New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1888-02-01
(Written for the Review.)
Effects of Stimulants and Narcotics
on the Human System.
VII.

VII.
21. ALCOHOL AND THE BRAIN. - In
small doses, alcohol is stimulant; in
large doses, a narcotic. This state
ment is a key to the various effects of
alcohol on the brain.
A small dose of alcohol increases the
blood-suppJy to the brain by dilating
the small arteries of that organ. There
is no evidence whatever which would
show that the slightly congested condl-
ton thus produced differs in any essen
tial particular from the congestion
which invariably accompanies the ac-
tivity of the brain known as thinking );
and it is quite consoling to those who
are not total abstainers, that ex.Gov.
st. John cannot prove, at the rate of
$50 night, that the moderate use of
alcoholics is working the ruin of the
nation, without brain as congested, al
least, as that of a person who has taken
moderate dose of alcohol. Even the
author of that profound argument. "a
man who never drinks liquor will get
well, where drinking man would
surely die" could not have penned that
sentence with an uncongested brain,
though, judging from the quality of
the production. the congestion must
have been very slight indeed. It is not
claimed that small dose of alcohol
will. by stimulatig the brain, stimulate
thought to such ali extent that a person
who has not mastered the three RS
will understand the proceedings of a
medical or scientific congress, or the
lectures delivered at the Concord
School of Philosophy. Neither alcohol
nor total abstinence will do that. But
it is claimed that small dose of alco.
hol causes the same increase of activity
in the brain which without it is pro.
duced at the call of the will. Alcohol
is not necessary for mental activity; the
statement, however, that those who use
alcoholics in moderation 'cannot think
so Well' as those who never use them,
may safely be left for contemplation to
those whose brains are not subject to
any perceptible degree of congestion.
1t is generally believed that the cells
OF the gray substance of the brain are
instrumental in the act of thinking,
while the little tubes of the white sub
stance, which are continued into the
nerves. serve for the transmission of
impulses. The dilatation of the arte-
rioles of the;brain beyond certain limit
produces a pressure upon all parts of
that organ. The communicating power
OF the white matter may thus be dimin-
ished, and the activity of the gray mat
ter lnterfered with. Excessive con-
gestion of the brain thus tends on the
one hand toward partial isolation of
that organ from other parts of the body,
and on the other, to a diminution of
mental activity. To what extent the
latter effect may be reinforced by any
direct action of alcohol upon the brain
cells is not known. It must not be
supposed, however, that these two ef-
fects OF alcohol are commensurate. "A
very little wine may spoil the chances
OF rlt1eman at shooting MATCH"
without interfering with his mental ac-
tiVity. The same holds true of con-
gestion produced by causes other than
alcohol. The pain of a wound re-
celved in battle is often unfelt until the
excitement Of the battle is over. The
aching of a tooth is often stopped by
the excitement consequent upon going
to the dentist to have it extracted" "Dr.
W. Hooker)
In alcoholic intoxication, the inter.
ruption Of communication between the
brain and the other organs of the body
is usually carried to a very high degree.
The muscles ''still act with force but
they have 40 guide, and they do not
a. r
strike q hard blow, but he cannot hit
straight. The muscles of his legs fail
to combine their action. They are at
cross-purposes, each contracting and
relaxing without the direction of GEN.
trail power" CDR. W. T. Smith.)
The effects of large doses of alcohol
upon the activity of the brain cells vary
greatly in different persons. These ef-
fects depend largely upon the kind of
alcohol, the degree of dilution, and the
constitution, temperament, health, oc-
cupation and age of the user. The
fusel oil alcohols appear to counteract
the sedative effects of larger doses Of
ethyl alcohol, and to rouse the brain to
a morbid activity which leads to the
raving characteristic OF insanity. The
physical condition of a person may be
such that gallon of beer imbibed with
in two or three hours will cause him to
lose all control of his limbs and to be-
come unconscious for number of
hours. Yet let the same person, within
the same time. take instead of beer a
pint of cheap whiskey, which contains
about as much alcohol as gallon of
beer, but in which small portion OF
the ethyl alcohol is replaced by
fusel oil alcohols, and he may be tempo.
rarily transformed into maniac with
a control over his limbs well-nigh as
perfect as during the sober state
In the case of the stomach, the liver
and the kidneys, the point at which
wholesome stimulation ceases und in.
reference with proper work begins,
may be approximately stated in terms
of the quantity of alcohol imbibed. AL
though the activity of these organs is by
no means the same in all persons. the
variations caused by physical condi-
tion. age and occupation are inscribed
within comparatively narrow limits.
It is far different, however, with the ac
tivity of the brain. Here we meet an
infinite 0iYerSitv from the thinking