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Chapter 15—In the Sickroom
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Those who minister to the sick should understand the importance
of careful attention to the laws of health. Nowhere is obedience to
these laws more important than in the sickroom. Nowhere does
so much depend upon faithfulness in little things on the part of
the attendants. In cases of serious illness, a little neglect, a slight
inattention to a patient’s special needs or dangers, the manifestation
of fear, excitement, or petulance, even a lack of sympathy, may turn
the scale that is balancing life and death, and cause to go down to
the grave a patient who otherwise might have recovered.
The efficiency of the nurse depends, to a great degree, upon phys-
ical vigor. The better the health, the better will she be able to endure
the strain of attendance upon the sick, and the more successfully
can she perform her duties. Those who care for the sick should give
special attention to diet, cleanliness, fresh air, and exercise. Like
carefulness on the part of the family will enable them also to endure
the extra burdens brought upon them, and will help to prevent them
from contracting disease.
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their
strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they
shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and
not faint.”
Isaiah 40:31
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Where the illness is serious, requiring the attendance of a nurse
night and day, the work should be shared by at least two efficient
nurses, so that each may have opportunity for rest and for exercise
in the open air. This is especially important in cases where it is
difficult to secure an abundance of fresh air in the sickroom. Through
ignorance of the importance of fresh air, ventilation is sometimes
restricted, and the lives of both patient and attendant are often in
danger.
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