The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1884-11-18 00:00:00


Contsvonbnite.

DR. .VARTIN ON "THE USE AND
4NE3I OP ALCOHOL."
To the Editor.

observe In your imus of the 11th Ina. tat
report of • lecture at the Town Flail on "TI,. Idea
and Abum of Alcohol," by Dr. It ibert Martin. Mr
present purpose is not with the lecture ikon, which
seem. to have been a w. f.? goo I one, but with some
remarks roads after it. emulator'.
Those remark, reflect, in my opinion, in the most
unwarrantable way upon the (aerate. of the me heal
profeettion.
Or Martin, according to the report, said "They
rialto% not be surprised they dli not get doctor, on
the temperance platform, for it was ow, of the greaten
enemies the doctors ha f," which is the same thing ae
saying that temp Tan or, being one of our greatat
enemiee, therefor, we are ellenti.4 to temperance, and
will do nothing to help to the figlot against the great
sail of m Atom times— irotikannees. Supposing for..
moment that temperance is min of our greatest
enemies, which I mat emphatically d-oy, must not
fore water, fresh air, nutrition, dim', and healthy
exercise, be included in the same category ? And
who, I should like to know, have been 110 forward as
the members of the medical pr-fee-ion in Inculcating,
whether %woo the community in general or upon to-
dlviduals, the neoetwity of the"? And yet we are
to be 101 l forsooth that we are enemies ti temoerance !
And that is why we so seldom appear on temperance
platforms.
I think, sir, that with tut roue' cudadling of one's
brains, one might easily finis better reason than that
for our non-appaaranee at tempera., meetinge, viz,,
the extreme intempersom of statement. which no o to-
'tautly emanate from them.
A medical man taking part in one of these gather-
ings mast either take uo notice of the most outrageous
amertions, and thereby appear to lament to them, or
he mud get up and contra-hot them, in whlcb case he
may appear to the audience rather NI an enemy than
a friend to the caner. In either case) he would be
placid In a most unmanf irtable potation.
If temperas°. orators, except, of entree, when they
are medical men, would but leave the medical sepeaf
of elo. Tasstion ialoa, or only touch upon it In the
most general manner, it wool I be better le every way,
and would affable the members of our profmaion to co-
operate with them to a greater extent than at present.
An examplo of the -xaggsrat of eat ,meats t which I
have referral is mealy to b sod di the remark, m vie
by the chairman of the meeting, the Ito.. H. Everett
is rep .rte 1 to have sail. spa drlng of lila ling,
that " if any deceit. ordered it now for nay confining
tinder the sun he ought t he pot in a lunatic asylodi.'
At first eight on, might b, Incline I ouly to smile at
so astoniehlag an aamrtion, but the miner maims. a I
different aspect when we remember that this is an
operation which any medical man in Dorchester might
find it neosseary to perform, at any m 'omit, for the
• icing of life, and that this iictum of o gmtlemao no
well-known and highly and doi-reedly respected as
Mr. Everett might kayo the effect of serioaely
embarrassing him in Ms duty, sal perhaps
lead to such opp-sition on the put of the
friends IN to prevent his carrying it out. The
name of Dr. 13. W. Richardson is one well-koown to
all who take an lettered in tempera., matters, and
what do we fin I him saying about b'oodletting? In
a lecture published in the Makeru rimy.. and Gc.eg• te
is 1870, after mentioning • ouinar of dimmed au-
ditions in which bias ling is of vain', and in some
absolutely lamasery, he conclude. thu•—" I have
en leavoured to avoid doubtful qu- salons, in order to
fix attention on what may be said afil-matively and
firmly in farour of one of the o dent and grandest of
remedied. ltly object has been to bring tha rerodly
out again 1, the full light of day, to place it on a
scientific basis, to reclaim it, 1. reform it, en Ito be
your support in the eff 'rt."
Dr. Richardson is probably one of the cleverest men
in the profession, but, accordi ig t 3lr. Everett, he
ought long ago to have been mot to Ballatn.—l am,
your obedient servant,

-.
W. B. KILSOLLL.
Dorchester, Nov. I.sth, 1884.

To Mc &filo,.