BAILEY. | Mineral Waters. 67 
As free sulfur acts only to the extent to which it is converted 
into sulfids—a slow process—the irritation produced by the 
direct use of free sulfur is mild but prolonged, and this is true 
in the intestines, where it is dissolved by the sodium carbonate, 
as well as on the skin. In mineral waters some of the sulfur 
separates out on standing, as noted above, so free (molecular) 
sulfur would be present in the stomach soon after drinking the 
water. Only a little of this would be dissolved, but this would 
be expected to produce a mild cathartic action. As the sulfids 
are oxidized in the body and eliminated as sulfates, it is as- 
serted that if taken into the stomach they do not produce any 
systemic ion action. 
OBJECTIONS TO THE USE OF MINERAL WATERS. 
It is sometimes urged against the use of mineral waters 
that this involves a kind of ‘“‘polypharmacy,”’ or that a large 
number of substances are administered when we really desire, 
to get the effect of only one or two. The same thing, however, 
might be urged against the use of many organic drugs, for 
here we have a large number of substances present, and we 
only want the effect of a few with which we are particularly 
conversant. Again, it has been urged that we do not fully 
know the composition of the mineral waters that we prescribe ; 
but this is also true of many drugs; so the objection is not a 
valid one. 
