large volume has the effect of
weakening the gastric juice. Most of the water needed by the body should
be taken between meals.

*The State of Mind* has much to do with the proper digestion of the food.
Worry, anger, fear, and other disturbed mental states are known to check
the secretion of fluids and to interfere with the digestive processes.
While the cultivation of cheerfulness is important for its general
hygienic effects, it is of especial value in relation to digestion.
Intense emotions, either during or following the meal, should if possible
be avoided. The table is no place for settling difficulties or
administering rebuke. The conversation, on the other hand, should be
elevating and joy giving, thereby inducing a desirable reactionary
influence upon the digestive processes.

*Care of the Teeth.*--The natural teeth are indispensable for the proper
mastication of the food. Of especial value are the molars--the teeth that
grind the food. The development of the profession of dentistry has made
possible the preservation of the teeth, even when naturally poor, as long
as one has need of them. To preserve the teeth they must be kept clean.
They should be washed at least once a day with a soft-bristled brush, and
small particles of food, lodged between them, should be removed with a
wooden pick. The biting of hard substances, such as nuts, should be
avoided, on account of the danger of breaking the enamel, although the
chewing of tough substances is considered beneficial.

Decayed places in the teeth should be promptly filled by the dentist. It
is well, even when decayed places are not known to exist, to have the
teeth examined occasionally in order to detect such places before they
become large. On account of the expense, pain, and inconvenience there is
a tendency to put off dental work which one knows ought to be done.
Perhaps in no other instance is procrastination so surely punished. The
decayed places become larger and new points of decay are started; and the
pain, inconvenience, and expense are increased proportionately.

*The Natural Appetite* should be followed with reference to both the kind
and the amount of food eaten. No system of knowledge will ever be devised
which can replace the appetite as an aid in the taking of food. _It is_
_nature's means of indicating the needs of the body_. The natural appetite
may be spoiled, however, by overeating and by the use of highly seasoned
foods, or by indulging in