Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1861-03-06
- 90
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From the Illinois Son of Temperance.
Science on the Side of Temperance.

The use of ardent spirits as beverage,
forty years ago was unfseserssT. Men, women,
and children drank it freely, without ever
asking what will be its effects upon the ply
slcal constitution. Too much taken into
the system at one time, they knew was in
furious 1.-THE same was true with regard to
tFpad Fae mo- snEq9esgate "a and tsste use of it
lister preached occasionally aga. The min
ness, and the physician sanctiost drunk en-
prudent use. Science then did but little
more than to teach the most successful way
of making it. AT length prying curiosity
began to inquire what became of it when
taken into the system. Does it become food,
and supply positive nourishment; or by it's
| stimulating power does it simply aid diges-
ton !? Is it taken up into the tissues and
incorporated into the muscular portion of
the body, or does it serve some other useful
| purpose? Science came slowly to the in
vestigation. 1t tried variety of expert
ments upon man and beast but found no
trace of alcohol assimilated into the tissues
At length the conclusion was reached by
men of science, and tdsis- pEsited and author
itative opinion was given, that alcohol is an
indigestible substance incapable OF supply
ing nourishment and enters unchanged into
the circulation to be cast out. if possible,
from the system. These experiments of OBJ
servation turned attention to the Injurious
effects of alcohol upon the coats of the stom-
ach, and upon the nervous system. Still,
many contended that the injurious effects
were produced not necessarily by the nature
of the substance, but by the amount taken;
and science preached more earnestly than
ever, that we should be careful and not
drink too much. Here the matter rested for
a season. After little it was proclaimed
from high authority, that, although alcohol
did not directly supply nourshment, it greatly
assisted in another important work, in keep
ing up a needful supply of animal heat
Without the requisite supply of this, the
functions of life could not be carried on !;
: the heart could not beat; the blood could
not circulate; the lungs could not inhale and
expel the air; the stomach could not digest
food and the nerves could not minister to
consciousness and thsaght. The internal
furnaces must be supplied with fuel; or all
their fires would soon go out. at this crisis
in the subject, learned men, protesting to
speak in the name of science, declared that
alcohol was an excellent supporter of inter-
nal combustion, by means of which animal
heat was produced We all knew before
the article would burn readily, and had seen
, men get very hot by drinking it. but We
were not aware that it was only the result
J of a slight abuse Of very good thing An
article with great pretensions to science ap-
, peared in the July number of Westminster
Review for 1856, taking this position, that
anovtiot tloaeraJe g,aaHIiIfco "~s------G-l-:
| producing the requisite amount of animal
heat The title of the article was, The
e Physiological errors of Teetotalism." For a
| few years that was supposed to be the voice
t of science 1t turns cut however, to be no
: thing but an assumption. When it was de-
d monstrated that alcohol was not food, but
!. was still supposed to be useful, some persons
:. very unscientifcally guessed that it under
. went some kind of internal combustion anc
n thereby supplied animal heat. Modern sci
d ence takes nothing fof granted, but subjects
( everything to the seyerest tests of expert
d ment. When this assumption was publish
A. ed to the world in the name of science th
il curiosity of scientific men was awakened t.
lg test its validity. If combustion takes plac
Of in the system, they said there must be som
le of the derivatives of alcohol somewhere eth
1t er in the blood or in solid portions of tn
S body. In combustion there Is always re
of siduum, a compound formed by the proces
al of combustion. This compound must b
lis somewhere. The chemists, after preparin
lis for the enterprise set out to find these de
on rivatives. Alcohol is given to men and Low
ke er animals, and even in the latter case Ii
is sacrificed to furnish opportunities for e.
periments. In some instances it is take
m into the stomach; in others it is injected
MS rectly into the circulation; and then the