p. 10 | A TEA TOPER by John Harvey Kellogg

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Nov 19, 1896

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 22, No. 46.

A TEA TOPER

By John Harvey Kellogg

BY J. H. KELLOGG, M.D.

"The cup that cheers and not inebriates" has been the song of poets and the solace of millions for more than an hundred years, and its innocence has been almost unchallenged during a greater portion of this time; but within the last quarter of a century there has been a growing suspicion that the steaming decoction has something besides comfort in it, and now there are hundreds of scientific physicians who are speaking out plainly against the use of both tea and coffee on the ground that they are stimulants which are capable of producing effects upon the nervous system only different in degree from those which arise from the use of alcohol, opium, tobacco, and other narcotics and stimulants.

Startling as the fact may be to those who have never had their eyes opened to the real character of these common but by no means harmless drugs, it is even asserted that there are persons to be found who are veritable tea-drunkards. Dr. Arlidge, an eminent English physician, states that there are thousands of tea-drunkards among the lower classes in England, and very forcibly remarks as follows:—

"A portion of the reforming zeal which keeps up such a fierce and bitter agitation against intoxicating drinks, might advantageously be diverted to the repression of the very serious evil of tea-tippling among the poorer classes. Tea, in anything beyond moderate quantities, is as distinctly a narcotic poison as is opium or alcohol. It is capable of ruining the digestion, of enfeebling and disordering the heart's action, and of generally shattering the nerves. And it must be remembered that it is not a question of narcotic excess merely, but the enormous quantity of hot water which tea-bibbers necessarily take is exceedingly prejudicial to both digestion and nutrition. Our teetotal reformers have overlooked, and even to no small extent encouraged, a form of animal indulgence which is as distinctly sensual, extravagant, and pernicious, as any beer-swilling or gin-drinking in the world."

The term "tea-drunkard" is well known throughout Russia, where tea is used much stronger than is common in this country. A dozen cups of strong tea taken after the Russian fashion, without cream or sugar, simply flavored with a little lemon juice, in the course of a couple of hours will produce effects as distinctly intoxicating as an equal quantity of light wine or lager beer.

Theine, the active principle of tea and coffee, when taken in any but the smallest doses, produces all the symptoms of intoxication.

The eminent Dr. Edward Smith, of London, in making some experiments with tea and coffee some years ago, took, with his assistant, an infusion of two ounces of coffee, containing so small a quantity of theine as only seven and one-half grains. Both fell to the floor unconscious, and remained in this state for several hours.

A prominent official in the British army, when doing service in Africa, lost his favorite horse in a manner which is both singular and instructive. A cook left a few pounds of tea in the sack which had contained it, which was filled with corn by a Kafir groom, who knew nothing of the presence of the tea. Upon serving out the corn to a troop of horses, of course the last one received the larger share of the tea, which was eaten greedily by the hungry animal, along with the corn. The result is thus described:—

"The animal plunged and kicked, and ran backward, at intervals galloping madly around, finally falling into a donga, where it lay dashing its head on the rocks, and was dispatched by an assegai thrust through the heart. The post-mortem appearances indicated extreme cerebral congestion."

In view of these facts is it not evident that the poetic eulogy of tea should be modified by the change of one little word, so that it will read, "The cup that cheers and yet inebriates"? and is it not apparent that a thorough-going temperance reformer will wish to abstain from the use of these beverages when he becomes aware of their real character?