Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-01-23
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
VOICE FROM OKLAHOMA
To the Editor of the Telegraph:

10 tHe cultoT. OF tne 1eieSrapi.
Whiteagle, Okla, Jan. Is, 1919,
AS physician and former resi-
dent of Pennsylvania, L have been
watching with great deal of inter-
est the proposed action of the State
Legislature on the ratification of the
prohibition amendment. There prob
ably has been and will be much
written regarding this question, but
there has been up to date a no.
ticeable lack of interest. displayed
by the medical profession; especitlly
In view of the action of the Ameri-
can Medical Association convention
In Chicago when there was adopted
resolution strongly condemning
the use of alcoholic liquor.
Physicians from the nature of
thelr work are daily brought In con-
tact with the end results of the use
and abuse of intoxicating liquor.
That 1t breaks down the natural re-
sistlng powers and incapacitates the
BODY has been forclbly impressed
upon all medical men during the ep-
ldemic OF Spanish Influenza when q
noticeable increased mortality was
shown among those addicted to the
use OF alcohol. Patients who for a
number of years had used liuuor
were unable to withstand the at
tack of the disease and were much
more susceptible TO the infection
than those not so addicted. In con-
nect1on with this lack of immunity
ana breaking down of the natural
BODY defenses from the use of alco-
mol L desire to refer to an article.
| Behold Man" in Hearst's Mapa.
zine in which occurs a remark of
George Clemenceau, Premier of
France, himself a physician who re-
Piled to what he attributed his us-
ual vitality at such an advanced
| age, That in his youth he had not
applied hot liquor to his blood"
This in a country whore the use of
Intoxicating liquors is national
| abit.
AS a resident physician at the
Harrisburg Hospital and as a news
paper reporter covering the Harris
burg Police station I have Witnessed
more of the harmful effects of the
use of liquor probably than have
! many residents of the city. I'm strik
: ing contrast to this has been nv
experience the past four years as a
physician in prohibition state on
an Indian reservation, where one
would naturally expect considerable
drinking and yet where it is conspic-
uous by its absence for so strong
has been the campaign for the sup
preston of the liquor traffic among
the Indians been waged that despite
the presence of bootleggers and
whiskey runners little finds an en-
trance. If, therefore, the Govern
ment has the power to suppress this
liquor traffic among the Indians. why
not also suppress 1t among the sup
posedly more law abiding white
man." If the use of liquor is harm
ful and deleterious to one race why
lis 1t not just as much so to an
| other.
| No man should require artificial
stimulation to do good work. and IL
he does require stimulation when he
IS not stimulated he must be work
ing at lower standard. To be ef-
hcient, physically or mentally, the
human body should require nothing
TO drive 1t on, and anything which
does drive it is doing more harm
than it is good.
L sincerely believe that If this
| question of the harmfulness of LIQUOR
is properly placed before the people
OF pennsylvania as 1t has been in
this state that Pennsylvania citizens
VIII ratify the amendment; not as a
matter OF duty, but as a matter OF
their own self protection.
Yours very sincerely,
Charles Il. Zimmerman, NJ. D.