Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-04-10
ALCOHOL HABIT FORMED BEFORE i
MATURITY REACHED, SAY EXPERTS

The blessing OF pure blood untaint-
ed by alcoholic poison once enabled q
young man in Johns Hopkins univer-
sity to save the life OF n boy whose
system was impoverished by the lack
of rich blood. The story is that the
surgeon after an examination of the
patient, stated that an operation
would surely prove fatal unless a
quantity OF pure fresh blood from
some human source could be trans
fused. He called for volunteers from
among the students. Four stepped
forward. The blood OF each was test
ed and the choice fell on a healthy
young fellow six feet tall and twenty
four years of age.
During the operation the skilful
surgeon opened an artery in the stud
ents arm and a vein in the arm Of
the small boy. These two openings
were joined together so that at every
heart beat Of the student a strong
current of rich blood was pumped
into the feeble body Of the weak pa
tient. His color changed. The pallor
died out of his face and his cheeks
grew pink. The TRANSMISSION went on
for seventy-fve minutes. Fully two
quarts Of good pure red blood flowed
into the child's sick body. The change
was wonderful. A new life was i'm
parted. He survived the operation
and lives today, strong and healthy.
The surgeon in commenting after
wards upon the results of this won
derful operation, stated that little
Charlie only had one chance in a
thousand to live and then remarked:
What a fortunate thing it was that
we found a student with blood so
pure as Franks, for our test showed
clearly the absence of all impurities
so frequently caused by the use OF
alcohol which is the most pernicious
blood-cell perverter known to surgi-
cal science"
Sir Frederick Treves says: HAY
ing spent the greater part of my life
IN operating, l can assure you that
there are some patients that | don't
mind operating on and some that
do; but the person of all others that
| dread to see entering the operat-
ing theater is the drinker He is a
most dangerous feature in connection
with the surgical life"
1t is now we'll known IN physiologi-
cal science that alcohol affects the
blood more easily than does any other
liquid taken into the body. 1t reports
itself more quickly to the circulating
organs than does any food, and is
carried more directly to all the cells
of the body with poisonous effect.
This it does whether the cell is part
Of brain, nerve or muscle. Surgeons
dread to operate on alcoholic patients
because the cells of their bodies are
slower in procuring nourishment from
the blood, and slower in getting rid
of the waste. AS a rule, therefore,
the wounds of the alcoholic patient
take a longer time to heal.
DR.. Chapple has made some inter
esting Investigations as to the order
in which brain cells, the most to suf-
fer on account of alcohol, always de-
velop in the human embryo. 1t ap-
pears that there are at least five diff
ferent kinds of cells so far as their
spheres of activity are concerned.
They control the nerve centers of the
heart, the lungs, the locomotive
nerves, the knowledge centers. and
lastly the inhibitory centers. The ex-
periments conducted by the doctor
showed that alcohol damages the cells