The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1852-06-18
i'v From the Scientific American
COFFEE, ITS PROPERTIES, &C.

| In the two last numbers of the "New
Jersey Medical Reporter" there is very
interesting ariicle on Coffee, ''i,s medi-
cinal, disinfecling, and dieteiic proper.
ties" by J Paul, M. D., Of Trenton.
We will pass over its history, as that has
been presented 10 our readers before, bu,
there are some new points respecting its
use, which we have seen in no other
work, and since 10000, 900 lbs. Of cof
fee are consumed III these United States
every year, no person can be nntral in
respect 10 anything which may be said
about this plant.
As an antifebrirnge, il has long had a
high character when drank early in the
morning. 1t is used for this purpose 10
prevent fevers, by those living 10 nlarshy
situations in tropical Climate; and in
Batavia i, is used for quinine. SIT has
been recommended to relieve obstinate
spasmodic asthma, by taking one ounce
Of strong infusion without, milk or sugar,
The same TO be repeated, fresh made.
every half hour." The doctor who rec
commended this, we must say, was not
afraid to prescribe any thing. "In head
ache, from weakness Of siomache, con.
trac,ed by sedentary habits, close aiten-
lion. or accidental drunkenness, ifcoffee
can be drunk within an hour after dinner,
it is said 10 be of singular use." This
may be true, but il would not be wise 10
use too strong infusion. Mr.. Harmon
speaks IN high terms oflhe use Of caffeine
for those who are depressed in spirits.
In diarrhcea and infan,ile cholera, DR..
Pickford, speaks highly of It's valuable
effects. He gives one half to two scru-
pies Of coffee, in two ounces Of water,
adding one ounce Of syrup and giving
tablespoonful every hour. In bilious
diarrhea, il should be giveL 10 small do.
ses, as in large doses it has d purgaiive
effect. For whooping- cough, DR.. Jules
Guyoi recommends its use. il is given
hot, well sugared, about four times every
doy. He states that he has cured sixty
cases with il, and the most obstinate
yielded in four days. TIE "Sou,hern
Medical End Surgical Journal" for 1885,
states tha, coffee should not be used by
nursing mothers, as il has tendency TO
lessen milk secretions, while tea has a
contrary effect. We must say, however,
that our knowledge of coffee, as medi-
cine, is but limited, and while Il may az
feet person favorably. There IS great
tendancy TO run certain medicines above
the standard value, such as codliver oil
and quinine, and it may be coffee.
As disinfactant, coffee has been
highly lauded; in The "Medical Gazeite'"
for lS49, a writer asserts il possesses
The property of rendering animal and
vegetable efiluva not only innoxious, but
actually destroying them, in overpowered
the smell Of musk and castor, also the
efluvla Of decaying meat and sulphuret.
ted hydrogen. The way to use il il to
take hot rosted coffee into The places
where the effinvia is given off.
| For diet, Dr.. Jackson states that all all
ment adapted to healthy nutrition mus,
be a protein compound "a combination
of c arbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen
&c. 40. A. 80, o. IL, N. 81, substances
mostly containing nitrogen ara supposed,
by some chemists to be nutritious ('he
Grahami,e theory,) but this is an error
The alkaloid of coffee is caffeine, nj
trogenized body, which cannot be ranked
as food. Cofee, however, according
to Payen's Analysis, is an almentary
substance, but il cannot rank high as
food, nor can its use, as chief material
of diet, be justified. DR.. Booker assets
il acts on the nervous system in pecu.
liar manner, and DIR. Jackson ascertained
this by experiments on himself large
doses produced diminished appetite,
slow digestion, and an uneasiness Of
breathing similar 10 asthma. The blood
i'm the veins had darker tint and the
globules did not redden easily by con-
tact with air. DR.. Jackson therefore
| considers coffee false aliment, which
diminishes the healthy decomposing ac-
ton Of the organs, but it may be en-
ployed as a medicine in diseases where
meiamorphis is too active, but not in in
lammatory cases. Coffee has The prop
eriy of exciting the nervous system, and
may be looked upon as an incentive by
;ich and a consolation 10 the poor. II
sppeases hunger and renders an indiAer-
ent meal apparently substantial TO the
poor, while il exci,es the rich by its ac-
lion on the nervous system. Tea and
coffee exert the same nervous excite
ment, for in constitution they are nearly
alike, but coffee has the advantage as a
nutrient. When fatigued, and weary
with travelling,or watching by sick-bed.
cupo of lea or coffee exer,s a beneficial
/ and enlivening irfuenee.o DR.. Jackson,I
says, that coffee should not be used for
food, except in strong extract, and the
cup only half filled with this, the other
| half being good milk, and the whole
well sweetened with sugar. This he
calls ga good alimentary drink.m The
use OF large doses Of weak tea and
coffee, so common at every meal in our