ALCOHOLOGY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 91, 26 July 1910, Page 3

ALCOHOLOGY.

Till'! PLEAS IX its !'AVOH. (Published by Arrangement). From time to .time tile advocates of alcoholic beverages feel it their duty to 'bring forward arguments on their side. These, however, are only occasional, and when examined are generally found to'be only half-hearted. tXo one at this period says that alcohol is essential to health • or well being; everyone admits that many are injured by the use (excessive i use, they say) of it. The plain conclusion of every reasonable person, then, must 'be that it were 'better to leave it alone altogether. The latest defence is from Dr. \V. E. Dixon in an article on "Alcohol in relation to life"' in the Nineteenth Century. It is an attempt to prove the statement that too much care ■can hardly be taken to base physiological arguments against alcohol on established facts. Here we are all agreed. The plea i 9 for "true temperance" and "strict moderation." We might well ask, what is true temperanee? The old Greek writer says: ''Temperance means, first, moderation in healthful indulgence; and! secondly, absence from things dangerous, as the use of intoxicating wines." If, then, we take this classic definition, the conclusion must be that either alcoholic drink is "healthful," and so may be used in moderation; or that it is "dangerous," ana . should be abstained from. Dr. Dixon says, though: "Alcohol is not a necessity for a healthy man." Plainly, then, it does not promote health and has no place in the first part of our definition. It evidently conies under the second part, is among the dangerous things, and should be abstained from totally. Then much emphasis is laid on "strict moderation," and as an attempt to define what that is Anstie's law is quoted. Dr. Anstie set up that standard more than a quarter of a century since, when doctors were behind the ordinary teetotallers on this question. His maximum safe quan- j tity has been reduced! by one-half and is still being further reduced, until, as a matter of fact, the d'ose of alcohol which will produce any effect and yet be Harmless has still to be found. It is equally useless to fall back on Atwater and Benedict for any support to the beverage use ■of alcohol. Their report did not favor it; all they can say ds that under some circumstances alcohol may be oxidised in the human 'body and so may be a food sparer, but not that it is a suitable substance to be imbibed for such a purpose. Dr. Dixon himself says that "it is an expensive way of taking food" to use alcohol for that purpose. Professor Forel, of Zurich, said that even though alcohol, did produce heat and energy in the body it was too dangerous. It was, he said, like an engineer who, knowing that sulphur thrown into the furnace would produce heat, refrained fr6m using it because he knew that, at the same time, that it produced the heat, it would seriously injure his boilers and furnaces. Much reliance, in the article referred to, is placed on the statement that a percentage of normally formed alcohol is found in the tissues of the human body. Now, supposing this to ibe true, Dr. Dixon admits that "it. is never _ present in amounts anywhere approaching those necessary to induce a toxic effect." Consequently, we may fairly ask what percentage can be found' in the body at any one time? This is a fair question to ask, because it is well-known that fresh living tissues have the power of destroying alcohol and of doing it with great rapid-1 ity. It seems, too, a strange way of roa-; soning: Because alcohol can be found in | the human therefore it should) be taken into the stomach as a beverase. Try the same on any other toxic sub-| stance forming the body; for instance,! uric acid. Uric acid is formed in the | body, therefore to imbibe it would be mi argument laughed out of court, -j-ct it is much on a part with the pie- fi-:' drinking alcohol because it is formed in a small percentage in the body by natural process. Dr. Dixon has some wise words, though, on page 522, and we should do ■well to ponder them: "It is altogether unnecessary for the healthv man to take short cuts to digestion and to substitute alcohol for starches, and socially the artificial consumption of alcohol in any form may be a danger to some people. Most people take alcohol because they say it agrees with them. I fancy, however, that this means, '"because they like it."