Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-03-17
PRESS
Is OPPOSED TO
RUM RAT|0NS
LARGE PART OF DEMAND FOR ABOLI-
TON COMES FROM MEDI-
CAL PROFESSION.
MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC LEADER
OF THE ARMY DEMONSTRATES
AGAINST PRACTICE.

Correspondence Of the Associated Press.)
London, March l7.-Oppo>ition to the
action of the war office in supplying ra-
tions of rum To the British troops at the
British press. Although the war office IN
defense Of its action stated that the allow
ance of run was regarded by the military
authorities a a medicinal supply rather
than a part Of the food ration, a large part
Of the demand for the abolition of the
alcoholic ration comes from the medical.
profession.
A round dozen physicians. all Of them
leaders IN their profession. were signers of
a recent appeal 10 the government Ia fol-
low the lead of Russia in abolishing ab~o-
lutely the sale of Spirituous liquors in
Great Britain for the duration 81 the war.
Speaking in behalf Of the army medical
corps. Captain Sir Victor I%Ior~lcy. a well
known medical and scientific leader. con
tributes an article in the current issue Of
the British Medical Journal, demonstrating
against the issue Of rum to the soldiers a.
an alleged protection against cold and
damp. lie says:
"All medical scientists now know that
although alcohol produces a temporary
flush on the surface IF the skin, this i, due
to q rush Of blood 10 fill the arteries
>lackened by alcohol. and that the *
cess of blood thus driven 10 the surface
loses IT heat and on returning 10 the IN
terror chilled by such exposure. inevitably
lowers the body temperature. Although
army regulations say the rum j. only -
sued by order of the commanding officer
on recommendation of the medical officer.
the spirit l. ne part Of the medical stores.
hut j. IN the commi~ariat with the food
supplies and IN many battalion- has been
issued daily IN and out of the trenches to
every man who would accept il.
THE spirit drinking habit in the British
army was first contracted during the Duke
OF Marlborough campaign in Flandcr,
two hundred years ago. II i 4 national
misfortune that this story of 200 year,
ago l. being repeated. for our army i
again a then. being taught to become Vie
tins 10 the spirit drinking habit.
in the American civil war, when Me
Clellan's great army on the banks of the
Potomac endured several weeks of severe
hardship in trenches. it was determined to
issue spirit rations. but after one month
the rations were Withdrawn because the
men were worse for it, the medical officers
reporting specifically that the ration was
~
injurious. that ii had increased the all
ments of the men. and was nothing hut an
unmitigated evil.
"ln the present war, the authorities have
contracted for the supply Of over 500. 900
gallons of rum. of which more than half
has already been sent to France. The
war office has gone from bad to worse by
"A new concession of rum Ia raw recruits
in training at home.
IL stake my professional reputation OH
my declaration that rum causes loss of re-
s~istance t. cold and il a cause Of chilli
ness, misery and frostbite. Ii also causes
losses of resistance To such diseases a
pneumonia, dysentery and typhoid"