Chapter V: Part 5

SOURCE AND USE OF CHIEF FOOD CONSTITUENTS.

Chief functions in the body.

{ Meats {
{ Fish { Build tissues.
{ Eggs {
I. { Milk {
Protein { Cheese { Repair daily waste
{ Peas { of tissue.
{ Beans { Give heat energy.
{ Gluten in flour {

{ Butter {
{ Cream { Give heat energy.
{ Fat of meats {
II. { Cheese {
Fats { Oil in nuts {
{ Olive oil {
{ Egg yolk {
{ Corn oil { Produce fat.
{ Seed oils {

{ { Cane {
{ { Beet { Give heat energy.
{ { Maple {
{ Sugars { Malt {
{ { Sugar of milk {
{ { Sugar of fruit {
{ {
III. { { Cereals {
Carbohydrates { { Flours {
{ { Peas, Beans {
{ Starches { Corn {
{ { Potatoes {
{ { Some other { Produce fat.
{ { vegetables {
{
{ Celluloses { Vegetables } Give bulk.
{ { Fruits }
{ { Aid in formation of
{ Fruit acids { bone.
{ { Enter into composition
{ { of every living
{ { cell and body
{ { liquids.
{ { Useful in the blood
{ { (carrier of body’s
{ { oxygen).
{ { Necessary to maintain
{ { osmotic pressure.
IV. { { Govern contraction
Mineral { { of muscles,
salts { { including those
{ { of the heart.
{ { Help to maintain
{ { neutrality of the
{ { blood (increase
{ { alkalinity).
{ { Assist in digestion.
{ { Assist in the removal
{ { of waste.
{ { Unite with harmful
{ { products found in
{ Vegetables { body and render
{ { them harmless.

{ { Solvent for food.
{ In all vegetables { Carries food to
{ { blood.
V. { { Carries off waste.
Water { { Helps to regulate
{ { temperature.
{ In all animal foods { Aids digestion.
{ { Aids tissue building.

=Overuse of Carbohydrates.=—If too much sugar and starch are eaten, fermentation may take place and interfere with digestion. Too much sugar and starch overworks the liver.

Because sweet foods have the quality of satisfying the appetite very readily they should not be taken to satisfy hunger, but should rather be eaten after sufficient body building and body regulating foods have been taken to meet the body’s need for such foods. The custom of serving the sweet food at the last of the meal is in harmony with this dietetic principle.

It is important that children should form sane habits of eating sweet foods. The practice of using large amounts of sugar on cereals, cooked fruits, and in beverages should be discouraged.

The overuse of sugar irritates the lining of the digestive tract. This is caused by the abstraction of water from the mucous lining. Sugar is one-sided in its value, consequently it is much wiser to obtain a high percentage of heat from foods which serve other purposes as well.

=Protein Foods.=—The first class of foods, the proteins, includes those which have tissue building for their chief purpose. They are essential for maintenance and for body growth, as they are the only source of nitrogen. Therefore they are necessary for the growing child and for the athlete in the development of strong, vigorous muscles. The more easily digested protein foods are advised for the tubercular patient whose muscles and tissues have become debilitated by disease.

Proteins are required by each individual, but in varying amounts, to suit age, occupation, condition of system, and climate. The value of a mixed protein diet is urged by the best authorities rather than the diet which contains but one protein food.

=Overuse of Protein Foods.=—It is true that a high percentage of illness is caused by an accumulation of wastes in the body. It is also true that protein foods leave a higher percentage of waste material in the body than any other class of foods. It follows, then, that an overuse of protein foods overworks the excretory organs and tends to weaken them. The weakened excretory organs are unable to take care of the waste products, and as a result the system is affected by poisonous wastes which are produced by putrefaction in the intestines. A person in this condition is more liable to have rheumatism, gout, kidney and liver diseases than one in normal condition.

A SHORT STUDY OF PROTEIN FOODS

Some common forms. Some sources.

Albumen Eggs
Casein Milk
Myosin, fibrin, and elastin Meat
Gluten Wheat
Tuberin Potato
Legumin Peas and beans
Excelsin Brazil nuts
Zein Corn

_Milk_ contains a small amount of protein. In a glass of about 12 tablespoons of milk there is less than 1 tablespoon of protein.

_Egg_ contains nearly as much protein as lean meat.

=Value of Fruit and Vegetables.=—Vegetables contain protein, starch, sugar, cellulose, mineral matter, water, and undetermined substances.

Fruits contain (chiefly) sugar, cellulose, mineral matter, and water.

_Water_ removes wastes, lubricates tissues, aids in forming secretions, helps to equalize the temperature.

_Acids_ help to maintain the alkalinity of the blood—stimulate the appetite.

_Mineral salts_—

Build bone.
Help to make blood alkaline.
Aid in digestion.
Aid in excretion.
Build red blood-cells.
Build nerve tissue.
Build cells.

_Cellulose_ exercises muscular lining of digestive tract.

_Note._—Good authority makes the statement that the housekeeper is wise who pays as much for milk, vegetables, and fruit as for meat, eggs, and fish.

=Use of Eggs.=—Eggs serve as a meat substitute.

Eggs require the addition of carbohydrates and some fruit or vegetables to form a well-planned meal.

=Digestibility of Eggs.=—Raw eggs are more easily digested when beaten. They are often prescribed when a nutritious, highly concentrated diet is desired, and in cases of tuberculosis, some forms of anemia, and various wasting diseases.

_Effect of Heat._—Egg albumen begins to coagulate at 134° F. and becomes jelly-like at 160° F.

=Preservation of Eggs.=—1. _Water-glass (Sodium Silicate)._—Nine quarts of boiled water (cooled) to 1 quart of water-glass. Eggs will keep in this solution three and a half months.

_Note._—A good grade of water-glass should be of the consistency of molasses. If heavier than this the water-glass should be diluted to the right consistency, as the eggs should sink.

Eggs may be added to the solution from day to day as gathered. Do not wash. If the nests are clean the eggs will not need washing. Keep in a stone jar in a cool place just above the freezing-point. Do not use the solution the second year. The water-glass may be obtained in the dry or liquid form, and dissolved in either hard or soft water.

2. _Lime Solution._—Piece of lime size of lemon. Pour 1 gallon of boiling water over it. Let stand until cold. Add 1½ cups of salt.

