Distllltd Wattr and J:ongtvitY

ELMER ELLSWORTH CAREY, Chicago.

Written for SuGGESTION
When a piece of wood it; immersed for
a period in certain mineral waters, the
wood cells thru a chemical action similar
to that observed in electro-plating, are
replaced by molecules of minerals, and
petrifaction ensues. In petrified wood,
the form and markings of the original
are distinctly seen. At rare intervals sur-
geons find a human kidney that has
actually become petrified-a stone kidney
-ood sometimes in post mortem examina-
tions veins are found which are brittle,
and which crumble at the touch. In old
age the various organs are partly petrified
-ossified is the term used in the text
books. But petrifaction is the proper
term. The cells of the muscles, arteries,
etc., are not replaced by osseous deposits,
but by mineral matter.
What is the cause of old age, and how
may it be prevented? Old age is not an
inevitable condition; it is an accidental
state caused by ignorance and wrong liv-
ing. The daily press recently chronicled
the case of a .Russian peasant who had
baptismal and marriage records to prove
that he was 200 years old. The United
_ _ - States census report for 1900 gives the
names of two persons over 150 years of
age. I instance these cases to show that
there is no reason why death should oc-
cur from old age, per se. If one person
can live to be one hundred or two hundred
years old, why not another? If the hu-
man race lived strictly under a rational
hygienic dispensation, death would never
occur from old age, under several hun-
dred years.
Suggestion is now mainly responsible
for keeping the limit of life at about
eighty years. Fol"thousands of years man
has been taught that he would die at about
the age of 70; consequently when in the
neighborhood of thia age, man begins to
look for death-to expect death-to be-
lieve in death-and he is never disap-
pointed. The mineral salt deposits in the
body commence to manifest themselves be-
tween 40 and 50 years of age. These salts
are derived mainly from ordinary drink-
ing water, altho cereals contribute their
share. The presence of an excess of lime
retards the functions of all organs ; all
processes are hindered; the various bod-
ily systems act slowly; this favors the
additional deposits of more salts. The
functions of the organs are still more
restricted. We say the man is "aging
rapidly." As the body becomes weaker
the organs become weaker, and mineral
deposits quickly accumulate. The victim
is rapidly becoming petrified. All organs
are clogged; the vital powers are lowered,
and as the petrifaction proceeds, death
approaches; finally the muscles of the
heart become so dense that their elasticity
is gone and death ends all. When one
dies from "old age," he dies because his
body is partially turned to stone. If we
can keep the percentage of water in the
body at 80 or 85, we will never die of
old age. To maintain the proper pro-
Digitized by Goog I e
/
DISTILLED WATER AND LONGEVITY.
portion of aqueous elements in the system,
no liquids but distilled water should be
used for drinking or cooking; and fur-
thermore, foods containing a high per-
centage of mineral salts, 88 cereals5 should
be eaten sparingly. When the ideal hy-;
gienic race conditions prevail, man will
live on distilled water, nuts and fruits;
and he will understand the art of masti-
cation; he will breath pure air twenty-four
hours out of the day; he will spend many
hours daily in the sunshine; he will take
enough exercise to keep the body supple,
and his mind will be free from worry, care
and anxiety; he will not expect death at
any particular year or time, nor will he
think about dying; children will not read
the deadly suggestion about "three score
and ten years," and they will be taught
how to build and mould the body by men-
tal processes; all suggestions will be for
health, strength and vigor. Bulletins
from the bedside will be abolished, and
"drugs" will exist only in the dictionaries
of. the antiquarian.
The firat step in the physical regenera-
tion of the race is a crusade against ordi-
nary or "raw" drinking water. When dis-
tilled water is universally used humanity
will take a long step forward. It is the
duty of the state to see that only perfect
drinking water is used; we look after cess-
pools, drains, noxious odors, plumbing,
adulterated food, etc., and the water sup-
ply is more important than all these. If
distilled water was in every home the
board of health would have to go out of
business.
"But a German doctor stated that dis-
tilled water is injurious," remarks a read-
er. He did, but his statement is false.
His remarks in substance are 88 follows:
"By 'chemically pure water' we usually
understand perfectly fresh, distilled water,
whose behavior and properties are well
understood. It withdraws the salts from
the animal tissues and causes the latter to
swell or inflate. Isolated living organic
elements, cells, and all unicellular organ-
isms are destroyed in distilled water-they
die, since they become engorged therein.
They lose the faculty, upon which life de-
pends, of retaining their salts and other
soluble cell constituents, and consequently
these are allowed to diffuse throughout the
water.
