Bed And Bedding For The Sick

Ifabí.Hl.13 hi'luT tlrui a son, tho patiënt ofton profors not to gt nt at all, rather tlrin to uudorgo th fatigue ot getting out. II' tho bcvl was a low ono, ho might oftcn foel lílie tiVing a few minutos' exerciao evoij d'iy in othor rooms, Oí oven in tlio open uir. It is so ve .y odd lint poople aever tlrluk oí' ibis, or ot'liow uiduy iiioi'o Unios a patiënt who is in bed for twcnty-four Louis ia obliged t. get ís sul uut ot bod tban thoy uro who ,'c.nly gtt into bed and out of bed ■rlini.s onoa daiing tha twoutj'-fouv hours. A patioTit's bod sliould filvrays bo in the lightcit spot ín thf room, üiid ho ehould w ablo to s.'O out ot' a wiiulow. Itis Boarooly nocsasary to r.ay thit tho oíd four-post bed, v.itU curtaius, ís utteriy insdmisgiblo, whcthcv for tlio nick or for tlm woll. Hospital bedstooda aro in mauy rospoets vurymuoh botter thau pr;vato ont3. T'nore is no roaann to boliere that not a fow of thu cases apparently ruscmbling wrofula araong childron proceod trom tho habitot' sleí'jring with the head undor tho bed-olothea, and so inh-iling air already brocithed, whieb. is furthor contaminated ly exhalationa from the skin. Patiënt ave sometimee givon to ti similar babit, inul it often bappena that tho bedclothos aro ao disposod that tho patiënt mu3t neoessarily broathe air moro or less poisoned by exh.'ilationa from tho 6kin. A good nurao will attoud to tilia. It íb an important part, so to spoak, oi' vontiittiu. It may lio worth whilo to remark that whero there is any dtnger of bed-soroa a ilankot 9hould noveribo placed under tho xitient. It rotains damp, and acts liko a joultico. Nevor uso anything but sliglit blankets as bed covering for the sick. The heavy rotten and impervious counterpano is )ad. for the very roason that it koeps in ;he eujanations from tho sick porson, while the blankots allow tbeni to pass hrough. Weak pationts are iuvariably listressed by a great weight of bodlothos, wliich oftcn prevonts thuir gating souiul sloep whatovor. ünc word about pillows. Every weak latituit, be his illnoss what it may, suffers noro or loss from diiïiculty ia breathing. Fo tako tho weight of tho body off the )oor chest, wbich at best ia hardly up to ts work, ought thoroforo to bo tho obcct of tho iiurao in arranginghis pillows. íow what doos sha do and what aro tho consequcnce8? She pilos tho pillows onn ipmi the ui her liko a wall of bricka, tho toad is thrown apon the oheat, and tho bouldon aiO pushed forward, so as not o allow the lungs rooin to oxpand. ïho lillows, in faot, lean upon tlio patiënt, íot tho p'itiont upon' the pillows. It is iüp( -vsiblo to givu a'rule í'or this, booauso t must vary with tho figuro of the mtiout. Tttll pationts suffer muoh moro than short ones, beoause of tho drag of tho ong limbs n])on tho waist. But the obeo t ia to support, with tho pillows, tho iack bölow tho breathing apparatus nul kbove the hipa ; so as to allow tho shouldcrs room to i'all back, and to support tho aead, n-iiliout throwing it forward. ïlie anffaring of (ixbaustcd piitients ia grcatly ncreasod by negleot of thoae poiats. And mauy an invalid, too wuak to drag ibouf tho pillo w himself, slips his book or anything at hand behind the lover part oí liis back to support it. - Boston ■,' nf Chemistry.