When acute gastritis is first set up, and it is suspected that the pain is caused by some undigested article of food in the stomach, it is well to wash out this organ without delay. This can be done without the use of the alarming stomach pump. If about a pint of hot water be drunk, and the back of the throat tickled with the finger or the handle of a tooth-brush, vomiting is provoked, and the contents of the stomach are forcibly ejected. Among the chyme and half-digested food vomited will generally be found some one thing which has been eaten at a meal, perhaps the previous day or several hours before, and which is still quite undigested. Let the patient continue to drink hot water and to provoke vomiting, until the stomach is completely washed out. A serious attack of acute gastritis may often be prevented by this simple and common-sense expedient.

Resting The Stomach

If, however, the gastritis is established, the stomach must be rested. For one or two days no food of any kind should be taken. A little ice in small lumps can be sucked to prevent nausea and to allay thirst. After this enforced abstinence the stomach will possibly be able to absorb a little predigested food. Pre-digested beef-tea, the making of which is described on page 114, is the most easily assimilable. If this is found not to disagree, predigested milk in small quantities at a time may be given. As the patient recovers appetite raw meat juice and raw meat balls (vide page 115) should be carefully added to the dietary. At this stage Leube's meat solution would be a valuable food. This requires an intelligent cook to prepare; but if the directions are carefully followed there is no difficulty about it.