A NEw and radically different kind of hospital bed, the CircOlectric, allows even the very ill patient to do many things for himself. The basic difference between this bed and the standard hospital bed is that it provides for vertical rather than lateral turning of the patient; electric power is used for turning the entire frame on which the patient lies. The patient can change his own position and posture frequently and, in addition, can be gotten out of bed easily. The CircOlectric bed also allows the nurse, unassisted, to turn the patient from the supine to the prone position, to raise him upright, and to place him in any position from Trendelenburg to erect stance. It is higher than the average hospital bed and thus provides a comfortable work level for the nurse. Accessories for the bed include various types of traction bars, suspension and exercise apparatus that attach to the hoop-like frame that supports the bed, restraining straps, and intravenous bottle holders. The posterior frame has a tight plastic cover which is kept taut by patented rubber fasteners. The mattress for this frame is 2-inch porous polyether foam, and, since it can be washed and autoclaved, no rubber sheet is needed. A circular, removable section in the mattress and openings in the special sheets that come with the bed make it