Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Health lectures for the people. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.
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![In preparing tlie room, let the floor and woodwork be wiped witli a damp cloth, not scrubbed, unless some hours elapse before the patient is moved into it. Look to the door and windows, and see that they open and close easily and without noise. The rattling of a window can generally be prevented, by inserting a small wedge of wood be- tween the sash and the framework ; and a little oil will cure a squeaking door, both of which noises would prove a source of annoyance to an invalid. If a fire has not been in the room for some time, light it some hours before the patient is moved in, both for the sake of warming the room, and of getting rid of the puff of smoke that conies down a cold chimney, which is trying alike to the tempers of nurse and patient. 0]3ening the window a few inches from the top is more likely to cure a smoky chimney, than opening it fi'om the bottom. If a fire is not needed, see that there is a clear passage up the chinuiey ; the register will probably be found closed, or failing that, a bag of shavings pushed up, thereby hindering the free ventilation of the room. If the window is kept open day and night, a couple of inches from the top, and if there is a small fire or open fireplace, the air of the room will be kept pure, and there will be no likelihood of poisoning the patient with bad air. When the window cannot be left open at the top, put up the lower sash, and insert a piece of wood four or five inches deep, to fill up the opening. By this means the fresh air comes in between the upper and lower sashes, and the current being directed upwards, the air is diflused throughout the room and a draught is avoided. To test the warmth of the room, have the thermometer on a level with the patient's head, not near the door, window, or fireplace; and let that be the guide as to the heat, and not the nurse's feelings, which often mistake closeness for warmth. A fire should be kept burning day and night, since the temperature of a sick-room should be equable. It will be found well to put away the ordinary coal box and fire-irons, and use instead, a basket lined with felt or brown paper, to hold moderate- sized pieces of coal. These should be lifted on with a piece of paper; or a better plan is to have a large glove to slip on the](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21057631_0066.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
