WORK IN THE HEAT AS AFFECTED BY INTAKE OF WATER, SALT AND GLUCOSE

Abstract

The best performance of fully acclimatized young men on a good daily diet, performing intermittent hard work in the heat, is achieved by replacing hr. by hr. the water lost in sweat. Any amt. of water considerably less than this leads in a matter of hrs. to serious inefficiency and eventually to exhaustion. Replacement of salt hr. by hr. under such circumstances has no demonstrable advantage. Adm. of glucose is of little if any advantage when compared with the great benefits of large amts. of water. When practical problems of transportation and supply, lack of appreciation of water and salt, or the anorexia which is so common in hot environments, interfere with adequate intake, it may become desirable to supply salt in the drinking water, or less satisfactorily, in the form of tablets.