The return to normal diet is made with caution that the digestion of the patient may not be upset or the temperature raised again by over-feeding.
Energy Requirements.—In fevers of short duration it is not difficult to regulate the amount of food necessary for the maintenance of the patient, since the body will, as a rule, adjust itself when the cause of the fever has been removed. At times, however, it is necessary to make an effort to tempt the appetite of the patient when convalescence is established, that recovery may be made more rapid and complete.
Care of the Mouth.—Probably there is nothing more essential in the treatment of fevers in general and typhoid fever in particular than the care of the mouth. Well-nourished patients rarely ever show the dry, cracked tongue and lips that was formerly one of the common occurrences in typhoid fever. However, in any febrile condition the mouth is apt to acquire a disagreeable taste; this “bad taste” is so prominent in certain cases as to render it difficult for the patient to eat. This can be, to a great extent, eliminated by the use of aseptic mouth washes. When the patient is not strong enough to rinse the mouth before and after eating, the nurse must use a swab for the purpose. The food must be carefully selected and attractively served and every effort made to make food as dainty and palatable as possible.
Thirst.—Thirst is relieved with crushed ice, fruit beverages, and carbonated waters. In certain conditions it is necessary to limit the fluids, but in typhoid fever the giving of the requisite amount of liquids is one of the most difficult tasks confronting the nurse. It is wise to find out the beverages particularly liked by the patient and, whenever it is possible, make use of them. As a rule alcohol is not necessary in the diet of typhoid fever patients. However, in certain cases of that disease, as well as in febrile conditions induced by other causes, the use of alcoholic stimulation may be necessary; it must be left to the discretion of the physician to prescribe it.
SUMMARY
Intestinal Disturbances are accountable for the majority of the fevers of short duration during infancy and childhood, and in many of those cases in adults.
Malaria causes an elevation of temperature which is, as a rule, of short duration.
Contagious Diseases, such as scarlet fever, measles, whooping cough, and mumps, are likewise accompanied by more or less elevation of temperature.
Treatment consists of a period of rest in bed, with an abstinence from food, in order that the disease may manifest itself, and also that any offending food material which may cause the fever may have an opportunity to pass out of the body.