"Distilled water is, therefore, a danger-
ous protoplasmic poison. The same poi-
sonous effects must occur whenever dis-
tilled water is drUnk. The sense of taste
is the first to protest against the use of
this substance. A mouthful of distilled
water, taken by inadvertence, will be spit
out regularly. The water once in the
stomach, the superficial stratum of epithe-
lium experiences a powerful distension,
the cella are leached by their salts, die, and
are cast off. This local poisonous effect of
distilled water makes itself known by a
sensation of uneasiness, belching, etc., fur-
nishing all the symptoms of a catarrh of
the stomach on a small scale.
"The harmfulness of the process so
much resorted to today, of washing out the
stomach with distilled water, is acknowl-
edged; and we find the physicians who for-
merly used that agent are now turning to
the 'physiological solution of cooking salt,'
or 'water with a little salt,' or the min-
eral waters recommended for the purpose.
The poisonous nature of absolutely pure
water would scarcely. have been recognized
and felt long since, were it not that its
effects in their most marked form can sel-
dom occur; for through a train of circum-
Digitized by Goog I e
SUGGESTION.
stances absolutely pure' water can rarely
be found."
The attack on the daily use of distilled
water by an alleged Dr. Koppe was in-
spired by the owners of mineral springs
in Europe; and it has been stated-that Dr.
Koppe is- a myth. The statements cred-
ited to him are a tissue of falsehoods-
there is not a word of truth in any of
them. Distilled water has no deleterious ac-
tion on living tissue; distilled water is not
poisonous, but the only elixir of life that
will be discovered. It is quite true that
micro-organisms will die if placed in pure
water; they die because there is no refuse
for them to feed on. This is one of the
strongest arguments in favor of distilled
water. When all the fluids of the body
are made up of distilled water there will
be no fear of germs-a disease germ can-
not live in a system that is 80 per cent
aqua pura. The mythical state-
ment that absolutely pure water can rarely
be found is as false as the others. In
every large city of the United States abso-
lutely pure water is delivered to your door
at prices varying from six to ten cents
per gallon, while in thousands of homes
are small stills which make an abundance
of absolutely pure, aerated and appetizing
water. All health specialists of the ad-
vanced and rational schools of nature-
therapy today advocate the drinking of
water, from two to three quarts daily;
it is conceded that perfect health- is im-
possible without an abundance of water.
It does not need an argument to show
that this water should be pure, and if an
argument were needed the United States
army and navy have supplied that argu-
ment beyond cavil.
The great, ever present danger in
"raw" water is not germs-it is the min-
eral matter which is not needed in the
human body, as sufficient cell salts are
furnished in a natural form by the solid
food. The earthy material is simply ref-
use; it makes additional work for the
excretory organs, and all of it cannot
possibly be eliminated. Hence, the grad-
ual clogging of the system, which brings
on a condition known as "old age."
Knowing that the daily use of dis-
tilled water in the army and navy has been
attended by the most gratifying results,
letters were addressed to the government
medical departments asking for definite
and authoritative statements as to the
health giving qualities of absolutely pure
water. Sailors have been under daily ob-
servation by medical officers for years;
army officers have had ample opportunity
to study the drinking water question at
short range at home and in Cuba, China
and the Philippines, and the result is that
sufficient evidence has been collected to
settle for all time the desirability of dis-
tilled water as a daily drink, and its value
in preserving health.
One of the first labors of the medical
department of the army in the Philippines
was the erection of distilling plants in the
city of Manila; from these plants distilled
water was supplied t_o all the camps and
garrisons in and around the city, and it is
not an exaggeration to say that today
every soldier in the Philippines is within
reach of a barrel of chemically pure drink-
ing water; and just as surely as he departs
from this barrel in quenching thirst, just
as surely does he invite disease and death.
While thousands of our soldiers have died
in the tropirs from cholera, dysentery,
typhoid and various intestinal disorders,
the sailors of the navy are practically
free from zymotic disturbances. Why?
Sailors drink pure water, and the
pure water is distilled water.
Digitized by Goog I e
DISTILLED WATEN ANI} LONGEVITY.
'fl:c office of tl c chief surgeon of the reply in answer to the inquiry from StG-
army very promptly sent the following OESTION:
C"mmonication5 ou official shouiJ addressed "To the Surgeon General, U. S. Army, Washington, D. C.
Subject:
. . WAR DEPARTMENT,
In reply refer to No .. .. ... .
March 30, 1903.
Mr. Elmer Ellsworth Carey,
#4020 Drexel Boulevard,
Chicago, Illinois.
Sir:
In answer to .your letter of March 28, 1903,
I am directed by the Acting Surgeon General to state
that existing orders in Philippines require all
drinking water used by United States Troops to be
distilled, or at places where this cannot be done, to
be boiled twenty minutes. It is not too much to say
that this precaution has saved an enormous number -of
lives during the prevalence of cholera and has pre-
vented many cases of typhoid fever, dysentery and in-
teetinal parasites. Cases of cholera among troops in
the Philippine Islands have been repeatedly traced to
drinking impure water in violation of this order.
