The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-02-05

ready served to the patient too soon
| nor delayed until the appetite is gone
When very light nourishment. such
as liquids are served, they are given al
more frequent intervals than when the
invalid reaches a normal diet. There
must be sufficient time for rest, how
ever, between the feelings 1t requires
a close study to gauge to nicely IN
cases of extreme debility and exhaus-
ton from ravages of disease just what
amount of food will increase the
strength of the patient while its assiml-
lation does not oVertax the weakened
powers. The condition of the patient.
nature of the disease, age, etc, should
enable the physician and nurse to de-
termine The nature and strength of the
nourishment given, also frequency OF
feeding. And there should be no devia-
ton from the rules laid down by the
doctor, or experiments made with dam
ties sent by kind but mistaken friends.
If you have not sufficient confidence in
your medical adviser to trust to his
knowledge of how to feed your sick, bet
ter change your physician rather than
risk your supposed knowledge.
SOME DON'TS.
Do not waken the invalids in order to
feed them
Do not ask them what they would
like to have or even hint as to what you
intend to give them.
Do not allow food to remain in the
sick-room.
Do not use coarse, heavy china or
cracked or nicked dishes or discolored
silver.
Do not hare flowers in the sick-room
that have rich, heavy doors; but place
a dainty bud or blossom on the tray so
that the eye of the invalid will be at
tracted and interest aroused by ITS
freshness.
Do not let the doors of any cooking
penetrate to the sick-room.
Do not overload the tray with food, or
overcrowd the dishes
Do not cook more than is needed for
one feeding. or reheat any foods except
broths and clear soups which must be
made in considerable quantity; reheat
these over boiling water. so as not to
allow them to reach boiling point
MILK FOOD.
Milk is frequently the only nOuriSh-
ment allowed a patient for weeks, eSpe-
cially in typhoid fever when it should
be the only nourishment given for
twenty-one days In most cases the
milk diet agrees nicely with the patient
but when it is found to disagree the
addition of a little limewater will cor
rect the difficulty if caused by acidity
of the stomach Some require less fat
and therefore the milk should be skim
med. MIX is not always uniform in
quality, the amount of fat being much
greater in some than others; therefore
when the digestion is in any way i'm
paired it is better to partially skim milk
from Attorney cows, which yields the
largest proportion of cream The white
of eggs is added to milk when the de-
sire is to introduce a condensed and di-
gestible form of nutrients free from
solid matter. Gelatine is also added to
milk, not so much on account of it's
food value, but because it is soothing,
easily digested and gives body and
pleasant variety to the milk diet
When a fever patient has reached
normal condition that permits Of more
solid food, the starch or grain foods,
such as rice, sage, arrowroot, tapioca
and wheat starch, these may be added
to the milk giving a very complete food.
MEAT PREPARATIONS.
Boiled beef tea and broths should not
be given as food, fuel nourishment-
Boiling destroys the value of the al
bunain or f1eSh-forminE principle, haV-
ing however, mineral salts and fiavorfng
that make it a valuable addi-
ton to the dietary 1t is a powerful
and a good vehicle for con-
veying other substances into the sys-
tenn, such as the starches and fats. Egg
and sage are sometimes added to give
good hearty diet in semi-liquid form.
But not in fever cases. Steamed or rare
beef tea is made by preventing the al
buminoid principle from coagulating in
the hot water while heating. The tea