way
down the back so that it may be easily
removed without disturbing him or get
wrinkled under his hips and cause sore-
ness. A womau's hair should be divided
into two braids at the beginning of sick
ness, as otherwise it mats into a deplor-
able tangle.
A bath should be given once a day
if possible with soap and water, unless
the PATIENTS having cold baths for fever,
His back should be rubbed with alcohol
aud water every day and oftener il
necessary. Clothing and bedding
changed daily and well aired before using
again. A patient will appreciate having
his bed made comfortable, the room
quiet and everything neat and clean,
His back bathed in alcohol when he is
tired or it aches; a light ice poultice or
hot even press on head may relieve
his headache; a pillow at his back to
change his position, a warm drink OF
extra covers when having a chill and
careful drying and changing of clothes
when soaked with perspiration. These
attentions he values greatly.
The principle of feeding III all diseases
when it is the object to keep up nutrition
is to give as much simple nourishing food
as the patient can digest. In some fever
cases the power of digestion is small SC
that nourishment must be given in small
quantities and often. Sometimes it vii
take two hours for a patient to take
glass of milk. If you ask patients i
they care to take food they will probably
refuse. Hit is brought to them they will
usually take it. II the appetite ant
digestion are good the patient may b,
fed freely unless there are indication:
limiting the nature Of the food as il
typhoid fever where the existence o
ulcers in the small intestines forbids any
, solid food taken which may pass into
this intestine in a solid state and thereby
, break through the ulcers and caus'
/, hemorrhage. Liquid diet consists o
: milk, milk preparations, meat broths
, strained gruels, and the like. Som
, think that nothing is food which can
= not be chewed." but milk is a food aut
/ easily digested. 1t contains more nour
: ishment than any other liquid food. 4
| patient can live for months on thre'
!, pints of milk a day. A glass OF mill
= every two or three hours is plenty with
| out other food. AT night it need be givei
only every four hours.
1t does not usually hurt fever patient
to be Weakened as they doze of agail
1 quickly. A fever patient must not b
allowed to raise his head, but use a glas
tube for drinking or an ideal feeder. A
! a rule a fever patient likes his food cold
] even broths and gruels. Foods mean
e to be cold should be really cold, and no
things hot, tor liquids lukewarm ar
very unpalatable. 1t the physician pre-
scribes strictly milk diet, milk alon
| should be given, if he orders liquid die
you may give a variety of foods, such a
pasteurized milk THAT is heated to 167
F, a temperature high enough to destro.
/ the ordinary bacteria which sour milk
or ~peptonized milk Chat which is pre-
e pared by partly digesting milk with par
create ferment), Matted milk, Lactate
Il Food, Mellins Food, Horlicks Food, o
$ P~eptogenic Milk Powder. Soups an
broths, especially the clear soups, ar
$ less nourishing than milk, but have
a very important place in fever feeding a
s serving to vary a liquid diet.
Broths or soups Of beef, chicken, veal