"Naturally, there are writers who have plenty of ingenuity in devising plots, but who are lacking in literary style; others who write excellent Meccanian, both prose and verse, but who are weak in the dramatic instinct. It is, in fact, very seldom that a modern Meccanian drama is the sole work of any single author. Moreover, the drama as developed by us lends itself particularly to specialisation. For example, most of our classical plays are presented in four phases. The simplest phase comes first. The subject is presented in chronological-dramatic form, somewhat resembling the dramas of other days and other countries. Next comes the analytical phase, and after that the synthetic. The last phase or act is a complete philosophical symposium in which the whole subject is presented in its highest and most abstract form." "When you speak of the subject of a play, what do you mean exactly?" I asked. "The old plays had often no real subject; they had titles, it is true, but these titles were mere names of persons, or mere names of places or incidents. What, for instance, can you make of a title such as _Julius Cæsar_? or _The Emperor of the East_? or _Catherine_? or _The Tyrant of Genoa_? or _The Crime of Boniface_? If you are acquainted with the development of the drama, you will know that about ninety years ago a great advance was made by means of what was then called 'The Problem Play.' Some of these plays had a real subject. We have gone much further, of course. Take the subjects of some of our best-known plays: _Efficiency_, _Inefficiency_, _National Self-Consciousness_. These are all by our Chief Dramatic-Composer Grubber. His latest play, _Uric Acid_, is in my opinion even better than these." "_Uric Acid_!" I exclaimed; "what an extraordinary subject!" "It is one of a series of medical plays," explained Dr. Dodderer, quite undisturbed. "The subject lends itself splendidly to the methods of Meccanian Art. The part played by uric acid in the life of the individual, the family, the State, treated physiologically, pathologically, sociologically, ethically and philosophically, is almost infinite in its possibilities, and Grubber has made the most of them." "And do the public enjoy these medical plays?"