The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1910-07-01

fore he is fairly started on the meal
The patients diet is naturally some
what limited. There are a great many
Kinds Of foods that he is not allowed
to eat, and even those that are per-
m1tted cannot be cooked in all sorts
of ways. The physician in charge Of
the case will give a list of foods al
lowed, and in some cases he will state
how they are to be prepared But his
directions are often general. as give
him soft cooked eggs" or "let him
nave bit of chicken or nice cream
soup" Any specific instructions re-
garding recipes or different ways of
serving the same food are not often at
tempted by the doctor. If the nurse
pc she Wife. mother, daughter or pro-
fessional-does not know how to serve
eggs in a variety of ways. how even
beef tea and gruels may be gtver new
forms and favors. then the patient
VIII probably weary of them, perhaps
refuse to eat them. Fortunate Is the
woman who knows how to prepare
simple foods attractively. making old
friends appear as new acquaintances.
But there are certain "don'ts' that
must be observed when cooking for
the sick.
Don't give an invalid or little child
fried food of any kind. 1t is hard to
digest, and the digestive organs of
both sick people and children are
weak.
Don't include pork in the invald's
bill of fare. A little crisp bacon or
bacon gravy may be allowed occa-
sionally.
Don't serve highly seasoned food.
The sense of taste is generally very
keen in sickness. and the natural sea-
son1ng of food is often enough. Be-
sides. spices may weaken by overstim-
ulation the digestive glands. DO not
use pepper. mustard or vinegar and
use salt sparingly.
Don't boil eggs for either invalids or
children. Always cook them in water
which has not quite reached the boil
ing point.
Don't cook milk directly over the
hre: 1t is almost sure to burn. Even
IL 1t does not, milk should not be boil
ed for the same reason that an egg
should not. Boiling temperature makes
the albumen tough and indigestiblp.
Don't cook cream soups or boiled
custards directly over the fire. Use a
double boiler to keep the temperature
below boiling.
Don't serve insufficiently cooked ce-
reals. Rice, oatmeal and cornstarch
should be cooked for a long time over
hot water. Rice requires about two
hours and oatmeal at least four hours
steam cooking.
Don't serve fried potatoes. When
they are allowed they are much better
baked. because they are more quickly
digested in that form.
Don't serve cheese and don't cook
butter too long. In making cream
soups add the butter just before serv-
ing.
Nurses Care of Herself.
The woman who is acting as nurse
In her home is very apt to neglect her.
self. 1t may be hard for her to do 9TH
erwise, especially if there are other de-
mands on her time and strength. But
if the patient needs constant care then
it is almost imperative that the person
who is caring for him should be re-
l1eved OF other duties and responsible
ties. His recovery demands this, for
the nurses mental and physical condi-
tion has often a marked effect on the
patient. If the nurse is tired out, has
been obliged to do without sufficient
sleep for several nights. she is not like
ly to be herself. She will be nervous,
easily excited, perhaps irritable and
utterly unfit to give her best effort to
her task
She should have regular hours for
sleep, when her rest will be unbroken
for at least seven hours out of each
twenty-four. Then a short time should
be allowed every day for outdoor exer-
else. Constantly breathing the air of
even a we'll ventilated sickroom soon
tells on even robust health. The nurse
should have also good, nourishing,
easily digested food at regular hours.
When sickness comes into the family
such matters as guarding the health
of the nurse and keeping the other
members of the household in good
health are often overlooked. and sin
gle case of illness very often becomes
two or three just because of this neg
lect. Everything should be done to
hasten the recovery Of the patient as
well as preserve the good health of the
rest of the family.
The nurse should wear comforta BILE
clothing-a washable dress and broad
soled shoes-and if the disease is at all
infectious she should be careful to
wash her hands each time she touches
the patient. Professional nurses learn
very early in their training the impor-
tance of disinfecting and using every
precaution to prevent further develop
ment of the disease germs. but the in
experienced sometimes find it hard to
realize how very powerful and insidi-
GUS are these minute germs.
1t is not at all necessary for the
home nurse to be versed in drugs and
medicines, nor should she be required
to put on complicated bandages. pre-
pare dressings or administer treat