MH page 221

So far as possible an even temperature should be maintained in the sickroom. The thermometer should be consulted. Those who have the care of the sick, being often deprived of sleep or awakened in the night to attend to the patient, are liable to chilliness and are not good judges of a healthful temperature.

Attendants should use a thermometer to maintain an even temperature in the sickroom because sleep deprivation impairs their perception of temperature. The paragraph addresses the physiological effects of sleep deprivation on temperature judgment in caregivers.

An important part of the nurse's duty is the care of the patient's diet. The patient should not be allowed to suffer or become unduly weakened through lack of nourishment, nor should the enfeebled digestive powers be overtaxed. Care should be taken so to prepare and serve the food that it will be palatable, but wise judgment should be used in adapting it to the needs of the patient, both in quantity and quality. In times of convalescence especially, when the appetite is keen, before the digestive organs have recovered strength, there is great danger of injury from errors in diet.

Diet in the sickroom must be carefully managed to avoid undernourishment while protecting enfeebled digestive powers from overtaxation. The passage outlines nutritional management principles for sick and convalescing patients, balancing adequate nourishment with digestive capacity.

Nurses, and all who have to do with the sickroom, should be cheerful, calm, and self-possessed. All hurry, excitement, or confusion, should be avoided. Doors should be opened and shut with care, and the whole household be kept quiet. In cases of fever, special care is needed when the crisis comes and the fever is passing away. Then constant watching is often necessary. Ignorance, forgetfulness, and recklessness have caused the death of many who might have lived had they received proper care from judicious, thoughtful nurses.

Maintain a quiet, calm, and cheerful environment in the sickroom, exercising special vigilance during fever crises. The paragraph highlights the need for quiet, calm management and heightened vigilance during critical phases of fever.