Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-07-22

season, it behooyes US TO think now
somewhat carefully of what We shall
drink. The various suggestions for al
laying thirst without drinking much
waite. are, the writer believes, PERM
cious
In hot weather nothing tastes bet
ter, or is more wholesome, than cool
water. Ii keeps the blood from thick
ering, and therefore, the circulation
active; and, when present in excess,
much exudes as perspiration, which
reduces the body's temperature. The
danger from sunstroke is slight, if
one drinks plenty of water. Moreover,
water, if drunk with meals, dilutes
the food and thus makes 1t more easy
of digestion.
It is wrong to suppose the cilution
of the gastric juice weakens its di-
gestive power. The experiment has
been tried, and it is mentioned by
Dr.. jacob in his work on Infant
Diet" or artifcially digesting meat
with gastric juice After some time
the digestion ceases: and It recon-
mences when water is added. Indeed,
most of US know what relief is felt
if we drink water after too hearty
meal.
The reason that so many persons
lose weight and feel weak in summer
is that they don't drink enough wa
ter. When very thirsty they sip leln-
onade, or suck a lemon, in the mis-
taken notion that to drink much wa
ter on hot day is somewhat bad for
them. But there is no thirst that wa
ter will not assuage more effectually
and speedily than will lemons, lem
onade. or any other soft drink, Too
much lemonade may cause collie, and
too mucn sarsaprilla, root beer and
sweet sodas may produce nausea;
but one may safely drink as much
cool mot cold water as he desires
between or at meals.
If it we're unhygenic to drink when
eating, water would not be particu-
larly fattening at such a time. 1t is
fatening then because it enables the
gastric Juice more thoroughly to d.
gest and to liquify solid foods, which
are not assimilable until lquefed.
DR.. Jacob states that infants that are
fed on thin gruels thrive better than
do those who are fed on heavier foods.
In regard to alcoholic drinks, one
should be cautious in recomm nding
their use in summer. They are heat
ing. and, if not taken in excess, slim
ulating. When one has imbibed too
much wine or beer the best thing he
can do is to drink copious draughts
of water to cool his blood and to aid
in the elimination of the excess of al
chol The acid condition of the stom-
ach resulting from overwhelming will
be relieved by vichy water in which
there is a pinch Of bi-carbonate of
soda. A celebrated authority on wines
recommends a dose of magnesia at
bedtime to saturate the acid in the
stomach and to allay febrile action.
Acetate of ammonia dissolved in SUI
gar and water is said by a French
chemist TO be an immediate cure for
intoxication.
There is an erroneous notion u the
effect that the use Of stimulants pro
duces a depressing reaction. If there
is a so called reaction, that is to say,
q depression of vitality, 1t proves
merely that the liquor has been taken
in such quantity as to act, not as a
stimulant, but as a narcotic, from the
FIST. A drunken man has not been
over stimulated; he has been narcot-
lied His incoherency is owing to in
eipient cerebral paralysis; while his
unsteady gait indicates incipient
paralysis of the cerebellum, which
presides over and in health properly
co-ordinates, movements. If narcot-
ic dose be taken all at once there is
no stimulation followed by depress-
ion; there is Immediate depression.
in other words, the taking of a small
quantity of alcoholic hjuor results in
stimulation: whereas the taking of a
large quantity results in depression
narcosis But the depression Is not
a reaction from stimulation; it is the
after effect of the destructive marco
sis. The same principle applies to
moderate and violent exercise; moder-
ate exercise being stimulating, and
violent depressing. Wine, then, in
moderation, stimulates, and is never
followed by corresponding depress-
ion. Persons there are, however, in
whom even small amounts of alcohol
produce poisonous effects almost in
stantly. Such-shall ! say, unfortun-
ates?--should, of course, be total abb
stainers.
Here it may be interesting to note
the distinct difference between the
common terms, chronic alcoholism
and dipsomania. Achronic alcoholic
is called in ordinary parlance, tip
pier. He drinks little at a time, but
often A dipsomaniac. on the other
hand drinks seldom, but great deal
when he does drink One afflicted
18th dipsomania has periodical crav-
ings for liquor, which often he cannot
resist. This is distinctly c patho-
logical condition, and requires medic
al treatment. Nor is the tippler heart
ilv constituted: but, while the dipso-
maniac's abnormal appetite for strong
drink is due to a degeneration of the
molecular structure of his brain
usually an inheritance from a bibu-
Jous ancestor-the tippler has himself