The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-01-18
TEMPERANCE.
ALCOHOL IN DIGESTION.
Tho Facilitating Theories of Medical
Friend of King Alcohol.

The Facilitating Theories of Medical
Friend of King Alcohol.
1t is astonishing how certain class
of physicians will puzzle their brains
and stretch points for the purpose of
finding some explanation or some apol-
ogy for all kinds of human foibles.
There is not single abuse in dietetic
practice-the use of tea, coffee, tobacco,
whisky and what not-that some med
ical authority can not be found for its
support 1t is astonishing, too, how
doctors will change their base-with
what facility they will turn a complete
mental somersault But this is neces-
Sary, because they very often find that
facts do not correspond with their the
cries; for example: DIR. William Rob
erts made an experiment, some years
ago, with reference to the effects of alco-
hol upon digestion He had maintained
land most physicians maintain it even
now that alcohol aided digestion; he
would say to a man: Your digestion
is not so good as it has has been; YOU
are growing older now; You must take
a little sherry, or porter, or little
brandy to aid digestion, because your
vital powers are decaying, and they
need assistance" There are very few
physicians who do not hold to this
theory, and the reason of this is, that
some men who are supposed to be
scientific, have pronounced their ipse
dixit upon it, and the MASS of doctors
follow these ideas, because they have
not the time Tor do not take the time)
to investigate this point.
Now Dr. William Roberts and others
have recommended wine and stimu-
lants for elderly people, supposing
that they aided digestion. DR..
Roberts thought SO, and he
experimental upon it; he thought
if he could put his breakfast
in test-tube, and put alcohol q $50 i'll
the tcst-tube, and keep it in warm
place (of the same temperature as his
stomach), and if he could show in this
way that alcohol aided digestion, that
it would be conclusive, and then these
skeptical doctors who do not believe in
alcohol, would have a fact 1efore them
that they could not gainsay.
Well, unfortunately for DR.. Roberts
bIcOIN, JLlC ICSullS VI lllo SA pei 10
did not coincide with his previous
views; indeed, he found them directly
opposite to what he claimed; in other
words, he found that alcohol hindered
digestion; that even small guam
tity of alcohol hindered diges-
ton, and large quantities pre-
vented it altogether, so that digestion
absolutely ceased. This was very
sad state of things. Thousands of
physicians Tor hundreds of years have
been recommending alcohol as an aid
to digestion; now here a crucial test
has been made, and it has been proven
beyond controversy that alcohol him
ders digestion instead of aiding it.
What can be done? But DR.. Roberts is
equal to the emergency. He imme-
diately changes his base and says:-
1--WE have been mistaken about this
thing; we are not suffering from
weak digestion, or from indigestion;
the danger at the present time is from
too rapid digestion: and he pro-
pounds this remarka BILE theory: In
these modern times the art of cookery
hos, attained such hiest- fta-ts>--Ns. -s...-o
so deliberately prepared and rem
dered so digestible, that the great dan
ger is an undue acceleration of diges-
ton. We are in danger of accumulate
ing too much flesh from this, and SO
we need alcohol, not for the purpose of
aiding digestion, as we supposed, but
to hinder digestion. You see, it will
not do to let old King Alcohol fall-he
must be supported; and whether alco-
hol helps digestion or binders it, it
must be good. If it hinders digestion,
then digestion needs to be hindered be-
cause we are suffering from over-diges-
ton; if it aids digestion, we are grow
ing old and the vital forces are decay
ing, and we need alcohol to keep up
our strength. The facts must be made
to conform to the theery.-Good
Health.