3. _Paper Wrapping._—Wrap perfectly fresh eggs in paper and keep in cool place. This is not as effective as Methods 1 and 2, but keeps eggs for a short time.

THE PREPARATION OF FOODS FOR THE SICK.

TO PEPTONIZE MILK.

1. Pepsin, grs. xx;
Cold water, ℥iv;
Milk, Oj.

2. Pancreatin, grs. v;
Soda bicarbonate, grs. xv.

3. Peptonizing powder, grs. xx;
Warm water, ℥j;
Milk, Oj.

=Directions.=—Place the contents of one of the vials into a well-cleaned quart bottle. Pour upon it a gill of cool water and shake the mixture thoroughly. Then add to the mixture a pint of fresh milk and place the bottle in a vessel containing water as hot as can be borne by the hand without discomfort. Let it stand, with occasional shaking, for ten to twenty minutes, or until it has acquired a slightly bitter taste, when it should be removed from the hot water and placed upon the ice or in a cool place, to check digestion and keep from spoiling. If it is not quickly cooled the digestion will continue and the milk become too bitter to be palatable.

Milk thus peptonized may be sweetened if the patient desires it. It may also be flavored with wine or rum as desirable.

=Cold Process.=—This consists in adding to the milk the peptonizing powder as above, using cool water and milk, and then placing the mixture upon ice without warming it at all.

N. B.—If it be found that the milk ferments after following the above directions, boil the milk first, let cool, and then peptonize. “_The bacteria in uncooked milk cause fermentation when pepsin is added._”

PEPTONIZED BEEF.

To a quarter-pound of finely minced, raw lean beef add a half-pint of cold water; cook over a slow fire to boiling and boil for a few minutes, stirring constantly from the beginning. Pour off the liquor and set it aside; rub the meat to a paste and put it into a clean glass jar or bottle with the liquor and a half-pint of cold water; add

Extractum pancreatis, 20 grs.;
Soda bicarbonate, 15 grs.
Mixed thoroughly into one powder.

Shake all well together and stand in a warm place, about 110° to 115° F., for three hours, stirring or shaking occasionally, then _boil quickly_, strain, or clarify with white of egg in the usual manner; season to taste.

This final boiling is essential; if omitted, digestion will progress until the food is spoiled.

For the great majority of cases it is not necessary to strain the peptonized beef, for the portions remaining undissolved are so softened under the action of the extractum pancreatis that they are diffused in an almost impalpable condition—in a form readily susceptible to digestion in the body.

Chicken meat, alone or mixed with an equal portion of beef, may be prepared in the same way.

A cereal gruel of wheat, arrowroot, etc., may be incorporated with the beef, thus giving a food combination that is often highly desirable.

The gruel is prepared in the usual manner, the dry cereal mixed perfectly smooth with cold water and cooked slowly in a double boiler until gelatinized. Four ounces of this gruel may be added to the meat paste, liquor, water and peptonizing powder as directed above, and the further details of the process carried out just as with the beef alone.

The extractum pancreatis will at the same time digest both the meat and starch (of the gruel). The broth with the cereal is more agreeable than when made of meat alone.

The peptonized beef or peptonized beef and cereal may also be made into a jelly.

PEPTONIZED OYSTERS.

To a half-dozen large oysters with their juice add a half-pint of cold water; heat in a saucepan to boiling, and boil briskly for a few minutes; pour off the broth and set it aside.

Mince the oysters finely and reduce to a paste with a potato-masher in a wooden bowl; put in a glass jar with the broth and add:

Extractum pancreatis, 15 grs.;
Soda bicarbonate, 15 grs.
Mixed thoroughly into one powder.

Let the jar stand in hot water or in a warm place, where the temperature is not above 115° F., for an hour and a half. Then pour into a saucepan, stir in a half-pint of milk and heat slowly to boiling-point. Season to taste and serve hot.

The boiling is essential—to prevent further digestion and keep the broth from spoiling.

If heated gradually the milk will be sufficiently digested before the mixture boils.

The very small bits of oyster that remain undissolved may be strained out, or rejected in eating the soup, but are rarely unacceptable to the stomach.

GUM ARABIC WATER (ACACIA).

Dissolve 1 ounce of gum arabic in 1 pint of boiling water; add 2 teaspoonfuls of sugar, a wine-glass of sherry or juice of 1 lemon. Good for poison cases.

LIME WATER.

Into 2 quarts of water place a lump of unslaked lime the size of an egg. After standing awhile, stir thoroughly and pour off the solution; add fresh water and keep covered.

ARROWROOT WATER.

Moisten 1 teaspoonful of arrowroot with cold water; smooth into a paste; add 1 pint of boiling water and boil five minutes, stirring continuously.

ALBUMIN WATER.

Beat lightly the white of 1 egg; stir into a glass of water; sweeten if permissible.

OATMEAL WATER.

Teaspoonful of oatmeal to a quart of water. Boil down to a pint; then strain.

BARLEY WATER.

Wash in cold water 2 ounces of pearl barley. Boil five minutes; then drain. Pour on 2 quarts of boiling water and boil down to a quart. Flavor with thinly cut lemon rind; add sugar to taste. Strain only at patient’s request.

RICE WATER.

Wash 2 tablespoonfuls of cleaned rice; put in a granite saucepan with a quart of boiling water; simmer until the rice is softened and partially dissolved; strain; add salt. May be served either warm or cold.

TOAST WATER.

Put into a pitcher 3 slices of dark brown toast; pour in a quart of boiling water and cover closely. When cold strain. Wine and sugar may be added.

COFFEE.

1. Best mixture, 2 parts Java to 1 part Mocha. Grind roasted beans just before using. Fair strength, 1 tablespoonful of coffee to 1 pint of water. With the ground coffee, mix white of 1 egg and a little cold water. Pour over it boiling water; simmer five minutes and steep for ten minutes.

2. Scald a granite coffee-pot. Mix cup of coffee, 1 egg, half-cup of cold water; add 6 cups of boiling water and boil three minutes. Remove to the back of the stove and add a half-cup of cold water. Let settle for ten minutes.

WHITE-OF-EGG LEMONADE.

