I read with interest "Putting the Meds in the Applesauce" (Ethical Issues, March). It never occurred to me that this practice involved ethics-I'd always seen it done to make the pill go down easier, not to deceive the patient.

The only time I remember doing it was more than 40 years ago, when a little old man had difficulty taking his sulfisoxazole. I crushed it and put it in his split pea soup. Big mistake! The soup must have tasted terrible, and I had to be sure he ate the whole thing in order to ensure he received the full dose of medicine.

Lesson learned-I don't ever remember doing it again.

Shannon Perry, PhD, RN, FAAN

Phoenix