Tea may be classed with coffee, and we use it both green and black. For green tea the leaves are steamed before they are rolled and dried; green tea also contains more astringent matter than black tea. Thompson gives this analysis of Kozai. Green tea: Crude proteids, 37.43; fibre, 10.06; ash, 4.92; theine, 3.20; tannin, 10.64; total nitrogen, 5.99. Black tea: Crude proteids, 38.90; fibre, 10.07; ash, 4.93; theine, 3.30; tannin, 4.89; total nitrogen, 6.22.

If theine is identical with caffeine, as it is said to be, then, as far as theine is concerned, tea acts like coffee on the system. There is not much difference apparent, and authorities differ upon which is best to help the soldier on his marches, but all agree that one or the other is essential to get the best results. Tea, if taken in excess, retards digestion by precipitating the digestive ferments, just as coffee in excess does.

When you make tea, do not boil it, do not stew it In the early days of the advent of the Japanese to the outer world, from the members of the great Japanese embassy which left Japan after the Perry expedition, I learned to brew tea. Put, say, one teaspoonful of tea leaves for each half pint of tea you want; pour on this boiling hot water; let it stand, tightly covered, two minutes, then stir it thoroughly with, say, six to eight revolutions to the right, and as many to the left, using a spoon or chopstick. The tea is then at its best, and the sooner you drink it the better. You get little tannin and none of the disagreeable, bitter extractive matters of the tea. In boiled tea you get tannin, bitter extractives, and altogether an indigestible, unwholesome dose. Stew it, - well, don't throw it to your pigs, they won't eat it or drink it; and the pigs are right.

Again, we have cocoa and chocolate, both prepared from the cocoa bean, which comes from the tree, Theobroma cacao. Theobromine is the alkaloid of cocoa, and is very much in every way like caffeine and theine. The kernels of the cocoa beans are, when ground, called cocoa nibs. Cocoa is made from these, and starch, or sugar, or both, are added in the making. A German analysis is as follows: Theobromine, 1.73; total nitrogenous matters, 19.88; fat, 30.51; water, 3.83; ash, 8.30; fibre, etc., 37.48.

In recommending cocoa, remember it is fattening from fat and sugar, and also usually contains starch. Chocolate is made, according to Thompson, from the husked, dried, ground, and fermented cocoa seeds, which are then roasted and made into a paste. Sugar is added, at least 50 per cent., and various flavorings. Chocolate is less fatty than cocoa, and altogether not so rich. The husks of the seeds make cocoa shells, and a decoction of these is often used for a light drink, where we want something near to water.

Before leaving the subject of coffee, tea, and cocoa, let me enter a plea for their close study as articles of diet so universally used. While they may be abused by the masses generally, they are all strong weapons in our hands for good. Remember their stimulating properties, their comforting effects, and the habit so universal with the people. In fever cases, in cases of wasting disease, you will often find in these products a very useful ally. Remember that when people are ill this may be no reason they should not take tea or coffee or chocolate or cocoa. As to their consumption, each case is a proper study for both patient and physician. If these substances are not directly food and nourishment, they are able adjuncts to the diet of man. If they afford no direct nourishment in the way of energy and tissue-building material, they doubtless do much to prevent destructive metamorphosis of tissue. A man will live longer under deprivation of food with them than without them, his body will die more slowly, and from them he will get much solace and comfort, even outside of the adjuncts of the milk and sugar such beverages as prepared by man usually contain.