STIMULANTS AND NARCOTICS 2? I 



physically ruined for life by overworking, goaded on by 

 alcohol, during one season of business rush. 



489. How Stimulants arouse Energy. You remember 

 those wonderful little one-celled animals, the amebas. If 

 poison is brought near, they will try to escape it. They also 

 throw out the impurities generated by their own life pro- 

 cesses. If anything touches one roughly, it will draw back 

 from the danger. Likewise, if a man takes poison, such 

 as alcohol or tobacco, into his body, the cells will try to 

 throw it off. The heart, although it may be already tired, 

 goes to thumping anew, secretions are poured out by 

 the cells to dilute and weaken the poison, and the great 

 activity excited diverts the man from noticing his fatigue, 

 and makes him think the poison has given him renewed 

 strength. It is the same as if he thought the whip instead 

 of the oats gave the horse strength. The horse, like the 

 cells of the body, is only trying to avoid something harm- 

 ful, and like them, he uses up his strength in so doing. 

 After a while he will be very stiff and tired. There is no 

 artificial stimulant that does not cause a reaction. The 

 stronger the stimulant, the worse the poison. Strychnine 

 is one of the deadliest poisons known, and also one of the 

 most powerful stimulants. If an animal is given strych- 

 nine, its nerve tissue is sometimes reduced to such an 

 irritable condition that a loud sound, or merely touching 

 any part of it, will throw every muscle of its body into a 

 spasm. 



490. Natural Stimulants do not cause depression. The 

 chief natural stimulants are cold air, sunlight, pure air, 

 physical exercise, interest, joy, and other emotions. A deep 

 breath of pure air is a better stimulus than a glass of beer ; 

 climbing a hill or sawing -a log of wood will make the blood 

 flow faster than alcohol ; a pleasant talk with a friend is a 

 better sedative than a cigar ; a cold day will steady the 

 nerves better than an opiate ; a trust that a good Power 



