The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-07-10 00:00:00

"HABITUAL DRUNKARDS."

On Thursday in last week, a large and influential
eeputation, representing the Legislature, the clergy,
and, very largely, the medical profession, through the
names of the most eminent members of the healing art
of England and Scotland, waited upon the Home Sec-
retary with a memorial urging the Government to
practically carry out the recommendations of the Select
Committee appointed at the instance of the late Mr.
Donald Dalrymple, M.P., "for the control and
management of a class of persons known as habitual
drunkards or dipsomaniacs." Lord Shaftesbury intro-
duced the deputation, among whom were, according to
the list handed to the Minister, Lord H. Scott, M.P.,
Sir H. Davie M.P., Dr. Lush, M.P., Mr. M`Carthy
Downing, Sir William Fergusson, Sir Thomas
Watson, Dr. Murchison, Dr. Sibson, Canon Conway,
Dr. Lord, the Rev. Dr. Cox (of St. Helen's, Bishops-
gate), Mr. W. C. Garman, of Birmingham, Dr. Bo-
dington, Dr. Pigot, Dr. Munro, and Dr. S. S. Alford.
Lord Shaftesbury, in introducing the deputation,
said he was aware that it was at great inconvenience
that the Minister had now met them, and that there-
fore the deputation would do little more than present
the memorial which had been drawn up to press on the
views which that worthy gentleman, Dr. Dalrymple,
who had now gone to his rest, had urged upon the con-
sideration of the Legislature. The memorial said:

"That habitual drunkenness is a crying evil so prevalent
in this country as to call loudly for redress ; that habitual
drunkards bring ruin and destruction not only on themselves,
but on many connected with them by social or domestic ties;
that habitual drunkenness is a disease closely approximated
in a great number of cases to insanity, and susceptible of
successful treatment; its evil effects, which only those fami-
liar with the facts and details can fairly appreciate, extend
to future generations, the children of drunkards being, for
the most part, people of low bodily and mental condition,
and often inheriting the tendency to drunkenness. In this
way habitual drunkenness deteriorates the standard of the
race. That there arc no means under the existing
law of exercising over habitual drunkards the con-
trol necessary for their personal safety, for the pro-
tection of their families, and for the welfare of society ; that
in the year 1872 a Select Committee of the House of Commons
was appointed 'to inquire into the best plan for the control
and management of habitual drunkards,' of which the late
Mr. Donald Dalrymple was chairman ; that the report of the
Select Committee was very favourable to legislation upon the
subject, declaring that there is entire concurrence of all
the witnesses in the absolute inadequacy of existing laws to
check drunkenness, whether casual or constant, rendering it
desirable that fresh legislation on the subject should take place
and that the laws should be made more simple, uniform, and
stringent.' The report likewise recommended that sani-
taria, or reformatories for those who, notwithstanding the
plainest considerations of health, interest, and duty, are
given over to habits of intemperance, so as to render them
unable to control themselves, and incapable of manag-
ing their own affairs, or such as to render them in any way
dangerous to themselves or others,' should be provided ;
that in the year 1873 a Bill for the better care and
management of habitual drunkards' was brought in by the
late Mr. Dalrymple and others; but owing to the adjourn-
ment of the House, consequent upon Mr. Gladstone's resig-
nation, the Bill, which was then down on the list for second
reading, was postponed to so late a day as to render any
effort to carry it useless for that Session. The memorialists,
regarding the question as one of a very pressing nature,
earnestly request you to bring it under the notice of Her
Majesty's Government, with a view to the introduction by
them, in the next Session of Parliament, of a measure
founded on the recommendations of the Select Committee
for the control and management of the class of persons known
as habitual drunkards or dispomaniara."
- - -

