MASTERTON DOCTORS SPEAK OUT.

Colonist, Volume LXI, Issue 15041, 8 April 1919, Page 5

MASTERTON DOCTORS SPEAK OUT.

NO DRUG HABITS IN NO-LICENSE -;•• ';.--, •.- : AREA.' ; (Special to "Colonist.') Masterton, April 7. .. One of tMe surprises of the. last few days has "been the publication of letters from Masterton's four leading doctors, each of them paying tribute to Prohibit tioh.^/TKaVdodt-ors^ in a local No-license Area^^o.uid^thus^writeVisin itself a re-, maskable testlnitdny td the greater'bena* fits Vwhi^'^ll vbe''derive^ through na^ tional prohibition?? The letters are as folio wag*- p-'vY•■■■•■• s ■■■.. :-;^ ;.-■■;■■..■ v ■ S&^erfy street, • ■■■•"•. •:; '- .'■ -"'• --:'-: 'Masterton, ■'■;•' '-''■■' .'■! -.?.■; ■ 5 April 4, 1919. '•■'""•We arenot aware of any ease of drug habit in thife district contracted during No-licensei - IJrider Prohibition we should imagine it''would be quite as difficult to 'prbbur^ morphia and cocaine, aa alcoholy and-we fail to see any reason tc fear an ■incr.ea.se of tfie morphia or co"cairieiHabit?under Prohibition. The re» gttlwr use^ of alcohol increases the user's stisceptibility :to' infection In times, oil epidemic and lessens the chance of recovery when once infected. • Hblen Cowie, M.8.; Ch^B. J. A. Cowie, M.D., P.L.S.C, Eng., Masterton, Aprq5,1919. Since No-license was carried in Mas* terton I know of no case of drug Kaisit. 1 do not consider the carrying of No-. license will have any effect in inducing the return of the late epidemic. Alcohol is a very useful drug in, tbe trea^ mentrbf many cases of influenza, but ib is notbrions that the chronic alcohol! victims were amongst the worst casei* . we Bad to'dea) wrffi, anS a very largev proportion of them died. - . Percy^R. Gookj M.B.i Ch.B. Perry street, Masterton, v ■'.;,■ April 4, 1919. The argument that the giving up of? alcohol will increase drug habits la scicutifically unsound,^ and I wonder that .it has not been refuted, by the consumers of alcohol themselves, especially the moderates. I have known of no caseof tliieoocaihe or morphia habit coniraefc•ed ik Masterton under Ndn-license, aidS. no one -really expects any,in New Zealand under Prohibition. There is a morepressing'danger than drug habits, ; the spread of venereal disease." a^.d the .eqii«3umption of. alcohol is the chief cpntri--butory;cauee-of/this. ;There \vas hard-. ;ly one of our soldiers who contracted Lven6re&l~-disease during the ; war"; hxA- \ Who jdid ': iso i^nle wider the influence: ofJ ■, iiquOT.>vV---'-":^'-r----Vt;\''v :■'■'•■. ■-■:•■ :n-:. -v-:v-:= v j.