The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-06-05
DOES ALCOHOL AID !.
ARMY EFFICIENCY /. ] i:
-: .:..
Rum, Brandy and Beer Used BY
Armies At War. Medical
Men Deny Need Of It.

The European war, subjecting mil
exposures of life in field and camp,
has naturally revived interest in and
furnished new material for the dis
cussion Of many old problems.
Among these problems is that con-
nected with the use of alcohol by the
soldiers. The time has passed when
alcoholic liquors are to be regarded
as inseparable from warfare and es-
sential for military activities. Effici-
ency is now the prime consideration.
Since the last great war, scientific re-
search has greatly increased our
knowledge of the effects of alcohol
on the human body. While the physi-
ologist has not as yet spoken the last
word on this subject, the overwhelm-
ing preponderance of scientific evil
dence is in favor~:of the proposition
that the use of alcohol. in -. any
amounts, large or small, tends to i'm
pair muscular coordination, to dull
the special sense, to retard muscular
and nervous reactions and mental
processes, and to reduce efficiency in
any work requiring rapid and accur-
ate mental or physical effort: THE
QUESTION STILL OPEN TO DIS
CUSTOM is WHETHER, IN TIMES
OF UNUSUAL EXPOSURE, STRAIN
AND EXERTION, THE TEMPOR-
ARILY STIMULATING EFFECTS
OF ALCOHOL ARE SUFFICIENTLY
VALUABLE TO COMPENSATE FOR
ITS UNDESIRABLE RESULTS.
Used Extensively in Armies.
Evidently the military authorities
of Europe think SO, or are still in
f1uenced by custom or tradition, since
in each army the regulation ration
Of alcohol is still provided, In the
English army, two and one-half,
ounces Of rum are issued to each
man twice a week. For men in the
trenches, this allowance is increased
to three ounces twice a week under
ordinary weather conditions and to
two and one-'lalf ounces daily in very
bad weather, making a minimum Of
five ounces a week and a; maximum
of 17"and one-half ounces. The reg
ular ration of two and one-half
ounces is estimated to contain :25. B.
grams of. alcohol. The French SOL
der receives daily 50 grams of rum
containg 20 grams of alcohol. The
German soldier is allowed 1898
grams of beer and 20 grams Of
brandy a day. The beer, which is OF
the ordinary lager variety has a. low
alcohol content of only about3.5 per
cent, but this quantity would amount
to a total of 7O.7 grams Of actual al
cohol a Gay. Austrian soldiers re-
ceive each day 0.5 liter Of wine,
equivalent to 40 grams of alcohol.
Detrimental to Gunners.
The physiologic effects of alcohol
en- military efficiency would probably
not be so clearly apparent in the
army as in>the navy. The modern
battleship, cruiser and submarine
have become marvels of mechanical
completely and, delicacy. The soldier
in the trenches might take the maxi
mum German ration of 70 grams of
| alcohol day without impairing his
| ability to handle mis- rifle or n1anipu-
| late q machine gun. Whether the
| members OF the aviation corps, the
artilleryman charged with handling
the heavy guns. or the signal men,
on whose quickness and accuracy of
vision much might depend, could
maintain the highest efficiency on q
daily allowance of alcohol remains to
be proved.
There is, in the opoinion of THE
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN
MEDICAL ASSOCIATION abundant
testimony on the part of naval
experts to show that alcohol
. diminishes the accuracy of the
gun pointer on the battleship and
1 50 reduces the number of probable
hits. dutch courage has hereto.
fore been regarded as an indispensa.
BILE equipment of warfare. and al.
cohol has been looked upon as thu
ally rather. than the enemy Of thu
fighting man; but the present wal
Twill reverse the opinions Of the civil
iSed world on q. good many questions
and Il ~ possible chat the fndispensa
Il pilit alcohol sin the army nnal
Jls.bss ono of stneIn