DIET IN ACUTE FEVERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20988, 26 September 1931, Page 7 (Supplement)

DIET IN ACUTE FEVERS.

The old idea of giving milk and nothing but milk to anyone suddenly laid low will] a severe cold, flu, .sore throat, or any other mild but acute fever is very largely going out. A lot of peoplo loathe milk—it merely nauseates them. Moreover, it has the great disadvantage in large quantities of confining the bowels. One need no longer " starve a fever." Even typhoid is no longer treated by a purely milk diet; and that disease — because of the danger of hemorrhage from tho bowel—is the one fever above all others in which one might, expect a milk diet fo be insisted upon. If a person is ill with an acute, fever there is no reason why he should not be allowed tomcat anything he fancies. If he feelsJike "an egg, bread and butter and tea," let him have it. The difficulty is generally to get him to eat enough. Milk is, o! course, excellent if he prefers it, but plenty of lemon or orange juice with sugar should bo given as well. • It, can be taken as a general rule in fevers that one's appetite is the best indication of what is good for one. ihe only exception to the rule is that it the patient is unwilling to take, nourishment ho must be made to take plenty of fluids -he is not likely to err in the other direction.