66 manual' OF NATURB STUDY. 



absorbents and carried into the structure of the 

 muscle or bone ? 



After tbe food is sucked up wbere is it conveyed ? 

 To the blood vessels. What is the liquid part of 

 the blood? Could new food be carried by these 

 blood vessels to the lungs and all parts of the sys- 

 tem, if there were no water in the vessels ? Could 

 new food be carried into the muscles, be made over 

 into muscle, to the bones and be made over into 

 bone, without water ? No more than a plasterer 

 can plaster a house without water. Then what 

 must be the use of water to our bodies ? Lead the 

 pupils to see that as the great bulk of everything 

 we eat is water, it will not be necessary to drink so 

 very much nor so very often. Frequent drinking 

 is often a mere habit, and ought to be avoided. 

 Care should be taken not to drink from the shallow 

 wells in town as they may be more or less contamina- 

 ted with the privies and other dangerous wastes of 

 the city. Surface wells and foul cisterns should be 

 avoided as carefully as you would shun smallpox 

 or any other deadly poison. Thoroughly filtered 

 water is the only safe kind, and then it is not safe 

 if the filter is allowed to become foul. Water 

 should also be used for bathing purposes. Soft 

 water is recommended for that purpose. Here, 

 again, purity should be sought for, because the 



