Pick Your Poison

Remarks on the use of alcohol for the preparation of medicines

This pamphlet discusses the medicinal use of alcohol, and questions its value and necessity. Remarks… lists three main reasons alcohol is used in medicine: to revive an exhausted person, to prepare tinctures, and to use as an antiseptic; and notes that in each case, there are viable alternatives that won’t expose patients to the dangers of alcohol. In the mid-19th century, the negative effects of overindulgence in alcohol were emphasized, and its medical efficacy was reconsidered.