A CAREFUL MOTHER?

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9534, 5 July 1909, Page 5

A CAREFUL MOTHER?

(To the Editor). Sir—l feel like raising my hat to "Matarfamilias," and to every mother with so good a record. Never theless her experience does not prove anything as to the value of brandy or other alcohol for babieß. There w«s a time when everybody believed in the efficacy of alcohol; it is quite different now. The use of it in medical practice generally and in hospital practice in particular, is now a mere nothing in comparison with what it was twenty years ago even. "Materfamilias" has missed mypoint in reference to the London Temperance Hospital, in that I did not refer to 81 children, but to 81 outof 8 28,538 patients in a'genenal hospital (less than 3 per 1,000), who were treated with alcohol, and with over the average success. Then again she does not like statistical matter, which I cannot help. It is most unscientific to begin to generalise on a few isolated instance's; to forma correct conclusion a large field must* come under review. Here are some facts taking a large field:—Dr. MacNicholl. of New York, had under review 20,147 scholars, among whom he found that 10 per cent, of the dullards were children of abstinent parents, while 53 per cent, were the children of drinking parents. Then again he traced 3,711 scholars through two generations to find that 96 per cent, of the proficients were of sober parentage, and only 23 per cent, of drinking parentage. Again Professor Demrae made observations on twenty, families, ten beirg sober families, and ten drinking families, with the result that in the former there were 61 children of whom 50 were up to the noimal standard physically, whilst among the-latter there were 56 children, and only nine Were normal. Further, I have in my pos&essioo nearly 250 replies from doctors all over New Zealand" to sundry questions about alcoholics, and though they differ in many points, they are almost unanimous in saying that <*nlcoh< 1 should not be used without medical j orders. I would also advise ail pari ents to get from their children, or from other people's childcen, failing any of their own being school attendants, the May issue of "Thd School Journal," as in it they will find two very convincing artic.ts on Alcohol and its Effects. The "Journal" is supplied free to all scholars in standards, and is "expected to be taken home by the scholars at the end of the month. "Materfamilias" may have healthy children to whom she administered brandy in infancy, but I certainly prefer Dr. Truby King's advice, which is not based on isolated cases, but on a broad generalisation from his own experience, and the recorded experience of others "that the use of alcohol in minute quantities stunts and dwarfs brain cells"; and this he said in reference especially to babies.—l am, etc., "A READER."