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THE PRESENT EVOLUTION OF MAN—MENTAL
| alcoholic. More frequent. |
non-alcoholic. More frequent. |
| Pericarditis less frequent, but more often suppurative. Hypertrophy of heart. All kinds of cerebral inflam- mation and haemorrhages. |
Endocarditis and pericar- ditis. |
| Repair slow and unsafe, by tendency to suppuration and cellulitis. |
Fibrinous exudation and adhesive inflammation. |
| Renal changes, 82 cases, con- gested and granular kid- neys. |
Renal changes, 83 cases, lardaceous disease. |
"93. Dr. Dickinson summed up his paper by saying—'Alcohol causes fatty degeneration and fibroid encroachment; it engenders tubercle, encourages suppuration, and retards healing; it produces untimely atheroma, invites haemorrhage, and anticipates age.... Alcohol gives an asthenic type to disease... it retards adhesive and plastic processes.'
"94. In confirmation of these observations the experience of the last Russo-Turkish war may be cited. The Turkish soldiers, though much more poorly clad and fed, recovered from wounds which proved rapidly fatal to the vodka-drinking Russian. This was so marked as to be notorious, and was noted at the time by several newspaper correspondents.
"We cannot but conclude, therefore, that the disappearance of alcohol from popular use would be attended by a considerable improvement in the health of the nation."