, 1877-06-16
Wafer as a Heyerage.

No Que can exist without conSum
ing certain quantity OF water, which
i the esseniisl basis Of all drinks. IL
has been calculated that the body OF
man weighing eleven stone contains
sixty six pounds Of solid matter ami
eighty eight pounds Of water, aud tha;
lac losps Ia variu1s wals abOut Xxx
pounds Of water in taeniY fuur hours,
ard this loss of water must be supplied
IN his TODD and drink In the ordinary
physiological processes nothing lasse>
into the blo,d. and nothing passes oGt
of il, without The InrervenIicn, IN some
way or "a; he7, uf waier a. solvent
IL will thus he seen that water plays
. most important part IN relation to
animal life and nutrition. 1t is aisc
the agent 10y which fhe body Is c.ean
ed inwardly as well as "n'waFhly-
and il is A. necessary, though nol
oriIe 20 ubyinus, that The interior ot
our bodies should be washed and
made clean a. the exterior.
In The process oi hutrIlI0n IN the
,h;sical and chemical changes upon
which life deppnds-t fftte waste pr"-
duct, are constantly being discharged
into The boua ts"m the tissues Of The
body. and hesr have Ia br got nd OF /;
for If they are permitted 10 accnmG
late in he blood, The body becomes
poisoned 10y them, and lie Is destroy
fd aS certainly Az if large dose OF
pru>sir acid or oiium were introduced
from without. Men do indeed tr-
qnrrily die, poisoned by toxic agents
hich they manufacture within Their
own Organisms. One uf The uses OF
water, taken into the body as bev
eTage, is 10 dissolve there effete pro
ducts of The work of the organism,
and so to convey them ont of the b' dy
ihro1g!. The action Of the secTeIlng or
ganS. Water Is readily absorbed in"
TO the blood and is rapidly discharged
from it, In It's rapid course through
The body l. washes, 81 10 speak, ;he
circulating fluid, and carries away,
through the channels OF eye:tion. sub
sIancrs the reIcmilonsf which in the
blood would prove III the highest de-
grer harmful. Ii may readily be im-
aglned that pure uuaduIIeraJed water
peIfurmS this function better than any
mod ifcnIiun nt il which we may drink
as a beverage. II is, however, qni!e
True that some slightly mineraized
waters pass through the organism
with evrn greater rapidily than puse
water, on accoun, of The stimulating
action the most OF them exercise OF
certain If the eXcretuIy organs.
Mid alkaline waters may also, an
| der certain circumstances. prove more
cleansing than pure water, on account
of their greater solvent action Oh
snme substances. The quanll'y of Wa
ter We need III the form OF beverage
depends greatl Y on the nature OF tht
other substances We consume as food
With a dietary composed largely q
succu!rnt vegeta blrs aud fruit, very
! little beverage of any kind is required
Much also depends Oh the manner Ia
which our eolid food is cooked
whether, in the case Of animal food,
the natural juices of ths tir5h are re
tanned in II ur mol ; much, tco, Will
depend on those atmospheric and 9th
er conditions which determine the
amount Of fiuid lost by evaporation
from The surface OF the body Tn
sensation of thirst rs the natural warn
ID that the blood wants water |
may here remark, incidentally, that it
Is Dot a wise cu-Ion 20 take exceS
sive quantities of any fluii, even SIM
pie water, with our food, for by 50
doing, We dilne too mnch The digest
I've juices, ,iand SO re.ari their solvent
action on he solid food we have con
sumed. a dranght of fud, however.
toward the end of digestion is often
useful IN promoting the solution and
absorption OF the residuum of this
process, as in aiding its propulsion
along the digestive tube. Hence the
custom of taking tea few bou alter
dinner. or sehz.r OF soda water a
little before bed time.-F0rtnighty
ReUieW.