Sick nursing / by H. Drinkwater.

  • Drinkwater, H. (Harry), 1855-1925
Date:
1907
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Sick nursing / by H. Drinkwater. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    patient sinks into a hollow, and it is difficult for the nurse to keep him clean; it renders nursing altogether difficult, especially if the patient be heavy or helpless. The mattress should be of horse-hair. A straw or chaff one is best for fever cases : it can afterwards be burnt and easily replaced. The tick need not be burnt, as it is easily disinfected. The hair mattress should rest upon a spring mattress. If it sinks down a little in the middle, place a pillow between it and the spring mattress. An equally good and cheaper mattress is made of “ fibre ” or “ coir.” Bed-clothes.—Sheets should be of cotton or twill calico. Linen should only be used, if at all, in the very hottest weather. There are two sheets, the upper or top, and the lower or bottom one. The lower sheet should be large enough to tuck under the mattress at the foot and sides of the bed. For old people, a blanket may be used below the bottom sheet, but it must be stretched quite free from wrinkles and secured to the mattress with strong safety pins. Blankets: the number of these will vary with the season and the patient. One should be at hand to use in various emergencies, and if the patient is feeling chilly but not actu- ally feverish. New blankets are warmer than old ones. The counterpane should be thin ; it is not as warm as a blanket of equal thickness, and is heavier. Eider-down quilts are not to be recommended. A “ Protector ” is required in many cases. It consists of waterproof material (rubber or American cloth, or a table oil- cloth) and in the absence of this several folds of newspaper : this is covered by the draw-sheet, consisting of a blanket or stout sheet doubled up so as to form a square large enough to reach across the bed, and from just below the patient’s shoulders to the knees. At the sides it must be secured to the mattress by safety-pins. When wet or soiled it is easily replaced by a fresh one without the lower sheet being disturbed,
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