Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-06-14
The MisehievOus ice Pitcher"

DIR. Nilllsm A. Hammond. surpeon-
general of the United States ARMY, rstir-
ed, has come out uusquivocslly as a tenn
peranee manor rather, total shstaiuer.
Ii Is nof, however, sga' INST the drinking
of whisky, brandy, gin, rum, cordislS,
wine, ale or beer, that he iaveishs, bpt
the lnduls eace in ice w tea bever,
age which may be found upon the speak
efs desk at every tenn perGuce meeting
held IL the country. The doctors views
are expressed in 8 paper entitled "The
Mischleviops lee Pitcher" published in
the June number OF the North American
Review, and are very pointed. Among
other things he tells of diseiller who,
when lying upon his deathbed, repeuteS
of the evil he had done and added s codi-
Gil TO his will, providing funds for fur
nlshing ice water without cost 10 sill nsr-
sons who should come to the iaii of a cart
which should be per SetuslIy driven
through the streets III the town in which
ne had liveI- Or. Hammond SAYS that.
while 1t Is unlikely that the icz water
claimed IS many victims as did the dis
tiller's whisky, he has no doubt tAat the
milder beverage did It's share in reduciu,
| the population.
The ice water vice, the writer saws, WAS
originally American, but has now extend
ed ans Is becoming very general in Great
Britain and Ireland, where ice water
| brigades' are everywhere forming, pre-
| sumabiy As aoJuncts of tine temperance
| work. He Is not prep pared TO accept the
theory that the prevalence of the habit
| In America is due to the ease and cheap-
nese with whi,h ice can be procured. for
| the reason that In Sweden, Norway.
Switzerland and the mountain regions OF
| India aud Soath America, where the same
conditions exist 1t Is unknown.
The taste of ice water Is acquired and
| its use is purely a habit rs Is that of al
chohol or tobacco. Give a little child jcs
water and it will make q wry face and
! probably cry; induce an Indian in firra
| natural to drink glass and he will sput-
| ter for five minutes. To the uuacustomed
drinker it gives actual pain ana brings
to all undoubted injury.
| In speaking of It's effect upon the sys-
tenn. Dr.. Hamm ond calls attention to a
very important part of the nervous sys-
tenn, the solar plexus, lying directly be
| hind the stomach. A severe blow lust
over the nerve center, will produce death
| as instantRneously as would a stab in the
! heart. 1t Is the shock to this gsnpIion
that kills many women who are kicked III
| the abdominal region By a brutal hus-
| band ana It is similar shock that caussf
| death or taiutuesI when one kicks his
| stomach 10y the luurGlnate use Of ice WA ter
| The Intensely cold drink acting upon the
| plexus reduces or arrests the action ot
| the heart and in proportion to the ser,
| iousuess of this effect is the result.
DR.. Hammond says that the use of ice
| water at meals IEI pairs the sense of tasfe
| by reducing the temperature of the Mouth
| that the blood vessels, naturally enlarged
| during the process of digestion, are by
its use contracted. and the secretion OF
the gastric juice Is reduced, eau sing indi.
gestiou aud dyspepsia; that very ohstin-
ate diarrhea is a direct result of the sh i
| to the Intestinal system, and that ther,
is reason to believe that the same iudul
gence causes cancer of the stomach and
perhaps Bright's disease.
The worst offenders, the writer says, are
the druggists and others who sell mineral
waters from fountains. These waters are
usually more or less saline and are sold a.
a degree OF temperature below the fretz
| ing point of ordinary water. He says
that water never should be drank at a de
gree of cold lower than so degrees
| Fahrenheit, which is easily reached by
allowing the water to run from any house
faucet or pumping for few moments
| from we'll
The Cubaus manage this matter better
than we do. They have dainty Jug o
a plain, porous kind of pottery which
keeps the water, even iii their tropica
| climate, at a uniform temperature, Jul
of water is kept in every room and no 20
| is used. The water is always cool, anC
until this taste is vitiated by the use OF
ice water, the drRught is more refreshing
| that that which d,adeus the taste and
| harms the $ stomach.