Rocky Ford enterprise., 1910-03-11
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HARM IN ALCOHOLIC HABIT
Prof. strumpsi, Noted Vienna seien.
tist, Tells Of Ills from Exesssiys
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GUS diseases In Europe. has been CIV
ing his medical colleagues sohe inter-
esting experiences of his researches
in the. field Of Alcoholism as Viewed
from the Medical Standpoint" In a
private talk before the most: noted.
medical scientists In Vienna the; pro-,
fessor outlined in an 'impassive judi
dicial manner an appalling number
and variety of physical. and mental
diseases resulting from the excessive
use Of alcohol. He confined himself
chiefly to the subject of chonic alco-
holism. as acute alcoholism was gener.
ally the result of isolated cases of in.
toxication. the effects OF which were
usually only temporary and without
any lasting consequences.
In the beginning he pointed out that
persons who regularly indulged in
large quantities Of alcohol suffered
from chronic catarrh OF the throat.
stomach and intestines, but. serious
as these were. they didn't usually de-
velop further complications and, there
fore. to the doctor were Of less inter
est. But 1t was another thing alto
gether when 1t concerns that organ
which first introduces alcohol into
the blood-that Is, the liver. As suf-
ferers from liver diseases are for the
most part alcoholists one may with
Justice assume an original connection
between such diseases and the use Of
alcohol; all the more SO as the pa.
tients are usually imbibers of
"schnaps" and spirits and not beer or
wine, SO that It IL evident the conneo
'tion depends largely upon the guam
tity and intensity Of the alcohol con-
sumed. Through the liver the alcohol
enters the great arteries and circu.
lates through the whole body. Thus
It begins an insidious attack upon the
vast network Of blood vessels, devel.
oping later into calcination Of the ar.
teries and blood vessels. This disease
is frequently found among drunkards.
But 1t would be scientifically wrong to
attribute the calcination OF the arter.
les solely to alcoholism. as It may also
result from excessive smoking, ex.
traordinary overwork, chronic infec-
tions. insufficient nutrition and other
causes. = IL
A second symptomatic disease
among drinkers Is the beer heart"
This consists In an extraordinary en-.
largement OF the heart. with all the
indications Of heart disease. Men
with beer hearts" almost invariably
die at an age in which healthy men
have scarcely attained full power. BY
the intemperate consumption Of nour-
ishing matter fat IL produced which
cannot be got rid Of in the same do
gree. consequently It accumulates in.
ternally and is responsible for the
bloated corpulency OF beer drinkers.
Respiratory diseases and cases Of SUI.
location are the next consequences.
Prof. Strumpel passed over the ef.
fects OF alcohol upon the nervous sys-
tenn and the horrible mental disorders.
delirium tremens and the like. as
these. he said. had been SO frequently
and emphatically set forth. He went
on to discuss the effects OF alcohol in
disturbing the general, functional
workings Of the body manifested in
such complaints as gout. diabetes and
kidney diseases. all which. he said.
were found largely among drinkers.
Among the indirect consequences of
alcoholism were an increased sensi.
tiveness with q weakened power Of re.
sistance in the physical system. rem.
dering the subject liable to a number
OF ravaging diseases. chief among
which Is tuberculosis. II had been
abundantly proved that, whereas in
ordinary cases OF Inflammation Of the
lungs normal persons recover, to hard
drinkers the disease almost always
proves fatal.
Prof. Strumpel's audience showed a
keen appreciation Of the various
points In his address, but many Of
them were somewhat astonished when
he concluded by recommending, not
total abstinence. but rather the mod.
crate use Of alcohol. rs the preventive
remedy against all the ills he had SO
OronhicoI1v daDicfad