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103
[1908

These figures, however, do not nearly and for obvious reasons represent
the full tale of deaths due to alcoholism. As Dr. Newsholme puts it, " the
doctor in attendance hands the death certificate to the nearest relative of the
deceased, and he is careful not to hurt that relative's feelings," and he therefore,
certifies the death as due to some secondary cause, and there are plenty
to choose from, to which the habitual use of alcohol had given rise, such as
gastric catarrh, chronic dyspepsia, congestion or cirrhosis of the liver, Bright's
disease, inflammation of the lungs, and many other diseases which too surely
waylay the chronic drinker in his mad career. There are also several other
diseases to which he falls a ready victim should they attack him, the chief of
which is phthisis. Indeed, so well is this fact now known that the International
Congress on Tuberculosis which met at Paris in 1905, passed a resolution
strongly emphasising the importance of connecting the fight against tuberculosis
with the struggle against alcoholism.
Let it never be forgotten that persons who indulge largely in drink are
predisposed to tuberculosis, and that their children also possess a lessened
power of resistance to this disease, though the parents had never been attacked
with it, and are "frequently attacked with hip joint disease, joint swellings,
glandular swellings, 'consumption of the bowels ' and of the lungs."
From these facts it can be well understood how difficult it is to enumerate
with certainty the deaths due to alcohol.
The effects of alcohol on the human system has been much debated, with
the result that people are now taking a more intelligent interest in the question,
which is undoubtedly of moment from a health point of view, and consequently
there is a decrease in the amount of drink consumed in this country.