Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-04-26
TEA POISONING
Bv H, AddingtOn Bruce

~ ROMPTED by knowledge that tea drink
ing is steadily on the increase, DR.. M.
Allen Starr, one of New YorkS best
known physicians, has recently issued warn
ing that tea is by no means the harmless bev-
erage it is popularity supposed to be.
1t may indeed be coup that cheers but not
nebrateS" yet, used to excess or by persons
of uncommon SenSitivity, it certainly is cup
that intoxicateS. And it may intoxicate to a
point seriously endangeri1g the health.
Writing in the New York Medical Record,
Dr. Starr recalls the findings of Dr. James
Wood, made public few years ago, as to the
relation between tea drinking and the ill-health
of servant girls visiting Brooklyn diSpensary
for treatment In fully 10 per cent of these pa
TENTS Dr. Wood satisfied himself, excessive tea
drinking was a direct cause of the symptoms
complained of.
In MANY cases the afflicted girls-afflicted
chiefly with headache, dizziness, dependency,
palpitation of the heart, Indigestion, insomnia,
loss of appetite, tremorS, and other nervous
vmptoms-admitted drinking twelve to fifteen
Guns daily All took more than five cups a
day. But, Dr. Starr insists, from personal OBJ
servation, some people may be poisoned by
daily tea allowance not exceeding two cups.
He mentions as an illustrative instance the
case of a Chicago physician who once con-
suited him because of a nervous condition char
acterzed by headache, persistent dizziness, dit
ficulty in walking, and ringing in the ears
beginning brain tumor was suspected, but DR..
Starr was able to rule out this dire possibility
Medication failed, however, to relieve the an
noying and alarming state of ill-health. This
persisted some months longer, or until the
Chicago medical man, experimenting on him
self, ceased using tea. AS he wrote to DR..
Starr:
"Although 1 have never been an excessive
tea drinker Zone or two cups day), the en-
tire difficulty disappeared upon giving up tea.
| have resumed the tea repeatedly since, and
the same symptoms have returned. Even a
single cup of strong tea will produce them"
Impressive also is Dr.. Starts citation of the
experience of three vigorous yoyg men, men,
bers of a football squad.
They were brought to him by the captain of
the team because they had developed symptoms
causing the captain to suspect that some enemy
of the team was poisoning them. And, in fact
the condition of their nervous systems, as re-
vealed by the routine tests, made it evident
that in some way they were being poisoned
But no enemy was responsible. Inquiry de-
veloped that their athletic trainer had been
giving all the members of the squad large
doses of tea. These three members, being for
some reason exceptionally intolerant to tea
had been intoxicated by it, AS was proved by
their restoration to health within a week after
tea was dropped from their diet
DR.. Starr, might add, diSclaims any desire to
abolish tea drinking entirely. He would not
pose as the founder of an Anti-Tea House
League. But, rightly, he urges Temperance in
the use of tea-and total abstinence by all who
find tea productive of nervous systems in
themselves.
Copyright 1921, by the Associated Newspa-
perS)