The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-07-18

the human stomach is not habituated.
The case for pure water as poi
son" is stated by DR.. Hoppe in the
Deutsche Medlnische Wochenschrift.
"By chemically pure water we under
stand" says the Doctor, perfectly
fresh, distilled water, whose behavior
and properties are well understood.
1t withdraws the salts from the ami
NAL tissues and causes the latter to
swell or initiate. Isolated living or
ganic elements, cells, and oil unicellu
lar organism are destroyed in dis
titled water-they die, since they be-
come engorged therein. They lose
the faculty upon which life depends,
Of retaining their salts and other
soluble cell constituents, and conse-
quenily these are allowed to ditfuse
throughout the water. Distilled
water is, therefore, q dangerous
protoplssmic posion. The same poi
sonOus effects must occur whenever
distilled water is drunk. The sense
of taste is the first to protest against
the use of this substance. A mouth
full Of distilled water, taken by mad
verteuce, will be spit out regularly.
The local poisonous effect of
distilled water makes itself known by
all the symptoms OF catarrh
Of the stomach on q small scale"
Various facts are cited by DR. Hoppe
to show that experience sustains his
conclusion. The hsrmfulness OF the
process of washing out the stomach
with distilled water begids, he says,
to be acknowledged ard little salt
is added to water thus used. The bad
effect of administering ice to invalids
and to healthy persons after surgical
operations is due, II is sflirmed, to
the purity OF the water thus placed in
the stomach Catarrh of the stomach
is a FIRE quent result. Ii is noted that
travellers IL nigh mountainous regions
are warned by their guides not to try
to Quench their thirst with snow and
glacier water. since this does not
quench thirst, bat gives rise to much
discomfort. The Gastein spring wa
ter, recognized for cen turies as poi
sonous, is found oy analysis to contain
no poisonous substance. "The poi
sonous nature of absolutely pure wa
ter" the Doctor adds, "would surely
have been recognized and felt long
since, were it not that its effects in
their most marked form can seldom
occur, for through train Of circum-
stances, absolutely pure water can
rarely be found. The ordinary dis
titled water, even when freshly dis
titled, is not really pure, while that
used in the laboratories and clinics
is generally stale, has been kept
standing in open vessels, generally
in rooms where chemicals of every
sort abound and whose gases and
eilluyia are taken up by the water"
Against DR.. Koppe's views may be
placed the fact that distilled water is
universally used on board vessels of
the worlds navies. 1t may be said
to be the prevalent opinion among
physicians that distilled water is not
deleterious, though unpalstable. II
ought to be aerated before used.
Some persons add to it also such
minerals as are found in good natural
drinking waters, and if this is done
DR.. Koppe's objection to the effect of
absolutely pure water on the mem
brape OF the stomach seems to be
adequately met. In the German navy,
it is stated, small proportions of com
mon salt, sodium sulphate and car
Donates of lime. soda and magnesia
are added to distilled water to render
it more palatable, the total addition
being nearly five grains to the gallon
of water. The freedom Of distilled
water from disease germs is conceded
to be a capital point in its favor. In
deed, many sanltarians urge its wider
use and contend that there is nothing
whatever in DR.. Kopp's argument,
his facts as we'll as his theory being
absolutely wrong. The doctors evi-
IDENTIFY differ. The layman, under the
circumstances, will be likely to
fell back on the general principle,
sanctioned by the doctrine of evolu
tion, that the kind of water to which
the human stomach has haSituated
itself in the course of many centuries
is probably the best. This would in
cluds pure mountain waters and ex'
clude water contaminated with sew
age, leaving distilled water to be
further experimental with.