32 Studies on Water Drinking [Oct 



and intermediate periods was then resumed for five days, this con- 

 stituting the final period. 



In all cases charcoal capsules were used to separate the feces of 

 the different periods. Analyses were always made on fresh indi- 

 vidual stools, unless the amount was too small, in which case it was 

 placed in a refrigerator in an air-tight receptacle; and upon the 

 following day was mixed with the succeeding stool and analysis 

 made on the composite sample. 



Subject V was 24 years of age and weighed 58 kg. Subject C 

 was 29 years of age and weighed 60 kg. The hours for meals were 

 as follows: breakfast 7-7.30; dinner 12—12.30 and supper 6-6.30. 

 The temperature of the water ingested by subject V was 14° C. 

 whereas that ingested by subject C was 22° C. 



The diet was the same for each subject and consisted of the fol- 

 lowing constituents, which were fed at each of the three daily meals : 

 Graham crackers, 100 gm.; peanut butter, 15 gm.; butter, 25 gm.; 

 milk 400 c.c. 



Discussion of results. Moderate water-drinking. Subject 

 C. The decrease of fecal nitrogen from 1.236 gm. in the pre- 

 liminary period (see Table i) to 0.943 gm. in the "moderate 

 water" period, with the corresponding drop in bacterial nitrogen 

 from 0.729 gm. to 0.544 gm., was unexpected, since previous experi- 

 ments in this laboratory (2) showed moderate water-drinking to 

 have very little effect on the fecal-nitrogen excretion. In fact, the 

 alterations in this excretion were heretofore so small that it was 

 impossible to draw any positive conclusions. In this case, however, 

 we have clear evidence to show that the processes of digestion and 

 absorption have been improved by the drinking of an additional 

 1,500 c.c. of distilled water at meal time. The beneficial efifects 

 were not confined to the water period, but were carried over into 

 the intermediate period. Although there was but 0.047 gm. decrease 

 in bacterial nitrogen from the "moderate water" period to the 

 intermediate period, the percent of nitrogen occurring as bacterial 

 nitrogen was decreased from 57.67 percent to 53.78 percent. This 

 confirms the previous findings that the influence of the "high 

 water" ingestion was not confined alone to the interval during 

 which it was being ingested. 



