New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-07

people In eating and drinking should ain 10 get
the largest amount OF energiLing food at miui,u1n
OF cost anu at minimum Of wear and tear To tina
digestive ana scavengng siscera of tho body fed.
But want Of water is much more RAPIDLY and main
fully fatal than want of food. Water in tho avs
vehicle for carrying the dissolved food into ine sys
TEN, and afterward from Que part of the system f
tne otIer IN eeaseess circle OF water-csrriags
movement; thirdly of dlss0ving out of the tissues
all Gillette matters ana carrying these off to the say
eDgDg organs, such IN the lungs. kidneys bsweIs
and skin. Now IN cholera, where vast Quantities
OF aqueous OBJECTIONS occur, the blood becomes
thick. treacy aud viscid, aud NIL the functions OF
the body are obstructed iDverssly in the order of
First, The oxidation Of food is Diminished and ,hs
temperature OF the body rapidly falls; second tbs
elimination Of refuse matters other than by tho
bowels 10 diminished yariously and effects. prscti
caliy Oh poisoning by these retained matters, takes
pace. Such are the violent muscular cramps wrich
torment the patient for hours previous TO DEATH
IN slower forms OF death from want of water. on
sniPpoafu or In boats at sea, maniacal symptoms
are nshered In by the fearful thirst and these arc
largely due to retention within the blood of efcto
matters whicr, while the blood 10 adequately liQ-
ueted, are carried OF In solution by the kidnevs
Now. these forms OF death are only extreme deyel.
opments OF the appetite for water which We call
thirst In qnenchng thirst il should be recollected
that water IL the only substance by which thirst
can he met and that intermixing alcohol Coffee
tea, etc. with water In order to relieve thirst Is
do aught but hasten death from thirst. Much salS
In the food makes ono very thirsty. WHIT Be-
cause an excess Of salt having been taken into the
blood the kidneys hasten to turn 1t out of tho sys-
tenn and In turning out the salt, they have to
eliminate large quantity of water in order to dis
solve it and carry it off, thus the blood ls left too
thick, and the person feels thirsty. Now one
reason why beer drinkers go back so soon an 1 so
repeatedly to the is because salt is put
into their beer y, f1r them and taking ths effect Of
doubt that beer aggrsyates thirst instead of
gu nching 1t. Beer drinkers imagine that ab-
stainers from alcohol drink u lot OF cold water"
N fac ia Dee -1rin nh In
drink the {" lot Of cold water.n Any beerdrinker
who goes 10 the food department of the South Ken
sington Museum will there see the constituents Of
the beer all separated in visible form In their
proper proportions, and he will learn that. out Of
twenty pnts of beer that he buys. nineteen are
water! Nearly one pint Is alcohol and the rest is
treacly residue with salt and other unInportant
food material, or residual barley. left In the beer.
The alcohol may be partially oxldized In the sys-
tenn, but its effects are chiefly felt in taking the
edge OFF thUse sensibilites by means of which the
system is conscious Of fatiguej and large part of
the alcohol is exhaled by the lungs and skim az is
shown by the smell which emanates from the
drinker.
Beer, when taken at neal times by those whose
stcu have been trained to look for IL. provOkes
secretion of gastric juice. and its alcohol rapidly
washed out,of the stomach, In order that the solu
tlon of the food may not be hindered. II stronge !.
alcoholic beverages are taken. such wine or
spirit. digestion is more completely arrested pend
ing their removal and as Is wel-known. II tho
glass of wine be repeated too often, digestion -
the food has to be returned by the way IL entered.
In this case ii is generally said that the salmon
has disagreed" with the unfortunate diner-out; but
| have generally observed that the capacity for
walking straight is as much impaired as is the ca
pacIty Tor dgesiing food, and, unless when wine
had been taken largely, never saw " the salmon"
The habit of drinking strong tea, or black coffee,
directly after dinner ~ especially bad, and cer-
taInIy lnterferes With digestion AT breakfast time
q healthy nan has all his sleep In him. and surely
t is then unscientifc for him TO nhct upon his sys-
tenn strong tea coffee. at tea-tme" tea or
coffee may well he INDUCED in moderately; the
bulk of the days work ~ done the body not only
wants rnsing Dut but fatigue is felt which may
well DO coun teracted by the OF mild stImulaut.
such as tea aud bedtime Is not yet so neal that
sleep is thereby interered with. Most nations that
drink coffee largely get sallow skin; and | am
inclined 10 think that the carb0nace0us matter Of
the roasted coffee, when largely and frequently
taken may perhaps have something to do with this.
OF hard orking people. VINO are not cOrpulent,
should suggest the thick flake as the health-
lest aud most nutritious breakfast beverage. For
those who do not want fattening drinks. and who
often cannot digest cocoa, L should say drink hot
water at breakfast. Those who dine late, and
make their dinner their main meal. iced dlluent
drink an hour OF two sfterward, and il they drink
tea it keeps them awake OF makes them irritable
and nervous. lind for myself that dining solidly.
as / am obliged TO do when have done my work
(7:30 D. MI, and often needing to work from to
IL, q tumbler OF hot water brought into my study
or laboratory is the best ana whoesomest drink,
and, after few evenings, II Will be az much rel
ished as the usual draught Of tea. The no. water
assists To complete the digestion of residual food 10
acts upon the kidneys, and rinses OUT the effete
matters, and thus will be found to wake up
sufficiently, aud neither to injure the stomach nor
to keep the brain awake after bedtime. In cold
weather warm water ID by far the best drink az
dinner time, and in hot weather a draught OF warm
water is far whoesomer and moro cooling than cold
or iced water The of iced water is one of the
destructive habits in which American cousins
inuuge-not because it COILS them quenches their
thirst, but simply because they have acquired bad
habits and have demoraIzed their p,lates. AT an
hotel in the United States guests will be seen sip
ping hot coffee, iced milk aud other things alter
nately, as well devouring, in no time. a vast
Quantity of viands on tie principle of " devil take
the hinlmOst," and mixing up in then mouths sub
stances which to an ordinary Enolshman seem TO
make q strange medley. IL may be that the devil
takes the hindm Ost at the hotel tables, but am
certain that afterward the doctor gels the FOREMOST
for now here else do We such nation OF dyspep'
tics and such need fo- dentists.