Remember also that the matter of appearance is of far more im- portance to a sick than a well person, and even if the meal be only toast and tea, follow instructions for making each, and serve them on the freshest of napkins and in dainty china. A tete-a-tete service is very nice for use in a sick-room, and in any case a very small tea- pot can be had, that the tea may always be made fresh. Prepare only a small amount of anything, and never discuss it beforehand. A surprise will often rouse a flagging appetite. Be ready, too, to have your best attempts rejected, and take comfort in the fact that tlio article disliked one day may be just what is wanted the next. Finally, remember that there are duties to one's self as well as the patient. Try to secure at least a few minutes daily in the open air. Rest as regularly as possible, and keep a quiet mind. Patience is the first necessity above all with children, who in convalescence are apt to be exasperatingly fretful. Every power of self-control and repression is called into play by sickness, and in this as in many other emergencies of life, the same word applies — "and having done all, to standy FOOD FOR THE SICK. It seems v/ell, before giving formal rules of preparation, to place here the different tables of diet used in the best hospitals ; not that they are to be followed literally, but to be examined carefully for the purpose of seeing what proportion of solid and liquid is con- sidered best, and what amounts are regarded as necessary in " full " and " low " diet. The appetite of a convalescent is usually greater than when in health, and these tables have been made after long con- sultation among physicians who have given a lifetime to the subject, and whose object is the very speediest possible restoration to health. Having once discovered what amount makes a solid and a liquid ounce, it will be easy to judge as to quantities specified. i68 THE hearthstone; or, life at home. In severe sickness a glass tube is very useful for feeding gruels and drinks, and several can be kept on hand in the medicine closet, which should be in every house, for the sake of having in one spot all the simple remedies necessary in ordinary life. Small, white china boats with spouts are as useful as the tubes, but let them be used only for food, as if medicine is given in them the patient is likely to associate it with the food, and thus lose relish and appetite. A wooden tray with legs six or seven inches high, to stand on the bed, is convenient for serving meals, and if there is no bed-rest for use when the patient can sit up, a chair turned with the back down and a pillow against it is a very good substitute. Fever or Low Diet. Bread -------- 6 oz. Milk -------- 2 pints. Beef-tea or mutton broth (i lb. meat to pint) - i pint. Arrowroot ______ 2 oz. Tea, ^ oz. Sugar, I oz. For a pint of tea. Middle or Half Diet. Bread -_____- 8oz. Butter - - - - - - - -loz. Fish -------- 6oz. Or, hashed mutton or beef - - - - 3 oz. Potatoes, mashed _____ 8 oz. Milk i^ pint Rice, sago or arrowroot » _ _ _ 2 oz. Tea, ^ oz. 1 f, } For I pint of tea. bugar, I oz. j Full or Ordinary Diet. Bread - - - - - - - 16 to 20 oz.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Remember also that the matter of appearance is of far more importance to a sick than a well person, and even if the meal be only toast and tea, follow instructions for making each, and serve them on the freshest of napkins and in dainty china. A tete-a-tete service is very nice for use in a sick-room, and in any case a very small teapot can be had, that the tea may always be made fresh. Prepare only a small amount of anything, and never discuss it beforehand. A surprise will often rouse a flagging appetite. Be ready, too, to have your best attempts rejected, and take comfort in the fact that the article disliked one day may be just what is wanted the next. Finally, remember that there are duties to one's self as well as the patient. Try to secure at least a few minutes daily in the open air. Rest as regularly as possible, and keep a quiet mind. Patience is the first necessity above all with children, who in convalescence are apt to be exasperatingly fretful. Every power of self-control and repression is called into play by sickness, and in this as in many other emergencies of life, the same word applies — "and having done all, to stand. FOOD FOR THE SICK. It seems v/ell, before giving formal rules of preparation, to place here the different tables of diet used in the best hospitals ; not that they are to be followed literally, but to be examined carefully for the purpose of seeing what proportion of solid and liquid is considered best, and what amounts are regarded as necessary in " full " and " low " diet. The appetite of a convalescent is usually greater than when in health, and these tables have been made after long consultation among physicians who have given a lifetime to the subject, and whose object is the very speediest possible restoration to health. Having once discovered what amount makes a solid and a liquid ounce, it will be easy to judge as to quantities specified. i68 THE hearthstone; or, life at home. In severe sickness a glass tube is very useful for feeding gruels and drinks, and several can be kept on hand in the medicine closet, which should be in every house, for the sake of having in one spot all the simple remedies necessary in ordinary life. Small, white china boats with spouts are as useful as the tubes, but let them be used only for food, as if medicine is given in them the patient is likely to associate it with the food, and thus lose relish and appetite. A wooden tray with legs six or seven inches high, to stand on the bed, is convenient for serving meals, and if there is no bed-rest for use when the patient can sit up, a chair turned with the back down and a pillow against it is a very good substitute. Fever or Low Diet. Bread -------- 6 oz. Milk -------- 2 pints. Beef-tea or mutton broth (i lb. meat to pint) - i pint. Arrowroot ______ 2 oz. Tea, ^ oz. Sugar, I oz. For a pint of tea. Middle or Half Diet. Bread -_____- 8oz. Butter - - - - - - - -loz. Fish -------- 6oz. Or, hashed mutton or beef - - - - 3 oz. Potatoes, mashed _____ 8 oz. Milk i^ pint Rice, sago or arrowroot » _ _ _ 2 oz. Tea, ^ oz. 1 f, } For I pint of tea. bugar, I oz. j Full or Ordinary Diet. Bread - - - - - - - 16 to 20 oz.

The hearthstone; or, Life at home