Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1864-07-06
"Quocumque me Fortuna ferat, ibo hospes.n

liquor daily as medicine, He was a
man of sobrioty- and of high morality,
but he followed the physicians prescrip-
tion. Little more than three years passed
away. and that man in drunken fit fell
from his wagon, and died drunkarl's s
death in the road. And we might. if we
would. name man still living in this
county, drunk almost every day of his
! life, who laid the foundation of his drum
kenness by using rum as a medicine. The
facts to prove that the use of rum as a
medicine leads directly to intemperance
are unquestionable and frightfully numer-
Gus. .-
The argument has thus far proceeded
upon the supposition that rum is useful
as medicine But in regard to that mat
ter We are seriously disposed to question,
whether in these days of adulterations
and poisonous compoundings, it can ever
be usefully employed for that purpose.
Even pure alcohol is, declared by some Of
the most scientific physicians to possess
no medical efficacy. The Academy Of
Sciences in Paris offered a prize of 25,OOO
francs for the best essay on the medicinal
effects of alcohol, and the prize essay,
which was sanctioned by the Academy
distinctly and unequivocally maintained
that alchohol is neither respirable, or di-
|gestiblc, nor in any other manner usable
lin the animal economy, but that it passes
through the system unchanged, being
eliminated by the lungs, skin, and kid.
neys, and so is of no medical virtue what.
ever, but a most dangerous agent in pro.
ducing internal decay and occasionine
premature death.
If pure alcohol, and pure brandics,
wines. &C., (supposing it possible to pro.
cure them,) are thus worthless and even
injurious when used as medicine, what
possible good can be expected from the
vile compound with which the country is
deluged. Let no man be so silly as to
|suppose that he drinks pure brandy, pure
wines, or pure whiskey. The thing is no,
to be had for love nor money. DR.. Cox
official inspector of liquors at Cincinnati
annalized more than six hundred lots Of
liquors of all sorts, selected from tn,
stores in that city. He positively asserts
that more than ninety per cent, of them
were adultcrated with the most pcrnicious
and poisonous substances, among which
be mentioned sulphuric acid, nitric ether
acqua fortis, prussic acid caustic, potash
nux vomica, alum, sulphate of iron, stra
; monium, &C., &c. Another man who
paid good deal of attention to the gath
cring Of recipes for making liquors, pro
Icured about two hundred and fifty o.
them, in every one Of which poisons o.
greater or less viruence were used, thu
whole number Of ingredients being mor'
than two hundred: How absurd to sup
pose that these villainous compounds car
promote the health of those who use them
how insane to imagine that any bcne6cia
effect can result from drinking the ordi
nary liquors, the only liquors that in nine
ty nine cases out Of hundred can b,
procured, made up of little trifc of al
cohol, and the balance being nux vomica
log-wood, opium, strychnine, copperas
arsenic. henbane, and the like. A MAJ
in the full vigor of health cannot live 1
Igreat while in the habitual use of sucl
deadly poisons. What possible reason. Ii
there to imagine that they can restor'
E health to one who has already lost it?,a
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"l'I .h8@ For the Newsdealer