Evening star., 1898-02-18
THE DIET. OF DYsPEPTICS.
What They Should Eat and Wha

"hat Ihey should Eat and What
Not.
DR.. Max Enhorn before the New York Academy
of Medicine.
How shall we treat such dyspeptcs? ?
Medicaments are not of much value, or
play only a subordinate part. The main
factor lies. in proper nourishment These
PATIENTS, who have abstained from most
kinds of food for years, must now learn
anew to eat. Their stomach and intes-
tines very quickly adapt themselves to
this new condition. First, and above all,
it is of Importance to increase the quantity
of nourishment; second, to provide a sulii-
cient variety of foods. In order to i'm
prove nutrition, two articles of food, which
hitherto have been often avoided by lay
men as.well as physicians, play an import
ant part. 1 mean bread and butter Bread
ferns one-third of the total amount of in
gested food in health, and, besides having
nutritive value serves the purpose of in
creasing the flow of saliva during it's mas
tication. 1t also creates an appetite for
other food. Butter not only improves the
taste of various kinds of food, but is also
in itself nutriment OF the greatest i'm
pCrtance. The great number of calories
which butter contains Zone hundred grams
give eight hundred and thirty-seven hea.
units, while the same amount of bread
develops about two hundred and seven
teen) shows this in the clearest manner.
Another advantage which butter presents
is that its volume is only about one-third
that of bread. A patient taking about
one-quarter of a pound of butter day
receives Herewith more than one-half of
the heat units required. This quantity of
butter is well borne by most of the pa
ticnts.
AS nutrition plays the principal part in
the treatment of these patients, it will not
be amiss to give a few hints with regard
to it's management. To begin with, it does
not appear advisable to permit patients
who have abstained for a long while from
the coarser varieties of food everything at
once. This abrupt change may at times
be the cause of various unpleasant symp-
toms; therefore, it should be accomplished
gradually. At first give, besides milk,
gruels, and thickened soups, eggs beaten
up in milk etc. A few days later begin
to add to this bill of fare zwieback or
crackers with butter; then permit meat,
the white of chicken and well-scraped
beef; next rlashed potatoes, soft boiled or
scrambled eggs, oysters; at last allow
vegetables and. fruits An essential point
with regard to nutrition is punctuality in
the taking of meals. In most of these
cases, in which a gain in weight is OF
great Importance. frequent meals five or
six daily will be advisable. Although 1t
does not appear advantageous to prescribe
for the patent the quantities of the various
foods in exact weight (grams or ounces)-
as by so doing they are too easily remind
ed of their ability or inability to digest
this or that quantity and not more-it is
nevertheless of value to mention approxi-
mate figures, by which they may be guided
or below which they shall not CO. Thus,
for example, they may be told to eat as
much as their neishbors at table, or that
they shall take ten ounces of milk at this
or that meal; orr as I frequently advise,
that they shall consume one-quarter of a
pound of butter b day. Emphasize those
points which appear to be the most i'm
L. H.
erty in an otherc particulars. We must
strive to familiarizet the patient with the
idea that, ample nourishment will strength
en- his organs Qnciuding the stomach and
intestines) and we must always endeayor
to dispel the fear of food with which he is
harassed.