The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-10-23
HOUSEHOLD REMEDIES.

ueduly III us louueucy Cndn Jne DelleL
that brandy, whisky, rum, gin, and
the alcoholic stimulants generally, are
necessary as domestic remedies. If
you value your children's best inter-
ests, never use wine or any of these
beverages upon your table. Never use
them for the ordinary ailments occur
ring in every household, for it is not,
necessary.
By alcoholic stimulants 1 mean
every thing which has alcohol in it,
however disguised in name or
character. Fruits and their juices, so
valuable when fresh, are as unfit to use
during fermentation as fermenting
food. The juice of apples fermented
becomes cider, and then takes its place
in the same class as wine, brandy,
whisky, rum and gin. These with ale,
beer, and the punches-egg nog and
mint iuleps-should be kept out of the
list of our home remedies as much as
strychnine and arsenic.
The plea that stimulants make those
who use them ''feel better and grow
fat is full of deception. The fat and
blood of those who use these articles is
never healthful In most guarded,
moderate drinkers, physicians never
expect the same favorable recovery
from sickness or injury as in one who
is extremely temperate.
In poSt-mortem examinations and
dissecting rooms, we see constantly
the character of this fat, or, rather,
bloat, which is so deceptive to the care
less observer. | have seen the fat of q
woman in high life, who had, for
few years previous to her death, "kept
up upon her regular potion of the
best brandy, show the same foul de-
generation as the fat of the common
drunkard This most undesirable ac--
emulation of adipose piles up about
the liver, kidneys, bowels and heart.
penetrates the intestines, between the
muscles, burdening and impeding the
natural action of the organs, until it
requires a goad of some kind to keep
them moving.
The more of such flesh any one ac-
| cumulates the weaker he will become;
it is no more a reason for satisfaction
than the pail of soap grease which
might, be carried in the hand Alco-
hol does not furnish nutriment to the
body or give real strength; during the
alcohlic fever there is an appearance
of strength which is wholly deceptive.
1t makes q fire so intense that the
whole system is reused to fever heat
and the brain to active congestion by
it. 1t is this forceful driving of the
brain and circulatory system while the
alcohol fever is on that gives the false
strength, and when the fierce fire sub
sides, leaves its subject so weak and
exhausted; for here as everywhere ac-
ton and reaction are equal, unnatural
eXcitements are followed by undue de-
preston.
A mlSchlevouS error, now misleading
many of our overworked men and
women, and shared, am sorry to say,
by many of our trusted physicians in
good standing, is that this class of
stimulants, from the purest brandy to-
the ale and beer in common use. are
valuable aids in securing sleep and are
comparatively harmless. 1t is true that
spirituous liquors, both in their moder-
ate and excessive use, do, after peri
cd of excitement. in most cases, pro-
duce sleep; but the rest thus obtained
is widely different from the simple,
quiet sleep of health; in natural sleep,
the blood vessels of the brain contract
and carry less volume of blood than
when in an active state, much as the
healthful tomach contracts upon itself,
emptying its large vessels partially,
during its period of rest.
Under alcoholic stimulants the ar
TOW, o. IL,
brain capillaries, become over filed and
distended with blood; for this reason,
the sleep thus secured is sleep like
the heavy sleep in apopleXy. The
walls of the capillaries under such re-
peated distension become more dilated
and dilatable. until the unnatural en-
gorgement is fixed and permanent and
the tissues are thickened, so that the
power to contract is lost by the natur-
ally elastic vessels. When such changes
have taken place in the brain, the nerv-
Gus system acts feebly, unless it is
goaded by that fierce alcoholic fire
which can make every passion demon
lac and uncomfortable, until the frenzy
is stilled in lethargic sleep. Every
period of rest thus gained is at the ex-
pense of future recuperative power.
1t requires three or four times as
much medicine to secure the same
good results in patient who has made
moderate habitual use of wine or other.
liquors, as it does in the perfectly tenn
perate individual of the same age and
general vitality.
Mothers, let me make to you an earn
est appeal: The home ade wine, the
sweetened brandy and water, hard cider
or nice gin sling taken hot, for a cold,
the tempting egg nog, or mint juleps,
or fine old Jamaica rum and molasses
are dangerous remedies. Mixed by
your hand, and given to your son or
daughter when they are chilly, little
run down or exhausted and must seep
up, or to relieve a severe attack of
pain, collie, indigestion or neuralgia,
the moral and physical effect will be
doubly dangerous. Your hand. of all
others, should not be the one to make
an opening in the embankment Of
habit which may flood your child's life
with destruction or your own heart
with bitter sorrow. --Cornelia Green,
in Union Signal.
THOMAS ROGERS, New York print