If a sick child be peevish, attract his attention either by a toy or by an ornament; if he be cross, win him over to good humor by love, affection, and caresses, but let it be done gently and without noise. Do not let visitors see him; they will only excite, distract, and irritate him, and help to consume the oxygen of the atmosphere, and thus rob the air of its exhilarating health-giving qualities and purity; a sick-room, therefore, is not a proper place either for visitors or for gossips.
In selecting a sick-nurse, let her be gentle, patient, cheerful, quiet, and kind, but firm withal; she ought to be neither old nor young; if she be old, she is often garrulous and prejudiced, and thinks too much of her trouble; if she be young, she is frequently thoughtless and noisy; therefore choose a middle-aged women. Do not let there be in the sick-room more than, besides the mother, one efficient nurse; a great number can be of no service—they will only be in each other’s way, and will distract the patient.
Let stillness, especially if the head be the part affected, reign in a sick-room. Nurses at these times ought to wear slippers, and not shoes. Creaking shoes and rustling silk dresses ought not to be worn in sick-chambers—they are quite out of place there. If the child be asleep, or if he be dozing, perfect stillness must be enjoined, not even a whisper should be heard:
“In the sick-room be calm,
Move gently and with care,
Lest any jar or sudden noise
Come sharply unaware.
You cannot tell the harm,
The mischief it may bring,
To wake the sick one suddenly,