Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-24
Water Is Beverage Which
Aids Digestion.
OLD SAW SET AT NAUGHT
Gastric Juices Not Weakened, But
Improved.
ROCKEFELLER RESEARCH IDEA
Scientific Sharps Decide That Copi-
Gus Ingestion of H2O Bet
tiers General Health.

NEW YORK. July 23.-while the med
icaI profession generally has encouraged
the drinking of pure water in large guam
titles il has discountenanced the copious
drinking of water with meals. The the
DRY was that an excess of water taken
when eating dilutes the gastric juice and
thereby dsturbs digestion.
Now it appears that this theory was all
wrong, and that the more water that is
taken with meals the better will be the
digestion and the general health.
The Journal of Experimental Medicine
published by the Rockefeller Institute for
Medical Research recites an experiment
recently conducted for the sole purpose
of settling this point.
Attitude of Procession.
Although there have been many in
vestigations made upon the influence OF
copious water drinking" the Journal says.
yet nowhere, in SO far as we have been
able to discover from a careful study of
the literature, has there been made a
carefully conducted experiment, or series
of experiments, upon human subjects for
the purpose of obtaining data as to the
effect of the copious ingestion of water
with meals.
he reason WHY our NOh-
tains records of no such experiment is not
far to seek. The medical profession al
most unanimously advise against the
drinking of large amounts of water at
meal time. The desirable features fol-
lowing the liberal use of water taken at
the proper time are thoroughly appreci-
ated, but any suggestion as to the taking
of water in large quantity with meals is
strongly antagoniZed.
Such being the attitude of the medi-
cal profession If has heretofore been a
natural consequence that those inter-
ested in the study of medical problems
should fail to attempt to place the the
CRY upon an experimental basis. Why
investigate something which is Self-evi-
dent?
Foundation of Belief.
AT first thought the present-day
theory as to the inadvisability of in
costing large volumes of water with
meals sounds extremely reasonable. The
principal objection to the copious inges-
ton of the fluid is based upon the sup
position that the excess water dilutes
the gastric juice and thus disturbs to
q marked degree the normal ryhthm OF
the digestive functions.
However, we can no longer entertain
the old belief that such Is the case.
The experiments indicate most convinc-
ingly that the entrance of water into
the stomach does not produce a dilute
gastric Juice of lowered acidity, but
rather that the entrance of this fluid
acts as a distinct stimulation to the
gastric secretion, and that the juice, al
though secreted in larger volume than
previous to the entrance of the water,
nevertheless shows higher concentra-
ton Of acid than does that juice which
Is secreted under ordinary conditions.
Result Of Experiments.
I'm the experiment the subject was
placed on a normal. constant diet and
by means of a preliminary period of
sufficient length was brought to con-
dition of approximate nitrogen equilibri-
UNI. At that point 1000 cubic cent?
meters of water was added to each meal
and continued thus through a period
of five days. Immediately following
this period came a final period Of eight
days during which the original normal
constant diet was again maintained and
the after effects Of the copious water
ingestion observed.
The result showed an increase in
weight of two pounds during the five
days Of the test, and the general con-
clusion reached was that the drink
ing of a large amount of water with
meals was attended by many desirable
and by no undesirable features