The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-07-25
which has laid waste so

/ Win Il peculiar una special disease, the tea.
lures Of which are not only unique but scri.
Gus lnPmperanCc, then, is no longer a
mere violation OF the laws OF morality and
! hygiene but a poisonous state, which vitiatcs
the system Of the drunkard, and which takes
the course and presents all the symptoms of
Il distinct malady. Recent research has de
monstratcd that recent hitherto incXpliCabie
! features Of this malady are due to various
substances found mixed with alcohol in spIr-
| ituouS liquors, and which have direct effect
in themselves. For example, the essence mix.
ed with alcohol in the liqueur called absin-
the has been found to have an altogether diff
terent effect to that produced by alcohol
alone, so that the form of intoyicaton pro.
duced by pure absinthe is entirely distinct
from that produced by pure alcohol, What is
the precise change 10 which both are sub
jcctcd in the human frame is, even to this
day but very vaguely known, LiebigS the.
DRY, that alcohol is in itself and allment has
of late years been successfully contested, no.
tably by NJ. VI. Lallcmond, Perrin and Du.
roy, and the discussion Is not yet at an end.
1t is probable that very small proportion OF
alcohol does serve the purpose of nourish-
ment, the remainder passing out of the sys.
| TEN in accordance with the latest theories on
the subject If this view be, AS it probably
will prove to be, TIE correct one, it will be
seen that the purely nuritive qualities Of al,
cohol are almost intiniteslmal; and that its
effect is manly, If not purely, nervous one,
due principally, ii not exclusively, to the
stimulation of the brain which alcohol never
fails to produce NJ Claude Bernard has
shown that the effect of undiluted alcohol is
to suspend digestion, arrest the intestinal st.
crctlons; and it is an undisputed fact that an
inveterate topper cats and can eat but little. A
notable instance of this was mentioned dur.
ing the past year by many of the leading
French Journals 1t was the case Of an old
sub-otiicer Of artillery who was addicted to
the use of absinthe; this unhappy man could
only eat at long intervals and such small
quantity that his neighbors called him the
man who never ate" In fact, the disorders
produced in the human frame by the eyces-
sive use of alcohol are Of infinite variety.
Alcohol poisoning begins with an occasional
fit of intemperance which will leave no traces
if it does not degenerate into habit, but
which will inevitably result in insanity or
paralysis if persisted in Between the be-
ginnig and the end are series of steps which
mark the progress of the disease, and which
may be reduced into three: Accidental in
temperance, which is OF rare occurrence and
is durable without leaving trace habitual
intemperance, which is susceptible Of cure,
but is accompanied by alcoholic delirium
and by delirlum trelncns; and chronic lntem-
perance, malady which is almost if not
quite, incurable. Such is the downward
course which an incOrrigiblc topper is doomed
to pursue, unless some other disease should
intervene to hasten the end. The different
symptoms of alcoholic poisoning are too well
known to need amplitcation IN this article
we SHALL therefore, cOntine ourselves to point
ing out the peculiar symptoms of poisoning
by absinthe, as distinguished from poisoning
by alcohol.
1t was necessary in the very outset to make
certain experiments which should mark de
finisely the effect of pure absnthe from that
of absinthe mixed with alcohol. In order to
do this, pure alcohol and pure absinthe were
severally administered to two dogs, and the
effect was closely watched Now, the intOxi-
cation of a dog who has taken alcohol is pre-
cisely similar to that of human being. The
poor animal is first pleasurably excited, runs,
jumps, wags his tail, barks, etc, then he be-
gins TO stagger, his tail droops, his eyes are
clouded and stupid; then he falls into ALSO
lutte stupor; he is dead drunk. If he has TAX
en- pure abEnthc, on the contrary, his symp.
toms are entirely different. The animal in
stanty falls prey to violent commissions.
The muscles Of the back are powerfully con-
tracted as in tetanus, and bend the body into
an arch, the jaws are clenched, the paws stiff
fened; this is the first stage. Suddenly the
second supervenes with even greater violence,
and with the precise symptoms OF an acute
attack of epilepsy. Nothing is needed to
complete the resemblance. Alcohol, there
fore, may be said to paralyzc dog; pure alb
sinthe throws him into an attack of epilepsy.
An effect so violent being produced by a
substance which is the base of one Of the
most popular liquors now produced in France
aSsuredly calls for attention from the men
u,hn I'M 4 IS n ~ n
the public. Unfortunately, the number of
epleptiC patients increases yearly, and II Is
fact that most of the sufferers from epilepsy
are the children of Incorporate parents IN
Qucstonably the consumers Of abSlnthc VIII
be even more likely than ordinary drunkardS
to transmit this fearful malady to their pos.
tcrity; for manifold are the diseases which
have their origin in the intemperance OF par
ens. Hereditary intemperance, insanity, Id
locyr scroiula, epilcpsy-such are the diseases
enailed upon the children, the grandchild-
rem, the great grandchildren of drunkards
Absinlhe is prepared from the leaves or
branches of the plant known as artsmisId
dbsi,ahium, chemically prepared with aco
hol. Certain other ingredients, all more or
less powerful, are used in small quantities
The LIQUOR thus composed was introduced
into France by the African army, and has
during the last few years reached an enor-
nous total of consumption, notwithstanding
the heavy duties imposed upon it.
And let ii be noted here that absin,hc is as
swift as it is fatal in its effects While sever
al months probably will elapsc before the
consumer of alcohol tails n victim TO delirl
um tremens, few weeks, or even few
days, suffice to bring dclirium tremens and
even epilepsy upon one who drin ks absinthe
to excess Constitutions so shaken fall an
easy prey TO epidemics. Cholera, typhoid &c,
yer, dysentery, varloloid, are particularly APT
to attack drum kards, and are almost invaria-
bly, fatal. The danger of all acute disease
is greatly increased for drunkards by Their
tendency to febrile delirium. Nor are nv
above the sole maladies to which the drums
ard Is liable. Flegmon, erysipelas, gangIene,
perpetually threaten him. The silgRleS'
wound is dangerous; indeed, in point oil iact'
there is DO slight wound for the drunSaru'
Such in brief arc the evils of incompetence