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STEPS TO HEALTH

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jan 14, 1897

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 23, No. 2.

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STEPS TO HEALTH.

By E. H. Mathewson

Drinking-water.

As WATER is such an important agent, it is surely important to use the best drinking-water we can obtain. Should we not have opportunity to have our water supply tested by experts, we can easily take certain precautions which will render it safe to use. It is not always the water that is clear, cool, and refreshing that is fit to drink.
Great care should be used that the water does not come from a poor source, as from near the surface, or does not become infected from drainage of cellars, cesspools, and the like. If the water is distilled, all impurities are removed, and the next best thing is to boil or sterilize it. The water should not only be boiled for 15 to 30 minutes, but should then be kept in a cool and well-covered place.
Hard water is objectionable on account of the large amount of different mineral salts which it contains. The more of these salts water contains the less poisons it is capable of dissolving. The softer the water, therefore, the more valuable it will be to us, and the pores of the skin and other eliminative organs will be kept in a proper condition. Besides, the water we drink helps as well to form the different cells as to wash the body out; so it is as true that we are made of what we drink as of what we eat.
E. H. MATHEWSON, M.D.