The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-07-25
ALCOHOL AND ASSlNTHE.
The Evils and the Remedies Of Drunkenness in
France.

The Evils ana the Remedies Of Drunkenness in
France
The abuse of intoxicating liquors l. rs old
as the world, but the extent of this abuse, and
lis extremely aggravated character have
made il one of the greatest CalamnticS of our
era. The drunkard of to-day does not, as in
former times, fall victim to the pleasures OF
the table, amid the Conviviality of gay com.
paniOns and the abundant flow of the pure
Juice OF the grape. He intoXicates himself
with artificial preparations OF alcohol, taken
fasting and in solitude. Intempcrance is
quite 4 different thing now from the brief and
brutal drunkenness of ancient times. 1t pos
sesses and entails all the evils that it formerly
did, but others peculiar to the nineteenth cen.
fury follow in their train. Recent medical
research has fully established the mortal evil
of alcoholic poison, and the pernicious influ.
ence it exerts both physically and morally
over human beings. On the 30th OF Novem-
Der, 1871, the Academy of Medicine publish
ed an article by one of its most distinguished
members upon the dangers arising from the
abuse of alcoholic liquors The Academy
very wisely took every means to disseminate
this valuable pamphlet, by sending it gratui.
tously to all public Institutions, the heads OF
manufactures, &c, &c, and at the same time
certain members of the Chamber of Deputies
feeling themselves authorized to do so, both
by the movement of the Academy and the
sentiment of the public, endeavored to set
measures Oh foot in the National Assembly
for the repression of drunkenness.
These measures resulted in the adoption OF
the law of the Sd of February. With regard
TO the punishment of intoxication in public,
II was feared that there would be some diff
Guilty in enforcing this law, but experience
= tol 81, f,,t;l az Ia "a fan In
the months of February, March, April and
May, 1873, the police made 1925 arrests; the
penalties pronounced by the tribunals of the
Seine amount to 4,253-statistics which ut
once Justify the existence of the law, and
prove its imperative necessity. Still, it is
after all only palliative it throws mantle
over the scandals of drunkenness, but it does
not prevent drunkenness. For the most
alarming form of intemperanCe Is not that
which results in the stupor and helplessDess
of occasional absolute intoxication; it is the
insidious system OF poisoning resulting from
the fixed habit of the drunkard who is never
absolutely drunk, yet who always drinks TO
excess, and who is during every hour OF the
day and every day of the year under the in-
tluence of liquor. The friends of temperance
IN France, however, have not remained salts
fed with the enforcement of this law They
have, in addition, formed sort of temper
ance socety-something like those in Eng
land and America Many eminent men have
Joined the distinguished physician who found
ed the Association Franchise contrc 'abus
des Boissons Alcoholiques," and in less than
two years it has expanded considerably. This
French temperance association differs in one
essential feature from those of England and
America; it does not insist upon total absti-
thot l., hctt
ply from alcoholic liquors, under whatever
name; and has purely practical end in
view, that of encouraging the consumption
of harmless stimulants, such as tea and cot.
fee, by workmen in their leisure hours, and
Of preventing the consumption OF alcohol.
1t permits the use of beer and ot the ordinary
wine Of the country
la fact, wine does not so easily lend itself
10 abuse as do spirituous liquors. In pure
wine the proportion of alcohol is small, and
the possibility of its producing an injurious
effect is essened if II be taken with meal
In order, therefore, "a become drunkard on
VINE only, 1t Is necessary to drink very
large quantity of wine, and to this the stomach
does not easily accustom itself So laborious
a mode of arriving at intoxicatlon does not
suit modern genius, which simplities every
thing. Consequently pure alcoholic drinks
have been concocted with the distinct object
of producing intoXlcation more quickly and
easily. Alcohol has all the defects OF wine,
but none of its virtues. In fact the process 8
of distillation completely does away with
every hygienic quality, and nothing but veg
ctable acids, tannin, phosphate, etc, remain
The production of spirits though aiding
would not have sutficed to so
extend it, had it not been for the discovery
of the alcoholic qualities existing in potatoes,
barley, rye, rice, etc. Cognac, eau dc VIE
armagnac, etc. are too expensive ever TO be-
COME popular, whereas the production ofgraln
alcohol is enormous, almost incalculable,
and by its chcapness facilitates drunkenness
Nor is this all Alcohcls. which are the
base OF Spirituous liquors, are in the process
of manufacture mixed with other ingredients
which are injurious in themselves. Some OF
these, like absinthc, are introduced purposely;
others are the chemical results of diStillation,
and are not to be disguised by any of the arts
of the manufacturer. LiGueurs, for example
IN which alcohol is disguised in every posi-
bic way, are far from being lnnocuous, and
the poisonous properties OF absinthc are too
well established to need consideration IN this
article.
Unfortunately, the diseases caused by alco
hOl are infinitely more numerous than those
CuTtu Nv IL, lnDuSl, 40 10 we'll hu'"h, ~ wa
originally introduced by physicians as a
remedy and u precious one. OF late years a
medical school has arisen in England which
has attempted to establish and regulate the
Use OF alcohol as n remedy for febrilc and in.
fammatory diseases DR.. r. Bentley Todd,
the originator of tins movement, published in
1860 n resume of his system in pamphlet
entitled Clinical Features" The same form
of treatment has since been adopted in Ger
many, and NJ, Behicr, one of the physicians of
the Hotel Dleu, has introduced it in France,
and has employed 1t successfully in cases in
which there is found considerable depression
of the vital forces, When administered in
fractional doses, alcohol can and does pro-
duce the most happy results. 1t is in fact
like the lance of Achilles; it can both wound
and heal.
The Use of spirituOuS liquors has been of
slow growth in France; that of abslnthe, cs-
pecially, was brought from Africa by the sol
dlers, and from the army has extended itself
to the general population. In the last forty
years the quantity of eau dc vie consumed in