The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1908-03-06
WAR AGAINST WHISKY
How the nrjA" Evil Is Being
Fought |, Australia.
ALCOHOL 4 DC.DLY SCOURGE

The Habit OF Drinking Leads to Moral
ard Physical Ccseneracy-Rum En-
g~enoers Paralysis and insanity and
Is a Frequent Cause Of Consumption.
The organization nf Il branch of the
International Reform bureau at sgd
ney. y. S. w. during the recent visit
of u. and Mrs. Wilbur +. Crafts to
that country was followed by the
adoption Of II programme covering the
reforms commended to the people Of
Australia ut large.
The following poster. after pains.
taking consideration. was unanimously
recommended for adoption by city GOV
ernments in Australia and throughout
the world:
Alcoholism and Physical D~eeeneracy.
GLXtrHct frOM proceedings French
supervising council Of public aid, 1902,
report by Professor Debove, dean OF
the faculty Of medicine, and others
Catholicism is the chronic poisoning
which results from the habitual use of
alcohol. wen when the latter would
not produce drunkenness.
1T is an error to say that alcohol is
necessary t. Workmen who Engage in
fatiguing labor. that it gives heart t.
work or that it repairs strength. The
artificial eXcitation which it produces
gives place very quickly to nervous de-
preston and fecbleness. The habit Of
drinking spirits leads rapidly to al
cohOliSm, but the SO called healthfu!
drinks also contain alcohol. There is
merely Il difference of doses. The mau
who drinks every day an ~immoderate
quantity of wine. cider II beer us SUE
~ becomes aIcoholized as he Who
drinks spirits.
THE habit of drinking entails dis
affection from the family. forgetfulness
of all duties to society. distaste for
work, misery, theft and crime. II
leads at the least to the hospital. fer
alcohol engcnders the most varied mai
aides. paralysis. lunacy, disease of the
stomach and liver. dropsy. 1t is one
of the most frequent causes of tube
culosis. Finally. it complexities and
~aggravates all acute maladies. Ty
phoid fever. pneumonia. erysipc!aS.
which would be mild in the case Of a
sober man, quickly carry off the al
coholic drinker.
"The hygienic faults of parents fail
upon their children. If the latter sur
vive the first months they are threat
ened with idiocy or epilepsy, or. still
worse. they are carried off a little later
by tuberculosis, meningitis or phthisis.
For the health Of the individual, for
the existence of the family. for the fu-
ture of the nation. alcohol is of the
most terrible scourges."
What follows is from another French
poster, giving "Verdict Of Scholars:'
M. Berthelot, member of tie Acude-
mics of Science and of Medicine: Al
cOlol is not a food, even though it
may be fuel. Atwater himself did not
conclude from his experiment that al
cohol is a true food-that is. that it is
capable of assimilation by the human
organism
"Dr. Charles Richet of the Academy
Of Medicine: If alcoholic drinks could
be entirely abolished possibly a small
portion of nourishment would be lost,
but one wonld have rendered an i'm
m service to humanity
"Mr. Magnan of the Academy OF
Medicine. chief physician of st. Anne
Insane asylum: In my opinion alcohol
would not be in any case a food to be
recommended. 1t pushes into our asy-
lums of the Seine almost one-half of
the inmates
"Dr. Gardner. chief physician of the
Special Almshouse intirmary: The
food. alcohol. feeds crime and mad
ness The former is indebted to this
substance for about 20 per cent of its
victims, the latter for 80 per cent"
From British city government post
ers. quoting parliamentary report Oh
physical deterioration prompted by
failure of a majority of candidates for
physical examination:
"AlcohOl is not a source of muscular
yigor o deXterity. but the reverse.
alcohol may produce temporary eX-
hilaration, but depression soon fol-
lows.
1.-THE continued Use Of alcohol. wheth-
err in the form of beer. wine or spirits.
wen though not to the extent of drunk
enneSs. often leads to chronic poison
ing.
"Of G1.215 people the average deaths
per year by insurance tables will be
1000.
"Of 61,215 liquor sellers the death
average is 1,642.
"Of G1.o15 R%echabites (abstainers,
the average is $50.
"Sir Frederick Treves, physician to
King Edward. declares that alcohol is
an insidious poison and should be sub
ject to the same strict limitation as
opium. morphia or strychnine and that
its supposed stimulating effects are
delusive.'