t as directed in Angina Pectoris.

If pain in some part, as in a nursing breast or tender lung, indicates
inflammatory action there, cold towels may be applied to that part
while this fomentation is on. Renew the cold cloth as often as the
patient feels it agreeable, keeping up the heat of the fomentation all
the time. Increase the size of the cold cloth if the patient finds this
pleasant; stop if it becomes unpleasant. Many serious troubles are
checked in the first stage by treatment on these simple lines.

Sick Headache.--_See_ Headache.

Sitting (or Sitz) Bath.--This bath, in whatever form administered, is
essentially a sitting in cold water with the feet out. The feet, in
fact, are better to be warmly covered up while the patient sits in the
bath. The most important thing to be considered in all such baths is
the degree of vitality possessed by the patient. If he has much
vitality, then the bath may be deep and longer continued--as long as
even forty minutes. If the vitality be low, the bath must be brief and
very shallow--it may be even necessary to make it as short as _one
minute_, or even less. In some cases, as a beginning, a mere dip is all
that is required. This leaves a large discretion to the nurse, and is a
matter which common sense should be able to decide. To try a short bath
first, and repeat it several times, rather than to give one long one,
is the safest plan. It will soon be found out how much the patient can
bear. If the vitality be so low as to make the simple sitz-bath a
danger, the feet may be immersed, for the one or two minutes of the
bath, in a small bath of hot water, and the patient well wrapped up all
over in warm blankets.

In some cases it is necessary to _pour_ cold water on relaxed organs,
which, especially with females, will sometimes not be braced up by mere
immersion. But such pouring must be done with caution. Half-a-minute of
it is _a long time_; one quarter-of-a-minute or less will usually be
enough, even in important cases. If longer applications have only done
harm, then let our friends try the one-minute bath, or the
quarter-minute stream of water. In many cases we have known this make
all right. Such short baths may be taken twice or thrice a day.

Skin, Care of.--Among the vast majority of people air and water far too
seldom touch the skin. Want of water makes it unclean, and want of
water and air make it slow in reaction. Now, a healthy skin is of the
utmost value