The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1885-10-30
TEMPEnANCE ITEMS
Furnished by tho w Il U snpcrintend-
WHY THE DRAM pnINKER's NOSE is RED.

ent.
WHY THE DRAM DRINKERS NOSE is RED.
II not presumed that many readers of this
paper are afflicted in the manner described IN
the following article from the pen of DR. J b
Johnson In the Medical and Surgical Reporter
but some subscriber may have an acquaintance
who is puzzled to know why his nose has be-
come red and umpy, and to him the intorma.
ton here given may be useful If not crafty
ing
1t may be reasonably supposed that when
the dram drinker looks upon his face in the
glass, and sees that his nose Is red, he would be
anxious to know the exact cause Of such con-
dition, anG why, the more alcohol he drinks,the
greater becomes the redness; and also why an =.
cry looking bumps after while make their ap
pearance on the end and sides of the nose 1t
may not be out of place to tell him, in com
monplace way, the cause; for he Is but little
aware, as he looks at mis- nose, that, as it is red
dened and congested by an unnatural supply of
blood, go all the respective organs of his body
are keptin state OF unnatural redness and con-
eestion by the hasinal use OF alcohol. Ii he
could see his brain, stomach, liver, lungs, heart,
and kidneys in his mirror, as he secs his nose,
be would find each OF those organs in precisely
the same condition as that presented by his
nose; and this congestion of the vital organs
explains to him the unc ,mfortable manner in
which their functions are performed
When in perfect health, the function OF the
organs of the body are SO quietly performed
that man forgets that he has lungs and heart
In fact, bis general condition is SO good that he
never thinks about his internal organs but tais
is not so with the habtual drinker of alcoholic
compounds. The alcohol which he drinks
keeps his organs in the same reddcned and con-
-gested coNdition as his nose, ard he is always
complaining that his head actes or feels hot,
iooi,h, and confused, that Re does not sleep
well, and has startings ID jeikings Of his
limbs in his sleep; his appetite Is capricious,
his kidneys do not act WELL ard he has pains
in bis limbs and back, or his heart feels uneasy
and has spells of papitatiol, and his lungs do
not perform their duty in manner to make
him feel at ease. He is nervous, tremulous, and
easily startled; his liver is disordere1, he has a
bad taste in bis mouth, and his tongue is coat
ed with thick, white fur, accompanied by ie
versh and thirsty sensations about his throat.
When the dram drinker presents or complains
Of these symptoms, he may, without the slight
est mistake, conclude that the alcohol has irr-
taied his whole system, and that every organ
of his body is in the same redeemed and unnat.
ural condition as that presented by bis nose.
The heart is double organ, constituting
within the body force pump,the day of which
is to receive two streams of blood, and to act
upon them in manner which necessitates the
duty OF sending two streams of blood in differ
ent directions. 1t has, likewise, two sets Of
vessels. The duty of one set of vessels is to
carry the blood from the heart throughout the
entire body, while the duty of the other set of
vessels is to carry the blood back from the en-
tire body to the heart to be sent to the lungs to
meet with the air. by which it is purified. This
explains how it is that the dram drinkers
breath always smells of alcohol. The alcohol
when taken into the stomach passes into pure
state into the blood, and when the blood, thus
mixed with alcohol, is sent there by the action
OF the heart to the lungs, the alcohol Is there
taken up by the air in the lungs, and breathed
out on the air by the oct of breathing. S)me-
times the breath is SO loaded with alcohol, that
as it escapes, IL will appear luminous, and
can be plainly seen to be luminous when the
long practiced dram drinker breathes in the
ark.
Tae vessels which carry the blood from the
heart throughout the body arc called arteries :
those that bring it back TO the heart are called
veins. The veins collect the blood from the
organs and remote parts of the body as rapid
" as the arteries send the blood to such organs
and remote parts OF the body. If the heart,
therefore, sends the blood to the different Or
gans and parts of the body more rapidly than
the VEINS can collect it, then more work is put
upon the veins than they can perform, and tue
result is stagnation or congestion or the
amount of blood sent in excess by the arteries
for the veins to gather. Hence, rs the dram
drinkers heart beats about thirteen times often
err in the minute than the heart of one who
a.;.I- aIoo,,ol ,ho ,,tor,o, a., oo,so
does nos alinh aeoao ~. a. el.os ~ .oasS
q"e ,hc h ~ NJ. =, the dran, drner.s nose more
rssn;dIv Than the veins carry Il hack and the
HOOD remains cougested ia the oyertiiied YES !.
sells and gives the nose, face and meek of the
dram drin ker habi,ual redness SO stagnant
is the blood thus congestel in the overflled
vessels that when the nose, face and neck of the
dram drinker suddenly meet current of cold
air, they Immediately turn purple and retain
the hue until the warm air again restores them
10 tneir unhealthy reuheSs' ue pioou thus