Insurance Men on Alcohol
By W. H. Spicer
Russia's War Loss Reaped Through Abstinence A RECENT publication of the Association of Life Insurance Presidents gives some very striking facts regarding alcohol as a cause of high mortality in the following words: “Nothing has been more conclusively proved than that a steady free use of alcoholic beverages, or occasional excesses, are detrimental to the individual. In my judgment, it has been proved beyond peradventure of doubt that total abstinence from alcohol is of value to humanity; it is certain that abstainers live longer than persons who use alcoholic beverages.” The writer goes on to say that dividing alcoholics in ordinary occupations into two classes,—(a) men who took two glasses of beer, or a glass of whisky, or their equivalent, a day; (b) men who took more than the foregoing amount, but were not considered by the companies to drink to excess,— the mortality in the second group was found to be fully fifty per cent greater than in the first. This difference is probably partly explained by the fact that many of those who had reached the stage of indulging more freely, later entered the class of immoderate users. “Part of the hazard from alcoholic beverages lies in the user losing the power to limit himself to a moderate consumption.” The investigating committee that made these observations, found, on comparison with statistics for total abstainers furnished by various companies, that during the working years of life, those who have never used alcoholic drinks have a mortality of about one half that among those who use alcohol to the extent of at least two glasses of whisky a day. “In view of this,” the report continues, “if the government of Russia carry out their present intention to abolish permanently all forms of alcoholic beverages, the saving of human life will be enormous. It is not too much to say that the loss of 500,000 men as the result of the present warfare could be made good in less than ten years through complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages by all the inhabitants of Russia.” This is in addition to the great benefit that would come to the living who might in any case survive. In this connection, a quotation from a former member of the Duma, M. D. Tehelisheff, is cited. He states that already, as the result of the abstinence of the peasants from vodka, “they are beginning to look like a different race.” Their manner of living has also been greatly improved. W. H. Spicer.