On corpulence in relation to disease : with some remarks on diet / by William Harvey.
- Date:
- 1872
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: On corpulence in relation to disease : with some remarks on diet / by William Harvey. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
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![135 mon concerns of this work-o’-day world. That alcohol stimu- lates the action of the nervous system there is no doubt, and it is equally certain that it increases the respiratory changes. It appears then in the breath and perspiration, as well as in the urine. They, therefore, conclude that alcohol is not a food, hut it is a mere excitor of nervous centres. On the other hand Dr. Thudichum, in a rather large experiment on the students of his class (33 in number), found that of the 61,730 grains of alcohol in the 44 bottles of wine which they drank at one sitting, only 154’3 grains appeared in the urine; assuming that the same quantity was exhaled by the breath and skin, he concluded that only 0'5 per cent, of the alcohol escaped unchanged. He therefore believes that alcohol is oxidized in the body, and is a true food.*] However, the fact that Mr. Harvey did not follow Liebig’s theory, but forbade beer, and allowed wine, has doubtless been productive of important practical consequences. Had he like- * Alcohol addresses the nervous system. It first excites and then de- presses and overcomes. It has been the great tempter and curse of man since the days of Noah. It has been hailed by poets and praised by prophets, and, again, driven from soeiety as a devouring beast. It may, perhaps, be safely advanced that, with his present tendency to abuse this substance, man would be better without it. Nevertheless, if guided by reason, it may be made by man an alleviation of his sorrows, a protection to his health, and a harmless contribution to the pleasures of his social meals. The great question is, how much may be taken from day to day with impunity. Without going into any question of its action on the system, whether it is partly burned or all got rid of by the secretions, I would say that my experience is that a healthy man, taking open-air exercise every day, cannot safely consume more than two ounces of alcohol daily, Roughly, this quantity is represented by a pint of strong ale, or a quart of London porter, or four glasses (or eight ounees) of port or sherry, or eight glasses (or sixteen ounces) of hock or claret. More than this may be excess; but every man should be the judge of his own requirements. When alcohol affects the head, or produces thirst, or deranges the stomach, or liver, or kidneys, it should he given up or reduced. There is no doubt, however, on my mind, that men, women, and children can maintain their health through long periods without having recourse to alcohol at all.—LanJcester.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21950520_0151.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
