The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1899-02-09
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PHYSIOLOGY AND ALCOHOL.
for a Time, But Reaction Is
Bound to Come.

If one takes down the 10 most re-
cent authoritative works on physiology,
and turns up their reference to the ac-
ton and effects of alcohol, he will find
a singular uniformity of condemna
ton. Some writers are explicit in their
adverse opinion, others are cautious,
and leave the reader to make his own
conclusions from the facts; but these
facts are ranged in such a form as to
lead TO no conclusion but one OF almost
unhesitating condemnation.
The old medical theory was that if
a man felt as if wine was doing him
good, he should take it. Newer and
wiser views tell a man that if he feels
as if it were doing him good, he should
be specially wary of it. The old the
DRY was that if a man, on returning in
the evening from business, found him
self jaded and run down, a glass or two
of wine with his dinner would pull him
together again and put new life into
him for the evening. Recent physiology
utterly condemns this course.
a man who has the worries of bust
ness on his mind all day, goes home with
the tone of his blood-vessels upset. But
ne settles down TO dinner, and takes
glass or two of wine. Now, the one
physiological effect of alcohol is to
paralyze the contracting vasomotor
nerves; hence the arteries in his body
expand, fuller tide of lifc-giving blood
flows TO brain and limb and every fac
ulty is enlivened. The man says that
lis glass or two has done him good;
and so it would have done if the action
of the drug entirely ended there. The
mans face has lost its pinched, pale
look; his finger, from which the ring
was a title while ago ready to drop
now looks fuller. redder, feshier, and
the ring is tight fit. The man is cheer
full, and if he does not exceed a glass or
TWO. is a liveler companion.
But the experiments of DR.. Parkes
have shown that the effect of alcohol
is at its maximum in about three hours.
Then comes the reaction. Those con-
tracing nerves, paralyzed for a time
by the drug, get rid of its effects
they begin to assert themselves. Now
if man has dined at six O'Clock and
goes to bed before midnight, he is very
likely to feel a noticeable loss of tone
before he retires He takes a final
glass. and goes to bed blessing the bene-
fits of alcohol.
During the night the reaction
comes, and in the morning the man
rises more than ever prepared to be
jaded and wearied with the worries of
his business. If he braces himself up
4 with more alcohol during the day, he
IS only laying in the heavier penalty of
future reaction. He wants little more
wine in the evening to make him happy
again; and so the thing goes on, the
man all the while thinking that alec
Dol is doing him world of good. when
in reality it is permanently deranging
the tone of his whole system.
Alcohol professed to be his friend,
while giving him temporary assist
ance at a ruinous rate. 1t is like the
case of the man who gets the timely
warning from his banker about the
state of his account. That man. if wise,
ought to rearrange his affairs, and look
to the rate of his eXpenditure-AleX-
ander herland-Abridged from the
Melbourne Temperance News.