TEA AND COFFEE. 123 



heated. As alcoholic drinks make more blood flow through 

 the skin, they often make a man feel warmer. But their 

 actual effect upon the temperature of the whole body is to 

 lower it. The more blood that flows through the skin, 

 the more heat is given off from the body to the air, and 

 the more blood, so cooled, is sent back to the internal 

 organs. The consequence is that alcohol cools the body as 

 a whole, though it may for a short time heat the skin. 

 That a large dose of alcohol leads to excessive loss of heat 

 from the body has been proved by many observations on 

 drunken men, and by experiments on the lower animals. 



The action of alcohol as an excitant is so much more 

 marked than its efficacy as a source of energy that it is to 

 be regarded as a medicine rather than a true food, and the 

 best plan is to avoid it altogether in health. 



Tea and Coffee are to be regarded as stimulants rather 

 than nutritive foods. The amount of nourishment in a 

 cup of either is but little. Both have, however, a wonder- 

 ful influence in tranquillizing the nervous system and re- 

 moving the sense of fatigue; and when taken in moderate 

 doses usually leave none of the injurious after-effects of 

 alcohol. Some persons experience wakef ulness or a feeling 

 of fulness in the head after taking coffee, and such should 

 of course avoid it. For relieving fatigue, tea and coffee are 

 far superior to alcohol. Sportsmen out for a long day's 

 shooting find cold tea superior to spirits ; military com- 

 manders find a ration of coffee far better than one of 

 whiskey for fat'gued troops; and all arctic explorers have 

 come to a similar conclusion. 



How is it that alcohol sometimes makes a person feel warmer? 

 How does it cool the body? 



To what class of foods do tea and coffee belong ? What results 

 do they produce? Why are they better than alcohol for similar 

 purposes? Give illustrations of the influence of tea and coffee in 

 removing the sensation of fatigue. 



