The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-19
DANGERS OF COFFEE.
Over-indulgence Causes Heart Fail
ure-Chemical Changes in Roasting.
Ernrn, the Nam Ynrk Tnllr,lnI


From the New York Journal.
Coffee drunkards in New York city.
That is a new phase of intoxication that is
beginning to attract the attention of physi-
clans in charge Of the large public hospitals,
owing to the great number of patients beng
constantly brought to them suffering from
nervous troubles, in which the excessive use
OF coffee as beverage has plunged them.
1t was only few days ago that a man
named Albert Willis, and living, he said, at
$40 Seventh avenue, staggered into the office
of Roosevelt hospital suffering from what
at first glance seemed TO be severe attack
of delirium tremens.
DR.. Frederick Jaynes of the hospital staff
attended the suffering man and found him
suffering from the effects of drinkiug NOR
dinate quantities of strong coffee. HIS con-
dition was truly pitiable. No alcoholic
victim was ever in worse condition. His
nerves were absolutely gone and he shook
like leaf In addition he was utterly I'M
able to swallow food and for hours after
being placed 10 cot in the hospital was In
such a state OF collapse that his death was
mornent4rilJ expected.
DR.. Jaynes managed, however, to get his
patient around after hours of work 80 that
he could tell his story.
Willis said to the physician that he came
from England to America about three years
ago, and has worked around the city as a
carpenter for the past five months, the res
mainder of the time having been doing
work at Newark.
Il was always passionately fond OF cof-
fee,n Willis added, land l used to like to
drink it strong, and hot, too. 1t has the
same effect on my nerves that liquor has on
other men.
"You will be surprised, but the Coffee
drinking habit became SO fixed on me that
! drank twenty large cups day. AS ! used
no milk and sugar got the full strength Of
the beverage. At first, excepting pleas
ant feeling of exhilaradon. l felt no evil
effects Then, after a while, found that
the coffee made me lose my appetite, and
finally l could eat no solid food.
THAT was about a week ago, and since
then have been on long coffee debauch,
which ended in the hospital."
DIR. Jaynes says that the condition OF
Willis is serious.
This is due, can readily say,n he con-
tinued, ito the inordInate drinking of coffee.
The liquid which we call coffee, which is
distilled from the roasted coffee beans, con-
tains three constituents. These are coffeine,
tanuic acid and empyreumatic products VI
the albumen and legumlne Of the raw berry.
"W hen the coffee terry is roasted but
small portion of coffeine is destroyed by the
process, and that which is destroyed is
turned into metnylamine.
Now to take step further, as we have
explained the chemical constituents of
roasted and prepared coffee: When it is
drank it increases the frequency of the
pulse and makes the mind far more active.
Inordinate doses Of the liquid will keep
person awake for hours. Lack Of sleep, OF
course, ends in insanity, which, therefore,
1 can say is one of the horrible things that
faces q coffee drunkard.n
The physician further pointed out that in
addition the excessive use of coffee pro-
duced palpitation OF the heart and also
heart failure.
''Tne condition OF patient suffering from
a coffee debauch,n said DR.. Jaynes, lis
much that Of man suffering from delirIum
tremens, only, if anything, it is far worse.
The coffee drunkard sees nothing of the
snakes and reptiles Of the liquor-drinker, but
he has the same faintness, ending in death,
and the same state of physical collapse.
am sorry to say that there aremany people
to-day in this city the victims of the coffee
habit"
Other physicians were seen by a Journal
man and they all Joined in saying that coffee