, 1877-07-14
Water as = Beverage.

NO one can exist without consuming a
cer r1ainquantity ofwater, whiehis theeSSential
basis of all drinks Ii has been calculated
tnat the body Of MA weighing eleven
stone contains sixty-six pounds of solid mat
ter and eighty-eight pounds Of water and
! that ne loses in various Ways about SIX
! pounds Of water in twenty-four hours, and
this loss of water must be supplied In his
food ard drink. In the ordinary pi,l Siolcgi-
cal process nothing passes into ;Ae blood, and
nothing out OF 1t, wiShout the Intervention,
IN some way or other. OF water as 4 solvent.
1t viii tins be seen that water plays most
important part III relation TO animal life and
nutrition. 1t is also the agent by which the
| body is cleaned inwardly as well as outward
/ ", and 1t Is as necessary, though nos quite
so obvious that the interior Of our bodies
| should be washed and made clean as the ex-
! terror
In the process Of nutrition IN the physical
and chemical changes upon which life de-
peuds-eflete waste products are constantly
being discharged into the blood from the tis-
saes of the body, and these have To be got
I'D of (; for if they are permitted to aecumu-
late IN the blood, the body becomes poisoned
by them, and life IS destroyed rs certainly as
if large dose of prussie acid or opium We're
introduced from without Men do indeed
frequently die, poisoned by toxic agents
which they manufacture within their own
organisms. One of the uses OF water, taken
into the body As beverage, Is TO dissolve
these eifete products of the work OF organ
ism, and SO 20 convey them out OF the body
through the action of the secrehng organs.
Water is readily absorbed into the blood and
is rapidly discharged from it. In its rapid
course through the body 1t washes so TO
speak, thecirculating tuid, and carries away,
through the channels OF exeru0n, substances
the retention OF which IN the blood w0ald
prove III the highest degree harmful. Ii may
readily be imagined tina. pure unadulterated
water performs this function better than
any modification of it which We may drink
as a beverage. 1t is, however, quite true
that some snghtly mineralized waters pass
through the organism with even greater
rapidIty than pure water, on account oi the
stimulating acuon the most Of them exercise
on certain OF the eXcreJOry organs.
Mild alkaline waters may also, under Ger 2
tain circumstances, prove more cleansing
than pure water, on account OF their great !
solvent action on some substances. The Z.
vulHtllN Oh hASCT VIC HSSt III NA.C ioiAIA "
beverage depends greatly on the nature OF
the OcEer substance we consume rs food
With a dietary composed larsly OF succuient
vegetables and frnG, very hide beverage OF
any kind is required Much also depends on
the manner IN which our solid food Is cooked
whether, IN the ease OF animal food, the
natural Juices of the flesh are retained IN 1t
or not, much, too, Will depend On those at !
mOSpherc and other conditions which de-
termine the amount of tiuid lost by evapora- !
ton from the surface OF the body. The sen /
sation of thirst Is the natural warning that
the blood wants water l may here remark, !
incidentally, that 1t Is not a wise custom TO .
take excessive quantities of any fluid, even !
SIMPLE water, with our food, for 50 dong, we /,
dilure too much the digestive juices, and so |
retard their solvent aeIon on the sOlld food /
we have consumed 4 draught of tiud, !
however toward the end OF the digestion Is !
often useful IN promoting the soluuon and .
absorption of the reSidum of process, as In !
aiding its propulsion along the digestive tube. /;
Hence the custom of ta!-ng tea a fe. hours I
after dinner, or seltzer or soda water little /!
before bed time -FoltH;ytty Rerie'r.