Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1882-12-20
TEMPERANCE
Medical fs.,,a.sar Assu, tAsss,

of lager be1r 10 all my patients, sAia
Dr, BlumsnthAi, q pIeninsns us'naa
physioian of New f0fk, W 70
porter ~ fad that evea ils ,aeas.s'a .s
use 10 ihiariOns 10 NE hsf,pss
ten, snd thai thOse addicted 70 uims,
lng ths stuff iiaally suffer very maeh
from H. Whether brewers WHO were
formerly h0aest arc at present ahai'siAs
Ina their besr cannot SAY, fof ! lave
Iaade no analysis Of u, but esHaih Hs
that many Of ay palienls whs ~ 'vu, n,oD' ~
five years ago we're mol ahsp'pa ~ emp
tying thTes OF four glasses, are NV
thrown into q state Of dfowslhsss " pae
single glass Ihese patients are ehleiy
bushes, men. They dhnh q siass ~
beer Al lunch time and arc then uhhs ioi
.ork for the resi- 0f tho afternoon, -
lOrOor on heayinsss OVereola . 'hem
which ali their efforts arc unable 70 vsa'
lnish, The beer must eVileh.y eph,
tain some narcotic 10 bllhs apea, shen
result, for lie malt aud tie inpullhe ~
Inc hons, composing thednAk' sopenhe
though thew aie in lhelr way, W0llh nov
tuliies alone 10 bsnunb tbs faculties 70
tLat eSient | think II the subject
were properly looked inlo we wea'u
find ti,at kidney disease, just ~ maeh
Is the state Of torpor spoke e,' - ~
lrlbuiable 10 some fofelgn ihsfs.hsh' W
,hs manufacture oi the beer ", 'hets'
fore, you wish my opin'ob ~ lso woils
regardile the isger beer sold ~ this
eIiy. 4 viii say that II 10 very Injurious
sintf and a bai substitute Tor lhe also
highly Injurious alcoholic liquors con
,umed by many AmeTleans = WHISKY
lia, run aud brandy, ~
DE- II j, Oilrom said am ho' ~
tnemy OF beer-iar from II, but wonla
never advise any Oi my patients 10 IN.
dulas In lhe horrible stun Pailaen on
generally as beer Al kinds OF dlugs
snd polsons are used IN ita manufacture
--,atryehnins, nux y0miea, e0eeuiha ~.
dleus, aloes, aeels Of paradise and God
only knows what else, The use OF
Eirychnine, I understand, u great
economy 10 the brewer. iiy putting :.
little OF Il IN an old malt "mash
sud addina very small quantity OF
lro.h malt he eau employ tho whole
smash over asain. II il hardly mecca
fary for mo TO aay that all tho drugs
Inst roiorrel TO are very deletenouaa'
and that tho beer thus manufactured -
tho next thing 10 poison, II acts WIN
particular violence on tho kidneys aud
liver ani In short, " takon TO any OK.
cess, oatlrely undermine, the health OF
the consumer"
DE-. LIienthai, another prominent
German physician says; I" fou aee
tha trouble IL that many brewers
do not allow their brew TO lay long
enough They aro too anxious 20 get
Il on their hands and IN order TO
impart 10 II what | may term an artiii.
cial agc, ihoy add cocculns indicus aud
other drugs, Such boor tastes ~ II IL
had lain long while, when In reality u
Il OF a iro,h brew Strongly doctored
bocr Is exceeding injurious to the health.
II skaters the nervous system aitogcth'
or, and affects heart, hdnevs and brain.
any practice" said DR.. Bauer, one OF
tho foremost homeopathic physicians
who was questioned concerning his
observations OF tho effects OF excess
siyo lagcr.beer drinking, "has been
mainly among tho Germans who, as all
know, consume much moro boer than
tho native Americans. | have reached
the conclusion that, far from beneiiting
them, tho liquor docs them n great deal
OF harm by reducing their vitality and
powers Of resistance. This result.
think, Is 10 DO attributed mainly to the
alcohol, which arrests the process OF
assimilation aud directly affects the
kidneys. Several cases OF Brights dis
ease brought on by tho uac OF beer have
been treated by me, and have even
case of mania potu under consideration
which lay at the door Of tho habit"
DR.. II. b. Millard, n great authority
on kidney diseases, said to the reporter
"Of course, excess in tho use OF light
malt liquors is pernicious. 1t is not q
necessity in order that the nutriment
and sustaining property of light beer
may be realized that six or seven glasses
should be drunk"
DR.. Dowling, formerly dean OF the
homeopathic college, said Lager
beer is most injurious drink. think
It's principal action is on the liver, which
II inures very much. The fluid, you
zee, is very quickly absorbed after en-
tering the stomach that is, it enters
into portal circulation, passes into the
vessels OF the liver and distends them.
II the liquor is taken frequently and in
large quantities the vessels lose their
elasticity and the distension becomes
permanent. This subsequently leads to
degeneration of the liver tissue, which
In its turn may lead to numberless
complications. The obstruction of the
portal circulation resulting therefrom
Sillproduce hemorrhoids, or piles. The
asst stage OF these various complications
abdominal dropsy, which can only
md in death"
SIS the action of beer limited to the
iver or does it also affect the kidneys?"
81 do not think the kidneys suffer
Auch inconvenience from the habit, and
much less am prepared to say that it
brings on Brights disease. On the
other hand, one of the effects of excessive
Indulgence in lager beer is to give rise
10 accumulation of fat in every part Of
ihe body, including the most unusual
ocalitios. Seing stout lager beer
thinker, one is inclined to think his fat
equally divided between the stomach
Ind four limbs. But upon his being
lissected after death, one finds he has a
arge accumulation of fat upon the heart,
,r even fatty degeneration Of that
,rgan. The resisting powers OF such
nan must necessarily be very poor, and
The smallest ailment will give him and
lis doctors no end oftrouble. His pow
III of resistance, indeed, are even less
ihan those OF person addicted to the
lse of stronger alcoholic liquors like
ulm and whisky. You must not UNDER
Itand me, however, as approving of the
consumption of either of these, for am
.grally opposed to every kind OF alco-
holic liquor"