The Portland daily press., 1898-02-08

has been the habit for generations to re-
sort to its free use in some form, one OF
the many arguments used in It's favor
being that ''as diphtheria patients will
tolerate larger quantities of whiskey than
sufferers from almost any other disease,
alcohol is antidotal to the poison, as to
the poison of serpents. But DIR. Fisher
says: 81 have not found it useful In TINS
or any other disease to any considerable
degree: while, on the other hand, Ieel
convinced that it's use encourages kiuley
| complicati MS and seq uelae, ana 1nisu ~
| is responsible for many cases OF neufit IS
heart failure and paralytic states. he
| goes on to say, however, that perhaps
| stimulants should not be taDooed aleo-
eetber." but he evid emily has small IalUn
| in their value. This writer is also en-
phatically opposed to giving any Iorih "
| alcohol to children suffering from typholo
| fever. in which even when apparently IN
dicated he believes that it WORKS muoh
harm; and also in tuberculosis.
To touch again for moment upon Wnat
ia known as heart failure, DR.. shelton
of New York, while not wholly ulscounte-
nancing the use Of alcoholic stlnulants,
and expressing his belief that IN cautious
cases they are of benefit, declares that in
his opinion "many feeble heart strug-
Cling along has been startled into spas
modic effort by the sudden admInlstra-
ton of haIf-ounce or ounce or whlsRey
or brandy that has soon caused 1T to cease
altogether.
The physicians who hold such views are
of course still in the minority, but are,
believe. increasing in numbers.
The opinion which / hold, that alcohol
is still too extensively employed in medi-
cine. ia based, besides the reason set forth
on an earlier page, upon the fear, which
seems to me we'll grounded, first, OF over
stimulation of the patients system, fur
nishing q fictitious and highly misleading
strength and energy, perhaps masking
to patient and physician the real condi-
ton present and leading to unsafe exer-
ton and neglect; and secondly, of the
probeb unfailing and inevitable reac-
tion-in tho form, chiefly, of depression.
the reaction which Is as inseparable,
and reaction are inseparable in the realm
of motion, where, 1T will be remembered,
according to Newton, they 'tare always
equal and opposite
/ have left until the last the most i'm
portant OF all reasons for care in prescrib-
ing alcohol, namely, the immense danger
to the patient of acquiring the alcohol
habit. This is so obvious and SO weli-un-
derstood that 1t seems to require little
discussion in this place. 1t is but trite to
say that the physician incurs q fearful re-
sponsibility giving alcohol to many pa
tients; very especially to those under mid
die age, to those liable by heredity to
tendency to the appetite, to those having
highly wrought or weakened nervous sys-
tenn, and to any but the inourably i'll for
q long continued period. To this respon-
sibility think the profession is more
alive than of old; but we all know that
much sin of this kind lies at its door still.
In bringing to close this fragmentary
view of q most important question wheth-
er regarded from the professional or the
moral side, it only remains..for me, lest
have too strongly emphasized the objec-
tions, to say that there is no doubt in my
mind that alcohol judioiously and very
spariugly used has saved many lives, and
is still capable of doing SO; that its use
in medicine may under some circum-
stances be blessing, and hat it's abuse
is cursegin medicine as well as outside
It's limits.