... delayed according to the circumstances or priorities. One such basic procedure is bathing. Webster and Thompson (1988) describe how bathing has been, throughout history, associated with physical, emotional, and social well being; and how today, society seems to regard hygiene as a high priority. Henderson and Nite (1978) consider that cleanliness is essential to a normal physical and mental state and point out that many diseases inhibit physiological functions such as lacrimation, salivation, and sweating, that, in a sense, cleanse the body so that "cleansing processes inadequate in health may have to be modified in sickness." Nightingale (1859) considered that leaving a patient unwashed was interfering injuriously with the natural process of health just as effectively as if she were to give the patient poison. During their time of study in nursing, the majority of nurses, if not all, have come across literature supporting the importance and necessity of bathing ...

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