A collection of recipes for the use of special diet kitchens in military hospitals / prepared and published under the auspices of the U.S. Christian Commission by Annie Wittenmyer.

  • Wittenmyer, Annie, 1827-1900.
Date:
1864
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A collection of recipes for the use of special diet kitchens in military hospitals / prepared and published under the auspices of the U.S. Christian Commission by Annie Wittenmyer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

    11/54
    INTRODUCTION. Since the beginning of the present war, tens of thousands of our soldiers have become inmates of military hospitals. The provis- ions of the Government for their comfort are very liberal; but the circumstances of war, the constant changes occurring among hospital managers and attendants, the absence of much that is essential in the preparation of delicate food, and the inexperience of those who are mainly intrusted with the important duty of preparing special diet for the sick and wounded, have made it difficult to keep up the supplies, and absolutely impossible to always secure an adequate supply of appropriate food properly prepared. That hundreds of our brave soldiers have died of debility, who, if sustained at the proper time with suitable food, might now be in the front ranks of the army, no intelligent medical officer will be likely to deny. The leading medical men of the West express the opinion that, in a majority of cases, the diet of patients is of more importance than medicine. It was to meet this demand, and to secure a more faithful appli- cation of sanitary stores, that the Christian Commission proposed to take charge of, and supplement the low diet kitchens in the large general hospitals. In their management, the Commission assumes a double responsibility : to the medical authorities of each hospital, for the character and efficiency of the ladies employed ;