American Red Cross Text-Book on Home Hygiene and Care of the Sick by Isabel McIsaac (best affordable ebook reader txt) π
FOR FURTHER READING
A History of Nursing--Dock and Nutting, Volume I.
The Life of Florence Nightingale--Cook.
The Life of Pasteur--Vallery-Radot.
The House on Henry Street--Wald.
Public Health Nursing--Gardner, Part I, Chapters I-III.
Origin and Growth of the Healing Art--Berdoe.
Medical History from the Earliest Times--Withington.
Under the Red Cross Flag--Boardman.
Report on National Vitality--Fisher, (Bulletin 30 of the Committee of One Hundred on National Health. Government Printing Office, Washington).
CHAPTER I
CAUSES AND PREVENTION OF SICKNESS
Diseases of two kinds have long been recognized: first, those transmitted directly or indirectly from person to person, like smallpox, measles, and typhoid fever; and second,
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If a pillow tick becomes soiled, the feathers may be transferred to a clean tick by making an opening about six inches long in the end of each pillow, sewing the ticks together, and then shaking the feathers from one tick to the other. The soiled tick can then be washed. If the feathers themselves have become soiled they should be renovated by a cleaner. Pillows, like mattresses, should be frequently brushed, sunned, and aired. They should not be held in the mouth while a clean pillow-case is adjusted.
βIn all cases of sickness the mattress must be adequately protected. Neglect is inexcusable and may cause expense and trouble as well as discomfort to the patient.
The following may be used to protect the mattress or pillows: large quilted pads, small pads of cotton batting covered with old muslin or cheese cloth, slip covers for the mattress, rubber sheets and pillow-cases, old blankets and quilts that may be washed easily. Heavy wrapping paper, builders' paper, and newspapers serve well in emergencies, or for a short time.
βSoft rubber cloth, single or double faced, is most frequently used when it is necessary to protect the bed from discharges. It may be purchased by the yard. Rubber sheets should not be used unless they are really necessary. They are hot and uncomfortable, and increase the tendency to perspire. When used, a rubber sheet should be 1 yard wide or wide enough to reach from the lower edge of the pillows down to the patient's knees, and long enough so that it can be tucked in securely on both sides of the bed. Rubber sheets may be cleaned by laying them on a flat surface and washing on both sides with soap and water, using a small brush if necessary. After rinsing they should be wiped, and when thoroughly dry they should be rolled rather than folded, to prevent the rubber from breaking.
Rubber pillow-cases are used for a patient who perspires profusely, or who has a discharge of any kind from the head or neck, and also when substances which may wet or stain the pillow are applied to the head. They should be put on next to the pillow, securely fastened with tapes, snap hooks, or buttons, and covered with the regular pillow slip.
Rubber sheets and pillow-cases are not durable. They should be used carefully, and frequently examined for holes or worn places by holding them up to the light. Even a pin hole near the center may render a rubber sheet or pillow-case as useless as a sieve.
βSheets of ample proportions are necessary for comfort, and important for sanitary reasons as well. For a bed of the dimensions mentioned in this lesson sheets should be three yards long, and two yards wide. A safe rule for any bed is to have the sheets one yard longer and one yard wider than the mattress. A sheet of these dimensions is large enough to be tucked under the sides and foot of the mattress, while at least twelve inches are left to fold over the blankets at the top. Cotton sheets are as good as linen for general use, or even better, and are far less expensive.
are used to cover rubber sheets, and to protect beds when the rubbers are not used. In hospitals special draw sheets are usually provided, but an ordinary sheet folded answers every purpose. New and expensive sheets should not be used for draw sheets, since they are more likely than other sheets to become stained. Draw sheets should be wide enough to extend about four inches beyond the rubber sheet at the top and bottom.
βPillow covers are generally made of cotton, but persons who can afford the cost frequently prefer linen, especially in hot weather. Unless fastened with buttons or tapes, a pillow case should be several inches longer than its pillow. It should be wide enough to slip on easily, but not so wide that it wrinkles or allows the pillow to turn. If it is too small the pillow will become hard and uncomfortable. These small things, unimportant as they are to the well, may cause much discomfort to a restless or nervous patient.
βAll wool blankets are both light and warm, and are consequently the most comfortable bed covering. But unless they can be dry cleaned frequently, it is better to select blankets made from one part wool and two parts cotton. Blankets containing equal parts of wool and cotton are warmer, but are more injured by washing. Very light blankets of wool or outing flannel are useful in summer. Double blankets should always be cut in two and bound at the ends, since single blankets are easier than double blankets to handle and wash. Patients are frequently too warmly covered by day. Too much warmth is enervating, it causes the patient to perspire, and makes him restless and more susceptible to draughts and to changes of temperature. Two light blankets are warmer and more comfortable than one heavy blanket.
