Am.  Jour.  Pharm.\ 
February,  1903.  / 
Tea. 
9i 
yerba  mate,  guarana  and  kola,  all  of  which  contain  theine,  and  also 
in  the  case  of  cocoa  containing  a  similar  alkaloid — theobromine. 
The  theine  acts  also  as  a  mild  cardiac  stimulant.  The  tannin  being 
astringent  tends  slightly  to  cause  constipation.  Medical  writers 
differ  in  their  opinions  of  the  value  of  tea,  some  regarding  it  as  the 
source  of  various  nervous  complaints,  while  others  recommend  it  as 
a  daily  drink,  and  as  a  medicine  in  cases  of  rheumatism,  nervous 
headache,  fevers,  etc. 
The  effects  of  inordinate  use  of  tea  are  said  to  be  frightful,  but, 
fortunately,  such  use  in  this  country  is  not  of  frequent  occurrence. 
VIII.    SOCIAL  STATUS. 
Much  might  be  written  about  the  social  status  of  the  table  bever- 
ages, or  what  might  be  called  the  psychologic  elements  in  their  use. 
Cocoa  is  a  dainty,  a  sort  of  liquid  confection  ;  coffee  is  largely  utili- 
tarian;  tea  is,  in  great  measure,  a  handmaiden  of  fashion  and  refine- 
ment. In  a  great  number  of  cases  the  liking  for  tea  is  not  natural 
but  acquired.  In  this  respect  it  differs  from  cocoa  and  coffee. 
Nearly  every  child  likes  cocoa  from  the  very  first  sip,  and  but  few 
of  them  do  not  like  coffee.  Children  like  to  imitate  their  elders, 
and  are  prone  to  feel  aggrieved  if  denied  anything  that  usually 
forms  part  of  the  meal.  Very  often  when  denied  tea  they  are 
placated  and  made  to  feel  "  big'*  by  giving  them  the  mixture  of  hot 
water  and  milk,  called  cambric  tea.  Later,  in  response  to  their 
more  urgent  demands  for  equal  rights,  or  just  for  the  fun  of  it,  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  real  tea  is  added.  This  naturally  leads  to  increasing  the 
quantity  and  frequency  of  the  true  tea  until  cambric  tea  becomes  a 
mere  memory  of  little  childhood,  and  the  regular  use  of  tea  marks 
one  of  the  steps  in  the  transition  from  the  bib  to  the  napkin. 
In  the  liking  for  tea  the  female  palate  differs  from  the  male,  and, 
as  Talmage  has  said,  "  the  bottle  rules  the  sensual  world,  but  the 
teacup  is  queen  in  all  the  fair  dominions."  Coffee  and  cocoa 
decline  to  compete  with  wine  to  loosen  the  male  tongue,  or  with  tea 
to  set  the  tongues  of  the  ladies  into  a  canter.  If  we  should  change 
the  line  of  the  popular  song  to  read,  "  Polly,  put  the  kettle  on,  and 
we'll  all  take  coffee,"  it  would  be  something  like  the  factory  whistle 
at  noon,  which  tells  us  to  knock  off,  fill  up  and  be  quick  about  it. 
But  if  we  say,  "  Polly,  put  the  the  kettle  on,  and  we'll  all  take  tea,"  we 
feel  a  poetic  force  in  the  line.  It  helps  to  show  that  tea  is  a  sociable 
