Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-08
THE PHYSIOLOGY OF ALCOHOLICS"

Il Lecture by DR.. Wii{iant B. Carpenter an
Tren.ont Temple, Sunday -4fternoOn-The
ErU Effects of Stromy Drink on the Hal
man System.
William B. Carpenter, NJ. D., F. R. S..of
England, delivered an address on ''The
Physiology of !! ..Alcoholics,' in fremont
Temple, Boston, Sunday afternoon. Mr..
Carpenter is a gentlemen of considerable
reputation as a scientist, and he has recent
ly given series of lectures at the Lowell
institute. His presence in Boston afforded
an opportunity for prominent citizens to
invite him to speak about the effects of al
cohol upon the human body, a subject to
which he has given much attention. Gov.
Long presided. Rev. E. E. Hale and Rev.
A. A. Miner occupied seats upon the plat
form and the audience filled the temple
and balconies. The first point the speaker
brought to attention was that no toxicolo-
gist who is familiar with the action of
poisons upon the human body has the
slightest hesitation in saying that alcohol
is poison. He admitted that in the great
majority of instances, when taken in small
doses, it is very, very slow poison. but he
did not regard its action as less sure be-
cause it is slow. Experience in various di-
rections goes to show that life is shortened
and disease induced by the habitual and
even very moderate indulgence in alcoholic
liquors. In the view Of the Psychologist
the soundness of the mind is unquestion-
ably most Intimately related to the sound
ness of the body. To obtain and MAIN
tain this soundness of action, the physiol-
| ogist rests upon this fundamental prlnci-
Ia hat ba 1cho Ia
| we'll oxygenated, that it shall carry!to every
portion of the body its appropriate nour-
| ishment. If we stop the supply of oxy-
genated or send badly oxygenated blood to
the brain or to the muscle, the effect is at
this is water. It is probably certain that
solvent power of the gastric juice which
acts upon the food taken into the stomach.
The only possible way in which alcoholic
fluids can improve digestion is by slight
temporary increase in the quantity of
fluid secreted; and that temporary increase
in healthy body is always followed by a
subsequent diminution, and, therefore, we
do not get any good in the end. The blood
may be considered as consisting of a
liquid, in which the red corpuseles float.
|
blood, and the red particles are essentially
the carriers of oxygen from the lungs to
the different parts of the body, and the car
riers back of carbonic acid to the lungs.
The great mass of blood consists of water,
and anything but water is not only 80 much
surplusage, but so much that is foreign to
the blood. The Introduction of alcohol to
the blood can do nothing but mischief. It
/ {1o of <hn
corpuscles and causes them to run together;
and if they run together and clog they
do not expose that very large surface to
is oxygenated. The next effect is upon the
respiratory process, than which there is
nothing more important except the main
healthful body there is wonderful har-
ton and the proportion of circulation are
suited to our requirements. This wonder
full adjustment of the system takes place
of itself in the healthy body, and anything
that disarranges it can do nothing but
harm. DR.. Richardson's researches have
shown that, whereas the basal motor sys-
tenn controls the caliber of every vessel of
every part, according to the requirement
of that part, it also controls the action of
the heart and the respiratory movement
While the basal motor system does all this
its action is disturbed by the introduction
of alcohol, especially by the relaxation of
the vessels, so that they become overlooked
with blood in the body, and especially in
the nervous system. That gives us a clew
to that feeling of warmth and exhilaration
which is the first effect of the introduction
of these disturbing agencies. This genial
glow is simply the result of the motion
of the capillary vessels in the skin to al
low larger quantity of blood to come to
the surface and thus gives us the feeling of
superficial warmth. If larger quantity
of blood comes to the surface, larger
amount of heat radiates from the surface.
The result is that in very short time after
wards the temperature of the body falls
instead of rising, and that genial warmth
gives place to depression and chilling, es-
pecially when we are exposed to sudden
cold. In the same way, temporary ex-
hilaration of the nerve system is followed
by corresponding depression. Mr.. Car
penter went on to state cases within his
knowledge, to show that the theory that
alcohol is a heat-prOducing power is falla-
cious. The first action of alcohol upon the
stomach is to increase the secretion of
gastric juice. But why should we provoke
what Is really not required for the diges-
tive action? We do this at the expense of
subsequent loss, as we provoke this genial