New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-06-17
ALCOHOL, FOOD AND POISON
COMMENT ON THE RECENT EXPERT
MENTs OF PROFESSOR ATWATER,
OF NIDDIETOWN, CONN

OF MIDDLETOWN. CONN.
,.,.r~nce was made by The Tribune several
Aoks ago to the preliminary experiments con-
aucted by Professor w o. Atwater. OF Wesleyan
r-n,versity Middetown, Conn. undertaken to ascer-
ct, the value of alcohol as food He presented a
raner on this subject at the last meeting OF the
,tddletown Scientific Association. reporting his
conclusions more fully. The topic was discussed
by other experts who were present. Or. Edward
p Rosa who designed a part of the respiration
caorineter apparatus that was used in these tests
writes 10 The Tribune in regard 10 the meeting
follows:
The much-dspu,ed question IS whether alcohol
., IN any proper sense Of the word food-in other
words whether alcohol can replace any part OF an
ordinary diet Of meat. bread and vegetables Be-
fore stating the results OF the experiments which
have been carried out in a very thorough and con-
yincing manner. It is necessary to recall the Offices
performed by the food eat. What then is
,ood and what does II do?
In the first place. food repairs waste and builds
IN the body 1t makes blood. bone and muscular
tissue But not all kinds Of food can do this Only
those food materials which contain nitrogen the
,o-caled proteids. lean meat the caseine Of milk
and the gluten OF wheat perform this first
frnction Of building up the body.
.In the second place food is the fuel OF the body.
and by its oxidation heat is produced which keeps
The body warm. Indeed. part of food is just
&c truly fuel and is just surely burned in the
oSy furnace.
energy Of coal burned In furnace may be trans
fo-rned into mechanical work by a steam engine so
mart OF the energy Of the fuel foods we eat is
transformed into mechanical energy through the
muscles The particulars OF this transformation
an unso.ved mystery.
LAS Are cannot burn without plentiful supply
Of oxygen Of the air TO maintain combustion, which
e oxidation. in the way person cannot
live without a plentiful supply Of oxygen OF the air
10 maintain combustion or oxidation within the
body Moreover. pound of bread burned in the
body gives of precisely the same amount OF energy
as II would yield II burned in a stove or furnace.
And by shutting up man in the respiration calori-
meter which has been in scientific al
Wesleyan University for nearly seven years, and
weighing carefully all the food supplied to him
and measuring the total amount OF heat given off
by his body 1t has been proved beyond question
hat the amount OF heat yielded by burning food
IN the human body Is exactly the when
1; is burned In any other manner. In other words,
the human body obeys the law Of the conservation
Of energy. Sugar. starch and fat are examples OF
heat-producing foods. fuel OF the body, none of
them containing nitrogen
Returning to the question of alcohol as
food Professor Atwater's experiments show that
alcohol taken in small quantities is oxdized by the
body almost completely. giving of the same guam
tity Of heat though burned in lamp. Every
one knows that the almost cooress flame Of an
alcohol lamp is very hot, and when two and half
ounces Of alcohol is burned in lamp II produces
heat enough 10 raise eleven pounds of water from
freezing temperature TO the boiling point. And
when the subject under investigation, who mean
time confined in the respiration calorimeter.
took two and a half ounces of pure alcohol daily
divided up into six doses. three with meals and
three between meals) IL found that the alcohol
gave of exactly the same amount Of heat though
Il had been burned in lamp. Alcohol, therefore,
is fuel exactly sugar. starch and fat are, and.
replacing carbonaceous foods II Is itself food IN
& proper sense of the word. But 1t does and
cannot replace the nitrogen-ccntaining foods, like
lean meat, caseine of milk and gluten OF wheat; IN
short it cannot repair bodily waste nor build up
tissue. 1t is. therefore. only fuel food.
1T is sometimes maintained that a moderate use
OF alcoholic beverages may be beneficial apart from
the medicinal in special cases OF sickness. Moth
ing however. in Professor Atwater's experiments
proves that such is the The most that can
be said is that the alcohol contained in them can
be burned up by the body and other forms of fuel
foods so much cheaper that there certainly Is
no economic reason for utilizing alcohol
The next question OF interest is whether alcohol
can properly De termed poison. Professor William
North Rice. who Tor many years taught physioIogy
In Wesleyan University. and professor n W conn.
who mas for fifteen years past had charge OF the
part In, the discussion which followed Professor At
waters paper. Professor Conn pointed out the
effect alcohol in causing the blood 10 flow 70 the
face, and 50 greatly accelerating the loss OF neat
from the body. and briefly referred TO some In
professor Rice while fully agreeing with all that
had been said by Professor Atwater about alcohol
discussion in pointing out that aIc0hol was az the
same time a poison. Professor Rice defined
poison TO be anything which is likely to be taken
Intentionally or by accident In sufficient quantity
70 seriously derange the functions or the ooQy one
might eat enough bread or sugar to 90 TINS, Dut
the probability would 40 50 is so extremely
poison On the other hand, hydroch.orlc aero IS ID
poison in large or even moderate quantities but In
emf N me stonach as necessary factor in diges
ton strychnine is deadly poison. ana yet III very
ly in certain conditions Of exhaustion and some
forms Of paralysis: Alcohol is not a poison IN u,
small quantities. 1t is not thrown of from the
body as poison as is stated IN some OF 'e s Ses
ton but is already in condition TO be taken up ana
Immediately oxidized Hence its va lue IN certain
critical cases where ordinary n9uIlsieihe snred
IN the body. but is utilized at once Dy lnnieolaoe
oxidation. In this respect II diners from soiie
other fuel foods, which can be stored up as i"''
But while alcohol in small quantities Is not
physioogically poison, in larger quehtlues -. ~
about alcohol is that taken In large 9yant tsra
produces disease and death. Professor Rice, thert
fore, took the position that, while alconol IN sIat.
quantities burned up In the oody; aio VIZ
therefore fuel food. IN larger quanttIes - -, p
cuced disease and death. and Is. therefore, Ph!Sl0
Srhe moral danger Of taking small quantities OF
alcoholic beverages because OF the liza oiity Oh hs
leading 10 a larger use was adverted TO. but this
was strictly speaking aside , IRON the aue'''O
issue, which OF Physiology. III .ho
Further experiments are 10 be mace Win tie
respiration calorimeter using whiskey an9 pidnuy
and beer instead OF pure alcohol AM "a go sen
10 believe that the alcohol they conan a. brned
when IN small quantities VIII De Iou1 f nre alcohol
But many thoughtful people are nSSE ,aS,rinsilv
that alcohol except far as II Is useo Ed,
would better be burned up outside the human oou'
rather than In H.