The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-07-19
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF INTEMPERANCE:

WhiSky: h 1t Does Inside a Mana
Striking Address by Sir Frederick
Treves, Bart, H. C. ". o., IL. D.-He
Speaks With Authoritative Voice.
The following is from an address de-
livered by Sir Frederick Treves, Bart.
Is. c. V o., LII. D., in the great hall Of
Church House, Westminster, London,
before the Woman's Union of the
Church OF England Temperance So
ciety, May 4, 1905. Sir Frederick is
physician to King Edward.
The point with regard to alcohol is
simple enough. 1t is. of course, dis
tinctly a poison. and it is a poison
which. like other poisons, has certain
uses, but the limitations of the use of
alcohol should be as strict as the limi-
tatiOIs of the use Of any other kind of
poison. Moreover, it is q curiously in
sidious poison, in that it produces ef-
fects which seem to have only one an
tidote-alcohol again. This applies to
another drug equally as insidious, and
that is morphia. or opium. Unfortu-
nately. the term poison is by no means
an exaggerated one, when it is realized
that with alcohol as drunk by the ma
joritv of the poorer classes there is
mixed a viruIcnt poison in the form Of
fusel-oil.
There is no Disgusting the fact that
alcohol is year by year less used by the
medical profession. 1t is said that it
has n certain position as q medicine,
and no one will dispute that, but lool-
ing back over hospital drugs for IL.
past twenty-five years, there is no ques-
ton that the use of alcohol is emphati-
cally diminishing.
Let us take two or three points-and
remember that I am only speaking Of
the very moderate use Of alcohol. In
the first place, some people say, ut is
a most excellent appetizer. There can
be no possible harm in just a little be-
fore a meal. 1t is, as the French say,
an aperitif appetizer, and helps diges-
ton" What are the facts? First of
all, no appetite needs to be artifcially
stimulated. If the appetite wants food
it clamors for it; if there is no appe-
tite, there is no need for food. There
fore there is m need, supposing the be-
lief were true. So on that ground l do
not think there is much to be made out
for it's use.
Then it is said that it is strengthen
ing, and that it gives great working
power. We hear a great deaf Of this in
the advocacy of British beef and beer.
That sounds very well, but let us view
the facts. Alcohol, curiously enough,
modifes certain constituents of the
blood in the nourishment of the body.
The process that underlies the building
up of the human frame is very much
modified. The output Of carbonic acid
is very much lessened, with the result
that the drinker at once becomes ILL
nourished obviously so. No man
dreams of going into training and talk
ing alcohol. He must reach the acme
of physical perfection, and that must
be without alcohol.
It has q somewhat stimulating effect,
and that is the unfortunate part Of 1t.
The effect, however, lasts only for a
moment, and after it las passed away
the capacity for work falls enormously.
1t does this: 1t brings up the reserve
forces of the body and throws them
into action, with the result that when
these are used up there is nothing to
fall back upon. Its effect is precisely
like q general throwing the bulk of his
army into the fray and then bringing
up, as fast as he can, oil his reserves
and throwing them in also. The imme.
date effect may be impressive, but the
inevitable result is obvious.
AS a work producer it is exceedingly
e1travagant, and like all other extrav-
agant measures, leads to O physical
bankruptcy. 1t is also curious that
troops cannot march on alcohol. l
was, as you know, with the relief col
umn that moved on Ladysmith, and, of
course, it was an extremely trying
time by reason of the hot weather. In
that enormous column of 10000, the
first who dropped out were not the tai
men, or the short men, or the big men,
or the little men-they were the drink
ers, and they dropped out as clearly as
if they had been labeled with a big let
ter on their backs.
With regard to the circulation. OF
course it produces an increased heart
beat, a fuller pulse. and redder skins
but the moment the effect has passed
off the action of the heart is absolutely
and empnaticalIy weakened. COnse-
uuently the temporary effect is pro-
duced at an enormous cost. Then there
is its action on the central nervous sys-
TEN. Here its action is that Of a poi
sob. 1t first stimulates the nervous
system and then depresseS ii, and, as
with other poisons which act upon this
part of the body, the, higher centres 60
first. They become a little dull-a lit
tie less quick and acute. 1t is very trl-
fling, but there it is; so that the man
who does his work on alcohol-even q
very moderate amounts not at his
best.