The New York herald., 1876-07-17
"Bring Me Some leo Water!"

"Briug Ne Some leo Waterw
During the hot weather, and particularly
when the thermometer stands among the
nineties, demands for ice water and iced
beverages of all kinds are heard on every
side. They are grateful to the dry palate !;
they suggest GOODNESS to the perspiring NOR
tai, and, indeed, they frequently make him
cold to the extent Of a sudden chill. The
effect of large draught Of ice water upon
system suffering from extreme heat is to
produce paralysis of the stomach, of varied
intensity and duration, accompanied by a
rush of blood to the head and extremities
generally. Several cases have resulted ia
tally during the present heated term trace
able to the immoderate use of ice water.
Where these extreme results have been
avoided, considerable oppression about the
head and disorder in the digestive organs
have been experienced, and the heat, the
work or food partaken of, blamed
everything. in fact. but the real foe,
ice water. Under the influence of excep-
tionally high temperatures everybody must
drink more than in cool weather, because
the healthy fountains of perspiration must
be supplied The rapid exhaustion of fluid
through perspiration is the chief cause of
the raging thirst which many experience;
but why slake it with stomach paralyzing
and brain-congesting ice water? Nature,
which has given us climate Of extremes,
places ice within our reach through the en-
tire summer, and it can be put to thousand
beneficial uses but as a means Of reducing
drinking water to q temperature of thirty
five degrees when the thermometer oscillates
between ninety and hundred it should not
be thought of. There is no particular objec-
ton to the water we drink being cool
When the system is overheated a tepid
drink would be most beneficial, although
not so grateful to the palate. Even in the
absence of excessive bodily heat the glass of
ice water gulped down at breakfast, lunch,
dinner and between times, lays the founda-
ton of dyspepsia among American men, just
as ice cream does among American school
girls. Water of the temperature of the spring
or the running brook is, except in rare cases,
wholesome enough; but the jump downward
when ice water is swallowed, is too great for
ordinary systems. Pumping huge chunk
Of ice into the water jug is an easy way of
cooling the water-fatally easy, in fact, and
therein lies the difficulty The expedient
of placing jug Of water in the ice chest for
an hour before meals is quite as easy, but it
requires little forethought, which Betty
cannot be always relied on to exercise. 1t
is simple enough, and we advise our readers
to try it. The water will not be too cold,
and it will, in nine cases out of ten. be
purer. In warm climates, like India
and Brazil, where ice is all but unobtainable,
they cool their drinking water by putting it
in jars of porous clay and hanging them in
shady places. AS the water soaks slowly
through evaporation on the surface takes
place, and the water in the jars becomes de-
liciously cool.
What we desire to impress upon our read
ers is the hygienic difference between cool
water and ice water. Cold tea but not iced
tea, is particularly good, producing gentle
perspiration without exhaustion. Cool, but
not iced lemonade, moderately taken, is also
good. Iced fresh milk in quantities is par
ticularly dangerous but cool buttermilk or
sour milk, not iced, will prove refreshing
and easy of digestion. Alcoholic drinks,
because of their heating and ain-congesting
effects, no matter how much iced, are very
perilous during this hot weather, and even
fermented drinks, except with meals, should
be taken sparingly. A glass of claIet in
tumbler of cold water would be good with
dinner Above all, let the fatal order,
bring me some ice water" be seldom heard.