858 MEALS MEDICINAL. 
disabled digestion, or to obviate a recent cold, and promote free 
action of the skin, or for infants. It is made by boiling meal, 
or groats, or other farimaceous substance, in water. If nicely 
sweetened with treacle, and taken immediately before going to 
bed, Gruel is an admirable little repast for anyone troubled with 
a cold in the chest, or head. Or, it may be seasoned with salt, 
pepper, spices, herbs, celery seed, shalots, or onions. A good 
Gruel for bowel complaints is to be made with a spoonful of 
ground rice mixed with a pint of milk, and boiled, some cinnamon 
being added, and perhaps Port wine, or Brandy. “ Plain Gruel,” 
quoth Dr. Kitchener, ‘“‘is the most comforting soother of an 
irritable stomach we know of.” ‘“‘ Water Gruel is the king of 
spoon-meats, the queen of soups, and gratifies nature beyond all 
others. This essence of oatmeal makes a noble, and exhil- 
arating meal.” Sir Kenelm Digby wrote in his Closet opened 
(1645) about “ Water-gruel”’; “ This should be boiled till it 
rises in great ebullition, in great galloping waters; when the 
upper surface hath no gross visible oatmeal in it, this should be 
then skimmed off, and it will be found much better than the 
part which remaineth below of the oatmeal. Yet even that will 
make good Water-gruel for the servants.” Groats is the grain 
of oats freed from its husk, and when crushed forms ‘‘ Embden 
Groats,” as used for making gruel. Likewise barley, arrowroot, 
and flour, or biscuit, will serve for preparing this food. Any 
Gruel should be drunk slowly, so that the starch may become 
mixed with saliva, and thus partially digested before being 
swallowed. For “a pleasant Gruel,” “take a small cupful of 
good wheaten bran, and mix this with a little cold water; then 
stir in two quarts of boiling water into which a bruised stick 
of cinnamon has been put; let it boil for half an hour till 
sufficiently thick; strain, and when the Gruel is to be served 
add a teaspoonful of lemon, or orange juice, and as much sugar 
as is liked.” But in the making of Gruel sugar is mentioned 
with hesitation, for ‘“‘a sweet Gruel is an abomination,” says 
the Century Invalid Cookery Book. And yet a Gruel containing 
just a little sugar has a pleasanter flavour than one without 
any. It should be noted that the starch of such grain as is 
used in preparing Gruel is not readily digested unless it be well 
cooked. When dear old Mr. Woodhouse, the kindly vale- 
tudinarian paterfamilias, in Jane Austen’s Emma, was visited 
by his married daughter, and her husband, he bade her “ go 
