The laws controlling the traffic in cocain and its sales have become so strict that the use of this body in so-called soft drinks is practically prohibited. The only alkaloid which is employed at the present time in the preparation of these beverages is caffein. Caffein is an alkaloid of somewhat restricted occurrence, being found chiefly in coffee, tea, cola nuts, yerba mate, and guarana. In the cylindrical sticks of the plant guarana prepared for the market, as high as 5 percent of caffein is sometimes found.

The caffein which is used commercially is extracted chiefly from tea sweepings, although it may be obtained from coffee which is used in making Kaffee Hag and similar preparations. It is a white crystalline powder, colorless when pure, and at high temperatures is sublimed unchanged. It has a somewhat bitter taste and is soluble in water. It is a substance known in chemistry as a base, that is, it unites with acids to form salts.

The effects of caffein are well known, and in large quantities it produces sleeplessness and other injurious effects. Even in small quantities it acts strongly on certain individuals who are more or less idiosyncratic to its effects. It is consumed in large quantities by the tea and coffee drinkers of the world. Chocolate and cocoa also contain small quantities of caffein, but the principal alkaloid in cocoa is theobromin.

The chief soft drink which contains caffein is coca cola. In addition to the content of caffein, coca cola also contains the extract from coca leaves from which the cocain has been previously obtained. In addition to this, also, a very small quantity of cola nut is employed, together with sugar, caramel and acid and aromatic substances. The composition of coca cola syrup as disclosed before the federal court in Chattanooga is as follows:

From the above composition it is seen that coca cola, that is, the syrup from which the drink is made, consists of about half sugar, one-third water, and the remainder the substances mentioned in the analysis above. In preparing the beverage about one ounce of the syrup, as indicted above, is used per glass. The active principle on which its vogue mainly depends is the caffein. When caffein is taken in from one- to two-grain doses, as is the case with those who drink tea, coffee and coca cola, the effects are prompt and, as a rule, agreeable. There is a sense of gentle exhilaration, a relief from the oppression of fatigue, and a decided wakefulness or stimulation of the nerve centers. This condition continues for several hours, so that the effect produced is never by any means transitory.

Authorities competent to judge of the effects of caffein from a scientific point of view, differ widely in their estimates of its effect upon the human system. All admit that in excessive quantities it is harmful. Some maintain that even in small quantities, when its use is continued, harm is done the organism. Others maintain that in small quantities in most persons, that is, in quantities not exceeding from 5 to 10 grains of caffein per day, no evil effects are produced, and even beneficial effects may be expected. The layman is of necessity somewhat confused in this multitude of conflicting opinions. The safe attitude to take on a question of this kind, it seems to me, is that which should be assumed in reference to alcoholic beverages and tobacco, namely, that inasmuch as there is a difference of opinion among experts, the layman will do well to follow the rule of avoiding in his diet anything which is not necessary and which may possibly produce injury. These various opinions are well illustrated by the testimony of experts before the federal court. Dr. John Witherspoon, former

President of the American Medical Association, testified that he had treated twenty or thirty patients afflicted with coca cola habit in four or five years. When they gave up the habit their health improved. He said:

I regard coca cola as habit-forming. One glass creates a demand for another, because it stimulates the user and makes him feel better. Then when the effect wears off the feeling is one of depression, and he gets very nervous and seemingly cannot do without it very well.

The above may be regarded as a type of the testimony given by physicians who believe that coca cola is harmful.

Dr. Victor C. Vaughn, former President of the American Medical Association, testified:

I am of the opinion that coca cola syrup, taken in the form of a beverage in proportion of one ounce of syrup to 6 or 7 ounces of carbonated water, taken five or six times in the course of a day, would not produce injurious effects. I have no doubt it would be stimulating to the brain and muscles and to some extent possibly to the kidneys slightly, but such stimulation would be normal .... I should say that caffein should not be given to children under 7 years of age .... Because a certain drug does not produce an observably harmful effect, does not at all prove that it is not deleterious. Even one or one and a half grains of caffein may prove harmful to many persons, and I have no doubt there are many people who should not take caffein at all. I would prohibit caffein altogether to children under 7 years of age, and even above that age there may be some, and no doubt there are many, to whom it should not be given.

The above-contrasted opinions of two eminent medical men, each of whom has been President of the American Medical Association, show the wide variance of view of competent experts in the case, and yet a quite agreeing opinion that at times and in some individuals caffein is harmful.

When coca cola was first made the unextracted leaves of the coca were employed, and thus a small amount of cocain was found in the beverage. Subsequently the use of the fresh leaves of coca was abandoned and the exhausted leaves employed in their place. Many attempts have been made to introduce other caffeinated beverages to the people of the country, at first by giving them a name similar in some respects to coca cola. The courts have uniformly decided that such imitations are a violation of the copyrights of the Coca Cola Company. These imitations of coca cola, both in name and composition, have therefore not secured any lasting vogue. It is of importance that the people of the country should understand the nature-of a beverage of this kind, in order that they may intelligently assume a proper position in respect of its use.