ALCOHOL AS A FOOD.

Evening Star, Issue 19781, 3 February 1928, Page 8

ALCOHOL AS A FOOD.

TO THE EDITOE. Sir,-—The liquor interests’ free propaganda in the Press is continued in this evening’s news, when the opinion of Sir Arbuthnot Lane on the food value of acohol is emphasised. Had a leading doctor made a contrary statement (as has been done thousands of times) the public would have had to search in the columns of Prohibition propaganda papers to learn of it. W ithout being able to authoritatively contradict the famous doctor’s judgment, I would point out that it is exactly contrary to every opinion from medical sources of late years. But, however its truth or falseness may be, there is a much larger and more “important aspect of the matter than the food value of alcohol. Suppose we grant, for the sake of argument, that the food value of alcohol is undoubted, does that in any way affect the respective results of partaking of the two ‘‘ foods ” People may eat meat until they make themselves positively ill, and may, 1 am sure do, dig their graves with _ their teeth, but their immediate friends, relatives, dependents, anti the public generally are not harmed in any v'ay. except, perhaps, it be because of a morose or ill-tempered nature so engendered. The same and a, great deal less consumed in the way or alcoholic “ food ” 'often means, besides ill-temper, mieltv to those dependent on _ the drinker, waste (economic and physical), without compensating benefit, mdeconcies, immorality, and th© numerous and unsavory effects of liquor drinking, which it is “unnecessary to enumerate here. Alcohol may constitute “food, but it is rather food for scandal, divorce, unhappiness, ill-health, etc., than food for anything worth while.—l am, etc., Liberty. February 1.