Hard Water Is Wholesome

Dr. Letheby, after devoting many years to an investigation into the properties of the water introduced into Bnglish cities, and to a study of the sanitary reporta on the subject, comes to the conclusión that moderately hard water is more healthful than soft water. Hard water is not only clearer, colder, more free from air, and consequently more agreeable to the eye and to the taste than soft water, but is less liablo to absorb organic substancos, to sustain the life oi zymotic organism, or to exert solvent properties upon salta of iron or upon leaden conducting pipes. The lime salts exert a beneficial influence upon the animal economy and even protect the system from dangerous outward influences. Dr. Wilson, of Edinburgh, has also collected niuch valuable material on the subject, and comes to the same conclusions as Dr. Letheby. Ho takes the ground that the human body requires for its nourishment and support a eupply of certain mineral salts, among which carbonate and phosphate of lime play an important part in building up the compactness of the bones and in other functions. We usually observe phosphate of lime in our animal and vegetable food, but not from the water we drink. Carbonate of lime, however, is not contained in adequate quantity in our solid food, but gonerally obtained in spring and well water. It has been incontestibly shown that ín mouutainous districts, where the water is more or less hard, the inhabitantg exhibit the best physical devolopment. On the other hand, it is believed that in lorge cities the mortality is inverselv as the hardness of water supplied to the inhabitants. A water which coutains about six grains of carbonate of lime to the gallon is suitable for use in all household purposes. As a drink and for cooking food, such a water offers the necessary carbonate of limo for the support of life in the simplest, most natural and most easily digested form, and is at the samo time more agreeable, fresh and sparkling. It is evident that our proconceived popular notions on the subject of hard water need revising, andthat it may be better to use such water than to have recourse to rain or ice water.