Prepared Flour for Summer Complaints ( Mrs. Horace Mann ).
Tie up a pint of flour very tightly in a cloth, and put it into boiling water, and let it boil three hours. When untied, the gluten of the flour will be found in a mass on the outside of the ball. Remove this, and the inside will prove a dry powder which is very astringent. Grate this, and wet a portion of it in cold milk. Boil a pint of milk, and when it is at the boiling-point stir in as much of the wet mixture as will thicken it to the quality of palatable porridge. Stir in a little salt, and let this be the article of diet until the disease is removed. Relieve it at first by toasted bread, or a mutton broth, which latter is also astringent. If the disease has not progressed to the degree of inflammation, this diet will generally preclude all need of medicine.
The author would also add, for a change of diet, well-boiled rice with a little cream, parched rice, beef juice, toasted water or milk crackers, a little tea (avoiding generally too much liquid), and a little wild-cherry brandy; or to Mrs. Mann’s flour porridge, when cooked, and just taken hot from the fire, the well-beaten white of an egg might be added; and, after stirring them well together, the preparation should be served immediately.