The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-05-19
BEER AND DIGESTION
What DIR. Hare, OF the University OF
Pennsylvania, Says About 1t.

DR.. II. A. Hare, demonstrator OF experimental
therapeutics and instructor In physical diagnosis
In the University of Pennsylvania, says the physi-
clan Is frequently puzzled when prescribing for q
convalescent as to which alcoholic beverage OF a
mild and pleasant character he can recommend
With the least fear OF "upsettng" the stomach.
rhe writer has, therefore, attempted to decide
this question.
Before passing to a direct consideration Of the
methods employed and the results obtained 1t is
necessary that few physiological and therapeuti-
cal points be brought forward. Every one knows
that alcohol retards digestion In the test tube but
aids IL In the stomach and while these facts seem
somewhat paradoxical they are, In reality, per-
festly logical, for the following reasons
In the test-tube we have given quantity Of
digestive fluid on which the alcohol may act and
We cannot have any Increase in the quantity OF
that fluid, because it Is surrounded by glass wafs
In the stomach the alcohol acts quite as much oH
The digestive ferment as it does the test tube,
but II also by the presence OF that viscus excites
the gastric glands to such extent that excess
gastric Juice Is secreted sufficient to counterbaI
ance any anti-digestve influences. In other
words the action of the spirit the living tissue
is greater than its action the digestive ferments
Theoretically, alcohol should never be used in
Indigestion or In conditions of gastric weakness;
practically every physician of experience or edu-
,ation gives alcohol under just these circum
Stances and very properly too, gives the stronger
alcoholic preparations instead OF the weaker In
typhoid fever we give brandy whisky in the
arst etages almost solely for the purpose of In.
sreasing digestion.
1t is also known. by those interested In such
matters in the profession that beer aids digestion
but little, or at ALL by means of It's alcohol, since
that constituent is present in diluted form and
In such small quantityth 1t neither aid d.
eestion to any extent by acting the coats of the
stomach nor retard lt by influencing the digestive
9uid II should be forgotten that while all al
toholc fluids theoretically retard gastric digestion.
hat beer does SO much less than brandy or whisky
has already been shown. this fact rather obtains
against ts practical use, that this Is overcome by
The carbonic acid and bitter principles ofthe beer
which stimulate excite and act as bitter tonics on
The gastric glands.
Beers, to be wholesome, should therefore, con.
lain carbonic acid and bitter principles to a taI T
tegree the alcohol taking n subservient and al
most useless role so far digestion is concerned
To sum up the results of these experiments we
ind that the beers examined varied in their action
lsmuch as fitty-nine minutes, and that while most
beers do not retard digestion in all probability In
The stomach, that Others. such as those mentioned
serially.
Thus. in the case OF the BERGNER q ENGEL
BREWING C0MPANY'S Tannhaeuser it will be
aoted that even in the test-tube the average delay
gastric digestion equaled but