Many people have a morbid curiosity to see the sick, especially if they are very sick. But if a patient is very sick, it is best that visitors be entirely excluded. A considerate person seldom visits a sick-room unless he can be of use to the patient or to the family.
But if the patient is not very sick, agreeable company may be of benefit to cheer and encourage. But visitors should not wear a gloomy countenance. They should not talk concerning sickness, but endeavor to turn the attention of the patient away from himself and his disease. Some who visit the sick-room love to relate their own ailments, and tell how much they suffer in almost every imaginable manner. Banish such from the room without ceremony. If religion or religious exercises are introduced, let the scriptures read, the word spoken, and the prayers offered, be trustful. The Psalms of David are always appropriate, as they breathe the spirit of penitence, of submission, and of trust. They are especially comforting to the sick and afflicted.—Pacific Health Journal.