Alcohol and liver damage.

The association of aicohol with cirrhosis was recognised by~vfatthew Ba-ilhe4& 1793 and later by Addison. In Western countries the incidence of cirrhosis canbe directly related to the quantity of aicohol consumed. In France, between—1941 and 1947, rationing of wine from five to one litre per week led to an 80% reduction in mortaiity from cirrhosis (1). Cirrhosis is on the increase. In the U.S.A. it is the fourth commonest cause of death in white males. In Bvitain, deaths from cirrhosis have increased by approximately 25% in the last decade. The death rate in djfferent communities correlates quite weil with alcohoi consumption (Table 1). The prevalence in various coun tries largeiy depends on religious and other customs and on the relation between the cost of alcohol, and the weekly wage. In France wine is cheap and cirrhosis is common. The lower the cost of alcohoi, the more are iower socio-economic groups affected. Certain occupations are particularly associated with the risks of aicohoiism. They include, the liquor trade, show business or those on expènse accounts or with ready access to duty-free liquor. In Britain the patient with aicoholic liver disease tends to be the executives, Services personnei, physicians and, increasingly ali over the worid, their lonely wives.