completion of the meal or when the mouth is completely free from food.
Even then it should be taken in small sips. While the taking of a small
amount of water in this way does no harm, a 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