Download Emily Gleichert March 26, 2013 Feeding an Invalid: Principles of

Emily Gleichert
March 26, 2013
Feeding an Invalid:
Principles of Late Nineteenth Century Social Beliefs
One of the few truths that exists from place to place and generation to
generation is the fact that people get sick. Children, adults, women, and men all must
face at one point or another the discomfort and inconvenience of illness. How one
deals with this illness, though, varies greatly across time and space. These variations
reflect the different cultural practices of the society in which one falls ill. A
remarkable amount of social belief systems can be revealed in the way we take care
of our invalids through food. Still today our food choices for the sick are telling. Does
peppermint settle a stomach or ginger ale? Should the BRAT (bananas, rice,
applesauce, toast) diet be served or is chicken noodle soup the dish of choice? Who
makes and serves the sick food: grandma, mom, dad, nanny? The citizens of the late
nineteenth century held their own unique ideas surrounding the restoration of the
sick through food. An investigation of primary sources allows one an insight into the
beliefs about nutritious foods and the healing power of women in accordance with
the ‘correct’ care of an invalid during the time period.
Ubiquitous in late nineteenth century cookbooks, textbooks, and domestic
economy instructional books are recipes tailored to the needs of invalids. These
sections offer the first look into the beliefs about the importance of the correct diet
in the nursing of the sick. The Boston School Kitchen Textbook provided women with
recipes for apple water, rhubarb water, milk porridge, oatmeal gruel, eggnog, meat
broth, beef juice, and water or milk toast (Lincoln). These are the foods thought to
quench thirst, reduce inflammation, and be digested easily without stimulating the
patient. Many food items are in a liquid form because they were thought to be
absorbed into the system faster. Bland and runny were key characteristics for
sustenance of an invalid (Lincoln).
During recovery from sickness there are specific foods that must be served as
well, outlined by the statement, “after the crisis of disease is past, the system needs
gradual but complete nutrition” (Lincoln). The recommendations that follow this
assertion give one a better idea of what was thought to be healthy or unhealthy for a
person to eat during that time. In a broad look at full categories of food a textbook
classifies nourishing foods as bread, vegetables, fruits, grains, sugar, salt and water
because of their ability to “supply all the nutrition that the body needs, and develop
perfectly every animal function” (Lincoln). Stimulating foods (not to be confused
with the stimulants condiments and alcohol) “impart more speed and energy to the
organs than necessary” and include animal products (Lincoln). The last of the foods
deemed innutritious were the bran of wheat and other grains, the skins of peas,
beans, and corn, the skins, cores, and seeds of fruit, soggy pastry, rich heavy cake,
and all greasy fried food (Lincoln).
On a more concentrated level, specific dishes are given to make a case for the
exact plates thought to be most beneficial to the countenance. One source cites the
most easily assimilated meats to be chicken, chops, and steak and some of the best
dishes as eggs, cream toast, baked potatoes, ice cream, and simple puddings
(Lincoln). Another provides recipes for Dr. Ratcliff’s Pork Jelly, Apple Tapioca, Millet
Pudding, Marrow Toast, Calf’s Feet Pudding, Blancmange and Chicken Jelly (Ellet).
Caretakers were supposed to use these recipes as a guide for what was healthful for
a recovering patient, but also for a person in general. In doing so, these dishes were
able to be classified as ‘good’ foods.
The type of dishes described as good pose several interesting questions
about the social classification of food as it correlated to the social hierarchy of the
time. The recipes, though not native to the continent of North America, can be seen
as cuisine brought over by older groups of immigrants, such as the British, German,
and Scandinavian, who ultimately cultivated their food, culture, or beliefs as
representing an American ideal. Between 1870 and 1920, the time period in which
both sources for the nutritious food were written, a new wave of immigrants
entered the country in large numbers from places in Southern and Eastern Europe.
