The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-01-15
THE FIFTH PAIR.
The Nerves Most closely Connected
with the Mind and Heart.


DIR. Lsander Brunton writes as follows in
the Contemporary Review: There are two
nerves, known as the fifth pair, which are
distributed to the skin of the head, and to
the mucous membrane of the eyes, nose and
mouth. These nerves are closely connected
with the heart ana vessels and by slim ulat-
ing their branches the circulation may be
greatly influenced, as in the case of faintlng.
1t is = curious fact that people OF all nations
are accustomed, when in any difficulty, to
stimulate one or another branch of the fifth
nerve, and quicken their mental processes.
Thus, some persons, when puzzled, scratch
their heads; others rub their foreheads, and
others stroke or pull their boards, thus slim
ulsting the occipiial, frontal or mental
branches of these nerves. Many
Germans, when thinking, have a
habit of striking their fingers against
their noses. and thus stimulating the nasal
cutaneous branches; while in this country
some people stimulate the branches distribu
ted to the mucous membrance of the nose by
taking snuff. The late Lord Derby, when
translatiDg Homer was accustomed to eat
branded cherries One man will eat figs
while composing leading article; another
will suck chocolate cremes; others will
smoke cigarettes; and others sip brandy and
water. By these means they stimulate the
lipgual and buccsl branches of the fifth
nerves, and thus refiexly excite their brains.
Alcohol appears to excite the circulation
through the brain reflexly from the mouth,
and to stimulate the heart reflexly from the
stomach, even before it is absorbed into the
blood. Shortly after it has been swallowed
however, IL is absorbed from the stomach,
and passes with the blood to the heart to
the brain, and TO the other parts of the
nervous system, upon which it then begins
to act directly. Under its infu-
ence the heart beats more quickly,
the blood circulates more freely, aud thus
the functional power of the various organs
in the body is increased SO that the brain
may think more rapidly, the muscles act
more powerfully and the stomach digest
more easily. But, with this exception, the
effect of alcohol upon the nervous system
may be described as one of progressive paraly-
sis. The higher centers suffer first and the
| judgment is probably the first quality 10 be
impaired. One OF the most esteemed novel
lists of the present day informs me that al
though he can take a great deal of wine
without its having any apparent effect on
him, yet single glass OF sherry is enough
to take the fine edge off of his intellect He
is able to write easily and fuently in the
evening, after taking dinner and drinking
/ wine; but what he then writes will not bear
| his own criticism next morning, although
curiously enough, it may seem to him
| excellent at the time of writing. As
the effect of alcohol progresses, judg.
ment becomes still further impaired, al
| though the other faculties of the mind may
remain, not only undiminished by the direct
action of the alcohol upon the brain, but
greatly increased by the general excitemen,
| OF the circulation. The imagination may
thus be more vivid than usual, and the emo
tions more lively, and both. being more OF
less liberated from the control of the judg
ment, manifests themselves in sparkling wit
| or whitening invectlve. Sheridan is said to
have delivered his greatest speech under the
influence of two bottles of champagne. which
! he had swallowed at a single draught; and
! persons of over cautious temperament and
two reserved manners, the removal of the
excessive restraint under which they habitu
ally act renders them, for the time, more
soclsble and agreeable. By and by, how
ever, the other parts OF the nervous system
are successfully weakened, the tongue STAN
mers, the vision becomes double, the leg
fail and the man falls insensible. 1t Is evi
! dent, then, that only the first stages of alec
holic action are at all benehclsl, the lasel
stages being as clearly injurious.