But it is a different thing with ladies who sit all day long in their rooms, or with men who sit all day at their office desks. Such persons very often need an artificial stimulus for a good appetite and sufficient gastric juice. We must then resort to small artifices to induce these. A snow white table cloth, beautiful service, choice fruit in artistic vases, wearing clean linen and evening dress, and having agreeable society and possibly music at dinner, will, perhaps, sufficiently act on the different senses to produce appetite and a free secretion of the gastric juice. In certain restaurants we often see an open buffet with the choicest dishes displayed, from which we can select our meal; and this certainly acts as an appetizer. In certain countries, also, it is the custom to take before dinner little _hors d’œuvres_ or delicacies, like the Zakuski in Russia, or the smörgasbord in Sweden, which certainly serve to enhance the appetite. Those whose appetite needs stimulation may receive benefit from meat extracts, such as bouillon, before dinner. These extracts are some of the few things which can produce a sufficient secretion in the stomach directly, without the intervention of appetite, as has been shown by the experiments of many authorities. Such an appetizer would not, however, be advisable, because bouillon, containing extractive substances, is more injurious than meat if taken often and in large quantities. For such as have no appetite it may be of advantage to wash the tongue before meals with a solution of salt; this, to a certain extent, will also cleanse a coated tongue, with which a good appetite is not easily attained; and at the same time, according to Bickel’s above-mentioned experiment, it may provoke a secretion of stomach juice. Vinegar and water will have the same effect as the saline wash. A coated tongue should always be cleansed before meals, for when the papillæ of taste are covered, the direct action of the food on them may be prevented. Just before dinner, and for an hour after it, no mental work should be done; and it is often better to open a letter after than before dinner, so as not to spoil the appetite. A short walk in the fresh air before dining will also be an appetizer. We have personally noticed a diminution in appetite on those days when no exercise was taken. Much depends on the way the meals are served. Above all things food must be pleasant to the eye and to the palate, and it is the great art of the cook to fulfill this. The greatest possible cleanliness is paramount, for with many people the sight of a dirty cloth or napkin is able to kill all appetite and check the secretion of gastric juice.