Like the respiration, the alimentation ought to be watched by the singer. As much as possible during the process of digestion no violent or prolonged singing-exercise should be undertaken. Digestive troubles are often the cause of deterioration of the voice, either because the swelling and distension of the stomach by gas trammels the play of the diaphragm, and consequently that of the lungs, or because intestinal troubles bring on constipation or diarrhoea. Very nutritive and very digestible food should be chosen for a singer, and a mixed alimentation should be employed. Among drinks preference should be given to wine and beer. Alcoholic liquors, Dr. Poyet thinks, should be absolutely forbidden. However, he advises a singer in the course of a fatiguing performance sometimes to moisten the throat with, and even to take a few mouthfuls of, cold water, to which has been added a little old cognac or "vin de coca"; but never, on any account, to take an iced drink just after singing. Everybody who sings ought first to observe in the strictest manner the rules of general hygiene. Thanks to this hygiene it is possible completely to develop all the faculties of the larynx and to regulate the voice in such manner as to assure its regular operation. General hygiene, moreover, will permit the singer to preserve himself from the external influences which may bring about aphony or dysphony, that is, loss of voice or difficulty of voice. A person who sings should always assume a natural attitude, since this aids the play of the respiratory organs. This play should be mixed, that is to say, costal and diaphragmatic. The respiration should be well regulated. The singer ought never to take too sudden inspirations, for he would thus run the risk of rapidly irritating the vocal cords. When it is a question of vocal exercises, one always should proceed from the simple to the complex, taking care not to prolong the exercises at the beginning. That is, the first singing-exercises should not be too prolonged. Moreover, in these first exercises the singer should never attempt to attain the extreme notes of his vocal range. The exercises should lie in the middle register. Keen impressions, whether of joy or pain, are, in Dr. Poyet's opinion, bad for the voice. Great fear may cause a passing but instantaneous loss of voice. "Vox faucibus hæsit." The emotion of singing in public, as everyone knows, prevents many artists from showing their full capacity. Only custom, and sometimes reasoning, can free them from "stage-fright." People who sing, and who desire to preserve the integrity of their voice, should abstain from smoking. Because some singers--Faure, in particular--have had a brilliant career despite the inveterate use of tobacco, there is no reason that this example should be followed. Tobacco irritates the pharynx, reddens the vocal cords, and may cause heart troubles harmful to singing.