1. FlorenceNightingale1898
NotesonNursingWhatItIs,andWhatItIsNot
CLEANLINESSOFROOMSANDWALLS.
Cleanlinessofcarpetsandfurniture.
Itcannotbenecessarytotella nursethatsheshouldbeclean,orthatsheshouldkeepherpatientclean,--
seeing thatthegreaterpartofnursing consistsinpreserving cleanliness.No ventilationcanfreshena
roomorwardwherethemostscrupulouscleanlinessisnotobserved.Unlessthewindbeblowing
throughthewindowsattherateof twentymilesanhour,dusty carpets,dirty wainscots,musty curtains
andfurniture,will infallibly produceaclosesmell.I havelivedinalargeandexpensively furnished
Londonhouse,wheretheonlyconstantinmateintwo veryloftyrooms,withoppositewindows, was
myself,andyet,owing to theabove-mentioned dirty circumstances,noopening of windowscouldever
keepthoseroomsfreefrom closeness;butthecarpetandcurtainshavingbeenturnedoutof therooms
altogether,they becameinstantly asfreshascouldbewished.Itispurenonsenseto say thatinLondona
roomcannotbekeptclean.Manyofourhospitalsshow theexactreverse.
Dustneverremovednow.
Butno particleof dustiseverorcaneverberemovedorreallygotridofbythepresentsystem of dusting.
Dusting inthesedaysmeansnothing butflappingthedustfrom onepartofa roomontoanotherwith
doorsandwindowsclosed.WhatyoudoitforI cannotthink.Youhadmuchbetterleavethedustalone,
if youarenotgoingtotakeitawayaltogether.Forfrom thetimearoom beginsto bea roomuptothe
timewhenitceasesto beone,nooneatomofdusteveractuallyleavesitsprecincts.Tidying a room
meansnothing nowbutremoving a thing fromoneplace,whichithaskeptcleanforitself,onto another
anda dirtierone. Flapping bywayofcleaning isonly admissibleinthecaseof pictures,oranythingmade
of paper.Theonly wayIknowto removedust,theplagueofallloversoffreshair,isto wipeeverything
witha dampcloth.Andallfurnitureoughttobeso madeasthatitmaybewipedwitha dampcloth
withoutinjurytoitself,andso polishedasthatitmay bedampedwithoutinjurytoothers.To dust,asit
isnowpractised,truly meansto distributedustmoreequally overaroom.
Floors.
Asto floors,theonly really cleanfloorIknowistheBerlinlackeredfloor,whichiswetrubbedanddry

2. rubbedeverymorning to removethedust.TheFrenchparquetisalwaysmoreorlessdusty, although
infinitely superiorinpointofcleanlinessandhealthinessto ourabsorbentfloor.
Fora sickroom, acarpetisperhapstheworstexpedientwhichcouldby anypossibility havebeen
invented.If youmusthavea carpet,theonlysafety isto takeituptwoorthreetimesa year,insteadof
once.Adirty carpetliterally infectstheroom.Andif youconsidertheenormousquantityoforganic
matterfromthefeetof peoplecomingin,whichmustsaturateit,thisisby nomeanssurprising.
Papered,plastered,oil-paintedwalls.
Asforwalls,theworstisthepaperedwall;thenextworstisplaster.Buttheplastercanberedeemed by
frequentlime-washing;thepaperrequiresfrequentrenewing.Aglazedpapergetsridof a gooddeal of
thedanger.Buttheordinarybed-room paperisall thatitoughtnottobe.
Thecloseconnectionbetweenventilationandcleanlinessisshowninthis.Anordinarylightpaperwill
lastcleanmuchlongerifthereisanArnott's ventilatorinthechimneythanitotherwisewould.Thebest
wallnowextantisoilpaint.From this youcanwashtheanimal exuviæ. Thesearewhat makea room
musty.
Bestkindofwallforasick-room.
Thebestwallfora sick-roomorwardthatcouldbe madeispurewhitenon-absorbentcementorglass,
orglazedtiles,ifthey weremadesightly enough.Aircanbesoiledjustlikewater.Ifyoublow intowater
youwill soilitwiththeanimal matterfrom yourbreath.So itiswithair.Airisalwayssoiled ina room
wherewallsandcarpetsaresaturatedwithanimal exhalations.Wantofcleanliness,then,inroomsand
wards,whichyouhaveto guardagainst,mayariseinthreeways.
Dirtyairfromwithout.
Dirty aircoming infromwithout,soiledby seweremanations,theevaporationfrom dirty streets,
smoke,bitsof unburntfuel,bitsofstraw,bitsofhorsedung.
Bestkindofwallforahouse.
If peoplewouldbutcovertheoutsidewallsof theirhouseswithplainorencaustic tiles,whatan
incalculable improvementwouldtherebeinlight,cleanliness,dryness,warmth,andconsequently
economy.Theplay ofa fire-enginewouldtheneffectually washtheoutsideofa house.Thiskindof
wallingwouldstandnextto pavinginimprovingthehealthof towns.
Dirtyairfromwithin.
Dirty aircoming from within,from dust,whichyouoftendisplace,butneverremove.Andthisrecalls

