Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-04-06
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Filters Of Ne kssssSs journal:
whils hsys no Ievs ~ eoaaPsvuu.v !
such, NJ dDs thss esn veil y esaref
present, for lsscl1y disuuSsiene1 ~ =,
question fseDasly opeDed u yeef -,
viSh SefsFaoce 70 he v0lae - naaeaef1-, y,
alcoholic liquors for He6IcirsI 1870
ooe sith inch fnportsns bsasipee ~ a.
psbIic welfare - 70 jsstify soas fursle,
c5nsideFstioo.
Pint, however. would respectfully -
gest - Dr.. CsoakeS thst ~ viewe - III,
With regard 10 the use Of alcohol hi ~
- to the "spbers" Of . cleseynaa -,
possibly besr rsvisIon. The nS66na Z =
exploded one thss The business ~ I eie,.v,
man 10 oniy TO tssch the theory "a 1890
Of theological science Ia iss spplke.tion =
the sosls Of men With little corcupu -,
their Jodses ~ lesss Until sftsf u INV -,
has done his bes:, or worst, for the9 IA m
rendered bis charge to thA care Of ~
undertaken.
Whatever concerns the physicsJ. polin.
cal, social and moral veli-beine efthe iudi.
viduAl, Of the general good % socieey -
be properly regarded q sithin De Hnis1
Of the sphere" Of Chrissisn mirieesf.
II, however, DIR. Crooker had oniv
intended 70 invite Suggestions e d ..rem I.
edJ" for bis "dii1cuis," from MEMBER a
bis own profession. would nos . eau fof :
conference Of pKysiciaas have be<n IT,
proper thing Instead Of "A Gard 10 ths
Public"
II 10 evidently the opinion Of the doctor
that have rushed rather biindly into what
be tsfms deep water" Ia reply 70 this
implication would ssv that I vas fully
svsrs Of the fact when putting forth the
views expressed ia my former eommuni.
cation, that thsy would be In conflict with
pfeconcsived opirious and popular
and deep-foosed prejudices Ia the
minds Of numerical msj ssiiy Of pret.c.
log physicians foiioving old school meth
DDS. and Of the people ~ well whom they
have been 90 largely responsible for educs-
ton upon the question ct issus.
But that there IL very respectable and
growing minority Of able and successful
physicians who srs abandoning the uss Of
alcoholic liquors in their practice. never
thsless re-sfiirm. Furthermore, I may say,
that this cisss Of physicians are able 10
sive reasons for their action In this regard,
which to fsiY-minded and candid people
would indicate that they were In no respect
NAHtlBf IN '-COmm1H-eeaee-
With regard to the quotation cited In my
former letter from DR.. JAS. X. Nichols.
whose statements DR.. Croker declares he
doe. mot propose TO accept beg leave
to say that The Jas. X. Nichols referred
to wss not the manufacturing chemist
Of Boston" bearing that name. but
4 skiiiful physician snd scientist, late
Of Hsverhiii, Mass. nov dead, Q man
Of unquestionsd ability and vide expert
ence both ~ practitioner ard writer.
With regard to the latest authorize -
upon whose opinions Dr.. Cfookef relies
with such confidence, as have already
intimaied, would not think Of que ssionins
the claim that an array Of eminently
respectable and Influential names might be
readily presented sanctioning. the more or
LEES free use Of alcohol for medicinal pur-
poses. The question we are discussing,
however, is not whether 1t 10 convenient or
even In rare cases useful, but whether 1t IL
40 indispensable necessity, whether In
short, any real harm weult result from iis
utter prohibition not only - . beverage
bu. also in medicine and arts. As the
result OF somewhat careful reading
And study upon this question,
and Of intimate personal &C.
qusintsacs and frequent conversation
with successful physicians who do wholly
discard in their practice the use Of alcohol
asa free constituent in all forms, 1 have
come TO eDtertaia some very pronounced
convictions upon the subject and do not
hesitate to take the negative upon the ques-
ton Of the necessity Of alcohol for the puf-
poses indicated.
This position would have been far less
easily defensible score or more years ago
than now. Recent scientific and ply siolos-
zeal experimentation have shown very con.
clusively that very much that was held
tensciously for ages - common SENSE"
was rather common error. In the standard
works Of the old school such a. the one by
Prof Wood whom DR.. Crooker quotes ape
provingly. works that are eli in their views
whatever date they may. bear upon their
title page, alcohol was commonly spoken
of as eau lie vie" water Of iife) aud re-
lied upon as the greatest remedial
agent known TO the medical fraternity.
Science has shown, however, that al
oohoI in sll forms msy be Characterized
more fifty rs the essence Of death than the
"vater Of life"
Careful experiments conducted by such
noted scientists as Lsliemand, Perrin,
Duroy OF France. Edward Smith. NJ. d.,
y. Il. 5 and Benjamin W. Richardson, M.
d, Ii. D., +. X. s. Fellow Of the
Royal College of Physicians Of London,
the justly eminent Henry |. Bowditch, NJ.
u. Of Boston, and others equally dis
tinguished whom l might mention, have
demonstrated to their own satisfaction. at
least. that alcohol undergoes no change in
the body, that II cannot be incorporated
into any muscular or nerve tissue or other
bodily substance, that Il is not, properly
speaking, o stimuianf, but rather dtsor'
gdHiser and paralyzer Of the system.
iaiprtag md destroying functions neees.
sary 10 life. II would rtq lire large vol
ume to give in detail the facts and srgu-
merits from which ths above conclusions
have been deduced. while the limits
of the present discussion demand
brevliy. cannot fsrbear, however, max
log one or two direct quotations from the
published lectures of the DR.. Richardson
above referred to. Oae from "Alcohol in
Health and Disease will be in point - to
the use Of slcohol 10 any form In feesr
cases While admitting thst By its employ
ment febrile heat may be reduced, he
nevertheless declares, that between the
production Of that effect, and the period Of
first administration, the excitement set up
is so intense, the motion Of tina heat IL 80
accelerated, the delirium 10 so troublesome,
the disorder to the digestion 90 definite,
that there 4, an acsusl risk in its use. The
after e q sc,s in the way Of depression are
moreover of such extreme character that l
for ore would far rather be left to no treat.
meut at all in fever than accept alcohol IS
the remedy however skilfully it might be
administered" In the same lecture
after exposing popular falls in rela-
ton 10 the supposed value Of alcohol,
in that class of cases where IL Is used
most commonly by physicians, DIR
Richardson coneiudes by saying that Eek
csrtirg under the conditions which have
been smed, in which alcohol may be sup
posed to play useful part. bus in which |
would not even place IL - an absolute
necessity, should maintain that total d5-
sttaeHee from IL is as sound a practice IN
dis,ase as II is IN health. Speaking for
myself alone conseientiously declare hat
although might. in rare instances, be
obliged to substitute some other similsr
agent for aicshol, il it did not exist
A. sill. there i. scarcely any d,ug
could more easily spare. II it bad
never been discovered, do not believe
that medical science would have suffered
one iots from the absence Of ito direct use;
and il it were never directly prescribed
again doubt whether any loss to the sick
would be sustained"
will next give summary OF sienincsnt
facts cleaned from the annual reports OF
the Mar chester Royal Infrmary and its
sdjunct hospitals, by DR.. Dorchester and
published in THE Liquor Problem In All