Royal Army Medical Corps training, 1908 / War Office.

Date:
1908
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Royal Army Medical Corps training, 1908 / War Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    196/346 (page 172)
    plaice, sole, brill, or turbot, keep better than herrings, mackerel, or mullet. All fish should have been cleaned, be unbruised, unbroken and free from smell, when delivered. Cod fish is considered better if it is allowed to soak in cold slightly salted water a few hours before it is cooked, as this makes the flesh firmer. When small flat-fish, such as plaice, dabs, &c., are tendered, see that you get something beside head and fins ; : a proper allowance of weight should be made for heads, &c. Stale fish is not only unwholesome, but sometimes poisonous. Fish with the least unpleasant smell should at once be rejected. 357. /owls.—Fowls are frequently required for the use of the patients in the hospital. They ought to be young, fresh, in good condition, and weigh not less than 12 lb. when trussed. Signs of age are shown by stiff, horny feet, ie spurs, dark-coloured hairy thighs, stiff beak and bones. There should be no smell or discolouration of the skin. The back generally discolours before the breast. The feet should be limp and pliable, not stiff and dry, which is the sure indication of a stale bird. The condition of the flesh should be firm and not flabby, and the bird should be plump; the breast bone is sume- times broken across to produce this appearance. There should be some fat, which is a sign of health and good feeding, but there is no advantage in having one excessively fat, as this only wastes away in the cooking, and is not always agreeable to a sick person. The flesh is not marbled like that of the ox, but the fat is accumulated in a layer over the body. From Christmas to April chickens are most difficult to obtain ; and consequently during this period of the year greater care and caution should be exercised in inspecting those sent in by contractors. 358. Hggs.—The average hen’s egg weighs about 2 ozs. avoir- dupois. In order to ascertain the freshness of an egg, hold it up to the ight ; when the centre appears to be the most transparent part, it is a sign of freshness. Stale eggs are more transparent at the larger end. Another method is to make a solution of brine (one part of salt to ten of water) and place the egg in the solution. Good or fresh eggs will sink to the bottom whilst the stale ones will float. Stale or small eggs should be rejected. In using eggs for cooking purposes, such as adding them to other ingredients, poaching or frying, each should be broken into a clean cup or basin before being used. In this way, bad ones can be best detected. 359. AMilk.—Cow’s milk enters very largely into all dietaries : every care must be taken to use it when fresh, as owing to the action of germs lactic acid is formed after some hours, and the milk becomes sour. The cleaner the milk the longer it will keep fresh and sweet : therefore great care must be taken that the vessels in which it is kept are perfectly clean, and that it is protected from dust (which always contains “germs). The cooler the temperature at which it is kept, the longer will the milk remain sweet.