"Of herbs and other country messes, Which the neat-handed Phillis dresses."

Milton.

A good nurse is now considered of as much importance in the sick-room as a skillful physician. Not the least among the nurse's duties is to provide food for the sufferer - food that shall be palatable and inviting and at the same time nourishing and wholesome. Every mother of a family ought to know how to cater to the fitful appetite and weak digestion of an invalid. The three great events of the day to the poor bedridden patient are the three meals, and these should be most delicately and carefully prepared.

The sick person should not be asked what he would like to have served, for he will surely sicken of food with the effort of selection and will very likely end by saying, "Nothing at all! "He should be watched carefully and the slightest intimation of a desire for any particular delicacy should be immediately considered ; and if the desired food will'not prove injurious, it should be prepared at once, and without the patient's knowledge, if possible, so it may prove a complete surprise. By all means make every dish, no matter what its nature, as dainty and attractive looking as may be, and be sure it is well cooked. The eye, as well as the palate, of the patient is to be considered ; therefore, serve the invalid's meals on the choicest ware you possess, accompanied by the snowiest of napkins and the brightest of silver. Only a little food should be served at a time, for fear of frightening away the wavering appetite by the sight of much food. A bit of green on a chop or steak will add much to the daintiness of the dish.

All through the present work are given recipes for dishes that an invalid may eat with pleasure and safety. Among these are nearly all the soups, carefully cooked meats and fish, all kinds of bread (if not fresh), cooked fruits, simple puddings, in the making of which no fat is used, jellies, creams and other light desserts. Re-cooked meats, fish or vegetables should never be offered to an invalid. Milk is now given in all kinds of illness ; and when it does not agree with the patient, a table-spoonful of lime-water added to each glassful will generally prevent any disagreeable consequences. Hot milk is considered a good stimulant after much fatigue. It should not be allowed to boil, but should just reach that point and be served as hot as possible, the cup being heated before being used, and the milk being covered with the inverted saucer while on its way to the sick-room. The patient should sip the milk as hot as can be borne, and will often find it as strengthening in its results as wine or liquor.

In preparing any of the grain foods for a sick person, extra care should be taken that they are sufficiently well cooked, else the result may be hurtful. Of the laxative articles of diet, oatmeal is one of the most important.

It stands before all other grains in point of nutrition. Rice is also a very valuable article of food in cases of digestive derangement. It nourishes and soothes at the same time, and supports the strength most desirably. For acute affections of the alimentary canal, rice-water for drink and rice jelly for food form a particularly appropriate diet. These preparations are also advised during convalescence from acute fever, and other maladies where there is intestinal trouble, especially in the summer complaints of young children. The value of corn-meal for invalids who are thin and low of temperature is but little appreciated. Corn-meal contains a large percentage of oil, which is heat-producing and nourishing.

Of meats, none is so juicy and appetizing as a beefsteak from a proper cut and properly cooked. Pork and veal should never be given in any form to a sick person. Some physicians claim that venison is the most easily digested and assimilated of meats, and class mutton next and beef third; but beef can often be eaten when no other variety of meat can even be tasted.