1. Throughout the lifetime of every person there is constant need for
solid food to preserve health and prolong life; and, just as such food
is necessary to satisfy the requirements of the body, so, too, is there
need for water. As is well known, the composition of the body is such
that it contains more liquid than solid material, the tissues and the
bones weighing much less than the liquid. A tremendous amount of this
liquid is continually being lost through the kidneys, through each pore
in the skin, and even through every breath that is exhaled, and if
continued good health is to be maintained this loss must be constantly
made up. This loss is greater in very hot weather or in the performance
of strenuous exercise than under ordinary conditions, which accounts for
the fact that more than the usual amount of liquid must be supplied
during such times. So necessary is liquid refreshment that the body
cannot exist without it for any great length of time. In fact, if the
supply were cut off so that no more could be obtained, the body would
begin to use its own fluids and death would soon occur. A person can
live for many days without solid food, but it is not possible to live
for more than a very few days without drink.
2. Nature's way of serving notice that the body is in need of liquid
refreshment is through the sensation of thirst. Satisfying thirst not
only brings relief, but produces a decidedly pleasant sensation;
however, the real pleasure of drinking is not experienced until one has
become actually thirsty.
The various liquids by which thirst may be slaked, or quenched, are
known as _beverages_. The first one of these given to man was water,
and it is still the chief beverage, for it is used both alone and as a
foundation for numerous other beverages that are calculated to be more
tasty, but whose use is liable in some cases to lead to excessive
drinking or to the partaking of substances that are injurious to health.
3. The beverages that are in common use may be placed in three general
classes: _alcoholic_, _stimulating_, and _non-stimulating_. The
alcoholic beverages include such drinks as beer, wine, whisky, etc.,
some of which are used more in one country than in another. In fact,
almost every class of people known has an alcoholic beverage that has
come to be regarded as typical of that class. Alcoholic fermentation is
supposed to have been discovered by accident, and when its effect became
known it was recognized as a popular means of supplying a beverage and
some stimulation besides. Under stimulating beverages come tea, coffee,
and cocoa. These are in common use all over the world, certain ones, of
course, finding greater favor in some countries than in others. With the
exception of cocoa, they provide very little food value. In contrast
with these drinks are the non-stimulating beverages, which include fruit
punches, soft drinks, and all the milk-and-egg concoctions. These are
usually very refreshing, and the majority of them contain sufficient
nourishment to recommend their frequent use.