Among the signatures to this, besides the names of
those present, were the Dean of Westminster, the
Rev. J. W. Reeve, Canon of Bristol; Sir George
Burrows, M.D., President of the Royal College of
Physicians; Lord Napier and Ettrick, Rev. R. Duck-
worth, Canon of Westminster; Sir James Paget, Ser-
jeant•Surgeon Extraordinary to the Queen; Sir Wil-
liam Gull, Physician Extraordinary to the
Queen; Sir Henry Thompson, Dr. C. J. B. Williams,
F.R.S., Physician Extraordinary to the Queen; Dr.
Edward H. Sieveking, Physician in Ordinary to his
Royal Highness the Prince of Wales; Dr. Cesar
Hawkins, F.R.S., Serjeant-Surgeon to the Queen;
Dr. Henry Ackland, F.R.S., Oxford, Pesident
of the Medical Council ; Dr. William Stokes,
Regius Professor of Physic, University of Dublin;
Dr. R. Barnes, Dr. R. Quain, F.R.S., Mr. T.
Spencer Wells, Dr. Russell Reynold,* Mr. Ernest
Hart, Mr. J. Mutchinson, Dr. W. H. Reynold,
Mr.
W. Cadge, Dr. P. Ea,de, Sir Robert Christisom (of
Edinburgh, President-Elect of the British Medical As-
sociation), and a long list of other eminent physicians
and surgeons of London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow.
His lordship concluded by saying that the deputation
presented the memorial with these valuable signatures,
not with a view of eliciting the opinion of the minister
at the present moment, but because they were anxious
to avail themselves of the opportunity of addressing
the subject to a Home Secretary who had shown him-
self able and willing to propose and carry through
Parliament social measures necessary for the benefit
of the people.
Sir Thomas Watson said that for a long time in his
life he was perfectly incredulous as to the possibility of
a complete reform of habitual drunkards, but circum-
stances had arisen to convert him to the idea. An
indulgence in the vice of drinking to excess led to such
changes in the body that the whole nervous system
was impregnated with the alcoholic poison, and this
led to an insatiable craving for those drinks. He
knew of a case in which the victim of this craving said
that even if he knew that death would be the imme-
diate result of his drinking he should be unable to re-
sist the craving, and therefore the term " dipsomania "
was a proper term to apply to the persons thus afflicted.
It had been ascertained that if these unhappy persons
could be absolutely restrained from indulgence in
the drink they recovered from the mania—that the
beneficent recuperative power of nature would exer-
cise its sway after the power of the indulgence had
passed away, and that they could renounce the vice
from which they had been rescued. There was a
large experience in this matter as evidence, not only
from American but from our own lunatic asylums,
showing that when the persons were forcibly kept
from the indulgence they were in most cases capable
of being restored; and to do this, legislative sanction
was required for institutions or retreats," where
persons might be kept for a certain time. The time
mentioned by some was a space of three months; but
that time he did not regard as sufficient for a cure, but
anything which would tend to lessen the evil could
not be regarded otherwise than as a national blessing.

Dr. Munro also addressed the Home Secretary, en-
dorsing the views of the preceding speaker, and added
that he would rather have to treat 50 lunatics than one
confirmed dipsomaniac; and to show how allied were
the dipsomaniacs to the lunatics, he said he had seen,
many cases of lunacy in the asylums, such lunacy hav-
ing been caused by drink.
Mr. Garman said that perhaps the Home Secretary
was aware that there were already institutions in this
country for the treatment of this disease • but he was
sorry to say they had not succeeded, arid the reason
was that there was no power to detain the unhappy
patient when the periodical attack of the disease came
on, and the patient could not resist it, however strong
might be his or her desire to give up the practice.
In fact, the unhappy victims of tise habit were help-
less to resist it, and they claime4 the right to leave
the institutions in which they had placed themselves.
As to the objections urged to the proposed legisla-
tion, if the objectors would only visit some of the
cases which the physician saw in his daily rounds they
would be converted, for they would see that for the
time being these people were nothing less than lunatics.
The Home Secretary replied,—' am very glad to
have seen and to have heard you here to-day. This
matter was brought before the attention of Parliament
by the late Mr. Dalrymple, who certainly was most
energetic in advocating repressive measures on this
question. lam not now going to give you—nor do you
ask me to give you—any expression of opinion on the
matter. You must all know that there are great prac-
tical difficulties in the way of carrying this out. We
are enabled to treat with criminals and with lunatics, but
in this matter we should have to deal with a class of per-
sons who are not quite criminals nor quite lunatics,
although theynearly approach both classes in many cases.
As an old visitor myself of lunatic asylums, I have
seen many of these cases treated as cases of lunacy
with very beneficial effects, and I remember a case in
which one 'poor man stayed in an asylum for years by
the advice of his friends, because he felt that if he was
freed from restraint be would lapse into his former
habits. But you have not to•day gone into the question
of numbers or expense. I take it that you might find
great numbers of dipsomaniacs in London alone.
Mr. Garman said it was thought the cases of dipso-
maniacs would be readily distinguishable from other
cases of indulgence in drink, and that the number to
whom a forced seclusion would be necessary would not
be so very great.