βHeavy cotton comforters are burdensome without being correspondingly warm. Eiderdown quilts or those padded with wool are good for a patient who sleeps out of doors, or whose room is kept at a low temperature. Bed covers that cannot be laundered readily should be protected by basting on both sides of the top a wide piece of muslin or linen, which can be removed and washed.
βWhite dimity counterpanes are desirable, since they are light in weight, easily laundered, and inexpensive. A heavy counterpane is uncomfortable at any time, and still more uncomfortable in sickness. If a light spread is not available, a sheet makes a good substitute. A counterpane should be wide enough to cover the sheets and blankets at the sides when the bed is open, and long enough to protect the bedding at the top and bottom.
BED MAKINGAll methods of making beds for the sick are based upon a few underlying principles. The aim in every case is to obtain the following results with the least expenditure of time and labor: first, to secure comfort for the patient, and to eliminate all causes of friction, irritation, or pressure upon his skin; next to keep the covers firmly in place, so that the bed will not easily become disarranged; then to protect the mattress, and last, to secure as good an appearance as possible.
, proceed as follows: remove the pillows and covers one at a time, and place them on chairs, near an open window if possible. Brush the mattress and then set it up on its ends to air, or turn it back over the foot board. Wipe the bedstead with a damp cloth. Replace the mattress after it has aired, turning it from side to side and from end to end on alternate days. Cover the mattress, unless it is enclosed in a slip cover, with a white quilted pad or an old blanket, and then spread the lower sheet over the mattress, so that the middle fold of the sheet lies upon the center of the mattress in a straight line from the head of the bed to the foot. Tuck the sheet under, first at the top and then at the bottom, drawing it so that it is firm and tight. If the sheet is of proper length tuck fourteen or sixteen inches under at the top, but take care to cover the mattress at the foot also. Next tuck the sheet under at the side, folding its corners to make a neat finish like an envelope. Place the rubber sheet, if it must be used, across the bed, with its upper edge where the lower edge of the pillows will come. A draw sheet somewhat wider than the rubber sheet is needed next; an ordinary sheet, folded once the long way of the sheet, may be used, with the fold toward the head of the bed. Tuck both rubber and draw sheet securely under the mattress at the side. In some cases the rubber sheet may be placed next to the mattress, and covered by the mattress pad and lower sheet. Place the draw sheet as directed, whether the rubber is used or not. After the lower, rubber, and draw sheets have been adjusted on one side of the bed, go to the opposite side, draw them over smoothly, and tuck them under the mattress as tightly as possible.
Next spread the upper sheet over the bed so that its upper edge reaches to the upper edge of the mattress, and its middle crease lies over the middle line of the mattress, and place it right side down, so that the smooth side of the hem will be uppermost when the sheet is turned over the blankets. Place the blankets so that their upper edges lie a little higher than the place where the lower edge of the pillow will come, and tuck them in firmly at the bottom and sides. If the blankets are not long enough to tuck in at the foot, place the lower blanket as directed and the upper blanket five or six inches lower than the first. When tucked in, the upper blanket holds the lower one in place fairly well. Place the counterpane evenly and smoothly, tuck it under at the foot, turn its corners neatly, turn its upper edge under the upper edge of the blankets and fold the upper sheet down over the whole. Last of all, shake the pillows and place them neatly on the bed.
Practice is necessary before it is possible to make a bed quickly and well, and a certain amount of proficiency in making an unoccupied bed should be acquired before undertaking to make a bed with a patient in it. One should learn to work in an orderly way, without confusion, unnecessary motion, or jarring of the bed.
βStand preferably on the right side of the bed and slip the left arm under the patient's shoulders, supporting his head in the hollow of the arm. Raise him slightly and remove the pillows one at a time with the right hand, drawing them outward on the left side of the bed. Place a small pillow under his head. Shake the pillows, change the cases if necessary, and replace them on the left side of the bed, ready to be drawn back into position. Raise the patient as before, remove the small pillow and draw the others into place. It is sometimes better to hold the patient on the upper pillow while removing and replacing the under one.
βPatients tend to slip down toward the foot of the bed, and they should be raised if unable to help themselves. To raise the patient, instruct him to flex his knees and to press his feet firmly upon the bed; place one arm under his shoulders, as when changing pillows, the other arm under the thighs, and lift him upward without jerking. The lifting can be done more easily by two people, and with less discomfort to
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