Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-06-30
HARD TO DOWN OLD NOTION.
Alcohol Not Necessary or Even Useful AS
Medicine---Is Nerve Deadener and
Thus Is Most Dangerous.

ond they do not known that their belief
in the efficacy of alcohol as a medicine
is a delusion, and that only. 1t is written
90 the lafty also mat tney, possessing
the reasons why, may strengthen the
hands Of the nou-aicohOHc physician and
make the path of the free-and-easy wine
and brandy doctor, who is still to be
found in places, little harder When
the public learns that all kinds of disease
can be more successfully treated without
than with alcohol the career of the wine
and brandy doctor, who exposes his pa
tents to all the temptations of drunk
enneSS, Will be at an end.
Makes Bad Worse.
DR. n. s Davis. Sr., OF Chicago. "the
foremost man in America in ethics, IS
one of the painstaking, independent in
vestigators in the medical realm referred
TO in a previous paragraph. He was so
dissatisfied with the results obtained from
alcohol that he entirely abandoned it's use
IN his practice about 40 years ago, aud
has said repeatedly that in all his varied
experiences he has found no disease
which cannot be subdued more readily
without alcohol than with it.
DR., Davis said in 1887: Il have been
constantly engaged in the practice OF
medicine a little more than so years, EN-
bracing both public and hospital expert
ence that no form of alcoholic drink.
either fermented or distilled. is necessary
or desirable for internal use either in
health or in any of the varied forms of
disease, but that health can be better
preserved and disease be more success
fully treated without the use OF any such
drinks.
In May 1880 Dr. Davis read a paper
before the American Medical Association
upon the use of certain drugs in disease
Among the drugs mentioned was alcohol
and comparative death rates were given
in typhoid fever and pneumonia between
Mercy hospital, Chicago, q large public
Hospital of the city. in the medical wards
Of which no alcohol was then used and
some of the large metropolitan hospitals
where alcohol was used. In Mercy hospi-
tai, without alcohol, the death rate in
tVnhOii 3
hospitals using alcohol 1t vas from Is to
Is per cent. In pneumonia the death rate
at Mercy hospital was only II per cent,
in Pennsylvania hospital it was "a per
cent, in Cook County hospital 1t was 30
per cent, and in Cincinnati hospital IL
was s. pr cent. the three latter all using
alcohol in some form. Yet there are peo-
pie who believe that their friends never
could have lived through pneumonia eut
for liquor. Tie fact Is they had To fight
both the disease and the liquor. and many
constitutions succnmh to the double fight
who might Withstand the disease alone
Truly, alcohol is "mocker" and who
soeVer is deceived thereby is not wise"
Alcohol Never Used in Sanatorun.
In Battle Creek sanatorium no alcohol
Is used in any disease, simply because
the management believe better results
ohta lined by the use of other agencies.
in the October 1883 number OF that eN-
crllent magazine, the American Medical
Temperance Quarterly, now Bulletin OF
the American Medical Temperance Asso-
citation, Or J. IL Kellogg gives statistics
of deaths from various diseases In the
Battle Creek sanaturlum. The total OF
these statistics Is as follows La grippe,
~ cases. deaths-ur per cent scarlet
fever So cases, deaths-less than ) per
cent. hese exceptional results are not
attributed solely To the noh-uSe oil aico-
hoI TIN. nursing and surroundings were
of The best. But these results certainly
show that the use of alcohol as a remedy
in acute diseases is not necessary ana
that patients have much better chance
for life. other things being equal where
alcohol is not used than where II Is.
Bellevue hospital. New YORK. a rev
years ago had death rate IN typhus fe-
Yer of - per cent. BY non dieohoHe
treatment il was reduced Ia per cent.
II Is clearly apparent that alcohol IN
stead of supporting the vitality oil the
sick and saving life has more thah u9u-
bled the mortality rate OF those mala-
dies where its use was AT one TINE c ti
sidered To be absolutely indispehsaple'
Woe there ever another such mockeff
DR. w Paine of Philadelphia aHodhrt
tu,,rteuartu seeker after truth, SAYS Al
cohol is never useful as a medicine, as
there are no circumstances OF toiultioll9
where other agencies are not more use
ful and free from the poisonous Influences
OF alcohol. even for the preparation OF
tinctures and to prevent iefiliea.atioIis.
C;lvcerine salicylc acid, Disulphide VI
soda lime potassium. and many otnef 1
antisentics and solvents are pfetefabls
Whatever excuse there may nave oseh
FOR its use as a medicine when knoWiedge
Was more limited, there certainly can be
none at the present time
Decreases Heart Power.
DR.. a. b. Palmer of the University of
Michigan shows clearly IN ms winnings
upon alcohol that the old idea OF us pc
ing - heart stimulant Is a mistake. IL
creates futter. but decreases poWtf III
this he is sustained by many eminent SCI
entists among whom are the celebrated
mrs Ringer and SainSbury. VINO SAY
,'The action of alcohol upon the heait rs
clearly para{Ezan'fb e and oi khls appears 10
ot rttnrancsz opposing theFuse of alcohol
i'm medicine might be multiplied @lhuen-
nitely Enough has been sald 10 mar
the studious desire Iurt thsa nl'odeS by
love of alcohol or credence IN OLD sup
positions. that alcohol Is not nseiuI nor
necessary as medicine IN tles So a1 lain
more than strong drink adjure the Dottie
with it's deceitful contents' anu let tnoar
who have an old-fashioned prahus ap{n1
refuse to take his death-dealing dtink,
and he will soon try to learn petle,
way. Remember that advanced hiea .,itrl
science and the Bible agree tlat VIZ, VIZ
faIcohop is a mocSer ana WHOSE
Yer is deceived thereby is not wise.
The Christian Advocate .uoatn,ant
Extensive experience IN the treaeneh i
Of tuberculosis has convinced me Una, al
caboI can never be considered food IoI
th,. consumptive. There Is so little Iooa
value in alcohol and II Is SO easy s,,,, ~
oVerstep the amount that can be assam
Hated bv the system. in which case tne
deleterious effects far exceed lhe penei'
derived, that it is not sate 10 ~, ree nns-
mont II as food at all. II may DC pos
sIhie 10 apparently arrest the disease ~
n consumptive by making a druhhalu ~ -.
him but this will not be lasting, US e,
contrary the disease VIII soon , ~ ea'h Ia
oDain and the.general system ehse,. MY
nov heart etc) will nave suheIeu ~ , ee
secondary effects of the excess VI 49, 49,
hoI 10 , SUI lever to the new invasion OF
(esist,ii5 nPte hacilu viii have been de-
stroyed.