The Forrest City times., 1908-01-24
Beer Drinking and Insurance Risks

How far does the consumption of ar dent spirits and malt beverages affect mans acceptance as risk by the great life insurance companies of the United States.
 To large extent this most interest Ing question has been answered by the companies themselves. Twenty of the largest and most noted companies of the country have written answers to questions asked them on this point
 The correspondence with the life in- surance companies was brought out by the frequent statement by prohibition orators that the life insurance com panies considered a beer drinker worse risk than whisky drinker. The Tele- graph resented this, and asked it's Washington correspondent to secure the facts. Correspondence with twen- ty of the largest companies brought answers from their medical directors. Some of the companies answer that they have no settled policy; some of them request that their answers be not printed. but number of them are frank and outspoken, and do not object to the publication of their information.
 In general way all of them object to excessive drinking. either directly or hy saying that they have ne objection to moderate drinking, emphasizing moderate. Some of them say that they consider, in every individual case, what moderate drinking is; but three of them, the Massachusetts, Mutual, the Equitable. of New York, and the Pru- dential, adhere to Anstie's limit, which Is one and half ounces of absolute al- cohol daily, or about as much as there is in three or four pints of lager beer. Prof Francis E. Anstie, the cores p2ndent explains. is an English author ity, well known in the medical world, especially through his extensive inRes- legations on the subject of toxiology, and his work on "Stmulants and Mar eoties. He considers aleahol. if taken in small divided doses, and diluted, so as not to be greater than 10 Der cent in strength, as a food, and that one and one-half ounces taken daily in this way, disappear entirely in the body that is, are consumed by 1t. as other food IS. He shows that 1t will prolong life be- yond the period at which it must cease, if no nourishment or water only had been given, and that it has repeatedly supported life in acute diseases. when no other food could be given to, or was taken by, the patient.
 Among the companies that answer frankly and without reserve is the Pru- dential. It's medical director, Dr. Ed ward H. Hammill, says: That mod crate indulgence of lager beer is in no way harmful to healthy individual. By the term moderate We mean a glass at meals. or, perhaps. four or five possibly six, glasses within twenty-fou hours
 'Anstie's limit of safe indulgence in | ounces of absolute alcohol. This is represented, in the case of lager beer, by possibly three pints or two quarts per diem. A life insurance company is not temperance organization. The average lite is acceptable, and the average man uses lager beer daily. If the writer mistakes not, the German l families serve at the table, to the children. a glass of beer as daily beverage. They regard it as we re- gard tea or coffee. A moderate drink ing of beer does not interfere with the acceptance of applicants for life insur- ance It is only the immoderate use that pfejudices h e applicants chances.
 One of the large Western life insur- anee companies makes this statement: '.Ne nave taken the records of the company in a general way concerning the use of stimulants, and find that the difference between the mortality of the abstainers and those who use beer and light wines moderately (the class We insure) Is small, while the mortality in the class of persons insured who used ardent liquors was 13. T per cent. greater than the total abstainers.
 The Equitable Life, of New York, has this to say: 'I am directed to say that this society does not discriminate against person who uses beer mode rately. If he is all right in every other respect, we would consider such a man a frst-elass risk, We draw the line at daily allowance of one and one-half ounces of absolute alcohol. which is about the amount contained in five tumblers of beer. Our experience shows that where policy holders, after receiving their policies, have become addicted to the use of beer and alco- holic drinks in excessive quantities. the daath rate was much greater than nor