The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-01-23
W oman,s Temperance Column.
The Lord Of Hosts IS 10Th as, the God
Of Jacob is oar refuge"
TEMPERANCE.
a Conversion that Has Accomplished Great
Things.

Among The many recent converts to
total abstinence none are more impor-
tant, and none are cXerting a wider in |
fluence, than DIR. Richardson. Stand |
ing. as he does, in the forefront Of the |
medical profession, his opinions aud
testimony are of immense value.
His conversion To temperance views
is most remarkable. He has not been
Influenced by moral, social, or religious
considerations, but solely by those that
are scientific. Till within the last ten
years, he tells us, he had paid little at
tetion 10 the temperance question, re-
gardiDg it merely as one amongst the
many philanthropic attempts to grapple
with our national intemperance, an at
tempt in which the generous and godly
sacrificed themselves for the sake of the
vicious and drunken.
AT the British Association of 1854
he gave the results of long series OF
experiments on the nature and action
of ahDsthelics. So much interest was
eXcited Nv bis paper that lie was re-
qnesltu 10y the Association to take up
thd whole series Of substances of that
class, aud to give ut another meeting
the results oi his experiments and ex-
aninail'is. lie c ,nsented, and this
I'D hini, while hot an abstainer, Ia
study the physiological action of aIco-
hul.
lie very soon discovered that the ac-
ton of alcohol was The same in its char
! actcr as was the case with the chemi-
cal substances aud narcotic agents that
had previously come before him.
There were four distinct stages of action
in the effect of alcohol on the body.
The first stage was one of some little
excitement, during which the body OF
the person or animal subjected became
Il little flushed, aud the temperature OF
its surface little raised. La the sec
ond excitement The flushing was little
increased, while the temperature was n
little more raised, but it soon began to
tall. Then followed a third stage, in
which these SYMPTOMS or phenomena
changed somewhat, the whole of tn,
muscular or nervous system becoming
unsteady, whilst the thermometer show
ed the temperature of the body to be
lower. The fourth stage was when the
whole body was Wing PROSTATE, iuseu.
sible, and the muscular system entirely
DESTROYED rs to function, the nervous
system as to direction, whilst the tenn.
pcralure was three or tour degrees low
cr.
One other obsery alton Of telling mo-
mcnt was wi Is respect to the action OF
The heart. In The first case there was
quickened action; in the second stage.
| still quicker action, followed by reduced
action; i'll the third aud urth stages
this reduction of The action was contii-
ned until ut last it was brought down,
at the termination of the fourth degree
Or stage, to an extremely low point i'll
deed. .....
The whole of his researches were
conducted in 1869, without any chang,
of life on his part. For experimental
purposes, however, he thought it nee
cssary to abstain. A new light then
dawncd upon him. lie found that he
slept better, that his power over work
Increased, and that his appetite and di.
gesiion were improved. He began t.
think that the sympathetic speakers
teetoialors were right, and that it
would be best for him to abstain. But
there was socia difficulty in The way,
and great difficulty it proved. Iii,
mind. however. after a few years was
made up, and he determined, as there
was no use in the agent, aud as undel
its influence some ply steal degeneration
must take place in his organism, thai
he would join the band of total abstain
ers.
Having taken this position, he was
not long in making it known. His pen
and voice have been most energeticall,
employed, and the value of bis services
has been immense. The whole medi-
cal world owns his power and is dill
gently examining his position; while,
backed by his authority, the advocates
II temperance feel that in urging men
to abstain they can appeal 10 their self
shness as wei as to their philanthropy, .
aud eau show them That in blessing
'lhrr they themselves will he blessed
! The (London) Methodist Temper
ance Magazine.