692 PLAIN FACTS FOR OLD AND YOUNG 



coffee produces on the nervous centers, as shown by 

 experhnents with catfeine. Coffee and tea, when taken 

 in excess, are a frequent cause of dyspepsia; from the 

 anemic condition of the mucous membrane's being 

 periodically renewed, a permanent state of congestion 

 is at last produced, which constitutes dyspepsia. Cof- 

 fee exerts both a local and a general action, operating 

 locally by means of its tannin, by diminishing the cali- 

 ber of the vessels, but acting on the general economy 

 by exciting the nervous centers and the muscular 

 system. It renders digestion slower, and is only of 

 good effect by relieving the feeling of torpor after 

 meals. ' ' 



The evidence against the use of tea and coffee is 

 accumulating so rapidly that there can be no longer 

 any doubt as to the nnpropriety of using these articles 

 as common beverages. They must be put in the same 

 category with opium, alcohol, tobacco, and other harm- 

 ful drugs. 



ABOUT WATER FILTERS 



Some time ago a friend wrote us asking the follow- 

 ing questions respecting water filters, the answers to 

 which may be of practical interest to many others: 



Questions.— 1. Is hard water rendered soft by fil- 

 tration 1 



2. How may a cheap and efficient filter be con- 

 structed 1 



3. How should a filter be taken care of? 

 Answers.— 1. The hardness of water is not removed 



by filtration. If a charcoal filter is employed, some of 

 the mineral ingredients of the water will be retained 



