BEER OR WATER.

Westport Times, Volume VII, Issue 1039, 21 January 1873, Page 3

BEER OR WATER.

Dr Cox, of New South Wales, tells rather a curious story of lead poisoning. A patient of his own showed unmistakable symptoms of suffering from that cause, but through what means was a mystery until it was discovered that he was in the habit of taking an early draught of beer at an adjacent public house where the pipe of the beer engine was of lead. At, this believer in beer was generally the first customer, he got, of course, the first draught that had probably been standing in the fatal pipe all nmht. Here is a moral for the teetotalers, don't drink beer. Yes, but there is death in the water-pipe as well as in the beer-pipe; and it is possible that had the sufferer in this case gone to his own tap instead of to the publican's, he would have got his leaden dose just the same, only through a less pleasant medium. If one must be slow-poisoned, and there really seems to be little chance of escape from all the dangers, from leaden water-pipes to copper saucepans or painted tea, lurking on every side of us, it is as well to make the necessity as palatable aa possible, and beer is certainly as good a thing to get ill on as water.