Evening star., 1902-08-15
IN THE NURSERY,
Substitutes for Milk in Cases of Sum-
mer Troubles.

From the New York Tribune
MIX the traditional and supposedly nat
ural food for infants. furnishes of all foods
the most fertile culture field for the germs
which produce intestinal troubles The first
command for such babies at the New York
Babies Hospital is stop the milk" and
this extends even to nursing babies. al
though two-thirds of the cases are among
bottlefed babies. 1t is a most important
thing for mothers to know the proper sub
stitutes for milk. One of the staff physi-
clans thus described them in his paper on
the subject before the medical convention
at Buffalo:
The milk substitute which We found most
useful was a cereal water. As a rule bar
ley water was used. When this did not an
swer rice water was given. Our directions
were for baked barley flour, two table
spoonfuls; water. one pint. This is boiled
for twenty minutes, strained and water
added. SO that there is one pint when the
cooking is completed.
Rice water is prepared by boiling two
tablespoonfuls Of rice in one pint of water
for three hours, water being added as in
preparing the barley. so that there will be
one pint when the three hours cooking is
completed. With very few exceptions bar
ley was the substitute selected Additions
IN the form OF liquid non-nlilk nourshment
were added, to change the taste and give
the child a variation in the diet. A favorite
mixture with us is four or five ounces of
barley water and one or two ounces of
broth-beef. mutton or chicken. Two tea
spoonfuls of beef juice added to the cereal
water often makes a suitable change The
taste of the substitute must vary or the
child will soon tire of it. Broths must not
be added in too large amount, as in some a
decidedly laxative effect will result /
usually order two or three substitute prep
arations and alternate them.
Brandy and whisky. so frequently added
to substitutes. should not be given to a
child with summer diarrhoea. The dangers
OF stomach involvement and nephritis are
great without our provoking them by the
use of alcohol. The white of egg mixture
l have used rather extensively, and dis
carded for the reason that many children
fail to digest it. and, passing unchanged
into the intestines. 1t can form as good a
putrefactive culture medium as milk /
look upon the brandy and egg water mix
ture, SO popular with many as an atrocious
milk substitute. The cereal decoctions
plain and dextrinized. answer my purposes
very satisfactorily. In the use of the car
bohydrates the nature of the intestinal con-
tents is changed from one Of putrefaction
to fermentation. which does not furnish a
favorable soil for the growth of dangerous
pathoSenic organisms.
Dextrinized gruels have a useful field in
the diets for summer diarrhoea. 1t is i'm
possible to give stronger barley water
than two even tablespoonfuls to a pint of
water for any length Of time: twice this
amount may be taken II the cereal is dex-
trinized. Four even tapiespoonfuis of BAR
ley flour to pint of water give a food
strength of approximately IA fat, g proteid
and A soluble carbohydrates. Dextrinizing
is of value in that more concentrated
nourishment may be given the patient
Care must be observed that the cereal
water is not at higher temperature than
100 degrees Fahrenheit when the digestive
agent is added; IL such Is the case the dex-
trfnized Cruel will have taste not unlike
that of malt, to which the child will object
The substitute diet is allowed to be given
at two-hour intervals IL the child will take
and retain It in quantity that he was ac-
customed to take Of milk in health Boiled
water Is given at any time.
Under this regime only ten cases out of
400 of the tenement house poor proved fatal
Ia little over per cent.