The dietetic treatment of diabetes is one of intelligent watchfulness. Cases differ so much from one another that no hard and fast rule applicable to all can be laid down. What is harmful to one patient is well borne by another; and whereas a rigid regimen can be followed by one person, its maintenance leads to adverse complications in another. The successful treatment of the diabetic patient lies in fact between his cook and his doctor; in the careful and intelligent preparation of his food on the one hand by the cook, and on the other in the checking and control of his diet by the physician, according to the physical signs given by examination of the patient and his urine. On these depend the maintenance of a fair standard of health and comfort.

The following table, showing the percentage composition of various articles of food, will be found to be most valuable to refer to in preparing the diet not only of diabetics, but of other invalids: -

Water.

Albumen, etc.

Starch, etc.

Sugar.

Fat.

Salts.

Bread

• 37

8.1

47.4

3.6

r6

2.3

Biscuit .

. 18.

15.6

73.4

I'3

1.7

Wheat flour .

15.

10.8

66.3

4.2

2*0

1.7

Barley meal .

15.

6.3

69.4

4.9

2.4

2.0

Oatmeal

15.

I2.6

58.4

5.4

5.6

3.0

Rye meal

15.

8.0

69.5

37

2.0

r8

Indian corn meal

14.

11.1

64.7

0.4

8.1

1.7

Rice

13.

6.3

79.1

0.4

07

0.5

Peas

15.

23.0

55'4

2.0

2.1

2.5

Arrowroot

. 18.

-

82.0

--

-

-

Water.

Albumen, etc.

Starch, etc.

Sugar.

Fat.

Salts

Potatoes.

75'

2.1

18.8

3.2

0.2

07

Carrots .

8.3

1.3

8.4

6.1

0.2

1.0

Parsnips

82

1.1

9.6

5.8

0.5

1.0

Turnips.

91

V2

5.1

2.1

-

0.6

Cabbage.

91

2.0

5.8

0.5

07

Sugar

5

-

-

95.0

-

-

Treacle .

23

-

-

77.0

-

-

New milk

86

4.1

-

5'2

3.9

0.8

Cream

66

2'7

-

2.8

267

r8

Skim milk

88

4.0

-

5.4

r8

0.8

Butter milk

88

4.1

-

6.4

07

0.8

Cheese .

36.8

33.5

-

-

24'3

5.4

Cheddar cheese

36.8

28.4

-

-

31.1

4.5

Skim cheese .

44'

44.8

-

-

6.3

4.9

Lean beef

72

19.3

-

-

3.6

5.1

Fat beef.

51

14.8

-

-

29.8

4.4

Lean mutton.

72

18.3

-

-

4.9

4.8

Fat mutton

53'

12.4

-

-

31.1

3.5

Veal

63

16.5

-

-

15.8

47

Fat pork

39

9.8

-

-

48.9

2.3

Green bacon .

24

7.1

-

-

66.8

2.1

Dried bacon .

15

8.8

-

-

73'3

2.9

Ox liver .

74

18.9

-

-

4.1

3.0

Tripe

68

13.2

-

-

16.4

2'4

Cooked meat, roast, no dripping being lost. Boiled, assumed to be the same .

5.4

27.6

-

-

15.45

2.95

Poultry .

74'

8.8

-

-

3.8

1.2

White fish

78

18.1

-

-

2.9

1.0

Eels

75'

9.9

-

-

13.8

1.3

Salmon .

77'

16.1

-

-

5.5

1.4

Entire egg

74

14.0

-

-

10.5

1.5

White of egg.

78

20.4

-

-

-

1.6

Yolk of egg

52

16.0

-

-

30.7

1.3

Butter and fats

15

0.1

-

-

83.0

2.0

Beer and porter

91

0.

-

87

-

0.2

There is one broad rule to be followed in the preparation of the diet of a diabetic, that is to avoid all articles containing starch and sugar. The following list of articles of diet which may be allowed or must be forbidden to a diabetic, is based both on the published opinions of observers and on practical experience, and is given as a dietary table which may be faithfully followed. This table should be written out plainly on a piece of cardboard) and hung up in the kitchen of a diabetic patient for the guidance of his cook and housekeeper.

Allowed.

Forbidden.

Butcher's meat of all kinds.

Sugar in any form.

Ham, bacon, and tongue when not sugar-cured.

Wheaten bread, oatmeal cakes, porridge.

Poultry and game.

Ordinary biscuits.

Fish of all kinds.

Rice, arrowroot.

Oysters and shellfish.

Potatoes, carrots.

Crabs, lobsters.

Parsnips, beans, and peas.

Beef-tea, broth, not thickened.

Sago, tapioca.

Soups, made of meat stock without any starchy thickening.

Macaroni, vermicelli.

Spanish onions.

Jellies made without sugar.

All sweet fruits, such as grapes, cherries, peaches, strawberries, apricots, plums, gooseberries, currants, oranges, and all preserved fruits.

Aspic.

Tripe.

German sausage.

Eggs, cheese, cream cheese, and cream.

Pastry.

Butter, fat, oil, and lard. Caviare.

Puddings of every kind which contain sugar or farinaceous foods.

Almond cakes, bran cakes and gluten bread, as substitutes for wheaten bread.

Beetroot.

Liver.

English sausages.

"Torrefied" or charred bread.

Treacle.

Saccharin to replace sugar.

Cabbage, endive, spinach.

Broccoli, Brussels sprouts.

Lettuce, spring onions.

Cucumber, green asparagus.

Watercress, sorrel.

Salad, celery, tomatoes.

Artichokes, mushrooms.

Cauliflowers, sea-kale.

Turnips, French beans.

Allowed.

Forbidden.

Vegetable marrow, dandelion.

Cardoons, mustard and cress.

Radishes, turnip-tops and nettles.

Unripe fruits, such as green gooseberries, green currants, and unripe apples cooked with saccharin.

Nuts of all kinds except chestnuts.

Sardines in oil.

Foie gras.

Norwegian herrings in oil.

Pilchards in oil.

Pickles.

Savoury jelly.

Custard.