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,
Besides the suffering.
The broken sleep excites
Fresh pain, increased distress;
The quiet slumber undisturb'd
Soothes pain and restlessness.
Sleep is the gift of God:
Oh! bear these words at heart,—
'He giveth his beloved sleep,'
And gently do thy part."
If there be other children, let them be removed to a distant part of the house; or, if the disease be of an infectious nature, let them be sent away from home altogether.
In all illnesses—and bear in mind the following is most important advice—a child must be encouraged to try and make water, whether he ask or not, at least four times during the twenty-four hours; and at any other time, if
