It was formerly supposed that drugs cured disease, and as a consequence, very little attention was paid to feeding sick people. The modern physician strives to aid nature. Nearly a half century ago, a noted medical writer stated that of all the means known for the cure of disease, none was so powerful as a proper adaptation of food and drink. It is to be regretted, that the importance of feeding, has not been more generally recognized, and this being true, it is no wonder that methods of feeding should escape attention, The first requisite is suitable food, and the nurse must see that it is properly prepared. It should be the duty of some one in every household to take charge of the preparation and feeding in illness. It is not enough for the physician to give directions as to the food. The nurse must know that the milk is sweet and pure; that the broths are properly made; that the toast is thoroughly dried and browned; that the gruels are thoroughly cooked and that the fruits are neither green nor over-ripe.

The patient's appetite and peculiarities must be watched and it is of the greatest importance to find out his likes and dislikes, and how to flavor and serve what is agreeable. Study the patient's whims and agree with them, and under no circumstances should the patient be directly antagonized. If necessary to do things radically different from what he desires, agree with him in speech, but do what is best. If the patient wanted something very harmful that would require some tact. If not amenable to reason and the condition serious, it may be well to say that he can have all he wants; that the doctor directed that he be compelled to eat ten or twenty pounds. If persuaded that he must eat a disagreeable amount, it often happens that they will not even taste the article. No very specific directions can be given. The patient's mind must be appeased as well as his body fed. There may be no appetite and all food refused, but this may result from offering unpalatable food, or due to some offensive way in which it is served. As a general rule, patients should be fed regularly. If the patient sleeps a good deal he may be roused up; but if not, the best time to offer food is just after the patient has slept, but never immediately after severe attacks of pain, unless unavoidable.

One of the most essential things in good feeding is the patient's comfort. It is of the utmost importance that the patient be made comfortable and able to receive the food without exertion, otherwise he may dread the sight of it. Food can always be made most appetizing to the patient by being served in an attractive way. This means clean hands, clean apparel, and the best china in the house. Sick people are often much more observing than when well, and great care must be taken not to present the same appearance when offering food as when doing chamber work, otherwise the patient may associate the two and be nauseated at the sight of food. Hot food should be served quite hot, and cold ones sufficiently cold to be pleasant to the taste. It must be remembered that the sick are more or less sensitive and whimsical, and great bulk is particularly repugnant to a weak appetite. The practice of leaving medicine bottles and remnants of a meal on a chair or table, where the patient can constantly see them, is very careless, to say the least, and calculated to make the patient loathe the sight of food, and instead of a constant vision of nauseating medicine bottles, bright, fragrant flowers will exert a beneficial influence.

The frequency and quantity of food to be given, depends largely on the condition of the patient. The digestive secretions will usually be the weakest during high fever. Patients are seldom fed at closer intervals than two hours, or farther apart than four or five hours.

If food causes nausea and disgust, it only does harm to offer it, no matter who advises it; but it does not follow that all foods will do so; and when one disagrees, something else must be substituted for a time, even if less suitable, until the patient can tolerate a better food. As a general rule, food should be given at regular intervals and in small quantities. Always earn- small quantities of food to the bedside, and when the patient has little or no appetite, it is not advisable to ask what would be agreeable. If the patient be nervous and suffer greatly from pain, and therefore unable to sleep, he should not ordinarily be aroused for feeding; but if he sleeps much and is easily aroused, he may be fed at the regular periods. If he should insist on having some food, of doubtful use, prepare it without fat of any kind. If it be a solid, grind to a powder, as fine as flour, if possible; but it is usually better to give only liquid food, and if vegetables, they should be stewed and only the broth given; and if fruits, only the juice. In such cases, give teaspoonfuls and watch results. In giving meat broths, the oil floating on the cup should always be skimmed off with a piece of bread, before offering it.

The care of the patient's mouth is hardly less important than the feeding, because a bad mouth may indirectly be the cause of death. The mouth is affected by fever, medicine, and foul secretions, which are likely to make it very uncomfortable and sometimes very sore; and in either case, it may destroy the patient's appetite. Now, many patients die of exhaustion, that would probably not have done so, had they been properly nourished; and this, in turn, may have been because of the condition of the patient's mouth. There are only two things to be done, and that is to cleanse and disinfect after each feeding-. Use warm water, to which a little of some mild disinfectant, such as boracic acid, has been added, and then rinse with plain water. Soft brushes or swabs should be used where possible. Of course, in washing the mouth nothing should be swallowed. Chewing a slice of lemon has a remarkable effect in cleansing a foul tongue, and for this purpose probably there is nothing as serviceable. The lips should be moistened with salt water, or vaseline, or nut oils may be applied. Unconscious patients must not be fed anything but liquid food, and that through a catheter. This is necessary, because it is difficult to get food to the stomach in any other way, for the patient will not swallow.

If the mouth cannot be opened and there are no teeth missing, through which the tube can be passed, then the tube must always be passed through the nostril. In the absence of any indications to the contrary, patients may be allowed all the cold water they wish. This is especially true in fever. During a chill, or where it is necessary to reduce the volume of blood, as in some disease of the heart, or puerperal eclampsia (spasms after child-birth), specific directions as to amount of liquid to be allowed, must be given by the attending physician. The matter of ventilation and sanitation do not belong to this book, except as an incident affecting the patient's appetite.

Many people in ordinary health are almost as afraid of "drafts" as of small-pox. It is, therefore, not surprising that sick chambers are often kept without pure air. The sick room must be kept sweet. No sick person can have an appetite or relish foods when kept in a foul, stifling atmosphere. Warmth and fresh air are the first of all considerations, and air exerts the greatest influence in diseases of the lungs. All vessels used in the sick-room must be disinfected and cleaned with boiling water every time they are used.