“ milk, and the preparations of milk, are most important articles of food for the sick,” and that there is nearly as much nourishment in half a pint of milk as there is in a quarter of a pound of meat. Also, there is no doubt that physicians of the present day value milk most highly, and in certain diseases they rely on it entirely. Yet there is no article of food that needs more care to keep it in good condition, for of all foods it takes up impurities most easily. Milk should not be left in the can with the cover tightly closed, but should be put into an open vessel, and disturbed as little as possible. In cases of diarrhoea it should be boiled and allowed to go cold before being drunk. Many doctors would say that in all cases milk should be boiled before being drunk. If the cream is to be taken off, the milk should be put in a closet opening out of a warm room in winter, and in a cool cellar in summer, because to rise well cream must either be quite warm (55° to 60°) or very cold. Milk that is to be used without the cream being taken off should be kept at 45° to 50° and stirred often. A great many people, when ordered to take milk, object to do so, because they have found that it disagrees with them, and lies heavy on the stomach, to use a common phrase. To prevent this the milk should be largely diluted either with water or whey, or with lime water. Milk is indeed so apt to form into clots on the stomach that undiluted it is to be regarded as solid food. Mixed with lime water it is particularly valuable in cases of obstinate nausea. The propor¬ tion of lime water usually allowed is four tablespoonfuls of milk to one of lime water. The proportion of water or whey is two-thirds of the bulk of the milk. Lime water can be bought of the druggist. Soda water is sometimes substituted for lime water. To make Whey. — Make a pint of milk lukewarm, stir into it a dessertspoonful of essence of rennet, and leave it in a warm place till the milk is firm. Boil it, when the curd will separate and can be removed, and the whey will be ready for use. Sometimes milk is rendered less objectionable to a patient by flavouring it with cinnamon, or a few drops of vanilla. LIQUID FOODS. Broths and Soups. In very serious illness, when the patient cannot or is not allowed to swallow solid foods, reliance must be placed entirely on liquid foods. For these the following suggestions are made. Becipes for Beef Tea, Yeal Broth, Mutton Broth, Chicken Broth, and Barley Cream will be found on pages 95-6 of this work. Beef Juice. — Mince finely a quarter of a pound of fresh raw lean beef. Add to it gradually a quarter of a pint of cold water, and squeeze it with the back of a silver spoon. Let it stand a few 440 A YEAR'S COOKERY. minutes, then press it through a line wire sieve, add salt✪ Beef Juice, and serve. The doctor should be asked if this proportion of water is allowable. If undiluted beef juice is wanted, cut lean raw beef into thin strips, and squeeze in a lemon squeezer. The juice that runs from uncooked beef can, of course, be used for this purpose. As much as is wanted at one time, and no more, should be made, for beef juice will not keep. One way of extracting beef juice is to cut the meat in squares ; place these in a bottle or jar, and set in a pan of boiling water for three hours.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

“ milk, and the preparations of milk, are most important articles of food for the sick,” and that there is nearly as much nourishment in half a pint of milk as there is in a quarter of a pound of meat. Also, there is no doubt that physicians of the present day value milk most highly, and in certain diseases they rely on it entirely. Yet there is no article of food that needs more care to keep it in good condition, for of all foods it takes up impurities most easily. Milk should not be left in the can with the cover tightly closed, but should be put into an open vessel, and disturbed as little as possible. In cases of diarrhoea it should be boiled and allowed to go cold before being drunk. Many doctors would say that in all cases milk should be boiled before being drunk. If the cream is to be taken off, the milk should be put in a closet opening out of a warm room in winter, and in a cool cellar in summer, because to rise well cream must either be quite warm (55° to 60°) or very cold. Milk that is to be used without the cream being taken off should be kept at 45° to 50° and stirred often. A great many people, when ordered to take milk, object to do so, because they have found that it disagrees with them, and lies heavy on the stomach, to use a common phrase. To prevent this the milk should be largely diluted either with water or whey, or with lime water. Milk is indeed so apt to form into clots on the stomach that undiluted it is to be regarded as solid food. Mixed with lime water it is particularly valuable in cases of obstinate nausea. The propor¬ tion of lime water usually allowed is four tablespoonfuls of milk to one of lime water. The proportion of water or whey is two-thirds of the bulk of the milk. Lime water can be bought of the druggist. Soda water is sometimes substituted for lime water. To make Whey. — Make a pint of milk lukewarm, stir into it a dessertspoonful of essence of rennet, and leave it in a warm place till the milk is firm. Boil it, when the curd will separate and can be removed, and the whey will be ready for use. Sometimes milk is rendered less objectionable to a patient by flavouring it with cinnamon, or a few drops of vanilla. LIQUID FOODS. Broths and Soups. In very serious illness, when the patient cannot or is not allowed to swallow solid foods, reliance must be placed entirely on liquid foods. For these the following suggestions are made. Recipes for Beef Tea, Veal Broth, Mutton Broth, Chicken Broth, and Barley Cream will be found on pages 95-6 of this work. Beef Juice. — Mince finely a quarter of a pound of fresh raw lean beef. Add to it gradually a quarter of a pint of cold water, and squeeze it with the back of a silver spoon. Let it stand a few minutes, then press it through a line wire sieve, add salt, and serve. The doctor should be asked if this proportion of water is allowable. If undiluted beef juice is wanted, cut lean raw beef into thin strips, and squeeze in a lemon squeezer. The juice that runs from uncooked beef can, of course, be used for this purpose. As much as is wanted at one time, and no more, should be made, for beef juice will not keep. One way of extracting beef juice is to cut the meat in squares ; place these in a bottle or jar, and set in a pan of boiling water for three hours.

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