The _New York Medical Journal_ gives the following directions (by R. F. Leftwich) for the preparation of this beverage as a nutritive drink for febrile disorders: “Two lemons, the whites of 2 eggs, 1 pint of boiling water, loaf sugar to taste. The lemons must be peeled twice, the yellow rind alone being used, while the white layer is rejected. Place the sliced lemon and the yellow peel in a quart jug with 2 lumps of sugar; pour on them the boiling water and stir occasionally. When cooled to about the ordinary temperature of tea, strain off the lemons. Now insert an egg whisk, and when the lemonade is in full agitation add slowly the white of the egg and continue the whisking. While still hot strain through muslin, and serve when cold. The white of the egg will be found to impart a blandness which makes the addition of sugar almost unnecessary. This absence of sweetness is greatly appreciated in pyrexial cases, and has its obvious value for diabetics. For non-febrile cases with clean tongues more than 2 eggs may be used to the pint if desired. This drink is contraindicated only in cases of true Bright’s disease. It is very useful in the febrile diseases of childhood. It also possesses antiscorbutic properties which replace those lost from milk by boiling and sterilization. It is recommended as part of the diet in typhoid fever, forming a relief from the monotony of milk, and does not have the constipating and flatus-producing effects that lie in beaten-up eggs that include the yolk. The author states that the patient who takes plenty of this lemonade in addition to 4 pints of milk per day will emerge from the pyrexial period of typhoid fever in a much stronger condition than without its use.”

CREAM LEMONADE.

Fill bottom of glass with cracked ice. Beat white of 1 egg to stiff froth, and sugar to taste. To this add juice of 1 lemon, stirring all the time, and then add one half-cup of cream. This will make 2 glassfuls.

FLAXSEED LEMONADE.

Tablespoonful of flaxseed, pint of water. Boil one hour, then add juice of 1 lemon. Strain, and sweeten to taste.

MILK LEMONADE.

Tablespoonful of sugar, juice of 1 lemon, 2 tablespoonfuls of sherry, half-cup of milk, half-cup of water.

MILK PUNCH.

Cup of milk, 2 tablespoonfuls of brandy. Sweeten to taste. Grated nutmeg may be added.

KUMISS.

Kumiss is an acid effervescing drink; contains a very small proportion of alcohol. It is much more easily digested than milk. The casein is so finely divided that lumps cannot be formed in the stomach and it is easily acted upon by the gastric secretion. In the United States it has been prepared from cows’ milk to which the ferment is added.

One tablespoonful of sugar in a quart of fresh milk. Dissolve one-fifth of a small cake of yeast in a little cold water, then stir it into the milk. Put the mixture into strong patent-stoppered bottles. Shake the bottles for one minute, then stand them on end in a refrigerator or other cool place. After three days place the bottles on their sides, and turn them occasionally. Five days will be required to perfect the fermentation.

BONNYCLABBER.

This is sour milk in which the curd and whey are served in the same dish. Curd, whey, and junket is milk where coagulation has been brought about by the action of rennet.

WINE WHEY.

Put 2 pints of milk into a saucepan, and place on fire. When about to boil add 2 wineglasses of sherry. Simmer fifteen minutes, skimming off the curds as they rise. Add a tablespoonful of sherry. Skim again, and strain through clean linen. If preferred, 2 tablespoonfuls of lemon juice may be used instead of wine.

JUNKET.

Heat half-pint of fresh milk. Add teaspoonful of essence of pepsin. Stir enough to mix. Pour into custard cups, and let stand until firm. Serve plain or powder with sugar or nutmeg.

BEEF TEA.

Free a pound of lean beef from fat, skin, etc. Chop up fine. Put into a pint of cold water to digest two hours. Simmer for three hours, but do not let boil. Make up for water lost by adding cold water. Press and strain. The best meats for beef-tea are the round and rump. Cold water draws out the albumin; boiling water coagulates it.

BEEF JUICE.

Cut thin, juicy meat into pieces one and one-half inches square; broil one and one-half minutes over a hot fire. Squeeze with a hot lemon squeezer; season with salt and pepper. May be added to milk or poured over toast.

BEEF EXTRACT.

Heat a select piece of round steak so that the juice may be freely pressed. Cut steak into pieces that will fit into a lemon squeezer, and squeeze juice into a cup. Set cup in a dish of warm water, which must not be allowed to boil. Season to taste. May be served on toast.

CHICKEN AND VEAL EXTRACT.

Make chicken broth from an old hen and cook down until it jellies.

Cook a neck of veal until broth jellies; cool, and skim off fat. As needed, use equal parts of each. The nourishment is in the veal and the chicken gives it flavor.

N. B.—The most delicate stomach can digest this.

SCRAPED BEEF SANDWICH.

From a piece of steak scrape all the fiber from the connective tissue with a knife. Season with salt and pepper. Serve spread between slices of buttered toast.

CORNMEAL GRUEL.

Mix 2 tablespoonfuls of cornmeal, tablespoonful of flour, teaspoonful of salt, teaspoonful of sugar, into a thin paste with a little cold water. Add quart of boiling water, and cook three hours. Add cup of milk, and serve.

CRACKER GRUEL.

Two tablespoonfuls of cracker crumbs rolled fine, teaspoonful of salt, teaspoonful of sugar, cup of boiling water, cup of boiling milk. Mix salt, sugar, and crumbs; add boiling water, then milk; simmer two minutes.

OATMEAL GRUEL.

Two tablespoonfuls of rolled oats; teaspoonful of salt, teaspoonful of sugar, cup of boiling milk. Mix oatmeal, sugar, and salt; add boiling water; cook in a saucepan thirty minutes, or in a double boiler for two hours. Strain, and add hot milk. Bring to a boil, and serve hot.

OYSTER BROTH.

Chop a dozen oysters fine; put into a saucepan with a cup of cold water. Bring to boiling-point; simmer five minutes, then strain and season. By adding milk three minutes before broth is taken from the fire it is made more palatable.

SCALLOPED OYSTERS.

Clean oysters; roll crackers, and mix with melted butter. Sprinkle dish with crumbs, then place a layer of oysters, a layer of crumbs, another layer of oysters, and so on until all are used. Bake in a hot oven.

OYSTERS ON THE HALFSHELL.

Wash the shells, and put them on hot coals or upon the top of a hot stove, or bake in a hot oven. Open the shells, taking care not to lose any of the liquor. Serve at once on hot plates with toast. Oysters may be steamed in the shells.

TO BOIL CLAMS.

