The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-05-08
TEMPERANCE READING.
sTiMuLANTs.

| S eaAo Contlnue0 mO0erato Use CT Al
coholic Stimulants or Tobacco Shorten
| Human Life?
"hlle this question seems to be one
OF easy solution. as it is evidently one
OF incalculable interest to mankind. vet
from the fact that Numerically oppo-
site answers are given. it would indi-
cate that it is not yet very well under
stood by the masses, at least. To pet at
the philosophy of the question we must
know how the life processes are carried
on, and then how the stimulants named
affect the life processes when used as
| indicated.
The human organism is made up of
little cells, so small that single one
can not be seen by unaided vision, vet
each one of these little bodies has
life and mission of its own; and its
development, fulfllment of mission and
death are governed by organic law.
That it may fulfill its purpose in life its
law of life requires that certain eondi-
tons must be supplied to it; and when
ever these conditions are fully provided,
the little cell will never fail to fill its
mission perfectly and completely.
But the question may be asked where
are these little cells made and endowed
with the life principle? Of the
origin of the first living cells we do not
know, but we do know that vegetables
have the power of converting certain
mineral substances as carbonic acid,
ammonia. etc., into these little living
organisms and slowing them away in
their various structures, and then ami
mas and man can partake of these veg
etable products, and by the process of
digestion and assimilation they can
make them over into animal and human
tissues. 1t is true that the little cells
made by different families of vegetables
differ in composition, size, etc, and
that some classes of vegetables make
cells that if taken into the human body
will destroy its life at once, while other
classes of vegetables make just such
cells as will build up and sustain the
life of man. This difference of cell
formation runs through the human or
| ganism also, its various tissues being
made up different kinds of cells, but
they were all first elaborated in the
vegetable. The human organism has
no power OF changing the character of
the little cells that enter into the form
alton of its various tissues, it can only
build such as are suited into their prop
er places. The bony tissue requires
cells rich in phosphate of lime, mag
cells of albumen, the brain and
nerves, fatty albuminoid cells, rich
in phosphate, and so on through the
whole tissue formation; they must all
be made up of cells specially adapted to
the special purpose, and these cells are
always made by vegetable growth, and
if such are always properly used and all
other essential conditions supplied, the
human organism will be built up and
kept in good working order, and large
amount of reserve force will be stored
up in it for future use. But as every
functional action of the body consumes
portion of the organic structure, the
food regularly eaten must make good
the tissue thus consumed. or there must
be a draft upon the reserve tissue which
will be lowered to that extent
Now, the question occurs, how does
the use Of stimulants effect the normal
working of the human organism?
All persons are now agreed that the
effect of stimulant is to increase the
rate of functional action; and as every
functional action consumes a portion of
the tissue producing the action, it is sv-
ident the stimulant reduces the powers
of the organism to that extent, and to
make good the loss the rate of func-
tional action must be reduced after the
! effect of the stimulant has passed off, that
| the organism may regain what it has
thus lost. Hence, we find depression
of the vital force following the use of
all stimulants. This depression the 90
ahead American citizen can not submit
to, and therefore the stimulant must be
frequently repeated to keep up the in
creased ratio of action. To make this
| plain let us again appeal to physiological
teaching.
The normal rate of the hearts action
in the healthy adult engaged in vigor-
Gus labor is seventy-tive beats per
minute and the force of such action
| for twenty-four hours is sufficient to liA
| 100000 pounds one foot high. This may
seem incredible to many readers. but is
nevertheless verified fact, and is the
result of healthy action without stimu-
lants; and the iudicious use of proper
| foods will sustain the organism at this
rate without any loss Of power, if a
| proper amount of rest is taken to enable
| the food to be built up into the tissue
destroyed. But now suppose the indi-
| vidual takes a moderate amount of
stimulant with the same amount of
food and performs the same amount of
| labor, and what will be the results?
| To test this matter Drs. Parkes and
| WollowitZ, two eminent observers, tried
some experiments on healthy young
men by giving them varying amounts
of alcohol for six days in succession, be-
| ginning with two ounces the first day
and increasing to eight ounces on the
last. On this last day they found the
heart beat %, 488 times more during the
twentysfour hours than was its average
on a simple water beverage, and for the
six days the increased work of the heart
would have lifted $4,000 pounds one
foot high. Now, as the alcohol did not
| add any power to the organism, but
only increased the expenditure of the
power already in it, it is evident there
was an actual loss of force to that ex-
| tent, and this must be taken from the
reserve force already stored in the
body. The question then occurs, what
becomes CT the increased force brought
out by the alcohol, as it was not used in
any regular work?
We have found that the alcohol could
not be built into the tissue of the body,
| for it does not contain the normal cell
| formation; nor can it be burned in the
body for the evolution Of heat and
force, for it is the product of pre-
vious combustion; it is therefore
| dead matter which the organism
endeavors to get nd of as soon
as possible, and the increase of the
hearts work is expended for that OBJ
jeet 1t is therefore evident that much |
vital force was wasted, and to keep |
up the organism to its standard of
vigor, one OF two things must take |
place: either more nutritious food must |