In this manual water will be considered soleily as a beverage. The term "beverage" has a wide application and is often construed to apply only to artificial preparations. Th s, however, is not a correct interpretation of the term. Under the Food and Drugs Act of June 30, 1906, all beverages are regarded as foods. Water is the most important of all beverages. It is also an indispensable food. It forms a large part of all living organisms - in fact the principal part of many of them, such as the very succulent vegetables. The human body contains approximately 70 percent of water. The importance of water as a food, or in other words as a beverage, is therefore evident. It is practically the one beverage which is universal in its consumption. The abundant presence of water is necessary to life, both animal and vegetable. The great deserts of the surface of the earth are made so principally by the lack of water.