The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-06-20
DR. TAYLOR HEARD
BY A FINE CROWD
He Describes Microbes as
They Relate to Alcohol.
AT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
He Discusses lntoxicants Scientifically and Gre
ates Deep impression Evening
He viii Lecture at Baptist
Tabernacle.

A very appreciative audience greeted
DR.. E. o. Taylor. the famous temperance
lecturer, at the First Presbyterian church
last night to hear him discuss Microbes
and Men, or the dentistry of Alcohol. Z
DR.. Taylor is one of the most interesting
orators that ever visited the city and
his address last night created deep i'm
preston.
Dr. Taylor said, in his introduction. that
the Prophet Hosea once said, my people
are destroyed for lack of knowledge
One hundred and eighty thousand people
are destroyed every year IN this country
for lack of very little and very simple
knowledge touching the nature of alco-
hol. and its effects on the living human
body. We know more about the SUBJECT
of alcohol today than we did fifty or
twenty-five years ago. The researches
of chemical and physiological science
have brought to light new facts and prln-
ciples displacing old time notions and
guess work. We have temperance SEN
timent enough, but it is not up-to-date or
scientific temperance sentiment. Every
body believes in temperance according to
his notion OF what temperance is. No
body believes In intemperance.
SOME FALSE NOTIONS.
The speaker sought to clear away manv
false notions about alcohol. "Few people
can give an up-to-date or scientific ac-
count of what ethyl alcohol is or where
it comes from. Many suppose that it is
everywhere In nature, call it a good
creature of Cod and say that it is to be
found in apples, peaches. pears, grapes.
etc. whereas it is not found anywhere III
the constructive forces of nature, but -
the excrement OF the yeast microbe which
has eaten UP sugar qualities. In other
words. liquor men have called it bug juice,
which is scientifically correct if it is
designated meteorological bug juice" He
said that beer is a mild solution of bug
juice, and whiskey is one-half bug juice,
and that the only thing in beer for which
men drink it is the bug juice. As to the
food value of bug juice or alcohol, DIR.
Taylor afflrms that the concensus OF
scientific opinion today denies to alcohol
any food value in any proper sense of the
term food. 1t is a basic principle in SCI
ence that the toxic excrement of one
organism is a poison to that organism
and to all higher forms of life; that
kills the microbe and all higher organisms.
including man.
You cannot carry forward the process
of fermentation beyond securing IA per
cent of alcohol in the fermenting liquid,
because when the yeast microbe throws
out of his body enough of his excrement
to make IA per cent of alcohol, it is suffI-
cient to react on him and will kill him.
He cannot live in his own excrement. Do
you know of any animal who can?
AMONG THE POISONS.
DIR. Taylor concluded this most interest
ing discussion by giving to alcohol classi-
fication among the poisons. He said most
poisons are classed either as narcotics or
as irritants. A narcotic poison attacks
the nerves and nerve centers. Opium,
morphine. alcohol and cocaine are samples
of narcotic poisons. An irritant poison at
tacks the inner Innings of the body like
the membrane of the mouth, throat or
stomach, infaming and making them sore.
Carbolic acid, arsenic, aquafortis and
prussic acid are samples of irritant poi
sons. A very few poisons combine the
two characteristics of narcotics and lrrI,
tants at the same time. Alcohol is one