Preface To The Sixth Edition

The very gratifying demand for this work has necessitated the preparation of a sixth edition. Advantage has been taken of this opportunity to revise the book and incorporate, as far as space allows, the latest results of research in dietetics. To meet the growing tendency of physicians to prescribe the exact fuel value of a diet, the total energy value of each recipe has been calculated wherever data as to composition of materials used are available, or the quantities of materials used are fairly constant. A table has also been introduced in which the food value of the materials used in the recipes is given. This will be useful in computing other food combinations, and in calculating the amount of protein, fat or carbohydrates in any dietary, whenever required, without the tedious mathematical processes usually involved in such operations.

It is hoped that a revised classification of food principles, greater emphasis on the value of mineral matter in the diet, and fuller discussion of the fundamental principles of nutrition, will add much to the usefulness of the book.

In the introduction are presented outlines showing the requirements in dietetics of the various State Boards of Examiners of Nurses, and the contents of the book have been rearranged to correspond directly with these requirements. This will materially aid the dietitian in arranging the course of study for the nurse so as to prepare her adequately for her State Examinations.

Many years of experience as an instructor in dietetics in hospitals seem to the author to demonstrate that the "recipe book," so-called, should not be separate from the volume on "theory." Both theoretical and practical work should be treated together, otherwise, while the subjects are naturally closely allied, the young student becomes confused and is not apt to apply the theory to the practice. In this book she cannot read a recipe without having her attention called to its function in nutrition. Furthermore, for convenience sake, the two should be combined in one book of moderate size. One hundred and fifty pages have been added to this edition with but little increase in bulk.

I take pleasure in acknowledging the valuable assistance rendered by Dr. Mary D. Swartz Rose, Assistant Professor of Household Arts, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, in the preparation of this edition; also again to express my thanks for valuable material used in the book to Mrs. Ellen H. Richards, Dr. W. Gilman Thompson, Dr. Max Einhorn, Dr. Henry Koplik, Dr. L. Emmett Holt, Dr. Louis Starr, Dr. Frederick C. Shattuck, Dr. Elbridge G. Cutler, Dr. Elliott P. Joslin, Dr. Harry W. Goodall and Dr. Maynard Ladd.

Alida Feances Pattee.

New York, December, 1910.

Extract From Preface to Fifth Edition I have been particularly pleased to see "Practical Dietetics" accepted as a text-book by so many educational and other authorities. Thus it is to be found in all hospitals of the United States Army; it has been recommended for use by all the various State Boards of Examiners of Nurses that have thus far been appointed; it has been adopted by the military authorities in Canada for the Permanent Schools of Instruction for the Militia, and it has also been added to the Authorized Text Book list of the New York City and Boston Public Schools.

New York, November, 1908.