Wash the shells clean, and put the clams (the edges downward) in a kettle; pour about a quart of boiling water over them. Cover the pot, and set it over a brisk fire for forty-five minutes. The boiling water will open the shells quickly, and let out the sand. When done remove the black skin which covers the hard part, trim clean, and put into a stewpan. Add some of the liquor in which they were boiled, and a large piece of butter; pepper and salt to taste. Serve hot.

CLAM BROTH.

Take several large clams; scrub them clean, and boil in a cup of water. The broth is simply the juice of the clams with the water, boiled for a minute or two. As soon as the shells open the broth is done.

MAYONNAISE DRESSING.

Yolks of 2 eggs, half-teaspoonful of salt, pinch of Cayenne pepper, 2 teaspoonfuls of mustard, and half-teaspoonful of powdered sugar. Mix the ingredients thoroughly, then drip in half-cup of olive oil, drop by drop, stirring all the time one way. When thick add a teaspoonful of lemon juice. When the dressing is thick and smooth add a tablespoonful of cream. Stir with a wooden spoon or paddle.

COCOA.

Cup of boiling water, cup of boiling milk, a teaspoonful of cocoa; sugar to taste.

CHOCOLATE.

Put one-third of a square of Baker’s chocolate with 1 cup of boiling water and a tablespoonful of sugar into a saucepan. Set the pan over the fire and stir, moving piece of chocolate through water until it is melted. Ready to serve when boiling-point is reached. _If chocolate is allowed to boil, separation of the fat from the other ingredients takes place, rendering it indigestible._ If sweet chocolate is used, dispense with sugar.

CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE.

Half-pint of milk, 4 tablespoonfuls of boiled chocolate, 2 tablespoonfuls of sugar, 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, 4 eggs. Put milk in a double boiler; when hot, sieve the flour into it, gradually stirring all the time, and let it cook six minutes. Put the chocolate, sugar, and 2 tablespoonfuls of water on the fire until smooth and glossy, then stir into the boiler. Take from the fire, and add beaten yolks. When cool add the whites beaten to a stiff froth. Pour the batter into a buttered dish that will hold a quart. Set dish in hot water, and place in the oven for a few minutes. Serve with vanilla cream sauce.

VANILLA CREAM SAUCE.

Beat together 2 tablespoonfuls of butter, two-thirds cup of granulated sugar, 1 tablespoonful of vanilla; then gradually beat in 2 cups of whipped cream. Place bowl in a pan of hot water, and stir carefully for three minutes.

BAKED CUSTARD.

Milk 1 cup, 1 egg, pinch of salt, 1 tablespoonful of sugar. Heat milk in a double boiler, break into it a stick of cinnamon. Beat together egg, sugar, and salt; then pour hot milk over the mixture, stirring all the time. Pour into a bowl, set dish into a pan of hot water; bake until set.

A general rule for thickening: 3 eggs to the pint or 5 eggs to the quart.

WINE JELLY.

Gelatin one-fourth of a box, one-fourth cup of boiling water, one-fourth cup of cold water, half-cup of sugar, half-square inch of cinnamon, a few cloves, and half-cup of sherry. Put gelatin and cold water in a dish for half an hour, then add boiling water with cloves and cinnamon; lastly, sugar and wine. Stir until sugar and gelatin are dissolved. Strain, and pour into a mould. Set on ice or in cold water.

LEMON JELLY.

Prepare the same as wine jelly, and substitute lemons for the spices.

PLAIN MILK SOUPS WITH VEGETABLES.

One cup of vegetable pulp, 2 cups of hot milk, 1 teaspoonful of salt, ⅛ teaspoonful of pepper, 1 tablespoonful of butter, 1 tablespoonful of chopped parsley.

Wash vegetables and put through meat grinder. Cook in as little water as possible. Add the cooked vegetable pulp and seasonings to hot milk. Heat and serve.

_Note._—String beans, celery, or carrots may be used. A beef cube may be added if desired. This soup may be varied by using a combination of vegetables and its nutritive value may be increased by the addition of a beaten egg yolk.

Shredded fish or clams may be substituted for the vegetables.

TO BONE A BIRD.

Select and dress a plump squab; cut off the head and feet and the wings at the first joint; singe, and with a sharp knife make an incision down the back and wings. Scrape away the bones without tearing the meat. Put into shape and broil between buttered paper.

STUFFED BAKED POTATO.

Select a smooth potato; scrub well, and bake in a hot oven about fifty minutes. Cut one end partly off lengthwise; scrape out the potato into a dish; add pepper, salt, and butter. Refill the skin, place a bit of butter in the top, and brown in an oven.

FRIED CALF’S BRAINS.

Soak the brains for a few minutes in cold water, drain, cover with boiling salted water, and cook for three minutes. Drain again, lay in iced water until cold, and set in the ice to get firm. Cut into pieces the size of an oyster, dip in egg and slightly salted cracker crumbs, and fry to a golden brown. Serve very hot.

BOILED MUTTON.

Wipe a leg of mutton with a damp cloth and put it into a large kettle with enough boiling water to cover it and bring to a boil, then cook slowly until done. After the boil is reached allow fifteen minutes for each pound of the meat. When nearly done add salt and pepper to taste and a small onion, a minced carrot, and a stalk of celery. Lift from liquor and lay on a heated platter. Serve with drawn butter or caper sauce.

SOFT-BOILED EGG.

Place egg in a vessel of boiling water, then withdraw at once to the back of the stove. Remove egg in nine minutes.

HARD-BOILED EGG.

Boil slowly for one half-hour.

POACHED EGG.

Pour hot water (or milk) into a saucepan, using salt-spoonful of salt to each cup of water. Bring to boiling-point. Break egg into a saucer and slip into the pan. Withdraw the pan to a cooler part of the stove and cook till white of egg is set.

OMELET.

Separate 3 eggs. Beat whites to a stiff froth; beat yolks. Heat half-cup of milk; to it add 1 teaspoonful of cornstarch or flour; then stir in the yolks and add lightly the whites of the eggs. Put a good-sized piece of butter into the frying-pan. When hot pour in the mixture, cover, and cook from five to seven minutes. When set, remove the cover, and place pan into the oven to brown the omelet. Serve on a hot platter.

BAKED-FLOUR PORRIDGE.

