The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1903-09-24
TEA AND COFFEE INEBRIETY.
Testimony of Medical Authorities
Which Proves That There Is
Such Disease

Many years ago we called attention
to this distinct form of inebriety COM
ing from tea and coffee and character
ized it as a well-marked disease. This
statement was denied and excited
some ridicule. Even the cases which
we published in support of our state
ments were not accepted as evidence.
Within the last two years several OBJ
scure cases of nervous troubles due to
these beverages have been published
and the authors were forced to recog-
nize the reality of distinct neurosis
from this source. A recent editorial
in the Medical Press and Circular. a
leading London weekly, discusses this
subject as follows:
Textbooks on the practice of medi-
cine and on nervous diseases are
curiously silent on the morbid effects
of excessive indulgence in tea and
coffee. and the literature of the subject
in general is very scanty. This must
be due to the fact that practitioners
are not sufficiently imbued with the
Importance of the subject and are con-
sequently not on their guard to recog-
nize the symptoms and warn their pa
tients against the dangers associated
with repeated and habitual indulgence
in such powerfully stimulating bever-
ages as tea and coffee. Both of them
contain comparatively high proper
lions of physiologically active in
gradients. and when taken in excess
they determine a well-marked deterior-
alton of functions. especially the di-
Festive and the nervous systems. Al
though them and caffein are stated to
be chemically identical. the effects of
the beverages are by no means the
same This may be explained by the
presence in tea of a higher percentage
of tannin. and in coffee of certain
empyreumatic and volatile substances
known collectively as caffeone. The
action of these alkaloids is to stimu-
late the cerebral cells. inducing wake
fulness and an ephemeral increase of
mental activity, the spinal refexes be-
ing at the same time enhanced. show
ing greater eXcitability of the spinal
cord. The hearts action is at first
strengthened. then rendered rapid and
irregular, an effect which is thought
to be due to their action on the
medulla. hrterial tension being
heightened. increased diuresis is pro-
duced, the increase bearing on the
solid as well as the liquid constituents
of the fluid THEM is said to cause a
reduction of temperature. while caffein
raises, and them. moreover. possesses
local anaesthetic properties from
which caffein is free The tannin ex-
erts its recognized astrineent effects
on the digestive tract. and unquestion-
ably binders digestion and assimiIa-
ton. The physiological effects Of the
alkaloids when taken with excess. and
the margin is not very wide. are: in
somnia headache. mental depression.
palDitation. and general debility in as
ISOLATION with chronic dyspepsia. The
number of patients presenting a mild
degree of intoXiCatiOn is very large.
and unless the cause Of the mischief
is recognized. treatment will not afford
more than passing benefit. Practition-
ers are alive to the injurious influence
of alcohol and tobacco in men, but
they are curiously tolerant of excess
in respect of tea and coffee, tea in
ebriety, in particular. being apparent
ly regarded as a venial physiological
sin. The robust and otherwise healthy
adult may be able to take tea without
obvio'-4 i'll effects twice a dav. but even
this Q'lantity, moderate as it would ap-
symptoms in persons addicted to
sedentary pursuits and already prone
to dyspepsia, such. for example. as
typewriters, post office employees. and
the like. What then is to be expected
when we find the average female TAX
ing from five to ten cups at odd hours
throughout the day, especially as the
appetite soon fails, and a positive dis
taste for substantial food is created.
Tremulousness. associated with diges-
tive disturbances in the woman, is in
the great majority of inGances direct
ly attributed to undue indulgence in
tea. The susceptibility to this form of
MtoXicaron varies according to age,
sex, occupation and individual tenn
Aperament. Although it leads to no
characteristic organic disease as does
alcohol, tea inebriety is destructive of
i neaith and is unquestionably RESPONSE
Ose Tor large proportion of the cases
" nearasthenia met with in women
WISE nervous systems, naturally
inol amenable to excitants. suffer
iioie rom constant stimulation than
lIe ooniparatively resisting nervous
organization of the males"