TEMPERANCE COLUMN.

Otago Witness, Issue 3829, 2 August 1927, Page 6

TEMPERANCE COLUMN.

[The matter umler this heading is published at the request of, and is supplied by, the United Temperance Rctorm Council in pursuance of the desire to inculcate the principles of temperance.] “Slowly but surely the excesses of our gluttonous and bibulous forefathers have receded before the forces of temperance and common sense.”—Dr Leonard Williams. At the fifty-sixth breakfast of the British Medical Association, Dr Brackenbury (president 8.M.A.) presided over a representative gathering, 150 members being present. The president, in his opening remarks, said that the connection between the British Medical Association and the National Temperance League was now of very long standing, and it was an association, he thought, which it was desirable to maintain and even to cultivate. In their daily ivork as doctors they could not help being impressed with the need for propaganda in this as in many other directions, and they were glad to know that such was being conducted by skilful hands and by moderate men who, from the scientific and medical point of view, were able to help the profession to do their own daily work better and with more efficient results. Professor Louise MTlroy, M.D., D.Se., outlined the influence of alcohol in obstetrics. The subject comprised the effects of alcohol on the race. Prolonged and excessive dunking on the part of parents resulted in a devitalised offspring, and in time a race of chronic drinkers would die out. The medical profession did much to advance the cause of temperance by its moderate and broad-minded views. Although a physician might agree as to the convivial effects of a glass of port at dinner he would take a more gloomy view of the progress of a case of acute pneumonia if the disease occurred in a man addicted to alcohol. That was the true test of the opinion of the medical profession. The same attitude of mind applied to obstetrics. Sterility was not uncommon in men and w-omen who were chronic drinkers, and it was in itself a safeguard against undesirable offspring. Abortions, still-births took place more frequently when the parents were alcoholics, and weakly children were more the rule than the exception. During labour rupture of the uterus had occurred in her practice in two cases with fatal results, and in each case was due to the excessive toxa?mia caused by chronic drinking on the part of the mother. Defects in the capacity for breast-feeding were not uncommon in the daughters of alcoholic fathers. The prescribing of stout or the use of meat or malt wines was harmful to the nursing mother. The French had carried out considerable observations upon the effect of alcohol on the mother and infant, and had come to the conclusion that the drinking on the part of the mother of gin. vermouth, and absinthe was the most harmful of all. In the neighbourhood of King’s Cross women of tlie reproductive age could be seen in the public-houses drinking gin, but this was not brought home to them until they realised that in the West End of London the latest fashion was cocktail parties, where women were experts in the mixing of a beverage which had as its chief ingredients gin and the Italian and French z vermouths. The effect on the future race if such a fashion spread could be readily imagined. The experiments of Stockard on guineapigs and of Pearl on fowls were convincing only to a certain extent, as alcohol was a social poison as well as a chemical one. They must remember that bad parents |leant bad housing, bad food, and defective offspring. A drunkard was unable to work, and the burden of providing for the family had to fall upon the expectant mother with results which were detrimental to her own health and that of the future child.

Sir Humphrey Rolleston, K.C.8.. M.D., in moving a vote of thanks, said the National Temperance League could be praised for its broad-minded outlook, and the scientific method which it had brought to the study’ of the alcohol problem. The league, he said, was temperate in its opinions, in life and in conduct. A pleasing feature of the temperance movement was_ the open and broad-minded attitude of its leaders, for they did not confine their energies to alcoholism, but had turned their attention to drug addiction, and under the guidance of Sir W. Willcox

and Professor W. E. Dickson had investigated and thrown light upon the problems of this insidious form of intemperance. Wise in its experience of 65 years, the league was young in energy’, aud in its fitness to find out the exact truth about the influence of drugs and narcotics on physical and mental life. This has obviously a most important bearing on the future of the nation. The guests of the league would go away with a sense of gratitude for what it had done to forward the ideal of medicine —namely, the prevention of disease, for there could be no doubt that, as even the proverb, “A short life and a merry’ one,” admitted that intemperance brought only’ degeneration and death, temuerauce was the gate of happy longevity. Mr C. J. Bond. C.M.G., F.R.C.S., in seconding, said it so happened that the section of medical sociology of which he had the honour to be chairman, was about to discuss certain important factors affecting the industrial life of the country. Now, it was certainly true that everyone w’ho was interested in medical sociology must of necessity’ be also interested in temperance. For alcoholism was only’ one example of the .nany forms of mental and bodily’ disease, disability, and inefficiency which arose through self-indulgence and through unphysiological living, and this was anti-social conduct. Thus, since so much sickness depended on conduct, ho felt strongly that the time had come for a great forward step by preventive medicine on physiological lines. The trend of human evolution was now pre-eminently along psychical channel.,, and if preventive medicine was to adapt itself to modern ways of life it must concern itself with the thoughts, the feelings, and the conduct of the citizens, all of which formed such an important factor in national health and well being. Dr Blackenbury, in closing the proceedings, said be hoped they would go away determined to do whatever they could to advance the cause of national temperauca»