Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-01-17
THE USE OF ALCOHOLs.
Temperance Viewed from a Solen-
tific Standpoint.

lowing result, as published In Casselrs
Family Magazine:
"Well, now" said DIR. Richardson, "you
want me to tell you how / came TO take up
my position on the temperance question
In 1863 and for year or two before, 1 had
been making some original researches into
the properties Of a rare chemical substance
named nitric of amyl At that time
lectured on physiology at the college of den
tistry, and Mr. Morrison of Edinburg, who
was member Of the council, brought this
nitric of amyl to the college, and it was
handed to me to experiment upon The late
Prof. Guthrie had shown it to Morrison,
telling him that, in distill:ng it, it caused
flushing of the face soon discovered
that It had an extraordinary effect upon the
circulation, that it quickly made the face
bright red, owing TO the RAPID filling Of
the blood-vessels, and that it speedily sent
up the beats Of the heart.
''There Ifeel il now," added the doctor,
after breathing the vapor for a few mo-
ments from an inhaler. ~ feel the glowln
And, sure enough, his cheeks were suffused
with blood-redcrimsonl
"Well read a paper on the subject at
Newcastle in 1853; 1t was considered Of
great interest, and / brought it up next year.
Then went on to enquire into the methyl
series, and so step by step continued, re-
porting every year until, in 1866, l began
with the alcohols. twas at one time sup
posed there was only one OF these, but there
are now known to be several. Now, the
first great fact that startled me when ex-
aiming into the alcohols was that they un-
questionably lowered the temperature Of the
body. l did not then know that any one
else had noticed this before me; but know
now that two or three others-Dr. John
Davy (brother of Sir Humphrey, DIR. Rae,
the Arctic explorer, and DR.. Lees OF Leeds,
had all sevcca ly suspected this fact; but
they had not proved il by experimental re-
search My great point was a demonstra-
ton by scientific instruments-by the per-
feet therm )metcrs now made. proved my
point TO. only on men, but on the lower
specially on pigeons, which show
changes Of temperGrature rapidly and
was able to prove tc demonstration that
alcohol reduced the temperature Of the
bodies OF animals.
Il announced this at Birmingham in 1856.
There was good deal Of exception taken to
IT, DIR. Hoaton of Leeds was of opinion the
experiments might be doubtful because they
were not all conducted in tho same tempera-
ture; andDr Helburne King Of Hull thought
that as one thermometer rad been used
throughout there might be tome error. 1
thought myself this was q pcl0t likely 10 OBJ
tain accuracy. Bus still deferred publish
ing my address in order 20 make further in
Quiries.
Everything confirmed my previous
statements. After temporary flush on the
surface OF the body, due TO the action Of the
alcohol on the blood-vessels, there is re-
duction of temperature which reaches its
maximum at period Of complete intoxica-
ton"
"Thon how is it, doctor, people say alcohol
warns Them"
Because they feel the action on the sur
face" was the prompt reply, as though DR..
Richardson had often been asked that ques-
ton before, and was quite prepared to reply
TO it.
1T is just like putting your hand before
the fire. continued he, placing his hand mo-
montarily before els bright stove, which the
chilly morning rendered welcome. You
get heat on the surface, and feel it. And
there is another illustration l have often
used it is like putting your hand into snow;
your fingers are numbed, but in the reaction
which takes place, the blood is driven to the
surface, and you get the sensation Of heat.
"Weil, then, that was the first step-the
startling fact that alcohol lowers tempera-
ture. Now for the second. This came from
the study of an@sthetcs. From the time of
their Introduction in 1916 had been much
interested in them. / remember as 'twere
but yesterday sitting with fellow students
in the anatomical theatre of Anderson's
College, Glasgow waiting for our professor,
DIR. Moses Buchanan. He was delayed, and
when at length be appeared he was so moved
by the news he heard that he could scarcely
deliver it viz. news which had come from
America that surgical operations could be
f1arsfqIvnnd without min hU iphqliOar tho
vapor Of ether, and that the experiment was
about 10 be performee that day at the Royal
Infrmary! Little more was thought of
then. The students trooped in a body TO
witness the sight.
"Soon afterwards / began to make an in
haler, which gained me the friendship of the
late DR. John Snow, one of the earliest and
most sHillful administrators Here is an in
haler made in 1S49" fetching one from q
drawer in the clinical room) 'for the better
inhalation Of ether. Then l began to test
other agents for anesthesia and altogether
have introduced fourteen anesthetic sub
stances, one of which, methylene, has been,
and still is, largely used. / am now on re-
search for another which hope will be best
of them all.
I'm watching the action Of alcohol, found
there were just the same four degrees or
stages as in the action of an8sthetics: viz,
simple excitement without insensibility; ex-
element with commencing insensibility; in
SenSlDlllty Absolute, ana, lastly, Qealn-llke
insensibility. | came, therefore, to the con-
clusion that alcohol does not act after the
manner of food, but of a chemical sub
stance like an an9sthetic. This then was
the second step.
This was followed up by tracing the
changes and the notifications which take
place in the body from the continued use of
alcohol. i was always close student of the
registrar generals returns, and was struck
by the enormous mortality Of persons deal
ing in alcohol; tenth part of the deaths are
due TO its use. This is now well-sustained
fact. 1 connected il with the changes of or
gans of the body induced by alcohol, and ex-
tended the research by tracing the action of
all the manageable alcohols, besides the
common one, with particular reference TO
the effects of solubilty and weight, and l
concluded that fatal diseases could be def
nitely induced by alcOhol-slow as well as
acute poisoning could arise from IT, with de
generation and complete change of the
structure of the heart, the liver, the lungs,
and other internal organs.
I'VE have now, then, reached the third
step, or third conclusion: viz, that alcohol
is prolific cause Of death, and Of great harm
to the internal organs of the body; it is, in
fact, in its ordinary use, a slow poison"
Interrupting the thread of tho narrative
moment, we suggested the questions
"What Is the alcohol Uncommon useV
1.-THE ethvlic. This is the alcohol invari-
ably found in Intoxicating drinks. IL would
be called common alcohol, and as il is more