The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-07-23
condemned the use of al.

yeon. or the unanimous Testimony of
the alienists sad ncurologists OF the
United States u convention assem-
bled?
The writer wishes - assure his read
srs that no arrangement was made
In advance with the neurologists and
alienists Of the United States to get
them to pass these resolutions that
they might be published to contradict
the testimony of DR.. Mcclure. They
probably never had heard that DR.
Mcclure had testified as to the ''bene-
fetal" effects OF alcohol and its great
value as stimnlan& to raise the con.
dition OF physical and mental activi
ty," and 1t is probable that If they had
heard that he had given testimony on
that subject. they would have ques-
toned whether a surgeon should con-
slider himself qualified to give EEK
pert" testimony when he had never
made any special study Of the sub
1ect concerning which he was giving
his testimony.
DR.. Mcclure VS.. International Com
grcss on Hygiene and Demog-
raphy.
Experiments as to the physio]os-
zeal affects 0f d nj hax A.
by scientists In increasing number
during the past twenty-five years.
These experiments have been made
In the United States and In g. num-
Der OF the countries of Europe The
results OF many of these experiments
have been shown in the form of dia-
grams and posters. and the truths set
forth by these scientists are being
brought wildly to the public eye,
and so TO the mind of men. women
and children in the ordinary walks
of life. Some Of these investigations
have brought forth such startling re-
suits that the testimony of even SO
eminent a surgeon as DR. MCGUIRE
cannot stand against these facts OF
science.
u1 Effects OF Parents Drinking
Upon Children.
Professor Laitinen. OF the Cniver-
sity Of Helsingfors, at the interna-
tional congress on alcoholism in
1909. reported the results of a COM
partson of the children OF fifty alb
staining and ffty-nine drinking fami-
lies in one village in Finland. There
were 4Ss children in the 100 families.
Persons were classed as abstaining
parents who had never taken alcohol.
or at least not since marriage. The
investigation Showed that ID per
cent of the children in ass.aining
families were weakly and So per cent
were weakly in the drinking ia antilles
That Is TO say that there were six
and one-half times as many weakly
children in the drinking families as
In the abstaining families. The in
veStigation also showed that one
third more of the children OF the
drinking parents were lost by death
than OF the abstaining parents. One
per cent OF all births in absta ming
families were miscarriages. while SCI
were miscarriages In the drinking
families.
DIR. Mcclure says that alcohol Ia
the means to-raiza- tae-cea lit4esa
Of their physical and mental activt-
/ ty." But science says that alcohol
menaces the vigor and lives Of chill
dren.
| Professor Laitinen pursued his in
vestigation concerning the mortality
| of children. taking 1883 children in
1856 families, dividing the families
into three groups: Abstaining fam
! lilies, moderate drinkers tparents
drinking not more than one glass of
per cent Finnish beer daily. and
| immoderate drinkers, The number
OF miscarriages was least in the case
of abstainers-l.a 7 per cent; greater
/ in the case Of moderates-5.2s per
cent. and greatest in the case OF the
drinkers-7.il per cent.
The abstainers lost 8 per cent
| of their children by death. the mod
| crate drinkers lost 20 per cent, and
the immoderate drinkers 50 per cent.
Had the drinking families lost only l3
| per cent OF their children. the total
deaths would have been 21ss. They
| actually lost 1863. an excess OF 2,4o7
| children. This does not indicate tina.
the use Of stimulants acted Ito raise
| the condition OF the physical and
| mental activity" Of the children OF
| the drirNing parents
| In the case of drinking mothers.
! the mortality greatly increased.
Twenty-one drinking mothers lost
| ffty-tive per cent OF their 125 babies
under two years OF age. while twenty
eight sober mothers lost only TWEEN
| ty-four per cent OF their 13S chill
/ dren. thus the mortality occasioned
! by the use of alcohol was more than
| double.
/ More feebleminded children are
| born Of alcoholic parents than OF abb
/ staining parents, the results showing
/! that the proportion is nearly five to
one. So that 1.-The sins OF the fathers
are indeed visited upon the children
unto the third and fourth genera
ton"
/ More Tuberculosis
| These investigations, furthermore.
| disclose that there was more tuber-
| culosis in the children of drinking
| fathers About nine per cent OF the
children OF occasional drinkers were
/ Tuberculosis; IL per cent OF the chill
dren of hab!tuai moderate drinkers
were tuberculous; about 1876 per cent
| Of the children OF habituai immod-
crate drinkers were tuberculous, and
about ALT per cent Of the children
Of confirmed drunkards were tuber-
culous So that the result reached
by the investigators was that alco-
holism must be considered the most
active co-operator Of the deadly germ
Of tuberculosis
More Detectives.