nd impervious bedclothes.]

Never use anything but light Witney blankets as bed covering for the
sick. The heavy cotton impervious counterpane is bad, for the very
reason that it keeps in the emanations from the sick person, while the
blanket allows them to pass through. Weak patients are invariably
distressed by a great weight of bed-clothes, which often prevents their
getting any sound sleep whatever.

NOTE.--One word about pillows. Every weak patient, be his illness
what it may, suffers more or less from difficulty in breathing. To
take the weight of the body off the poor chest, which is hardly up
to its work as it is, ought therefore to be the object of the nurse
in arranging his pillows. Now what does she do and what are the
consequences? She piles the pillows one a-top of the other like a
wall of bricks. The head is thrown upon the chest. And the shoulders
are pushed forward, so as not to allow the lungs room to expand. The
pillows, in fact, lean upon the patient, not the patient upon the
pillows. It is impossible to give a rule for this, because it must
vary with the figure of the patient. And tall patients suffer much
more than short ones, because of the _drag_ of the long limbs upon
the waist. But the object is to support, with the pillows, the back
_below_ the breathing apparatus, to allow the shoulders room to fall
back, and to support the head, without throwing it forward. The
suffering of dying patients is immensely increased by neglect of
these points. And many an invalid, too weak to drag about his
pillows himself, slips his book or anything at hand behind the lower
part of his back to support it.

IX. LIGHT.

[Sidenote: Light essential to both health and recovery.]

It is the unqualified result of all my experience with the sick, that
second only to their need of fresh air is their need of light; that,
after a close room, what hurts them most is a dark room. And that it is
not only light but direct sun-light they want. I had rather have the
power of carrying my patient about after the sun, according to the
aspect of the rooms, if circumstances permit, than let him linger in a
room when the sun is off. People think the effect is upon the spirits
only. This is by no means the case. The sun is not only a painter but a
sculptor. You admit that he does the photograph. Without going into any
scientific exposition we must a