New-York tribune., 1883-03-18
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
ru,NK1NG DRINKING AND SMOKING.

delp!a: j. Il. Lpp4neO3t & CO' M1uO"0"'OA' 49,
Haywood SOU.
Tba editor OF tins little volume has made a CON
tribution bo II interesting and valuable to the S.ndy
of The effect of grimulants upon mental activity.
He has taken pans TO collect personal OPINIONS ana
exrerjences from men distinguished III literature
and science. and has thereby arrived at coneluFonS
which oueht 10 be seIv,csable to thinkers These
conclusions arc as follows: (l) Iha, alcohol and
,ohocco ar, of no value 10 Il heating student. l2)
That the most vigorous thinkers ana hardest work
ors abstain from bolh stimulanis. 81 That those
who have tried both moderation aud total aDs1-
nence find the Ia or the more hcaltlful practice.
(4) That almost every bran-workcr wonid be t'e
better for abstinence. lJ That the most abs rnse
calculations may be made and the most Iapoflous
mental worl, performed without artificial stimulus.
(6) Thltall work done under the influence Of aico-
bol Is unhealthy work. (7 That The only pure
brain sfimulants are external Ones-fresh air. cold
water. walking riding, and other outdoor exer-
Clses.
Not one of the eminent men whose letters Mr.
Reade prints has resOrted to alcohol + 7 lIspiFa-
ton as stimulus to thoGght, though many o. them
use il moderately as a support under CONDITIONS OF
mental and physical exhaustion Mr. GLADSTONE
has always absalned from the use OF very SIrohg
and fiery stimulants, and smoking he dete'tS. lie
drinks one glass or two OF claret at lunchron the
same at dinner, with the addition OF light port Inc
use OF wine to this extent especially necessary 10
him at the time of greatest intellectual cNcruoh'
But he takes il of course not excite his mind to
greater ucidity and power but to repair the pnysl
cal strength constantly exhausted by the action oi
the brain and the encOmpaSsing and ertanghng
nerves mon the BODY. II is worth noting That
when Ittr6 the French philosopher, felt tue strain
upon his system produced by continuous thought
lie repaired his natural forces with doses OF fIult
iely or Jam, pots Of which he kept conveniently al
hand in his study. The late Professor Charles Oar
wins theory hardly accorded with his practice III
The matter of alcohol. =" drink a glass OF WINE
daily" he wrote in February of last year, wheu he
was seventy three years old, and believe should
he better without any, though all doctors urge me
10 drink wine. as suffer much from giddiness.
taken snuil all ms life and regret that ever ac-
oured the habit, winch | have often tried 70 leave
of. and have succeeded for a time. feel ,ure i IS
q great stimulus and aid in my work. l also daily
smoke two little paper cigarettes of Turkish to-
baccO This is not a stimulus, but rests me
after l have been compelled 10 tiIS,
with tired memory more than anythlng els.
Dr. Henry Maudsley does not consider alcohol or
tobacco TO he IN the least necessary or beneficial to
"a person who is n good health. / AIN OF opinion
he saws that any snppnsed necessity OF one or inc
other TO the hardest or best mental bodily WORK by
sach person. is purely fancifu lie VIII certainty
90 harder and souuder work without them. am
speaking of course, of person in health; 10y per-
son not in health they may be used properly. from
time to time. as any other drug would be used DR..
Oliver Wendell Holmes nolds much tue same opin-
ions. He prefers an entirely undisturbed and I'M
clouded brain for mental work, unstinuiatej 10y
ANYTHING stronger than tea or coffee, unaffected by
tobacco OF other drugs. His faculties are the best
under his control in the forenoon, between break
fast and lunch The only intellectual u,e he cOuld
find in stimuants is the quckened mental action
they induce when taken IN company lie thinks
ideas may reach the brain when slightly stimulated,
which remain after the stimulus has ceased to Gls-
tn1b its rlythms He does not ha1itually use any
drink stronger than water. lie has no perenrtory
rule having no temptation to indulgence but ap-
>proachpg near to abs nence he grows older. He
dofs not believe that any stimulus is of advantage
10 healthy student. unless now and then socially.
IN the intervals of mental labor" DR.. Holiness
suggestion as TO ideas reaching the brain when
slightly stimulated is borne out by statement oil
IThackerays that he got some OF his best thoughts
when driving home from dining out with his skin
full of wine" DR.. Balm. who quotes this statement,
adds: "That man might get chance suggestions
by the nervous excitement nave no doubt | speak
OF the serious work of composition. John stuart
Mill never used toDacco believe lie had always
moderate quantity of wine to dinner. He tre-
ouently made the remark that lie believed the Civ
ing no of VINE would be apt to be followed by
taking mole food than was necessary, merely for
the sake of stimulation. Assuming the use OF
stimulants after work to aid the subsidence of the
BRAIN can quite conceive that tobacco may oper-
ate in this way as often averred hut should have
supposed that any single stimulant would have
been enough tobacco for these abstaining en-
trey from alcohol, and using little tea or coffee"
d. Balm himself finds abstinence from alcohol and
tea essential to intellectual effort; they induce
false excitement not compatible with severe appll-
cation to problems Of difficulty.
While Professor Tyndall does not think that any
general rule eau DO laid down he is OF the opinion
that that man is happiest who is organized az TO
be able to dispense with the of both alcohol and
tobacco. Some powerful thinkers. he says are
very considerable smokers while other powerful
thinkers would have been damaged, if not III ned,
by the practice; and a similar remark applies in
the case of alcohol. Sir William Thomson thinks
that neither tobacco alcohol IS of the slightest
consequence as stimulus or help to intellectual
efforts but that either may be used without harm or
the reverse if in small enough quantities so as not
tu hurt the digestion. Mr.. Matthew Arnold has little
positive suggestion to contribute. 81 have never
smoked" lie writes " and have always drunk wine
chiefly claret."
for myself OF course there is the danger OF
excess but healthy nature and the power OF SELF
contrOl being pTcsuppOsed, one can hardly 90 bet
Itrr | should think than "fOow nature 81 as to
what one drinks and it's times and quantity. AS
IA general rule drink water IN the middle OF the
DAY; aud glass Oi two OF sherry, and some lIgnt
caret, mixed with water, at late dinner and this
seems to suit me very well. have given up beer IN
the middle Of the day, not because / experienced
that il did not suit me. but because the doctor as
sured me that il was bad for rheumatism. from
(which | sometimes suffer. i suppose most young
people could do much without wine as with 1t.
Real brain work of itself, | think upsets the
worker, and makes him bIlious wine Will not cure
This nor will abstaining from wine prevent 1t,
But in general wine used in moderation seems to
add to the agreeabIeness of lfe-iOr adults at any
rate; and whatever adds to the agreeabeness of
lie adds TO lis resources and powers.