The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-06-29
DOMAIN OF TEMPERANCE.
EVEN SMALL QUANTITIES A
DANGER.

The following opinions on the use,
even in moderation, of intoxicating
liquor will probably carry more
weight, for having appeared originally
in the New York Sun than il they
were printed in professedly tenn
perance or religious paper. The edi-
torial is from the Sun of April 20:
ITO drink or not to drink is ques-
ton which has long agitated the pub
lie mind The solution of this prob
lem has been rendered difficult if not
improbable by the important and JUS
tifiable dominance of the moral
aspect, which has created social, DO
litical and commercial antagonisms,
that appear to initiate against fair
consideration.
Looking at the matter from another
standpoint, the physical or sanitary,
the question is not so difficult to
answer, as was recently indicated in
an address of the president of great
university to it's students. He pointed
out that while formerly it was held by
many scientists that alcohol was use
full as food Or at least as conservator
of force in the human organism, this
idea has been abandoned in favor of
the view that even small quantities of
alcohol may damage the body and
lead to degree of physical deprecia-
ton which may disturb if it does not
destroy usefulness in the battle of life.
This is true; the preponderance of
medical opinion is that alcohol is not
only useless in supporting life and
fostering strength but that it is al
most entirely eliminated from the
body as are other poisons, and that in
this elimination, undertaken by the
self-regulating conservative processes
of the human organism, great damage
to delicate tissues, especially of the
liver, stomach and nerve cells, may
accrue. Alcohol is practically the only
fluid which is speedily absorbed from
the stomach, as is shown by the
rapidity of it's manifestations after a
cocktail in the case of the uninitiated
1t is this active exhilarating action
which endows alcoholic beverages
with the fascination that holds the
world in a delightful bondage from
which cold reason appears impotent
to disenthrall it. In a symposium on
this subject several eminent physi-
clans and educators arrived at the al
most unanimous conclusion that the
dictum of a certain neurologist, that
if alcohol were suddenly withdrawn
from the world the consequences to
the comfort and happiness of the
people would be dire was untenable
if not absurd, and that the converse
could be established without diff
Guilty. The only discordant voice arose
from a professor of psychology who
made plea for beer
"A few days ago a distinguished
physician, esteemed highly for his
earnestness, said in public address
that many physicians, who knew the
danger, had become addicted to al
cohol and drugs. Replying to an
inquiry, he writes that the published
report was correct and that his own
observations were corroborated by DR..
T. d. Crothers, a recognized expert
on this subject. Although the Stats
tics cited by DR.. Crothers are not
altogether convincing, there is much
truth in his inference from the high
mortality among physicians in middle
life as to whom there is history of
alcohol or drug taking. That there
are few actually Incorporate men in
the medical profession is easily
demonstrated, since their services are
invariably personal, and discovery
would be unavoidable, with its dire
consequences.
"It is the habitual indulgence in al
cohol which is prone to lead to certain
well-known degenerations, especially
| when it is imbibed before meals. It is
important, therefore, not only to diff
ferentiate between moderate and i'm
moderate, but chiefly between it's
moderate and habitual use. The
human organism is capable Of resist
ing the effects of deleterious agents
occasionally introduced, but it be-
comes incompetent to eliminate them
when the intake is habitual and con-
slant. The average man who takes
an eye opener every morning is al
most certain to have a nutmeg liver
that will eventually take him to the
grave with dropsy, etc.; the man who
does not enjoy his dinner without the
preceding cocktail is menacing equally
his future comfort and his life. 1t is
only a question of time with the
average individual and a question of
idiosyncrasy with others. A recent
statement by a physician of half a
century's experience confirms this
view, although he is himself a very
moderate drinker."