The Democratic advocate., 1877-08-25

AAcNASaA hASh liNHNAAbN NASNhNa
LIST. As nourishment.
I'd. As a tonic.
ID. As q stimnlant.
4th. As assistant Of digestion.
Let me first consider the nourishing
property of alcohol under the two follow
ing principles Of nature, First Every
thing that is useful and proper, either as
food or drink, for man or beast, is produ-
ced naturally by some process Of growth
in living organic matter. Second Every
substance proper of animal sustenance,
either as food or drink, is such only while
it remains IN the organic state in which
nature produced it. Now, what is alec
hol? Is it found constituent principle
in anything that has life? Meier Go
search creation through; examine all the
structures, fluids, and solids, of that being
whom God has taught to laugh or weep,
and Of the tribe Of animate and inanimate
existence that roam the road, or wing the
sky, or roll along the food, yot tind Il not.
Look through all the vegetable kingdom
analyze the alimentary grains, the nutri-
tious seeds, the esculent roots, the luscious
fruits, Il is not there. Then 90 down to
the mineral kingdom search through all
the strata Of earth, and explore the depths
Of the old ocean, Il is not there. Nature,
all through her domain of animate and in
animate things, has not produced it,
whence comes it, then Not by any pro-
cess of development and growth, but by
process Of destruction and refrigeration.
We suppose it to be an admitted principle,
that no liquid which does not contain
solid can make flesh and bone. Ardent
spirits contain no solids, no principle capa-
BILE Of nourishing the human body. A
gallon of malt liquor contains about one
grain Of substance neither fit for the
stomach Of man nor capable of nourish-
ment. 1t may be asked, how, then, is milk
nourishing2 Milk, when it enters the
stomach forms curd with the gastric juice,
glass Of sherry wine contains about as
much solid matter as you could place on
the point Of penknife.
As Tonic Tonic is derived from
the Greek and signifies elasticity of mus
cular tissue. When alcohol weakens the
nervous system and paralyzes the brain
how can it be Tonic
Is ALCOHOL FooD2 Prof. Youmans,
Of our country, and Prof Liebing, of Ger
many, have both told us that there is no
nutritive properties, no Strengthening prop
critics in Alcohol, that Alcohol Is not food.
The best authorities tell us that we must
cease to regard alcohol as food, for it goes
out Of the system exactly as it comes in,
without its having undergone any change
that should enable it to assimilate with
the living organism, either to repair the
waste of tissue, to keep up the necessary
temperature Of or to support the vital force.
As STIMULAYT. 1t is difficult to
convince people that there are no strength
ening properties in all forms of alcoholic
drinks, such as wine, porter, &C., because
strength or force is confused in their
minds with what is only the ercitaat Of
force. The alcoholic drink arouses and
stimulates for the moment, and makes the
fatigue, which shows itself afterwards in
greater exhaustion.
Its action on the human frame is as
pin to the wick of lamp, with which you
can raise the wick from time to time; each
raising followed by burst of brighter
fame. But while you give neither cotton
or oil, the existing supply of both is,
through such pin work, all the more GER
tainly consumed, some will say. Are not
brewers, lager vendors, and dRymen, &C.,
remarkable instances Of great bodily exer-
tion, and are they not large consumers of
beer and spirits2 These men are capable
of great manual labor while they remain
above ground breathing pure air (ozygen.)
But if these men be exposed to local in
juries or infammatory attacks, it is found
they are peculiarly disposed to a fatal
termination.
1t is well known that Surgeons are very
unwilling to perform severe surgical oper-
ations on the men we speak of.
On the other hand, men trained TO pu-
gilistic encounters by nutritious food, proper
exercise, and entire abstinence from alco-
hol recover with remarkable rapidity from
the severe bruises which they receive in |
their occupation. Does alcohol carns Ale |
system9 1t is well known to all who have
partaken Of alcohol that there is glow of |
warmth that passes over the system after |
imbibing. This, of course, is but tempo
rary, and easily accounted for. The sys-
TEN in its efforts to get rid of the poison
excites the natural force, the caloric force,
which should have been expended on the |
nutrition and sensation of the body, is was
ted on the alcohol which has been taken as
assistant Of digestion. Alcohol taken into
the stomach increases the flow Of gastric
juice; but the quality of juice is injured.
Put piece of beef in bottle of gastric
juice, in short time the meat is dissolved,
but should you add little alcohol, the
beef will not be dissolved 1t is well |
known that the brain Of drunkard needs
no preparation for the dissecting room.
Alcohol will always preserve organic sub
stances from decay. We sum up our re-
marks in the following arguments; Plastic
food feeds the blood cells; microscopic in
vestigatiou shows that alcohol DESTROYS
them, food excites in health, normal action,
alcohol tends always to feverishness, in
fammation and abnormal action; food gives
force to the body; alcohol excites reaction
aud wastes force in the first place, and in
the second as true narcotic, represses
vital action and corresponding nutrition. |
Repeated experiments tell US that the cffec. |
of alcohol taken into the system is to con,
vert arterial into venous blood. That is. |
it converts the bright, vermillion, nutrit
tious, oxydized blood into blood which is
black in its color, innutritious in its na-
ture, and literally poisonous in its proper
ties. 1t does not assimilate with the solids
and fluids Of the system, but acts as a
foreign body. J.s.a.
Education Of the right kind is better
safeguard OF liberty than standing army.
1t we retrench the wages Of the school
master, we must raise those Of the recruit
ing sergeant.