per sash, after the sash has been lowered about a
foot. Once or twice a day the room should be thoroughly aired by opening
windows and doors until the air has been completely changed. The
patient, including his head, must be well-covered during the process.
An electric fan is useful in summer, but it should not be close enough
to the bed for the patient to feel air blowing upon him.

HEATING.--Great care should be taken to maintain a suitable temperature
in the sick-room, and for this purpose a thermometer in the room is a
necessity. Between 65 deg. and 68 deg. is generally the best
temperature, and hot water bags and extra covers may be given if the
patient is chilly. During a bath or other treatment in which the patient
is more or less exposed the temperature should be 70 deg.. The
temperature at night may be lower; how low will depend largely on the
patient's condition and on what must be done for him during the night.
Hot water, steam heat, or electricity is best for the sick room. Gas or
oil stoves should never be used except in emergencies, and then for a
short time only.

LIGHTING.--Sunlight is one of the most powerful disinfectants, and for
this reason if for no other it is needed in every sick room. Sunless
rooms, moreover, even if they were wholesome, are too depressing to a
patient's spirits for use except perhaps in hot summer days. Ordinary
well-regulated light is best in a sick room, and except in a few
diseases, especially those in which the eyes are affected, it is
undesirable to darken the room or to encourage in any way an appearance
of gloom. The patient's eyes, however, should be protected from bright
lights shining directly upon them; in this connection it is well to
remember that lights and their reflections strike differently upon the
eyes of a person lying down from the way in which they strike the eyes
of persons sitting or standing, and a light that seems agreeable to the
attendant may therefore be painful to the patient.

Almost all persons sleep best in dark rooms, and in most cases it is
undesirable for a sick room to be lighted at night. The attendant,
however, must be able to see what she is doing and generally needs a
shaded candle, small night light, or electric flash. It should be
possible to see the patient clearly in case of need, otherwise serious
changes in his condition occurring in the night may pass unnoticed.

A reading lamp on the bedside table is desirable for patients allo