Noon Meal—­Dinner.—­One soup plate of bouillon, consomme julienne, or other thin soup, or Mosqueras beef-jelly, followed by one piece of the white meat of any form of fowl or a small bird.  Sometimes a small piece, the size of one’s hand, of rare beef, or mutton but no fat, may be allowed, and this should be accompanied by string beans, celery (stewed or raw), spinach, kale, cabbage, beans, asparagus, beets and young onions.  Following this, lettuce with vinegar and a little olive oil (to make a French dressing), a cup of black coffee or one of tea, and a little acid fruit, such as sour grapes, tamarinds and sour oranges, or lemons may be taken, and followed by a cigar, if the patient has such a habit.

Supper.—­This should consist of one or two soft boiled eggs, which may be poached, but not fried, a few ounces of brown bread, some salad and fruit and perhaps a glass or two of light, dry (not sweet) wine, if the patient is accustomed to its use.

Before Going to Bed.—­To avoid discomfort from a sensation of hunger during the night, the patient may take a meal of panada, or he may soak graham or bran crackers or biscuits in water and flavor the mess with salt and pepper.  The reduction of the diet is generally best accomplished slowly and should be accompanied by measures devoted to the utilization of the fat present for the support of the body.  Thus, the patient should not be too heavily clad, either day or night, should resort to exercise, daily becoming more severe, and should not drink freely of water, unless sweating is established sufficiently to prevent the accumulation of liquid in vessels and tissues.  Baths of the proper kind, cold or Turkish, should be used, if the patient stands them well.  The bowels should be kept active by laxative fruit or purges.  Salts are useful if drinks are thrown off rapidly.  If proper exercise is impossible the rest cure with massage, electricity, passive exertion and absolute skimmed milk diet may be resorted to, particularly in those persons known as “fat anemics,” who have not enough red corpuscles in their blood to carry sufficient oxygen to the tissues to complete oxidation.

[332 Mothers’ remedies]

Cancer.—­(In the following article on cancer we quote in part from material issued by the Public Health Department of the State of Michigan).

Cancer is curable if it be operated upon in its early stages.—­If it be left to grow and develop, cancer is always fatal.  It may be partially removed when in an advanced stage, and relief may be had for some time after operation; but beyond the early stage, cancer cannot at present be permanently removed, nor permanently cured.  Permanent cure of a cancer is possible if the afflicted person obtains an early diagnosis and receives early attention from a skilled surgeon.  The only permanent cure for cancer known at the present time is early surgical operation.