Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1885-09-04
WHY THE DRAM DRINK.
ER'S NOSE IS RED!

It may be reasonably supposed that
when the dram drinker looks upon his
face in the mirror, and sees that his
nose is red, he would be anxious to
know the exact cause of such condi-
tion; and why the more alcohol he
drinks, the greater becomes the red
ness; and also, why angry looking
bumps, after a while, make their ape
pearance on the top and sides of the
nose? He is but little aware as he looks
at his nose, that it is reddened and con-
gested by an unnatural supply of blood,
so all the respective organs of his body
are kept in a state Of unnatural redness
and congestion by the habitual use of
alcohol. II he could see his brain, stom
ach, liver, lungs, heart and kidneys in
his mirror, as he sees his nose, he would
find each of those organs in precisely
the same condition rs that presented by
his nose; and this congestion of the
vital organs, explains to him the uncom-
Portable manner in which their func-
tions are performed.
THK SYMPTOMS.
When in perfect health, the functions
of the organs Of the body are so quietly
performed, that man forgets that he
has lungs and a heart. In fact, his gen.
eral condition is so good, that he never
thinks about his internal organs; but
this Is not so with the habitual drinker
of alcoholic compounds. The alcohol
which he drinks, keeps his organs in
the same reddened and congested condi.
ton as his nose, and he is always COM
planning that his head aches, or feels
foolish and confused, that he does not
sleep we'll, his appetite is bad or capri
cious, that his kidneys do not act well,
or his heart and lungs are not perform
ing their duty in manner to make him
feel at ease. He is nervous, tremulOus
and easily startled, his liver is disorder
ed, he has bad taste in his mouth, and
his tongue is coated with thick white
fur, accompanied by feveTish and
thirsty nsation about his throat. When
the dram drinker presents or complains
of these symptoms he may, without the
slightest mistake, conclude that the al
cohol has irritated his whole system,
and that every organ of his body is in
the same Redeemed and unnatural con-
dition as that presented by his nose.
THE EXPLANATION.
The heart Is double organ constitute
ing within the body force pump, the
duty of which is to receive two streams
of blood, and to act upon them in man-
ner which necessitates the duty of send
ing two streams of blood in different
directions. 1t has likewise two sets of
blood-vessels. The duty of one set of
vessels is 20 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 entire
body to the heart to be sent to the lungs
to meet with the air by which it is pu-
rified. This explains how it is that the
dram drinkers breath always smells of
alcohol. The alcohol when taken into
the stomach, passes in pure state into
the blood; and when the blood thus
mixed with alcohol is sent by the ac-
ton of tia heart to the lungs, the alco-
hol is there taken up by the air in the
lungs, and breathed out on the air by
the act of breathing. Sometimes the
breath is so loaded with alcohol, that
the breath as it escapes will appear lu-
minous, and can be plainly seen to be
luminous, when the long practiced dram
drinker breathes in the dark.
How THE ORGANS ARE DISEASED.
The vessels which carry the blood
from the heart throughout the body are
called arteries. Those that bring 1t back
to the heart are called veins. The veins
collect the blood from the organs and
remote parts of the body, as rapidly as
the arteries send the blood to such or
gans and remote parts Of the body. If
the heart sends the blood to the different
organs and parts Of the body more rap
idly than the veins can collect it, then
more work Is put upon the veins than
they can perform, aud the result is q
stagnation or congestion of the amount
of blood sent in excess by the arteries
for the veins to gather. Hence, as the
dram drinkers heart beats about thir-
teen times oftener in the minute than
the heart OF one who does not drink al
cohol, the arteries, In consequence Of the
increased action of the heart, carry the
blood to the dram drinkers nose more
rapidly than the veins carry 1t back, and
the blood remains congested i'm the over
filed vessels, and gives the nose, the
face and neck Of the dram drinker an
habitual redness. So stagnant is the
blood thus congested in the overtilled
vessels, that when the nose, face and
neck of the dram drinker suddenly meet
. current of cold air they Immediately
turn purple. and retain this hue until