Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1831-06-23
WHOLE NO. 64.

actions OF their system, and prolongs
their existence to very late period
On the contrary, the inhabitants Of
tropical climates, in whom heat accele-
rates all the functions of life, exper-
ience the earliest maturity and dcclen-
sion Of physical powers. Females
reared under tropical sun, begin to
fade and lose the attractions of youth,
at AN age when more northern bellies
are glowing in all the beauty and vivaci-
ty of their sex. In like manner the
stimulus of ardent spirits chases youth
from the constitution of its slaves, and
clothes them prcmaturely with the grey
garniturc of years. Says the Poet
---''For know whate' 'er
/ Beyond lis natural ierSor hurries on
I he sangune tide; whether the frequent bowl,
| lIigh-sea,oned fare, or exercise or toll
Prolnctcd, spurs TO its last stage tired life,
And sows the temples with untimely snow.''
How often do We see the sunken eye,
the shrivclcd cheek, the totterng step
and trembling hand, in confirmed drink
crs who have scarcely entered into the
autumn Of their existence; "sinking
untlmcly in the grave, ere the days OF
their youth are well passed by" If
there are some rare exceptions founded
on original soundness and vgor of con-
sttution let such beware, and reflect,
that although steam engine skllfully
constructed from sound materials may
long endure the violence of high pres
sure power, yet that its machinery must
wear out III proportion to the velocity OF
its movements; and also that fortresss
that stands long siege, has its walls
more battered than one which easily
surrcndcrs. The poor Indian, says
venerable writer, who once month
drinks himself dead, all but simple
breathing, will outlive for years the
man who drinks little and often, and is
not, perhaps, suspected of intemper-
ance
Let us now advert to some of the
most obvious diseases occasoncd by the
abuse of distilled liquors, and
3. OF the Lirer. Ever since dis
eases were traced to the abuse of in
toxicating liquors, this organ has been
referred TO, as among the first to suffer.
The Importance of the liver in carrying
on the healthy actions of the digestive
system, all must be sensible of, who
have experienced any arrangement in
its functions either by a deficiency or
redundancy of bile, or any deterioration
in its qualities. But the ordinary change
of the liver is an augmentation Of its
size. The numerous examinations |
have made of the bodies of seamcn
during nine years Naval service, have
presented this appearance in great
majority Of those who were addicted to
intcmpcrance. The direct tendency Of
ardent spirit to bloat this organ is proved
by its effects on fowls when mixed with
their food, as is practiced by the direc-
ton of European epicures for the pur-
pose of making the liver as large as
possible.
4 The truth is, the liver is among the
first organs to receive the actual con-
tact of ardent spirits. All the blood
sent by the arteries to the digestive
organs, is returned back to the heart
by corresponding veins and these veins
absorb much of the spirit received into
the stomach, and carry it, mingled with
the blood, to the heart. But on their
way to the heart they all converge into
one large vein, which enters the liver
and distributes its contents throughout
that organ, where bile is extracted from
it; and the remainder is afterwards ta-
ken up by veins and carried to the
heart, Ardent spirit then, when abb
sorbcd from the stomach by its veins, Is
brought at once into immediate contact
with the liver, and by stimulating and
irritating the organ, causes ITS enlarge
lncnt. Indeed take any two individuals,
who are alike in all other respects, ex-
ccpt that one drinks freely every day,
though not to intoNication, and the other
abstains entirely from the stimulus, and
the former will present to the eye Of an
anatomist liver, differing from that of
the other in colour or size, that will be
sufficiently indicative of unhealthy
action. might name various aflec-
tons of the liver that proceed from this
cause, but will proceed
4. To those of the Stomach. This
organ rarely if ever escapes injury
lis delicate surface receiving day after
day the acrid and unnatural stimulus, is
at length dcranged both in its structure
and functions. You are all aware how
the interior surface Of the nose, which
resembles in most respects that of tho
stomach, is changed in the invcterato
snuff taker, how the acrid powder
thickens tho part to which it is applied,
and thus partially closing the nostrils,