El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-30
ALCoHOL As 4 PoIsoN.

Editor FL Paso Herald.
In a letter to The Herald. Nay IS,
IhOs. H. Williams says some sound
things about education Of children. but
he has the POPULAR erroneous concep-
ton Of alcohol He says:
Whisky is with US TO stay, il is a
tonic. a medicine and many of our
cures are based on the alcohol in
them"
The International Congress on Alec
hollsm composed of leading men, ply
slclans and scientists Of the world has
been studying the nature of alcohol
and its effects on the human body and
on animals for % years 1t conVenes
biannually. A thousand educators,
medical men and scientists, the ac-
credited representative of 20 nations,
attended the 18th session of the con
SreSs in London in 1903 and defined
alcohol as follows
Exact laboratory, clinical and path
illogical research has demonstrated
that alcohol is dehydraung protO-
plaSmlc poison, and its use as a bev-
erage is destructive and degenerating
to the human organism Its effects
upon the cells and tissues of the body
are Oppressive. narcotic and anaes-
tnerlc- Therefore, therapeuticallV its
use should be limited and restricted
IN the same way as other poisonous
drugs"
BEGINNING in 1895, Prof, Hodge. for
the Committee Of Fifty BEGAN eS-
and female. carefully selected from the
same kennel To one pair was daily
given measured quantities Of alcohol
during growth and maturity. To the
other pair none was given. To the al
coholic pair, % pups in four filters
We're born. of which nine were born
dead, eight were defOrmed and only
-FOUR lived. In the last litter, all pups
were born dead and the mother died.
To the normal pair As pups in eight
filters were born, of which none died
and Al were normal and vigorous. OF
the alcoholic pups, only II percent
were normal Of the nOn-alcOhOliC
pups. 80 percent were normal.
In 10 alcoholic and 10 nOn-alcOhOIic
families, Prof. Demme found a strik-
ing parallel to the dogs To the alCO-
holic families. 81 children were born.
Of which % died 10 were defOrmed.
six were idiOtic, six We're epileptic AMI
only 10 were normal To the nom
alcoholic families, 81 children were
born, of which only three died, two
were defOrmed and 81 were normal
OF the alcoholic children, only II per-
cent were normal but Of the nOn-al-
coholic children, IS percent were nor
NAL
DR.. McNichou. who. for 90 years. has
studied the hereditary effect Of al
cOhol on the school children Of New
York City. gives this case To 10
families of regular drinkers. So chill
dren were born. Of which 80 died in
was insane, two were imbecile, one
was epileptic. five were neurotic. four
were anaemic, three had adenOids,
three had poor teeth. eight were tuber-
cular one was diabetic and only four.
or percent, were normal To 20
families Of total abstainers, 20 children
were born. of which. only two died in
infancy, one was neurOtic. one was
anaemic. one was rheumatic. one was
tubercular and g., or 90 percent were
normal.
Dr. McNichou traced the children Of
10 families OF drinkers through three
generations as follows: First genera
ton. At children. of which. so percent
We're abnormal second generation. 90
children. Of which, 60 percent were alb
normal; third generation. 80 children,
Of which 95 percent were abnormal
Life insurance statistics covering tho
last half of the 18th century show thar
the mortality Of insured drinkers is
80 percent higher than the mortality
Of total abstainers. This gives the ef-
feet of moderate. or sOcalled temper
ate, drinking. Hard drinkers cannot
secure life insurance.
No one abreast of scientific research
and knowledge Of alcohol now be-
lieves that the beverage use Of that
poisonous drug has any beneficial er-
feet on life, Intellectual, moral or
physical.
J. L Campbell