Actually we just got through that section here in Nursing School.

The lower bowel ( the colon) does absorb excess water from food. However,
it is not by some magic process. There are not little guys in there pumping
water through the colon wall. It is by passive osmosis only. By definition
osmosis moves water from an area of lesser solute concentration to one of
greater concentration. Since sea water has a higher gradient of salt, water
would go in that direction no matter which end of the alimentary canal you
were using.
Clear enough?

--
Dennis Gibbons
dkgibbons at optonline dot net
"AC" wrote in message
...
You don't seem to understand how the lower bowel works. Try researching
it,
and you will understand.

The part of the bowel before the anus re-hydrates the body through
re-absorbtion. It does this by several means to which "JAXAshby", for
one -
would not even have a clue.


"Dennis Gibbons" wrote in message
t...
The problem is that since sea water has a higher salt concentration than
the
body, if water could travel through the skin, it would LEAVE the body.
Water follows salt (let's hear it for countercurrent multiplication in
the
loops of Henle)

--
Dennis Gibbons
dkgibbons at optonline dot net


"JAXAshby" wrote in message
...
KNOCK IT OFF, YOU IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!

you know not a thing you are talking about. a seawater enema is JUST
AS
DANGEROUS as drinking seawater.

Idiot. geesus kriste!!

From: "AC"
Date: 8/29/2004 5:56 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Message-id:

You'd be much better off giving yourself an enema with it, than
sitting
in
it.

Several cases of extended survival at sea without drinking, using
seawater
enemas have been reported.


"KimDalkin" wrote in message
...
I just finished ready Jack London's "South Sea Island Tales".

In it he descibes Islanders preventing dehydration by sitting in
sea
water. A hurrican had just destroyed the islands drinking water. He
describes it relieving thirst, though not getting rid of it
entirely.

I spoke to a doctor friend of mine, and he thinks its pluasible.
The
density of salt in the body is just slightly less than sea water.
If
severely dehyrated, then reverse osmoosis would occur, and water
would
pass through the skin back into the body.

Does reverse osmosis occur?
If so, should the Ancient Mariner of jumped into the sea, instead
of
watching the boards shrink?

Kim