On the mode of action of alcohol in the treatment of disease / by Edward Smith.
- Edward Smith
- Date:
- [1861]
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: On the mode of action of alcohol in the treatment of disease / by Edward Smith. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.
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![In adducing the proofs of the action of alcohol in diseases to which it is suitable, I presume that we are entitled to cite its action in health; for, whilst the degree of action in the former may be different from that in the latter, the direction of its action must be the same in both. The indications for its use in disease can never be opposed to its indications in health ; but tolerance of its action may be very different in the two conditions. This is an important consideration; for whilst we have much proof of its action in health, we have very little indeed in disease. At present we seek only for its mode, and not its degree of action. The knowledge of the action of alcohol in health may be ] sought from two sources: the facts readily cognisant to the ] senses, and scientific research. The former source of informa- ] tion is perhaps more valuable in this than in any similar 1 inquiry; for the universal employment of alcohols and their j decided effects render them objects of popular observation. FACTS KEADILY COGNISANT TO THE UNAIDED SENSES. The Brain.—Alcohols, in moderate quantity, are popularly - known to excite the spirits, and to quicken certain qualities of | the mind, but to lessen the power of concentration and the ] clearness of thought; and, when taken in larger quantities, to I disturb the harmony of the mental actions, so as to render the 1 person furious and ungovernable, to lessen the power of per- BI ception and sensibility, and ultimately to produce coma. The SJcin and Heart.—Alcohols make the hands and face I red, hot, and swollen, and increase the force of the heart's action. The skin is commonly dry as well as hot. Heat.—They yield a pleasant warmth to the stomach and I alimentary canal, and the more so when the skin is cold. The Muscles.—The muscular force seems at first sometimes ■ to be increased, for a man in his fury can exert unwonted I strength; but this is due to violent effort of the will, and ( commonly there is less disposition to move, and less power of co-ordinating the muscles; whilst relaxation of the features i s exists, and ultimately there is inability to move. Sexual desire.—Shakespeare, in Macbeth, tells us that drink does especially provoke three things. “ Marry, sir, nose- j( painting, sleep, and urine. Lechery, sir, it provokes and un- j provokes; it provokes the desire, but it takes away the per- formance. The latter effect is due to the state of the mus- cular system, and the statement is doubtless true. The Kid7ieys.—In some persons there is diuresis, whether](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22316334_0004.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
