Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1873-04-15
NUMBER %.
Intemperance a Disease-Ths Pathology
of Inebriety.

4
''debased, "besotted," ''lost," &C.. SO gene
rally applied to its victims. The world is grad.
uaiiy growing wiser on this subject, and even
Virginia will some day erect Home for the
care and cure of this unfortunate class. When
Temperance Societies devote all their energies
to securing such Home, and laws to force
the trafheer in liquor to pay for the harm he
does, a new day will dawn on the victims of
Alcoholism. In this connection, we are glad
| to find gentleman of the medical profession,
who has made the subject study, that speaks
the truth and does not deal in the cant of the
| day.
The proceedings of the American Associa-
tion for the Cure of Inebriates contains paper
on the Pathology of Inebriety," written by
DR.. George Burr, of Binghampton, N. Y, in
| which he contends that intemperance is dis
ease of alimenta,ion, by which be means that
| the nerves which supply the nutritive appsrat.
US are disordered, and that they demand certain
unnatural and Injurious drinks as well as food
In Certain conditions. Instances are given of
dlsordered appetites in females in certain ner-
vous diseases, and mention is made of the con-
| dition in which the appetite demands enormous
quantities of food, commonly denominated
gluttony. DR. Burr holds the belief that there
exists in man a natural inclination for the mod
crate use of ardent spirits, and TO certain ex-
tent the desire for them may be said to be NOR
bid. When diseased, however, this inclination
becomes inordinate, and an unnatural craving
for alcoholic drinks is developed. 1t is here
that, according to the writer, we must look for
the frat departure from healthy condition,
| and for the first manifestations of diseased ac-
ton. This early stage is marked by an occs-
| sional desire to drink, which recurs at shorter
and shorter intervals. and propensity likewise
gradually increasing for greater quantity OF
each time.
| This habit DR.. Burr looks upon as the first
intimation of the approaching disease, and as
! afording the stage for active interference when
recuDeration is most easy, when restraint, pro-
hibition, quarantine may be resorted to, and
the consequences of indulgence vigorously
pressed upon the subject, who may be held
justly responsible if he neglects these efforts.
When, however, the impulse to drink over
comes all obstacles the power of the will is
overthrow, and the entire organism becomes
subject to the fearful demands for stimulus
The moral sentiment becomes also involved in
the general impairment. DR.. Burr remarks:
$50 decided has been the impression Of this
habit upon the moral sentiments that they have
been regarded as the seat of the disease, and
their danger have been noted as giving charac-
| ter to it. Hence, the subjects of inebriety have
| nnan tarnpd Hohocad hncatto1 Inst ruithO,1k
sef-restraiut, inseusible to domestic claims,
and wanting In integrity aud character. Even
| the commissioners OF charities and corrections
for the city of New York, in their report for
| 1870, refer to ioebriety as moral disease, and
class it With other forms of RIGHTEOUSNESS
| but 1t is evident that this is a mistaken
view of the subject. Depravity does not excite
men to drink, nor does dishonesty transform
them into drunkards. IF such was the legiti-
mate consequence, we ought to fiod nebriety
succeeding every case of moral obliquity. But
we know that this ls not the case. Many a
villain, whose whole life has been continuous
series OF crimes, whose moral sentiments have
become utterly depraved, and who has been
| capable of murder, robbery, Or fraud. has never
drunk, st least to excess The most successful
| bank or bond robber is usually temperate
| man"
| In confirmation of what we said above, about
the disease of intemperance being inherited,
We notice that the cAicial report of the n Y.
Asylum, shows that one hundred and twenty
two of the patients who Were at the Asylum
between Oct. l, 1871, and Oct. ], 1872, had
intem crate parents or ancestors.
| The New York Herald appeared on Sunday
morning in quintuple form, containing twenty
pages, one hundred and twenty columns, of
which seventy-eight are devoted to advertise
ments and forty-two to news and general intel
ligence The Herald is printed on five Hoe
rotary eight and ten cylinder presses and two
Bullock perfecting presses, being seven in all,
issuing the edition at the rate of one thousand
sheets per minute, taking two hours and half
to print its edition of one hundred and fifty
thousand copies. The Herald has just cause
to be proud of its unprecedented success.
The usury laws were framed to prevent ex-
travagant rates for the use Of money, how vain
ly the current experience of Wall street shows.
They tend to protect the rich man against be-
ing made TO pay more than seven per cent for
the money he needs in extending bis business.
But the poor wretch who has to pledge his
Sunday suit to get meat for his Sunday dinner
must pay the pawnbroker twenty-five per cent.
The jewel of consistency is very black dia-
mond in this case.
The head of the New York Sun is generally
level; and was never more so than when it emit
ted the following brief but correct observation /:
IF the Credit Mobiliers had not lied so stoutly
in September, could Grant have been elected
10 November? Yes, for his election fraud ma
chinery was strong enough to nulify any ma
jority that the people might have given against
him"
From the Secretary's report of the New York
State Inebriate Asylum, dating from October
lst, 1871, to October lst, 1872, we learn the
occupation of the patients, and find that mer-
chants stand first in the list in point Of num-
bers (5S). clerks next (35), no occupation next
(2S), then lawyers (l7), bookkeepers (lO), and
undertakers-only one. The last item is suth-
GENTLY suggestive, without comment.
i The Conservatives in Virginia can only hope
to succeed in the next State election. by entire
union and harmony among themselves and an
issue between Conservative and Radical pOliti-
cal nrinciples Ii they permit their adversaIies