New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-01-15
IS ALCOHOL NUTRITIOUS?
NoRTHF1EID COMMITTEE CoMBATs THE
STATEMENTS OF PROFESSOR Al
WATER ON THIS SUBJECT.

BOSTON Ian 14-The committee appointed at the
Mortified Summer Conference Of Christian WORK
ers August H. 1892 to invest 9t0 e statements Vi
Professor Atwater of WesleJ an University on the
nutritve value of alcohol. has made an exhaustive
report in sixteen page pamphlet entitled An
Appeal to Truth" published to-day
This committee acted in cooperation with the Ad-
visory Board of the National Temperance Societies.
the Presbyterian Womans Temperance Association
the Permanent Committee on Temperance OF the
General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church the Permanent Committee on Temperance
of the Presbyterian Church. tie National woman )
Christian Temperance Union. the Massachusetts
Total Abstinence Society," the National Department
Of Scientific instruction aid the Non-Partisan Ma
tional Woman's Christian Temperance Union.
Under these auspices the data furnished by Pro-
fessor Atwater the result of his experiments at
Middletown were subjected to a searching analysis
by leading experts in physiological chemistry and
the following deductions are made:
First-Professor Atwater says HIS experiments
proved alcohol is oxidized in the body rms IS
R9t eam pI proved alcohol to be food Many
poisons besides alcohol are oxidiZed in the body
The Middetown experiments are said to prove that
alcohol i'm being oxidized in the body furnishes
heat and energy This, again is not denied But
in favor of alcohol because Injurious action at
the same time far outweighs the value of the heat
and energy It nberates. is the case with other
posons oxidized in the body,
proved that alcohol protects the materials of the
body from consumption just as effectively as cor
eminent Scientific authorities testify that these
statements are not supported by his own figures in
the tables of his first official data bulletins. pub
lished by the Department or Agriculture In 1899
This is the testimony OF professors occupying the
chairs of pathological chemistry in the University
and Bellevue Hospital Medical Society. NewSYork
Of physiology in the Medical School of Northwest
ern University, Chicago; of hygiene In the MedtcO-
ChirurgicaI College of Philadelphia and of a for,
mer professor in the Philadelphia Polytechnic and
College for Graduates.
Third-These scientists after careful study of
Professor Atwater's report. come TO the same con-
clusion viz that his tables do not show that alco-
hol protected the body material. but show, on the
contrary, distinct loss of heterogeneous material
when alcohol was administered. The entire test-
nony in AN Appeal to Truth, does show
that according to mis- own tables, Professor At
waters costly experiments have produced no eyi-
dence TO sustain his charge OF error against the
present temperance teaching that alcohol is not a
food, but a poison.
Fourth-The report says Of Professor Atwater's
unpublished experiments: IF they show the same
loss of nitrogen in the man who took alcohol as do
those of bulletin No. SO. such unanimity would by
so much refute the statement that alcohol protects
the materials OF the body for the consumption. If
they should vary that variation would prove such
data Inadequate for TO be worth anything for gen.
eraliza ton there should be uniformity in the re-
suits of such limited number of tests made under
conditions unusual to everyday experience"