The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-28

the required quantity, and the balance
must be made up by drinking water or
| beverages made with it, as tea and cof-
fee.
Pure water is a thing greatly to be de-
| sired, but seldom seen. IT is odorlesS,
| tasteless and transparent, but so are
| some waters that are not pure. The near
est approach to it is distilled water, but
! unless this process is carried on in
germless atmosphere and the water her
| metically sealed, 1t is apt to be contain
! mated by germs, so that after being kept
! while, Shiny, cloud-like mass de-
| velops within the receptacle, showing
| that germs have been sown and grown
within it, yet so simple a stopper as
a wad Of cotton wool placed in the mouth
| of the bottle will prevent the entrance
F., Of germs.
Rain water is the next purest water,
but while this is, in a sense, distilled
] water, having been vaporized by the
heat of the sun, in its condensation from
| the clouds and descent it washes out
| the impurities, such as dust and germs,
| In the air through which it falls, and
thus the air is so refreshing and clean
! feeling and smelling after a storm, but
! the water becomes impure before it
| reaches the earth. Even though the
rain water is caught from habitations,
| traces of ammonia and nitric acid will
! always be found in it, and that caught
in the old fashioned way in cisterns from
the roof tops is not only defiled by dust
and other dirt on the roof and in the
mud laden cutters, but 1t is mixed with
more or less stagnant water in the cis-
! tern, in which organic matter has al
| ready commenced its work of putrefac-
| ton and contamination. Sucn water Is
| sort, and well adapted for washing pur-
| poses, but as beverage it is not health
| full or savory, especially as it lacks the
carbonic acid gas which gives ordinary
| water its SAVIOR and life. In addition
| there is danger that such water may con-
| tam actual and specific disease germs,
| such as dysentery, or perhaps typhoid
| fever, so that cistern water is not good
/ for the inner man
Well water Is usually hard A rough
test Of the hardness Of any water is the
| greater or lesser difficulty of making a
lather with soap and the water to be
tested. but for washing purposes the wa
ter may always be softened by adding
a pinch or two Of borax. Well water
contains more or less mineral salts es
| pecially carbonate of lime, and some
| times magnesia and other salts In fact
| all waters are mineral In a sense. but
the name Is usually only applied to such
| as have above the average quantity Of
one or more ingredients common to all
water.
Mineral waters are not always bene
fetal. An excess of lime NAV cause
! urinary and kidney troubles as Is the
case OF people who live in sections
where the water percolates through lime
| stone or chalk, who suffer greatly from
| stone in the bladder, while those living
| In section where magnesia is in excess
in the drinking water suffer from Roitre.
/ BOILING water precipitates the excess of
carbonate of lime and ma gnesia because
the heat drives off the carbonic acid gas
/ by which the minerals are held in solu-
ton, the lime or magnesia being depos-
| TIED In the kettle as a fur or on the
oyster shells that are placed In the ket-
tie to catch 1t and save the kettle
In the body it does not follow that a
similar action occurs, but it is nearly the
same, except the fur and some people
| even believe that hard waters leave in
| crustations lining the stomach and bow
els The lime and magnesia are, how
| ever, absorbed into the system in too
large a quantity for proper elimination
and collect in various organs causing
| discomfort IL not final disease and death.
River water may be hard or soft and il
may be pure, but the chances are that II
/ will be contaminated with organic mat
ter which finds its way into the stream
by natural ways or as refuse thrown by
careless people. Ordinarily river water
and all water for that matter, is innocu-
GUS If 1t is clear transparent, well
aerated, tasteless and odorless and