OP FOODS UPON THE EESPIEATION. 
741 
It is probable that coffee leaves have valuable medicinal properties. The contrast in 
the effect of tea, and such alcohols as brandy, gin, and whisky, upon the respiration, 
consciousness, sensibility, muscles, skin, and mucous membranes and pulsation, and the 
power of regulating the heat of the body, is very striking, and shows that the two 
classes of substances are applicable to very different conditions. 
13. The different action of milk and its components upon Mr. MouL and myself is 
instructive ; and in general these experiments have shown that there is a direct relation 
between the idiosyncrasies of individuals in the enjoyment of certain articles of food and 
their effect upon the system, or in other words, that they are not merely prejudices, but 
have a relation to the state of the body. I enjoy every kind of food, whilst Mr. MouL 
dislikes many, but in such a manner that, with the avoidance of certain members of a 
class, as respiratory excitants, he had an unusual relish for others of the same class. 
As some of the results at which I have arrived are not in accordance with those 
obtained by some other observers, I have felt it to be a duty to carefully reconsider my 
own labours, and to make myself familiar with the methods adopted by those with 
whom I differ ; and after doing so, I find no reason to distrust the truthfulness of my 
own observations. 
As Dr. Peout, forty-five years ago, simply sought to determine the per-centage of 
carbonic acid in the expired air, without being apparently aware that that would not 
give the total quantity of carbonic acid evolved in any given period, whilst I have 
determined the latter only, our results cannot be compared ; but as I think that he is 
not always correct, even in reference to the per-centage amount of carbonic acid, I 
venture to ask attention to the following circumstances: — 
He compares the results obtained with standard quantities for each hour, most of 
which are “ only the result of estimation f ’ and when they were observed quantities, they 
were derived from a limited number of inquiries upon himself, and evidently without a 
due appreciation of the varying effects due to the meals and the duration of the intervals 
between the meals. He states that the results were not in accordance with those of 
Mr. Braxde, and were quite unexpected by him. There were also remarkable oscilla- 
tions ; and when the alcohols had induced yawning, the quantity of carbonic acid was 
found to be much above the standard. 
In one experiment only was alcohol taken, whilst wine in different quantities, and 
porter, with and without food, were taken in other experiments. 
He also states that the inspirations and expirations were somewhat deeper than 
natural, and that “ the results obtained are evidently to be understood as measures of 
the capahility of the organs of respiration to form carbonic acid at any given time, and 
not as measures of the quantity of it formed in a given time.” 
In reference to M. Boeker’s experiments, I cannot but attach weight to some of the 
objections made by me at the commencement of this paper; and although I cannot fully 
explain the cause of the discrepancy in our results, I think that the decided and uniform 
