The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-08-26
HOW TO MAKE THE PATIENT
 COMEORTABLE

The nurses chief duty is 10 keep the patient comfortable or as comfortable as possible To insure the greatest possible comfort Tor q | patient reuuircs thoughtfuIncss and attention | 10 many little details that amateur nurses | scarcely comprehend at all.
 Here are some of the little things that good nurse always attends to and poor one usually ncglects:
 The patients bed should be placed that the patient does not face window. If the room is artifcially lighted the lamp should be out of
 direct sight of the patient, and at night or when the patient needs sleep the light should De dmIncd or shaded When the patient is awake
 he she may enjoy gazing out of a window,
 particularly if there is q pleasant prospect but the bed should be rolled around so that the pa tient will face another way when the window gazing becomes tiresome
 Medicines or utensils or food dishes
 must never be permitted to remain Tn the pa tients sight when not in use. The surest mark of a sloppy incompetent, poorly trained nurse
 is a collection of junk rchs, reminders on ta ble or stand in the sick room. A nurse with the welfare of her patient at heart never whispers in or near the sick room or permits relatives. visitors or inconsderate strangers to do
 Simple soap and water cleanliness with proper ventilation and much sunshine as may be available, will prevent odors about the sick room. There Is excuse for unoosn9 nosome "disinfectants" or 'antiseptics If deodora nt or q disnfectant is necessary in any
 case. the attending physciihn will prescribe the proper agent good nurse does not take 1t upon herself to introduce such remedies. For the benefit of home nurses, 1 might say that of the best dlSlnIcctdnl8 Tor any SOTt OI
 or dangerous discharge is common "chlorid Of lime" purchased in sealed tins or cans from any grocery, hardware or drug store AS q de-
 odorant, perhaps the simplest and best IS com
 mon builders Ilme which may be applied as dry powder or as milk of lime made by slak- ing enough lime with water to last n few days. This common lime slaked or unslaked is it. self quite odOrless. "ChlOrid of lime (chem- icaIly chlornated lifne) has a pungent odor of
 Every patient confined 10 bed should have chlorine gas.
 daily sponge bath and q daily back rub. good nurse does not omit to wash the pa tientS face and hands Immediately De1ore every
 meal or feeding.
 If the patient is very i'll or long confined, it
 is important that the mouth be kept clean. Equal parts of lemon juice, Gycerin and water,
 used as q mouth wash, will clean up foul mouth. Simple alkaline aptseDtic solution | (which Is standard national formulary article any druggist can prepare cheaply) Is as good | as anything else for brushing the teeth and Tor rInsng the mouth before and after feeding, es- | pccialy where the patient takes much milk. | For the sick room select the room without | figures distinct designs in the wall decora- | ton, and preferably the wall should be painted | neutral tnts never hideous white. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Laundry Work Is HcaIthfUl | Any danger of getting syphilis by washing | the clothing of one wIiO has 1t? CT. M. H) | Answcr-No. There is no good evidence that | anybody contracts any disease by doing | laundry work Soap and water, or cleaning l preparations used for whitening or bleaching | impart enough chlorin gas to the atmosphere ] of the laundry to discourage most rodnary dis | | CTS seem extraordinarily immune to cri. espe- | cially so called flu epidemic. Women who do large washlngs and go right out in the cold to
 hang the clothes. without putting an extra | clothing on, are not so likely to have bronchitis or pneumonia women who coddle them | selves carefully against such sudden change V | If we to conduct a search for the health fest, finest physical specimen of womanhood. | think we'd find her working in a laundry or | whaling the spots off her own family's clothes. | Institute HOkum | DO you know anything about the health cx-
 animation service given by the - institute? l (S. H)
 | Answer--Enough 10 assure you that any good | doctor anywhere will give you more for about | half the price. The premium you pay for the | mail order hOkum goes to keep up the heavy | overhead and to pay the large salary roll of the | staff Once again l warn readers that the prac- | tice of medicine Is a personal service. and nc | corporation or firm or impersonal aggregation can supplant the physician who after all. must | render the service
 l No Joking Matter
 l I would like to know just how serious -
 is What causes 1t and what arc tire symptoms?
 I What Is fine best treatment? (P. J.)
 l Answer---WeII, there's the tobacco and here's l a pipe. but durn yuh, furnish your own match