~ 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 d:>~tor's 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 o~y 
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 bu~iu. :ss shouiJ b~ addressed "To the Surgeon General, U. S. Army, Washington, D. C. 
Subject: 
. . WAR DEPARTMENT, In reply refer to No ....... . lra:~iin?loll, 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 ~he 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, 
aJdkfu<-~ 
VE Major, Surgeon U. S. Army. Digitized by Goog I e 260 SUGGBSTION. From the bureau of medicine and sur-following clear cut and decisive·letter: 
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 stat~ment: 
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
distilled-water-and-longevity-suggestion.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        ~ 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 d:>~tor's 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 o~y 
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 bu~iu. :ss shouiJ b~ addressed "To the Surgeon General, U. S. Army, Washington, D. C. Subject:. WAR DEPARTMENT, In reply refer to No. lra:~iin. loll, 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 ~he 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, 
aJdkfu<-~ 
VE Major, Surgeon U.
The wood cells are replaced by molecules of minerals, leading to petrification.
What happens to the wood cells when it is immersed in certain mineral waters?
Old age is caused by ignorance and wrong living habits, not by any natural process.
According to the text, what is the primary cause of old age?
The text does not provide a specific recommendation for daily water intake, but it does mention that "all health specialists of the advanced and rational schools of nature therapy" advocate for drinking 2-3 quarts of water daily.
What is the recommended daily water intake, according to the text?
Dr. Koppe is not mentioned in the passage as stating any concerns about distilled water. The passage actually quotes Dr. Tooker and other medical professionals as advocating for the use of distilled water.
What is the main issue with using distilled water, according to Dr. Koppe?
The Health Commissioner recommends distillation as the only method for purifying water, stating that boiling and filtration do not remove all impurities.
What is the recommended method for purifying water, according to the Health Commissioner of Chicago?