The diet in cardiac diseases has already incidentally been referred to. The decision as to what a patient ought to eat or drink must often be modified by just what the patient will do, and, as we all know, it is absolutely necessary to make some concessions in order for him to aid us in hastening his own recovery or in preventing him from having relapses. Consequently, we cannot be dogmatic with most patients with chronic heart disease. Parents should be prohibited from allowing children or adolescents with heart disease to drink tea, coffee or any alcoholic stimulant. The young boy and young man must absolutely be prohibited from indulging in tobacco at all. There is no excuse for allowing these stimulants or foods in such cases. If the patient is older and has been accustomed to tea and coffee, one cup of coffee in the morning may be allowed, provided a decaffeinated coffee is not found satisfactory. Whether a small cup of coffee or a cup of tea is allowed at noon is again a matter for individualization; they should rarely be allowed after the noon meal. In a patient who has been accustomed to alcohol regularly (generally an older patient), careful judgment should be used in deciding whether or not a small amount of alcohol daily should be allowed. It should never be in large amounts, even of a dilute alcohol like beer; it may be a weak wine; it may be a small amount of diluted whisky, if seems best. Ordinarily the patient is better without it. If he is used to smoking and a small amount does not raise the blood pressure much, it may do him no harm to smoke a small mild cigar once or twice a clay. On the other hand, if a hard smoker suddenly has heart failure, whether from exertion, from chronic disease or from acute illness, a small amount of smoking is of advantage as it tends to remove cardiac irritability, to raise the blood pressure, and actually to quiet and improve the circulation. It is unwise during acute circulatory failure to take tobacco away entirely from a chronic tobacco user.