The Art Of Nursing

A woman who is a trained nurse, occupying, after years of practice, a superior place in a London hospital, has been giving a course of lectures on her profession. Her flrst proposition at a recent talk was that there is no such thing as a bom nurse; the habit of observation was a duty and the basis ot nursing, which was an art, only to be. learned by practice. Among some practical utterances of the speaker were: A sunny sick room, one that is entered by the sim once in twenty-four hours, is desirable; patients placed on the south side in a hospital ward will recovei sooner, by f rom ten days to a f ortnight than those on the north side. Plenty of light is beneficial, except in cases ,oi biain disease. The less furniture in the room the better, and to keep it clean a damp duster should be used instead of a dry one. The air must be kept aa pure inside as outside, and there was little or no risk about having the windows open top and bottom, if the patiënt were well covered, head included and a good fire kept burning. Night aii is not injurious; it is purer in a city after 10 p. m. than at any other time. The bed should never be in a corner, but accessible from all points. In fever and surgical cases, a "eradle" had sometimes to be used to keep off the weight of the bed clothes; an impromptu eradle could be made out of a bandbox with the bottom knoeked out. Bed making was the grammar and keystone of nursing; many regular nurses could no make a good bed. It was important te act with decisión when the time camf for any office, and not to worry the patiënt by hesitation or talking of whai ■was to be done; to tread quietly, but firmly, not on tip-toe, and never to ■whisper to a third person. Every effort ought to be made to secure for the patiënt two hours' sleep before midnight Amateur nurses often broke down through neglecting to take food when keeping watch through the night.- Philadelphia Record.