The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1889-10-17
w. C.. T u. COLUMN.
EDITED BY THE LADIES OF THE KE-
NosHA w. C. T. u.
RELATIVE NUTRITIvE PROPERTIES OF
ALCOHOL, WATER AND OXYGEN.
DIR. HI. S. TANNER.
Continued

This, then, is the character of the
evidence upon which Dr. Anstie and
the profession at large depend to
prove that alcohol serves as food.
There is not single affidavit to the
truthfulness of the statement; it all
rests upon the say SO of an old to-
per, his daughter, and neighbors. If
this evidence supports the aflrma-
tive of the question, surely the case
of Miss Fancher and the others re-
ferred to, are equally good evidence
to support the negative The case
of the Brooklyn blind girl has supe-
rior claims upon our consideration,
for the facts are vouched for by men
of unquestioned veracity. Five or
six of Brooklyn's most reliable ply
sicians, who have carefully watched
the case for years, certify that Mol
lie lives on an incredibly small
amount of food. Besides the ply
sicians, we have the statement of
two eminent divines Of the Presby-
terrain order, and one Baptist minis
ter, also Prof. C. E. West, and Pro-
fessor Parkhurst, and all are corrob-
Grated by Miss Crosby, who has had
the care of her from the time she
first received her injury.
l am not disposed to question the
fact that the old mans dietetiC hab-
its were just as represented by Ans
tie, but the conclusion drawn from
the fact that the case clearly proves
the alimentary character of alcohol
is not. | think, sustained by the evil
| denCe.
If the story of Mollie Faucher's
dietetic habits is entitled to equal
credence as Anstie's story of the
cold man" then we think the clinical
observations in this case fail to
prove the alimentary character Of al
Cohol. Anstie admits that he is at
loss to explain the chemical action Of
alcohol in the body; we are there
fore entitled Gin the absence of
proof to assume that the same vital
elements that keep alive the life
principle in the Brooklyn fasting
girl, may have been operative in the
same manner on the "old man." and
been productive of the same results.
Anstie places oxygen at the very
head of ailments. In proof of its
wonderful life giving virtues he re-
fers to perfect immunity from disease
enjoyed by the desperately poor and
mderfed inhabitants of the breezy
hamlets of the southern counties of
England, in consequence Of the out
door lives they lead, surrounded
with an atmosphere highly charged
with oxygen. Anstie's assertion that
''oxygen possesses tenfold greater
efficiency as food than brandy"
may seem to rest on no firmer basis
than mere assumption, but from the
evidence of its wonderful life giving
virtues presented to me during my
fast, [ am confident that it's value as
food has not been overestimated.
For the first fifteen days I was
confined in Clarendon Hall deprived
not only of food and water, but also
of the necessary elements for the
proper oxygenation of the blood.
The atmosphere was of the most
vitiated character, the foul odors
from filthy closets and livery stables
in the immediate vicinity, came pour
ing into the Hall on every breeze;
added to this were the noxious gases
from filthy streets, and still more
filthy sewers, and as result my loss
in weight and strength was very
rapid.
In the first fifteen days amid such
surroundings, l lost twenty-five and
half pounds. On the last named
day l began to drink freely of water,
which contains oxygen in nearly the
same proportion as air [ also on
this day took my first drive to Cen
trail Park, where for the first time in
sixteen days, breathed an atuos-
phere charged with its normal
amount of oxygen.
The change produced was truly
wonderful, and I returned from my
drive looking and feeling like anoth-
er person. Nor were the benefits
confined to my looks and feelings,
for on the seventeenth day it was
found on being weighed that | had
gained a pound and half in the
previous twenty-four hours. From
this time till the close of the expert
ment, whenever the weather would
permit, I rode to Central Park twice
day, for the purpose of obtaining
my two good square meals of oxygen
which cost me six dollars per day,
the price of my carriage hire and
watchers, that were never less than