Its uselessness as a remedy during the acute stage. He had
seen a great deal of cholera and never saw alcohol do any good
whatever. There was a temporary glow which passed away in a few
minutes, and then the evil it does in other ways was brought
out. Water was far better, even if cold. The College of
Physicians had given some instructions and ordered great care in
the administration of alcohol; this was not far enough, but good
as far as it went. The recoveries were best where the treatment
was simplest, such as external warmth with plenty of diluents.
He had given creasote largely.

5. Its injuriousness during the stage of reaction. The reactive
fever following collapse caused a great number of deaths. In
this stage alcohol was absolutely poisonous. He could recall
many such cases in which he had given alcohol through ignorance,
and always with disaster.

"Brigade-Surgeon Pringle said that when he went out to India he
thought alcohol was something to stand by, but he had soon found
out his mistake; he had himself suffered from it. He could
confirm what Dr. Richardson had said as to the demoralization
produced by alcohol to which men resort to keep up their
spirits, and men seized under these circumstances were in the
greatest danger. Nature effects a cure in many cases without
assistance, and often with wonderful rapidity. People apparently
dead and about to be buried, he had known to get up and recover.
When alcohol is given during collapse there is often no
absorption until reaction occurs, and then the quantity
accumulated speedily produces intoxication. It was the same with
opium: he had found pills unchanged in the stomach for hours. He
recommended hot drinks; he had tried every kind of medicine and
had little faith in it. The nursing was very important, and it
was important that the nurses should abstain.

"Dr. Morton said it was easy to see that on physiological
grounds alone, alcohol, with its strong affinity for water and
its tendency to lower temperature, could not be a useful drug in
the treatment of cholera collapse, and with its powers of
paralyzing vascular inhibition and checking elimination of
effete matter, could not be otherwise than harmful in the stage
of reaction. As these conclusions were corroborated by practical
experience he did not think