Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1894-03-22
TEMPERANCE NOTES.
INToMcANTs AND DIGESTION.
rhe Damaging Effects OF Alcohol Upon
the Human stomach

Damaging a-httAH oA -lANOEbi upon
the Human Stomach.
..Tf is too late, with the present
amount of scientific knowledge, TO
Lain that alcohol is in any sense a
food. or that it is capable of imparting
any strength, vigor or endurance. 1t
nof only does not, can not afford any
real strength, but exhausts it, in con
saauence of an undue and unnatural
acffvitv. this activity being so forced
al Is be exercised under very unfavor-
allie circumstances, wasting an unusual
amount Of vital force. This alcohol il
a yirul mt poison. produced by the I'M
warranted destruction of nutrition
,fsiaa utterly innutritious % itScif
always and everywhere antagoniziug
ever, function Of the human body, con-
taininr nothing which is really needed
rs means of promoting health which
,an not be obtained elsewhere Every
oran. muscle, membrane, surface and
fiber Of the body. as if guided by in
tuition practically regards it as a foe,
All arousng themselves to resist this
acgressor forcing it ON its course, Wig
5raustv fastening its movements, in
tent upon its election at the earliest
possible time This is called stimuln-
lion. natures effort to resist such cn-
croachments- unnatural activity
always being followed by depression
and weakness. While stimulation e
- we'll known to be depressing e.l-
hausting physical power it is uuac-
rouutable that the intelligent and
scientific should SO often resort to it,
rs a medicinal agent, when the system
is struggling with disease, in the most
unfavorable circumstances. thus in
creasing the labors Of tie recuperutiye
forces in contending with dise..se.
Now, as the system is dependent on
the daily food for its sustenance, this
being prepared for its use by the digcs-
tive process it is important to have this
process in its best condition, particular
" when one is enfeebled by disease. In
disease. no medicinal agent is appropri-
ate which will not favor normal diges-
ton. aid and cooperate with the reeu-
perative forces in the removal of such
disease, instead of antagonizing every
function Of the system. II should be
ever remembered that alcohol is entire
lvunlilze ali articles acknowledged as
food: that. as it is never digested. like
real food undergoing no pereeptible
change in its passage through the body,
it can not serve any of the purposes of
acknowledged food. 1t would he in
deed fortunate if it would prove itself
to be simply inert, effecting neither
good nor harm. BY the experiments
made in Alexis st. Martins case, it
was proved that a small indulgence
produced a slight inflammation Of the
coats of the stomach, this increasing
with the continued use, while in a few
days. actual liberation resulted, every
change in the appearance of his stom-
ach being perfectly visible. This man
was unusually robust, while we may
suppose that such effects would be still
more marked and dangerous. when
the same spirits are used by the
feeble patient, even though called mod
icine. Alcohol is never welcomed in
the human system, but is always treat
ed as foe. a disorganizer. Nature
never appropriates it, but it is absorbed
and hurried out of the system by the
various eXcretive organs, etc. treated
as an element not needed. In addition
TO the expulsive action of the kidneys
we have abundant evidence that the
lungs do the same. the unchanged alco-
hol being detected in the breath of the
drinller During the short time that 1t
is permitted to remain in the stomach,
its membranes are contracted, shriv-
eled. preventing the natural flow of the
gastric juice, besides producinga forma-
ton of mucous on the surface, to still
greater extent preventing this natural
flow. All of this must materially dis
urb digestion, to that extent diminish
ing the nourishment of the system,
since only. digested food is of any prac-
teal advantage. 1t is also true that
when the digestive gastric juice is in
contact with alcohol, the pepsin-a
very important element, which
acts only when combined with
the other constituents of this juice,
lis precipitated, of course rendered I'M
operative. useless. If true that the
vigorous and robust are sustained in
their usual health, only when the stnm-
ach and digestive juices are in their
natural condition. in accordance with
the Creators designs. it is manifest that
the cnfeehled and diseased must suffer
when medicinal agent is taken which
necessarily and at all times produces a
general conmoticn and antagonien in
the body. robbing them of nutrition.
practically, when they are sinking for
the want of food stimulation, which
differs widely from alcoholic stimula-
lion,
q viii briefly add that, when expert
ment> were made in artificial digestion
-6v one well calculated TO investigate
this matter-when beef was put int"
gastric Juice and water the digestion
was completed in ten hours, while,
when alcohol was substituted for the
water no perceptible change was ef-
feeted in that time, this being practie-
ally true when pale ale was used