New-York tribune., 1918-04-25
Ant;-Saloon League Superin-
.endent Takes Issue With
DR.. D. O. Edison
s.vs Radicals Do Not
Rule Prohibition Ranks
Reviewing Literary Achieve
.,~nts of Wine Bibbers, An
other Challenges Drys

The prohibition controversy ga'h-
=. momentum with each allegation
"a denial of the numerous points
involved. To-day The Tribune pre-
.erts the fifth instalment OF It's
,saders' views on liquor.
A, interesting comment follows,
contributed by DR.. Allan McLane
u.m;lton. VINO defends the use OF
.,cohol advocating regulation rath-
sr than abolition.
10 the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir. It cannot be denied that many
:. those in favor of strict prohibition
are utterly unfit to pass Judgment
u,os so vital q question as the use
sg' " Alcohol. Many belong to. societies
concerned in injudicious reformation
If The community of various xmas;
~ vaoe are seekers after notoriety and
soh.s seSsrs arc absolutely ignorant of the
sssets of alcohol. being governed by
ln1Q-SL8uCliS PANJ
dotrished in a narrow way.
sven the most radical of well-in-
.or,ned reformers of an Intelligent
sl.ss among them the late Sir Lauder
Hn,nton. of England. hold that, prop
ar,v rscd. distilled and other alcoholic
r;,ors are only harmful when abused,
md DR.. William Osier said I'm mod
sration. wine. beer and spirits may be
s.ken throughout long life without
imra;r:ng the general health.
en- the other hand, while me M
Moderate use of alcohol tor lnng
asriod is undoubtedly responsible Tor
much disease and social misery, the
dgures adduced by those who seek to
sbol;sh its use are strikingly lacor-.
rect. and no one knows this better than
.he well-informed physician. AS
cause of insanity it does not play the
mart it has in the past been said to,
for many associated causes were re-
suonsibe for the numerous psychoses
once ascribed entirely to alcohol.
Even its hereditary influence is in
correctly quoted. As an exciting cause
Of mental disease It accounts for less
than is per cent of all the cases. Ell
derton and Pearson detailed IN their
researches conducted at the Francis
Cation Laboratory for National Eu-
genics, in London (l910), and dis
closed a number OF interesting facts
after an examination of large numbe'
of children in several OF the largest
cities of Great Britain.
From their findings it appears that
owing to- the greater fertility of alec
holic parents the net family of the
sober is hardly larger than the net
family OF the alcoholic. The mean
Weight and height of the children of
obol c1irht{yr tyrpa far
than those of sober parents, but as the
age OF the former children is slightly
greater, the correlations when correct
ed for age arc slightly positive. c.,
there is slightly greater height and
weight in the children of the sober
The wages of the alcoholic as contrast
ed with those of the sober parent show
slight difference compatible with the
employers dislike for an alcoholic
employe. but wholly inconsistent with
marked mental or physical inferiority
in the alcoholic parent.
!, The general health OF the children
Of alcoholic parents appears, on the
whole, slightly better than the health
Of the children of sober parents. There
are fewer delicate children, and in c
most marked way cases of tuberculosis
and epilepsy are less frequent thar
among the children of sober parents
Parental alcoholism is not the source
Of mental defect in offspring.
The relationship, il any. between
parental alcoholism and filial intelli
gence is so slight that even its sigr
cannot be determined from the present
snateral.
s. To sum up, then. no marked relation
las been found between the intelli
yence. physique or disease of the off
pring and parental alcoholism in any
sof the categories investigated. On the
whoie, the balance turns as often i.
favor Of the alcoholic as Of the non
These Investigators finally observe
/ r.. as re think, the danger Of alco
holic parentage lies chiefly in the di
rect and cross-hereditary factors 0
which il is the outward or somati
mark, the problem of those who arr
fighting alcoholism is one with tn
fundamental problem of eugenics. y"
Tear it will be long before the, tenn
psranee reformer takes this to heart
Hes is fighting a great and in man,
respects good fight, and in war ali /
held fair, even to show OF unJustl
liable statistics" The bad effects 0
alcoholic beverages are therefore Il
this respect greatly exaggerated, an
depend upon many other factors tha
the mere use or abuse Of the agen
sself. To certain individuals it is Ger
tainly indispensable, especially TO thos
past middle age, and as there. IL n
standard Of perfect mental or physlca
Perfection or in fact norrnality, it /
lmnossible TO make a law for every on
that will be wise or beneficial. Nan
men who are below the average as tn
result Of peri Getty innocent but harm
'ul and degcnerating factors, bad en-
viyonrncn,, or overwork of any kins
need some stimulation OF Tagging en
efyy when II the result OF such over
work. whether voluntary or enforced
and thfs fact is familiar 20 the veries
syro
In medicine. though certain Wester
seions have disputed the fact, its US
% often imperative, and il IL were de
med as many would perish from tn
asprIyasion Of an agent which has .
substitute. In certain septic cond
ions IL 10 yeritable specific, and II
use IN exhaustion is sanctioned b
medical men Of all ages and nations.
advanced opinion goes TO show ths
sseoaol does not in itself possess tn
property of inducing persons to TAX
sser.sscr~-sing amounts.
furthermore, IL IN easy for an
sealtny person TO restrict his use c
aaseohoi within the bounds Of nodcrs
soH. The disposition TO e,
sessiye drinking haa ita origin IN def
asss s. oesnliarisies and circumstances {
se individuals affected. who Al
esnsaily abnormal or otherwise vi
1ertunate. fstarkc.)
u the measure Of enforced total ak
snencc was limited 70 the closing c
noes of tsis saloons, and IL the use {
eey and wine was uernitted in gal