The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1915-05-07
Rum in the British Army


ten produce results unexpected and
unrelated to the issues at stake. Such
a gigantic upheaval as the European
war cannot fail to have a marked eff
ect on the economic, social and moral
development of the nations involved,
as well as on their political future.
Our knowledge of disease, as we'll as
much of our modern conception of
physiology, has developed since the
last great European war. 1t is not
strange, therefore, that, more than
in any previous war, much attention
should be paid to health problems
and to physiologic conditions which
affect the troops engaged. Never be-
fore has such a concentrated and gil
gantlc effort been made to utilize all
the available scientific and practical
knowledge and experience in the So
luton Of the problems developed by
The struggles taking place between
millions of men throughout almost
the entire extent Of continental Eu-
rope.
One of the significant results of
the war Is the astonishing growth OF
the sentiment against the use of alco-
hol in all forms and the Increasing re-
alization, on the part of both govern
ments and people, of the gigantic
economic waste involved in its wide
spread use. Russia has abolished al
coholic drinks, 30 far as imperial Or
der can do so. Lloyd-George has de-
clared that England is fighting three
foes, the Germans, the Austrians and
alcohol, and that alcohol is the most
dangerous of the three. King George
has abolished alcohol liquors from
the royal establishment. The French
government has forbidden the manu-
facture and sale of absinthe and the
German Kaiser has strongly urged
sobriety on his soldiers as the best
means of fitting them to fight eff
GENTLY. This general recognition of
the evils and harmfulness of alcohol
ic drinks, In the midst of a war which
In previous ages would be regarded
as justification for the widest IL
cense and indulgence, is significant.
An interesting discussion has been
going on in the British Medical Jour
nal. Sir Victor Horsley, condemning
the custom of serving rum to men on
+ duty In the trenches, asserted that al
cohol, even in small quantities, caus-
\ ed loss Of heat fall of body tenn
4 lperature, and dulling Of the special
senses, and not only was Of no assist
t ance to the soldier in resisting the eff
t fects Of fatigue, strain, exposure to
cold and weather, but actually de-
creased his effectiveness. Horsley
reviews the history Of rum in the
British army from the time Of NAL
borough to the present day and sums
up the scientific evidence against 1t,
as well as the history of Its use in ar
mics in India, Egypt, the Cremea, our
American civil war. and in south At
+ RIGA. He affirms that alcohol is not a
: safeguard to health, but is on the
contrary a positive detriment. He
states that the army authorities have
contracted for a supply of 10000
gallons of rum and more than $780,
/, 900 gallons have been sent to France
for the use of the army by the end of
!. November, 1914. He urges the sub
stitution of warm and nourishing
drinks such as hot soup, milk coffee,
chocolate, ETC., in place Of rum, see
ing that warm nourishment enables a
man to shoot better and encourages
, him to go forward, whereas rum will
make him shoot badly and inclines
, him to sit still or even go back"
, The statement on the part of Hors-
J ley's critics that a small ration Of
! rum does not impair the effectiveness
of the soldier. he replied to by refer
ence to experiments made by the
Swedish army authorities who dis
lowered that one half the British rum
ration caused deterioration Of SO
per cent in accuracy of rife shooting,
and to the practical experience which
has led the British naval officers to
take their squadrons out of harbor
for at least "a hours before target
practice and gun trials, in order to
secure the highest possible efficiency.
The journal of the American Medi-
cal association, commenting on this
discussion, is of the opinion that Sir
Victor Horsley's presentation Of the
case contains demonstrable facts that |
will require something more than |
norconal affonka md pauaral cfatp-