ALCOHOL AS MEDICINE AND FOOD.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] .'SIR,—Your reference to me in the article on Alcohol in last week's Spectator obliges me to ask for space in your columns to -correct an error into which you have inadvertently fallen. I wish to correct your statement about the maximum quantity of alcohol which, as it appeared from my experiments, could be taken with- -out producing the slighter poisonous effects of that agent. Two .glasses of sherry per diem represent about• of an ounce of ab- solute alcohol, or about one-half the quantity which a strong and fairly active, but not too hard-worked, adult male can consume daily, without any evidence (from the appearance of a notable quantity -of unchanged alcohol in the excretions) that the body suffers from a surfeit. It was considered that women (those, at least, who lead an ordinary life), on account of their inferior bulk, the smaller amount of organic, muscular, and intellectual work which they perform, and the greater danger to which their weakly con- stituted nervous system exposes them when dealing with powerful " nervine " agents, ought to be limited to an allowance of alcohol sot exceeding the half of that assigned to men. That reduced -allowance would be represented by the 4 oz. (two glasses) of wherry to which you refer.
It was further carefully stated by me that extraordinary mental or physical work sometimes necessitated a considerably increased allowance. I am acquainted with a good many hard-worked professional and literary men, who live in typical good health and -efficiency both of body and mind, and whose daily allowance is a bottle of very light wine, the equivalent of 21 oz. absolute alcohol. -Soldiers of the German Army, in the late war, were rationed on a 'similar scale, and I need not tell anyone how well they performed their arduous and harassing duties.—I am, Sir, &c.,
F. E. ANSTIE.
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