The Ohio Democrat. [volume] (Canal Dover, Ohio) 1840-1900, 1842-02-24

equally incompatible WIN nealtn. lt'S uunhS
the state Of exhaustion that the individual ex-
nefteNces the greatest degree Of mental aud
hodily unhappiness -an uuhappr0ess, no but
100 frequently seeks to drown by again having
recourse 10 the inebnatIng cup. This resort
needs but few repetiIons, 10 iasten upon him
the despoiic CHAINS of nemperance. Ii is now
thai the unhappy man has become drunkard,
lost to shame, lost to the nhIence OF hope and
fear He has reached point beyond ths Inti'
ence Of family and of friends; and his prospects
Cor happiness aud usefulness ~ life, are poor
indeed! 50
Bct lei US subject this matter TO more
careful ex smInalion, and see what agency al
ceholic drinks have in producing dis
ease. The excitement and subsequent pros
ralion which superyene upon their use in
small quantities, | have barely glanced a..
Let US inquire however, into The effects OF this
poison upon the stomach itsef, and upon
other organs of the body. 10 the first place
you will find, that in the temperate drlnker, the
blood vessels of the stomach. instead OF be-
ing invisible as in a state Of health, are SO
disteuded with blood as 10 be easily dis
cevned by the naked eye. lfyou examine The
inner surface Of the stomach Of hsb'iusI
drunkard, you will fad not only us blood 'ed-
sels greatly enlarged, but an appearance very
similar 10 the ":um blossoms" seen upon Tho
nose and face Of The hard drinker. These
blossoms, by the way, have been considered
as t.Aowers that never fade" but since the
dawn of the drunkard's reformation, even
these blossoms begin to fade. In an 'ndvd-
ual who has for many years been addicted 10
drunkenness, the inner surface If HE stomach
will exhibit numerous ulcers. covered over
with WhiIsh or brown Crusl,I resembling
somewhat closely The cankered mouth OF chIl-
. dren' Some parts Of the stomach, Will ex'
hibit much thickness and hardness, while 9TH
erS. are preturnR'uray thin Some parts will
be found dark coloreG. tending TO modification
while others, are becoming schltrous and can.
cerOus. All these conditions Of the stomach,
have been found in persons who had died of
intemperance, and many of them, have my
self Witnessed.
Some Of these appearances however, have
been Witnessed by the naked eye, in the stom-
uch of living man, who received gunshot
wound in that organ that never healed. Ma
ny Of you no duub', remember to have read
newspaper accounts Of this most interesting
case. The subjec, Of it, was Alexis ST. Mar
tin, young Canadian The wound iU the
stomach was some two or three inches in
extent. The young man rcmainsd in
charge Of Dr.. Beaumont, a surgeon Of The
United States army, for several years; al
lowing him TO watch The process Of digestion,
- and thA effects Of Anda upop The organ, and to
make such experiments with the gasIIc juice,
as he saw ft. By reference TO The journal
which the Dr.. kept Of these observations, it
will be found, that, in all cases, after drink
ing spiruous liquors, including beer and
vine, the inner coat Of the stomach became
inffamed-the bloodvesses enlarged and the
whole organ irritated. For some Of the fore-
going facts as we'll as many others pertain
ing 10 the pathology of drunkenness. The
friends of temperance are indebted 10 Dr.. Sc
wall Of Washington city.
Now, as it is the office Of the stomach to
receive and prepare food for the nourl>hment
Of the body, how can it be properly performed,
while the organ is in slate of inflammation and
diseasea You have often seen the tongue
Of child covered over with csnker, end the
eye in a state Of high inflammation; and in such
circumstances, do you think these organs
well adapted 10 the functions Of taste and
sight Neither can the stomach whlle 10 the
same condition, perform its functions proper
'ly. The inevitable consequence is, that the
alImen', designed to nourlsh and strengthen
the body, is bat partially dgested; and no,
only the stomach itself, bu every other part Of
the body, becomes debllaied and diseased.
The liver, the kidneys the lungs, the heart,
the brain, and in fact every organ Of the body,
sympahses with the morbid condition of the
stomach; and sooner or aer, experiences in
= greater or less degree, the deIe'erIous eff
iects Of this poison.
You have often been told presume, and
correctly told, that Alcohol, in no possible
combination, contains the least nutrimen. It
never ssSlmIIates with the blood or other au-
ids. 1t may be taken up it is true, by the nus
merous absorbent vessels, and BY the function
/. OF circulation, carried TO every part Of the bo-
dy But II goes not there to invgoraie and
sustain those parts by its congeuivI qualities.
II courses through the veins, only as an enc
my-a robber, and an assassin; scattering
through the system the seeds of disease and
dea'h, conaInlng principle, forever at
war.wI'h the health and safety of our natures.
Ihe PHYSICAL diseases induced by tho free
nseof Alcoholic drinks, are mullitud,nous, and
muIlliom. On no point, are the medical pro-
iesSIon better united IN opinion, than that
'''hey interrupt the healthy functions of the
Dody, substituting In their place, functional