In mild cases, yellow fever requires little more than careful nursing. In severe cases strength is lost with great rapidity; therefore the administration of food is imperatively demanded, but vomiting prevents its being taken by the mouth. If patients are strong when stricken by the malady, no food should be given during the first two or three days. This rule does not apply to the mildest cases, in which vomiting occurs infrequently, so that a few spoonfuls of liquid nourishment may be given to the patient quite often. Cracked ice, effervescing waters, and champagne are sometimes given to check vomiting.

Constant vomiting and abstinence from food and drink diminish all the secretions. The urine becomes scant or almost suppressed. To prevent this, water must be given by the rectum or by hypodermic injections. A decinormal (physiologic) saline solution should be used for these purposes. Although a strong patient may be starved for two or three days, it is rarely advisable to withhold nourishment for more than two or three days, and in the severest cases strength is lost so rapidly that some nourishment muse be given from the start. Fortunately, in yellow fever the rectum is very tolerant, and alimentation may be maintained by it. Nutritive enemata can be given continuously by the drop method described on page 211 or as a single injection at regular intervals which is the usual method. Peptonized milk is the best form of nourishment to administer in this way. It is best to give enemata occasionally even when the stomach tolerates a little liquid nourishment, as the latter organ can never be relied upon and is so sensitive that it becomes rebellious if ever so little overtaxed. For this reason it is safest to continue to give nutritive enemata in the second stage or during the remission, although a few spoonfuls of liquid nourishment are also given every twenty or thirty minutes by the mouth. In those cases in which recovery commences at this time larger amounts may be given very slowly and tentatively. As, however, in many other cases a recurrence of severe vomiting is to be expected after an intermission of a few hours, stomach-feeding is of little value and may be harmful if not conducted with greatest prudence. When vomiting begins to be less frequent and severe, one or two spoonfuls of milk, kumiss, or beef-tea or diluted meat-juice may be tried. If retained, the amount may be increased slowly, but rectal alimentation should be kept up and food should not be crowded upon the stomach. The digestive power of this organ is often greatly lessened for many days, and sometimes even for months, after an attack of yellow fever. When, in cases of moderate severity, convalescence has been established for ten days or two weeks, soft foods may be eaten with the liquids, such as gruels, milk-toast, junket, farina, custards, soft-boiled or poached eggs, crackers, Mellin's food or malted milk, minced chicken, and scraped meat. The highly albuminous articles, such as eggs, custards, chicken, and meat, should not be given so long as there is albuminuria. The kidneys will be most certain to retain their functional activity if physiologic saline solution be given by rectum or hypoder-mically during the period of the greatest severity of the malady. When uremia develops, the blood should be diluted as rapidly as possible in these ways, and diaphoresis should be stimulated by the hot pack or bath.