An enquiry into the effects of spirituous liquors upon the human body, and their influence upon the happiness of society / by Benjamin Rush, M.D. Professor of the theory and practice of medicine in the College of Philadelphia.

  • Rush, Benjamin, 1746-1813.
Date:
MDCCXCI [1791]
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An enquiry into the effects of spirituous liquors upon the human body, and their influence upon the happiness of society / by Benjamin Rush, M.D. Professor of the theory and practice of medicine in the College of Philadelphia. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    known fome men, who, by limiting its firengih conftanr- ■y, by meafuring the fpirit a.id water, and who by drinking it only with their meals, have drank toddy for many years with- out (Uffertng in«ny degree from it; but I have known many mote who have been infenlibiy Led from drinking toddy for their conftant drink, to take drams in the mornino-, and lutve afterwards paid their lives as the price of their fully. I mall feleci one cafe from among many that have come with- in the compaisof my knowledge, to /hew the ordinary pro- grefsof intemperance in the nfe of fpirittioua liquors. A gentleman, once uf a fair and i'ober character, in the city of Philadelphia, for many years chunk toddy as his conftant drink. From this he proceeded to drink grog. After a while nothing would fatisfy him Inn flings made of equal parts of rum and water, with a little fugar. From fling* he ad- vanced to raw rum—atad from common mm to Jamaica fpirits. Here he refle-d for a t'tw months j but at 1. it he found even Jamaica fpirits were not ftrong enough to warm hi- ftomuch, and he made it a conftant practice to throw a table-fpoonlul of ground pepper into each glafs of his fpirits, ill Wder (to life his own < xpreflion) (i ro take off tlieit cold- neft.—It is hardiy nectflary to add, that he foon atlei waids died a martyr to his own intemperance. I fhall conclude what has been laid of the effects of fpiri- ttious liquors with two obfervattons.—i. A people corrupted with ftiong dtink cannot long be a pee people. The rulers ot Inch a community will loon partake of the vices of that maislrom which they were lecreted, and all our laws and go- vernments will fooner or later bear the fame marks of the ef- fects of Ipirituous liquors which were defcribed formerly up- on individuals. I fubmit it therefore to the confideration of our rulers, whether more laws fbonld not be made to en- creaie the expence and leffen the confumption of ipirituous liquors, and whether fome mark of public infamy fliould not be inflicted by law upon every man, convicted before a com- mon magiftrate of drunkennefs. The iecoud and laft obfervation I fliall offer, is of a feri- ous nature. It has been remarked that the Indians luve di- minilhed every where in America fince their connections with the Europeans. This has been juftly afcribed to the Europeans having inti educed fpirituous liquors among them. Let thole men who are every day turning their backs upon all the benefits of cultivated fociety, to feek habitations 'v