Not even a grown person ought to drink water that has not been boiled. It is not safe, for the germs of many of the tropical diseases are found in the water. All of these germs are killed by that degree of heat which we call the boiling point. No less heat than this will kill them.
It is not enough merely to heat the water; it must really boil for at least five minutes after it begins to bubble and simmer. It ought then to be strained through a clean cloth and put at once into a banga or some other of the jars used to contain water. The jar should be clean, and should have a cover. If it is hung in a draft of air, the water will become cool enough to drink.
The jars used to hold water should be of ware that will “sweat” after the liquid has been in them for some time. That is, the outside should be covered with beads of moisture which have crept through the sides. This sort of jar keeps the water cool and lets the air get to it. Water, after it has been boiled, is tasteless and flat, and until it again takes up oxygen from the air, it is not so pleasant to drink, or so digestible as it was before boiling.
We have seen how important water is to life, and we cannot have too high an idea of the importance of its being pure. It is not enough that water looks clear and sparkling. It may look like crystal and yet be full of poisonous germs. The only way to be certain that it is pure is to boil it and then see that no further impurities get into it before it is used.
QUESTIONS.
What is thirst?
What is the proportion of water in the body?
What is the purest sort of water we have?
How does water become unfit for drinking?
How may it be purified and made fit to drink?