The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-11-29
DOMAIN OF TEMPERANCE.
TONIC EFFECT or ALCOHOL.

Inc MeQlCaI congress In LONDON
has taken note of the growing mis-
trust of alcohol by the nations of the
earth, writes DR.. Seleeby in the Lon
don Chronicle. That it is racial poi
son that undermines health, lessons
vitality and resistance to disease, one
physician asserted.
The spread in army and navy, in
business and social life through the
teaching of eugenics and other means
OF the feeling that alcohol should be
let alone, shows that the study of it's
effect upon various races is now bear
ing fruit. What some of the noted ply
slclans of the world are thinking and
saying on this topic is interesting.
Sir Thomas Barlow himself, presi-
dent OF the International Medical Con-
gress and of the Royal College of
Physicians, presided at the special
breakfast conference" on alcohol.
with which we began work shortly
after 8 o'clock one morning recently.
1t was most important and
Weighty conference on this subject,
and its public value far exceeds that
OF any other function of this congress.
Never before have | encountered I'M
der one roof so various, authoritative
and unanimous statements upon a
leading problem of civilization.
Abstinence in the Army.
Sir Thomas Barlow noted the amaz-
ing progress we have made since last
the congress met in London. In the
army and navy it has been astonish-
ing, and while many societies and
ph1lanthropic agencies had done their
share, he declared that this benef-
cent change was due above all, to
the growth of altruistic conscience
among young of1cers"-and their con-
sequent influence upon the behavior
of the men.
In commerce the change is as great
and Sir Thomas noted that non-ab-
staining heads of businesses much
prefer sustaining employees, and soon
learn that the ever tipsy tippIer is
useless. In travel, by motor and
train, the community has learned,
apart from sentiment that alcohol
takes away control and spoils nervous
reaction-"the contention we have
always made"
In concluding his speech Sir
| Thomas pointed out that alcohol is
not suitable for the nursing mother,
conclusion often asserted by Mrs.
Scharlieb, our distinguished obstetri-
cal leader, who was among his hear
ers; he quoted the case of the Vienna
School of Mothers, where every
mother who comes for help must be
an abstainer, and where Doctor Weiss
sets the example for them himself
Other Testimony.
Professor Abderhalden of Halle.
world-famous student of the chemistry
OF the body, and the honored report
err on that subject to the congress,
spoke of Germany and the advances
against a national enemy there. We
are all familiar with the kaiser's die
tum as to the winning navy-the sober
one-in the next naval war
Nine. Won Wolfng of Paris, lead
ing bacteriologist, to whose original
work Sir Thomas paid a tribute,
quoted her observations on healthy
men, with and without alcohol, show
ing that the drug produces the same
reactions in the blood as are produced
by the poisons of bacteria Doctor
Johannsen of Copenhagen told us that
the peasants party in Denmark had
just introduced, and probably would
carry, a bill for prohibition in that
country.
Professor Obersteiner of Vienna,
cited the rapid increase of abstaining
doctors there. DR.. w. U. Lien Teh,
the famous Chinese physician, who
directed the preventive service against
the Manchurian plague, told us that
in China the abstaining doctor did
not run the financial risk which Sir
Thomas referred to here. In China
it is the other way about. Western
trained doctors, ordering alcohol, are
ordered out of the house. The people
know better. In a few years the use
OF opium decreased from so per cent
to less than l per cent Why could
not the western world do for alcohol
what China has done for opium? This
was question with hope in it, he con-
cluded.
I need only add that alcohol is.
above all, what 1 call a racial poison.
Let those who will never be parents
do as they please, perhaps; but the
others have duty to the unborn and
the helpless. For many a long day
to come our motto, not least in this
country should be, Protect parent
hood from alcohol" That, have
long maintained, is fundamental eu-
genics.