The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-01-27
The Relations Of fIntemperssoe to Food.
By VIRGIL w. BLANCHARD, NJ. d.

The evil Of intemperance, arising
from the use of brain stimulauts, Is
practically illimitable. Everywhere,
and in increased ramifications, 1t Is ex-
tending its roots in the soil of human
society. Taken collectively, the con-
sumption of alcohol, tobacco, and opium
Is increasing in every civilized land.
The efforts Of the legislator, moralist,
philanthr0pist and scientist have proved
so far, comparatively unavailing. Like
a mighty tidal wave, gathering volume
and momentum to itself in its progress,
this curse Is to-day desolsting the peace,
happiness and prosperity of civilization.
Every means that has been adopted to
arrest its progress has been az unavail-
ing as q barrier of sand to arrest the
current Of a mighty, impetuous river.
Must human reason necessarily conclude
from this, that the evil of intemperance
Is Ga foreordained cause :" that is, inyin-
cible before human art and power? An
irresistible, heaven-appointed demon
scourge, to visit with retributive Justice
the guilty human heart? Civilization
and science can accept no such premises
as tenable. Evil is the inevitable fruit,
or result, of transgression. Disobedi-
ence of natural law Is the prolific soil of
human pain, sorrow and degradation.
Ii violate a physical, intellectual, or
moral law, nature reproves and chast-
ems mo with the rod of pain, sorrow, or
degradation. 1t Is the reproving, chast-
ening hand OF q loving, merciful parent,
rather than the consuming thunder-bolt
of an memorable demon.
In this view of the subject, the loving,
merciful conservatism of Nature as
sumes sublime proportions. Inspired
by this sentiment, as we feel the rod we
involuntarily exclaim: eve are trans
lgressOrs; let us cease to do evil, and
learn to do WE'LL"
Intemperance AZ an evil has Its root,
or cause, In transgression. In viola
tion of some of the basic or fundamen-
tai laws of human existence. TIL
obedience Is substituted for disobedi-
ence, no human effort can arrest or
mitigate the effects of the evil. Truly
did Horace exclaim ".Sublafa causd
tollitur efectns." Let us remove the
cause by ceasing to do evil and learning
to do well.
But what Is the cause of intemperance
from the use of brain stimulants? you
asks I answer, the question may be
clearly answered In a few sentences.
Brain stimulants, alcohol, opium and
tobacco are universally used, and there
must be some want or necessity that
their use supplies. No one will dispute
this. To assume that the civilized
world is spending hundreds of millions
of dollars annually, without purpose,
Is proposition that cannot be main
tanned. There must be want or nee
essity In the human system that induces
their use. On studying the physiologi-
cal effects of brain stimulants upon the
human system, the cause of their use
becomes apparent. 1t is found that they
temporarily supply the place of brain or
nerve fOod-of food that supplies the
waste in the nervous tissue that results
from functional activity. Under their
effects vital action In the nervous tissue
Is intensified; and as q result, the
wheels of the mind revolve and it's lev.
ers vibrate with an increased speed,
without a corresponding effort Of the
will. Here we find the solution of the
| problem. A brain stimulant, by in
creasing the force and rapidity Of the
circulation of the blood in the nervous
tissue, heightens and intensifies its In
tellectual and organic function, through
a proportionally increased function OF
nutrition. In a more concrete form the
answer would be: The root and cause
of intemperance lies in the fact, that
brain stimulants temporarily supply the
place of brain and nerve food. A SUBJ
stitute implies deficiency. Ifit can be
shown, in addition to the fact that brain
stimulants temporarily supply the place
of brain and nerve food, that there is a
deficiency in brain and nerve building
material in the diet Of the masses, in
which a substitute for such food would
be applicable, my proposition would be-
come logically impregnable. The for
mer proposition no Psychologist will
dispute, and the latter premise no chem
ist will deny.
In the present dietetic system IL Is
clearly understood, by all who have
given attention to the subject, that fat
forming and muscle forming food Is the
rule, and nerve and brain building ma
terial Is the exception. No attention
has been paid to the vital point of regn-
lating and adapting the diet to meet the
inevitable waste in the different tissues
of the body. That the human body is Q
system Of machines, each requiring to
be fed In given amount Of Ood-mater-
ial Of peculiar chemical character, Is q
capital point that our best psychologists
have entirely overlooked. To fully sup
ply each tissue with food sdspted 10
meet the waste resulting from It's fanc-
ton, and at the same time to avoid an
excess that can only burden the diges-
tive organs, Is the basic principle Of
dietetic science.
Euhction ic A avnouvun ~ lahor. a,,a
labor results In waste. In other words,
waste results from tho function OF
each organ In proportion to its activity,
fitted for this end by the digestive or
gans. Now the labor of the nervous
tissue as an organ of the human body Is
incomparably greater than that of sny
other belonging TO 1t. 1t Is the life en-
gine, the motive power, that awakens
] into activity all the other tissues and
organs in the human body. II at once,
and at the same time, originates and
distributes life force. II Is this tissue
that causes the lungs TO breathe, the
heart to beat, and the stomach to digest.
1t Is from this tissue that consciousness,
intellection, sensation and motion orig.
mate, and through its agency all of the
reparative, secretory, and excretory
functions of the body are carried on.
In its grey cells the life force or vital
energy is elaborated and stored, and
through its white portion distributed to
the various tissues and organs of the
body. As has been explained, waste Is
always in proportion TO labor, and
the waste Of an organ must be met by
adequate supply Of proper food, or its
| function will become impaired.
Now, those chemical elements that
are food TO the nervous tissue, do not
serve like purpose TO the muscular, the
adipose, snd the osseous. Each tissue
must have food adapted to supply and
restore the chemical elements that enter
into its constitution. Now, is the
supply of nerve food In the present
dietetic system equal to the demandf Z
Are we getting proper supply ofnerye