Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-12-11
This and That
By Charles E. Traceuell

. STREET.
Dear Sir:
The commonplace comes alive, in
your column. wish sometime you
would write about just plain water. I
am so situated at work that can look
out and see people patronizing drink
ing fountain. There Is no doubt that
such devices are sanitary, but I Won
der If people really get enough water
that way. What do you think?
Yours truly, E. D. E."
X ~
Washington has good water, Eyery
one should drink enough OF it. It is a
question, though, as suggested by our
correspondent, whether they do Per-
maps every one has watched people
come to drinking fountains, and it is
common to see them take merely a
swallow
The thing usually works out this way.
No one has been seen at the fountain for
many minutes, but just let one 20 to it
and Immediately there is some one
standing behind one
The person behind! You run against
him in bus loadings, at fountains where
there is food and drink sold, and in
many other walks of life.
He, or she, is forever brushing a news
paper against ones neck, or sneezinp.
or coughing.
The person behind is mostly a nui-
sance, but like so many nuisances, there
seems to be little that one can do about
him, because the sad truth is that
every one is in that position at times,
1t makes for quick, short gulp, at
the drinking fountain, to feel the pres
sure OF another thirsty gullet to the
rear
Take your time" the other person al
ways says, in a patronizing tone.
The fact is that one seldom, under
such circumstances, takes ones time. A
gulp or two, and the fountain is relin-
pushed
In this way most workers fail to get
the required quota of water. Young
people, OF course, do not need urging to
drink water. They feel the need of it
IN their tissue. Youth Is moisture.
The trouble is. that middle age and old
age are dry. The tissues need water
more than ever, but somehow there is no
urge to drink.
Dehydration Is the fancy word applied
to this state OF affairs. 1t simply means
That there Is not enough water In the
system. When We stop to think how
large part Of the human body is water
and the necessity for the daily replen-
ishment of this fluid, we may have a
guilty feeling. 1t makes little differ
ence. it is true, whether this moisture
comes as plain water, as part of such
drinks as milk, or in vegetables and
fruits
Often after middle age there seems to
come real distaste for water. It is
common for doctors to find people suf-
fering from various maladies partly in
duced by dehydration of the system.
In old age complete counterfeit of
senile dementia may be brought about
through lack of drinking water. Such
cases are cured completely by nothing
more than a glass of water every half
hour.
A few sips at intervals might be the
best solution, If the consumer would be
sure to take enough sips.
The practical way is to drink water by
the glass full In this way one may be
assured of getting enough. Often it is
possible to keep thermos jug full, or If
this is not practical glass of water
may be taken to desk
A tumbler half full of water calls for
emptying, and in this way the Office
worker is able to get his daily quota.
Just what this quota is makes for, dis
pute, but the most common figure is an
extra eight glasses day, in addition to
water taken at meals.
Perhaps most persons will find such
an intake arduous. Four extra glasses
will do for many, supplemented by the
famous sip method, and a normal
amount OF liquids as part of foods.
Juggling an aspirin tablet at q drink
ing fountain is feat which not all per-
sons have mastered. To them we would
suggest the use Of tumbler as q, neater
and more efncient method.