Though meals at asylums ranged in quality, it was far better to voluntarily eat a meal than to decline one. Doctors were concerned when patients refused to eat, often considering the refusal part of their mental condition. No matter how unpalatable a meal was, the alternative was probably worse.
An article in the American Journal of Insanity gave one doctor’s recipe for a meal delivered through a tube in the nostril: “A mixture of two or three eggs, half an ounce of sugar, half an ounce of olive oil, and one pint milk or beef tea, strained through coarse linen cloth.”
The whole concoction could be administered within a few minutes. The doctor made no comment on his patients’ reactions to the procedure.
These pictures show the trauma involved in force-feeding.
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Wow. I enjoy the posts (if one can ‘enjoy’ this subject without sounding too weird) and just wanted to compliment you on your awesome research! I’m working on a fictional novel involving asylum life in the early 1900’s and the background inspiration from your blog is really helpful. The ‘Alternative Meal’ is horrifying and an interesting obscure detail of asylum procedures. Great Job!