Death to the French and Distilled water: Difference between pages

Revision as of 12:54, 20 May 2007

Revision as of 01:00, 15 July 2007

Line 1:

[[Image:Aqua-distillata.jpg|thumb|250px|Bottle for Distilled water in the Real Farmacia in Madrid.]]

:''For the Wikipedia's treatment of anti-French movements in the modern world, see [[Anti-French sentiment in the United States]]''

'''Distilled water''' is [[water]] that has virtually all of its [[Impurity|impurities]] removed through [[distillation]]. Distillation involves [[boiling]] the water and re-condensing the [[steam]] into a clean container, leaving most contaminants behind.

==Applications==

{{Infobox Book | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books -->

{{Unreferencedsect|date=July 2007}}

| name = Death to the French

In chemical and biological laboratories, as well as industry, cheaper alternatives such as [[deionized water]] are preferred over distilled water.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} However, if these alternatives are not sufficiently pure, distilled water is used. Where exceptionally high purity water is required, [[double distilled water]] is used.

| title_orig =

| translator =

| image =

| author = [[C. S. Forester]]

| cover_artist = [[Gino d'Achille]]

| illustrator =

| country = [[United Kingdom]]

| language = [[English language|English]]

| series =

| genre = [[Historical novel]]

| publisher = [[The Bodley Head]]

| release_date = 1932

| media_type = Print ([[Hardcover|Hardback]] & [[Paperback]])

| pages =

| isbn = NA

| preceded_by =

| followed_by =

}}

Distilled water is also commonly used to top up [[lead acid batteries]] used in cars and trucks. The presence of other ions commonly found in tap water will cause a drastic reduction in its lifespan.

'''''Death to the French''''' is a 1932 novel by [[C. S. Forester]], the author of the [[Horatio Hornblower]] novels. This novel is set in the same period as the Hornblower novels. In the United States its title is [[Rifleman Dodd]].

Distilled water is preferable to tap water for use in automotive cooling systems. The minerals and ions typically found in tap water can be corrosive to internal engine components, and can cause a more rapid depletion of the anti-corrosion additives found in most [[antifreeze]] formulations.{{Fact|date=May 2007}}

==Plot introduction==

The hero is a rifleman in the [[95th Regiment of Foot]] of the [[British Army]]. The novel takes place in [[Portugal]] early in the [[Peninsular War]]. The [[United Kingdom|British]] had sent a small force, of about 10,000 men, to the aid of her ally [[Portugal]]. The overwhelming size of the opposing [[France|French]] forces required the British to withdraw. The hero is cut off, lives off the land, and harasses the French forces from behind their lines.

Using distilled water in [[steam iron]]s for pressing clothes can help reduce mineral build-up and make the iron last longer. However, many iron manufacturers say that distilled water is no longer necessary in their irons.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}

==Plot summary==

{{spoiler}}

As in his novel ''[[Brown on Resolution]]'' the hero causes the enemy remarkable problems acting on instinct and training, rather than intellectual planning. When the hero finally makes it back to his unit, six months later, his commanding officer asks him what he was up to all that time. The hero is completely unable to begin to describe his remarkable accomplishments. He doesn't even try. He doesn't realize they are remarkable. And they remain completely unrecognized and unrewarded, just as in ''Brown on Resolution''.

Some people use distilled water for household [[aquariums]] because it lacks the chemicals found in [[tap water]] supplies. It is important to supplement distilled water when using it for [[fishkeeping]]; it is too pure to sustain proper chemistry to support an aquarium ecosystem.{{Fact|date=May 2007}}

==Characters in "Death to the French"==

*Dodd &ndash; Rifleman in the British army

==Drinking distilled water==

{{endspoiler}}

{{Unreferencedsect|date=February 2007}}

Drinking distilled water is quite common.

Many beverage manufacturers use distilled water to ensure a drink's purity and taste. Bottled distilled water is sold as well, and can usually be found in [[supermarkets]]. [[Water purification]], such as distillation, is especially important in regions where water resources or tap water is not suitable for ingesting without boiling or chemical treatment.

==Trivia==

C. S. Forester wrote two novels set during the Peninsular Wars. The other, ''[[The Gun (novel)|The Gun]]'', concerned a large caliber brass cannon that passes through the hands of various groups of [[Spain|Spanish]] [[Partisan (military)|partisans]].

Water filtration devices are common in many households. Most of these devices do not distill water, though there continues to be an increase in consumer-oriented [[water distiller]]s and reverse osmosis machines being sold and used. Municipal water supplies often add or have trace impurities at levels which are regulated to be safe for consumption. Much of these additional impurities, such as [[volatile organic compounds]], [[fluoride]], and an estimated 75,000+ other chemical compounds{{Fact|date=February 2007}} are not removed through conventional filtration; however, distillation does eliminate nearly all of these impurities.

