The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-01-10
The Fifth Pair.
Thought BY Acts which have been Re-
garded as Habits Merely.

lDr. Leander Brunton in Contemporary Review.l
There are two nerves, known as the fifth pair,
which are distributed to the skin of the head
and mouth. These nerves are closely connect
ed with the heart and vessels, and By stimu-
latibg their branches the circulation may be
greatly influenced, as in the case Of fainting.
1t is curious fact that the people of all ma
tions 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 forehead, and 9TH
ers stroke or pull their boards, thus stimulat-
ing the occipital, frontal or mental branches OF
those nerves. Many Germans, when thinking.
have habit Of striking their fingers against
their noses, and thus stimulating the nasal
cutaneous branches; while in this country some
people stimulate the branches distributed to
the mucous membrane OF the nose, by taking
snuff. The late Lord Derby, when translating
Homer, was accustomed to eat branded cher
ries. One man will eat figs while composing
leading article; another will suck chocolate
cremes; another will smoke cigarettes, and 9TH
ers sip brandy and water. By these means
they stimulate the lingual and baceal branches
Of the fifth nerves, and thus refsxly excite
tuotE uEhiuS AiCOuUl appears W o1Citd tuo
circulation through the brain reflexlg from the
mouth, and to stimulate the heart ref1sxly from
the stomach, even before it is absorbed into the
blood. Shortly after it has been swallowed,
however, it is absorbed from the stomach, and
passes with the blood to the heart, to
GUS system, upon which 1t then begins
to act directly. Under its influence the
heart beats more quickly, the blood crculates
more freely, and thus the functional power Of
A. Il l. Al ~
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 ss one of progressive psraly-
sis The higher centres suffer frst and the
Judgment Is probably the first quality to be i'm
paired. One of the most esteemed novelists of
the present day informs me that although he
can take great deal of wine without its hav-
ing any apparent effect on him, yet 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 dinner
and drinking wine; but what be 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, judgment becomes still
further impaired, although the other faculties
of the mind may remain not only undiminished
by the direct action of alcohol upon the brain,
bat 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 control of the Judgment, manifest
themselves in sparkling wit or whitening in
vective. Sheridan is said to have delivered bis
greatest speech under the influence OF two bot
ties of champagne which he had swallowed at
g single draught; aud with persons of over-cau-
tous tenn permanent and too reserved manners the
removal of the excessive restraint under which
they hsbitually act renders them, for the time,
more sociable and agreeable BY and by, how
ever, the other parts Of the nervous system are
successfully weakened the tongue stammers,
the vision becomes docble, the legs fail and
the man falls insensible. It is evident, that
only the first stages of alcoholic action are az
all beneficial, the latter stages being as clearly
ip iurious,