The Washington times., 1908-01-04
Woman and Drink.

There have within the past few
years been many rumors, reports,
insinuations. and iunuendoes to the
effect that woman was rapidly re
placing man in that proud position
which he has long monOpolized-of
being the only animal that drank
for the pleasure of drinking, and
also for the additional pleasure Of
drinking more than was safe, sane,
and conservative.
Stories have come from the great
capitals of the industrial, political,
and social worlds telling of excess
sive pOtations on the part Of the
always fairer, generally saner. and
hitherto admittedly the more sober
sex. Sometimes we have felt
amused, at other times outraged,
and again shocked by these tales
which we have always been 10th
to accept at their face value. None
of our women relatives, or friends.
or acquaintances was guilty OF such
practices, and we felt it the part Of
wisdom, not 10 say prudence, to go
slow in accusing any of the women
whom we did not know.
Now comes DR.. John D. Quacken-
Dos, of New York, a medical practi-
toner of unquestioned knowledge,
ability, and standing, both profess
sionaily and socially, and hurls a
broadside against women drinking
that is more sweeping, more spe-
cific- and more scathing than any
thing that has ever been made pub
lie before. He arraigns the Ameri-
can woman generally, but naturally
gives New York instances when he
desires to illustrate some special
phase of the situation. Here is a
part of his general accusation:
Especially alarming is the growth Of
the drink habit among women. I have
treated women whose weekly bill for
champagne alone was $50, and who
filed up the intervals between their
draughts OF vintage wine with cock
tails and high-balls.
The punch bowl figures at all func-
tons, and women dip freely therein. ten
drinking today where one drank a
dozen years ago. School misses and
college girls are conspicuous among the
throng. One New York clergyman re-
Gently instaucel the case of a luncheon
given in New York at which twenty
four debutantes drank thirty-six bottles
OF champagne, while fifteen OF them
smoked seven dozen cigarettes.
awful evils in its train are pictured
by him in most striking fashion. He
says:
In short. the prevalent wholesale adj
dictiOn to the use Of alcoholic stimu-
lants. with its accompanying degenera-
ton Of the kidneys, brain, heart. liver
stomach. and arteries. its peruiciOus
influence in the causation of pneumonia
and tuberculosis, its direct action In IN
creasing the mortality rate IN all dis
ease; the part II plays IN the induction
of insanity One-thlrd OF all mental af-
1ecuons being due 10 its abuse; and
its tendency TO transmit TO offspring
not only epilepsy and mental defect.
but marked degeneracy and criminal
prOpensity-is assuming proportions 50
appalling that il may justly be regarded
as perhaps the greatest existing men
ace 10 the stability of American institu-
tons.
Patent medicines containing a
large percentage of alcohol are
blamed by the doctor for much Of
drinks prevalence among women.
He calls these connections dis
guised booze" and declares that
S75,O00,O0o a year are spent for
them But that is not the worst Of
it. Neither the women nor the men
drinkers are getting the real stuff. -
They are drinking, he asserts, any
thing and everything but pure