Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-22

so overpowering was the feeling of exhaus.
tion that he could hardly have raised his
arm, or even remain much longer in his
place, without the stimulant, which for
tunately was at hand. As We were at the
moment halfway up perpendicular wall
nearly 200 feet high, with little but mar.
row ledge to protect us from frightful
precipice below, I invite your readers to
quences of an accident would have been.
The Romans Indulged Regularly.
To its stimulant action also belongs the
good which alcohol may do to the process
Of digestion. Not only does 1t quicken the
desire for food, but in strict moderation il
increases the secretion of gastric juice, and
promotes those churning movements OF the
stomach which are necessary for nutrition
and assimilation. The ancient Romans
found it necessary to qualify their compli-
Gated cens with deep draughts Of Faler-
nian or other wines; and it is difficult to see
how we of modern times could support the
gigantic meals which luxurious custom pro-
vides without an appropriate allowance of
stimulant We were struck by the remark
of Coroner, who was certifying the cause
of death in an aged female pauper
sorae years ago. She had appar-
entlv died from syncope, following
a debauch on Christmas fare; and
it seems that the allowance of beer pro-
vided on these festive occasions had been
stopped. And. in commenting on the cir
cumstances of the cause, the Coroner
pointed out that little stimulant would
have helped the stomach to do its work, and
that her usual beer would have prevented
her from being choked by her dinner. And
I have little doubt that he was right
Biblical and Physiological Authority.
'Take little wine for thy stomach's
sake" then, is q precept which unites
Biblical authority with sound physiology;
but we are now prepared to 60 step
further, and show that alcohol has itself
every right to be called food. We can
prove it in this way. A certain amount of
alcohol enters the body, and hardly any, if
any, can be shown to leave it unchanged:
what, then, becomes of it? Science gives
the reply. Within the organism it is
used up, consumed, or oxidised, thereby
developing vital force and heat, and inter-
fering 80 far with the oxidation of other
substances as to lessen tissue-waste, and
make nourishment 60 further, 80 as to be
not only food but food-saving substance
This is clear and definite enough and ad-
mits of no denial, and it is confirmed by
common observation. We do not need
professional diploma to remember cases,
more especially at the extremes of life,
where wine and spirit seemed to enable an
utterly insufficient dietary to keep people
alive. Consumptive boys in particular will
subsist on port wine long after the power of
digesting nourishment is practically sus-
pended; and Dr. Wilks, in most
interesting paper, says: 81 must
po,v a1Iuda 20 tba varv etr;tino and "a
markable effect of alcohol on wasted
children, the nearest approach to a proof
that alcohol is flutritive. It was many
years ago that I found alcohol in the form
of brandy had very remarkable restorative
effec. in the case of atrophied children, and
I therefore introduced 1t as medicine into
the pharmacopeia of the Infrmary for
Children, Waterloo road" And, to quote
again from the same sagacious observer:
Among some notes 1 have the case of a
man at so and long incorporate. He took
a pint of brandy day, no meat, and very
little of anything else. A woman aged Ga
had been intemperate for 80 years she took
q pint of gin daily; she ate no food but an
occasional biscuit 1 think it is Anstie who
gives the history Of man who for 20 years
took a bottle Of gin daily, with . piece of
bread the size of his finger, and he was thin,
but not emaciated.
Clearing Away the Mists.
If you have lost friend, money, or your
the black dog of depression
has got you by the throat, will not cheer
ing cup give a peep at the silver lining of
he cloud, and clear away the mist that is
yathering round the hill tops, as Wilks puts
It? The great fact to remember about
.lcohol is its lowering the function of the
nervous system, by which it gives repose to
The body and q quietus to the mind, or, as
1uce these effects that it is taken by the
multitude. "When I do recommend a little
wine or spirits daily, it is usually to quiet q
oerturbed nervous system" (Wilks).
That, then, is the keystone of its action
t quiets, soothes. rests. We sometimes
meet teetotalers who would be much the
better for such a sedative. Now and then
hey look hunted and overdone, as though
by q feverish activity, which
makes them take too much out Of their
nervous systems, and age rapidly. A glass
If wine would have restraining or ''inhibi-
,ory" influence, and would let them do
'ounder because less spasmodic work. The
want of . little stimulant at meal-times often
makes them gross and unwholesome feeders,
.eveling in fat and oil and sweets; and we
We observe that they sometimes throw back
% forbidden pleasures by taking brandy
cherry or two, or a dip into tipsy-cake.
The sedative action on nervous function
explains why alcohol should be avoided by
hose who are undergoing, or about to
undergo, violent and continuous physical
exercise. Navvies, agricultural laborers,
soldiers on campaign, arctic vovagers, and
professional athletes, all agree in the advice
hat during the period of actual exertion |
10 strong drink should be taken. But the |
,elief is equally unanimous that, when the |
lays work is over, little alcohol soothes
md refreshes, improves the appetite and /
digestion, and, by removing the restlessness
If fatigue, it invites sleep, and lessons wear |
md tear.
Tho Role Of Civilization.
Our next argument is a two-edged one,
,ut the sharpest side is turned to our |
opponents We say that people should be |
.llowed to drink moderately, because they |
ike it. Yes; but is not this reversal of |
II morality and order, to preach the doc
rine that every man may be an absolutely !
rec agent, and make his laws as he goes
long? Coercion is required when individ- |
Ial liberty overlaps the safety and con-
'enience Of others, and drunkards must be |
hut up when they become dangerous to |
themselves or their neighbors. But to tell
peaceful workingman, who takes his glass
f beer with his dinner and feels the better
or it, that he must have no
nore cakes and ale, because some
ody else cannot stand q glass of
i'm, would be tyranny. UNIV worthy of civil
zed country. This is just how the matter
tands. A large section OF the community
artake moderately of stimulent, and feel
hat it does them good, they cannot explain
7hy; but they know perfectly we'll that if
hey leave it off altogether they decline In