ABSTRACT
God made a song when the world was new Water’s laughter sings it is true O, wizard of changes, teach me the lesson of flowing
(The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter, Incredible String Band, 1968)
Without water there could be no life; water is essential to the life of every living thing from the simplest plant and single cell organism to the most complex living system known – the human body. Moreover, while living things may exist for a considerable time without the other essential nutrients, they soon die without water. Living things contain a surprising amount of water: never less than 60 per cent of their total weight and sometimes as much as 95 per cent. About two-thirds of the body is water and all the organs, tissues and fluids of the body contain water as an essential constituent. Only a few parts of the body, such as bones, teeth and hair contain little water.
