The Medicine Closet.—Even in the household where every member is strong and healthy, there ought to be in reserve all sorts of simple medi cines and emergency requirements, which are ready at the moment need ed. The medicine closet should be high enough to be out of the reach of children's bands. If made of wood, enamel it white inside and out, thus making it very easy to keep clean. Put a secure lock on the door and keep the key where it can be found instantly by anyone in the household. Divide the shelves into different departments for all sorts of needs. In one side store everything that is poisonous, or in any way dan gerous. In another, keep rolls of an tiseptic gauze, absorbent cotton, ster ilized linen, bags for poultices, lint, surgeon's plaster, finger stalls, rubber bandages, and court-plaster. Reserve one shelf for such common, everyday remedies as calomel, camphor, cas tor oil, cascara sagrada, Epsom salts, Jamaica ginger, glycerin, pare goric, ipecac, limewater, magnesia, sweet spirits of niter, oil of pepper mint, quinine, rhubarb, senna, sul phonal, flowers of sulphur. Upon another keep such drugs as are used for cleansing wounds or bruises and healing burns, also things to be used in cases of emergency, as alcohol, bo Tacic acid, alum, carbolic acid, arnica, borax, charcoal, collodion, witch-hazel, iodofortn, turpentine, dioxygen, lis terine, and percudde. There ought to be a corner for poultice and plaster necessities. There one would find mustard, flaxseed, oil silk, bran, lin seed meal, and antiphlogistine. Here, too, have small supplies kept together of such things as might have to be looked for in different parts of the house: carbonate of soda, ammonia, whisky and brandy, olive oil, sweet oil, camphorated oil, limewater, and oil liniment.
Save every morsel of old linen as it comes from the laundry, for emergencies. Cut it into strips two to three inches wide and join them, laying one end upon the other, and sewing around the edge. Cut off rav elings, then begin at one end and roll up. Make as many of these rolls as will go into a wide-mouthed fruit jar. Fill the top with absorbent cotton, set the j ar upon a trivet in a kettle of cold water deep enough to have the water come nearly to the neck, and allow it to come almost to the boiling point. The jar will need a weight laid across the top to hold it steady. Keep the water about 180° F. for three hours. Lift off the ket tle, and let stand until water becomes cold. Then take the jar dut, screw on the top tightly, wipe, and put away. The linen will then be so per fectly sterilized that in using it there will be no possible danger of infect ing a fresh wound. Save old pocket handkerchiefs and bits of soft linen and lawn for poultice bags, making them of different sizes—some as large as an eight-inch square, others just big enough to poultice a boil. Stitch them around three sides on the ma chine, then they can be tied tightly at the neck. When they are wanted, fill the bag half full of whatever the poultice is made of and press it into shape between the palms. When poulticing a boil, lay over it first a scrap of thin sterilized linen mois tened with olive oil and on top of that place the hot poultice. When poultices must be applied very hot, fill three bags and keep them in the oven, where two can be kept as hot as possible. After putting the poul tice on; cover with several folds of old flannel, which helps to retain the heat. In making mustard plasters, mix with the white of an egg instead of water, as it has all the drawing power necessary, yet it never blisters the skin. Use half mustard and half
flour, then cover the top of the plas ter with thin old linen.
The Sick Room.—Perfect ventila tion, a sunny exposure, and, if pos sible, a fireplace, which has much to do with keeping the air pure, are necessary for the sick room; which should be kept perfectly neat and clean in every detail. A bare floor with a few small rugs, which can be taken up and shaken, is very much better than a carpet, or even matting. A string mop, used noiselessly about the floor, •carries away all the dirt without raising dust. The bed should be placed so the patient can be shut off from any draughts, also in a po sition that will not allow the sun or a gas light to glare in his eyes. A sin gle bed is far better than a double one, for various reasons. The best frame is of iron or brass with a woven wire or national spring, both of which can readily be kept clean and free from dust. It ought to be set on strong, noiseless casters, so it can be moved quietly and easily when ever necessary. The higher the bed the better, as it is much easier for a nurse to lift a helpless patient when not obliged to bend very low. If obliged to use a double bed, try to have the patient sleep on one side during the day, leaving the other side comfortable for night. A good hair or felt mattress is a necessity, and it ought to be in one piece, as steady use of a divided mattress is liable to make it slip around and become very uncomfortable. Cotton sheets are su perior to linen, even in summer, when coolness is desired, because cotton is not a quick producer of heat, and it does not absorb perspiration, as linen does, afterwards chilling the body. Wool blankets, light or warm, ac cording to the season of the year, are much better than a comfortable. A dimity covering or linen sheet is more comfortable than a heavy Mar seilles counterpane. The pillows are better thin and narrow than thick and square.
The furniture of a sick room should be as simple as possible; all heavy draperies and upholstered chairs being removed. Thin muslin curtains add to the cheerfulness, and a dark shade, if there are no outside shut ters, is almost a necessit3r during long summer days, when the chamber has to be darkened during sleeping hours. A small table that is steady on its legs and light enough to be easily lifted, is a necessary article of furniture. Do not allow it, however, to get piled up with all sorts of use less things. Keep it covered with a clean towel and reserve it for the necessary articles which should be found there: the thermometer in its glass of borax water, a pad and pen cil, which may be needed auring the doctor's visit, and movable hand screen, to use on occasions when the patient wishes to be shaded from the light. A small night lamp, which burns with a dull glow, is frequently a necessity. If sick nursing has to be done during cold weather, when artificial heat is necessary, try to al leviate the dryness of the atmos phere. This can be done by keeping a basin of water upon the radiator, or setting before the register a three fold screen of cheese cloth, which should be kept constantly wet. A light screen is another sick-room ne cessity. The best is one of plain bamboo, which does not hold dust, the panels made of some washable stuff run on rods, so they can be quickly changed for laundering. If possible, have no plumbing fixtures in a sick room, and when it opens into a bath room keep the adjoining door closed as much as possible.