The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-03-18
TEMPERANCE NOTES.
THE "MODERATE" DOSE.

mol 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 it's results in the
irresponsible crimes of alcoholists and
drunkards, and when suicide, insanity.
idioey and all sorts of moral manias
are found to be directly traceable to
alcoholic drink
Concerning what is termed moder-
alton in alcoholic liquors, even author
tiles differ widely. Great physicians,
while commencing moderation, con-
TESS 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 l 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 a half, and still
others-for example, DR.. Prosser James
allow but one ounce per day. Even
here, then, the doctors disagree. The
English surgeon, the late DIR. f. +.
Anstic, the generally accepted authority
on the dietetic dose, fixes its Guantum
at from one to one and n 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-
les. DIR. 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 womau's dose,
with the result he says, that the
poisonous effects were fully developed.
The face felt hot and was Wis
IDLY flushed. pulse eighty-two full and
bounding. perspration 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. Il shall only
refer to three or four of the best
known, and first to those made by Drs
Nicol and Mossop of Edinb urgh. These
gentlemen, after taking small doses of
various poisons, examined each others
eyes with the ophthalmoscope. in
order to note the least results. Hav-
ing taken two drachms of rectified
spirits. i. e., less than a quarter of an
ounce of alcohol, they found the blood
vessels congcsted and the vision rem
dered hazy, indicating, as they state
paralysis in the nerves controlling the
delicate blood-vessels of the retina
And as the optic nerves proceed d.
rectly from the brain, there must have
existed in the brain itself a 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 Edin burgh 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 quanti-
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?
1.-The cerebrum, with its innumera-
bic. complex activities, is finer in it's
fiber than the automatic portions of
the brain. 1t is well-grounded OBJ
servatitn in erebrology that the higher
the function the finer its organic It's
sue. And the Drum, being the
organ of intelligence and volition. and
the field. as it were, of our constantly
changing experiences, is itself con-
etantly undergoing change, and it ap-
pears to be law of life that changing
and growing matter is even more deli
cate in function and substance than
the same matter fully developed and
matured. and further, that the delicacy
and liability to injury is in the degree
of immaturity and undevelopment
How, then. is the cerebrum prob
ably affected by the dietetic and minor
doses of alcoholic poison? Our spir-
itual and mental functions being the
highest, are also the most delicate, and
are as yet in a constantly immature
and cropping state Therefore, our
highest functions are the first to suf-
fer injury from alcohol Hence or