The Home Secretary addexl,—There are, however,
great practical difficulties in the way. There are num-
bers of cases where the dipsomaniacs would have to be
given into custody, and there would be great jealousy
of that. All I can say on the present occasion is that
your memorial shall receive that consideration which
its importance deserves.
The deputation thanked the Minister for his cour-
tesy, and withdrew.

In connection with the foregoing, the Globe re-
marks
We have repeatedly called attention recently to the pre-
valence of habitual drunkenness, and are glad to find that
the subject is beginning to attract the public notice its im-
portance deserves. The deputation which waited on Mr.
Cross laid the matter very forcibly before him, and sue,
ceeded, we think, in clearly showing that the evil is so
great as urgently to demand remedy. The Home Secre-
tary admitted that the question is one which ought
to be considered, but pointed out the enormous diffi-
culties by which it is attended. These he certainly
did not overrate. It is quite true that while we can deal
comparatively easily with criminals and lunatics, we have
here to deal with persons who are neither lunatics nor cri-
minals, but who often approach both classes. The fact,
however, that legislation is difficult is no reason why
it should not be undertaken if its absolute necessity can
be made out. And we believe that legislation in this
instance is absolutely necessary for the sake both of
the victims themselves and of society. The duty of
those who have been agitating in the matter is now
clear. They must institute a thorough inquiry into the
facts, make them widely known, and devise a scheme of
legislation which shall commend itself to politicians. If this
is done, they need not dread failure. Public opinion is on
their side, and backed by this they could have little difficulty
In carrying through Parliament a practical measure. It is
noteworthy that some of the first physicians and ladryers in
the land are of opinion that decided steps should be taken
without delay.

Referring to this subject, the Pal/ Mali Gazette also
remarks :
The deputation that waited on the Home Secretary,
to urge upon him the necessity for placing some legal
restraint upon habitual drunkards certainly made out a
strong case in favour of their views. Habitual drunkenness is,
as truly stated in the memorial from the medical profession
presented by the deputation, "a crying evil, so prevalent in
this country aedo call loudly for redress ;"and it is no less true
that "habitual drunkards bring ruin and destruction not only
on themselves, but on many connected with them by social or
domestic ties." Nor can there be two opinions among reason-
able persons that society in general as well as the habitual
drunkards themselves would be all the better if the latter
were placed under lock and key until they have acquired
habits of temperance. There are, however, as Mr. Cross
pointed out, "great practical difficulties" in the way of en-
f orcingseclasion upon confirmed topers; and in promising
that the memorial should "receive that cot Aderation its im-
portance deserved" Mr. Cross probably felt that it was easier
to prescribe a remedy for the evil than to administer such
• remedy when prescribed.. ,Tue truth is that a vast number
of habitual drunkards are not only the terror but also the
sole support of their families. In their intervals of sobriety they
do no immense amount of work of a reraunemtivo description,
guld tO fault Um puma up la retroat3 would be simply at.