Just Common Things

Just Common Things By J. E. Greaves, Ph. D., Prof, of Bacteriology and Physiological Chemistry, Utah Agricultural College II Next unto life itself what is the most marvelous thing in the world? Is it the diamond, the hardest and most brilliant of all gems which is so prized by the young? Is it gold for which some will give even life itself? Is it radium which is so rare that a ton of pitch blende must be worked over to obtain only one gram which incessantly and without appreciable loss pours off rays that travel at the rate of 20,000 miles a second — 40,000 times faster than a rifle bullet — which penetrates thick blocks of metal and which has such mysterious and wonderful' action on living matter, and today is being utilized in the curing of a number of ailments? Or is it common water? Water composes two-thirds of the body weight, entering into the make-up of every tissue. The muscles, which react so nicely to the will and perform such marvelous feats, contain 75 per cent of water; the liver, which stands guard over the body continually, protecting it from poison, consists of 75 per cent; the bones, which possess a tensile strength of 25,000 pounds per square inch and are one and one-fourth times as strong as cast iron, consist of 40 per cent water; the brain, that most com- plicated and wonderful organ of the body, consists of 85 to 90 per cent water; the blood, that cosmopolitan fluid which visits every tissue of the body bearing to it nutrients and from it waste, contains over 90 per cent water. All the secretions of the various digestive glands consist mainly of water, and it is not merely a vehicle in which are conveyed the active principles, for it enters into practically every change through which carbonates, fats, and proteins pass in the process of digestion and metabolism. Every one hundred grams of fat which is buried in the bodv yields one hundred and seven grams of water. It is the fluid in which are held the mineral nutrients which play such a vital part in life phenomena. Water gives to the tissues plumpness, carries off waste, regulates body temperature, acts as a lubri- cant, and is a universal catalyzer. The ancient philosophers recognized the importance of water. Thales founded his philosophy and science on the idea that water is the origin of all things. Their elements were

32 IMPROVEMENT ERA earth, air, fire, and water. "It is little short of astounding that living matter with all its wonderful properties of growth, move- nient, memory, intelligence, devotion, suffering, and happiness could be composed to the extent of 70 to 90 per cent of nothing more complex or mysterious than water. Such a fact as this is more perplexing, especially when all experiments show that water is playing a profoundly important part in the genera- tion of the vital phenomena. Any interference with the amount normally present makes a change at once in the activities of the cell. In fact, we might say that all living matter lives in water. For not only is it obviously true in the lower and simpler forms of animals and plants, which are little more than naked masses of protoplasm living in water but it is no less true of the higher forms since in all of them an internal medium, or environment of a liquid nature, the lymph, the blood, or the sap, is found which is the immediate environment of the cells. Water is the largest and one of the most important constituents of living matter, and if organisms are carefully examined the most various devices are found to assure the regulation of the water content of the cell of the body." Moreover, animals whose habitat is far removed from the sources of water possess special mechanisms for their protection during water deprivations. The camel has not only a system of stomachs effectively arranged for carrying its water supply, but it has humps with great stores of fat which when metabolized yield large quantities of water. They also possess a thick coat of hair which reduces evaporation to a minimum and a digestive tract which permits no waste. Man suffers little when dying from hunger as compared with thirst. At first the mouth and throat become dry, the saliva dry and sticky, the tongue clings to the teeth or the roof of the mouth, there is a lump in the throat and endless swallowing. Later the eyelids stiffen over the eyeballs which set in a sightless stare; delirium develops with visual illusions of lakes and run- ning streams which are just beyond the reach of the individual, and in a short time the awful suffering is relieved by death. In starvation an animal may lose practically all of its sugar and fat, half of its body proteins, aproximately 40 per cent of its body weight and still live. On the other hand, the loss of 10 per cent of the water content of the body results in serious dis- orders and the loss of from 20 to 22 per cent results in death. It has long been maintained from a religious standpoint that fasting is beneficial and many have recognized the young buoy- ant appearance and action of the individual who has recovered from typhoid when the starvation treatment was in vogue. Today

JUST COMMON THINGS 33 science realizes that there is a real rejuvenescence after fasting. But how different in the case when the body is deprived of water! Just a few short hours and the individual cannot clearly think and soon damage is done which will require days or even weeks to repair. Nor do we have to confine our attention to biology when considering the importance of water. The physicist has chosen it to define his standards of density, of heat capacity, and' as a means of obtaining fixed points on the thermometer. The chemist is often exculsively concerned with reactions which take place in water and often due to water. The geologist reads the history of the earth from the effect which has been produced by water. While controlled in the liquid, solid, or gaseous form in the stream which turns the wheel of the electric generator, the ice which protects our food or the steam which drives our engines, it is man's greatest friend. When uncontrolled in the raging torrent, when concealed within or under our building, it becomes a relentless foe. When viewed from its physical, chemical or biological nature, the most important compound known to man is water. Logan, Utah Sun Temple.— Excavated in 1915 by Dr. J. Walter Fewkes, Ethnologist of the Smithsonian institution. Up to that time is was a great mound on which grew trees, bushes, etc. It is in the form of a "D," with the flat side to the south. Its length is 121 feet. The walls are double; they average four feet in thickness and 'are from six to eleven feet high. During ex- cavation a tree growing from one of the walls was cut down, the stump, still standing, shows 350 annual rings. See article, p. 20.