ia are
among the complications to be dreaded and combated.

~Dietetic Treatment~ in diphtheria is most important. It consists of a
fluid diet made up of milk, malted milk, or buttermilk. At times the
condition of the throat makes a slightly thickened mixture more easily
swallowed than one which is distinctly fluid in character, and for
this purpose farina, arrowroot, or barley flour may be used.

~Increasing the Diet.~--As convalescence advances the semi-solids,
soft toast, soft custards, gelatin, and cereals may be given. Should
the heart show symptoms of being affected, the intake of fluid must be
restricted.

~Gavage and Rectal Feeding~ are at times necessary. Infants may be
successfully fed by passing a small rubber tube through the nose into
the stomach and administering the milk formula to which they are
accustomed. Rectal feeding is likewise valuable in cases of extreme
anemia accompanying diphtheria.

Care must be observed by the nurse in giving gavage to babies, since
any struggling on the part of the child may result in death from heart
disease.

~Whooping Cough.~--On account of the character of the disease and the
proneness of the stomach to eject the food during paroxysms of
coughing, dietary measures are more or less necessary in order to
enable the child to receive sufficient food to cover his daily needs.

~Complications.~--Hemorrhage, pneumonia, albuminuria, diarrhea, and
convulsions may occur during the disease, while tuberculosis and
chronic bronchitis may follow as after-effects.

~Dietetic Treatment.~--Breast milk is by far the best food for the
baby, in this as in all conditions. In whooping cough the fact that
this fluid leaves the stomach almost as soon as it enters lessens the
chances of the baby losing its meal by vomiting it.

~Older children~ do well with frequent small meals, since they are not
so apt to give rise to pressure which brings on the paroxysms of
coughing and vomiting. When the meal is vomited, a second should be
given in order to keep the child from suffering from malnutrition.

~Stimulation~ is found to be necessary in certain cases. Albumen water
containing a spoonful of brandy or some of the prepared beef
preparations, such as liquid peptonoids, may prove valuable under the
circumstances.

~Measles.~--Complications and after-effects developing as a result of
measles make the dietetic treatment of this disease important.
Gastro-intestinal disturbances, especially d