The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1905-01-13
WOOD ALCOHOL.
Is Dangerous as Drink and in Med
dicinal Prenarafions.

dicinaI Preparations.
UP to within a comparatively recent
period cases of poisoning by wood al
cohol were among the rarities of medi-
cal practice, for so long as the sub.
stance was manufactured by the old
processes its offensive smell and taste
were sufficient to deter even the most
hardened drinker from using it to sat
isfy his craving for alcoholic stimu-
lants. Since the time, however, that
"deodorized" wood alcohol has been
placed on the market, under various
names, the fatalities from it's use
have gone up by leaps and bounds.
Not only may it be used in place
OF grain alcohol in the manufacture
and adulteration of spirituous liquors,
but 1t is also largely and widely used
as menstruum in many toilet prep
arations and remedies for internal and
external use. The reasons for this
practice are two-fold. First, and that
which appeals most forcibly to human
nature, is the comparative cheapness
of wood alcohol, it being untaxed and
costing but SO cents a gallon, while
grain alcohol taxed, costs at retail
$2.60 per gallon. The second reason
Is the ignorance of many manufacture
ers as to the deadly nature of methyl
alcohol. Indeed, even among mem
bers of the medical profession views
with regard to the poisonous nature
of meehyl alcohol are widely diver
gent, and some who have had no ex-
perience in cases of wood alcohol
poisoning are openly sceptical con-
corning its reputed toxic properties.
in order, therefore, to decide the
question, DR.. Frank Butler of Mon
treal and DR.. Casey Wood of Chicago
undertook in the beginning of 1904
an investigation of the subject, under
the auspices of the section on ophthal-
mology of the American Medical asso-
citation. The investigators found that
about 175 cases of blindness and about
100 deaths during the past seven or
eight years could be directly imputed
to wood alcohol in the various forms
in which it is manufactured. This es-
innate is a conservative one and only
treats of published instances of death
and blindness.
Drs. Butler and Wood consider that
the Investigations undertaken by them
confirm the suspicious entertained by
many physicians that the fumes OF
wood alcohol, under certain favorable
conditions, are a dangerous menace to
eyesight, and they moreover believe
that the consensus of opinion is op-
posed to the statement of the makers
of the various forms of "deodoriZed"
wood alcohol "rubs," in baths, in cos
metics, hair tonics, perfumes, ETC., is
always devoid of danger to the eye
sight.
The practice of substituting wood
for grain alcohol in the manufacture
of medicinal preparations would ap-
pear to be a most insidiOus and PERM,
cious means of poisoning, and the
sale not only of methyl whiskey but
also of internal remedies and toilet
preparations manufactured or adulter-
ated with wood alcohol should be re-
stricted by law In fact, there is
every reason why the proposition OF
Drs. Butler and Wood should be adopt
ed that methyl alcohol in any of its
forms should be treated as poison
and subject to the laws of the various
states restricting and regulating the
sale of poisons-Medical Record