Pound of flour, packed lightly in a muslin cloth; place in boiling water; boil from six to eight hours. Cut off the outer portion and grate the hard one. Blend with a little milk; stir into boiling milk to desired thickness.

WATER WAFERS.

Quart of sifted flour; half-pint of cold water; teaspoonful of salt; mix thoroughly. Roll out thin, and cut into small cakes with a biscuit cutter. Put into a pan to bake in a hot oven.

RICE.

Take desired quantity of rice and wash three times in cold water, rubbing rice carefully between the hands; then drain. Boil fresh water slowly. Put in the rice and cover vessel closely. Cook over a slow fire about twelve minutes, when grain should be perfect and separated; drain in a colander. When dry, put rice into the oven to heat.

RICE CREAM.

Take 2 tablespoonfuls of cleaned rice, 2 cups of milk, salt-spoonful of salt, 2 tablespoonfuls of sugar, and cook in a double boiler until the grains of rice are soft; then press through a coarse strainer into a saucepan and return to the fire. Take 2 eggs, beat the whites and yolks separately, and add to the rice when it reaches the boiling-point, stirring mixture lightly for a few minutes; adding only the whites produces a white cream.

CREAM TOAST.

One pint of milk, 2 tablespoonfuls of butter, 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, half-teaspoonful of salt, half-teaspoonful of pepper. Put milk into a double boiler to heat. Put butter into a granite saucepan, and when it begins to bubble, slowly shake in the flour; then add hot milk, a small quantity at a time, and season with salt and pepper. Toast bread a rich brown and dip into salt water. Lay on a dish and pour sauce over it. Grated egg may be added.

FRENCH OR EGG TOAST.

Cup of milk or cream, 1 egg, 1 salt-spoonful of salt, 3 slices of bread. Beat the egg a few minutes and add milk and salt. In this mixture soak the bread until it is soft. Place in a buttered omelet-pan and fry slowly till golden brown. Put a piece of butter on each slice; turn and brown the other side. Powder each slice with cinnamon and sugar and place in a covered dish. Serve very hot.

STEWED PRUNES.

Pound of prunes, half-pint of water, quarter-cup of sugar, juice of 1 lemon. Soak prunes in warm water for fifteen minutes; then wash and stew in a covered pan for two hours; add water as needed. When done, add the lemon juice.

EGG CREAM.

Juice of half a lemon, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoonfuls of sugar. Separate yolks and whites; beat yolks with sugar until well mixed; add lemon juice and place bowl in a dish of hot water over the fire. Stir slowly until mixture begins to thicken; then add beaten whites and stir until the whole forms a thick cream. Remove from the fire, pour into dishes, and set aside to cool.

SPONGE PUDDING.

Half-pint of milk, half-cup of flour, half-cup of sugar. Boil together, stirring all the time. After taking from the stove, stir in 2 tablespoonfuls of butter. Beat 6 eggs separately. Put yolks into mixture; then add whites lightly. Pour into an earthen pudding-dish, set in a pan of hot water, and bake forty-five minutes.

SAUCE FOR THE PUDDING.

Beat to a cream 2 tablespoonfuls of butter, 3 tablespoonfuls of sugar. When ready for the table, add a half-cup of boiling-water into which has been added 1 teaspoonful of cornstarch. Flavor as desired.

ICE CREAM ROYAL.

Tablespoonful of flour, 1½ cups of sugar, salt-spoonful of salt, pint of milk, 2 eggs, pint of sweet cream, tablespoonful of vanilla, half-teaspoonful of almond, half-cup of sherry, or quarter-cup of brandy. Mix the sugar, flour, and salt. Pour milk into a saucepan; when it reaches the boiling-point put in the mixture, stirring for a full minute. Beat the eggs very lightly, and slowly add the milk, stirring rapidly for a few minutes. Strain into a dish and set aside to cool. Add the cream and flavor before freezing.

ICE CREAM.

Cup of sugar, teaspoonful of vanilla, tablespoonful of brandy, and 1 pint of scalded sweet cream. The whites of 2 eggs may be added.

FROZEN CUSTARD.

Pint of milk, cup of sugar, 2 pinches of salt, yolks of 3 eggs, pint of milk or cream, and 1 ounce of wine or brandy.

SHERBET.

In preparing gelatin sherbet, soak gelatin in cold water about thirty minutes; then pour over it boiling water and add the other ingredients. When sugar is dissolved, strain mixture and freeze.

MILK SHERBET.

Two cups of milk, 1 cup of sugar, 4 tablespoonfuls of lemon juice.

Dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice, add gradually to the milk, and freeze.

LEMON SHERBET.

Pint of boiling water, cup of sugar, and juice of 2 lemons. Do not add the lemon juice until ready to freeze. May add gelatin.

ORANGE SHERBET.

Tablespoonful of gelatin, cup of boiling water, cup of sugar, juice of 4 oranges, juice of 1 lemon, and 1 ounce of brandy. May omit gelatin.

STRAWBERRY SHERBET.

Pick and clean a pint of fresh strawberries; crush, add a quart of water, a sliced lemon, and a teaspoonful of orange-flower water. Let stand for a few hours. Put a pound of sugar in another dish. Strain the mixture through a coarse cloth into the sugar, and when it is all dissolved freeze or place on ice.

TAFFY.

Pint of water, 3 cups of sugar, half-cup of vinegar, and a piece of butter. Boil; do not stir. When it will thread off, cool.

BRAN BREAD FOR CONSTIPATION.

Bran flour, 1 quart; white flour, 1 pint; 1 teaspoonful of salt. Mix thoroughly. Dissolve 1 teaspoonful of baking soda in water, put in ½ cup of molasses, and stir the mixture into the flour. Add 1 pint of buttermilk. Bake in a moderate heated oven.

BRAN BISCUITS FOR CONSTIPATION.

Four cups whole wheat bran, 2 cups graham flour, 1 teaspoonful of soda, 1 teaspoonful of salt, 1 cup molasses, 1 cup sour milk or water, ¾ cupful lard or butter, 1 cupful chopped figs. Spices to taste.

VEGETABLE SOUP FOR BABIES.

One handful of spinach, 1 beet, 2 carrots. Chop fine and boil two hours in one quart of water. Strain through gauze and add sterile water to make one quart of soup.

BARLEY SOUP FOR BABIES.

One tablespoon of barley flour to one quart of water. Boil twenty minutes.

FROZEN COCOA CREAM.

