TEMPERANCE COLUMN

Evening Star, Issue 21620, 16 January 1934, Page 12

TEMPERANCE COLUMN

(Published by arrangement with the United Temperance Reform Council.) Alcohol is essentially ,a brain and ■nerve poison.—X. IN'. Kelyuack, M.D., M.K.C.r. THIRSTY, BUT T.T. Only 5 per cent, of the men who took part in the recent Army manoeuvres were beer-drinkers, according to the Navy, Army, and Air Force institutes. In the institutes it was found that tea a,nd lemonade were the most popular drinks, and during the period of the manoeuvres over 1,500,000 cups of tea and over 1,500,000 glasses of lemonade were served to the troops. THE NEW TEMPERANCE 1 SYLLABUS. The Board of Education is to be congratulated on its new ‘ Handbook of Suggestions on Health Education,’ While much of the text is similar to that contained in ‘ The Hygiene of Food and .Drink,’ with which most of our readers arc familiar, the chapter on ‘Alcohol 1 provides, in a few pages, a valuable statement in an abbreviated form which will be of great value to Temperance 'workers. Adopting as its motto the well-known recommendations of the Licensing Commission Report, that “ every child ought ,to receive specific and systematic instruction as to the properties of alcohol,” etc.) it summarises in eleven pages the modern scientific findings on: ‘ The ,Facts of Alcohol’; ‘The Food Value of Alcohol ’ ■ * Effect on the Brain and Nervous System.’; ‘Capacity for Work’; ‘ Resistance to Disease ’; ‘ Digestion of Food ’; ‘ Body Temperature ’; ‘ The Effect of Continued Indulgence’; ‘ Mortality Tablet ’; ‘ Social Effects : and ‘ Prevention of the Evils Arising. The ‘ Handbook ’ tells us that “ in common experience alcoholic beverages have been found to be as seductive as their results are elusive.” It contradicts a common fallacy when it says that “ Alcoholic drinks tend to make man more, rather than less, thirsty, and the Brewers’ advertising campaign is challenged in advance by the finding that “ for practical everyday purposes alcoholic beverages cannot be regarded from a health point of view as a source of nourishment, and further,Athletes, when training for racing, boxing, football, or other sports, usually avoid alcohol because they know the harmful effect it may have on their strength and endurance.” The ‘ Handbook ’ adopts the summarised medical findings of paragraph 81 of the Royal Commission Report. It points out, with striking figures, the excess mortality among liquor trade employees. The .’effect of alcoholic consumption and expenditure on our social life is plainly indicated, and in. its concluding section the Life and Accident Insurance advantages given to abstainers are stated. Under the section on ‘ Food ’ we note with interest that, among the list of ‘ The Essential Vitamins in Food,’ while cereals and yeast 'are mentioned, there is no reference to beer. Sir George Newman, the chief medical officer to the Board of Education, is to he commended on a very useful piece of work, published by the Stationery Office. CATHOLIC TEMPERANCE ’ CRUSADE. The ‘ New Campaigner ' records that the Rev. Father Hays, the well-known English Temperance advocate, has been on a special mission to Northern Ireland in connection with his Catholic Temperance Crusade. ; which he established in several centres there twentyone years ago. He has returned home greatly encouraged, and full oi optimism for the future. He states that 90 per cent, of the young priests are persona] total abstainers, and that in most parishes there are flourishing temperance crusades, which by education and moral efforts are enlisting the young people in the movement. If the principles of total abstinence are widely spread by the efforts of such men as Father Hays in the Catholic Church, and others among the' Protestant denominations, the drink problem, will be largely solved. BEER CONTENTS, Another analysis has been made of beer prehased at oßurnemouth at 8d a pint. In 100 parts by weight .there were three parts of alcohol, three of malto-dextrins, - dextrins. etc., and ninety-three of watpr (decimal points are omitted). There were fractional parts of I per cent, of proteins, organic acid, volatile acid, and mineral matter. The proteins (bbdy-huilding material) were so small that the analysis was repeated with the same result. All the nitrogenous compounds were included in the proteins to give the beer the benefit' of the doubt. An adult man requires 2Joz of protein (minimum) daily, to furnish which he would have to drink 70 pints of beer costing £2 16s, whilst the same amount of necessary food materia) could be obtained from 3) pints of milk, costing 10 Jd. The analysis was made by Mr F. W'. Richardson, F.1.C., and is reported in the ‘ Alliance News.’