"I have here a hard-boiled egg. I am not going to eat it, but use it for the experiment that will show you what a mistake it is to put anything in the human stomach that hinders the digestion as thoroughly as alcohol does."
Miss Miller cracked the egg and crumbled a little of the hard white into each of the two test-tubes.
"The powder in this bottle of Dr. Baker's is pepsin; it is made in the stomach and digests what we eat," explained Miss Miller, as she shook the bottle to loosen the powder that clung to the glass sides.
"Now, I am going to add a pinch of pepsin to the contents in these tubes."
The pepsin was added to the egg and then the Guide filled each tube half full with water.
Taking up two other bottles, she held them up to view and said, "One of these contains an acid—hydrochloric acid, and the other holds an acid called lactic. Both help to digest our food."
As she spoke she added a few drops of each to each test-tube and shook the tubes thoroughly.
The girls had been watching everything with deep interest, and Miss Miller continued, "If we leave these tubes alone, after a time the pepsin and acids will digest the egg. Suppose, however, that I add one teaspoonful of brandy or whiskey to one of the tubes and wait to see what action takes place."
While speaking she took up a small vial of whiskey and poured a teaspoonful of it into one tube. Both tubes were then corked up.