(A hospital recipe).

One-half pound box cocoa, 4 cups of water, 3 cups of sugar. Boil three minutes until it stiffens. Put on ice.

A. _To Prepare the Cocoa Syrup._—One-half pound of cocoa, 4 cups of water, 3 cups of sugar. Boil about three minutes until it stiffens. Put on ice.

B. Beat white and yolk of eggs separately and thoroughly. Sweeten whites to taste.

C. _For the Beverage._—Pour ½ ounce of pure cream into a glass and 1 ounce of cocoa syrup. Add yolk and white of one egg, Beat thoroughly and cover with a dash of white. Drop a clot of cocoa syrup on the white and serve with a spoon. Ice cream may be served in it.

GINGER SNAPS.

One pint of honey, 1 teaspoonful of ginger, and 1 teaspoonful of soda dissolved in a little water and two eggs. Mix all, then work in all the flour possible, roll very thin, and bake in a moderately hot oven.

CORN GRIDDLE CAKES.

One cup of corn flour, ½ cup of barley flour, ½ teaspoonful soda, ½ teaspoonful of baking powder, ½ teaspoonful of salt, 1 cup of thick sour milk, 1 egg.

Mix and sift dry ingredients. Add egg to sour milk. Combine mixtures. Beat well. Should be quite thin batter. May use ¾ cup of corn meal and ¾ cup of barley flour.

BARLEY AND CORN MUFFINS.

1¼ cups of corn meal or corn flour, ¾ cup of barley, 2 tablespoonfuls of syrup, 4 teaspoonfuls of baking powder, ½ teaspoonful of salt, 1 egg, 1 tablespoonful of fat (melted), 1 cup of milk.

Mix and sift dry ingredients, add fat and well-beaten egg to milk. Combine mixtures, beat well, and pour into greased muffin pans. Bake in hot oven twenty to twenty-five minutes. Amounts of corn and barley may be reversed if desired.

JOHNNY CAKE.

Two cups of corn meal, 2 tablespoonfuls of syrup, 2 tablespoonfuls of fat (melted), 1 teaspoonful of salt, ½ teaspoonful of soda, 1 egg, 1 cup of sour milk.

Mix dry ingredients, add the fat, syrup, and well-beaten egg to sour milk. Combine and bake in shallow pan.

BUCKWHEAT GEMS.

Two cups of buckwheat flour, 1 teaspoonful of salt, ¼ teaspoonful of soda, 2 teaspoonfuls of baking powder, 1 tablespoonful of fat (melted), 1 egg, 1 cup of sour milk.

Mix and sift dry ingredients. Add the fat, syrup, and well-beaten egg to sour milk. Combine mixtures and beat well. Bake in well-greased muffin pans twenty to twenty-five minutes. Barley flour or meal may be substituted for part of the buckwheat.

POTATO BISCUITS.

Substitute mashed potatoes for one-third the flour in any biscuit recipe. Sift dry ingredients together, mix in fat and potatoes, then add liquid cautiously. On account of the moisture in the potatoes less liquid is needed to make a soft dough.

NUT BREAD.

One egg, 1⅛ cups of sweet milk, ¼ cup of corn syrup, 2 teaspoonfuls of baking powder, ½ cup of nut meats, ½ teaspoonful of salt, 1⅓ cups of corn flour, ⅔ cup of barley flour.

Beat egg, add syrup, then milk and sifted dry ingredients and nuts. Pour in pan. Let rise twenty minutes. Bake in a moderate oven about thirty minutes. Equal amounts of corn flour and barley give good results.

CORN MEAL GINGERBREAD.

One cup of corn meal, 1 cup of barley flour, 1 teaspoonful of soda, ¾ teaspoonful of salt, 2 teaspoonfuls of ginger, 1 teaspoonful of cinnamon, ¼ teaspoonful of cloves, 1 cup of molasses or syrup, 2 tablespoonfuls of fat, 1 cup of sour milk, 1 egg.

Sift together dry ingredients. Combine molasses, fat, egg, and milk. Add to dry mixture. Beat well. Bake in thin loaf or in muffin pans. Corn flour may be substituted for corn meal.

RICE AND OAT MUFFINS.

One egg, 2 tablespoonfuls of fat, 1 cup of liquid, 1 teaspoonful of salt, 1 cup of rice flour, 5 teaspoonfuls of baking powder, 1 cup of ground rolled oats.

Beat eggs, add fat and liquid. Sift together dry ingredients. Combine mixtures and bake in moderate oven.

PAPER INDICATES OVEN’S HEAT.

To judge of an oven’s heat, try the oven every ten minutes with a piece of white paper. If too hot, the paper will blaze up or blacken. When the paper becomes dark brown, darker than ordinary meat, pie crust, the oven is fit for small pastry. When light brown, the color of nice pastry, it is ready for tarts. When the paper turns dark yellow you can bake bread, large meat pies, or pound cakes. If it is just tinged, the oven is fit for sponge cake and meringue.

VINEGAR PREVENTS COOKING SMELL.

When cooking by gas always place a tin of water in the oven. A bowl of vinegar and water placed beside the stove will prevent the smell of cooking from spreading through the house.

SAUCES FOR MEAT.

With roast beef, grated horseradish.
With roast veal, tomato or horseradish sauce.
Roast mutton, currant jelly.
Roast pork, apple sauce.
Roast lamb, mint sauce.
Roast turkey, chestnut dressing, cranberry jelly.
Roast venison, black currant jelly or grape jelly.
Roast goose, tart apple sauce.
Roast quail, currant jelly, celery sauce.
Roast canvasback duck, apple bread, black currant jelly.
Roast chicken, bread sauce.
Fried chicken, cream gravy, corn fritters.
Roast duck, orange salad.
Roast ptarmigan, bread sauce.
Cold boiled tongue, sauce tartare or olives stuffed with peppers.
Veal sausage, tomato sauce, grated parmesan cheese.
Pork sausage, tart apple sauce or fried apples.
Frizzled beef, horseradish.
Pork croquettes, tomato sauce.
Corned beef, mustard.
Lobster cutlet, sauce tartare.
Sweetbread cutlet, sauce bechamel.
Reed birds, fried hominy, white celery.
Cold boiled fish, sauce piquant.
Broiled steak, maitre d’hotel butter or mushrooms.
Tripe, fried bacon and apple rings.
Broiled fresh mackerel, stewed gooseberries.
Fresh salmon, cream sauce and green peas.
Cream sauce with sweetbreads.
Orange salad with roast chicken.
Celery sauce with quail.
Stuffed olives with fish balls.
Horseradish sauce with boiled beef.
Horseradish and fried onions with liver.
French dressing with sardines.
Mint sauce with lamb.
Yorkshire pudding with roast beef.
Hard-boiled eggs and parsley with boiled salmon.
Cream gravy, strawberry preserves with fried chicken.
Oyster dressing for turkey.
Celery and onion dressing with roast duck.
Tart grape jelly with canvasback duck.
Currant jelly with roast goose.
Cucumber catsup with corned beef.

