National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-12-26
THE RAVAGES OF CoSsUMP-
TON.

]
siiy OF Pennsylvania sa,s-A New
Cure.
Medical statistics prove without question
that from one.sixth TO onc.tenth Of the
mortality Of European nations is due to
consumption. Amongst the many mila-
dies which flesh is heir to, It can well say,
~ am king among ye ALL" Under this
| popular torn may be marshaled death
record SO startling In character that medical
science Is almost at a loss TO invent names
TO express the recognized and manifold
! ways IN which IL expresses itself, In wreck
| ing human life from infancy TO old age.
! Our earthly existence Is marked by many
| physical ills The acute forms, by care,
| soon pass away, but chronic disease Is apt,
with the majority, to bring them to that
| point where an imperfect recovery is the
/ result, ard they are marked rs one whose
| obituary notice will read "Dicd ot Con-
| sumption
Another terrible fact of which there is no
| doubt, although only verified within the last
| few years, and that Is, that consumption
may he acquired by previously healthy
person from close association with one al
| ready suffering from 1t. In this way alone
| can be explained the series Of deaths often
! noted IN households, which never stops as
long rs one member Is left. One character
istic Of this disease is that in every stage,
even at deaths door. the sufferer has hope
of recovery.
Once the disease was regarded a. hopeless
In almost any stage, and remedy after rem.
edy has been laid aside, failing to give the
results that had been hoped for.
Much might he said on this point, but at
tention will be given to one article alone,
which, several centuries ago, commanded
attention, hut which failed to receive the
attention It merited from the failure to
maintain q standard quality through COM
mercial competition, and the non-recogni-
ton OF the fact that In the long run wisdom
VIII prove superior to every other circum-
stance.
In the sixteenth century, amongst the
remedies largely in vogue with the eminent
physicians OF Ireland as tonic, possessing
other properties, usquebaugh-th form OF
alcohol obtained from malt-stood In high
esteem The importation OF stronger spirits
from England resulted In such changes In
Il quality that II failed to continue 10 re-
ceive the appreciation for its medicinal
effects that 1t would probably have OBJ
tanned. The harmful adulteration of arti-
cles of this kind, through all ages, has
tended TO keep it from securing its place in
the list Of well-recognized medical rene
dies.
In the age in which we live physiological
research has been carried to, that point that
questions which for centuries have not been
decided have now been settled by conclusive
facts. As bearing on this subject we can do
no better than quote from that standard at.
thority Prof. II. G. Woods "Treatisc on
Materia Medlca and Therapeutics" The
professors rank, by virtue of his connection
with the University of Pennsylvania, cntl-
Ting him to the confidence Of every invalid
who seeks information on this subject.
To commence with On page 100 Of the
fifth edition Of this work the evidence is
furnished of the existence Of alcohol In the
systems Of persons who had never used al
| cohol In any form. Acting on this cstab-
| lished fact, with other evidence bearing on
| the subject, II has been found that the adj
mnistration of alcohol, by delaying the
| process of digestion, results In its being
more thorough. In his valuable article on
| this subject, he proves conclusively that al
cohol is a food that is destroyed In the sys-
TEN aud yields force, which is utilized In the
organism. Further on he adds: alt has
| been estimated that 03 ounces OF lean beef
| (equal to about two ounces Of alcoliol) will
supply the necessary force to maintain the
circulation and respiration of an average
man for one day: that is, four ounces Of
| spirit will suffice for this purpose. Since
| to the ability Of furnishing material whose
consumption shall give power Is added the
ability to restrict waste and to stimulate the
function OF circulation and of tue nervous
| system II Is evident that in alcohol we have
| most important means OF sustaining the
system during the strain Of an exhausting
| disease. The chief legitimate uses of alco-
| hol in chronic diseases are to aid In diges-
| ton; to furnish food which, without any
digestive effort upon the part of the system,
shall be absorbed and shall take the place
Of more ordinary food and to check cx-
| cessiye tissue waste. II is conceded by all
physicians and chemists there does not
exist anything that can take the place Of
alcohol in the accomplishment Of the spe-
cial effects obtained by II in this direction.
OF course these indications exist only in
such diseases as are either dependent upon
or closely associated with condition of
the system In which the general nutrition is
deprayed. In phthisis and its congener,
scrofulosis, there can be no doubt as to the
great value of alcohol"
Many similar authorities might he quoted,
but one of this kind Is deemed sufficient.
The trouble, however, has been, as asserted
by this author and the medical profession
generally, that reliance could not be placed
on the standard quality or uniformity of
any article Of the kind, that might be pre-.
scribed. So lamcntably true Is that fact,
that public opinion and the constituted
authorities Of all the great nations Of the
earth, are moving In the direction of the es-
tablishment of inspectors for all articles re.
lating to the bodily health of the masses.
The need Of a reliable and uniform article
of this kind is apparent, for the medical
profession and the public generally; an az
ticle which for purity and uniformity can
be relied upon in every stage of the train OF
evils which the monster malady Consump
tion is accompanied by. The Duffy malt
whiskey has successfully stood the most
scientific tests, and scores OF unsolicited
testimonials as to its efficacy, from al
quarters, are freely given, Medical journ
ais discuss its merits, and learned reason:
| arn niuen for It's mcmillan nnMnr.