The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1908-06-01
In the Supposed Virtue Of Alco-
hol as Shown by a
Paper Read.

hiidL diCUIhu8 Is NOT u 1904, DuI on lHSl
contrary II Is poison, and that II
should not seriously be considered as!
o medicine, The authorities that l
shall cite are well recognized scientif-
lie men whose statements of facts !
believe no one will doubt, and with
out further preliminaries let US note
the result of their studies which
were made along the lines usually
pursued In studying drugs.
Prof. George Rubin, pathologist OF
Rush Medical College, reported in the
Journal Of Infectious Diseases, May
80, 1904, as follows: Into rabbit
having leucocyte count af $500 was
Injected hypodermically 1 C. G. OF
fresh streptococus culture, The next
day the leucocyte, count was 1900;
the following day $4,000. This rab-
bit made good recovery. At the
same time a rabbit OF practically sim
liar weight having a leucocyte count
of $3.50 was given A G., G. of 95 per
cent alcohol. and then C. G. of
streptococus culture. The next day
the leucocyte count instead of in
creasing had fallen to to 700. Ten
died in cachectic state.
Another rabbit with a leucocyte
count of 10500 was tgiv ! Ia CT c.
pneumo-coccus culture. The next
day Its leucocyte count had risen 10
11400; the day following 1t had risen
to 10000. This rabbit recovered with
out any serious trouble. *
At the same time there was inject
ed into another rabbit whose leuco-
eyte count was $4,000, 8 C. C. of al
cohol and G. c. of pneumo-culture.
This rabbit lived only "a hours and
Immediately after death its leucocyte
had dropped to 100. :
Rubin reports quite q number of
other interesting experiments along
this line, and in every case the mar
cotized animal died, and in the few
cases where the control animals died
they lived longer than the ones that
had been given the alcohol and
showd evidences of resisting infec-
tion to greater extent by the high
err leucocyte count as well as by 9TH
er physical signs.
Rubin's conclusions are: That alco-
hol not only cripples the leucocytes
but also the leucocyte producing or
gans, and that instead of benefiting
the patient with severe infectious
disease 1t served to destroy his only
chance OF recovery.
Delearde, of Pasteur Institute,
France. found that rabbits to which
he administered alcohol in his ex-
periments in immunization against
anthrax died II this disease while
the control animals which were given
no alcohol could be vaccinated with
out difficulty.
Abbott confirmed these experiments
and proved that animals which had
been given alcohol were more sue
ceptible to the harmful effects OF
several microbes, such as ctrepto-
cocci, s:aphylococci, and bacterium
coli.
DR.. David Paulson, superintendent
of Hinsdale Sanitarium. ILL.,, says in
reviewing these experiments: I'm
view of these unquestionable facts
which have been developed by the
most painstaking experiments, is It
not self-evident that the physician
who depends upon alcohol in the
sick room leans upon a broken reed :
1t is clear that the body regards al
cohol not as an aid in a struggle for
existence, but as dangerous foe.
As the body is compelled to fight this
enemy Its opsonic index may be
temporarily increased, and there may
be other similar indications OF the
struggle thus provoked just as there
10 uhan ~ To oomna11ad +n ,yaua .
warfare against any other toxins.
But such evidence will never lead
the observing student of nature and
her operations to bllndly conclude
that they present anything other than
definite resistance to toxic agent.
/ might enumerate a great many
more experiments along this line but
time will not permit.
The physicians of generation ago
and some even of today, but these
will soon be extinct, taught that al
cohol was the sheet-anchor in such
diseases as pneumonia and cure all
in any diseases, but men who were
wise before their time, snch as DR.. n.
S. Davis, founder of the American
Medical Association, whom we all so
HluGh IGNtie anu duAI4EGt pldCeu u
rightly where It belongs, in the list
of narcotic poisons. The fact Of the
matter is this: that we should have
to unlearn a great deal that we have
learned wrong, and 1t requires a ju-
dicial mind to do this.
The celebrated scientist. Mr.. Hulk
ley, who was graduated physician,
said to brother physician: You
doctors remind me OF a great AMI
lusty giant armed with a big stick
filed with enthusiasm to destroy dis
ease striking about him most vigor-
Gus blows, but he injured his friends
quite as much as his enemies, fog
alas. he was blind"
Prof. w. s. Hall, of the Northwest
ern University, of Chicago, makes
declaration with which all physicians
agree when he says: Not only will
the poisonous excretions of any living
organism poison the organism which
produces 1t, but 1t will have a poison
Gus action upon any organism OF a
higher rank. The poisonous excre-
ton of the alcoholic yeast is poison
Gus not only to the yeast but also to
all animals"
Massart and Bordet have proven
that alcohol even In very dilute So