The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-05-24

tAue aSoe1Soi 1vao mp 20 IT. Arabic
nanne, VA1uA. n The AeAoac language
m6aAo 1u1meelang subtle. But some
ono onoAooAs tat In diluted and
small amounts aloohoi - . food. What
y The Derivation Of Alcohol7 Fruit
sugar Of the juices Of fruits, grains
matted. etc, kept Atsthe proper tenn
psrature. exposed to the yeast bacte-
Rum. Which finally excrotes enough of
it own poison to kill itself.
Men drink this or distill and drink
II and call 1t food. Hence the food
value Is wholly Offset by Its poisonous
effects and the amount necessary Of
supply food fuel would require SO
much to be consumed that not one
tenth of the amount required could
be consumed before the deluded In
dividual would be blind drunk. These
decoctions only contain q fraction of
the food value Of the grain or fruits
from which they are derived. At this
juncture let me define food. the
rapeutic agent or medicine and alco-
hol. A food Is any element taken into
the body which nourishes and .builds
up the tissues. supplying heat and
energy. A therapeutic agent or medt-
cine Is drug or chemical agent eff
cacious in disease. Alcohol 1s poi
son which Is thrown Off from the Ia
rula when added to fruit or grain SUI
gars In solution as excreta-
Recent careful. scientific research
and experimentation have shown the
definite physiological effects, even of
small quantities, Of this toxin on the
human system.
The invention OF the ephygmograpn.
the microscope. ergograph. the last
named invented by Angelo Mosso to
measure muscular energy, the stetho-
scope and chronograph, an instrument
invented for measuring events hap
pening In minute portions Of time, all
these have been called into play as
we'll az carefully conducted autopsies,
and all these aids show alcohol In
creases the hearts action. but this is
only natures effort to overcome what
has been lost In force by frequency:
we have red noses, there is not power
enough in the hearts action to jump
the few fast enough from extremities
TO the general circulation. hence diia
ton of the capillaries and stagnation
of the current. The day-after head
ache is due to retarded digestion on
the day OF injestion of alcoholic bey-
erage. To prove this we call into ac-
ton the stomach pump and test tube;
these show that alcohol, no matter
how diluted. impairs and diminishes
the secretion Of gastric Juice, hence
the fallacy of prescribing wine with
to aid digestion The first symptoms
of chronic alcoholism is enlarged liv-
err. and the microscope shows proto-
plasm converted into far fatty degen-
GRAFTON having set in. The matted u
ouors seem to be worse for this. such
as ale and beer. There Is also an in
crease In fibrous tissue, which be-
comes cicatridal and permanent, this
was shown in the autopsy of Corporal
IAhn urtvy w a
nail liver after five years of total alb
stinence, but who was a considerable
drinker during his youth. Nature alb
hors vacuum, and had ntted the
space of degenerated tissue in his liv-
er with fibrous tissue Hardened ar
teries. atrophied kidneys dilated stom-
ach are the souvenirs OF addition 20
drink. and we are not in line with
medical progress when we prescribe II
as a tonic, when 1t is destroyer or
tearer- down. or as a stimulant, when
1t Is a narcotic depressant
Metehnikoff, Of buttermilk fame. re-
Gently discovered the function of white
blood. corpuscles destroying pathoge- /
mic organism In the blood. Now he /
says alcohol, even in small quantities, |
inhihits their action. causing them to
cease this function hence the liability I
OF contracting disease when imbibing
theory OF prophylactic properties Of
WHISTLES and beer. This is borne out
by the fact that the ravages OF dis
ease are greater in proportion to the
amount of alcoholic beverages con-
sumed In the countries of Europe. The
population of wine drinking France
Is decreasing Alcohol as an anti
septic Is practically worthless except
when diluted with water So in view
OF the defination OF food medicine and
alcohol that we have given. how can
we In the name of common sense, |
much less in the name OF science, class
alcohol In any form. but as a toxin, |
detrimental and injurious to mankind. |
But slowly the dawn has broken upon |
us: we have chung to ancient tradition /
rather than to fact or ancient truth /
A few years ago the decanter was on !
every sideboard. but the laity rea
lixed that 1t was social and econo- |
mic evil and II largely disappeared
from the majority Of homes. But
medical men still prescribed these al /
coholic decoctions and the hospitals /
were loaded up with barrels OF IL. but /
now scientific men are waking up. !
Statistics show 1t 10 fast being dis !
carded by these institutions, many /
showing . decrease In its use of over |
so per cent over previous years, and |
today We stand In the effulgence of
noontide splendor and IN a clearer !
light agree with the sage who. In an |
cient days, said: Wine Is 4 mocker.
strong drink Is raging, and whatsoever
Ia deceived thereby is not wise" The
same was true in the days OF Sol |
ONION, the same holds true In this
present age. and bids to hold true TO
the end OF time.
Montmorenci s. c.