The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-09-16
The Physiology of Alcohol.
BY. REV. W. c. BLACK.

The claim used to be made for alco-
hol in its various forms that it was in
many ways beneficial to the human
system. 1t was claimed that alcohol
was a preventative of disease, that it
prepared the system for enduring
extremes of heat and cold, that it
increased mans capacity for both
physical and mental labor, and that it
was conducive to longevity. All such
claims are now abandoned except by
those who are uninformed as to the
latest results of scientific investigation.
The effects of alcohol upon the human
system must, of course, like all physio-
logical problems, be determined-not by
any process of priori augmentation
but by careful, long-continued observa-
tions of facts. Now this strictly
scientific method has been pursued in
the case before US, and the results have
been announced by the highest authori-
ties in the medical world.
The first witness whom. / will introduce
is VIM. B. Carpenter-a man who has
a right to append to his name the titles,
NJ. D., F. r. s., and F. G. s., and that
too in old England where such titles
mean something-a man WHO'S examiner
in physiology in the University of Lon
don, and also professor of medical juris-
prudence in University College As
long ago as 1850 DIR. Carpenter published
work in which he maintained the fol-
lowing theses:
l. That alcohol does not augment but
actually diminishes the capacity of the
human system for both bodily and men,
tai labor.
2. That it does not increase but vastly
lessons the power of resistance to ex-
tremes of temperature.
3. That instead of preventing disease
it is productive of marked liability to
disease, and that, too, when used tempe.
rately.
In 1882, DIR. Carpenter reaffirmed all
these propositions, and declared that his
experience during the thirty-two years
since his book was published had in
creased his faith in their truth. DIR.
Carpenter Furthermore declares that
he has the recorded testimony of more
than two thousand physicians whose
conclusions are identical with his
own.
Similar testimony is given by Dr.
Andrew Clark, man whose.large expe-
rience, prodigious learning and high
position as physician to the Queen give
weight to his utterances, and also by DIR.
B. w. Prichardson, NJ. D., LII. D., F.
R. S., and Fellow of the Royal College
of Physicians.
Many American physicians of wide
celebrity have published.statements cor
roborative of the above.
On question of this sort the opin-
| ions of physicians of recognized ability,
and large experience have great weight
with all intelligent people.
Perhaps, however, it would be more
satisfactory to some minds to know
the nature of the observations upon
which these conclusions are based. /
will therefore present few simply as
samples.
| First, how can we know whether or
not alcohol is a helper of work? Can
anything be fairer and more absolutely
conclusive than the test made by DIR.
Parkes, which is thus described by the
celebrated DIR. Clark, above referred to !:
CDR. Parkes got number of soldiers
of the same age, of the same type of
constitution, living under the same
circumstances, eating the same food
and breathing the same atmosphere; I;
ne QlylQeQ TIC SOlQlcIc luLO tWO &duRS
Ian alcohol and non-alcohol gang
and he engaged these two gangs in GER
tain work for which they were to be
paid extra. He watched these two
gangs, and took the result of their work,
and it turned out that the alcoholic gang
went far ahead at first. They had
buckets of beer by their side, and as
they got a little tired they took beer,
and the non-alcohol gang were in an
hour or two left nowhere; but he waited
and watched, and as the experiment
went on the energies of the beer drink
ems began speedily to flag, and do what
they would, before the end of the day
the non-alcoholic gang had left them
far behind. When this had gone ON for
some days, the alcoholic gang begged
that they might get into the non-afco-
holic gang that they might earn little
more money ;;::but DR.. Parkes, in order to
make the experiment clinching and con-
clusive, transpoeed the gangs. he made
the alcoholic gang the non-aleoholic
gang and rice versa-the men being
very willing to lend themselves to the
Iexperiment--and the result was exactly
the same; the alcoholic gang beat the
non-alcoholic gang It The starting, and