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Salt, Common, Wholesomeness Of

So far as the health and vigour of the body are concerned, this is an article of the first importance. All animals require salt. It facilitates the absorption of water into the system, and being a compound of chlorine and sodium, it seems to supply to the body a certain quantity of chlorine essential to the proper performance of some of the vital processes. It has a stimulant action upon the throat, gullet, and stomach, thereby promoting the secretion of salvia and of the gastric juice, and in this way facilitating digestion. To the digestive functions it is a natural and necessary stimulant, and the daily use of salt conduces much to the preservation of health and strength. Dr. Lankester, in his work "On Food," gives some curious information regarding the effects of this much-used condiment. "Let us," he observes, "inquire a little into the probable use of salt in our system. If we take a vessel and divide it into two parts by an animal membrane, such as exists in our own bodies, and then put salt and water on one side and spring water on the other side, so that they may both stand at the same level, in the course of time we shall find that the spring water will go down and the salt water will rise and flow over. The pure water, in fact, passes through the membrane, but the salt water will not. Now, this is precisely the relation of the blood to the membranes of the stomach. It is a solution of salt; and if we place in our stomachs pure water, it will pass through the membranes of the stomach just in the same way that it passes through the membrane in the vessel. This, then, appears to be one of the important functions performed by salt. It facilitates the absorption of water into the system. This will also account for the thirst produced by taking excessive quantities of salt or salted food of any kind."