While a fever is often considered the result of an illness, it’s most often the result of improper bedding. The patient can’t be left to sleep in a bed that’s unclean, damp, too cold, or too warm. The sick bed should be built to properly serve both patient and nurse: just the right height and width for the patient to be properly elevated off the floor but not so wide that the nurse can’t reach across it. The bed shouldn’t be in a place that’s damp or dark and should always be properly prepared. While many would consider the bed care outside the nurse’s responsibility, the nurse’s duty is to ensure that the bed is made up correctly and provides the proper support for the patient (who will spend most of the time convalescing in bed).

Second in importance only to the need for fresh air is the need for sunlight. Being in the dark is detrimental to one’s health; light has a purifying effect on the environment. When possible, the bedroom and sick room should be different rooms so that each can be inundated with fresh air and sunlight by moving the patient from one room to the other.