BIOLOGY IN HUMAN AFFAIRS 



sufficient amount. It is possible to inject water into the 

 body by the use of a syringe. Various fluids having the 

 proper specific gravity and other desirable characteristics, 

 have been developed which may even be injected directly 

 into the blood. The fluid may also be put into the stomach 

 with a tube, or into the intestines either from above or 

 from below. If the fluid is put in gradually, it is taken up 

 by the blood from the intestines and used by the body. If 

 the person has a tendency to the development of acid 

 because of his disease, bicarbonate of soda may be given 

 with the fluid; but in many instances the mere giving of 

 the water alone may suffice to clear away the difficulty. 



Just as a person may be seriously sick from a lack of 

 water in the body, a disturbance of his water metabolism 

 may bring about a superfluity of fluid. The condition has 

 been called dropsy by the public. It frequently represents 

 a late stage of a condition that may be checked if treated 

 early, but is handled with difficulty when treated later. 

 Before there is recognizable swelling of the skin from excess 

 water in the body, the patient may accumulate enough 

 fluid to add several pounds to his weight. Thus the physi- 

 cian is likely to be suspicious of gains in weight which 

 cannot be accounted for in any other way. If a person is 

 accumulating extra fluids in his body, his skin usually 

 has a shiny, transparent appearance, and, to use the jargon 

 of the profession, "it pits on pressure." By this is meant 

 the fact that when the finger is pushed against the skin, 

 depression or pitting is produced which remains for some 

 time after the pressure has been removed. The tissues 

 feel distinctly doughy. If this edematous condition has 

 persisted for many months, the skin is thickened and pits 

 with difficulty. 



Swelling of various portions of the body from accumula- 

 tion of water may be due to a variety of causes. For instance, 

 if the heart is unable to pump the blood to the ends of the 



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