The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-03-14
NURSERY COOKERY.
DIET IN DISEASE.
BY Christine Terhune Herrick.

NCOntlnueQ from last Week)
When little one is In the grip of some
dangerous enemy, such as fever of al
most any sort, his diet must be settled
by the attending physician. Usually it
is very simple, and all that has been said
against overlooking or rich food may be
repeated and emphasized. More and
more doctors incline to a milk diet In
nearly every kind of a fever. This is the
case in scarlet fever, where the milk is
often varied by koumiss. Sometimes
cream soups and light gruels of farina,
arroWroot and the like are given. Occa-
sioRGly a small amount of ice cream, I'M
favored or with a little vanilla or lemon,
may be permitted, but everything eX-
cept milk Is usually ruled out, if the
child has the tendency to nephritis that
is distressingly prone to follow scarlet
fever. Even when the child is pro-
nounced convalescent, his diet must be
amplifed with extreme care, and it is
long time before it may be extended be-
yond simple cereals, cream toast, meat
jellies and bouillons, stewed fruits and
blanc mango.
KOUMISS.
Boil three cups of fresh milk, and when
it is nearly cold put it into quart bot
tie. Add to it half an ounce (about half
a tablespoonful of graduated white
sugar and a bit of a fresh yeast
cake about as large as small hazel nut.
Put in a strong new cork and tie this
down. Some persons prefer TO divide
the koumiss and put it into the beer bot
ties with patent fastenings. Keep the
bottles on the side in a cool place for
six days, shaking each bottle twice daily.
At the end of this time 1t should be ready
for use. Great care must be observed in
opening the bottle, or the contents will
fly all over the room. Prepared koumiss
may be procured at a druggists, but it
is always cheaper and sometimes more
convenient to make it at home.
Very much the same diet as that
recommended for convalescents from
scarlet fever may be given to children
suffering from whooping cough. The
disposition to vomit which often ac-
companies this disease renders it de-
sirable to give food that is easily assim-
Hated. Besides milk and cream toasts,
junkets and cereals, with plenty Of
cream, custards and eggs, peptonized
milk and koumiss, a little meat extract
may be added to the gruels and matted
preparations may often be used with
advantage. The food should be admin
istered often and in small quantities,
and in cases of extreme weakness 1t Is
sometimes wise to give eggnog or milk
punch.
TEMPERANCE EGGNOG.
Proceed as in the foregoing recipe, but
for the wine or spirits substitute few
drops of manila flavoring or Of some SIM
pie fruit syrup. The mixture thus made
will lack the stimulating powers of the
regular eggnog, but it will be very nutri-
tious, and will probably appeal more
strongly to a childs palate than the drink
containing liquor.
Frequent feelings are essential in
dlphtheria, where the strength of the
child must be kept up. and here, as in
mumps, tonslitis or quinsy, the food must
be so soft as to be swallowed with as lit
tie distress as possible to the infiamed
throat. The diet is of especial import
ance in diphtheria and should be under
| the physicians immediate supervision.
1t must be extremely nutritious, and as
it must usually be given in fluid form,
the mothers ingenuity is taxed to make
| the succession of gruels, broths and
milk preparations attractive to the child,
who by the very nature of the disease is
likely to manifest distaste for all food.
In diphtheria stimulants must often be
resorted 10, but they are seldom neces-
sary in mild cases of scarlet fever or
measles. In both of these troubles, as
we'll as in feverish colds, lemonade, not
over sweetened, may be drunk freely.
None of these complaints are the drain
upon the mothers heart and strength
that is made by long wasting illness or
chronic weakness, Then, indeed, must
she use all her thoughts to devise tempt
ing dishes, all her skill to render them
attractive. Mere convalescence sinks
into insignifcance compared with the
toll Of nourlshing, month after month, q
child afflicted with tuberculosis, chronic
gastritis, or impaired vitality.
(To be continued next week.)