from place to place.

Next remove the night gown in the following way: Let the patient lie on
her back, with her knees flexed; draw the gown up as far as possible,
then raise or get her to raise her hips so that the gown may be drawn up
above the waist. Next raise her head and shoulders with one arm and draw
the night gown up to the neck with the other; remove one sleeve, draw
the gown over the head and then off the other arm.

[Illustration: FIG. 16.--WASHING A PATIENT WITHOUT EXPOSURE. (_Sanders
"Modern Methods in Nursing."_)]

The patient is now ready for the bath. Wet the wash cloth thoroughly,
but hold it gathered in the hand so that it will not drip. Wash the
face, neck, and ears first, dry them thoroughly, and next, using the
second wash cloth, wash the arms and hands, chest and abdomen, giving
particular attention to the armpits and navel. Raise the blanket
slightly with one hand to keep it from becoming damp, but expose the
patient as little as possible; the arms and legs need not remain covered
while being washed. Dry each part thoroughly before washing the next.
Next turn the patient on her side and wash the back, the buttocks, and
upper part of the thighs; give special attention to the fold between the
buttocks. Then turn the patient on her back, and wash the thighs, legs,
and feet. If it is important to move the patient as little as possible,
leave the back until last so that the under sheet may be changed without
turning her again. Cut the toe nails if necessary before washing, and
clean them carefully afterward. Unless there is a reason to the
contrary, wash the hands and the feet in the basin, first protecting the
bed with a towel, newspaper, or clean wrapping paper. Be sure to clean
well between the toes, and to dry the feet thoroughly; they may need
some friction. Throughout the bath empty and refill the basin as
necessary.

Wash the genital region last. Let the patient lie upon her back with
knees flexed and separated, or upon one side with the knees flexed and
one slightly raised. Patients who are able may take this part of the
bath themselves with whatever assistance may be necessary. The
attendant, however, must either do it herself or make sure that the
patient does it thoroughly. To neglect a helpless patient is always
unkind, and no less unkind when the motive is a mistaken sense of
modesty. If discharge from the genitals is present use absorbent cotton,
or clean, soft old cloth to wash the