Arizona republican., 1903-12-25
The Controversy over Alcohol.


Whenever medical men speak and ex-
perts talk to us look out for differ
ence of opinion. 1t necessarily follows.
on matters of conjecture and opinion,
that all do not agree and We must form
cur own conclusions merely from the
weight OF authority. In recent years
there has been considerable written re-
garding alcohol and its effects upon
the human system. Methodism, potent
in it's power against alcohol, was scan
dalized recently that a professor of
the staid Methodist Wesleyan Uuiver
sity in Connecticut should come out
in elaborate articles and discussions
based apparently on carefully analysed
facts-pointing out the value of alco-
sol as a food Not long since emirent
physicians in session at York, Penn
sylvania, denounced the teaching Of
some school text books for what they
said respecting alcohol. 1t seemed that
a fair sort of case was made cut. in
favor Of alcohol, and no doubt the con
sumption of cocktails and liquors was
increased thereby.
Now, however, comes an authority
of New York, who roundly scores alco-
hoL in all its phases. The speaker is DR..
Edward Spitzka, than whom or
mental and nervous troubles there is
no mere celebrated authority in the
United States. According to the New
York Herald, DR. Spitzka. in an inter-
view pronounces alcohol "a peril OF
modern life" and that "stimulants ev-
en- in moderation are detrimental to
brain workers" He says:
mo drop of alcohol ever did any
real good except in cases of e.nergen-
cy and disease, and then only temper
arily. The statements to the contrary
are absurd and misleading and are res
ponsible. l believe, for much of the
drinking that is being done a man is
absolutely deludlng himself who be-
lieves that be needs a stimulant OF
this nature. and that Il craving for it
Is call of nature, and consequently
that, nature being infallibie. his sys-
tern must need the stimulanf
THE reverse is true. The fact is that
steady drinking is much more injurious
to the brain worker than to the man
who depends upon his muscles fer a
living. The brain workers nerves have
already been poisoned by the poison of
WEAKNESS, and the alcoholic stimulant
then has a more injurious effect than
in the case of a man VINO is merely
physically tired.
at is the result of my experience
that steady drinking, too, is far more
Injurious to most constitutions than
occasional excessive drinking, separ-
ated by periods of abstinence or mod
Grafton. Another sure thing is that the
steady drlnker who opens his day with
a cocktail, who drinks on an empty
stomach, is at a great disadvantage in
the race of life with the man of rea-
soEable habits. The changes in the liv-
,er and kidneys, so often fatal. and of
the brain membranes, are rather found
In the cases Of the steady drinkers
than among those who occasionally in
dulSe in excuses. In fact these
changes rarely occur in the latter case.
"One of the particularly disastrous
features Of steady drinking-to excess.
OF course,-is that the man addicted to
1t becomes in time unable to take the
Same amount of alcohol into his sys=
tenn without suffering disproportion-
ately therefor. This is the kind of pa
tient who may appear to be suffering
from delirium after having taken on
ly few drinks. but the delirium is not
really due to the amount CT liquor he
has taken. but in fact. is because of
the brain changes which have already
occurred in consequence Of his pre-
vious drinking. From the time chat the
brain becomes thus affected. the conse-
quences of even moderate drinking are
comparable to an avalanche which
gains in its power fer harm as 1t
rushes onward
When a woman says she has her own
opinion of another woman it's n safe