76 OVER-NUTRITION AND UNDER-NUTRITION 



be remembered in all curative methods in which over-nutrition and under- 

 nutrition come into play. The better the physician understands the general 

 laws of these cures, the more readily will he be able to meet the indications 

 of the individual case. The successes of dietetic therapy may only too readily 

 become matters of routine. Many practitioners adhere too closely to definite 

 diet schemes which have been proposed by this or that celebrated author, or 

 they even hand to the patients a so-called diet list which refers only to the 

 disease, and not to the patient, and which means the annihilation of indi- 

 vidual dietetic therapy. Only the intimate union of practical experience with 

 a comprehensive understanding of fundamental theoretic laws will enable the 

 physician to choose rightly in every case. He must always bear in mind that, 

 although there are many methods of securing over-nutrition and under- 

 nutrition, for the special case there is but one best method. 



