The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-09-01
WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK
: Liquor Drinking and Disease.

To the Editor of The journal. -.
One Of the st. Paul rectors is quoted,
in 2 recent hearty Endorsement of Bishop
Potters dedication of the New York. Sub
way tavern, as saying some very kind
words for beer as a drink for the work
ingman. Most Of US are willing to give
Bishop Potter credit for good intentions,
even if we doubt the wisdom Of attempt
ing to throw the mantle Of religion around
an institution which we believe to be es-
sentiaIly vicious, but the effort on the
part Of the clergymen to boom the liquor
habit by eulogizing beer is a little too late
in the history of the world to be entitled
to much consideration; Most Of us had
supposed that the beer, wine and whisky
guzzling clergyman had become a rem1n-
iscence Of a vicious time long passed, but
was told lately by a clergyman that a
western theological student going to GER
tain eastern seminaries, had found a de-
cided prevalence not only of smoking, but
even of drinking on the part Of the stu
dents. God pity the churches and the
young people who come under the influ-
ence Of such ministers.
Aside from the universally acknowl-
edged evil influence Of such habits, espe-
cially upon the young, science has long
since determined that the excessive use
Of either tobacco or alcohol exercises de-
structive effects upon the tissues and
Psychologists and practical physicians
have been very skeptical OF the conclusion
drawn from Professor Atwater's finding
! that about two ounces of alcohol could be
| burned up in a mans body in twenty
| four hours and so contribute force as a
| food; and probably most of them believe
that alcohol Is a poison whose only legiti-
mate use in the human body is as a drug
| to be used in emergencies and at all
| a nhvSician'S direction
| The fact that even good and skilful
physicians use tobacco and drink whisky
cuts absolutely no figure; some of them
also use morphine and other narcotics,
but no intelligent man would argue from
| that fact that the latter habits are to be
accepted as useful and praiseworthy.
| It has been a common superstition for
years that whisky was good for con-
sumption and as a preventive in case Of
other contagious. It is now we'll known
that alcoholics are especially liable to be-
come tuberculous, as they have long been
known to be susceptible to pneumonia Re-
cent Investigations have shown why aleo-
llol not only does not prevent contagious
!; diseases, but, on. the contrary, renders
the subject more liable to attack. Physi-
ologists have determined that white blood
}, corpuscles or leucocytes are probably the
active agents which have to do with the
r greater or less power Of resistance to In
lection in each individual If in the pres
ence of bacterial Infection increase OF the
leucocytes Qeucocytesis) takes place. o
greater or less degree Of resistance or i'm
1nunity will come about thru the power Of
2 the leucocytes to destroy the bacterial OF
| other cause Of infection.
The Journal Of the American Medical
L Association for July 80 has an editorial on
'.The Relation of Alcoholism to Natural
e Processes Of Resistance" Mention is
a made of investigations by Rubin which
show that rabbits under the influences OF
: alcohol, ether or chloroform suffer de-
crease in the number of leucocytes, and
when infected with bacteria a simultane-
= GUS increase Of the latter. The editorial
7 concludes as follows:
IS I'm order to follow up these results leu-
: cocyte counts were made on sixty OF the
e inmates Of an inebriate hospital, and the
It average number Of leucocytes was found
J. to be $500. According to the best au-
# thorities the average Of leucocytes is
a. 1900 or q 300 more than was found Ia
il these inebrfates. - 1t would seem
r. therefore. that alcoholics have a smaller
d number of 1eucocytes in their blood than
Is normal and, in view Of the frequent
failure Of leucocytes to develop in alec.
v holic pneumonia, it may be that thu
n structures that form leucocytes are i'm.
/. paired by alcoholism.
: That would seem to be very conserva.
70 tive statement The opinion is probably
If becoming more prevalent every year witt
j. scientific men that alcohol is to be re-
It garded as poison in any amount what
n soever One thing is certain-science
morality and religion run in parallel lines
and any individual. whether clergyman O
a layman who finds his scientific opinions
ID lin conflict with what is obviously true Il
,e religion and morals had better revise TIL
Is former before giving them too wide cur
rency. -EoWard j. Brown.
Aug. IL, 1904.