Modern clinical medicine does not recognize such a disease as dyspepsia. In a great variety of local and general conditions digestion is more or less disordered. It may be too rapid, too slow, difficult, imperfect for one or more of the classes of foods, or abolished outright. Specialists base diets largely on the results of test-meals, so that the diet in a given case becomes individualized. If a person with ordinary symptoms of chronic indigestion is to be dieted, and the cause of the affection is not known, the regimen for chronic gastritis will answer (p. 373). But if in addition to indigestion there is unusual irritability of the stomach, the diet must consist of most easily digested articles of solid food, and if necessary of semi-solid or liquid food. In other words, he is dieted like a convalescent from some severe acute disease, or a child at weaning time.

Diet: Soup

Oysters and thin, clear beef and mutton soup.

Fish

Fresh mackerel, bass, perch, shad, cod, raw oysters.

Meats

Game, sweetbreads, tender meats, chopped meats, broiled calf's head, tongue, tripe, lamb, chicken, mutton and beef.

Eggs

Eggs raw, soft and hard cooked.

Farinaceous

Graham bread, whole wheat bread, corn bread, stale bread, dry toast, crackers, tapioca, sago, cornstarch, rice, oats, hominy, cracked wheat.

Vegetables

Asparagus, celery, cresses, lettuce, green peas, string beans, sweet corn, spinach.

Desserts

Ripe fruit - raw or stewed; apple tapioca, apple snow, baked apples, custards, junkets, rice, tapioca, cornstarch, or bread puddings.

Liquids

Liquid Peptonoids on cracked ice, pure cold water, hot water and milk (equal parts), malted milk, weak tea and coffee, not more than one cup at a time and taken slowly after a meal; un-fermented grape juice.

Avoid

Ice water, spirituous liquors, nuts, cheese, ice cream, pastry, pies, candies, salmon, lobster, crabs, sausages, ducks, goose, salted, smoked or preserved fish; pickled, potted, corned or cured meats, kidney, liver, fried foods, gravies, potatoes, turkey, stews, hashes, pork, veal, rich soups, chowder.