No deleterious effect of any kind has been tattributed
to the daily use of distilled or boiled water.
Respectfully,

VE Major, Surgeon U. S. Army.
Digitized by Goog I e
260 SUGGBSTION.
From the bureau of medicine and sur- following clear cut and decisiveletter:
gery, navy department, was received the
Address Bureau ollledlclne and Surgery, Navy Department,
and refer to No.
7 8 1 5 1 JFU-H
WASHINCTON. D. C.
April 4, 1903.
Mr. Elmer Ellsworth Carey,
Editor, Suggestion Publishing Co.,
4020 Drexel Boulevard, Chicago, Ill.
Sir:
Replying to your letter of the 28th ultimo,
requesting an expression of opinion as to the value
of distilled water in preserving health and prevent-
ing disease, as derived from the experience gained in
its use in the Navy, I have to state that there can
be no two opinions as to the protection distilled
water affords to crews of vessels and to stations of
the Nayy against infection from such diseases as are
water-borne. When only distilled water is used for
drinking and other purposes diseases of this class,
as for example, cholera and typhoid, are little
feared. It is conclusively proven that a large num-
ber of diseases to which human beings are a prey are
introduced into the economy by means of contaminated
water used for drinking purposes. Distilled water,
as prepared and stored for use in the Navy, is of
course free from infectious agents, and its general
use is a source of great comfort to the Medical Offi-
cers who have the maintenance of the health of the
many men in. their charge. When the water supply
is under control, as on board vessels of war, little
apprehension is felt of the introduction of cholera,
typhoid, etc. The'numerous animal parasites that
prey upon mankind and that are known to be water-
borne find little place in the medical statistics of
the Navy.
Digitized by Goog I e
DISTILLED WATER AND LONGEVITY. 261
In conclusion I would say that the general
use of distilled water in the Navy is considered one
of the principal factors in establishing the high
standard of health that is maintained in the Navy of
to-day.
Respectfully,
g : = - ; ~ - ~
<::::::::7 -
And to show that the daily use of dis-
tilled water extending over a long period
was beneficial, another letter was ad- -
dressed to the bureau of medicine and sur-
gery, navy department, to ascertain how
long this "dangerous protoplasmic poison"
has been in use, and some may be sur-
Acting Chief of Bureau.
prised to learn that our Jack Tars have
been drinking the deadly ( ?) product for
twenty years or longer. Regarding the
length of time distilled water has been in
use in the navy, the following letter speaks
for itself:
Elmer Ellsworth Carey, Esq.,
Assistant Editor and Manager, ''Suggestion,''
4020 Drexel Boulevard, Chicago, Ill.
Washington, D. c., April 9, 1903.
Sir:
Replying to your letter of the 6th instant,
I have to state that there is no record to determine
the exact date upon which distilled water began to be
used in the Naval Service. !t ia probable that, to a
greater or lesser degree, it has been in uae since
the introduction of steam aa a motive power in the
Navy. My experience covers a period of twenty years,
and in that time distilled water has been employed
with a growing field of usefulness.
Respectfully,
J . F. URIE,
Acting Chief of Bureau.
Digitized by Goog I e
262 SUGGESTION.
According to the Journal of the A meri-
can M cdical Association, the remarkable
increase in the demand for distilled water
has called forth an article by one Dr.
Koppe, which has been traced to having
been written in the interests of the Carls-
bad Springs of Europe; and a wide circu-
lation has been given to it in this country
by certain mineral springs and filter com-
panies. Scientific and medical journals
have only noticed it to contradict it. Two
short quotations will give the tenor of
their replies. The first is from Homer
Wakefield, M. D., of Bloomington, Ill.,
who is the author of several works on wa-
ter. He says:
Arthur R. Reynolds, :M. D., commis-
sioner of health, Chicago, uses the follow-
ing language:
"The inference that water deprived by
distillation of 'organic elements, cells and
all unicellular organisms' is unwholesome
is preposterous. W c are not expected to
extract organic nourishment from the wa-
ter we drink or from the bacteria therein
contained. This remarkable article de-
duces that distilled water is a 'dangerous
protoplasmic poison,' because of the ab-
sence of inorganic clements. It should be
added here that rain water as is falls from
the clouds is aerated distilled water; it is
the most healthful known.
Rain is nature's production of water free
from impurities. Any amount of it can
be taken into the !')"stem without fear of
detrimental results. Physicians know
that it is the best solvent of inorganic se-
cretions in the body, and engineers know
it is the best boiler compound, following
the use of hard water and the consequent
formation of incrustations. Extreme pur-
ity is a virtue, not a fault, of water. Be-
ware of an author who contends that con-
taminated water is conducive to health."
