Applied Dietetics [antikvár]

PREFACEIn 1918 a special clinic was organized as a part of the Medical Clinic of The Boston Dispensary, to undertake the dietetic treatment of the ambulatory patient. This was the Food Clinic of The Boston Dispensary, the first of its kind, functioning with a dietitian to guide and help the outpatient in fulfilling the food prescription given by the physician.A satisfactory technique had to be developed for this new type of service. Principles of organization and methods of procedure had to be formulated, and relationships with other departments established. Food treatment for the outpatient had to be planned not only with respect to physical requirements as stated in the medical record, but also with careful consideration of mental capacity and attitudes, and of the influence of the environmentthe home, the school and the occupation. Means had to be devised for securing and recording data. Moreover, for intelligent participation in making the dietary effective the patient had to be given an understanding' of the underlying principles, and this entailed the development of educational methods and materials.In the interests of this many-sided service, various forms, materials and data were gradually assembled and organized for the use of both dietitian and patient. The growth of the clinic and the increasingly intensive work with the patient gradually effected a closer interdependence of the physician, social worker, nurse, dietitian and health educator, in a unified plan of treatment.Staff workers came to the Food Clinic for materials and advice. Students came also, and gradually various schools and hospitals, in this country and abroad, were sending students, singly, in groups and in classes, from the fields of medicine, dentistry, home economics, applied dietetics, social service, nursing and public health, for periods of study, observation and practice. The interest shown gave further impetus to the development of the material that the dietitian had been using for her own and her patients' needs and to its formulation in terms of the interests of various types of students.A group of dietitians from local medical institutions gathered in the Food Clinic several years ago, to discuss methods and materials