The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1874-04-09


say that have had about az much expe
rience in levers as often falls to she lot
OF any physician. During the war espec
tally saw very large number of cases
and my experlnce teaches nae that the
patient wants nutriment. proper nutrit
ious food. Year by year come to val
ne more highly the benefit of nutrit-
ious diet I have had within the last
ten years cases which twenty-five years
ago should have treated with alcohol
when now did nothing Of the kind.
appreciate the value Of alcohol. 1t may
be indispensable as stimulus to tide
oyer some period of exhaustation.
have I'D doubt that it may be used to
great advantage,lt has been used so free
lv as to produce the greatest evils. If !
were given my choice, in treating diff
cult case of low fever, between food, the
proper kind of food for the pate Mt at
the time, and alcohol, should rather
have both of course, but if had to give
up one, it should be alcohol. Now do
not want to he misunderstood iD this
thing. I believe that alcohol has impcs
tant uses which cannot be ignored. 1t
was a mistake to exclude it from prac-
tice, but the abuses which have come from
admitting it have been great also. The
abuse of alcohol is something which
must be constantly guarded against. It
is especially dangerous in chronic diseas-
es. 1t is productive of the worst results
physically and morally. The constant
use of alcohol brings on degeneration of
the nerve centers and entails settled
habit Of intoxicatlon. Physicians have
been altogether too n UGH in the habit of
disregardlng this fact. In my opinion
the use of alcohol in this country and in
England, and to certain extent Elm
France, has been excessive. Now this is
no theory adopted to meet the praying
bands. Ihave held it for years"
There is very general impression
that alcohol can be used freely as /. rene
dial agent al discretion and as beverage
without medical advice"
Yes, know there Is, and it is all
wrong. There is not drug, there is not
an article in naateria medica which has to
be used 80 capefully-becsuse there is, in
the first place, lhe reason have just given
in the case of chronic diseases, tie dose
has TO be be increased, and, in The next
place, there is the danger of alcoholic ex-
cess. The continued use Of alcohol al
ways results in the degeneration of the
tissues. There is a certain degeDera'ion
which begins On the average, say at fifty,
and progresses till death. Now, if nan
begins when he is young to take alcohol
regularly in small quantities, what are
called stimulant doses, so that he is never
seen to be drunk, and never IS drunk, his
degeneration begins at 80 He has iis-
counted his strength by just 80 mich.
Alcohol is peison,it is not food. It a
disputed point yet among scientific nen
whether alcoholic liquors have any effects
as food. If a man absorbs small qRn-
tlty of alcohol each day he Is doing him.
self more radical harm than if he we're
to indulge to excess at Intervals. J is
more harmful to use drug like alohol
regularly than occasionally in excessive
quantities. 1t is the worst way in which
it can be used,and it is likely to hav the
same effect as opium taken as habit. I
do not believe in Anstie's theory of tax
ing half pint of Burgundy each da.. If
a man never absorbs enough alcohd to
flush his face the result will be, if the
practice is habitual, the degeneration of
the nerve centre. @
ALCoAoL NO FOOD, BUT OF VALUE 5
MEDICINE AND coNDNENT.
DR.. willard Parker, President d the
New York State Inebriate Asylui, at
Binghamton, found no evidence es-
tablish that alcohol has place aaong
FOODS. In recent conversation upo its
uses, he said, in substance:
1.-THE question temperance peopl@eem
to be asking is: What does alcoholnake
man do?' Well, it makes one ma beat
bis wife, another quarrel with his eigh-
Dor, another kill his children. don't
say that this isn't proper inquir, but