er
standards, since by pointing out the errors in one's mode of living,
good health habits may be established, which will, undoubtedly assure
the individual of a better nourished and a more vigorous body.

There is no question as to the value of health either from the
standpoint of comfort or of economy. And the knowledge which will
enable one to spread the good work intelligently cannot but raise the
standards of living throughout the entire community.

In taking up the study of dietetics, the student is introduced to some
of the fundamental principles governing the health and well-being of a
people, since dietetics includes a study of food and its relation to
the body.

The relationship between right food and good health is very close; how
close is being demonstrated constantly in experimental fields of
scientific research.

To be able to judge whether the food one eats daily is giving the best
possible value from a physiological and economic standpoint, requires
a definite knowledge of food, its source, composition and nutrient
value, as well as its relation to the body in health and disease.

No one is capable of giving constructive advice upon matters
pertaining to diet, unless he has acquired this knowledge through
training. A nurse should obtain this training during her course in the
hospital, through the class room, the wards and the diet kitchen.

The dividing line between health and disease is frequently almost
imperceptible, and without a knowledge of the normal body, it is, at
times, impossible to tell where the normal leaves off and the abnormal
begins. For this reason a nurse must understand normal nutrition, that
is, the behavior of food in the healthy body, before undertaking the
task of ministering to the body attacked by disease.

In a text of this kind, it is impossible to cover all phases of the
subject, especially since day by day new discoveries are being made
with relation to food and its uses in the body. But with careful
attention to the principles set forth, a nurse should be able to carry
out the dietary orders given her by the physician and dietitian in the
hospital. And, when her course of training is finished, she should
find herself equipped to assist in raising the standard of health
through her knowledge of dietetics. With this brief summary of the
aims and object of the study of dietetics, we will begin the actual
work with a study of Food.

~Food Materials.~--Food is the name