New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-09-12

wise to institute qaantitatve dscrimins .ions s.S
only require spothecsres to Label these agents ..
poisons," when put up in fatal aosesf THIS
would be absurd Nor viii it do, is sometimes
attempted TO interpose the objection that sAess
substances alone are 10 be considered a. poissns
which act fatally in very small doses Death may
be produced by fraction Of grain OF vspor Of
prussc acid or by FIVE grsias OF arsenic. while It
may take FIVE hundred grains OF nitre to bring
about the same result Or Taylor, in his excel
lent work on Poisons, remarks that " the q4arfits
" required to kll cannot be made ground Tor dis
tinguishirg a poisonous from 4 non-poisopous
substance. If medical witness be asked what
" is q poison. he must beware Of cOnhnins she
term to those substances that only operate in
" small doses"
There is one condition in which it is agreed
to call these agents BY smother name, and that rs
when the system has got into an abnormal or
diseased state and they are administered Win
the design of removing the malady; they are
then known as remedies or medicines. ls Is not
to be forgotten that the word poison "a nee
applied to any physical or chemical quaht'es OF
a subst,pce. in itself considered; 1t is tae nsue
given 10 its relations 10 lIfe-ts effect upon she
living organization. Now, although the agent
may not change its properties, the system upon
which il acts may be- in such different conditions
that there arises a difference OF effect which "a
very properly distinguished by the use Of differ
eut words. In their remedial and restorative
indaence upon the system when it is diseased
they are called medicines; in their effect upon
the healthy organization they are poisons
Like other pOisons, a'cohol may be given as a
medicine TO combat or extrpite diseased c,ndi-
tiCns of the system, but he powerful qualities
which give il value in these cases are eqssily
potent upon the healthy org ,nism. Ia the latter
case the change wrought is Injurious aud there
fore justly denomt ated poisonous. BY virtue Of
its highly cOmbul tible and difusige properties.
properties which are in no respect placeable by
food, it is employed by tn ply stefan as a restor
stise, stimuIant and powerful excitant Bat
in the healthy constitution, where no relief is
called for, and where there is 10 disease upon
which the agent can, as IL were, exPend itsolf.
these effects become banefal. No one can sup
pose this agent 70 be in any case inert IL Il
cannot act to eradicate di.ease from the anhes!-
thy system, it wild act to produce and establish
it in the healthy SYSTEM If II is not medicine
il will be poison. For these and other reasons
il seems preferable that alcohol should retainits
old associations and connections and not be suf-
fered to repudiate its ancient kindred and family
name-to be baptized with new title into
more reputable communion.
As if, after all, with lurking apprehension OF the
invslidty of his argument, the Reviewer asks And
"even if it were true that alcohol is poison,
L" would it deserve all the harm said of it, This
takes the question at once out OF the scientific
arena and subjects it TO the worlds Judgment
Every one with an eye to see and an ear to hear
and heart to feel, is qualified TO give answer.
The people of this country are replying BY States.
and at the present rate of progress it will not be
many years before all ChristendOn will confirm
their decision.