Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1868-05-16
Use OF Stinnsllanss.

Dr. Willard Packer in a recent address
before the Young Mems Christian Associa.
tiOn of New York, discussed the subject of
stimulants at some length. He said:
The five chief stimuants are tea coffee,
alcohol, opium, tobacco.
Stimulants when taken in liquid form.
go at once to the blood, aud of course ope
rate prom pity upon the tissues of all parts
ot TIE body. lie anh coffee stimulitc, ,icoho,
opium and tobacco poiioa.
Some persons can use both tea and coffee
with impunity few coffee, hut not tea a
good many tea, but not coffee Tea and
coffee used in moderation do not shorten
life, used in excess they do, however, pro
ducing great nervous irritabiity and ex.
haustion.
Milk and sugar ought to he used with
both tea and coffee. Their nutrimtnt ap
pears to protect the system against over
stimulus.
Man will have something to drink besides
water. He is drinking animal. The thing
required. therefore. is only that he drink
what shall not harm him. There need be
no quarrel with pure ager beer and pure
light wines, used in moderation. California
wines are from very sweet grapes, therefore,
fermentation (Which changes sugar into al.
c"hoD makes them strongly alcoholic and
Intoxicating
The liquors now drank are poisonous.
have not seen case of delirium t.cuens in
hospital for years. There used to he such,
Int now such patients come in crazy
ing; from the effects, not of alcohol, but of
adulterated liquors.
AS between tea and coffee on one hand,
and alcohol on the other certain good
mo in NM orb hot AL,
always glad to find that Young man liked
tea and coffee, because then lie was not
likely to become fond of alcohol drinks"
Again, tea and coffee retard the processes
of waste in the system, and thus enable the
two nervous systems to furnish working
power to the body for longer time. Al
cohol has no such power.
Opium. eating rapidly increases in America.
The effects of it are well known, yet its use
does not necessarily shorten life. Opium
used as stimnlant gives very pleasurable
sensations for the time, but these are follow.
ed by corresponding depression, slough
of exhaustion and misery which continues
until the pleasure is brought back by the
use of little more opium than before.
The moderate use of tobacco does not
necessarily kill; but it cannot he said that
the moderate use of it is harmless.
Perhaps tobacco is not quite SO bad as
rum, but they are twin brothers, and tobac,
co makes men drink. Tobacco depresses,
and the user then Graves liquor to stimulate
him. 1t is impossible to cure inebriate pa.
tients of the use of liquor SO long as they
are allowed to use tobacco. The French
public revenue for tobacco from 19l2 to 1859
was annually $500, 900, of late years it is
100000 ,0G0. During the former period
there were in France at any given time
5000 lunatics and paralytics, now there arc
$4,000
1t will he seen that the two totals increase
in nearly an even rati0--six and a half times
as much tobacco. five and half times as
much lunacy and paralysis. Those who
live out doors may use tobacco without
feeling it SO much hut not men of seden-
tarv life There have died in New York
with few years three excellent clergymen,
oil of whom would now be alive had they
not used tobacco. The difference in the
operation of tobacco and alcohol is this,
while alcohol causes tangible changes in
certain organs. tobacco gradually lowers
the vital tone of the whole system, so that
:he life ends sooner than it ought to.