Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-10-29
Full Story of the.
Red Cross Diet
4 Kitchens Overseas

Etre du BfesSe tthe French Society
for Well Being of wounded) that was
graphing with the problems of furnish
ing supplementary food to the French
wounded. The only system which they
were able to follow, owing to shortage
Of funds and lack OF facilities, was
that of sending to the hospitals quanti-
ties Of dried foods. sardines and wines
for distribution. When the American
Red Cross arrived upon the scene. the
Bien-Etr du Blesse applied to- them
for financial aid. Upon due consider
alton the Red Cross replied that they
would gladly furnish the funds on con-
dition that a more scientific system OF
special feeding be adopted. somewhat
en- the basis of the diet kitchens in
American hospitals.
At first the Bien- Eere feared that this
would be too much of ar innovation
and expected to meet with refusal from
the French hospital authorities. but the
Marduise d'Andine, who heads the
committee, laid the proposition before
them. The reply was that it was not
from choice that France fed beef to
men with high temperatures, and that
any arrangement which provided for
special feeding for special cases would
only be too welcome. Whereupon the
Red Cross gave equipment and materi-
al for four model kitchens. each in
charge Of trained professional dieti-
clan, speaking French. The Fien-E tre
du Blesse which draws large part OF
its funds from America. opened other
kitchens in other French hospitals on
the pattern of those given by the Red
Cross provides professional CONSUL
tant dietician who goes about amons
these hospitals and offers suggestien ms
and advice.
The American eXpeditionary force
brought with it trained dietician for
every base hospital. These women are
civilian employees of the army, but they
are enlisted by the Red Cross in the
United States insured by the Red
Cross and dressed by the Red Cross.
In many cases the evacuation has
pitfalls Of the United States army in the
field are in need Of equipment for diet
kitchens. The need is urgent and the
time too short to wait for the army
authorities to act in Washington. The
Red Cross has worked out standard
equipment, consisting Of range, re-
frigerator, ice cream freezer and all
the essential dishes. pans, ETC., which
is now made in Paris and may be
ordered by any hospital. They stand
ready to give out such equipments TO
all hospitals where there Is deflnite
need upon notification from the army
authorities at Tours. At the present
time these equipments are very expen-
sive.
In October, 1917, the chief nurses Of
the American expenditionary force held
a conference and made out list OF
extras and delicacies based both on
the need Of their patients and on the
actual market in France. These deli
cacies the Red Cross has undertaken
to supply. in all cases where the army
quartermaster Is unable to do so.
At the present moment. the Red
Cross is providing delicacies for dis
tribut!on in various hospitals in and
around Paris, both American and
French. Not satisfied with this, they
are planning large central diet kitch-
en- which will take over this work on
much larger scale. This kitchen Will
be in charge of Miss Mary Elizabeth
Evans. who has just arrived from
America. One Of it's special functions
Will be to supply ice cream to the
American wounded. For it is fast pass
ing into by-w word that the American
soldier can not get we'll without lea
cream. To facilitate matters, the Red
Cross is on the point OF distributing
frcezers broadcast among the hos
pita!s They use to tell us that ice
cream was Undermining the constitu-
ton Of the American people" II so. 1t
is bit like the brand of whisky that
General Grant used to imbbe. Tne
Red Cross, like President Lincoln, is
looking for, more OF the same sort Of
stuff that made these ice cream fed
boys Of ours behave as they have done
in the great battles of 1918.