The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-05-13
A Scientific YiaM.

Heretofore, in its attempts to show the
people the evils of the drink habit, this
newspaper has dwelt largely upon the
moral. phases of the subject. j, ,-, .....
But to-day we intend to con6ne ourselves
strictly to the physical and scientific side
of the question.
1t is very common thing to meet man
who talks about like this: -.
'T am regular but moderate drinker.
No one. ever saw me drunk, and yet I
drink every day. And what's the harm Of
it? Can you see anything the matter
The man would seem to have the advan.
tage Of you, You cannot see anything
wrong with him. So far as the outward
you. The man appears to be all right.
But is he? Thesefects Of drink upon the
system do not show themselves to the ex-
tent of attracting very marked attention.
at least, until the conditions are fairly ripe.
In the man who comes out onto the
street after a protracted debauch the eff
fects Of the whisky he has been pouring
down his throat are 30 visible that even
the little children notice them.
He may not be drunk. It may have
been hours since he touched drop, but
any one can see that his physical system
has received severe shock and is in;
very dilapidated condition. - p. ',..
In the moderate drinker these signs are
not visible, but the alcohol which he daily
imbibes is doing it's work, and slowly but
surely his constitution is being under
mined. o. ."'.., : c's' =. - -
Now and then we run across some old.
man who is hale and hearty, notwithstand-
, ing the fact that heshas been moderate
But no one viii think of denying the
fact that this old nah is an exception
very rare exception. :"
Many old men who, notwithstanding the
fact that they are old, should be hale and
hearty, are suffering from the ailments
born OF the drink habit to which, in their
earlier days, they were enslayed. :. /,
In the 'rheum, the dry serpigo and the
gout"' which rack their frames, make their
bones ache and render miserable and
thankless the evening days which should
reaping the fruits of their harmless" mod
crate drinking. ..,.
Two or three weeks ago we made refer
ence to the report by NJ. Mesureur, Direc-
tor of the Department of Charities, Paris,
upon the results of alcoholism in France.
That reporf;; was no sooner made public
than the French liquor dealers were up IN
arms against it. Indignation meetings
were held. The mails were flooded with
all sorts of protests against the truth OF
Mesareur's claim that alcoholism was slow
The discussion at last became 80 heated
that the Government took it upon itself
to subject the offensive report to careful
scrutiny, with the result that it was con-
frmed in every particular.
We quote from a poster, issued by the
Investigation Council for Promoting the
Public Welfare" and now displayed all
over France: ~
alcoholism is the chronic poisoning re.
sulting from the constant use of ALCOHOL
even if this does not produce drunkenness. "
necessity to the man who has to do hard
work, or that it restores strength.
"The artificial stimulation which it pro-
duces soon gives way"to exhaustion and
nervous depression. Alcohol is good for
nobody, but works harm to everybody.
alcoholism produces the most varied
and fatal diseases Of the, stomach and liver.
paralysis, dropsy and madness: 1t is one
of the most frequent causes OF tubercuio-
"Lastly, it aggravates and enhances all
acute diseases, typhus, pneumonia, erysip-
elias.
"These diseases only attack sober man
in a mild degree, while they quickly do
awav with the man who drinks alcohol:
"The sins of the parents against the laws
of health visit their offspring. If the cml'
dren survive the first months of their lives
they are threatened with imbecilty or epi-
lepsy, or death carries them away little
later by such diseases as meningitis or con-
sumption. go.
alcoholism is one of the most terrible
plaques to the individual health, the exist
enee of the home and the prosperity OF the
nation"
The document from which the above
quotations are taken is signed by the Pres
ider OF the Medical Faculty of Paris; by
IT, Chairman Of the Institute of France,
and bv the medical director of the Hospi-
tai PHotel Dieu, Paris-men who know
perfectly well what they are about when
they declare themselves upon the subject
of alcoholism and it's effects.
They speak unequivocally. and their word
is that alcoholism, even when it stops this
side of actual drunkenness. is a mortal
foe to physical health and soundness.-
New York American.
A Foe 10 the Race.