=Danger of Expired Air.= After giving him the tin cup and fillers, the nurse must then give the patient a supply of paper napkins, and explain their purpose. These are primarily intended to hold over the mouth when coughing. The nurse must explain that bacilli are liberated in great numbers during these coughing attacks, and that it is harmful to live in a room filled with these invisible organisms. Most patients, knowing themselves to be infected, are indifferent to the welfare of those about them. Therefore, in trying to make him careful, the nurse will have to appeal to his selfish instincts, and show that what is bad for other people is equally bad for him, and so diminishes his chances of improvement. It is comparatively easy to instruct a patient in the use of his sputum cup, but to obtain any sort of carefulness in this equally grave matter—liberation of bacilli in the expired air—is well-nigh impossible. This is partly due to the nature of the disease—in its most infectious stages, the patient is so racked with paroxysms of coughing, that it is impossible for him to keep his mouth covered, or to think of anything except his own sufferings. On the street, these paper napkins may be used to spit into, the patient carrying them home again in the waterproof pocket pinned inside his coat. Fine details of this sort are difficult to insist upon, however—the convenience of the street and of the gutter making a stronger appeal than any newly acquired æsthetic valuations. This is of minor importance, however; the real danger lies in the home. =Isolation of Dishes.= The consumptive should have special dishes provided for him, which should never be used by any other member of the household. If the family can afford it, they should buy dishes of a special pattern, unlike those in general use, since in this way the chances of mixing them are greatly lessened. Otherwise, constant care must be taken to keep them apart. The patient’s dishes should stand on their own corner of the shelf, be washed in a separate dishpan, and dried with a special towel. Once a week, for general cleanliness’ sake, they should be boiled. Any dish which may have got mixed with them, or has inadvertently been used by the patient, should be boiled before being used again in the household. The patient need not necessarily know that his dishes are isolated, since details of this kind are explained to the family rather than to the sick man. If he is a bed patient, it is an easy matter to isolate his dishes, without his knowledge; when he is up and about, it is much harder. Patients are particularly sensitive about this, and some families, rather than risk hurting the feelings of the invalid, prefer to boil the dishes after every meal. This adds so much to the work of the busy household that after a time all attempts at isolation are dropped. This matter calls for considerable vigilance on the part of the nurse.