If he has a week of examinations, it might be permissible to follow such a regime as suggested above throughout the week. On the whole, however, the use of these stimulants is to be discouraged.
Narcotics are those drugs which cause narcosis or a dulling of the senses and a decreased activity of both the muscular and nervous system.
One of the most common and typical narcotics is opium. Derived from opium is morphine. Cocaine belongs also to the narcotics as do the anæsthetics, such as chloroform, ether and common alcohol.
It is hardly necessary to say anything about the use of alcohol to intelligent college men. Very seldom do college and university students resort to alcoholic drinks, either for their drug effect or in a spirit of conviviality.
The intelligent people of the country realize the dangers that follow the use of alcoholic beverages. It is very rare that educated people use any alcohol and when used it is only in most moderate quantities, and usually, on special occasions.
It is only comparatively recently that the absolute truth of the Bible dictum that, "Wine is a mocker" has been realized.
Brandy and whiskey were taken for generations to make one warm on a cold day because it gave one temporarily a flush of warm blood to the skin, only to cool down the temperature of the body later, so that instead of raising the temperature of the body, alcohol actually lowers the temperature of the body.
Many people took alcohol when excessively hot to cool the body, but if the temperature of the outside air is higher than the temperature of the body, as is the case on excessively hot days in summer, the rush of blood to the surface would only have the effect desired in the first few minutes of the action of the alcohol. The skin would tend to become dry, the temperature of the blood to rise, subject to the influence of the hot air. This heated blood striking the vital organs accounts for the fact that on those excessively hot days, when there are many sunstrokes, most of them are among men who not only habitually take alcohol, but who are under the influence of alcohol at the time.
Many people have taken alcohol to improve digestion, but scientific observations on digestion under the influence of alcohol have shown that the digestion is actually retarded.
Many people have taken alcohol to make their muscles strong, and one does actually imagine that he is stronger after a moderate dose of alcohol, but many careful experiments on the part of numerous observers have shown that the muscles are really less strong and can do progressively less work the larger the dose of alcohol.