A large collection of furniture interferes with the nursing, and also increases the difficulty of keeping the room free of dust. It is sound advice, therefore, to remove everything which will not serve some good purpose during the delivery. Should any article be wanted later, it can be brought back to its accustomed place. The furniture may be conveniently limited to a bed, a bureau, a washstand, a table, and several chairs, one of them a large, comfortable rocker, which will prove invaluable during the early part of labor. To approach perfect conditions, bric-a-brac, needless hangings, and everything that might collect dust should be temporarily removed. A profusion of pictures does not accord with the best sanitation of a room devoted to the treatment of obstetrical patients; those which are to be left upon the wall ought to be taken down and wiped carefully with a damp cloth. Other desirable preparations would be instinctively undertaken by the modern housekeeper, and it may seem presumption to mention that the room itself ought to be subjected to most thorough cleaning. It is well to leave the floor bare or merely covered with freshly cleaned rugs. Carpeting is difficult to protect against soiling and is not sanitary. If left down, the carpet should be covered with some suitable material, firmly stretched and tacked in place. We know that the air in most households does not contain disease- producing bacteria; but the presence of any contagious disease materially alters the situation, and may imperil the convalescence of an obstetrical patient. Preferably, one should never select a room in which there has lately been sickness, and under no circumstances may such a room be used until carefully fumigated. The more conspicuous diseases which for at least several months absolutely disqualify an apartment for obstetrical purposes are diphtheria, pneumonia, pleurisy, erysipelas, scarlet fever, typhoid fever, tuberculosis of all varieties, and every sort of discharging sore. When possible, two adjoining rooms should be given over to the mother and the infant; if this is impracticable, the single room should be large, easily ventilated, well lighted, and heated in such a way as to permit a change of temperature without difficulty. All these features help to make convalescence comfortable and free from petty annoyances. A room which has a southern or eastern exposure proves grateful for those who must remain indoors; frequently, this will be beyond reach, but a room getting the sun's rays directly during part of the day will always be available, and the selection should be made with that requirement in mind. At the time of birth and for the first few days which follow, a patient may not appreciate this feature; ultimately she will understand the need of sunlight better than the need for the more technical, and therefore the more impressive, preparations.