Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-07-23
THURSDAY, July q, 1874.
How Alcohol TntOxicates.


Of these beverages. What this effect
is, and how it is produced, is a very
interesting question.
Alcohol is as certainly a poison as
arsenic or strychnine, though operating
differently from either. It will kill, il
taken in sufficient quantities, as surely
as will prussic acid. It is not long
since a boy died in Boston from drink
ing too much intoxicating liquor. He
was poisoned by alcohol Men and
women drink liquors containing alcohol
and are not killed, irst as women eat
arsenic and are not killed by it, merely
because they do not use sufficient
quantity at once. The system is strong
enough to subdue a certain amount Of
poison.
A young man takes glass of brandy
and the alcohol in it poisons him.
Soon after the alcohol enters the stom-
ach color begins to come to his cheeks,
sometimes causing them to flush but
slightly, and again tinging them deep
ly. This is the first system of poison
ing. Alcohol always acts upon the
nervous system. Why this is we can
not explain, any more than we can tell
why strychnine effects the spinal cord,
or why lead-poisoning manifests itself
in the wrists Of the victim. 1t is SIM
ply known that different poisons act
upon different parts of the body.
Wherever it comes in contact with ner-
vous matter, the result is paralysis, the
extent of which depends upon the
amount that is taken.
Alcohol passes from the stomach in
to the blood, precisely as water does.
It is not digested. There is nothing
in the stomach which can digest it.
The gastric juice cannot act upon it !;
cannot. IN fact, except with difficulty,
digest a piece of meat which has been
soaked in alcohol.
1t goes into the blood in the form it
came into the stomach-alcohol. In
few minutes after drinking glass Of
Intoxicating liquor, the alcohol can be
detected IN the blood by chemical anal
ysis. AS the blood passes through the
system it carries the poison with land
brings it in contact with the little
nerves which lie at the junction Of the
veins and arteries at the surface Of the
body. We have said that wherever al
cohoI toUcla5 the nerves 1t paralyz8s
them. 1t paralyza3 these nerves.
There are Two methods Of explaining
why this paralysis causes flushing Of
the face. One is that the blood is re-
tacdcd BY the Inability Of the nerves to
ac5, causing an accumulation at the
surface. aaG that this hiDdrance reces-
states increased rapidity and force in
the hearts action, in order to overcome
an abnormal resistance. The other
theory, and, 8e think, the more rea-
scnable one, is Jhat the function CT
these nerves is to slightly retard Che
blood, and th%t VIXEN paraLyzed, being
incapable CT Offering the natura. resis-
tance. tie circulation becomes more
rapid. Tie action Of The heart IS not
stimulated. but it works faster, because
the resistance waich has usually 30 0a
overcome is partially removed. Tna
removal Of the ball frou 5he pendulum
of clocl, Gaes not stimulate the spring
but the wire moves more rapidly be-
cause the resistance 10 be overcome mas
been lesseaed.
The young nan after taking his frs,
glass will feel exhilarated, will talk
more freely thar usual, and on the
whole VII be mc,e brilliant than before
drinking These, too, are symptoms
OF poisoning. A part Of the feelings
des5ribad MAJ result merely from the
more rapid circulation Of the blood, but
others show hat tie alcohol has reached
the brain, for 8hi6a it has q special af-
fnity. When alcohol reaches the
brain, much Of it remains there. TT
has been found IN eucA quantities that
it could oe burned il the brain Of one
who had died in a state Of Drunkenness.
TIE result here Is precisely that which
we have seen follows tie contact in
other parts OF the body Of alcohol with
nervous Lnatter,-paraiysis. Tie young
man talks and sings more readily than
usual because a portion of his brain Is |
paralyzed. If he we're Of a diferents
temusrament he would fght, or steal, !
or lie. or swear. As a rule, alcohol !
first paralyges that portion of the brain
devoted to the intellect, often leaving |
the man 70 the control of his animal |
nature, but sometimes to his social na-
ture. And so, while we frequently see
those, who, when under the influence
of Intoxicating liquors can sing or talk
more readily than when sober, and are
brilliant in efforts of imagination, it Is
found tkat the use Of even a moderate
quantity Of wine always render those
intellectual efforts which require sound,
logical reasoning less successful than
thew are without it. The reaso ming
faculties yield first to the poison of al
cohol. leaving other faculties unre-
strained and dominant. The drunken
father beats tie wife and child he
loves, not because his combativeness is
stimulated, but because that portion Of
the brain IN which reason and affection
center is paralyzed. Whatever may
be the changes in mental processes
which follow the drinking of intoxicat-
ing liquors. they must all be attributed