Letters to brother John - andc. Author:Edward Johnson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PREFACE. Since the publication of the earlier editions of this work, several important discoveries lave been made in the sciences of physiology, animal chemis... more »try, and minute anatomy. The necessary corrections, consequent upon these new discoveries, have been made in this edition. These, however, do not, in the slightest degree, affect any of the great general principles laid down in this work—excepting as so many additional proofs of their accuracy. The doctrines promulgated by Liebig are singularly in accordance with, and confirmatory of, all that I have here said on the subject of Alcoholic Stimulants, as well as on the subjects of the causes of health and strength. With regard toLiebig's opinion of the evil Influence 07 Alcohol on the human system, it is extremely gratifying to me to observe that they also are confirmative of my own views on the same subject. After dwelling, in various passages, on the fundamental importance of the 'change of matter,' as being thesole source of health and strength, he declares thafc alcohol has the direct effect of putting a stop to ' the change of matter.' ' It is, consequently, obvious,' says he, ' that by the use of alcohol a limit must rapidly be put to the change of matter in certain parts of the body. The oxygen of the arterial blood, which, in the absence of alcohol, would have combined with the matter of the tissues, or with that formed by the metamorphosis of these tissues, now combines with the elements of alcohol. The arterial blood becomes venous, without the substance of the muscles having taken any share in the transformation.' In the new view which I have taken of the source and mode of formation of the alvine evacuations, I am also supported by the doctrines of Liebig. Great Malvtrn. chapter{Section 4LETTERS TO...« less