The Washington herald., 1915-04-20

/ The most dangerous thing about coz
fee drinking is tho prevalent belief
that it is harmless.
The people who tell you there is no
harm in coffee are those who like 1t
| that the small dose does them no
harm, but 1t is the small dose re-
peated and repeated which harms.
| The chemical analysis leaves no
doubt of what it contains. There Is
no food value, IL We omit the small
| amount provided in the cream and
sugar with which it is usually served.
| 1t contains no product whatever that
| can do the body any good and several
that do harm. Then why drink 1t?
The most important harmful ele-
ment in coffee is the alkaloid caffeine.
| which is a poison used in medicines
as cerebral and cardiac stimulant
| and as a diuretic. If you need a
brain. heart or kidney stimulant, go
to your physician. He may prescribe
certain dose of caffeine for you,
but that is very different thing from
taking it recklessly day by day as
ha bitual coffee drinkers are doing.
As we have noted. caffeine Is a
strong brain stimulant; it also has
the power of temporarily removing
fatigue and for this reason coffee has
been greatly misused by brain work.
ers.
A cup or two cups OF coffee, taken
on an empty stomach. will undoubt-
edly clarity the ideas: work may be
quickened. but as is always the case
when working under a stinHllant, this
is paid for by increased wear and
tear of the important body organs.
1t should also be borne in mind by
ap> uybn rrSas cOffeA n acce1erate
brain work that while at first ideas
become clearer and thoughts flow
more rapidly. connected thought may
become more difficult, for the reason
that one impression follows another
with such rapidity that the attention
is distracted and power of conceptra-
tion is diminished. To put this briefly,
while you may be stimulated to quick
er thinking. the thoughts are less to
the point.
The physical effects Of caffeine are
something like those produced by
strychnine poisoning. The reflex irri-
liability Is very much increased: this
may go so far as to produce convul-
sions. Most every one is familiar with
some of the Ill effects Of coffee drink
ing-tremor, palpitation of the heart.
cloudy eye vision. insomnia, nervous
dyspepsia, increased reflex excitabii-
ity. etc
Recently q good many tests have
been made regarding the evil effects
of coffee drinking on squads of young
men, humorously called poison
who in the interest Of science
have volunteered for this purpose.
Reading some few Of these reports
the impression may be gained
that no especially evil results have
been noted"
In considering these reports, we
must bear several facts in mind. The
experiment does not last very long
four to six weeks as a rule-and the
subjects Of it are healthy young men. |
Youth and health form strong resist |
ing forces to any kind of slow poison |
ing, especially II it Is confined to a |
period Of a few weeks.
If only strong young men drank |
coffee and that for short period Of |
their lives. probably the human race |
would not suffer noticeably from this |
fact
It has been shown by series of 1
tests that caffeine has an accumula-
tive effect on the body economy-it is
eliminated SO slowly from the sys-
TEN that some OF the previous dose IL Il
present and active when the succeed
ing dose is taken. One can easily see /
from this the dangerous effects Of
coffee drinking.
As a quick stimulant to brain,
nerves and muscles. II IL less danger
Gus than alcohol. but the very fact /
that coffee will whip up these when
fatigue il slowing them down is proof /
that harm win come II the process be
continued.
Anything that 10 "hablt forming" 10
detrimental to sound health. whether
Il be sucking ones thumb or taking
The tendency Of every
stimulant habit Ii toward Q stronger
tonic. Why become. in the Smallest /
degsee, slave, 70 any habitf Why