Pepper is allowable when a slight stimulant is needed. It should be white or cayenne pepper, as these are less irri- tating than black pepper. Boiled onions are soothing to the mucous membrane. In inflammation of the stomach they are often helpful when a piece of white bread could not be digested. Broiled or roasted squah^ venison^ chicken, mutton^ and heef^ in the order given, are the most easily assim- ilated meats. Game^ being rich in phosphates, is valuable for invalids. Broiled bacon, dusted with cayenne, is an easily digested form of fat. Tomatoes as an article of diet are considered by many ph^^sicians a remedy for dyspepsia and indigestion. W^atery^ green^ or diseased potatoes should never be eaten. If there be only a small spot of decay, it taints the whole potato. Young potatoes are very indigestible. Eggs for sick people should be taken raw. When beaten with cold milk, they are more quick Ij' absorbed. If cooked, the}^ should be either very soft, or hard enough to be easil}' criimbled to a powder, as in any intermediate stage the albumen is tough instead of brittle, and being tough is insoluble by the gastric juice ; these insoluble portions are often delayed in the stomach or intestines till they putref}', and the sulphuretted hydrogen and ammonia evolved be- come poisonous to the intestinal canal. 432 The Boston Cook Book. Soups which have in them cream or milk are better for invalids than those rich in gelatine. Cream of Celery and Potage a la Heine are especially suitable. Strong Bouillon is adapted to those suffering from hemorrhoids or any disease of the rectum, as there is no solid waste. Dyspeptics should avoid anything which they (not others) cannot digest. There are so many causes for and forms of dyspepsia, that it is impossible to prescribe one and the same diet for all. Nothing is more disagreeable or useless than to be cautioned against eating this or that, because your neighbor " So-and-so " cannot eat such things. If we would all stud}" the nature and digestion of food, and remember that air and exercise are as essential as food in promoting good health, we could easily decide upon the diet best suited to our individual needs. The diabetic should abstain from sugar and anything which is converted into sugar in digestion, such as all starchy foods, — fine wheat flour, rice, macaroni, tapioca, liver, potatoes, beets, carrots, turnips, parsnips, peas, beans, very old cheese, sweet omelets, custards, jellies, starchy nuts, sweet sauces, wine, and liquors. He may eat oysters, all kinds of fish, meat, poultr}^, and game, soups without any starch}^ thickening, lettuce, cucumbers, watercresses, dandelions, 3'oung onions, cold slaw, olives, cauliflower, spinach, cabbage, string beans, ripe fruit of all kinds without sugar, cream, butter, milk sparinglj^ gluten, flour, oil}' nuts freely salted, eggs, coffee, and cocoa. The corpulent should abstain from fat as well as sugar and starch. A diet of whole- wheat, milk, vegetables, fruits, and lean meat w^ill produce only a normal amount of fatness ; while an excess of sweets, acids, spices, and shortening keeps the s^^stem in an unhealthful coftdition.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Pepper is allowable when a slight stimulant is needed. It should be white or cayenne pepper, as these are less irritating than black pepper. Boiled onions are soothing to the mucous membrane. In inflammation of the stomach they are often helpful when a piece of white bread could not be digested. Broiled or roasted squash, venison, chicken, mutton, and beef, in the order given, are the most easily assimilated meats. Game, being rich in phosphates, is valuable for invalids. Broiled bacon, dusted with cayenne, is an easily digested form of fat. Tomatoes as an article of diet are considered by many physicians a remedy for dyspepsia and indigestion. Watery, green, or diseased potatoes should never be eaten. If there be only a small spot of decay, it taints the whole potato. Young potatoes are very indigestible. Eggs for sick people should be taken raw. When beaten with cold milk, they are more quickly absorbed. If cooked, they should be either very soft, or hard enough to be easily crumbled to a powder, as in any intermediate stage the albumen is tough instead of brittle, and being tough is insoluble by the gastric juice ; these insoluble portions are often delayed in the stomach or intestines till they putrefy, and the sulphuretted hydrogen and ammonia evolved become poisonous to the intestinal canal. 432 The Boston Cook Book. Soups which have in them cream or milk are better for invalids than those rich in gelatine. Cream of Celery and Potage a la Heine are especially suitable. Strong Bouillon is adapted to those suffering from hemorrhoids or any disease of the rectum, as there is no solid waste. Dyspeptics should avoid anything which they (not others) cannot digest. There are so many causes for and forms of dyspepsia, that it is impossible to prescribe one and the same diet for all. Nothing is more disagreeable or useless than to be cautioned against eating this or that, because your neighbor " So-and-so " cannot eat such things. If we would all stud}" the nature and digestion of food, and remember that air and exercise are as essential as food in promoting good health, we could easily decide upon the diet best suited to our individual needs. The diabetic should abstain from sugar and anything which is converted into sugar in digestion, such as all starchy foods, — fine wheat flour, rice, macaroni, tapioca, liver, potatoes, beets, carrots, turnips, parsnips, peas, beans, very old cheese, sweet omelets, custards, jellies, starchy nuts, sweet sauces, wine, and liquors. He may eat oysters, all kinds of fish, meat, poultr}^, and game, soups without any starch}^ thickening, lettuce, cucumbers, watercresses, dandelions, 3'oung onions, cold slaw, olives, cauliflower, spinach, cabbage, string beans, ripe fruit of all kinds without sugar, cream, butter, milk sparinglj^ gluten, flour, oil}' nuts freely salted, eggs, coffee, and cocoa. The corpulent should abstain from fat as well as sugar and starch. A diet of whole- wheat, milk, vegetables, fruits, and lean meat w^ill produce only a normal amount of fatness ; while an excess of sweets, acids, spices, and shortening keeps the s^^stem in an unhealthful coftdition.

Mrs. Lincoln's Boston cook book