HABIT-FORMING AGENTS 41 



tea and coffee contain. Coca Cola is a type of these 

 beverages, and it is sold near schoolhouses in hundreds 

 of the cities of this country. To what extent the chil- 

 dren patronize these caffeinated drinks cannot be de- 

 termined accurately, but that they do patronize them is 

 well known. Teachers and parents should join in their 

 efforts to prevent children of school age from indulging 

 in these very threatening beverages. They are of a 

 character, as the phrase runs, to get on your nerves, and 

 should be rigidly excluded." 



27. Stimulants. Stimulants are drugs that increase 

 heart and nervous activity, and relieve the sense of fatigue. 

 A person_can easily be overworked under the influence of 

 a stimulant because the tired feeling cannot appear. 

 Because of this fact many children do not grow as they 

 should and therefore become stunted for life, both in 

 mind and body. Proper rest is just as necessary as 

 exercise and should be taken when the sense of fatigue 

 comes. Fatigue is the signal given by the nervous 

 system for rest. If this signal is broken down by the 

 use of stimulants, a wrecked life can be expected and the 

 extent of the wreck will depend on the kind and amount 

 of stimulant used. There are times when stimulants are 

 necessary to save lives, but at such times the persons are 

 sick or have suffered from some accident. Stimulants 

 should be taken only under the direction of a competent 

 physician. 



The three common stimulants are tea, coffee, and cocoa. 

 They all contain the stimulants known as alkaloids. 

 Tea contains caffeine or theine. Coffee contains caffeine. 

 Cocoa contains theobromine. The effects produced by 

 these three are very similar. The ordinary drinks made 

 from tea, coffee, and cocoa contain from one to two 



