The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1855-03-31

diminished consciousness Of the presence
Of a material body.
But this feeling u heat in the face, phar.
ynx, and stomach, under the influence Of
alcoholic drinks, is no more evidence Of an
dy than is the absence Of pain, on the part
Of the patient, under the influence, Of chic
roform, evidence that the surgeons knife has
rot severed the tissues In both instances
the brain and nervous system are under the
influence Of an agent which alters their sen
sibility, and renders the individual incapable
Of judging correctly concerning the impress
sion of external agents upoL hin.
Hence the alcoholic drinks, instead Of
protecting the individual against the effects
Of external cold, only render him less con-
scious Of the existence Of such cold, and
thereby often induce him rccklcssly TO re.
main exposed until fatal effects are produ
ccd. So true is this that nineteen twenti
eths Of all those who are frozen TO death in
Christcndom, are so while directly under
the benumbins influence Of alcoholic drinks,
taken under the dcusiyc idea Of Excepting
them warm
wYqf thB, ptffiap8 &c diouS e1afnlhauou oi
the modus opcrandi OF alcoholic drinks, you
arc prepared, gentlemen, to see clearly how
far their use is calculated to produce those
beneficial efforts which have been so gcncr-
ally ascribcd to them by large portion Of
the people. You can see, with the clcarncss
Of demonstration, that instead Of furnishing
fuel for combustion, and thereby suppo ting
respiration, and increasing animal heat, they
primarily deprcss both these important func.
tions, and directly retard the change from
venous to arterial blood. Instead Of increas.
ing innervation, and invigorating the vari.
Gus functions Of the body, VIC see them
merely cxertins peculiar cxhilcrating in
auence upon the brain, by which the natur.
al consciousness and susceptibility to i'm.
pressions are impaired, and the muscular
actions rendered feeble and vascilating. In
this perverted susceptibility of the nervous
structures lies the power of alcohol to de-
ccive the popular mind. With Il glass OF
brandy in mans blood, he quickly i'm.
agincs himself as rich as Cresus, though
actually clothed in rags, and as strorg as
Sampson, though really trembling in every
muscle, and the knees sniting each other
like those Of dishcartcncd Philis,nc. So
true are the words Of the good book, when
it says, "Wine is mocker, and strong
drink is raging, and whosocver is deceived
thereby is not wise" You can Judge, too.
how far an agent or agents which thus re.
tard one of the most important cxcrctory
functions in the system, diminish the change
from vcnous to artcrlal blood, and cause in
the latter fluid an undue accumulation Of
ehete or waste matter, and an ultimate de.
preston OF all the organic actions, is calcu.
lated to counteract the Influence Of morbiiic
agents in the production Of disease.
You readily perceive that all its effects,
both direct and indirect, characterize it as
one OF the most efficient predispOsing causes
iavorpg the development of disease in the
system, and rendering il more fatal when
it does occur. The only exceptions to its
deleterious influence are, first, when during
the actual progress Of disease there is dan.
ger from the direct failure Of action in the
brain and nervous centres, as is sometimes
the case in the advanced stages Of typhus
feycrs, when the direct exhlcratng intlu.
encc of the alcohol may be made available
f.;r: ..-'"porariiy sustaining the nerve scnsi.
oiiity ana second. when the process Of dis.
ihtcSiation or waste or ..----l -. -
much tpo rapid, with an active state of the
cxcretory organs, as is sometimes the case
IN the advanced stage Of phith,siS when the
power Of alcohol to retard organic changes
may be rendered beneficial, to a limited ex.
tent in retardins the process Of waste.