It is extremely important, then, first to be sure that the patient's will to be well is not hampered by unfortunate psychic factors and secondly, that his courage shall be stimulated to the greatest possible degree. Fresh air is the most important adjuvant for this that we have. The outdoor air gives a man the courage to dissipate dreads and makes him feel that he can accomplish what seemed impossible before. Undoubtedly this is one of the favorable effects of the fresh-air treatment of pneumonia, for it makes people mentally ever so much less morbid. The patient's surroundings must be made as encouraging as possible and there must be no signs of anxious solicitude, no long faces, no weeping, and as far as possible, no disturbance about business affairs that might make him think that a fatal termination was {195} feared. His will to get well must be fostered in every possible way and obstacles removed. This is why it has been so well said in recent years that good nursing is the most important part of the treatment of pneumonia. This does not mean that a good nurse can replace a physician, but that both must coordinate their efforts to making the patient just as comfortable as possible, so that he will feel assured that everything that should be, is being done for him, and that it is only a question of being somewhat uncomfortable for a few days and he will surely get well. Sunny rooms, smiling faces, flowers at his bedside, cheerful greetings, all these, by adding to the patient's euphoria, bolster up his will and make him feel that after all, thousands of people have suffered from pneumonia and recovered from it, and there is no reason why he should not, provided that he will not interfere with his own recovery. {196} CHAPTER XIII COUGHS AND COLDS "The power and corrigible authority of this lies in our wills." _Othello_.