FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   300   301   302   303   304   305   306   307   308   309   310   311   312   313   314   315   316   317   318   319   320   321   322   323   324  
325   326   327   328   329   330   331   332   333   334   335   336   337   338   339   340   341   342   343   344   345   346   347   348   349   >>   >|  
stronger dilutions of lysin. "2. These experiments have shown the normal haemolytic power of human blood-serum to be less in the case of alcohol-drinkers than in that of abstainers. "3. The precipitating reaction between a solution of 1 per cent. human blood-serum and different dilutions of immune serum was greater in the case of drinkers than in that of abstainers. "4. These experiments have also shown that the bactericidal power of blood-serum against typhoid bacteria was less in the case of drinkers than in that of abstainers. "It seems clear, therefore, that alcohol, even in comparatively small doses, exercises a prejudicial effect on the protective mechanism of the human body." The lecturer made his points clear by a carefully prepared series of charts. At its close Sir Victor Horsley, Professor Sims Woodhead, A. Pearce Gould, and several other distinguished physicians spoke in high terms of the painstaking care exhibited in the experiments. Professor Laitinen's second lecture was upon "The Influence of Alcohol Upon Human Offspring." He sent out 15,000 circulars to his countrymen, asking many questions relative to themselves and their infant children, and received 5,845 replies relative to 20,008 children. He also studied personally a large number of drinking and abstaining families. From these studies he shows by careful tables that the drinking of alcohol by parents, even in small quantities, has an injurious influence upon human offspring. His studies in former years showed the same unfavorable influence upon the offspring of animals. One of his tables gives percentages of deaths of children in the homes of abstaining parents, moderate drinkers, and harder drinkers. Children of abstainers dying in the first year, 13.45 per cent.; of moderates, 23.17 per cent.; of harder drinkers, 32.02 per cent. Other tables show that abstainers' children gain in weight more steadily in the first year than drinkers' children, and have their teeth earlier, as a rule. At the International Medical Congress of 1909, held in Budapest, Professor Laitinen lectured again upon his researches, and summarized his conclusions thus:-- "1. The importance of alcohol as an article of food is rendered very questionable by recent researches. 2. These researches prove that alcohol diminishes the natural power of the tissues to resist injury, promotes degeneration
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   300   301   302   303   304   305   306   307   308   309   310   311   312   313   314   315   316   317   318   319   320   321   322   323   324  
325   326   327   328   329   330   331   332   333   334   335   336   337   338   339   340   341   342   343   344   345   346   347   348   349   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

drinkers

 

abstainers

 

children

 

alcohol

 
tables
 
experiments
 

researches

 

Professor

 

influence

 

parents


offspring

 

Laitinen

 

drinking

 

abstaining

 

dilutions

 

harder

 

relative

 
studies
 

deaths

 

moderate


animals
 
Children
 

percentages

 

careful

 

families

 

number

 

quantities

 
showed
 

injurious

 

unfavorable


article

 
rendered
 

importance

 
summarized
 

conclusions

 

questionable

 
resist
 
injury
 

promotes

 

degeneration


tissues

 

natural

 

recent

 

diminishes

 

lectured

 

Budapest

 
moderates
 

weight

 
Medical
 

Congress