The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1873-08-28
Action Of Alcohol.

DIR. Lionel S. Beale is quoted by the Med
! zeal Union upon the action OF alcohol in
summary as follows:
! Il In external wounds, and in internal
diseases where alchohol acts benetically,
| the good result is, in part at least, due to
/ the alcohol checking the increasing action
/ already established.
-. Alcohol does not act As food; it does
| not nourish tissues. 1t may diminish waste
! by altering the consistence and chemical
properties of faiIS and solids. 1t cuts short
the life OF rapidly growing bioplasm. or
causes it TO live more slowly. and thus
tends TO cause diseased texture, in which
vital changes are abnormally active. To re-
turn to its normal and much less active
condition.
-. In 'exhausting' diseases alcohol
seems to act partly by Diminishing very
rapidly the aonort2ally Increased growth
of bioplasm. The quantity required will
depend upon the extent TO which the
changes ailuded to have proceeded. In eX-
treme cases half an ounce of brandy or even
more, may be given tor time lin some
cases even tor several days every half
hour; and there is reason To believe that in
desperate cases life il sometimes saved by
this treatment.
Practical conclusions: Lastly, | shall
venture to repeat here the conclusions ar
rived at many years ago concerning the
great value OF the alcohol treatment OF low
tevers and intlamati0ns. Increased eXpe-
ence has afforded further confirmation of
the correctness of the statements made In
paragraph below. ! do not, OF course, refer
to slight cases of fever, pneumonia, etc,
in which no stimulanL whatever may be
required, but To very severe cases of disease
only.
i. In what appeared hopeless cases. as
much brandy as the patient could be made
TO swallow Tan ounce and a-half TO two
ounces in an hour has been given for
several hours in succession, and then as
much thirty ounces a day for several
days, not only without producing the slight
est intoxication, vomiting or headache, but
the treatment has been followed by recov-
cry.
-. | would adduce the fact that a man
not accustomed to drink when sutferin g
from acute rheumatism, complicated with
pericarditis with etfusion pneumonia at the
base of one lung and pleurisy on the OPP
posite side, has taken twenty-tour ounces
of brandy day for eleven days, the tongue
being moist and the mind calm during the
whole time. While under this treatment
intlammat0rv products we're absorbed, ana
the general state OF the patient much im-
proved.
IS. | have been compelled to give very
weak child. weighing less than foar stone,
twelve ounces Of brandy day for ten days,
while suffering from acute rheumatism.
with pericarditis and effusion. This guam
tity did not produce the slightest tendency
to intoXication, or exert other than favor
able effect upon the disease. The patient
did not begin to improve until the quantity
of brandy gradually increased, had reached
the amount stated.
. | would state that among the general
conclusions / have reached, after carefully
watching more than one hundred cases of
acute disease treated with large guam
titles of stimuls uts, are the following: That
iRtoxication is not produced; that dellrIum,
if it has occurred. ceases. or Is prevented
from occurring at all in the course OF the
case; that headache is not occasloned; that
the action of the skin, kidney and bowels
goes on freely; that the tongue remains
moist, or, If dry and brown, often becomes
moist: that the pulse falls in frequency and
increases in force; that respiration > not
impeded. but thu. where even one entire
lung is hepatized, the distress of breathing
is not increased. and it appears that the
respiratory changes go on under tue dlsad-
yantageous circumstances present as well
as if no alcohol had been given.
1.-THE conclusion from all this is. most
certainly, that alcohol does not do harm in
feyers and acute inhamations that does not
produce intoxication in the persons suffer
ing from exhausting diseases; and that
large quantities (fron II to 80 ounces may
be given in cases which appear very unlike
ly TO recover. and sometimes the patient
will be saved. The conviction is forced
upon the observer that in desperate cases
these large quantities of alcohol are direct
ly instrumental in saving life, not by ex-
citing or stimulating to increased action.
but by moderating actions already excess
sive. and at the same time by causing the
heart to contract more vigorously. and so
continue to drive the blood through the inn
peded capillaries.