Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1906-07-05

not Drink, tne amount OF water IN the
stomach is not sufficient thoroughly to
moisten the great quantity of food,
and this makes digestion difficult. On
the other hand, when enough water is
ingested with the food the latter is
we'll moistened and broken up, the d.
gestible particles being then readily
acted on by the gastric juice and after
ward absorbed. Again, when the par
tally digested food (chyme) passes into
the intestines it is most important that
it be very moist, particularly as water
is constantly absorbed from the chyle
in the large intestine. Bad cases of
constipation are caused by dry chyle
remaining in the intestines, where it
sets up an inflammation that some
times proves fatal, dry faces, of
course, resisting peristaltic action. The
eXcrement of persons suffering from
constipation is always dry and hard
and is potent cause of appendicitis.
The idea that water drinking at
meals unduly dilutes the gastric juice
is nonsensical, water being not so pal
atable that one is apt to drink more
than his digestive functions require.
AS matter of fact water generally
substances. In this connection DIR. A
jacob in his work on Infant Diet"
page 81, says:
"In experiments upon digestion Of
albumen with gastric juice obtained.
from the stomach of animals it was no
ticed that after certain time the proc
ess began to slacken, but was renewed
merely by the addition of water. The
gastric juice became saturated with
the substance it had dissolved and
ceased to act upon what remained I'M
til it had been diluted. In the living
stomach this dilution is of even greater
Importance, for it permits of the i'm
mediate absorption of the substances
soluble in water and which do not re-
Quire the specific action Of the gastric
juice" Neither the gastric juice nor
pepsin has any true digestive action
unless they be largely diluted with wa
ter.
1t goes without saying that it is not
the food that is ingested, but that
which is digested, that does good, and
this principle holds good with water,
| which is practically food. Now,
when one resists the perfectly natural
desire to drink while eating he may be
not thirsty several hours afterward,
but he is advised nevertheless to force
himself to drink at that time. But If
he drinks then, the water, having no
| food to mix with it, will go through
him, as it were-that is, it will do no
good.
The Importance of water to the hui
man economy may be inferred from
the various purposes it subserves.
First, it softens and dissolves solid
foods, thus facilitating their mastica-
ton and digestion; second, it main
tains due bulk Of blood and the
structures Of the body; third, it keeps
substances in solution or suspension
while moving in the body; fourth, it
supplies elements in the body's chem
zeal changes; fifth, 1t makes easy the
elimination Of waste material; sixth, 1t
discharges superfluous heat by tran
spira ton through the skin and by ennis
sion through other outlets, and, sew
enth, it supplies in convenient form
heat to or abstracts heat from the
body Some of these functions are
performed by water in its liquid state
and others in state Of vapor.
Have you Indigestion? Try water
instead of drugs with your food.-G.
Elliot Flint in New York World.