ALCOHOL AS FOOD

Evening Star, Issue 19781, 3 February 1928, Page 9

ALCOHOL AS FOOD

SIR A. LANE’S STATEMENT CHALLENGED . [Special to tee * Star.’] CHRISTCHURCH, February 2. Although some Christchurch medical men think that there may be a substratum ot truth in the statement made in London by Sir Willhmi Arbutlinot Lane that alcohol is a better food than moat, they regard it in a general way as “ tosh.”

“There is a substratum of truth in what Dr Lane says,” commented a well-known Christchurch medical man to a ‘Sun’ reporter. “Alcohol in its innocuous form (such as light wines, taken at dinner) does help to a certain extent, but to state baldly, as. Sir William' does, that alcohol is an infinitely better food than meat, is “ tosh.” About four or five years ago the British Medical Association inquired into the uses and abuses oh alconol, the work being carried out by one of the university research laboratories. The results of investigation are -uch that the harm done by alcohol cannot be denied. Experiments carried oul in the big industrial centres proved that the percentage of error in factories increased by leaps and bounds with the presence or influence of alcohol. Most of the accidents in the factories were found to occur at the beginning ot the week, when the employees had returned from “celebrations.” The influence ot alcohol was clearly seen. Alcohol is conclusively proved to be a poison, and even small doses accounted for accidents. One experiment was carried out with an expert typist. A small quantity of alcohol increased the percentage ol error, the memory of the typist becoming affected for the'time being. As the quantity increased so did the error. Alcohol taken internally has been proved to be burned up in the body, as it is a volatile spirit. Its only use, as found by the Research Committee, was in the case where the body tissues and food were burned up too rapidly. It alcohol were taken it was burned up instead of the food and tissues. Alcohol is useful in eases of diabetes, and the patient is helped in the assimilation ot food. The .idea of alcohol as a stimulant has been proved to bo utterly wrong.” “ 1 look upon the statement as a ‘Bernard Shaw ism,’” said another eminent Christchurch doctor. “Dr Lane has made a startling statement, which must not be taken literally. Sir William is a wonderful surgeon, but bo does not seem to know much about physiology or dietetics. Of late he has got into the hands of cranks—health food people and vegetarians, who sav anything at all is better than meat Of course, there is a certain amount of truth in the statement. We cannot do without alcohol. As a drug and a stimulant it is invariable, but only as swell. To say it is more nutritious than meat is quite absurd.”