s 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.

COMFORTERS AND QUILTS.--Heavy 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.

COUNTERPANES.--White 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 MAKING

All 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.

[Illustration: FIG. 12.--THE DRAW SHEET IN PLACE. (_From "Elementary
Nursing Procedures," California State Board of Health._)]

TO MAKE AN UNOCCUPIED BED, 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 i