The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-10-17

| who expressed the decided opinion that IL was
| all bad, and only bad, from the beginning. It's
| action upon the system was mischievous, and
only that, from first to last, with no benefit
| whatever from it in any way,
| / am quite aware that non-professional
| may be supposed to be intrusive and presump-
tuous in venturing an opinion as TO the treat
/ ment of a most important case by professionals is
| of high standing. But persons who were fa-s
! miiar with the horrid practice Of fifty Year,
| ago, which in its time WIS the best practice
may be excused for calling in question a prac
| tice of this day-by no means suniversal-which
| is in conflict with general, il not universal ex-
| perience. ~.
could only be aggravated by the uniform we'll
known action of alcohol upon his system,--an
accelerated pulse, an increased action of the
| heart, imposing additional labor upon that
| organ, consequently additional fatigue upon
the whole body, which SO much needed repose
| To Withstand the drain upon the system, abun-
| dant nutrition was needed of such foods as
could be easily assimilated, and were most
suitable to his habits and constitution, of
| which his trusted personal physician could best
| judge. Alcohol under whatever form affords
| no nutrition to the system; no fact in hygeine
| is now better established than this; aud it is
| always an irritant in the system, whether in
| health or in disease it is never assimilated in
| any way, but circulates through the system
| always IN its native form, and always as an IT.
ritant.
field in England, who told me this story:
/ While repairs were going on in a wooden mill
| of his fathers. some badly secured machinery
| fell upon him (the father), by which he was
| grieyously wounded. One of the wounds was
| cut to the thigh bone, through the thick
muscles, by the rough, broken edge of heavy
| cast-iron plate; he was taken home and several
| surgeons were summoned. The surgeons said:
''Now you must have nourishing food TO keep
up your strength mentioning the things he
| shOuld take and them addad ffXnu mr. of hav va
| so much brandy every day"
But will not take the brandy" said Mr.
| Lee; II do not believe in it,
| "You must take it, urged the surgeons; sit
is absolutely necessary; you cannot get on with
| out it,"
VERY WE'LL" Mr.. Lee replied; 1--WE will see
how get on without it; if We find L do not
| get on we'll, we'll talk of the brandy"
Mr.. Lee persisted in that and would not be
| moved
| On the fifth day the surgeons came to exam
! inc and dress the wounds, ard on taking off
| the bandages they acknowledged they never
before known wounds to heal so well.
YES" said Mr.. Lee, when l needed 10Y
blood pure, you proposed to poison it with alco-
| hol."
But alcohol is .'laid down in the books"
l was at another time guest of Dr. McCu-
| loch of Dumfries, in Scotland, an eminent sur
| geon and physician He told me this story: A
| young man of that town, strong and stout,
| patient of his, or rather one of family who
| were of his patients, went to London on bust
| ness and had tne misfortune to break thigh
| bone, a simple fracture OF the femur. He was
| taken to famous London hospital, where he
| remained several weeks with no union Of the
bone aud general running down Of his sys-
tenn. He was taken home to Dumfries, and
DIR. Mccullough was sent for. The doctor saw
| at once that he must die, which he did on the
| fourth day after his arrival. The ends of the
| bone had no osseous but merely fibrous
| union, and epilepsy had been induced by con-
| slant and excessive alcOholization. He had
| brandy, port wine and ''stout'-so much every
| day great quantity, the doctor told me how
! much, but do not remember; but he had no
| Whiskey, dry champagne" and fermented
| mares milk, such as our poor President was
| forced to take, strong young man in sound
| health, twenty-eight years old, with SIM
| pie fracture of the thigh bono, done for by al
coholie medication.
will venture the remark only being re-
sponsble for it-that in my opinion there is no
rhinoceros in Mr.. Barnums great menagerie
lsstrong and stout enough to resist such alcohol
ic medication as our beloved President was
| subjected to, if brandy. whiskey, ferInented
mares milk and dry champagne was admins
tered to the huge beast in quantities proper
| toned to his bulk and weight.
Whiskoy enemas until the fectum became
| intiamed, and then the whiskey was merci .ul-
| ly omitted after the great mischief was done!
Three table spoonfuls OF brandy-and such
brandy!-every three hours, making more than
a
And the pathetic protest of the suffering pa
tient: doctor, are not you RUNNING me TOO
much?' Ii at ALL it was too much.
1t is not SO long ago that the best and only
practice was at the first visit to patient griev
ously stricken with a fever, to bleed, vomit and
purge. Then feather-bed piled high with
blankets, the windows and doors closed to shut
out the August air, and water-even a drop
sternly forbidden The poor wretches fingered
moaningly and died begging for water; water,
only littlr NaJer, for Gods sakei But water
was absolutely forbidden as deadly thing.
That went on for many years, until the people
rebelled against the practice and would not en-
dure it l remember very we'll when bleeding
for scarlet fever was the best and universal
practice; now it would be manslaughter. l re-
member the tme when, as the spring sun was
driving away sae snow, and the Maytowers be-
ginning TO appear, the doctors bled every mem
Der of the families Of their clientele, and gave
them birthstone and rum, or birthstone and
molasses. hat was 20 charm away diseased
the people in the old time we're slain in these
ways now it is by the more DANGEROUS practice
of alcoholic medication.
do not think it best to cucumber this arti-
Gle with quotations from the most eminent
English and American uthorities-recent-
showing the mischief which alcohol works in
the system whether in health or disease. A
powerful and deadly dtug. it is given to a
weak man just lingering upon the brink Of the
grave. A precious hfe-longed for, and
watched over and prayed for earnestly and ag-
onizingly-had this deadly drug administered
to it by the tumbler-full; the whole alimentary
canal irritated and nhamed by It'll And to all
this only one protest, which passed unheeded
doctor, are you not RUNNING me too
much "
A lady of my acquaintance once overheard
doctor, called in consultation over desperate
ly sick patient, WHO died that day, say: You
gave her too much calomel." Now it is alco-
mol. f+f7 s2itifi g ~
/. 'T1i NEAL Dow.
Portland, Me-, Oct. 4, 1881.