furnishes an excellent nourishment for the sick, but there are
few, even among professional nurses who know how to properly prepare it.
We give three good recipes. One method is to chip up lean beef, put it
in a porcelain or tin saucepan, cover it with _cold_ water, and bring it
up to just below the boiling point, at which temperature _retain it_ for
ten minutes, then season and serve. Another method is similar to the
foregoing, with this difference, that the juices of the meat are
squeezed through a piece of muslin or crash, making the tea richer.
Another way, which we consider preferable to either of the above, is to
take lean beef, cut it into fine bits, put them in a tightly covered
vessel, which is placed in a kettle of water kept boiling. Thus the
whole strength of the juice will be obtained from the meat without
losing any of its properties. It can be seasoned to the taste, and
reduced with water to suit the needs of the patient.

SLEEP is "Nature's grand restorer, a balm to all mankind; the best
comforter of that sad heart whom fortune's spite assails." It is
necessary in health, and doubly so in sickness. During sleep, the vital
energies recuperate, the forces are less rapidly expended, and the
strength increases. It is the great source of rest and refreshment.
Often a day's rest in bed, free from the cares and anxieties of an
active life, is sufficient to ward off the approach of disease. If quiet
and rest are essential to recuperation in health, their necessity in
disease must be apparent. Life frequently depends on tranquility and
repose, and the least noise or confusion disturbs the sufferer and
diminishes the chances of recovery. Nothing annoys sick or nervous
persons more than whispering and the rustling of newspapers. If
conversation be necessary, let the tones be modified, but never whisper.
In sickness, when the vital forces are low, the more natural rest and
sleep the patient obtains, the greater is the prospect for recovery. As
a rule, _a patient should never be awakened when sleeping quietly_, not
even to take _medicine_, unless in _extreme cases_. If the patient does
not sleep, the cause should be ascertained and the appropriate remedies
employed; if it arise from rush of blood to the head, cooling lotions
should be applied, and warmth to the feet; if, from restlessness or
general irritability, a sponge bath, followed by friction should be
administered; if the wakefulness is due to noise or confusi