The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-07-22
What to Drink.

WHdt w DTlHks
| think it a mistake to drink strong
tea when we merely need water, but as
to suggesting a practical substitute,
confess TO being often in considerable
difficulty, owing chiefly to peoples ac-
quired tastes. One would premise by
asking the reader, Does he eat and
drink to live, or does he live to eat and
drink? For such as practically live in
order that they may eat and drink, /
think it matters but little in what way
they wear out their viscera and extin-
guish themselves. But for refined gour-
NETS, who, while enjoying their eating
and drinking, as healthy people enjoy
the performance of all their natural func-
tons, yet eat and drink in order to sup
ply their bodies with energy in the best
way, and not as a mere animal indul-
gence, the question is one of large and
practical interest Now, such people
in eating and drinking should aim to
get the largest amount of energizing
food at a minimum of cost and at a
minimum of wear and tear to the diges-
tive and scavenging viscera of the body
fed.
But want of water is much more rap
idly and painfully fatal than want of
food Water in the system plays the
part, first, of solvent; second, as a
vehicle for carrying the dissolved food
into the system, and afterward from
one part of the system to the other, in
ceaseless circle of water-carriage
movement: thirdly, of dissolving out of
the tissues all effete matters. and carry
-, Al Of tbn
such as the lungs, kidneys, bowels and
skin. Now, in cholera, where vast
quantities of aqueous objections occur.
the blood becomes thick and viscid, and
all the functions of the body are OBJ
structed inversely in the order of their
necessity for the maintenance of exist
ence. First, the oxidation of food is
diminished, and the temperature of the
body rapidly falls: second, the elimina-
ton of refuse matters, other than by the
bowels, is diminished variously, and
effects, practically of poisoning by these
retained matters, take place. Such are
the violent muscular cramps which tor
ment the patient for hours previous to
death. In slower forms of death from
want of water, as on shipboard or in
boats at sea, maniacal symptoms are
ushered in by the fearful thirst, and
these are largely due to retention within
the blood of effete matters, which,
while the blood is adequately liquefied,
are carried off in solution by the kid
neys. Now, these forms of death are
only extreme developments of the APP
petite for water, which we call thirst.
In quenching thirst, it should be
recollected that water is the only sub
stance by which thirst can be met;
and that intermiXing alcohol, coffee,
tea, ETC., with water, in order to relieve
thirst, is a mistake. Neither alcohol
nor any other liquid would do aught
but hasten death by thirst. Much salt
in the food makes one very thirsty.
Why? Because an excess of salt hav-
ing been taken into the blood. the kid
neys hasten to turn it out of the system
and in turning out the salt, they have
to eliminate large quantity of water in
order to dissolve it and carry it off
thus the blood is left too thick, and the
person feels thirsty.
The habit of drinking strong tea, or
black coffee, directly after dinner, is es-
pecially bad, and certainly interferes
with digestion. At breakfast-time a
healthy man has all his sleep in him,
and surely it is then unscientific for
him to inflict upon his system strong
tea or coffee.
For Woodworking people who are not
corpulent, ] should suggest cocoa as the
healthiest and most nutritious break,
fast beverage. For those who do not
want fattening drinks, and who often
cannot digest cocoa, | should say drink
hot water at breakfast Those who
dine late, and make their dinner theil
main meal, need a diluent drink an
hour or two afterward, and if they
drink tea it will keep them awake OF
make them irritable and nervous.
find for myself that dining solidly, as
am obliged to do when | have done my
work (half-past seven p. NJ, and often
needing to work from nine to eleven, q
tumbler of hot water, brought into my
study or laboratory, is the best and
wholesomest drink, and, after few
evenings, it will be as much relished as
the usual draught of tea. The hot
water assists to complete the digestion
of the residual food, it acts upon the
kidneys, and rinses out the etfete mat
tiers, and thus will be found to wake
one up sufficiently, and neither to in
iure the stomach nor to keep the brain
awake after bedtime. In cold weather
warm water is by far the best drink al
dinner-time, and in hot weather 6
draught of warm water is far whole,
somer and more cooling than cold OF
iced-water. The use of iced-water i,
one of the destructive habits in which
our American cousins indulge-not be
cause it cools them or quenches theil
thirst, but simply because they have
acquired bad habits and have demoral
lied their palates. an English PhySi
elan, IN The World Of Science.