Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 43.djvu/124

114 third of its volume of lime water, given in teaspoonful doses each, quarter of an hour by the clock, in rebellious vomiting of reflex origin. This quantity will be retained when larger ones will be rapidly rejected.

The inability to digest amylaceous food when pyrexia is present is generally recognized: hence the principle of milk and beef-tea diet in fever. I would strongly urge the employment of occasional draughts of pure water in fever. This is much neglected. Patients are plied with strong essence of beef. Brand's jelly, and milk with stimulants—all this ad nauseam, but a cooling draught of water is withheld. Water, however, is generally relished, and is of real service. It promotes appetite for the next food, and cleans the mouth.

The nutritive value of purely amylaceous foods has been decried, but, I think, with no satisfactory clinical reason. Arrowroot prepared with water only, or with milk, is certainly sufficiently sustaining for many invalids who temporarily can not take bread. In gastric and gastro-enteric catarrh it is of much service, and diarrhoea may sometimes be checked by stirring into a cupful of milk-arrowroot half a teaspoonful of raw arrowroot powder, and ten grains of powdered cinnamon.

Eggs often disagree because of their albuminous constituents. The yolk alone can often be taken with advantage in soup or in milk, or beaten up with spirit.

In the treatment of febrile states, tea and coffee are too often omitted, without reason, from the dietary. They will enable cases to go on well with a diminished amount of alcohol. Cold tea with cream is an excellent refreshment early in the morning after profuse sweats in phthisis. One meets with patients who have been forbidden butcher's meat, but allowed to eat chicken or game. I am at a loss to understand the reason for this. I recognize the greater digestibility of the latter as a rule, although I much doubt if there is really any difference if the beef or mutton be tender and of good quality. If, as I conceive, there is an idea that the one tends to plethora and vascular tension, or is apt to induce uric acid disturbances, while the other does not, I should be prepared to controvert that idea, believing that all these flesh foods fall into the same category. With fish the case is different, and large meat eaters may sometimes with advantage be ordered to substitute fish. It is hardly possible for any one to overeat himself on fish, and, whatever may be the explanation of the fact, I am satisfied that great mental energy and capacity may be secured by occasional meals of white fish to the exclusion of other animal food.

It were well if greater heed were paid to the treatment of the patient than is commonly bestowed on that of the disease. One not rarely finds measures adopted for the latter, and no thought