3. what oughttobea sinequa non.Haveasfewledgesinyourroomorwardaspossible.Andunderno
pretencehaveanyledgewhatever out-of sight.Dustaccumulatesthere,andwill neverbewipedoff.
Thisisa certainway to soil theair.Besidesthis,theanimal exhalationsfrom yourinmatessaturateyour
furniture.Andif younevercleanyourfurnitureproperly,how canyourroomsor wardsbeanything but
musty? Ventilateasyouplease,theroomswill neverbesweet.Besidesthis,thereisa constant
degradation,asitiscalled,taking placefromeverything exceptpolishedorglazedarticles--E.g.in
colouring certaingreenpapersarsenicisused.Nowintheverydusteven, whichislying aboutinrooms
hungwiththiskindof greenpaper,arsenic hasbeendistinctly detected.Youseeyourdustisanything
butharmless;yetyouwillletsuchdustlieaboutyourledgesformonths,yourroomsforever.Again,the
firefillstheroomwithcoal-dust.
Dirtyairfromthecarpet.
Dirty aircoming from thecarpet.Aboveall,takecareof thecarpets, thattheanimal dirtleftthereby the
feetof visitorsdoesnotstay there.Floors,unlessthegrainisfilledupandpolished,arejustasbad.The
smell from thefloorofaschool-roomorward,whenanymoisturebringsouttheorganic matterby
whichitissaturated,mightalonebeenoughtowarnusofthemischief thatisgoingon.
Remedies.
Theouterair,then,canonly bekeptcleanby sanitaryimprovements,andby consumingsmoke.The
expenseinsoap,whichthissingleimprovementwouldsave,isquiteincalculable.Theinsideaircanonly
bekeptcleanby excessivecareinthewaysmentionedabove--to ridthewalls,carpets,furniture,ledges,
&c.,of theorganicmatteranddust--dustconsisting greatly of thisorganic matter--withwhichthey
becomesaturated,andwhichiswhat reallymakestheroom musty. Withoutcleanliness,youcannot
havealltheeffectof ventilation;withoutventilation,youcanhaveno thoroughcleanliness.
Veryfewpeople,bethey ofwhat classthey may,haveanyidea of theexquisitecleanlinessrequired in
thesick-room. FormuchofwhatI havesaidapplieslessto thehospital thanto theprivatesick-room.
Thesmoky chimney,thedusty furniture,theutensilsemptiedbutoncea day,oftenkeeptheairof the
sickconstantly dirty inthebestprivatehouses.
Thewell haveacurioushabitofforgetting thatwhat is to them buta trifling inconvenience,to be
patiently "put up"with,isto thesicka sourceof suffering,delaying recovery,ifnotactually hastening
death.Thewell arescarcely evermorethaneighthours,atmost,inthesameroom.Somechangethey
canalwaysmake,ifonlyforafewminutes.Evenduring thesupposedeighthours,they canchangetheir
postureortheirposition intheroom. Butthesickmanwho neverleaveshisbed,who cannotchangeby

4. anymovementof hisownhisair,orhislight,orhiswarmth;who cannotobtainquiet,orgetoutofthe
smoke,orthesmell,orthedust;heisreally poisonedordepressedby whatisto youthemeresttrifle.
"What can'tbecuredmustbeendured,"isthevery worstandmostdangerousmaximforanursewhich
everwasmade.Patienceandresignationinherarebutotherwordsforcarelessnessorindifference --
contemptible,ifinregardto herself;culpable,ifinregardto hersick.
FOOTNOTES
Howaroomisdusted.
If youliketo cleanyourfurnitureby layingoutyourcleanclothesuponyourdirty chairsorsofa,thisis
onewaycertainlyof doing it.Having witnessedthemorning processcalled"tidying theroom,"formany
years,andwithever-increasing astonishment,I candescribewhatitis.From the chairs,tables,orsofa,
uponwhichthe"things" havelainduring thenight,andwhicharethereforecomparatively cleanfrom
dustorblacks,thepoor"things" having "caught" it,they areremovedto otherchairs,tables,sofas,upon
whichyoucouldwrite yournamewithyourfingerinthedustorblacks.Theothersideof the"things" is
thereforenowevenly dirtiedordusted.Thehousemaidthenflapseverything,orsomethings,notoutof
herreach,witha thing calledaduster--thedustfliesup,thenre-settlesmoreequallythanitlaybefore
theoperation.Theroomhasnowbeen"put to rights."
Atmosphereinpaintedandpaperedroomsquitedistinguishable.
I am surethatapersonwho hasaccustomedhersensesto compareatmospheresproperandimproper,
forthesickandforchildren,couldtell,blindfold,thedifferenceof theairinoldpaintedandinold
paperedrooms,coeteris paribus.Thelatterwillalwaysbedusty, evenwithallthewindowsopen.
Howtokeepyourwallcleanattheexpenseofyour clothes.
If youliketo wipeyourdirty door,orsomeportionofyourdirty wall,byhanging upyourcleangownor
shawl againstitona peg,thisisoneway certainly,andthemostusual way,andgenerallytheonlywayof
cleaning eitherdoororwallin abedroom.