Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-10-29

inssrtsd three timss foe o.; svsry Other day. or
tvIss week, of2s; once vssk, - esnu ~ square
Fer each insertion . = .se n iae 5s - II i /
DO ALCOHOLIC LIQu0ns PREVENT OR
.ssaas CURE CON8GMPTION! sf7f 3
-ffrom the 13alfimore Americm.1
In answering . question Of 70 much import
auce, We shaii do little more than quote the
words Of the essay mentioned below The lam
guage Of the taieuted and conscientious physi-
clan whose carefully formed opinion We are
about 70 report, hes nothing to gain from any
alteration Of our making, 80,
nual meeting Of the Rhode Island Medical So
ciety, held In Providence, June /, 1859, an
n0unced that the premium Of two hundred
dollars offered by them in 1858, for the best
dissertation on the following subject The
Bfect Of the Use OF Alcoholic Liquors in Tuber-
iealar Disesss, OF in Consultations predisposed
70 such Disease, to be shown, as far As pos
! able, by statistics,n had been awarded TO the
author Of the dissertation bearing the motto
Oreago pr9espx, erpsranfia faifdz, judi-
eiSm Sifesie." And upon breaking the seal
OF the accompanying packet, they learned that
the succssxai competitor was John Belly II. d. I,
% II ID undeniable, says DIR. Bell, that within
afew years there has been growing opinion
that the use Of alcoholic liquors rs sdvantAge-
Gus In the case Of persons predisposed to con-
sumption. and even in those already the sub
jects Of tubercular deposition And this has
been the case not only with the public st large,
whose appesites OF Pecuniary Interests have
= had more to do with The formation 81 the obin-
ion than proof Of any form or degree, but also
with medical men, ever ready 10 seize upon
anything which may prove Of advantage in no
ccpmnon and destructive a mafady. But the
history Of the Therapeutics of consumption
wsrns MS that favorabie estimate Of remedy
IL de-
grounds. The fate Of tartar emetic, of digi.
tails, iodine, and eod-liver oil fto certain exs
tent, each ct one time belieyed to be almost
specific, warns ms to make a most careful and
estimate bsfore scccding tosn opin-
lon Ss,,;, Which sm: may prove 70 have been too
Two theories rs 10 the causes Of the dcposi-
uon of tubercles in the lungs, from each of
which the ntility Of alcohol as . remedial agent
has been inferred, have been extensively cir
euiated- The first Is . chemical one 1t sup
poses thatthe tissues Of the body, and particu-
and acsordingly that alcohol, liz. eod-liyer
oil, might supply the fuel for this unnatural
combustion, and thus prevent continual
waste, IL net sapply material itseif- Yhe other
theory Is mechapical one, and sttributes the
origin Of tabercls 70 Q deficient circulation Of
the blood, and consequent retrograde meta
: morphosis OF the tissues. In this hypothesis
too, alcohol is the remedy, by increasing the
action of the heart. In the absence Of any
positive proof on the subject, the prevalence Of
these theories Is very Justly ascribed, first, to
the fact that the intemperate ara very fre-
qaently Of an originally robust form and vigor-
Gus health, snd have q plethoric, ayfi-eou-
: ssSspfson look; and, second, to the advertise
ments Of liquor dealers, which, scattered broad
east, have probably, like continual droppins.
Elected, IL some degree, their object To such
AZ extent has this been carried, IN some parts
OF the country, that whiskey may be classed
among the qaack medicines with almost as
much lproPristy rs any Of the nossrpms of the
The facts which Dr.. Bell has been abe 10
p sdance in connection with the subject b ave
been diri4e4 fnfo Two Assries fifst, thoss
bearing ePoa Ne qestion of the preysntive
power ct ucoh1S and second, those relating to
fs effects uPaA the system uhsa Mbsrcie is
already dsPesited in the lunp--when' CON
y sumption m sctualIy set in Under the 6rst
Of these divtsiooB. examinations has bar made
Of all the st&ss<ics bearing upon the .number
OF deaths from consnmp ptfo1, aad The degrees of
inssnpersnce IN d5asrsut places, sith rhs con-
sumption at difsrssf tines An tks zane place.
