ALCOHOLIC! POISON,
ton, “ The smallest quantity takes somewhat from
the strength of the muscles.” Says Dr. Edmunds,
of London, “A stimulant is that which gets
strength out of a man.”
Said Prof. Willard Parker, M. D. of New
York, “It has been proved that when taken into
the system it diminishes the temperature, les-
sens the strength, and by about forty per cent.
shortens human life.”
4. Alcohol Warms the Body.
The sensation of warmth produced by taking
a glass of wine or brandy is delusive. The cireu-
lation is unbalanced, and for a few moments
there is a seeming increase of heat; but the ther-
mometer shows that the temperature is lessened.
Says Dr. Parkes, the eminent English sanitarian,
“All observers condemn the use of spirits, and
even of wine or beer, as a preventive against cold.”
The names of Dr. King, Dr. Kane, Captain Ken-
nedy, and Dr. Hayes, may be cited as holding to
this opinion. In the last expedition in search of
Sir John Franklin, the whole crew were teetotal-
ers. :
Prof. Janeway, M. D., professor of materia med-
ica in Bellvue Medical College, stated in a lecture
before his class that alcohol does not assist those
who use it to endure cold. In proof of the asser-
tion, he related the following incident, which was
given to him by the first gentleman mentioned in
the account :—
THE DRUNKARD'S ARGUMENTS. 49
A gentleman was appointed by the government
to go on a survey in the Eastern States in the
depth of a severe winter. He chose for his assist-
ants men who were total abstainers. At the
same time, another party set out upon the same
business, the members of which were addicted to
the use of whisky. Only one of the first party
gave out, while nearly every one of the whisky-
drinkers succumbed to the influence of cold.
“ Plenty of food, and sound digestion, are the
best sources of heat.” “I am quite satisfied that
spirituous liquors, though they give a temporary
stimulus, diminish the power of resisting cold.”—
STR JOHN RICHARDSON.
“When a continuance of exertion or endurance
is called for, spirit does harm; for you are colder
or more fatigued a quarter of an hour after [tak-
ing] it than you would have been without it.”—
Dr. HookER, physician of the Arctic expedition
under Sir John Ross.
Prof. Miller states that the Russian military
‘authorities “interdict its use absolutely in the
. army, when troops are about to move under ex-
treme cold; part of the duty of the corporals
being to smell carefully the breath of each man
on the morning parade, and to turn back from the
march those who have indulged in spirits, it hav-
ing been found that such men are peculiarly sub-
ject to be frost-bitten and otherwise injured.”
“The Hudson's Bay Company have for many
years entirely excluded spirits from the fur coun-