We perceive all the impressions that are caused by our surroundings through the medium of our senses; we enjoy nature and its products by these senses and only by these, each of them being equally valuable.

"It is to be especially noted, first, that each nerve of sense is only capable of performing the function designed for it. The nerve of sight does not enable us to hear, and the nerve of smell only enables us to appreciate odors; second, cultivation of the senses, especially if begun in early life, will develop their usefulness; it is true that such training may be carried to the extent of making them a source of misery. Certain persons are painfully conscious of the slightest discord; others almost instantaneously detect, with a feeling of disgust, the inharmonious blending of tints which, to the average person, is a harmonious one; others, still, are made uncomfortable by an odor which is perceptible to none but themselves.

"Cultivation furnishes the accurate hearing of the educated musician, the keen eyesight of the reliable pilot, engineer, and expert microscopist, and the accurate touch of the blind."

If, now, the senses of sight, touch, and hearing may be trained to the blessing of mankind, why should not the same be done with the senses of taste and smell?

In some men these two senses are of higher sensibility than in others, and we have hardly ever heard that these persons were dissatisfied with their superiority.

"Taste is the sense by which we discover and recognize the flavors of substances. It is made possible through the mucous membrane of the tongue, of the soft palate, and of the back part of the throat, these being, in fact, the organs of taste. Only those substances can be tasted which are dissolved. These, by endosmosis, penetrate the mucous membrane, and reach thus the nerves of taste. Accordingly, dry sugar or salt placed upon the tongue is not tasted till it begins to dissolve."

The finer the comminution of food, the sooner is it dissolved and tasted.

Taste is one of the means by which we distinguish between proper and improper articles of food. But in determining the nature of such articles, it is assisted by the other senses. Undoubtedly much pleasure is lent to the taste of certain substances by their appearance and odor; accordingly, one and the same meal will be higher appreciated when served in fine china, on a well-spread table; a drink will be twice and thrice as palatable if prepared by a fine-looking bartender, in fine cut glasses to delight the sight, and when accompanied by a pleasant remark to charm the ear.

Taste in the human being, and also in some of the lower animals, is more or less influenced by imitation, habit, surroundings, and training. Children fancy certain articles of food and dislike others, because other members of the family do the same. That taste may be developed, especially when assisted by the sense of smell, is seen in expert tea and wine tasters.

Although the sense of smell is in man not so acute as the other senses, and its impressions often need to be confirmed by the others, we would be very wrong to undervalue it. Odors, to be recognized, must be presented in a gaseous form, when they are forcibly drawn up by inspiration into the higher portions of the nasal fossae.

There is no doubt that the sense of smell may be highly developed, especially in conjunction with other senses, or in case these are deficient. It is related that a certain blind and deaf mute was able to recognize, by the sense of smell, any person with whom he had previously come into contact.

Every part of an organism is subject to certain alterations, caused by mechanical or chemical action; it gradually ceases to work when the products of reaction are not eliminated, and the loss of material is not equaled by fresh nutritives. Accordingly, we may say that the natural condition of every organism depends upon digestion and assimilation. How these two functions work we do not intend to demonstrate, as it can easily be found in any treatise on Physiology; only this we may be permitted to say, that the materials brought into and dissolved and changed within the organism are the true ministers of said operations. The digested parts of this supply are absorbed by the blood, and deposited by it where need may be, while those parts worthy to be ejected are carried away by the same medium, and delivered for expulsion to kidneys, lungs, glands, etc.

If necessary, we can aid nutrition artificially, and we may do the same in regard to digestion by adding certain compounds, as digestives and tonics (pepsin, pancreatin, muriatic acid, phosphates, etc.), to our food or cordials, and the selection of these compounds is most highly developed in the art of mixing drinks.

Besides food, man requires a number of substances which affect agreeably the tissue and the nerves; they are, to our opinion, necessary for the welfare of an individual, and mainly consist of spices, alcoholic beverages, coffee,,tea, chocolate, tobacco, narcotic extracts of plants, as opium, hasheesh, and certain newly discovered drugs, cocaine, chloral, chloroform, ether, etc. They more or less irritate the nervous system, and thus dispel the feeling of pain, fatigue, etc., for a certain space of time, and increase the ability of resistance as also the working power.

They are perfectly harmless as long as there is full supply of nutritives, and while they are taken reasonably.

Among these substances rank first the alcoholic beverages. A man in normal condition, and by normal work, requires, per day:

3½ oz. of albumen,

3 oz. of fat,

8 oz. of starch and sugar,

.8 oz. of salt,

80 oz. of water.

From this table we see that the fluids are about five times as great as the solids. If this quantity of liquids is not duly supplied, we suffer from a feeling which we call thirst. Beverages are therefore of the highest hygienic and dietetic importance.

In accordance with the highest medical authorities we divide them into:

1. Refreshing beverages: water, mineral waters, acetous waters.

2. Nutritive beverages: emulsions and decoctions of fruits, plants, grain, oats, milk, beef tea, and chocolate.

3. Aromatic beverages: coffee and tea.

4. Alcoholic beverages: wine, beer, alcohol and all fermented drinks.

To build up a healthy body we know that liquids are very important; but we know also that they are still more important in cases of sickness, fever, and all diseases of the digestive apparatus, when the epithelium is unable to absorb anything but liquids.

A look upon the different recipes in this book shows that these drinks, especially the mixed ones, satisfy all requirements, i.e., they are refreshing, nutritive, aromatic, and alcoholic; consequently they must work upon the body most effectively and pleasingly. This is the reason why William's concoctions are longed for by everybody that can afford it, and why they have obtained so wide a fame and reputation.