The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-08-04
ALCOHOL AS FOOD.
Prof. A,water's Experiments and the Way
They Should Bs Treated.


To the Editor of The Spy:
The recent experiments Of Prof. At
water are Of great interest to physiolo-
gists and chemists, since they throw
much light upon one of the doubtful
questions of physiological chemistry or
pharmacology, that of the metabolism
of alcohol in the body
1t is a mistake, however, to think as
some people apparently do. that the re-
suit of these experiments should
change the teaching in the schools in
regard to the use of alcohol from a
hygienic point of view. The schools
teach that the use of alcoholic liquors
as a beverage is not justi1able under
the laws of hygiene. The results OF
Prof. Atwater's experiments do not
contradict this teaching.
These experiments merely show that
the body can derive some energy from
alcohol. This does not in itself entitle
alcohol to be placed among the food
substances in the hygienic sense Of the
term, which is the sense in which the
schools and people in general use the
term food. If it did, such a violent
poison as muscarine, the active prin-
ctple of the poisonous plants of the
mushroom family, would have to be
ciassed with the foods, since it also is
oxidized in the body with liberation of
its contained energy.
To class substance among the foods,
we must know that the sum total eff
fects of its use are beneficial to the
body. Muscarine is not a food be-
cause it's poisonous effects offset the
benefit of the energy which it liberates.
Alcohol has poisonous effects, as Prof.
Atwater himself admits The question
as to whether it can be considered as
food depends entirely upon whether its
beneficial effects are greater than its
poisonous effects. Prof Atwaters ex-
periments do not prove this. Until
this is proven, the burden of the proof
is against those who would include
alcohol in the list of food substances.
For scientific experiment so far, expert
ments upon large bodies of men in the
ordinary conditions and vicissitudes of
life, IN the armies and in exploring ex-
petitions where labor and exposure
nave to be endured, indicate that when
the regular moderation quantity of
alcohol is taken, the harmful effects
onset the beneficial ones and that the
arlhker is made less fit rather than
more fit to work.
And stronger still is the reason
against speaking as Prof. Atwater does
OF alcohol as food in the same sense as
sugar. FOR people, gener ally, will in
terpret this to mean that it is a food
equally to be recommended with sugar
ana ordinary hygienic foods. And this
as Prof. Atwater will agree, is an en-
tlrely false idea, and one calculated to
40 Inucn harm. For while we get our
energy from sugar without risk of moi
sonlng, to get energy from alcohol we
run great risk of poisoning. and to get
any amount such as would be neces-
sdIy 10 support life in ordinary CON
ditlons, we must take enough alcohol II
poison ourselves seriously. (By poison
ing is meant some harmful effect upon
the functions of the body.)
The above dangers in the use of alco-
nol, aiso the possibility of the forma-
tlon OF the alcohol habit. make its mss
as a beverage unjustifiable even II
there We're no other arguments against
IL is unfortunate that the alcohol
question has been brought upon This
technical ground. The question of the
hygiene status of the use of alcohol
does not depend upon the technical
question of the definitions of a food and
OF poison. The controversy upon this
point has produced statements upou
6otn sldes, which have given rise in the
pubic mind to great Instrumentation of
the truth.
Both sides in this technical contro-
versy will agree in regard to the main
question, that children should be
taught to look upon alcoholic liquors
as dangerous substances, to be avoid
ed from considerations of health and
general welfare.
And in the present light of our ex-
perience and of scientific investigation
the school books must continue to ex-
clude alcohol from the list of sub
stances desirable as foods and to teac,.
the avoidance of this substance as 8
good hygienic rule.
H. F. Hewes, NJ. d.
Boston, Mass, July 5, 1899