The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1945-01-15

Of circulation in the heart and
kidneys it increases circulation
also in the brain and, for this res.
son, tends to keep one awake. But
that is minor disadvantage that
can be avoided by not taking coffee
with the evening meal.
Some Reservations
Now, perhaps | will have to
make certain. reservations about
the entire harmlessness Of coffee.
say perhaps because am by no
means convinced by the evidence,
but | will present it in complete
fairness.
Three Chicago investigators,
Drs. J. A. Roth, A. C. Ivy and A. J.
Atkinson, report that caffeine and
coffee beverages increase the Sc
erection of the stomach and hence
predispose to the formation OF
ulcer. They also suggest that by
studying the prolonged stomach
secretion response to coffee it is
possible to spot those people who
are predisposed TO have ulcer.
They produce no case histories
on human beings which would in
dictate such a relationship, but in
experiments on cats where the in
side of the stomach can be OBJ
served the use of caffeine causes a
"blushing reaction" over the lin
ing membrane, and'if histamine is
given alternating with caffeine
there is seen some epithelial des-
quamation and small erosions
which might turn into ulcer if they
were further irritated.
Cat Experiments
l must confess | am not much
impressed with this evidence.
have lived through a good many
periods when people had produced
small multiple erosions in the
stomachs of animals by one means
or another. One was with broth
cultures Of certain germs. One
was with infected tonsils. But the
real difficulty of acceptance was
that all these erosions promptly
healed up.
suppose we all have small ul-
cerations in the stomach from
time TO time-aftet making a
round CT The latest night clubs or
attending fraternity banquet.
But that isn't the same thing as
having an ulcer of the stomach,
which is chronic affair and really
digs in.
The ulcer patient has had to-
bacco and all alcoholic beverages
taken away from him because they
increase his secretion. My expert
ence' with real ulcer patients is
that they are perfectly content to
let the alcoholic drinks alone be-.
cause they are made so uncomfort-
able by them that the pain out
weighs the pleasure.
Coffee Neutralizes
But l never once heard one say
that coffee made him uncomfort-
able. And if one puts enough cream
in the coffee it will neutralize the
excessive secretions, cream being
one of the most favored articles Of
diet for ulcer.
The idea that the secretory re-
spouse to coffee helps to pick out
the ulcer susceptible person is
somewhat complicated. 1t is prob
ably true that the person who de-
velopes an ulcer of the stomach or
duodenum has special type Of hu-
man constitution-anatomy and
physiology, response to stimuli,
etc. But the evidence is not by any
means clear or agreed upon by all
observers.
| once asked one Of these human
constitution experts to pick out in
a ward Of patients, about none Of
whom he knew anything, which
ones had ulcer. He only made a
mistake Of 900. So / have no great
confidence in this procedure as a
practical measure. | do not believe
Drs. Roth, Ivy and Atkinson after
giving their caffeine 'secretory test
to hundred people would be will
ing TO commit themselves to a
prophesy that any certain indi.
viduals were destined to be ulcer
patients within the next five
years.
Personally you will find me at
the breakfast and luncheon table
with a large pot of coffee before
meat least until more evidence
accumulates that it is doing me
any harm.