|
Title: Don't Rock the Boat, Baby! Reading Passage Our body is about 70 percent water. Maintaining the body’s water balance is a prime requirement for survival. Water is a higher priority than food. We can probably live for weeks without food, but our survival will be measured in days if we have no water. Because the digestion of food drains needed water from our body, we should not eat if we have no water. Every bit of water that we conserve, even perspiration, increases our survival time. While conserving water is vital, so is maintaining enough physical strength to cope with the ordeal of survival. Survival experts recommend that we begin drinking rationed quantities of water soon after boarding the life raft, the amount depending upon how much we have been able to bring aboard. They suggest drinking one half of the daily ration at a time, rather than sipping very small quantities. Thirst may also be reduced by chewing a gum, or practically anything else. However, this relief does not reduce the body’s need for water. Drinking seawater will exaggerate thirst, promote water loss through the kidneys and intestines, and shorten our survival time. Under conditions of lack of water, urine is too toxic to drink and will also cut down our survival time. Alcohol will promote heat loss through the skin and water loss through the kidneys. Drinking alcohol under the conditions of lack of water is suicidal. |
|
