The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-02-20 00:00:00

MR. FEAR THEORY OF TEETOTALISM.

To the Salaam

I rejoins to find that the scent of the West of
Temperances league has done his beet to
sank,
dyon "properly informed" ou the Tem
psennos
subject. Unfortunately, although the good agent
declines "rushing in waste angels bar to tread,"
I fear be has rushed in where he has very ninth
got out of his depth. According to tie agent is the
first part of his letter, tereere are done menses
wrong to if they are charged with saying that intoxi-
cating drinks do not ISOM, but a a later part he is,.
that them drinks are not "blood formers," that
" physiologisal writers say, that on account of the
indigestittle nature if the drinks thereeelves, ((is
impoesiblei for them to aid digestion." Now hew can
them drinks get assimilated and turned to fat, if they
are indigestible, and do toot find mak* blood More
ea this subject presently. It is refresidag to be
informed that SU teetotal body are oe's of
distingeishing between strength and fat. NAably '
they have studied Johnson or Walker. Now comes
• metier where I fear to tread, as I mono' under-
stand, nor can I loomed in getting an mOsmboa of
the paragraph lam about to qoote. The only idea
1 ma gather from it is, that the agent knows
nothing of eitimor the theory or praolioe of ferments-
tion. He says, of teetotalers, "they know too,
that it is the thief Mame of the nialtnew, te drive
out of the Mirky as snob of the strengthening or
nutritive matter as potable, while be preserves as
meal of the masharine Of meaty matter-as be can, er.
that the spirit, Mark wishes' the frame, and
disorders the system, may be brought forth." If
the agent wants to know why stimulants are
necessary, be can ask the whole of the medical pro.
(sedan, who now so universal* prescribe Omen.
„And now again as to " them drinks may or may not
-be beneficial; we say same* long ago settled the
question, Histamine drinks.,, neither blood formers,
or blood warmers; tberefore they are not benalciaL"
Lisa( says that alcohol is me of the combustible
foods (like oil, (a, starch, sugar, fro.), tbe thief
object of which a to unite in the system with the
oxygen which the longs take in, and by this chemical
mann give out boat Arnica may support the tempera-
ture of tb• body. Evan the drunkard prover the
raggedy of alcohol to act as food, for by hie labia
be so impairs hi. appetite., that be cea Saks very
little, if any, ordinary food; in fast, them are fre-
quent inetaneee to be =atria moon dram-driaken
of almost total abetinenee, for year. together, from
any food except alcohol and water. lam not quite
caw as to what fact it is "that the editor of •
public newspaper is still ignorant oE" Ms Ivor-
mos of this foot, whatever it may he, appears to be
the region why "temperance meetings are but
thinly &amide( within the range of his oes &paper
radius." Tracing into consideration the advance of
science, and of elbernical sad medical keowledp
particularly, I should not be inclined to pat moot.
or any dependame, on opinions of 40 years 01009 ; no
dada the earns learned authority woad recommend
the now long exploded system of bleeding twice
annually. I will venture to oorio/ude also with one
word about the "hackneyed quotation," " That which
is one man's food, is mother man's poison," me
the agent's answer, that "food oannet be poi=:
poison cannot be food." I cannot better reply to
tins, than by a quotation from an article from the
pen of a London M.D., of very high standing,
published lately. He says "0. the part of the
medical profession, I think I may my that we have
long since begun to believe that those medicines
which really do benefit oar patients, act in one way
or another m foods, and that some of the most
decidedly j,04000011A substances me those which
offer, in • form of small deem, the strongest
exam* of • true tad action. On the part of
alcohol thee, I venture to slam, that Omagh es all
aeknowledge it to be • pokes, if taken during
heath in any bet quite restrieled doses ; ibisalso
a mod valuable median* food."
I am, fro., &a
THE WRITER.