APPENDIX 



THE CARE OF THE SICK-ROOM 



THE sick-room should be bright and airy, and "sweetness and 

 light" its motto. Other things being equal, it is best on one of the 

 upper floors -in the case of some "catching" disease on the top 

 floor. Let it be on the sunny side of the house. If for any reason 

 the light of the sun is temporarily to be avoided as when the 

 eyes are sensitive or have been operated upon let the light be shut 

 out by a proper arrangement of blinds or curtains. The air-supply to be 

 breathed by the sick person should be pure. Those who, in health, find 

 themselves in an impure air can quit it ; they are not compelled to suffer 

 from it ; but a sick person may be incapable of recognizing the bad 

 quality of the air, as well as helpless to free himself from it. 



To keep the air pure, the windows should be opened as often as three 

 times a day, care being taken to protect the patient from being chilled, 

 while the room is being aired. 



Unless the physician should direct differently, one window that most 

 remote from the bed should be open an inch or more both day and 

 night, and in all seasons. The extent to which the sash should be lowered 

 must be governed largely by the weather and the direction of the wind. 



A fire, in an open fireplace, except in summer weather, will be a great 

 help towards keeping the air pure. The upward current through a chim- 

 ney-flue, if unobstructed, is equal to or not far below 20,000 cubic feet 

 per hour; an outlet sufficient for a room occupied by ten persons. 



The inlet of air, however, must not be forgotten, otherwise the air in 

 the room tends to become both impure and too thin. As our houses are 

 generally constructed, the inlet of air is best secured by a window-sash 

 being lowered from the top. 



Take special care that no stationary wash-basin or other sewer-con- 

 nected convenience is improperly plumbed, and that sewer gas cannot by 

 any possibility escape into the sick-room. 



The swinging of doors to create a current is not an efficient means of 

 ventilation, as it agitates the air of the room without purifying it, and 

 often disturbs the patient. 