Generally less educated, poorer, and overwhelmingly Catholic these new
immigrants posed a threat to the American ideal that had been created
(Brackemyre). It is very possible that the construction of these good foods are not
the ethnic foods of the new immigrants, but instead are the foods of a class resisting
social change during this time. By elevating their food hierarchically as more
nutritious they would also be able to display it as better, therefore constructing
their culture as better.
Another interesting cultural aspect relating to invalid food in the late
nineteenth century is the producer and distributor of care for the ill. Women played
an incredibly important role during illness. The New Cyclopedia of Domestic Economy
states, “Another duty, of great importance, devolves on woman; namely—the care of
the sick. From the highest to the lowest none are, properly speaking, exempt from
this charge” (Ellet). It was not merely a pastime for women to take care of the sick,
but rather it is referred to as a duty. This is illustrative of the immense healing
power associated with women in the late nineteenth century. Primary sources list
home remedies for anything from Indigestion to Whooping Cough or Scarlet Fever
(Ellet). The fact that any of these were included in the woman’s guide is a definitive
indication of the power women were thought to have in the healing process. Such
remedies were beliefs that these diseases could be taken care of at home, and by the
woman and of the household perhaps before a doctor was called in.
Women’s position as healers also reveals thoughts about which social virtues
a woman should possess. Among others gentleness, watchfulness, and a truly
Christian spirit are the characteristics most imperative for a woman fulfilling her
nursing duties to possess (Ellet). The idea that one must possess a Christian spirit is
an important indication of the prevalence of religion in the society. Several other
times remarks of nurses being ministering angels and suffering being a product of
God’s purposes are made clearly reinforcing the society’s concerns with the
religiosity of its members, especially those sick or caring for the sick (Ellet).
Jumping to the conclusion that religion is the primary concern in the society
associated with women healers may be premature, though. The New Cyclopedia
states, “It is our private opinion, that every woman should have a general knowledge
of the anatomy of the human frame, and of the functions of its various organs; also,
that she should be acquainted with chemistry to a sufficient extent to prevent her
from committing absurd errors in cookery” (Ellet). To contextualize this excerpt in
terms of contemporary society of the day, the years between 1870 and 1900 saw a
rise from .7% of the female population to 2.9% of the female population attending
college (Early College Women). Yes, the general knowledge of anatomy and
chemistry could be learned at home, but I believe this excerpt reflects a growing
sentiment of the late nineteenth century that allowed for the opportunity for the
education of women. In order to fulfill their role as healers, women had to have
knowledge, and this passage reflects the idea that it was becoming more
appropriate for women to learn, opening the door for more and more females to be
educated outside the home.
Food is a very important aspect of everyone’s lives. It not only reflects
cultures and beliefs, but also protocol for times of crisis such as illness. Late
nineteenth century sources provide contemporary scholars with information on
what sick people ought to eat and these foods carried heavy influence from
movements taking place in the larger scheme of society. Recipes and instructions for
nursing back to health those who had fallen ill reveal a deeper anti-immigrant
sentiment and growing shifts in education for women. They reveal the importance
of cultural subtleties. Or maybe they just reveal that a good pig’s foot will make an
invalid feel better in no time. In the late nineteenth century, who needs Grandma’s
chicken soup when there are trotters to be had?
Bibliography
Brackemyre, Ted. “Immigrants, Cities, and Disease: Immigration and Health
Concerns in Late Nineteenth Century America.” US History Scene. 13 Aug.
2012. Web. 26 Mar. 2013.
“Early College Women: Determined to be Educated.” St. Lawrence County, NY
Branch of the American Association of University Women. N.d. Web. 26 Mar.
2013.
Ellet, E.F. The New Cyclopedia of Domestic Economy, and Practical Housekeeper.
Norwich: Henry Bill Publishing Company, 1872. Print.
Lincoln, D.A. Boston School Kitchen Textbook: Lessons in Cooking for the use of classes
in public and industrial schools. Boston: Roberts Brothers Publishers, 1887.
Print.