FOOD AND NUTRITION IN DISEASE.

A physician, writing to the _New York Medical Journal_, says the chemical composition of the body is quite similar to the composition of the foods which nourish it. Protein, fats, carbohydrates, mineral salts, and water are the compounds we need in our foods, and they are found in flesh foods and vegetables. Protein, the most important element, is derived principally from meat, eggs, and milk. It is also furnished by some vegetables, as beans, peas, and the gluten of wheat; but in these it is mixed with too much extraneous matter, as husks, bulbs, woody fiber, etc., to be useful in the diet of the sick. Extractives, as beef-tea, are included in the nitrogen compounds, but they neither build tissue nor furnish energy; they are appetizers and stimulants. Animal and vegetable fats are useful; these are found in meat, fish, milk, eggs, some cereals, olives, and nuts. The carbohydrates include sugars, starches, cellulose, and the fibers of plants. Potatoes, sago, farina, and arrowroot are rich in them. Fats should be used with caution in disease, because they retard the formation of hydrochloric acid, which excites the pancreatic secretion, an important factor in digestion. Man can live better without a stomach than without a pancreas. Physicians realize that they must rely on diet rather than drugs to cure indigestion, as the food varies in its proportion of fat, protein, and carbohydrates; the digestive juices are poured out or repressed and altered in strength and quantity.

Milk is not an ideal food for the sick, too large a quantity being required, and the large curds it forms in the stomach often rendering digestion difficult. Boiled with rice it forms an excellent diet.

In acute diseases lasting from four to six weeks no great effort should be made at forced feeding. Thin soups, flooding the stomach with unnutritious fluids, should be avoided. It is unnatural to take food during physical or mental suffering. Appetite is wanting, and imperfect assimilation adds to the physician’s worries and the patient’s discomforts. When there is no appetite the digestive juices are absent. Feed a convalescent when, through conversation about some dainty dish, interest is aroused and saliva is secreted.

DIET-LIST.

=Liquid diet= consists of:
Water of all kinds. Cocoa.
Ginger ale. Kumiss.
Lemonade. Buttermilk.
Orangeade. Milk punch.
Albumin water. Malted milk.
Broths. Milk.
Tea. Cream.
Coffee. Egg-nog.

=Soft diet= consists of:
Liquids of all kinds.
Soups (vegetable and strained).
Milk toast. Soft-boiled eggs.
Gravy “ Oysters.
Bread without crusts. Baked apple.
Cereals. Apple sauce.
Custard. Stewed fruits (no seeds).
Rice. Mashed potato.
Ice cream. Baked “
Milk puddings. Purées and milk.
Plain “ Toast.
Soft-poached eggs.

=Light diet= consists of soft diet, including:
Whitefish. Quail.
Codfish. Sweetbreads.
Finnan haddock. Chicken.
Bacon. Chops.
Scraped-beef. Steak.
Squab. Vegetables only when ordered.

=Typhoid diet=, as soon as food is ordered, is as follows:
_First week_—
Coffee for breakfast.
Tea for dinner.
Cereals (well cooked and strained).
Eggs lightly boiled.
Poached eggs and soft toast.
Broths (chicken, oyster, and meat).
Scraped-beef. Custards.
Bread without crust. Ice cream.
Milk toast. Orange-juice.
A glass of milk, t. i. d.
To the foregoing may be added for
_Second week_—
Dry toast. Chicken.
Baked potato. Whitefish.
Baked apples. Rice.
Asparagus. Farinaceous puddings.
Chops. Milk soup.
Steak. Purées.
No vegetables, pastry, or raw fruits are allowed.
_Liquid_—
1. Milk, 3 parts;
Lime-water, 1 part.
2. Albumen-water.
3. Clear chicken or beef broth may be given
three times in 24 hours.

DIABETIC DIET.

White of eight eggs;
Dry oatmeal, ℥xij (by weight);
Butter, ℥viij-x.

_Procedure._—Cook oatmeal 2 hours. When done, beat into it the melted butter. Then fold in the beaten whites of eggs.

MOTOR TEST-MEAL.

A. White meat of chicken or fish.
B. Coarse vegetables.
C. Jam seeds (raisins or currants).
D. Potatoes.
E. Tea.
F. Two slices of bread.

EWALD’S TEST-BREAKFAST.

A. 2 shredded wheat biscuits, or 2 slices of bread.
B. 1½ glasses of water.

OBSTETRICS.

=Puberty.=—This is the period of transformation from childhood to adolescence. There is a marked development of the throat and chest, the breasts become fuller, more rounded, and there is also an enlargement of the pelvis. These outward signs are combined with certain internal changes, affecting especially the ovaries and the uterus, that are described under the terms of ovulation and menstruation.

=Ovulation.=—The ovaries produce ova that are retained in cavities termed ovisacs (Graafian follicles), which are scattered throughout the ovary. Sometimes an ovisac contains more than one ovum, but usually each ovisac contains but one. When the ovary becomes functionally active, some of the ovisacs in the deeper part of the organ increase in size and develop toward the surface. From time to time one of these ovisacs, having continued to increase in size so as to form a projection on the surface of the ovary, actually bursts and sets free an ovum. This frequently occurs in association with menstruation, but may take place at other periods. While this development of the ovisac has been taking place there is a special flow of blood to the pelvic contents, and the fringe-like processes of the Fallopian tube become more closely applied, so that a cup is formed by the fimbriated extremity of the Fallopian tube, into which the ovum drops. Eventually the ovum reaches the cavity of the uterus, and, unless it becomes fertilized or impregnated, it is in due course cast off from the uterus in the menstrual discharge and perishes.

