6. Addition Of Alkalies, Acid And Other Substances

The addition of alkalies to milk renders it much more digestible for some persons. In hyperacidity of the stomach or in the presence of abnormal fermentation alkalies are beneficial as neutralising agents. On the other hand, in cases in which the gastric juice is very feeble or absent, artificially digested milk may prove more serviceable.

The admixture of alkalies by reducing the acidity of the gastric juice makes the casein coagulate more slowly, and in flocculi rather than in large coagulae.

Salt may be added - a saltspoonful to the tumbler of milk. This improves its digestibility for most persons, and renders it less likely to cause biliousness. Sodium bicarbonate, ten grains, or a salt-spoonful to the tumbler of milk, prevents malfermentation in the stomach. If hyperacidity of the stomach exists, sodium bicarbonate may prove better than lime water, which is but slightly antacid, for it contains but a half grain of lime to the ounce. On the other hand, if the gastric juice is too feeble to digest milk easily, it is sometimes a disadvantage to attenuate it still further with quantities of lime water, and sodium bicarbonate should be substituted to check the acid fermentation of the milk which the hydrochloric acid of the gastric juice fails to control. An excellent combination for an irritable stomach is made by adding five or ten grains of this salt and two grains of cerium oxalate to each glass of milk. The cerium oxalate has a sedative and tonic action upon the mucous membranes and tends to allay nausea and irritation in the stomach.

Other substances sometimes added for gastric ulcer, etc., are sodium phosphate, saccharated lime, or a teaspoonful of milk of magnesia to the pint. A few drops of liquor potassae to the pint of milk are recommended by Bulkley for infants having eczema.

Starr gives the following receipt for making saccharated lime for diluting milk for infants:

Slaked lime, one ounce; refined powdered sugar, two ounces; mix, triturate, add distilled water, one pint. Shake occasionally for some hours in a bottle, let stand, and siphon out the fluid.

Roberts recommends a powder containing 10 grains each of sodium bicarbonate and common salt, and 5 grains of light magnesia, to be added to a tumblerful of one third hot water and two thirds hot milk.

Edes strongly recommends the addition of hydrochloric acid to milk. Twenty minims of the dilute acid of the pharmacopoeia are stirred slowly, drop by drop, into a pint of milk which is gently warmed. A fine flocculent coagulum of casein floats in the whey, and the digestibility of the milk is improved, while a flat or disagreeable taste is avoided.

Gelatin

Gelatin may be employed in small quantity as an at-tenuant of milk. Starr gives the following receipt for its use:

Soak a piece of white gelatin an inch square in half a cupful of cold water for three hours. Put the cup in a saucepan of water and boil until the gelatin dissolves. When cold it forms a jelly. For infants one or two teaspoonfuls may be put into each nursing bottle of milk.