ea, coffee, and sugar _must be avoided_.

Diarrhoea.--Sudden attacks of this, though in a mild form, are very
troublesome. An enema of _cold_ water is in such cases often an
immediate cure. The first injection may be followed by even an
excessive motion, but if a second cold injection be given this will
cease. But in more troublesome cases, where the patient is an infant,
or very weak, this is not applicable. For such cases, mix equal
quantities of honey and lemon juice (one or two teaspoonfuls of each),
and add enough boiling water to dilute it for taking. Give this three
or even four times a day. It will usually and speedily cure, and is
relished by infants.

Often the cause of diarrhoea in infants is the infection of milk by
flies (_see_ British Cholera), or from dirty feeding bottles. Bottles
with tubes should _never_ be used. The india-rubber teat should be
smelt to see that it is perfectly sweet and clean before the bottle is
filled. Unsuitable or too rich food will bring this trouble on.

A tablespoonful of blackberry (or brambleberry as it is also called)
jelly may be given--it is a powerful and simple remedy. In adults, a
dose of castor oil, with a few drops of laudanum in it, will probably
remove all trouble, if it be due to nothing more than indigestible
food. Where the cold enema is dreaded, one of hot thin starch, with
fifteen drops of laudanum in it, may be used for adults.

Stale vegetable or animal food, also impure water, are fruitful sources
of diarrhoea.

The mind has a great effect on this trouble, anxiety and worry are
frequent causes. _See_ Worry. A comfortable seat by the fire, and an
interesting book, will often relieve.

When the diarrhoea is very serious, use the four-ply flannel bandage.
_See_ Bandage; British Cholera; Dysentery.

Diet.--The composition of different articles of food varies. A turnip
is not the same as a piece of cheese. It is more watery, and has more
fibre in it, and we speak of it as less nutritious. There are, however,
in almost all foods certain chemical substances present which have
different duties to perform in the body, and which are present in
widely different proportions in the various articles we use for food.

_Water_ is the most common of these substances. Soups, vegetables,
fruits, puddings, are largely water. Some foods contain less of it than
others, but on the whole a very large, if not the largest, part of all
food consists of water. This large a