Aria.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
August,  1899.  j 
Artificial  Foods. 
389 
they  are  detrimental  and  demoralizing,  for  they  encourage  the  di- 
gestive functions  to  become  lazy  and  finally  rob  these  organs  of 
their  ability  to  obey  the  commands  of  nature.  Thus  we  impair  in- 
stead of  developing  and  strengthening  vital  parts  of  the  body. 
There  are  also  condensed  creams  and  peptonized  condensed 
milks  on  the  market  which  combine  the  features  of  the  two  above 
classes,  but  are  not  very  important. 
Among  the  other  foods  of  animal  origin,  although  of  more  re- 
cent application,  are  those  prepared  from  beef. 
Of  the  many  beef  juices  on  the  market  it  will  suffice  to  remark 
that  they  furnish  very  concentrated  nourishment,  since  most  of  the 
indigestible  fibre,  muscle  sheaths,  bloodvessels,  etc.,  are  removed  in 
the  process  of  manufacture,  and  water  is  driven  off  by  evaporation. 
They  have  quite  an  extensive  use,  but  mostly  for  adults,  being  very 
seldom  used  for  children  except  as  an  addition  to  milk  or  other 
food. 
Eggs  offer  a  remarkably  efficient  form  of  nourishment,  as  they 
contain  proteids  and  fat  in  a  concentrated  and  assimilable  form,  are 
easily  procured  and  prepared  and  quite  palatable. 
Fresh  eggs  have  always  been  a  very  popular  food  for  both  adults 
and  infants  as  an  addition  to  milk  and  other  kinds  of  diet. 
During  the  last  few  years  attention  has  been  called  to  the  value  of 
eggs  as  a  substitute  for  the  indigestible  casein  in  milk  foods,  on  the 
grounds  of  their  digestibility  and  nutritive  value.  There  are  three 
strong  points  in  favor  of  the  egg  as  an  ingredient  of  artificial  food. 
(1)  That  when  it  is  desiccated  and  finely  powdered  it  is  effectively 
preserved  against  decomposition. 
(2)  It  forms  very  fine  and  flocculent  masses  on  coagulation,  and 
hence  gives  the  greatest  freedom  to  the  digestive  juices  to  act  upon 
it,  and 
(3)  That  it  exerts  an  active  influence  upon  the  mucous  membrane 
of  the  stomach,  allaying  irritation  and  soothing  inflamed  surfaces. 
The  greater  number  of  artificial  foods  belong  to  that  class  in 
which  cereals  are  used  as  the  basis. 
These  prepared  farinaceous  infant  foods  are  made  by  the  following 
methods : 
(1)  Application  of  heat  alone. 
(2)  Digestion  with  malt  or  diastase  combined  with  heat. 
(3)  Addition  of  animal  matter  to  cereals  after  dextrinization. 
