The Brookhaven leader., 1883-05-03
The Food Value OF Alcohol.

In 1879 there was somewhat pecu-
liar attempt to throw overheard many
of the views which had been enter
tanned as to alcohol, and to assume for
it food value, which insisted that it
must lave recognition in the list of
ailments. The Contemporary ReUie,C,
Harpcr'S Magazine, the New York
Times, ETC., put forth these views, as if
the army of Temperance reformers had
been overthrown, so far as this part of
the subject was concerned. The sani-
tary articles of this paper July and
July II of 1879 considered the grounds
for such conclusions. The new views
had been based upon some utterances
and experiments of Prof. Binz, which
did, indeed, contradict some of the con-
clusions of Lallemand, Duroy and Per-
rim; but were not capable of applica-
ton to the extent to which they were
pushed.
The address of DIR. Baer on "The
Abuse of Alcohol" at the ninth annual
meeting of the German Society of Pub
lie Health, while it attempted to con-
denim spirits and vindicate beer,
brought forth an array of facts and
series of limitations which showed how
unduly these views had been quoted in fa-
vor of more liberal use of alcohol. But
still more important is the fact that Prof
Binz has again been heard from in fur
ther experiment and in his own ex-
preston as to the significance of the
views expressed. In response to an
invitation of the Congress of Hygiene,
held in Vienna, September, 1881, he laid
1 hot nln
in any form is to be recommended as a
means of diminishing tissue waste only
aRCler abnormal circumstances. 2. That
alcoholic drinks frequently contain, by
products of fermentation or of distilla-
ton, more hurtful than ethyl alcohol
itself. To the question whether alcohol
can be considered as food he answers
No, as well as Yes. He then defines
his Yes. If body is in disease and
nutrition has failed, and 1.-THE tissues
themselves, especially the fat. are so
far consumed as not to maintain the
animal heat essential to the working of
the machine; when this limit is reached
the oxidation of alcohol in the cells acts
directly in restoring the energy of the
respiratory and circulating centers."
He further adds that on the relation
between the consumption of alcohol
and the elimination of carbonic acid
and absorption of oxygen we must con-
fess to a gap in our knowledge. AL
though his views are disputed as to this
oxidation of alcohol, yet he, in defining
and claiming its value under these G6-
normal circumstances of disease,
adds that here we have reached the
Of 10 To m
Whatever may be said as to the possible
value of alcohol as possible food
is based upon the assumption that
alimentation in its usual form is impos-
sible, that the tissue and fat-food in re-
serve is about exhausted, and that thus
alcohol may aid in the emergency. So
narrow even is this agency that the
good physician will not trust to any
such hypothetical use, but bids you to
watch very closely the effect. If it is
claimed that, by reason of overwork, of
undue exposure, or of imperfect foods,
very many are in a condition of ap-
preaching ill-health, in view of the
perils of alcohol, the answer is that we
should seek the remedy of these, and
also add "the aromatic constituents of
tea and coffee, which stimulate the
heart and nerve centers and straited
muscles, without the subsequent ex-
haustion that follows the use of alcohol." +"
1t is sorry excuse to say that, though
they might thus appear to be valuable
substitutes for it, they must, to obtain
these effects, be taken in such quanti-
ties as, on the ground of cost, can not
be indulged in BY the poorer classes. 1t
| is delightful to see how this evidence
claimed in favor of alcohol is dwindling.
With all that we are finding out as to
the power of real foods and the methods
of their use it is more and more evil
dent that alcohol must be confined
strictly to the domain of medicine.