The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-11-09
ALCOHOL AS MEDICINE.
wouo,.t on the Use Of Stisnutants
by the Profession.

nResoISed That the present terrible practice Of
stimulation, which sends It's victims daily by th0u-
land with drunkenness and crime, cannot much
longer maintain itself in the conndence ana esteem
profession A nodded, improved, regenerated prac-
lice, based upon common sense anu sound clinical
healing and blessings upon its wings to the nations
The undersigned Dr. Stewart dissenting) beg
leave TO offer the following
REPORT.
That as the language Of that resolution was the
SOBER earnest utteTance OF Professor Samuel ID.
Gross, OF the Jefferson Medical College, before an
audience OF thousands OF his fellow-citiZens man
who weighs well his words, and whose lengthened
life and great medical experience entitle his deca-
rations to profound respect we feel bound TO con-
slider it carefully. The declaration II true is appall-
ing: if erroneous It should be corrected That the
use of alcoholic stimulants does send It's victims
daiIy by thou sands prematurely TO the grave and
Oils the land with drunkenness and crime, no one
doubts. The query then arises Are physicians re.
Hponsibe for this? The medical profession is one OF
great antiquity, of high honor and commanding in
nuence over the opinions and habits OF the people,
IN all that regard fayorably or unfavorably, their
tries the Medicine Man has controlled the minds
Of his people in relation to the safety danger OF
is spread over every foot Of the civilized world; its
memberssre welcome visitors in every family; their
teachings are medical gospel, received in the full
ness OF faith and acted out on the principle that
self-preseTvation is the first law of nature. Does
the physician say the health of the infant its
mother demands that 1t should be taken from the
breast, Though It's JOY to yield II as ts JOY TO sip ?'
she makes the sacrifice. Does he say n tourney to
and residence in distant and foreign country are
essential to the restoration OF the health OF the
diseased and enfeebled wife? she separates herself
from her home and all its idols to gain the precious
boon. Is the husband and father told by his physi-
clan that the chill lank hand OF consumption has hold
OF him, and that nothing but absence from his beau
ful home and residence for years in the frozen re-
glons Of Minnesota or Lake Superior can loosen its
grasp? not moment does he hesitate-hs business
is stopped his home is abandoned and, 1ed with
hope and holy belief that IL is solemn duty pro-
teCt his life as long as possible he leaves behind him
m Va
10 his drCaTy and desOlate home in the midst OF
strangers, that his health may be restored. The
poor cottager who can barely, by the hardest labor
and greatest lrugaltty procure the necessarcs of
life for his family, when all are in health, should
wife or children get sick, stops not on account of
expense, but conHdng IN the Skill OF his physician,
places the sick one in his hands and calmly and
humbly submits 10 whatever OF sacrifice may be
necessary for its preservation. In every country,
with every grade Of society, among high and low,
rich and poor, learned and uulearned this faith in
our proiesslon this submission to our opinions this
acquiesccnce in the remedies we prescribe aud the
hygienic measures we advise, IS given with readi
ness which shows how great is the influence OF the
medical profession.
In times when cholera, or typhus or typhoid fever
or smallpox, or malignant dysenteIy prevails, no
man will take food or drink said by his physician to
be harmful. Half century ago, and even now, in
some districts OF country, no mother would allow
her child, afflicted with measles, TO take single
creature plead in most piteOus tones for a drink to
cool its parched and burning mouth. Why did she
refuse It Because the doctor said at would
whole.
In 1882, when the Aslatie cholera first invaded
this country, every physician was besieged by
swarms of people begging to be informed how they
Clothing food, and drink ali T we're 2S'''rng9, reg9
lated by the fiat OF the doctor, and no one
failed to carry out his directions to the very letter
Even the veriest quacks-mere pretendefs-con-
trolled masses Of people who believed in them.
Stephen Sayres, an eccentric itincraut DOCTOR was
caed) had hundred of people crowding around
cherished, longndulged habit was flung aside. il
''' tended in the slightest degree to predis-
told tnnv =. . ~" dreaded malady. The love
Of life is universal, and II tho np,Se,-, -
citation OF any article of food or drink, its Gohsup-
ton would soon be at an end, Witness the effect
of n mere suggestion that there may be danger ff0n
eating pork raw or imperfectly cooked Thousands OF
persons fear to eat it at ALL even though cooked so
thoroughly that no trichna could I'VE under so great
live and be taken into the system deters them If,
therefore, physicians were united on the subject of
the deeteriOus effects OF alcohol, would it not be
utterly abandoned? We venture to afirm that iD
less than half century, when those whom we have
fatally indoctrnated into the belief that it is warm
ing. cooling, strengthening, tonic, and stimulating
that it calms the restless enlivens the dull nvgo
rates the body, gives strength to the intellect en-
Hvens the fancy and brightens the imagination;
that it prevents sickness and is sovereign remedy
in disease we repeat, when those thus deludcd
shall have passed away, the new generation, whose
minds had not thus been poisoned by error but who
had listened in blank astonishment to the wondrous
recital OF the miserles which its reputed moderate,
judicious use had brought upon mankind, would in
stinctiVely turn with horror from contact with an
evil so fearful.
Every writer on the diseases OF the human system
has testified TO the direct agency OF alcoholic stmu-
lants in producing large number OF diseases, and
predispOsing, by its use, to nearly all Others at
least to making the system less able to resist the
action OF deleteTious agents. Do we hear you say,
if such its effects, can its almost universal
use be charged upon the profession? Let facts
answer. Every physician whom we know person.
ally, all OF whom we have heard, use and recon-
mend the use OF alcoholic liquors in some form in
their practice. The great majority use them freely
in trinng as well as in grave cases; on drunkards
as well as on the total abstinence people; on the
child Of day and the parent OF threescOre and ten
They prescribe them in diseases of the Kidneys,
lungs heart, brain, stomach, and every other organ
and yet they know full well that the diseases
of those organs have been produced thou
sands OF times by these very agents They also re-
commend them to be taken by the weak, the dyspep-
tic, and the yaletudinarian; the aged because they
are aged, the young because they are young, the
nursing mother because of the drain on her system
(natural though It be and healthGul) to those who
are given up as hopeless because they are dying,
and to the convalescent because they are con-
Valescing and they cannot fOrego the glorious
opportunity 10 show them now porter or ale, or
whisky will 'build them up" The effect of such a
course is TO impress the community with a high
opinion OF the valuable medical, fegiying properties
OF the various alcoholic drinks, OF which wine, in its
varieties, brandy gin and whisky make up the COM
mon stock.
You must all have observed that persons leaving
nome, 10 spend the summer In the country or at the
sca-shore, or in the Jersey-pines. or on the noun
tains, at mineral springs, or at n country
home, are invariably found TO have brought witt
them by direction OF ''my physician some ''gOoG
brandy or ''real Holland GIN" or a few dozer
a'brOWn Stout" or some OF the fine sold mort ;
Many who take none at home, now ''by advice O
our doctor" bring il along TO Keep OFF chls to pre-
vent the deeterlOus effects OF change Of water, tC
take little morning and evening ON account of On,
dews or little at noon 10 help digestion, and IL il
truly painful TO a thinking, conscientious man, Il
see what confidence they have in the prcseryativ,
and remedial qualities OF those articles so CAREFUL,