Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-11-12
saa The Imp Of the Private Bottle.

MEDICAL men in all parts of the world
have startling facts brought to their
knowledge in reference to. family affairs.
tits Fortunate for the peace of households
that doctors, as rule, set guard upon
their tongues, and that it is deemed a
breach of professional etiquette to disclose
the secrets they learn in the course of
their practice. % Sometimes, however, a
habit becomes SO scommon that it is no
longer possible to keep silence respecting
It, 1t sapsIthe! vigor of thousands, causes
unspeakable anxiety and misery, sows dis.
sensions in inpumerable households, and
finally hurries the unhappy victim into a
premature grave. Unless the evidence of
medical menis 20 be rejected, such habit
is now running its course among us. The
indications cannot sbes misunderstood by
the professional eye. Every doctor has
had eases produced by it within the range
of his experience. And it is scarcely pos
sible that his skill can be exercised upon
more insidious or hopeless maladY. I'VE
refer, of course, to- the custom of dram
drinking in private, under pretence of
taking q /" wholesome tonic /" as a restora-
tive Of the system The tonic, no matter
under what false name it is sold, is gene
rally mischievous alcoholic stimulant,
which, by the spirits of evil let loose from
a. bottle by a. traveller in the Arabian
Nights, proves the bane of young and old,
the curse Of every household into which it
enters, and the ruin of every woman who
is foolish enough to place herself bcneath
its spell.
The mysterious maladies which alarm
the heads Of households are frequently to
be traced to the deleterious compounds
sold as "bitters," and warranted by the
v,olyorc tO o,1ra half fha dicaooao Nooh ia
heir ito. 1The. basis of these mixtures is
nothing but whisky, favored and Disguised
to give some excuse for the pretext under
which it is sold. Analysis will show that
what is represented as o glass of healthy
bitters is almost always the sCircean cup,
destined to acquire an increasing influence
over the unhappy dupe who drains it,
until at last she becomes hopelessly de-
graded The victims are chiefly women /;
for when men want to dripk, they can find
| plenty Of schAnces of. doing. Il openly.
They can ask for whisky over counter
without exciting scandal. But woman
cannot walk into a Nbar-room and call for
/" bourbonp or rye" 1t is for her, there
fore, that preparations fbitters, under all
sorts of fantastic names, are scattered
broadcast over the land. She is innocent
Of any ill, intention in taking them.
4ollc IL 'IloI7 hMuHol tilde eIlo N Tealy
rphing I her Constitution by inbibing
4 daily doses Of alcohol 4 But lin Lfhe
course of time her husband notices
| that her health is falling. Her nervous
system is deranged, her appetite iisap.
pears, she rises in the morning tired and
feverish, her head is always aching, her
/ hand shakes, and size is subjecl 70 constant
| depression of spirits The husband looks
ON at, these symptoms with pain, and
grief but, he, is, at d loss TO account for
them, because he does not suspect
the demon which turks in the apparently
i harmless hottie Ofyr1" bitters slowed
lsaway in the cupboard. He tries change
.Fofsar, but it does no good, and no WondeT
1.-The fatal bottle goes with, his wife, in
her trunk, At las, the. doctor is called in,
and he at once detects in the unfortunate
woman all tho disastrous effects Of hard
| drinking We have heard on good
authority that-the patient is sometimes
discovered to be on the very verge Of
dehrinna uemensi Ths horEorSf the hus
band, when this tact comes TO his knowl
edge, may be Imagined but although his
wife may, be temporarily cured,st6e evil
! lascendancy too often returns,S and the
4 flower Of her life is cruelty poisoned. :.
4 Any medical man inlarge practice would
vouch for II that we do not exaggerate the
deplorable wreck of mind and body pro
duced by this kind of dram-drinking. Il
Isl pxlendlAg eyefyWnere althoggh) no
4 under idehtically the same AdisgdiSeQ II
sFraaeeR the eo4e0ctiop may be called
water, in England tspirits Of orange
4 hoHlfY bnr sVerY9l 9lieIss 10 isD the SAINT
balef1 cpmpound-alcOhol is present be
\ meath aIa ahs trunees .tlaaft may ba em
ployed, and when once q woman has sold
herself TO theeviispirit, her freedom, hei
happiness, and her health are aliko sacrl
y iced - She Aifay tioS kHoW lawilat she u
dOing... She, ,teels, that her strength is fail
4 fhkcsnh She hhds mt the kgpitof Hppihl
at the black bottle infuses into her for !
time newA aAhnatiou sEllle may sincerel5
believe that the fateldngght Il repltyc com
posed, jas its makers Assert of come lii'
giving herb or plant She 'ascribeI
her declining health 4 70 tany .and
every causel.1 bnfa 9the y right one
p po44qHntlg y4hqfygOeg on tipplini
until 1t is too late TO undo the mischia
y whieA Has been sEt01ghtl phe sbOlfle- d
bittefs ma Ioltom Fepisnish td0,aud eael
dose infiicts new blow upon her-eonsti
tuition. But the ufste for il increases rap
idly, until IN the end IL becomea Jund0n
\ qnefahle. and the Wtefrhed sisve 70 Itfs
/ bottle has rein0rae for her coniIIAnion unI
n q ahsslsA kAktu@ ehelfhcholy pic
4 lnre, but itsVpqld .siartla al, ,of " If We