In the setting of a tray there is a right and wrong method, as in everything else. It is not sufficient to have the dishes and the tray cloth spotlessly clean, but the method of arranging the various dishes should have in view the patient getting the food with the greatest ease. A moderate size tray is preferable. The very large trays are cumbersome and awkward and it is difficult to arrange the small trays to advantage. In the center of the side of the tray that will be placed nearest to the patient should be the plate, with the knife, fork and spoons, arranged in their proper places on either side. At the right hand should be placed the teacup and saucer, and on the left the bread and butter plate, or the individual butter dish. Back of the teacup is placed the small tea or coffee pot. Thoughtless nurses often reverse the position of the teapot and teacup, making it necessary for the patient to reach over the teapot to the back of the tray every time he wants a drink. In the center of the back part of the tray, or the part farthest from the patient, the little sugar and cream vessels should be arranged, and in the left-hand corner of the same side the dessert. The pepper and salt bottles and other small articles may be arranged as space will permit. It is well to have a regular custom established of emptying the sugar vessels and washing them after each meal. Crumbs are dropped in or they become smeared with a wet spoon, and unless the regular emptying and washing after each meal is insisted on, the housekeeper can never be sure they are properly clean. Salt and pepper bottles should be examined daily, and the outside washed after each meal also. It is so easy to overlook this small matter and send empty salt bottles on the tray. The food may be served hot and really be appetizing, save that it needs more salt to suit the patient’s taste. If a bell has to be rung, and a nurse summoned to get the salt, the meal may have cooled and the appetite for it have waned, before it arrives. These may seem small things to dilate upon, but in reality they are the real test of the quality of management. A chain is no stronger than its weakest link, and real success in a hospital demands attention to these apparently trivial details. These trivial details are large to the patient and have much to do with keeping him happy and comfortable. It is not sufficient to provide good food and prepare it carefully. It is only what the patient really eats and assimilates that is a factor in his recovery, and the best meal may be spoiled by lack of attention to the details of serving. The idiosyncracies of patients are nowhere more in evidence than where their food is concerned, and while they are sick, these idiosyncracies and tastes should be considered as far as possible with their highest interest in view.