DR. PLATT-MILLS SPEAKS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1299, 30 November 1911, Page 11

DR. PLATT-MILLS SPEAKS.

; IXL'LITJiNCE OF' ALCOHOL. Dr. riatts-M'ills addressed r. meeting of wnincvi and'girls at the Concert Chambor of the T'oy.-n Hall last evenins, taking as her subject the inilueuce of alcohol upon the blood, brain, and offspring of men and women. Mis. A. Tt. Atkinson'"presided, a'.id, in her introductory .speech, disputed the arguments which had been used;in the.intcrosis of license in a card and letter circulated among the electors by persons unknown. -" - In the course of her address, Dr. PlattsMills dealt with the. functions of the Wood and of .tho nervous system, and informed hfcr audience of the elTect which alcohol had upon them. . Alcoholic iienr r itis and insanity, were onlv soma cf the I results. Tho grares't anpects. of- the fines-, tion, however, were the effects'of "alcohol upon children and- the-faiit that it was hereditary. In the cxhc of o.nimals, farmers, when raising sitock, used every care, kiowledgc and judgment.in the choosing of the animals that were,-.to. .carry-on their species. In tlie human race., menand women in.iiriei! n» lhi.yploftso.d--f.hi; vicious, the criminal, the alcoholic, tho diseased, and -there was' not even a healthy public opinion- about tho prevention of suqji a,, slate..of affairs. Too.much was thouiht ot t|«: indiviilual and not enough :of tho race.. UU-. i>-as hard enough ■ for the fit. What must it be for Hie-unfit? ' Tho life, history of-a-child began lonj before birtb, months nnd years before, and, if the.'future parents of" the child drank,- tho - cfi'euts became, patent in. their children,-■■-.The';:-brunt of tlie evil, caused by alcoholism-fell upon tho latter, shoiv-iing'i/itsdl-f''i.ii -'.i; w<akened nervpus..system, "whicli'inifiht not'be apparent at first", bin, sooner, or."later, it. niado. itself felt. It mightbi that the infant died of conyulf.ious or jueuingitis. If it li.yed.it might be.ionio an cnileptic, or oven an idiot, but the chances were that it would show stupidity, lack of moral control, and impulsive action, and that was tho class that wa< most to be dreaded. The idiot could be;.dcalt with, as also the epileptic, but tho woak-miuded and the vicious, who filial our prsons and reformatories, who made up thfi record of rogues and'criminals, could not. If. a dtunken father degraded .his--children, a drunken mother 'Sid infinitely- more. Dr. ■ Sullivan had found-that, if 120 drunken mothers, havin" in all 600 children, 335 had died in infancv or 'childhood, 17 per cent, wero normal, I wero epileptics, and tho remainder dull and feeble-miudcd. L<r. MacNicholl had traced the effetcs of drink in'the rases of WOO children back.: through throe generations with painful and startling results. At least 10 per cent- of the insane patients in our asylums wero known to be the victims ofalcoholism, added Dr. Platts-Milis. and, in the, gaols, .it was found that fathers and sons passed in succession througn them—committed for drunkmness; It was tho risht of children to have a sober, clean, 'sweet parentage, and it was. lor thuse .who.knew the evils caused by alcoholism to fight for theso vights, -.so that these--children should .not ,bo. .dcr bi T?oio of (hanks to Dr: "Platts-Mills, and to Mrs. Atkinson for presiding, was praposed.-by Sister Mildred, and earned by .the:.axuli*ncc. : . ,