Semi-weekly herald. [volume] (Durango, Colo.) 1907-1917, 1910-08-01
DRINK DURING MEALS.
o.

NEW YORK-While the medical
profession generally has encouraged
the drinking of pure water IN large
quantities, IL has discountenanced the
copious drinking OF water with meas
The theory was that an excess OF wa
ter taken when eating dilntes the gas
trio Juice and thereby disturbs diges-
ton.
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, re-
cites an experiment recently conduct
ed to settle this point.
although there have been many in
yestigations made upon the influence
Of copious water drinking" the Jour
nal says, yet nowhere, insofar as we
have been able to discover from
careful study of the literature. has
there been made a carefully conducted
experiment or series of experiments
upon human subjects to obtain data
as to the effect of the copious inges-
ton of water with meals. The reason
why our literature contains records of
no such experiments is not FAR to
seek The medical profession almost
unanimously advises against the drink
ing of large amounts of water at meal
time The desirable features follow
ing the liberal use of water taken at
the proper time are thoroughly appre-
ciated, but any suggestion as to the
taking of water in large quantity with
meals is strongly antagonized.
"Such being the attitude of the med
ical profession, ii has therefore been
natural consequence that those in
terested in the study of medical prob
lens should fail to attempt to place
the theory upon an experimental ba-
sis. Why investigate something which
is self-evident? At first thought the
present-day theory as to the inadvisa-
bility of ingesting large volumes of
water with meals sounds extremely
reasonable The principal objection
to the copious ingestion of the fluid
is based upon the superstition that
the excess water dilutes the gastric
juice and thus disturbs to a marked
degree the normal rhythm of the di-
gestive functions.
However, we can no longer enter
tain the old belief that such is the
case. The experiments indicate most
convincingly that the entrance of wa
ter into the stomach does not produce
a diluted gastric juice of lowered
acidity but rather that the entrance
of this fluid acts as distinct stimu
lation to the gastric secretion and that
the juice, although secreted in larger
volume than previous to the entrance
of the water, nevertheless shows a
higher concentration of acid than does
that juice which is secreted under or
| binary conditions.
"1n the experiment the subject was
placed on normal, constant diet, and
| by means of preliminary period of
sufficient length was brought to a con-
dition of approximate nitrogen equill-
| brium. AT that point 1000 cubic CEN
| timeters of water was added to each
meal and continued thus through
period of five days. Immediately fol-
| lowing this period came final period
of eight days, during which the orig
inal 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 with many desira-
BILE and no undesirable features"