This section is from the book "Practical Dietetics With Special Reference To Diet In Disease", by William Gilman Thompson. Also available from Amazon: Practical Dietetics with Special Reference to Diet in Disease.
In the Cook County Hospital, of Chicago, the official diets are four - viz., ward diet, light diet, special diet, milk diet.
Extras may be ordered, such as chickens, chops, beefsteak, eggs, cream, crackers, lemons, or additional butter, milk, sugar, sirup, and vinegar.
Here again no special attempt is made to classify foods qualitatively.
The following is a sample midsummer diet, from a smaller hospital, having about seventy beds, in which attention is economically given to variety, in food cookery which would be impossible in a larger institution without incurring needless expense:
Full Diets: Hominy with milk, fish balls or creamed fish, brown bread or biscuit, coffee with milk and sugar, fresh fruit. Half Diets: Hominy with milk, toast, coffee, fresh fruit.
Full Diets: Soup, bread, roast beef, sweet or white potatoes, spinach or egg plant, pudding. Half Diets: Clam broth, toast, chicken or beef jelly, rice, or ice cream.
Full Diets: Pressed beef or cream salmon, bread and butter, cocoa. Half Diets: Indian meal porridge and milk, toast, cocoa, fruit.
-Full Diets: Oatmeal and milk, bread and butter, poached eggs on toast, coffee with milk and sugar. Half Diets: Oatmeal, eggs on toast, coffee, fresh fruit.
Full Diets: Soup, bread, roast lamb, spaghetti, tomatoes or lima beans, rice pudding or prune pudding or cottage pudding. Half Diets: Chicken broth, toast, spaghetti, rice pudding or cottage pudding.
Full Diets: Baked potatoes and bacon or creamed beef or toast, bread and butter, tea, fruit. Half Diets: Hominy and milk, bread and butter or toast, tea, fruit.
Full Diets: Wheat flakes and milk, beef mince or hash, bread and butter, coffee. Half Diets: Wheat flakes, buttered toast, coffee, fresh fruit.
Full Diets: Soup, bread, steak, cresses, potatoes, beans or carrots or beets, boiled or baked custard or ice cream. Half Diets: Mutton broth, rice, toast, custard or ice cream.
Full Diets: Brown bread and butter, cream cheese or boiled eggs or sliced beef, fruit, cocoa. Half Diets: Oatmeal jelly and milk, toast, fruit, cocoa.
Full Diets: Hominy with milk, lamb mince or lamb with cream sauce, bread, butter, coffee. Half Diets: Hominy with milk, buttered toast, boiled eggs, coffee, fresh fruit.
Full Diets: Soup, bread, chicken, potatoes or rice, peas, tapioca or fruit pudding or custard. Half Diets: Broth, rice, toast, tapioca.
Full Diets: Spaghetti and tomato or sliced tomatoes or baked corn, bread and butter, tea, fruit. Half Diets: Wheat flakes and milk, toast, tea, fruit.
Full Diets: Oatmeal and milk, fresh fish, bread and butter, coffee. Half Diets: Oatmeal and milk, toast, coffee, fresh fruit.
Full Diets: Soup, bread, braised beef, macaroni, spinach or string beans, wine jelly or fruit jelly. Half Diets: Chicken broth, macaroni, toast, wine jelly.
Full Diets: Beef stew or cream toast or pea soup, bread and butter, cake, fruit, cocoa. Half Diets: Cream toast, cocoa, fruit.
Full Diets: Wheat flakes and milk, scrambled eggs on toast, bread and butter. Half Diets: Wheat flakes and milk, eggs, toast, coffee, fresh fruit.
Full Diets: Soup, bread, fish, potatoes, tomatoes or peas, bread pudding or Indian pudding or ice cream. Half Diets: Lamb broth, rice, bread pudding or ice cream.
Full Diets: Chowder or boiled eggs, bread and butter, tea, fruit. Half Diets: Oatmeal jelly, toast, tea, fruit.
Full Diets: Indian meal porridge and maple sirup or milk, beef ragout, bread and butter, coffee. Half Diets: Indian porridge, toast, coffee.
Full Diets: Soup, bread, steak, potatoes, cauliflower or squash. Half Diets: Chicken broth, toast, rice, rennet custard, blanc mange.
Full Diets: Lamb stew or baked beans, bread and butter, tea, fruit. Half Diets: Wheat flakes and milk, toast, tea, fruit.
Food which may be ordered by resident or attending physicians when daily diet is not adequate or suitable:
Beefsteak, chops, chicken, beef jelly, chicken jelly, scraped beef balls, raw beef sandwiches, clam broth, crackers, extra eggs and milk, gruels, oatmeal jelly, wine or fruit jelly, cold beef extract made with hydrochloric acid.
 
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