Whey is contraindicated in cases where the fever is brought on by putrefaction in the intestine, chiefly because it furnishes one of the best mediums known for the growth of the offending bacteria.
Patience is required in handling the diet for fevers in infancy. As has already been stated, it requires a very slight cause to raise the temperature of a child, but for this very reason especial care must be observed that no enlightening symptom escapes the notice of the nurse.
Complications.—Tuberculosis or scurvy may be in an incipient stage, and may be overcome if recognized in time. The nurse has a better opportunity for observing changes in an infant or child under her care than the physician who comes once a day or less. The nurse should make note of these changes, that the physician may have a chance to regulate the diet accordingly.
Fluid Diet.—With children, as with adults, the energy output in fever is greater than in health, hence the need for plenty of fluids to help eliminate the waste products due to the increased metabolism. These fluids may consist of water, fruit beverages, cereal water, whey, and broth. It is well for the nurse to remember that when the child is confined to bed, he will not need so much food as he would if he were up and about, but that if the fever is of long duration, as in typhoid, the increased rate of metabolism must be met by an increased amount of food, as the ordinary requirement standards for a child in health cannot be applied to the diet of a child under these conditions.
SCARLET FEVER
Scarlet fever is an acute infectious disease, characterized by high fever, sore throat, a red rash, and a tendency to nephritis. The disease usually begins suddenly with an attack of vomiting; the temperature rises to 104° or 105° and on the first or second day a rash appears, first on the chest and neck, and spreads over the entire body. This lasts from three to seven days, desquamation begins soon after the rash disappears and lasts from two weeks to six, the palms of the hands and soles of the feet peeling last. The appearance of the tongue is very characteristic, being coated, and through this coating are seen a few bright red points, producing the well-known strawberry tongue. After a few days the coating disappears, leaving the tongue bright red. In mild cases the tonsils are enlarged and the throat very red. In severe cases there may be difficulty in distinguishing the disease from diphtheria without a culture being taken. The tendency of the child to develop nephritis during the second or third week makes the treatment largely dietetic in character.
Dietetic Treatment.—Milk is the chief diet for the first three weeks. If it disagrees, it should be modified or peptonized to suit the condition. Koumiss and buttermilk may be substituted when it is impossible to prepare the milk so that it will not cause digestional disturbances. This, however, is seldom found to be the case during infancy. Malted milk and even condensed milk, or some of the dextrinized and malted foods at times prove valuable when whole milk disagrees. But the nurse must remember that a baby runs a risk of developing nutritional diseases of a grave character if fresh milk is eliminated from the diet for any great length of time.
Older children may have plain vanilla ice cream and plain junket, oyster or clam broth made with milk, the oysters and clams carefully strained out. Lemonade and orange juice may be given, but no meat broths or albumenized beverages or egg dishes can be admitted to the dietary.
Development of Nephritis.—Nephritis must be guarded against. The skin, being covered with a rash, is put out of commission as an excretory organ; in consequence all of the work of this description is placed upon the kidneys. In the first part of this text the work of the kidneys was defined; it was found that they were the chief organs for the excretion of the end-products of protein metabolism. It can be readily understood that when these organs are given not only their own work but that of the other organs to perform, unless the food requiring the greatest amount of effort on the part of the kidneys is confined to those types which can be most easily taken care of, such as milk, the kidneys stand a great chance of becoming impaired. Such is the case in nephritis.
Convalescent Treatment.—The return to normal diet must be made with the greatest caution. Specimens of urine must be taken often, for in this way alone can the development of nephritis be reckoned with.[87] Should nephritis develop in spite of efforts to prevent it, a farinaceous diet[88] such as is given in these conditions must be resorted to.