In one of [[Bernard Cornwell]]'s [[Richard Sharpe]] novels (which were partly inspired by ''Death to the French'') a Rifleman named Dodd is separated from Sharpe's company during a skirmish in 1810.

Distilled water is also used as drinking water in arid seaside areas which do not have sufficient freshwater, by distilling seawater. It is quite common on ships, especially [[nuclear ship|nuclear powered ships]], which require a large supply of distilled water as coolant. The drinking water is produced in [[desalination plant]]s, although it is very expensive due to the large amount of fuel needed to boil water. Alternative technologies like [[reverse osmosis]] are becoming increasingly important in this regard due to their greatly reduced costs.

Rifleman Dodd is on the official reading list endorsed by the [[Commandant]] of the [[United States Marine Corps]], and is given to recruits in basic training at both [[MCRD San Diego]] and [[Parris Island]].

==External=Pros linksand cons===

The drinking of distilled water has been both advocated and discouraged for health reasons. The lack of naturally-occurring minerals in distilled water has raised some concerns.

*[http://www.amazon.com/dp/1931541728/ Death to the French (Paperback)]

The Journal of General Internal Medicine<ref>{{Citation

[[Category:1932 novels]]

| last1=Azoulay | first1=Arik

[[Category:British novels]]

| last2=Garzon | first2=Philippe

[[Category:Historical novels]]

| last3=Eisenberg | first3=Mark

| year=2001

| title=Comparison of the Mineral Content of Tap Water and Bottled Waters

| periodical=Journal of General Internal Medicine

| volume=16

| issue=3

| pages=168-175

| url=http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/doi/10.1111/j.1525-1497.2001.04189.x/enhancedabs/

}}</ref> published a study on the mineral contents of different waters available in the US. The study concluded, "drinking water sources available to North Americans may contain high levels of [[Calcium]], [[Magnesium]], and [[Sodium]] and may provide clinically important portions of the recommended dietary intake of these minerals. Physicians should encourage patients to check the mineral content of their drinking water, whether tap or bottled, and choose water most appropriate for their needs." Since distilled water doesn't contain minerals, supplemental mineral intake through diet is needed to maintain proper health.

It is often observed that consumption of "hard" water, or water that has some minerals, may have beneficial cardiovascular effects. As noted in the American Journal of Epidemiology, consumption of hard drinking water is negatively correlated with atherosclerotic [[heart disease]].<ref>{{Citation

{{hist-novel-stub}}

| last=Voors

| first=A. W.

| year=1971

| title=Mineral in the municipal water and atherosclerotic heart death

| periodical=American Journal of Epidemiology

| volume=93

| issue=4

| pages=259-266

| url=http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/93/4/259

}}</ref> Since distilled water is devoid of minerals, it will not have these potential benefits.

It has been suggested that -- because distilled water lacks [[fluoride]] ions that are added by many governments (e.g. municipalities in the United States) at water treatment plants using [[fluoridation]] for its supposed effect on the inhibition of [[caries|cavity]] formation -- the drinking of distilled water may increase the risk of tooth decay due to a lack of this element.<ref>[http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/DentalHealth/tb/1756 ''Bottled Water Cited as Contributing to Cavity Comeback'' at MedPage Today]</ref>

A purported effect of drinking water in its pure form is a 'more powerful solvent' that helps cleanse toxins from the body{{Fact|date=February 2007}}.

The cost of distilling water (about 0.04 to 0.10 Euro or USD per litre in 2005) prohibits its use by most households worldwide.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}

==Myths==

A popular myth about distilled water is that it has the dangerous property of being more easily heated above its normal [[boiling point]] without actually boiling (as seen in "Mythbusters") in a process known as [[superheating]]. When superheated water is disturbed or has impurities added to it, a nucleation center for bubbles form. These bubbles are then new nucleation centers, and a sudden, explosive boiling can occur, possibly causing serious injury to those nearby. However, distilled water and tap water do not differ in their ease of or danger in being superheated. The dissolved impurities in motionless tap water do not present enough disturbance to inhibit superheating.

==References==

<references/>

==See also==

* [[Deionized water]]

* [[Atmospheric water generator]] ''(Make distilled water from air)''

* [[Heavy water]]

* [[Double distilled water]]

[[Category:Liquid water]]

[[Category:Distillation]]

[[Category:Drinking water]]

[[de:Destilliertes Wasser]]

[[es:Agua destilada]]

[[gl:Auga destilada]]

[[it:Acqua distillata]]

[[he:מים מזוקקים]]

[[nl:Gedestilleerd water]]

[[pl:Woda destylowana]]

[[pt:Água destilada]]

[[ru:Дистиллированная вода]]

[[sl:Destilirana voda]]

[[sv:Destillerat vatten]]

[[zh:蒸馏水]]