Alcohol and School Physiologies

In a number of states, at the instance of active temperance workers, laws have been passed prescribing instruction in the public schools as to the toxic action of alcohol. It is charged by some, and very recently by Professor Atwater, whose experiments —previously noted in The Journal—are known throughout the world, that the text-books used contain errors, notably in denying absolutely any food value to alcohol, with other inaccurate statements. He is reported as saying: “There are many errors in these text-books, sometimes the error consist s in stating doubtful theories as attested facts; in other cases the principles laid down are partly true and partly false; in still others the statements are squarely opposed to all the latest and most accurate scientific research.” He proceeds to say, further, that the impression these text-book s convey—as the facts—is “that science teaches that alcohol even in moderate quantities is always harmful and never useful. This is untrue.”
Source: JAMA - Category: General Medicine Source Type: research