Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1874-05-21
For the REPUBLICAN.
ALCOHOL AND NTEMPERANCE.
BY W. W. PENSELL.

but little has been presented to the PEI
pie as to its physiological action on IL
system when used, which is the intel
d of this paper to discuss. Many are al
to pass on this no thought whateve
&c and regard the action of the drug {
making a person drunk as its only effet
II and that action as degrading him so ei
fected.
Now we are not one of those rha
think it degrades man to be drum
only, but that its effect OH the systeI
is such that it leaves the system eac
time it is so stimulated or narcotized
(which?) in a worse condition than
found it. OF course, We don't insinu
ate that the man is degraded and N
longer worthy due respect from hi
neighbors, but the act is degrading. Fo
man cannot indulge in such bever
age without doing himself great harm
at the same time his influence urol
others Immediately connected with hin
is not good.
We care not how much it is said tha
some of orr great men could not hav,
produced their works without alcoho
, i'm some shape to stimulate them, To-
how much brighter might have beel
the history of Byron, Sheridan ant
Burns, had it not been for the cup.
By the advocates of Alcohol it i:
claimed that it was given them by /:
higher power than man, but this We car
deny without fear of contradiction in
the light of knowledge. For it is well
known that reach where we may in ma
ture there is no such element found az
alcohol. In the juicy grape and mellow
apple no such thing can be detected by
chemical analysis; but let fermentation
commence,-letth the process of decay
begin and the chemical changes neces-
sary to the formation of alcohol is in
force.
Allow solution of pure sugar to re-
main in an open or closed vessel and il
remains unchanged; but add some pu-
trescible azotized matters and in prop
er state of decay and the sugar is sOsn
converted into alcohol with carbonic
acid escaping. For instance, You make
a solution Of pure sugar and add putrid
blood or -four paste; in short time an
lnA .,l, Is
you carbonic acid is escaping. Allow
this to stand until effervescence ceases
and the liquid become clear it will yield
alcohol by distillation. This is pro-
cess by which it can be obtained, and
it is plain to one and all that alcohol is
the product of decay-of death. AL
cohol is composed of carbon, hydrogen
and Oxygin. Pure whisky contains 4s
to sc per cent. of alcohol, and in the
different wines in the proposition from
to % parts in 100. All other liquors
contain it in greater or less quantity.
On good medical authority we can say
that much of the liquors sold are but
imitation. Port wine is often made of
little real port mixed with cider, juice
of elderberries and brandy, and rem
dered astringent with logwood and al
UNI. For the benefit of those who wish
to try the experiment, we say that you
can detect alum IN red wine by simply
boiling it for Il few minutes. If alum
is present even in small quantity the
wine gradually becomes turbid and
furnishes 4 floculenJ precIpitate; while
pure wine is not so rendered by long
boiling.
But We are getting away from our
subject, the effects of alcohol. In all
| liquors, in whatever proportion it may
exist its effects are the same, and its
adulterations have theirs. According
to best medical authorities alcohol is an
Inebriant Narcotic and is so-called be-
cause of its effect on the system. At
the same time it intoxicates, it depres-
ses nerve force, thus Turing the drinker
into the idea that he is strong when he
is really weak.
Permit me here to say that we now
speak of its effect physiolegieally and
not when used by the physician in
state Of disease, for we must all recog-
nize its good effects when the vital
powers run low or well us its bad effects
when the system is in need OF no such
drug. And the drinker is generally one
of those who need it least for he takes
it in state of health. And like other
medicines, when not needed will have
anything but good effect.
Take man whose bodily functions
are good, one in whose system waste
and repair are equal and lie stands in
need of nothing. There is no function
to correct,cno organ to set Alright, for
nature is plodding OH in her own mys-
terious way to the good welfare of such
an individual.
All physicians recognize Il standard
of health. A departure from this stan.
dard in whatever direction possible is
followed by but one result-disease.
Hence, when in health, we elevate or
depress the system above or below this
standard, it is followed by its bad re-
suit. If by stimulants, we elevate the
| system above the standard, when the
effect passes away, it will sink CORES
pODdingly below. In every creature
there is process known by waste and
repair by which we are enabled to en-
joy health. Repair is the incorpora-
ton of fresh nutritive principle into
the already formed organs TO maintain
their integrity. The cause of this re-
pair is the loss consequent on the waste
and natural decay of The component
particles of the tissues repaired; in this
each elementary particle seems to not
only have the power of attracting ma
terials from the bIOod'but causing them
to assume its structure and participate
in its vital properties.
| Alcohol interfercs with this natural
process. Its effect i, 10 prevent in a
degree the waste which should take
place and thus there is retained in the
system that which should be excretet.
What does the intelligent physician
do in low fever in which the scdste is
greater than the repair and the powers
of life are waning but TO order some
such remedy and thus bring the repair