The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-08-10
DOMAIN OF TEMPERANCE
BEER DRINKING PRODUCES RHEU.
MATISM.

DIR. w. 7. Ridenour: Beer drink
ing produces rheumatism by produc-
ing chronic congestion and ultimately
degeneration of the liver, thus inter-
fering with it's function by which the
food is elaborated and fitted for the
sustenance of the body
DR.. S. H. Burger: "All beer drink
ers have rheumatism, more or less,
and no one can recover from it as
long as he drinks beer. Notice how
beer drinker walks about stiff on his
heels, without any of the natural
elasticity and spring from the toes
and ball of the foot that healthy man
should have. That is because the beer
increases the lithia deposits about the
smaller joints"
.CrippIes the Liver.
DR.. S. H. Burger: 'The first effect
on the liver is to longest and enlarge
| it. Then follows low grade of in
| famation and subsequent contraction
of the capsules, producing 'hob-nailed'
or drunkard's liver, the surface COW
cred with little Jumps that look like
nail heads on the soles of shoes. This
| develops dropsy The congestion of
| the liver clogs up all the springs of the
| body and makes all sorts of eXertion
as difficult and labored as it would be
| to run a clock, the wheels of which
were covered with dirt and gum"
Die of Pneumonia.
DR.. w. T. Ridenour: Beer drink
ers are peculiarly liable to die of pneu-
monia. Their vital power, their power
| of resistance, is so lowered that they
are liable to drop off from any form
| of acute disease, such as fevers, pneu-
monia, etc. AS a rule, when a beer
drinker takes pneumonia he dies.
my first patient was saloon
keeper, as fine looking man physic-
ally is had ever seen-tall, well-built,
about thirty-five, with clear eyes,
florid complexion, muscles we'll de-
veloped. He had an attack of pneu-
| monia in the lower lobe of the right
| lung, a simple, well-defined case,
which regarded very hopefully. Doc
tors are confident of saving fifteen
out of twenty such cases. l told my
| partner so in the evening. To my sur
| prise, he said quietly, He'll die [
asked what made him think so. He
| is a beer drinker,' he answered. My
patient began to recover from the at
| tack on the lower lobe. Suddenly the
disease lighted up in the middle lobe.
Finally it attacked the other lung, and
ny patient succumbed."
Dropsy Induced.
DR.. NJ. H. Parmalee, physician and
| surgeon twelve years in Toledo, says:
"The majority of saloon keepers die
| from dropsy, arising from kidney
and liver diseases, induced by beer
| drinking. My experience has been
that saloon keepers and men working
around breweries are very liable to
| these diseases. When one of those
apparently ,stalwart, berry fellows is
attacked by disorder that would not
| be regarded as at all dangerous in a
| person of ordinary constitution, or
even a delicate, weakly child or
| woman, he is liable to drop off like an
| over-ripe apple from a tree. You are
| never sure of him a minute. He may
not be dangerously sick today, and to-
morrow be in his shroud Most ply
sicians, like myself, dread being called
upon to take charge of sick man who
is an habitual beer drinker The
form of Brights disease known as the
swollen or large white kidney is much
more frequent among beer drinkers
than any other class of people,"
Insanity Caused.
DIR. S. S. Lungren: 'The brain and
it's membranes suffer severely, and
after irritation and Inflammation
comes dullness and stupidity There
is no question in my mind that many
brain diseases and cases of insanity
are caused by excessive beer drink
ing"
DR.. c. A. Kirkley: 'Under it's in
fiuence the mental powers are more
inactive than the physical. There is
hardly single cause that, operates
more powerfully in the production of
insanity; and not only that, but it ex-
cites the action of other causes that
may be present"