The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-01-23
ALMOST AS BAD As ALCOHOL.
Excessive Tea Drinking Driving People
&c tire Doctors.

Those good persons who come under the
head Of tea and toast philosophers ard
tea drinkers generally Will be interested
in the statement of a medical authority
of this city that the Juice Of tea leaf
ranks second only 20 alcohol as an in
toxi,,ant DR.. James Wood. OF the Brook
Ign health board, has compiled some sta
tissics bearing on this subject, and he
finds that of all tho patients applying for
treatment at the chief d;spensary OF the
city Of churches po less than 10 per cent.
are TEA drunksrds. They are not aware
OF the fact. but the symptoms OF their
eases point Enthusiastically to overindul-
gence IN tea. and that presumption. or
Inquiry Is confirmed by their confessions.
They suffer from headache. vertigo. In
sonnnia. paipitation of the heart. mental
lions. morbid depression OF spirits, and
sometimes from suicidal impulses.
DIR. Wood sums up his Investigation in
the Medical News and gays that the pa
tients referred TO we're OF both sexes and
all ages. They confessed to drinking
from n pint and half. the minimum
amount stated. TO fifteen pints each day.
Mere than half OF the patients were OF
Irish birth or descent. and nearly third
were domestic servants.
In Ireland tea poisoning has long been
recognized as widely prevalent evil.
contributing largely 10 the number Of In
mates OF insane ssyiams. etc. and II IS
we'll known that the most .nveterate
drinkers Of tea In this country are domes-
ties OF Celtic origin, who. apparently,
bring the habit with them 10 America.
4 rigid investigation was held In Ire
land two or three years ago. and the tea
habit was exploited az length in the
medical Journals and In the daily news
papers.
The evil ~ tea drinking Is not due so
much 90 the amount consumed rs To the
manner In which the liquid ia prepared
pr Weed says that In most Of the cases
that came under his observation the vic
tinis were In the habit Of throwing into
the teapot an unraeasare5 quantity az
tea leaves and adding hoiling water 10
the conecctsou as long as tire desire for
the @timuiant remained rnunerch he'd
Sometimes the leaves were kent soaking
for e day or more. when a n0w suugslv
Of tea leaves would be shrown In or tep
The constant boiling Of tea IN this man
ncr extracts the most aele.erions sub.
stances ef the ten Leaf.
Tea left standing Ter twenty-facr hours
fer iGssaase. viii generate fros,i 20 II
per cent. 81 tannin ana n lot cf other
luxurious things. This form OF p~eysara-
t!on IS most prevalent aaaarr kitchen
servants who arr ressrfSsexi IN the use
cf sea- ana atsonv snsp ard factory ~;ris
wao are also great tea drinkers. aud IL
too offer pracsscet among other people
es small means who Do ret wish In waste
y ssEgle Leaf as long as there "a any
''Ssrcn-th" in e.
~ sSsf tea is uot heaslhfui. hrt II von
fanss eFtsk Y. 'ae aruper way "a prepare
tie s'asA - 10 Tassr Aal6InE water nver a
given quantity tn praPer prepa-tioa ,et
n stand for taree INMATES or -, ara then
drink What you vast. throwing The "a
mainsser away. aas heinr careful that
the sespot Is thoroughly clean before =,
Is pet away FOR future use.