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A Master Opinion

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Oct 12, 1905

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 82, No. 41.

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A Master Opinion

SIR FREDERICK TREVES, the illustrious surgeon, speaking at a London temperance meeting in May, made a sensation by his outspoken condemnation of the use of alcohol. The Quiver says:—
The high rank of the speaker, his distinguished position in the world of science, and his extraordinary popularity in society, combine to give a distinction to his deliverance upon alcohol which must compel the attention of those whose habit it is to give a wide berth to the consideration of the temperance question. Sir Frederick’s testimony stands out among medical opinions for the simplicity and clearness of its statement. He says:—
“The point with regard to alcohol is simple enough. It is a poison, and it is a poison which, like other poisons, has certain uses; but the limitations in the use of alcohol should be as strict as the limitations in the use of any other kind of poison.”
Sir Frederick Treves’s indictment of alcohol may be summarized in the following sentences, which are given as nearly as possible in his own words:—
1. It is Not an Appetizer. “No appetite needs to be artificially stimulated. There is no need, supposing this property of alcohol to be true, to use anything that will excite an appetite. So on that ground I think there is not much to be made out for its use.”
2. It is Not a Work Producer. “Alcohol has undoubtedly a stimulating effect, and that is the unfortunate part of it. The effect, however, lasts only for a moment, and after it has passed away, the capacity for work falls. It does this: it brings up the reserve forces of the body and throws them into action, with the result that when these are used up, there is nothing to fall back upon.”
3. It Leads to Physical Bankruptcy. “I was with the relief column that moved on to Ladysmith. It was an extremely trying time, apart from the heat. In that column of some thirty thousand men the first who dropped out were not the tall men, nor the short men, nor the big men, nor the little men—but the drinkers; and they dropped out as clearly as if they had been labeled with a big letter on their backs.”
4. Its Action on the Heart. “Alcohol produces an increased heart beat, a fuller pulse, and a redder skin. It calls upon the reserve power of the organ, but the moment the effect has passed off, the action of the heart is actually weakened.”
5. Its Action on the Nerves. “It first stimulates the nervous system, and then depresses it, and, as with other poisons which act upon this part of the body, the higher centers are affected first.”
6. The Testimony of Professional Men. “I am much struck with the fact that many professional men have discontinued the use of stimulants in the middle of the day. Why? For no other reason, probably, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, than that they find they can do better work without it.”
7. Alcohol and Young Men. “A young man can not be fit if he takes alcohol. By no possibility can he want it. No one who is young and healthy can want alcohol any more than he can want strychnin.”
8. Alcohol and Surgery. “Having spent the greater part of my life in operating, I can assure you that the person of all others that I dread to see enter the operating theater is the drinker. I share with the late Sir James Paget his absolute dread of the secret drinker.”