When the uterus has become the seat of a fertilized ovum there is no further ripening of ovisacs. After the escape of an ovum from the ovisac the follicle is filled with blood, and this takes part in the formation of a structure known as the corpus luteum, which is formed within the burst ovisac. The corpus luteum varies in its development according as the ovum becomes fertilized or not. If pregnancy takes place it remains to its close, but if the ovum is not fertilized it disappears in about three months. The ruptured ovisac always contains the elements of a corpus luteum, but its development depends on the fate of the ovum. Ovulation has been said to commence before menstruation; ovisacs may sometimes ripen and burst in childhood. Conception may take place before menstruation has set in.

=Menstruation.=—The blood is derived from the mucous membrane of the uterus (endometrium) and not from that of the cervix. The endometrium becomes swollen and thickened prior to the commencement of the flow, and the blood-vessels are distended. With the beginning of the flow this swelling gradually diminishes. A few superficial cells of the endometrium are usually cast off during menstruation, and this is regenerated during the interval between the periods. The mucous membrane of the uterus is thus never at rest until menstruation ceases for good.

=Conception.=—Fertilization of the ovum may occur anywhere in its course from the ovisac to the uterus, but ordinarily it takes place in the uterus. Certain changes take place in the uterus preparatory to the arrival of the fertilized ovum. The whole organ enlarges, it contains more blood than before; the mucous membrane becomes soft, spongy, thickens greatly, and is thrown into folds which are called the decidua vera.

=Decidua Vera.=—The part of the decidua vera to which the ovum becomes attached and where the placenta afterward forms is called the decidua serotina. The presence of the ovum acts as an irritant to the spot where it lodges, and active growth takes place. At the same time the ovum burrows into the mucosa and gradually becomes embedded. The vera closes over the ovum. The decidua vera is a mold of the interior of the uterus. The external surface is rough where it has been torn from the underlying tissues of the uterus, and the internal aspect which is in contact with the ovum is smooth. It is thickest at the third month; after this time the membrane becomes thinner and thinner, until by the end of pregnancy it is very thin. It is to a considerable extent expelled at labor and forms part of the membranes.

=Ovum.=—As the ovum develops the decidua reflexa expands until it fills the decidua vera at the end of the second month, and by the end of the third month it has intimately united with the decidua vera to form one membrane. Until these two membranes have coalesced the ovum is not free in the uterine cavity, but is enclosed in the decidua reflexa.

=Pregnant Uterus.=—As pregnancy proceeds the uterus ceases to be a pelvic organ; it becomes rounded, and after the sixth month gradually assumes an ovoid shape. At the end of the third month it has reached to the brim of the pelvis. By the sixth month it is level with the umbilicus, and by the ninth it has reached to the tip of the sternum. During the last fortnight the organ sinks a little, and this relieves to some extent the shortness of breath which has been caused by the pressure on the diaphragm.

=Fetal Membranes.=—Inside of the decidual membranes we find the chorion and amnion. Whereas the deciduæ are maternal structures, the chorion and the amnion are derived from the ovum. The chorion is the more external of the two fetal membranes; it early surrounds the ovum and throws out processes (villi) toward the decidua reflexa and serotina. These processes are at first formed equally all over the chorion, but those which lie in connection with the decidua serotina grow more rapidly in size and complexity, and remain to form the main part of the placenta. The membrane in which the fetus lies is the amnion. Contained within the amnion is more or less fluid, the liquor amnii, in which the fetus rests as in a water-bed. It permits free movements on the part of the fetus and protects it from violence from the outside; it equalizes the pressure on the uterine walls, preventing pressure on the cord and placenta; and during labor it assists in the dilation of the os uteri and lubricates the maternal passages. From it also the fetus derives its supply of water. Occasionally water may form between the three membranes, and during labor the chorion may rupture and not the amnion, and the waters between them be discharged. In like manner, water which has formed between the decidua and the chorion may come away. These, then, are two sources of fluid which may be discharged from the vagina in labor when the amnion is intact.

=Umbilical Cord.=—The organ by which the fetus is attached to the uterus is a whitish, glistening structure which springs from the fetus at the center of the abdomen, and passes to the internal aspect of the placenta. It contains two arteries and one vein surrounded by a gelatinous material (Wharton’s jelly), the whole being covered with a layer derived from the amnion. The vessels usually run tortuously in the cord, thus lessening the danger of compression, which might otherwise occur. This arrangement also tends to regulate and equalize the circulation of the blood through its vessels.

=Placenta.=—The “after-birth” is a spongy cavernous organ and has a circumference of from 20 to 24 inches. It is made up of two elements, fetal and maternal, chiefly the former. The fetal surface, to which the umbilical cord is attached, is formed by the amnion. External to the latter is the chorionic tissue, consisting mainly of finger-like processes of villi, many of which extend to the decidua. These villi are mostly vascularized. The vascular villus is made of a capillary loop, lying embedded in a connective tissue, the blood-vessels being derived from the umbilical vessels. The villi are surrounded by maternal blood, which circulates in the intervillous spaces. The maternal part is represented by the decidua serotina. Its surface is rough and irregular, being broken up into segments or cotyledons. It is made of two layers: (_a_) The deep or spongy layer, and (_b_) the compact, or layer to which the villi are attached. The decidua serotina contains large cavities or sinuses, which are formed by a dilation of the blood-vessels in the wall of the uterus. They communicate with the intervillous spaces of the placenta, and it is through the maternal blood circulating in them that nutriment is conveyed to the fetus through the medium of the villi. An interchange takes place between the fetal and maternal bloodstreams, though, of course, there is no direct continuity between them. The placenta thus has a two-fold function in acting both as an organ of circulation and of respiration. It is through the walls of the villi that this interchange of gases and fluids takes place; nourishment and oxygen passing through them to the fetus, and carbonic-acid gas and waste materials passing through them to the mother. There is no direct communication between the fetal and the maternal blood. The placenta, normally, is attached to the contractile part of the uterus, and on its separation the blood-vessels are closed by the contractions of the uterine wall. The placenta may be divided into two or more portions, or one or more of its cotyledons may be detached from the rest of the organ and have their own vascular supply. The importance of this lies in the fact that after the placenta is expelled these isolated masses may be left and give rise to hemorrhage or blood-poisoning.

SYMPTOMS OF PREGNANCY.