While the sunny side of the house is the
best, and sunlight should be admitted (with
few exceptions only) every day into the
room, the sick person's eyes should not be
exposed to a direct glare. The bed may be
so turned that the window is out of the pa-
tient's sight ; or, if this cannot be, a screen
of some kind should be so placed as to shield
his eyes from it. At times, when sleep is
desirable, the light should be almost all shut
out. At night, no flame of a lamp, candle,
or gas-burner should be exposed to the pa-
tient's view. Either should be shaded, or
otherwise concealed. A gas-burner may, of
course, be turned down ; and, besides, a
movable tin burner-shade attached to it is a
great convenience. Some persons, even
when well, cannot sleep with the flame of
ever so low-turned a gas-burner in their
sight. It is not safe, moreover, to turn a
gas-burner very low. A change of pressure
at the source of supply may put out the
light, and allow a leakage of gas, dangerous
to any one sleeping in the room.
Air.
In the sick-room the things to be done
are, to have the air changed constantly, and
at the same time to prevent direct draughts
upon the patient's bed. If there are several
windows, all but the one nearest the bed
may be open a little at top and a little at
bottom ; more or less according to the
weather. In warm weather, of course,
everything may be opened wide all the time.
530
With only one window in a room, as
already said, there ought to be another out-
let for air, such as a transom over a door ;
or, in the absence of this, the door itself may
be left open. This will require attention to
the air of the room, or passage, communi-
cating by that door with the room. If the
air of the house is foul, that will hurt the
condition of the sick-room, when the door
of the latter is left open. Yet, somehow,
both an inlet and an outlet are needed, to
change the air of the room.
In very cold weather, when it is impos-
sible safely to have (as is always best) a
constant and considerable movement of air
through the room, the next best thing will
be to have chosen ti77ies of airing it thor-
oughly. Cover the patient with extra
blankets or coverlids, protecting even the
head and face for the time ; and then open
the window or windows and doors wide/^r
a few 7ni7iutes. Upon closing them, see that
the patient keeps his extra cover until the
room is warm enough again.
The Sick=Bed.
Select a wide and rather low bedstead,
for ease in getting in and out ; a wire bed-
bottom ; next best to it, one on good springs,
with a thick but soft mattress. No curtains
should be placed around the bed, since they
check the free and abundant supply of air
to the patient.
Page 202
Presented as published in 1901. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
While the sunny side of the house is the best, and sunlight should be admitted (with few exceptions only) every day into the room, the sick person's eyes should not be exposed to a direct glare. The bed may be so turned that the window is out of the patient's sight ; or, if this cannot be, a screen of some kind should be so placed as to shield his eyes from it. At times, when sleep is desirable, the light should be almost all shut out. At night, no flame of a lamp, candle, or gas-burner should be exposed to the patient's view. Either should be shaded, or otherwise concealed. A gas-burner may, of course, be turned down ; and, besides, a movable tin burner-shade attached to it is a great convenience. Some persons, even when well, cannot sleep with the flame of ever so low-turned a gas-burner in their sight. It is not safe, moreover, to turn a gas-burner very low. A change of pressure at the source of supply may put out the light, and allow a leakage of gas, dangerous to any one sleeping in the room.
Air.
In the sick-room the things to be done are, to have the air changed constantly, and at the same time to prevent direct draughts upon the patient's bed. If there are several windows, all but the one nearest the bed may be open a little at top and a little at bottom ; more or less according to the weather. In warm weather, of course, everything may be opened wide all the time.
With only one window in a room, as already said, there ought to be another outlet for air, such as a transom over a door ; or, in the absence of this, the door itself may be left open. This will require attention to the air of the room, or passage, communicating by that door with the room. If the air of the house is foul, that will hurt the condition of the sick-room, when the door of the latter is left open. Yet, somehow, both an inlet and an outlet are needed, to change the air of the room.
In very cold weather, when it is impossible safely to have (as is always best) a constant and considerable movement of air through the room, the next best thing will be to have chosen times of airing it thoroughly. Cover the patient with extra blankets or coverlids, protecting even the head and face for the time ; and then open the window or windows and doors wide for a few minutes. Upon closing them, see that the patient keeps his extra cover until the room is warm enough again.
The Sick=Bed.
Select a wide and rather low bedstead, for ease in getting in and out ; a wire bedbottom ; next best to it, one on good springs, with a thick but soft mattress. No curtains should be placed around the bed, since they check the free and abundant supply of air to the patient.