teas, containing more theine and less tannin, are consequently less hurtful and more refreshing than India and Ceylon teas, which contain nearly double the quantity of tannin, the astringent property to which India and Ceylon teas owe the harsh, bitter taste so often complained of in them, and which is undoubtedly the unsuspected cause of the indigestion and nervousness produced by their use. DIETICAL PROPERTIES. That the universal employment of tea has displaced many other kinds of food is certain, and regarding its dietical properties much has been written for and against. While some physicians have praised its value as an article of food, on account of the large proportion of nitrogen which it contains, others have as strenuously maintained that it is non-nutritious, and does not serve as a substitute for food, and that the only beneficial properties it contains are due to the milk and sugar added in its use. So that in considering the nourishing effects of tea, the nutriment contained in the milk and sugar certainly must not be overlooked, neither must the powerful influence of the heat of the steaming draught be forgotten. According to the chemical classification of food, the “flesh formers” contained in tea of average quality is about 18, and the “heat givers” 72 per cent., water and “mineral matter” being divided between the residue, the several constituents as they are found in one pound of good tea being as follows:— FLESH FORMERS. Constituents. Quantities, in one pound of good Tea. oz. grs. Theine, 0. 210 Caseine, 2. 175 Volatile Oil, 0. 52 Fat, 0. 280 Gum, 2. 385 HEAT GIVERS. Sugar, 0. 211 Fibre, 3. 87 Tannin, 4. 87 Water, 0. 350 Mineral, 0. 350 —— —— Total, 15 oz. 267 grs. The use of _theine_ as an article of diet has not so far been satisfactorily determined; but that it is a question of no mean interest is obvious when we consider that it is found to exist in so many plants, differing widely in their botanical origin and yet all instinctively used for the same purpose, by remotely situated nations, for the production of useful, agreeable and refreshing beverages.