As an economy in transportation and a saving of packages, a custom has grown up of making mineral water tablets. There are two methods in which this may be done. The genuine way is to evaporate the natural mineral water to dryness and use the salts thus obtained in tablet form. The second method consists in using these salts in the proportions in which they exist in the mineral water from stock salts which have never been derived from the water at all. Chemically there would be very little prospect of distinguishing between these two sets of tablets, but as far as the effect upon the system is concerned it is not likely that the synthetic tablet would ever be able to take the place of the natural one.

It is probable that the different tablets of this kind on the market are mostly synthetic. We have tablets marked Vichy, Apollinaris, Kissingen, etc. These tablets are accompanied with directions as to the quantity of water in which they should be dissolved in order to restore them to their original dilution in the natural water. As far as economy to the consumer is concerned, there is probably no kind of mineral water that is cheaper than that which is made in this way from prepared tablets. Each tablet is of such a size and composition as to be sufficient for an ordinary glass.

The supposed medicinal effect of the tablets is based upon the observed or supposed medicinal qualities of the waters themselves. It should not be understood that an artificial tablet of this kind would have the same salutary effect as the natural product. Further than this it may be said that the effect of the natural product is not always convincingly established. Regard must also be had to the fact that the continued dosing of the system with laxatives or alteratives, or even with iron or arsenic or lithia, is likely sooner or later to produce harm. The consumption of mineral waters made by artificial tablets should therefore be controlled by the same general principles as pertain to the use of mineral waters in general.