ceviil ee of the Asiatic Soc. of Bengal. |N.S., XVII, 
industry, so let me hasten to add that it is the temperature of 
the drink that matters and not the fact that the drink is tea. 
Any other hot liquid would produce exactly the same effect. 
Weak tea if taken at a reasonable temperature is a drink which 
is worthy of the unqualified advocacy of the medical profession : 
it is almost the only safe and attractive drink that is widely 
used in tropical] countries. 
There are many other examples of the association that 
exists between chronic irritation and cancer, such as clay pipe 
smokers’ cancer, chimney sweeps’ cancer and X Ray workers’ 
cancer, and altogether it seems likely that a close study of the 
conditions under which the disease occurs in human beings all 
over the world may lead more rapidly to a knowledge of how 
to avoid it than all the expensive research that is being carried 
on in Sate and, France, Germany, America, Japan and other 
4 jie of special importance in India is Beri Beri under 
which name it is convenient to include Epidemic Dropsy as 
no one has brought forward convincing evidence of the dis- 
tinction between the two diseases. Medical scientists Poe 
accepted the vitamine deficiency theory of the disease with 
wonderful unanimity. Let us briefly examine the evidence 
on which this theory is tesa It has been proved that by 
feeding fowls on polished rice for some time they become 
affected by a degeneration of the nerves which is known 
as polyneuritis gallinarum. This disease is readily cured by 
occurs among people w who eat nolished rice it is not surprising 
that the chain of evidence should have been regarded as com- 
plete. in fact to doubt the food deficiency Rusoey of beri beri is 
— ery as per heresy. But there are some facts in 
as 3 
eleven years sa This occured in epidemic form among set 
many of the victims were a wall to-do people who lived on a 
varied and nutritious diet which could hardly have been defi- 
cient in vitamines. It was also strange that the prisoners in 
the Presidency Jail who lived to a greater extent on Rangoon 
rice than most of the victims should have escaped the disease. 
At the time it seemed to me to be very likely that the custom of 
Te lime with the rice stored in the jail and of spreading it 
n the sun at frequent intervals was the reason for this 
alates Then the sudden onset of the disease and the gastro- 
