eful for a patient who can sit up in bed.
Satisfactory back rests of several types can be purchased, or one may be
improvised from a straight chair placed on the bed bottom side up, so
that its legs lie against the head of the bed and its back forms an
inclined plane. Back rest and chair alike should be covered by several
pillows to make them comfortable, and other pillows should be used to
support the patient's arms.

A person who is sitting up in bed always tends to slip down toward the
foot. This tendency may be corrected by using a foot rest, knee pad, or
pillow. A hard pillow may be placed in the bed at the foot for the
patient to brace his feet against; or a short board, well padded, may be
arranged as follows for the feet to rest against: Fasten ropes to the
board, as the ropes of a swing are fastened to the seat; set the padded
board on edge at a convenient point below the patient's feet, and hold
it in place by tying the ropes of the "swing" to the head of the bed. A
pillow may be used in the same way, either at the feet or under the
knees, by folding it over a long strip of muslin, the ends of which are
then tied to the sides of the bed, brought up to the head, and there
tied to prevent slipping. A cylindrical cushion six or eight inches in
diameter and as long as an ordinary pillow, stuffed with firm material,
may also be used for this purpose. It should be held in place by strips
of strong muslin or ticking sewed to the ends of the cushion and tied to
the head of the bed. The cushion should have a washable cover.

[Illustration: FIG. 18.--SHOWING FOOT-SLING FOR SUPPORTING PATIENT IN
THE UPRIGHT POSITION. (_Sanders "Modern Methods in Nursing."_)]

Supports called _bed cradles_ are used to keep the weight of the bed
covers from sensitive parts of the body, generally the feet or abdomen.
They are semi-circular pieces of wood or iron fastened together so that
they will stand up. A satisfactory cradle may be improvised as follows:
Cut a barrel hoop in two, cross the halves at right angles and tie them
together firmly; place the cradle over the affected part under the bed
clothes. A smaller cradle may be made by taking sections that are less
than half of the barrel hoop. If used for one foot only, the cradle
should be small enough not to interfere with the motion of the other
foot; if used for both feet, it should be large enough to allow some
freedom of motion. Since the cradle leaves an air space, the feet shou