and its connection win ths greater or less use
Of alcohol; the comparative frequency of con-
-samPtien in the sexss, and how IL In fnfiu-
eneed By the use Of aissAelS ths frequen-
cy Of consumption smong perssns pursuing
Q6XfD@I
they are addicted 10 the use of alcokol; TIE fire.
quency Of consumption snong individu uals
known to have been In the hah1f of using alco-
bol, and among the ternpers6s; ths See at
which consumption occurs In - temperate
and intemperates and, lastly, the dnfstion Of
the disease in the two cases
IL viii thus be seen that the treatmept Of the
8 sahjecs 80 TAR as statistics obtsinabIs would
{ permit, is exhaustive, and, we may add, = be-
fore fntimated, couscientious. The sutkor in
deed. ayevs that he entered upon the discus-
sion q the question vithout any bias whsteyer,
. and his sss.y gives ample intsrnal evidence Of
the truth Of the ayowsl. Space does NOT per-
NIT us to ennmsrate the details into vSie6 be
) enters- We must content ourselves with rivL
= ing bis conclusions. Acknowledging that the
statistics presented in his dissertatio arv by no
means sahcientiy extensive 70 set the question
at rest ne smrms his conviction, sfter careful
eossidsrataon of the facts presented BY others,
has essay, that the following gsnersi conclu-
Sea- nay b FsssFdsd - pro6sbly true.
I. Eks opin1oal g lasTsly prexsilip. q. "a
me meets Of the ne Iof aicobelie ,liQuors. viz !:
that they have nsrksd is6asnss Z prsvent, ~
i.S the asPositioa q suhsrclsys SsssSfsfs Of
: = g 0a tks ssafrssy, shsir sss seps,Ss rssh.,
4 tsrss<sspsss ~ tnbsseuIs< aspoeltion. ~
- y, Whsrs tabsrcIs already exists, s1eohoa
pcs no sbssen sesef ia msds fysng tle ssrai
eoEfss run ~ bAf feahpfanes. = ssG5H q
pZ =, A.Aw.Sss - siae&ss, a. sny yeonsid-
srAots dsgrss, fts 2sr5st 4fEa N frIsrels
upon %1i ne : systsn ss ssy sfses q sks df,ssps
fore, does whiskt prevent q Sucs son, 80
: though not ssst g rsst p nap - SooSld.red
a. ns.fiy %, snd the -pablic u isfnaskkod ~ Dr.
: -6al 70, What cannot fail - prpys : blopknr
7 70 the vhsis nstion-we nsan tie disas ~
o. m erroneons and most dsnGssooe beIiSr
I; Aieohets even foF. the sake sof kssl q. surbt
ssxer % BE- tsmpersd with. We canno{ Z ter
sel?ee snes artiels thaa eby sising tks bri8 but
: psinssd rsuarks q Dr.. b. 1hlshl toSch & non
: the moral as9ect 9f - QUESTION. n 4 ~ ;,
i rays h, rtkat fha evil sRects re.isis, -.
he hAbttasl ass Of alcDAol de nst sFsst 2s -
Of fts infuehec upon this dissass (eooeanT 4 I'm,
vhsthss that isasenee Do f.yorrbls Or u5f. r.
pureiy rispties qnsstion ttis ought not . Ia.
dnence eur opini6n. Bat thserics ,rivs srirjr
10 pfaeiics, ard In this veg lkavss : issInr
2 spsn The well-bsisg u the 'communiky. We
eaght therefore 10 demand rigid pyQof ,of the
thsory before patsing Il IN PrssHss HkSa
,eonsanp9oa IA. aetasily com osnesd, IL night
9 perhaps bs Prndsnt to prsssribe The ussof sI.
eobof with onfv a Dr06nbf{xfS of afvnnfss - -