voluntary motion, but without the production of a greater amount of
mechanical force." In his later "Letters," he again says: "Wine is quite
superfluous to man, * * * it is constantly followed by the expenditure
of power"--whereas, the real function of food is to give power. He adds:
"These drinks promote the change of matter in the body, and are,
consequently, attended by an inward loss of power, which ceases to be
productive, because it is not employed in overcoming outward
difficulties--i.e., in working." In other words, this great chemist
asserts that alcohol abstracts the power of the system from doing useful
work in the field or workshop, in order to cleanse the house from the
defilement of alcohol itself.

The late Dr. W. Brinton, Physician to St. Thomas', in his great work on
Dietetics, says: "Careful observation leaves little doubt that a
moderate dose of beer or wine would, in most cases, at once diminish the
maximum weight which a healthy person could lift. Mental acuteness,
accuracy of perception and delicacy of the senses are all so far opposed
by alcohol, as that the maximum efforts of each are incompatible with
the ingestion of any moderate quantity of fermented liquid. A single
glass will often suffice to take the edge off both mind and body, and to
reduce their capacity to something below their perfection of work."

Dr. F.R. Lees, F.S.A., writing on the subject of alcohol as a food,
makes the following quotation from an essay on "Stimulating Drinks,"
published by Dr. H.R. Madden, as long ago as 1847: "Alcohol is not the
natural stimulus to any of our organs, and hence, functions performed in
consequence of its application, tend to debilitate the organ acted
upon.

"Alcohol is incapable of being assimilated or converted into any organic