DIETS FOR DIAERHEA AND DIPHTHERIA. 323 



milk during the day are also allowed. The biscuits must contain 

 as little starch as possible in. their composition. 



DIET FOR DIARRHEA. 



In recent cases of diarrhea, food should be given sparingly, con- 

 sisting of light, non-irritating articles gruel, rice, baked rice-pud- 

 ding, arrow-root, arrow-root biscuits, and other farinaceous sub- 

 stances, which should be taken cool. The temperature of food is 

 very important; cold milk and lime-water will often arrest infantile 

 diarrhea when warm milk would be useless. If severe sickness be 

 superadded, all preparations of milk may have to be suspended for a 

 few hours, and whey, veal -broth or water or barley-water substituted. 

 Raw meat or juice sometimes acts favorably in diarrhea of young 

 children. 



In chronic diarrhea the diet should be nutritions, but restricted 

 to the most digestible kinds of food; mutton, chicken, pigeon, game 

 and white fish are generally suitable, if not over-cooked. Tender 

 beef is not inadmissible in many cases. Pork, veal and all tough 

 portions of meat should be avoided. Starchy foods, arrow-root, 

 sago, etc., are insufficient for prolonged cases of diarrhea, but are 

 improved by a mixture with good milk. Old rice, well boiled in 

 milk, taken directly it is prepared, forms excellent nourishment. 

 Raw or half -cooked eggs, and good, sound, ripe grapes in modera- 

 tion, may generally be taken. Mucilaginous drinks barley-water, 

 gum-water, linseed-tea, etc., are the most suitable. Beer never 

 agrees. Milk and lime-water or scalded milk constitutes the best 

 diet; in feverish conditions it may be iced; soda-water may be 

 occasionally substituted for lime-water. Restricting' a patient 

 entirely to this diet is often alone sufficient to cure most cases of 

 diarrhea, not dependent on any organic cause. Even in the latter 

 case much temporary benefit is generally gained. The alkaline milk- 

 diet may be taken in small meals at regular intervals. 



As an important accessory to the above the application of a 

 moderately tight fitting flannel bandage around the abdomen is 

 very valuable. Rest in the recumbent posture is especially desir- 

 able in acute cases. 



DIET FOR DIPTHERIA. 



One of the characteristics of this disease is great prostration. 

 To counteract this, the strength of the patient must be well sus- 

 tained by nourishment from the very commencement. He must 

 therefore be urged to swallow in spite of the pain which this act 

 generally occasions. Use eggs beaten up in milk, beef-tea slightly 

 thickened with rice or pearl-barley, or arrow-root or sago with port 



