This group, salt, pepper, vinegar, such spices as cinnamon, allspice, cloves, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg, mace, ginger and curry powder, have not the slightest place in diet for the sick. As astringents, some of them may be used to advantage in chronic diarrhoea, or just a suspicion may be used to liven up some tasteless dish that may be beneficial to the patient.

Perhaps white and black pepper, and mustard, are the most dangerous of the group. If pepper is to be used for the sick, and I cannot see why it should be, a half drop of Tabasco is far less injurious and far more palatable than a saltspoonful of black pepper. Black pepper, no matter how finely ground, is indestructible and frequently very irritating, and if used should always be strained out.

When making cinnamon tea or spice tea, always use the whole spices and strain them out.

A dash of nutmeg is "an improvement to an ordinary eggnog.

Nutmeg and ginger tea are used in cases of chronic diarrhoea.

Avoid mustard except for outward applications.

In this group we might also place such flavorings as vanilla, bitter almond and extracts of lemon and orange. I can only say avoid them all. Vanilla is truly medicinal, and when made into extract is frequently adulterated with harmful materials.

Use for flavoring the grated yellow rind of an orange or lemon, and fresh fruit juices.