This is especially important in the case of children with a family predisposition to tuberculosis. Here the general circumstances of the child, and also the dietary, must be arranged so as to maintain the healthiest possible condition of the gastro-intestinal tract. Everything which might promote gastro-intestinal derangement, and so allow penetration of the intestines by the tubercle bacillus, must be carefully avoided. Strict precautions are necessary in regard to the milk-supply. If the milk-supply is above suspicion, it is no doubt best for the child to take untreated milk, that is, milk which has not been boiled or sterilised. There is no question that the artificial treatment of milk by heat and other methods interferes to some extent with its properties as a food. It does so in all probability by altering some vital ingredient present in fresh milk. Since, however, the danger to the child from the use of artificially treated milk is considerably less than that from the use of fresh milk infected with tubercle, it is, as a rule, advisable to recommend the former. It should, however, be noted that the milk should not be sterilised in the manner sometimes done, by exposing it to a very high temperature for half an hour or more - it should simply be scalded.

An abundance of fresh food is an essential in treatment. Milk, eggs, fresh meat, meat juice, fresh vegetables, and fruit should enter largely into the dietary, and an extra amount daily should be insisted upon. Care must be exercised to prevent the immoderate use of farinaceous foods and sweets, which are prone to induce indigestion, and so lower the resistance of the bowels. Lastly, reference may be made to the importance of fresh air, by night as well as by day, regular meals, and thorough mastication of the food, as being factors of importance in the prophylactic treatment.