TEA and coffee belong in the list of narcotics and stimulants, along with hops, alcohol, tobacco, opium, and hashish. It has been proved that the physiological action of all these gradually shades into one another, all producing, or being capable of producing, consecutive paralysis of the various parts of the nervous system. It is perfectly certain, therefore, that users of tea are in the same line with the users of alcohol, tobacco, opium, etc. (that they all belong to the same dissipated family), the only difference being that in the use of tea the dissipation is not generally so dense as it becomes in the use of alcohol or opium. We say it is not generally so dense; because occasionally there are cases in which there is but little difference. “Positive intoxication has been known to be the result of the exclusive use of strong tea” (Encyclopedia Britannica, art., Drunkenness).MEDM July 1904, page 205.1

There are tea-sots as well as whisky-sots. Yet, because tea-drunkards and tea-sots are not so numerous as the whisky-drunkards and the whisky-sots, tea-drinking is considered by most people as a very respectable sort of dissipation, and it is altogether fashionable. But though this or anything else be fashionable, it is none the less harmful; it is rather the more dangerous. True temperance will never be successfully cultivated so long as the children and youth are brought up in the daily use of the contents of the tea-cup. It is of little use to teach the children to avoid alcohol, wine, and beer while they are continually supplied with tea. It is of little use to tell them to beware of strong drink while constantly supplying them with strong drink; because strong tea is actually a stronger drink than is mild beer or light ale, and it is more injurious. That temperance teaching is hardly the dreadful evils of strong drink and then invites them to attend a fashionable afternoon “tea.”MEDM July 1904, page 205.2

It is not alone as an excitant to stronger drink that tea is injurious and to be avoided. This of itself, of course, would be sufficient to condemn its use, but in addition to this, it is such a persistent destroyer of the nervous system that it ought never to be taken into the human stomach. The same eminent authority before quoted, says:—MEDM July 1904, page 206.1

“Tea-sots are well known to be affected with palpitation and irregularity of the heart, as well as with more or less sleeplessness, mental irritability, and muscular tremors, which in some culminate in paralysis.”MEDM July 1904, page 206.2

If palpitation and irregularity of the heart, sleeplessness, and mental irritability are the characteristics of tea-sots, then how many such sots are known to the readers of this article, among those who use tea? It it [sic.] true that persons who do not use tea may have palpitation and irregularity of the heart; or may be afflicted with sleeplessness; or may be irritable; but it is as certainly true that no person can use tea any considerable length of time without being affected in some or perhaps all of these ways. The stuff itself is conducive to these very disorders. If there were no tea nor anything as strong used in any family in the land, there would be much more peace in families than there is; there would not be a thousandth part as many weakly, nervous, headachy wives.MEDM July 1904, page 206.3

We know that nearly every one of these will answer, “If I should not use it, I would just be sure to have the headache almost to distraction.” Of course you would, for a while, and the more you have used of it, the worse will be your headache when you first stop using it. Many and many a time, perhaps, you have been sure you were going to have the headache, but by the timely (?) use of a cup of strong tea you have so benumbed your nerves that they had not life enough in them to ache. And, now, when you cease to outrage them with the paralyzing drug, and give them a fair opportunity to recover their natural condition and their proper functions, the task is certain to be painful for a little while; but when nature has once recovered herself, the pain will be gone for good—yes, for good in more senses of the word than one.MEDM July 1904, page 206.4

To illustrate: After one of the limbs is placed in a slightly cramped position and gets “asleep,” no inconvenience at all is experienced from it so long as it is “asleep,” but as soon as the temporary paralysis is broken, then the sensation is exceedingly unpleasant until the arteries, the veins, and the nerves have resumed their natural condition and sway. The longer that limb remains in that cramped position, the more painful will be the reaction when the limb is released. Just so it is with the nervous system from the habitual use of tea; and this is the philosophy of headaches and excessive nervousness if the use of tea is stopped. But what would be thought of a person whose arm was just released from a cramped position in which it had got “asleep,” who, when his fingers would begin to tingle in the reaction, would force his arm again into the same cramped position to stop the unpleasant sensation?MEDM July 1904, page 206.5

Nobody would think for a moment of doing such a stupid thing as that with his limb; but thousands of people do just that same stupid thing with the whole nervous system. They paralyze the nerves with tea or tobacco, and then, if they are without it long enough for the reaction to begin, the sensation, of course, is very comfortable, perhaps painful; but instead of allowing nature to recover, they get some more of the drug as quickly as possible, and renew the paralysis. It would be ruinous to treat a cramped limb in such a way; and it is no less ruinous to treat the whole nervous system thus. It is well known that the only way to recover the proper use of a limb that is “asleep” is to release it and let the unpleasant sensation go on, however uncomfortable it may be, until the normal condition of the limb is restored; and it ought to be as well known that that is the only way in which to recover the proper use of the nervous system when it has been paralyzed by the use of tea. Stop the paralysis and let nature have her course. If pain follows, bear it till it is over, doing what you can to assist nature in her recovery; but above all things, do not re-inflict the paralysis upon both yourself and nature’s efforts.MEDM July 1904, page 206.6

We have not confined this article to the consideration of the effects of tea because there is nothing to be said about coffee. We have a few words to say about coffee, also, but must defer that subject till our next issue.MEDM July 1904, page 207.1

A. T. JONES.

June 1904

August 1904