diseased appearance of the stomach, no very essential aberration of its functions was manifested. St Martin complained of no symptoms indicating any general derangement of the system, except an uneasy sensation and a tenderness at the pit of the stomach, and some vertigo, with dimness and yellowness of vision, on stooping down and rising again; had a thin yellowish-brown coat on his tongue, and his countenance was rather sallow; pulse uniform and regular, appetite good; rests quietly, and sleeps as usual.”[61] I have marked part of this quotation in italics, because it cannot be too attentively considered by those who contend that the stimulus of spirits is not injurious to the stomach or general health, unless where the mischief shews itself by palpable external signs. Here we have incontestible proof, that disease of the stomach was induced, and going on from bad to worse, in consequence of indulgence in ardent spirits, although no prominent symptom made its appearance, and St Martin was in his general habits a healthy and sober man. And if such be the results of a few days of intemperance in a person of a sound constitution, it is impossible to deny that continued indulgence must be followed by more serious evils, whether these shew themselves from the first by marked external signs or not. After a few days of low diet and the use of mild diluents, the coats of St Martin’s stomach were seen to resume their healthy appearance; the secretions became natural, the gastric juice clear and abundant, and the appetite voracious. Dr Beaumont adds, that, in the course of his experiments, diseased appearances of a similar kind were frequently observed--generally, but not always, after some appreciable cause. “Improper indulgence in eating and drinking has been the most common precursor of these diseased conditions of the coats of the stomach. _The free use of ardent spirits, wine, beer, or any intoxicating liquor, when continued for some days, has invariably produced these morbid changes. Eating voraciously or to excess, swallowing food coarsely masticated or too fast_,” “almost invariably produce similar effects, if repeated a number of times in close succession.” (P. 239.) These observations require no comment; their practical bearing must be obvious to all who are willing to perceive it.