In reference to beverages, a supply of fluid, copious rather than sparing, seems proper, care being observed, however, not to overtax the heart. It is preferable that the daily quantity of urine be two, rather than one and one-half liters; and the amount of fluid absorbed should be regular and distributed through the day in uniform portions. A direct decrease of fluids may be recommended in those cases in which there is special indication in the heart's action. More minute details will be given in the description of the so-called "drink cure." Various investigators share the opinion that tea, coffee, and cocoa are harmful. That these substances (theo-bromin=dimethylxanthin, caffein=trimethylxanthin) can increase the uric acid output of gouty patients, has been shown by Hess and Schmoll, and our experiments with caffein corroborate theirs. Minkowski, on the other hand, regards the danger of injury as not very great, since the reports of the investigations of Rost, Bondzynski and Gottlieb, and even of Albanese, show that theobromin and caffein are only partially decomposed in the body, and that the amount assimilated is really very small. Since, however, these substances excite the activity of the heart and are detrimental if a predisposition to arterio-sclerosis is already present, in order to promote a good general condition, we would recommend either a definite restriction or a complete prohibition of them in the diet of a gouty patient. On the same ground the avoidance of alcohol is advisable in all cases where it is not necessary as a medicine. We assert that in gout, alcohol is injurious to all of the most important organs, such as the kidneys, heart and digestive tract. This is not the place to take up the discussion of the numerous other effects of alcohol in gout, particularly the one which it exerts on the precipitation of the uric acid; because in the question of the dietetic treatment of gout, however important the influence of any single material for food or nourishment may be, it is never the only one to be considered. Moreover, it is not only essential to remove those factors which produce an increase of uric acid in the blood, but, in addition, to eliminate those which, according to general experience, are able to act injuriously in any way on the co-related organs. Especially to be mentioned is the fact that, among these organs, the kidneys, heart, and digestive tract deserve our greatest solicitude. The preservation of the heart enjoins on every sufferer from gout abstinence from gluttony, intemperance, and incontinence, and a carefully arranged and regulated manner of life.