Professor Oscar Liebreieh on Mineral Waters.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4716, 7 August 1893, Page 1

Professor Oscar Liebreieh on Mineral Waters.

Thfrßritish Medical Journal reports that in a paper on Artificial and Natural 'Mineral Waters, read by Professor Oscar Liebreich ;<at tne Balneological Congress ! recently held in Berlin, he began by.asking:—ls chemistry sufficiently advanced >yet to produce artificial mineral water ■equal in all respects to the mineral water-? The answer is negative. The artificial : production of natural waters is a much tmore difficult matter even than the production of such substances aB aVzirine, indigo, ,&c.,;and the analyses, even of the most .renowned analysts, fall short of the full contents of the water. In the natuial mineral water, on evaporation, there ia j always a residuum which is not contained in the aialyses of t the artificial mineral waters. The carbonic acid gas which furnishes the effervescence of natural mineral waters exists also in the form •of -"jcarbonic acid hydrate." This has .been, inferred from the existence of another combination derivative from it, namely, carbonic acid ethyl, which is probably contained m champagne and in other . alcoholic effervescing "drinks, and is known ifor its agreeable taste. Jt may be supposed.that the action of an hydric car* bonic aoid gas is different from that of .carbonic acid hydrate. "jEven the beat mineral waters," Professor jLiebreich points out, " differ from the .natural ones in taste and .value; this .difference it i&not so easy to explain." He .concluded by that, •" As to the ,80-cailed ' indifferent ' springe, it is a to epe@k of them as of minor <vajue." It must be iemembered.thatth.ey itop, contain mineral ingredients, if only on minimum quantities, which counteract \the harmful properties of perfee^r pure ■distilled water. Even hydropathy is a mineral water treatment, for if the .taster iQsed wore without traces of mineral jaab--tances it would be poisonous. Thie ias Jbeen .sujiciently proved elsewhere.