Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1900-11-03
EVILS OF BEER DRINKING.
Are Only Too Apparent TO the On,
Who studies the ERectz on
Human System.

bunnn system.
The early advocates of total absti
hence, with no eye to science, arrived
at the conclusion that the only panacea
for drunkenness and prevention of the
danger of falling into drinking Gus
toms was total abstinence from al
Intoxicating beverages. How fully
time and science have verified these
wise conclusions.
But from time to time some wise.
acre or wou,d-be philanthropist, and
indeed an occasional oracle of some
repute starts up with a flourish oil
trumpets TO persuade the world that
the long line OF noted scientists who
have contributed so much for the
amelioration of the rum slaves are all
| off in their deductions.
But the arguments and experiments
of these new luminaries have failed &c
convince the thinking inquirers of the
avowed correctness of their theories
The moderate drinker of to-day con
soles himself that the wise thing TO dc
is to largely shun the stronger alco.
holics and confine his potations to that
harmless beverage, beer, on the oft.
lauded theory that it is nourishing and
| healthful
What are some of its healthful bless.
Egs manifested upon the human sys.
tenn? One of the first is to increase the
size of his stomach to a capacity for
| goodly round of drinks all day. OF
course it is correspondingly weakened
| for its ordinary functional duties, but
no matter for that if its reservoir ca.
| pacity is sufficient for the daily storage.
so we find every habitua1 beer-drink-
er's stomach abnormally enlarged as
anyone can well judge from the amount
of Stops often quaffed.
A witness in case of violation OF
the excise law for selling lager beer
without license, was asked if he were
an habitual beer drinker and he an
swered affirmatively. He was then
asked how many glasses per day any
one could drink without feeling any
Intoxicating effects. WELL" said he
81 cannot tell that, for never drank
over so or go glasses in a day, but ]
suppose if a man were to go on and
make a hog of himself he might ge,
too much"
| The next damaging effects are upon
the kidneys and liver, so often followed
by Bright's disease, or enlargement
and softening of the kidneys or an
equally alarming change in the liver,
by enlargement, fatty deposit or dot
ted with little hardened points like
nailheads, which is called the hob
nailed or drunkard's liver, and in ad-
dition to these long line of other dis,
eased viscera are developed from beer
drinking.
Physicians and surgeons all agree
that beer drinker is hard subject
for favorable prognosis under med
zeal or surgical treatment for any in,
jury or malady. Tell any physician
that his patient is an habitual beer
drinker and he will shrug his shout
ders and draw deep sigh, wishing the
patient had not fallen into his hands
for treatment.
1t is difficult to find any vital organ
In beer drinker doing its work as
nature designed il should. That is the
reason beer drinkers are so often
snapped off suddenly.
1t is not TO be supposed that there
are no damaging results because we
cannot always trace them. One writer
says: "The idea that because YOU stop
before you stagger, the system takes
no note of the damaging material you
put into it, is a ruinous delusion."
One thing is physiologically certain,
that healthy person does not need
artificial assistance to sustain him.
even if he could find sustenance in beer.
Beer or any other form of alcohol con-
tains little or no sustaining element,
but on the other hand it is a depress-
ant, lowering the condition of the sys-
tenn below the standard of health Just
in proportion as it primarily stimulates
or excites above that point.
Such abnormal changes cannot long
be endured by the human system but
damaging results are sure to follow.
such as impaired nutrition, weakening
OF nervous system, debility of the vas
cular organism deranging the hearts
action and the circulation of the vital
fluid, etc, etc.
Thus the beer drinker does not stand
ar equal chance with his abstemious
ms 1ghbor for recovery from any disease
o injury.-D. H. Mann, NJ. D., in Inter
national Good Templar.