Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1875-11-10
a Few Facts About Alec mol.


The popular plan OF administering
alcohol for the purpase OF sustaining
warmth is an entire and dangerous er-
ror, and when it is brought into
practice during extremely cold wealth
er it is calculated to lead even to fatal
consequences, from the readiness with
which it permits the blood to become
congested ID the vital organs. We
cannot too torclbly impress the fact
that cold and alcohol act, physIologi-
cally, in the same manner, and that,
combined in action, every danger
resulting from either agent is doubled.
Whenever we see q person disposed
to meet the effects of cold by strong
drink, it is our duty to endeavor to
check that effort, and whenever we see
an unfortunate person under the in
huence of alcohol, it is our duty to
suggest warmth as the best means for
his recovery. These facts prompt
many other useful ideas OF detail in
common lie.
II, for instance, our police were
taught the simple art OF taking the an
imal temperature OF persons they
have removed from the streets i'll a
state Of insensibility, the results would
be more beneficial. The operation IS
one that hundreds of nurses now car
ry out daily, and applied by our police
officers, at their stations, it would en-
able them not only to defect the DIFF
ference between a man in an apopletlc
fit and a man intoxicated, but would
suggest naturally the instant abolition
of the practice OF thrusting the really
intoxicated into cold and damp cell,
which to such persons is actually an
mtc-room to the gave. The sleep Of
apopIexy and the sleep Of drunken
ness may be distinguished by a mark
ed difference in the animal tempera-
ture. In apoplexy the marked tenn
perature Of the body is above, in
drunkenness below, the natural stand
ard of $50 Fair.
We would a'so suggest that the
systematic administration OF alcohol
for the purpose Of giving and sustain,
ing strength is an entire dclusion.
Wedonot say that occasions donotarlse
when an enieebled and fainting heart is
temporarily relieved by the relaxation
of the vessels which alcohol, on its
diffusion through the blood, induces ;
but that spirit gives any persistent i'll
crease OF power by which men are en-
abled to perform more sustained work,
is q mistake as serious as it is univer-
sal In proof Of which we give the
following experiment Of DR.. Richard
sons when he submitted muscle to the
test He gently weighed the hinder
limb Of a frog until the power Of CON
traction was just overcome then, by
q measured electrial current, he stimu
lated the muscle to extra contraction
and determined the increase Of weight
that could thus be lifted. This deci
ded upon in the healthy animal, the
trial was repeated some days later OF
the same frog after it had received
alcohol III sufficient quantities. Tht
result was that through every stage
the response to the electrical current
was enteebled, and as soon as narcot
ism was developed by the spirit It was
so enfeebled that less than half tn,
weight that could be lifted in the pre-
yious trial, by the natural effort of th'
animal, could not now be raised eyel
under the electrical excitation Tht
muscular excitement which passes 1o
increased muscular power is only due
to alcoholic disturbance. The
muscles are then truly more rapidly
stimulated into motion by the nervous
tumult, but the muscular power is act
ually enfeebled.
We must also draw attention to thu
fact that alcohol is incapable of fatten
ing the body; for If we could sue
cessfully fatten the body, we should
but destroy it more swiftly and surely
inasmuch as the fattening which fol
lows the use of alcohol is not confined
to the eternal development Of fat
but extends to degeneration through
the minute structures of the vital or
gans, including the heart itself.
The fast train telescoped hog
in Hague street, yesterday, and threw