388 
Artificial  Foods. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pbarm. 
I      August,  1899. 
purposes,  are,  nevertheless,  not  to  be  considered  always  as  based 
upon  fixed,  definite  and  accepted  laws,  and  the  best  food  for  a  child 
or  an  adult  is  the  food  that,  after  many  trials,  gives  the  best  practical 
results,  no  matter  what  theory  it  may  represent,  or  what  may  be 
claimed  for  it.  The  old  adage:  u  What  is  one  man's  meat  is 
another's  poison,"  is  applicable  to  this  condition,  and  the  bare 
truth,  established  by  practical  experience,  remains,  that  there  is  no 
artificial  food  which  will  infallibly  suit  every  case. 
Manufactured  foods  may  be  conveniently  divided  into  the  follow- 
ing classes:  predigested  foods,  milk  foods,  cereals-  and  complete 
foods. 
By  milk  foods  we  mean  those  which  are  prepared  from  cow's 
milk,  the  chief  representative  of  which  is  condensed  milk.  It  is 
prepared  by  slowly  evaporating  off  the  water  at  a  moderate  heat  in 
vacuo  till  the  milk  has  assumed  a  syrupy  consistence.  There  are 
many  brands  of  condensed  milk  on  the  market,  and  may  be  of  two 
varieties.  The  "  plain,"  which  is  condensed  to  about  one-fourth  its 
bulk,  with  the  addition  of  a  small  amount  of  cane  sugar,  and  the 
"  stronger,"  in  which  the  condensation  is  carried  further,  and  a 
much  larger  quantity  of  cane  sugar  is  added,  sometimes  running  as 
high  as  70  per  cent. 
This  makes  a  very  cheap  food  and  is  easily  prepared,  requiring 
only  dilution,  and  is  quite  palatable,  and  hence  is  used  largely 
among  the  poorer  classes.  It  is  somewhat  laxative  in  its  effect, 
which  is  an  advantage  quickly  realized  by  the  nurse.  Condensed 
milk,  however,  is  not  a  satisfactory  food  for  permanent  use.  Chil- 
dren fed  on  it  thrive  very  well  for  a  time  and  rapidly  gain  in  weight, 
but  the  flesh  formed  is  flabby,  with  large  amount  of  fat,  and  it  has  a 
tendency  in  time  to  produce  rickets,  marasmus  and  general  symp- 
toms of  malnutrition. 
Another  form  of  milk  food  is  that  which  is  prepared  by  prediges- 
tion  by  some  ferment,  such  as  pepsin  or  pancreatin.  There  are  very 
few  foods  of  this  kind  upon  the  market,  as  their  field  is  very  limited. 
They  find  their  best  use  as  a  temporary  expedient  after  surgical 
operations  or  where  the  alimentary  tract  is  so  impaired  that  diges- 
tion becomes  impossible,  and  it  is  necessary  to  give  some  food 
which  can  be  directly  absorbed  without  any  effort  on  the  part  of  the 
invalid. 
When,  however,  they  are  employed  for  permanent  nourishment 
