Once it has developed, heartburn will be aggravated by taking cream or olive oil. The most rational _curative measures_ then consist in diluting the acid by drinking a couple of glasses of water and in counteracting (neutralizing) the acid by taking a teaspoonful of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) or a tablespoonful of limewater; and, if necessary, either of these doses may be repeated. Patients often adopt the very sensible habit of carrying with them a block of magnesium carbonate, which they nibble whenever the symptom appears. FLATULENCE.--The distention of stomach and intestines with gas, technically called flatulence, may be associated with heartburn or appear independently. The gas arises from the action of bacteria upon the food. There can be little doubt that flatulence occurs so regularly during pregnancy because the pressure of the enlarged womb prevents the contents of the intestine from moving along as rapidly as they have done previously. To be relieved from this source of discomfort, it is necessary, in the first place, that the bowels should be regularly evacuated; very often nothing further is required than to overcome the habit of constipation. Occasionally, however, the diet must be arranged so as to exclude food which is likely to form gas. For example, parsnips, beans, corn, fried food, candy, cake, and sweet desserts, all of which are known to cause flatulence, should be avoided; in aggravated cases the allowance of starchy food of every kind should be cut down to small portions. Since the production of gas in the intestine is due to the action of bacteria sometimes relief from flatulence is secured only after the administration of intestinal antiseptics. Drugs, however, will be prescribed by the physician, and will not be employed until the simpler hygienic measures have failed. Similarly, the physician should decide whether it is advisable for the patient to drink milk inoculated with harmless bacteria (The Bulgarian Bacillus) which has lately been placed on the market. The bacteria thus administered in the milk are antagonistic to the intestinal bacteria that produce gas, and consequently have been recommended for the treatment of flatulence. If this commercial product cannot be conveniently obtained, one may use instead tablets containing the bacteria, which can be supplied by druggists.