Noise and Disease.--Perhaps nothing shows more the lack of human feeling in many people than the manner in which they inflict sore distress on the sick and dying by means of noise. Moreover, recovery is retarded, and has sometimes been wholly prevented, by nothing but a _noise_. It must be understood that talking, and also singing, which are delightful to some, become intolerable pain to the delicate and weak. They really are _worn out_ by them. And the wearing out is _real_: it is a destruction of nerve substance, when the nerve of the patient is already too feeble. Shutting doors violently, and the endless "house noises," must be avoided. Even a long, loud prayer at the bedside of the sick is utterly out of place. It may become necessary, in order to prevent such abuses, to exclude from the sick-room some who will be greatly offended thereby; but courage to defend a patient against well-meaning intruders is one essential qualification of a good nurse. Oil doors that _squeak_, fasten windows that _rattle_, but above all keep quiet the tongues that _clatter_. Let all whispering in the sick one's hearing be avoided. Speak quietly but distinctly, so that the patient may not think you are hiding anything from him. Wrap the coals in pieces of paper, so that they can be put on the fire by hand, avoiding the noise of shovel or tongs. No one has a right to do what distresses others, and especially when they are sick. This principle should guide action. Acting thus will give untold rest and ease to the troubled. Nostrils, The.--The disease called Polypus, affecting the mouth or nostril with growths which are usually removed by force, is one of those troubles curable by proper use of vinegar or weak acetic acid. The extraction of the Polypi is painful, and we have ourselves seen them so completely cured, that it is a pity not to make very widely known a method of avoiding extraction. A small glass syringe or a "nasal douche" (rubber is best) should be got, such as may easily be used for syringing the nostrils, or gums, if the growth be on these. Syringe the growths well with vinegar or ACETIC ACID (_see_), so diluted with water as only _very slightly_ to smart when it is applied. Use this slightly warm, and force it well up the nostril, so that it goes even back into the throat. This should be done for a considerable time: not so as to feel painful, but long enough to produce a decided effect, which remains on ceasing. Dry the nostrils with a little soft lint or clean rag, and force in a little fine almond oil. Do all this twice a day for a fortnight at least. In a bad case, a BRAN POULTICE (_see_) may be applied to the back of the head and neck, coming down over the spine between the shoulders. Similar growths on other membranes, if accessible, may be cured by acid in a similar way. This treatment is excellent for an ordinary cold in the head.