"Cannon has collected various instances of the suspension of digestion
in consequence of disagreeable experiences, and it would be easy for
almost anyone to add to his list. He tells us, for example, of the case
of a woman whose stomach was emptied under the direction of a
specialist in order to ascertain the degree of digestion undergone by a
prescribed breakfast. The dinner of the night before was recovered and
was found almost unaltered. Inquiry led to the fact that the woman had
passed a night of intense agitation as the result of misconduct on the
part of her husband. People who are seasick some hours after a meal
vomit undigested food. Apprehension of being sick has probably
inhibited the gastric activities.

"Just as a single occasion of painful emotion may lead to a passing
digestive disturbance, so continued mental depression, worry, or grief
may permanently impair the working of the (alimentary) tract and
undermine the vigor and capacity of the sufferer. Homesickness is not
to be regarded lightly as a cause of malnutrition. Companionship is a
powerful promoter of assimilation. The attractive serving of food, a
pleasant room, and good ventilation are of high importance. The lack of
these, so commonly faced by the lonely student or the young man making
a start in a strange city, may be to some extent counteracted by the
cultivation of optimism and the mental discipline which makes it
possible to detach one's self from sordid surroundings."

Almost as important as eating is drinking, for liquids constitute the
"largest item in the income" of the body. Free drinking is recommended
by physiologists, the beneficial results being, "the avoidance of
constipation, and the promotion of the elimination of dissolved waste
by the kidneys and possibly the liver." In regard to the use of water