The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1879-04-03
THE FIFTH PAIR OF NERVES.
How the Brain Is Stimulated and Thought
Quickened by Merely Habitual Acts.
Dr. Brunton, in the Contemporary ReviewJ

How the Brain Is Stimulated and Thought
Quickened by Merely Habitual Acts.
DIR. Brunton, 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 mucus mem
brane of the eyes, nose and mouth.
These vessels are closely connected with
the heart and vessels, and, by stimulat-
ing their branches, the circulation may
be greatly influenced, as in the case of
fainting. 1t is a curious fact that PEG
pie of all nations are accustomed, when
in any difficulty, to stimulate one or IN
other branch of the fifth nerve, and
quicken their mental processes. Thus
some persons, when puzzled, scratch
their heads, others rub their foreheads,
others stroke or pull their boards, thus
stimulating the occipital, frontal or
mental branches of those 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 coun-
try some people stimulate the branches
distributed to the mucous membrane of
the nose by taking snuff. The late Lord
Derby, when translating Homer" wal
accustomed to eat branded cherries.
One mar will eat figs while composing
a leading article; another will suck
chocolate creams; others will smoke
cigarettes, and others sip brandy and
water. By these means they stimulate
the Unequal and buceal branches of the
nerves, and thus redexly excite their
brains. Alcohol appears to excite the
circulation through the brain refexly
from the mouth, and to stimulate the
heart reaexly from the stomach, even
before it is absorbed into the blood.
Shortly after it has been swallowed,
however. it is absorbed from the stom-
ach, and passed with the blood to the
heart, to the brain, and to other parts OF
the system, upon which it then
begins to act directly. Under its in
fuence the heart beats more quickly,
the blood Gil yulates more freely; and
thus the functional power of the vari-
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
on the system may be described a. one
of progressive paralysis. The higher
centers suffer first, and the Judgment is
probably the first quality to be i'm.
paired. One of the most esteemed nov.
elists of the present day informs me
that, although he can take a great deal
of wine without its having any apparent
effect on him, yet a single glass of sherry
is enough to take the fine edge off his
intellect. He is able to write easily and
fuently in the evening after taking din.
ner and drinking wine, but what he
then writes will not bear his own crit.
cism next morning, although, curiously
enough, it may seem to him excellent al
the time of writing. AS the effect Of
alcohol progresses Judgment becomes
still further impaired, although the 9th.
er faculties of the mind may remain moi
only undiminished by the direct action
of alcohol upon the brain, but greatly
increased by the general excitement Of
the circulation. The imagination may
thus be more vivid than usual, and the
emotions more lively, and both, being
more or less liberated from the contro.
of the judgment, manifest themselves il
sparkling wit or whitening invective
Sheridan is said to have delivered hi
greatest speech under the influence o.
two bottles of champagne, which he hal
swallowed at a single draught; and ii
persons of over-cautious Temperament
and t~oo-reserved manners the remova
of the restraint under which they ha
bitually act renders them, for the time
more sociable and agreeable. By-and
by, however, the other parts of the nerv
GUS system are successfully weakened
the tongue stammers, the vision be
comes double, the legs fail, and the maj
falls insensible. 1t is evident, then
that only the first stages of alcoholic &C
ton are at all beneficial, the latter stage
being as clearly injurious.