The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-03-23
TEMPERANCE NOTES.
THE "MODERATE" DOSE.
Can Alcohol BE Safely Taken In Any
Quantity?

oiooo on oouie VI tne EHecJS or AlcO-
hol on the Brain" delivered by Axel
Gustafson, at the recent Medical con-
gress at Prohibition park:
alcohol as a brain poison is admit
ted by all who see its results in the
irresponsible crimes of alcoholists and
drunkards, and when suicide, INSANITY,
idiocy and all sorts of moral manias
are found w be directly traceable to
alcoholic drink
Concerning what is termed moder-
alton in alcoholic liquors, even author
tiles differ widely. Great physicians,
while commanding moderation, con-
fess ignorance of what it is, and bid
the still more ignorant to discover it
for themselves. They all agree, how
ever-from the physicians point of
view-in deprecating the taking of
doses sufficient to produce signs of
brain poisoning.
Now what is the minimum poison
GUS dose, below which, of course, the
safe dietetic dose must be found? By
the dietetic dose mean a daily guam.
tum of liquor or liquors, of any kind,
containing, some say, not more than
three fluid ounces of alcohol, others
not more than two; others, again, draw
the line at one and half, and still
| others-for example, DIR. Prosser James
allow but one ounce per day Even
here, then, the doctors disagree The
English surgeon, the late DR.. F. Z.
Anstie, the generally accepted authority
on the dietetc dose, fixes its quantum
at from one to one and half ounces
for men and half that quantity for
women. In other words, from four to
six tablespoonful of brandy or whisky,
two to three wine glasses of port or
sherry, or from four to six wine glasses
OF claret or champagne. How many
moderate drinkers limit themselves to
that amount? And is it safe? Does it
| produce no harmful effects on the
brain? In his 'Stimulants and Narcot-
ics,' Dr. Anstie tells us the results of
his experiment on himself He did not
try the dietetic dose, however, but
only the half of it, the woman's dose,
with the result. he says, that the
poisonous effects were fully developed.
n The face felt hot and was Wis
IDLY flushed, pulse eighty-two, full and
bounding, perspiration on the brow
''If half of the dietetic dose was
found to be thus poisonous, what then
of the full dose? But three-quarters
of fluid ounce of alcohol is not the
minimum poisonous dose, as many ex-
periments have shown. l shall only
refer to three or four of the best
! known, and first to those made by Drs
Nicol and Mossop of Edin burgh. These
gentlemen, after taking small doses of
various posons, examined each others
eyes with the ophthalmoscope, in
order to note the least results Hav-
ing taken two drachms of rectifed
spirits, i. e., less than a quarter of an
ounce of alcohol, they found the blood
vessels congested and the vision rem
aered hazy, indicating. as they state
paralysis in the nerves controlling the
delicate blood-vessels of the retina
And as the optic nerves proceed di-
rectly from the brain, there must have
existed in the brain itself condition
corresponding to that noted on the
retina. To refer to some more recent
experiments, DR.. Ridge, of Enfield,
Eng, assisted by several prominent
practitioners, made series of severe
experiments on both drinkers and alb
stainers, the doses being as in the ex-
periments of the Edinburgh physicians.
two drachms The tests were applied
not only to vision, but also to the
senses of touch and weight. In every
case the sense tested showed signs OF
deterioration; the sight was less dis
tinct and sharp, the touch less delicate
and accurate, and the sense of weight
blunted and confused, after the inges-
ton of the alcoholic dose, although in
many instances the subjects were I'M.
conscious of these impairments. DR..
Scrougal, of New Mill, Eng, repeated
the Ridge experiments and confirmed
them in every particular, proving also
by experiments of his own that the
sense of hearing is equally blunted in
its delicacy by these minute quaint
ties of alcohol. These minute doses,
therefore, produced plain symptoms Of
incipient anaesthesia
I'm view, then, of our present knowl
edge of the nature of the brain and OF
the effects of alcohol-in particular in
its affinity for the brain-what must be
the conclusions as to the safety of the
so-called dietetic dose? and what its
probable effects on the individual and
The race?
''The cerebrum. with its innumera
BILE, complex activities, is finer in it.
fiber than the automatic portions o
The brain. 1t is well-grounded Oh
servatitn in cerebrology that the higher
the function the finer its organic tbs
sue. And the cerebrum, being tn,
organ of intelligence and volition. ant
/. the field, as it were, of our constantly
changing experiences, is itself con
stantly undergoing change, and it APP
= pears to be law of life that changing
and growing matter is even more deli
cate in function and substance thai
the same matter fully developed ant
, matured. and further, that the delicac,
{ and liability to injury is in the degre,
D of immaturity and undevelopment
How, then, is the cerebrum prob
, ably affected by the dietetic and mino
> doses of alcoholic poison? Our spir
| itual and mental functions being tn
highest, are also the most delicate, ant
, are as yet in a constantly immatur
, and cropping state. Therefore, GU