taining alcohol, and vino is the most convenient, it has thus been 
blamed for producing the condition of which drunkenness is a symptom 
whereas it may have had nothing to do with causation. Healthy Nat¬ 
ive troops drink it and do not seem to be injiired dsn the least and 
are practically free from drunkenness. Wealthy whites who drink a 
lit tile anyhow and have no craving win not touch it because they can 
get something that 'tastes better. The vino habit then of the so-cal¬ 
led vino fiend, is merely the indication of serious alcoholism and 
the man is taking the most easily obtained form of alcoholj > He would 
be.in precisely the same condition if new whiskey were as easily ob¬ 
tained as the vino and he would no doubt prefer the whiskey. 
85 .-None of the personnel live on the 40$ fund, except where a 
single mess is for everyone an the hdspital. It is then practically 
impossible wholly to prevent its being mixed up with food for nurses. 
I renew mu recommendation that no rations be issued to the 
sick in-hospital, their admission being evidence that they are unable 
to eat the food #urchase6 for strong men. instead of selling the 
tation and buying other food, it would simplify matters to commute 
at 39$ which I find is the average cost of feeding the sick. Form 
69 is unnecessary. The commutation of 75$ per day to a well soldier 
can be spent as he wishes, all for whiskey if he wants to, and the 
Commissary Department requires no accounting, but when 40$ is allowed 
the surgeon to feed this same soldier when taken sick, the regulations 
require the surgeon to account to the Commissary Department all a- 
bout.the spending of the forty—cents. It is rather peculiar that the 
soldier can be trusted to use the 75$ properly but that a commissioned 
officer cannot be trusted to use fort^r-cents. 
