"It Injures the Liver"
The Original Blue Back Speller was published in 1783, just two years after Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown. It appeared just seven years after The Declaration of Independence was written. The Speller, therefore, is now 243 years old. Its purpose for existence was to show how more intricate words were spelled and pronounced. It doesn't make for the most exciting reading; however, occasionally it also addresses some pertinent subjects, such as "Precepts Concerning Social Relations" (81-82). It suggests some ideas in what a young man should look for in a woman and vice versa. A young man is advised to look elsewhere if a young woman delights in "her own praise" or is an "admirer of her own beauty." Women are cautioned against a man who is profane, a gambler, a tippler, or a spendthrift.
However, equally interesting is the warning against what is called "spirituous liquors." That might not be unexpected, but what is said about it is. One justification for imbibing alcohol back then was that in cold weather it warmed up the body. The following answer is supplied.
No, that is not correct. Spirits enliven the feelings for half an hour—but leave the body more dull, languid and cold than it was before. A man will freeze the sooner for drinking spirits of any kind. If a man wishes to guard against cold, let him eat a biscuit, a bit of bread, or a meal of victuals…. The practice of drinking spirits gives a man red eyes, a bloated face, and an empty purse—It injures the liver, produces dropsy, occasions a trembling of the joints and limbs, and closes life with a slow decay or palsy…. If a few drinking men are found to be exceptions to this account, still the remarks are true, as they apply to most cases. Spirituous liquors shorten more lives than famine, pestilence and the sword! (154).
Wow! Not bad for a spelling book! And it shows that excuses just as faulty for justifying drinking existed over two centuries ago just as they do today. One of today's excuses is, "Doctors recommend as healthy drinking a glass of wine a day." This concept has been blown out of the water. Even AI says that "emerging research suggests any alcohol may harm longevity, with no true 'safe' level, increasing cancer risks (breast, liver, etc.)…." Why are we not shocked? More than 200 years ago, even though they were using leeches to remove blood from patients (as with George Wshington), they nevertheless knew the damage that alcohol caused in the liver. About 3,000 years ago, Solomon noted problems associated with drinking and warned his readers not even to look on he wine, let alone consume it (Pr. 23:31).