The other is from Dr. J. H. Kellogg,
the physician-in-Chief of the Battle Creek
Sanitarium, who, in replying to the Koppe
article, in Good H ealtk Magazine for
June, 1899, says of distilled water:
"It is free from germs, free from in-
jurious salts, from lime and other sub-
stances with which they are found in com-
bination, if not always of the same uni-
form quality. It is a pity that such an
unscientific and misleading statement
should be allowed to appear before the
public."
Apropos to the above remarks, the fol-
lowing from H ealtk Culture is interesting
reading:
"Any chemist will confirm the state-
ment that the mineral salts in water are
inorganic in structure, and that no in-
organic substances can undergo the proc-
ess of digestion and assimilation in the
human system. The soil in which our
grains and vegetables grow is also inor
ganic in form, but the wheat and potato
which the soil produce arc organized food
materials. One might eat a peck of the
richest loam three times a day and yet
starve his bones, muscles and tissues for
want of nourishment. The mineral salts
in water are nothing more nor less than
the disorganized soil. They not only fail
to supply any part of the body w_ith nour-
ishment, but cause serious trouble."
"Distilled water is the acme of purity.
Nothing can be purer than that which is
absolutely pure. For medicinal purposes,
the highest authorities are agreed that
pure water is preferable to the so-called
l!ledicinal spring waters. The latter all
contain more or less impurities in the
form of earthy salts or organic matter,
which is not the case with distilled wa-
ter. For flushing the kidneys, stimulat-
ing the sluggish liver, eliminating waste
Digitized by Google
DISTILLED WATER AND LONGEVITY. 263
matter from the system; indeed for all
affections in which medical waters are be-
lieved to be efficacious, pure distilled wa-
ter furnishes the long-sought desider-
atum."-Dr. R. N. Tooker, Chicago.
Dr. C. W. DeLacy EVJLlls, surgeon to
St. Savor's Hospital, London, says: "The
combinations of lime held in solution in
the water we drink, when taken into the
stomach are soon distributed throughout
the system and deposited in all the tissues
exactly as they are precipitated and form
incrustations on the bottoms of kettles in
which water is boiled. The result is gen-
eral induration, partial and often, in some
organs and tissues, complete ossification.
The bones become brittle, the joints ana
muscles stiff and rheumatic; gravel ana
stones form in the bladder, the kidneys,
liver, heart, nerves and brain become in-
. durated and sluggish in their action, all
the bodily functions are impaired, the
nerves weaken, the mind loses its vigor,
the memory fails, senility and death creep
on.
"Used as a drink distilled water is ab-
sorbed directly into the blood, the solvent
properties of which it increases to such an
extent that it will keep in solution salts al-
ready existing in the blood, prevent their
undue deposit in various organs and struc-
tures, favor their elimination by the differ-
ent excreta, and tend to remo:ve those
earthy compounds which have already ac-
cumulated in the body.
"There is no doubt as to the high value
of distilled water used freely as a retarder
of the ossifying conditions which appear
to constitute the conditions of old age."
Health Commissioner Reynolds of Chi-
cago authorizes the following
The public 'should be instructed fre-
quently of the dangers that lurk in the use
of impure water. They should be taught
that most of the lakes and streams in the
country are polluted already, and as the
population multiplies the danger of fur-
ther pollution will greatly increase. They
should be taught that water that comes
from wells and springs is not necessarily
pure, for it may flow from a soil that is
polluted. They should be taught that
filtration nor boiling does not remove all
the poisons, while neither removes the lime
or any of the salts it may contain.
It may safely be taught that the only
absolute pure water is that purified by dis-
tillation. Instruct the public how distilla-
tion can readily and cheaply be done. It
furnishes a fruitful field for the genius
that will devise a small distilling appar-
atus for the use of every family.
It would be safe to teach that the gen-
erous use of pure water both within and
without the body has never yet done any
harm; that the functional ailments that
afllict the great host of mankind, are in a
great part due to the fact of the imperfect
elimination of wa!!te matter, and that gen-
erous libations of pure water is a most
potent agent to flush them from the body,
through the skin, the lungs, the Jddneys
and the bowels. The diseases caused by
impure water are numerous and fatal."
DR. THOMAS J. H uosoN is the author
of a new book, "The Law of Mental Medi-
cine." This book will be ready in a few
weeks; advance orders have exhausted the
first edition. SuGGESTION readers can
send orders to this office; price, $1.20.
We have reserved a number of copies, and
will promptly fill orders. Send us $2.00
for two subscriptions to SUGGESTION and
we will mail a copy of the book post paid.
Invalids often think they need more
rest, when all they need is less medicine.
Digitized by Goog I e