"Remember to be extremely neat in dress; a few drops of hartshorn in
the water used for _daily_ bathing will remove the disagreeable odors
of warmth and perspiration.
"Never speak of the symptoms of your patient in his presence,
unless questioned by the doctor, whose orders you are always to obey
_implicitly_.
"Remember never to be a gossip or tattler, and always to hold sacred
the knowledge which, to a certain extent, you must obtain of the
private affairs of your patient and the household in which you nurse.
"Never contradict your patient, nor argue with him, nor let him see
that you are annoyed about anything.
"Never _whisper_ in the sick room. If your patient be well enough, and
wishes you to talk to him, speak in a low, distinct voice, on cheerful
subjects. Don't relate painful hospital experiences, nor give details
of the maladies of former patients, and remember never to startle him
with accounts of dreadful crimes or accidents that you have read in
the newspapers.
"_Write_ down the orders that the physician gives you as to time for
giving the medicines, food, etc.
"Keep the room bright (unless the doctor orders it darkened).
"Let the air of the room be as pure as possible, and keep everything
in order, but without being fussy and bustling.
"The only way to remove dust in a sick room is to wipe everything with
a damp cloth.
"Remember to carry out all vessels covered. Empty and wash them
immediately, and keep some disinfectant in them.
"Remember that to leave the patient's untasted food by his side, from
meal to meal, in hopes that he will eat it in the interval, is simply
to prevent him from taking any food at all.
"Medicines, beef tea or stimulants, should never be kept where the
patient can see them or smell them.
"Light-colored clothing should be worn by those who have the care of
the sick, in preference to dark-colored apparel; particularly if the
disease is of a contagious nature. Experiments have shown that black
and other dark colors will absorb more readily the subtle effluvia
that emanates from sick persons than white or light colors."
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