The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-10-28
The Insanity OrInebrlety.

AC lCCtuIC IOOul VI tuc OollcSc VI
Physicians and Surgeons. at Fourth
avenue and Twenty-third street, was
filled last evening by the members of
the Neurological Society and distin-
guished visitors, who had gathered to
listen to papers upon to important
subjects, "The Insanity of Inebriety,"
and ~rhe Philosophy of Suicide"
Professor William A. Hammond, NJ.
D., president of the Society, intro
duced George Burr. NJ. D., of the
Binghamton Lunatic Asylum, who
announced his subject as s''The Insanity
of Inebriety."
He defined inehriety as the morbid
impulse that urges man to use in
toxicating liquors daily. The defini-
ton of inebriety is not we'll under
stood, but in the present paper it sig
nifies the constant desire 20 use alco-
holic liquors. lnebriety may bring on
alcoholism, delirium tremens, and
other diseases that are nanifestly the
consequence of the excessive use of
intoxicating liquors, as the variolus
poison results in smallpox. Nutho-
mania, dipsomania, and many other
names, are given to this morbid i'm
pulse. I prefer dipsonlania, because
it seems to most clearly define the case
in question. But all these definitions
indicate and describe one and the
same disease. 1t must be acknowl-
edged that there exists in the human
constitution desire for alcoholic
liquors. 1t is the same all over the
world, and in the different nations
each has it's own stimulant peculiar
to itself illustrating the universal de-
sire for stimulant The conditions of
inebriety may be represented in two
classes. First let us consider the de-
sire so controlled as not to be at
variance with the daily performance
of regular duty. The existence of the
desire is made manifest by the greater
activity Of the nervous system, and the
more intellectual and more complica-
ted the brain development the greater
activity. The nerve force takes on a
perfectly characteristic action. By
an expenditure of nerve force all the
acts Of our life are performed. Achieve
ments OF war, science, manufactures,
etc., all cause greater or less expen-
| diture of nerve force A glass of
wine with meal is sufficient to meet
the demand of the impulse for a
stimulant, and this may be said to b.
nermal use of it. The second class
| are those who have an increased or
inordinate demand tor stimulants.
These are instances of disordered
appetite. The glutton is no stranger
and though his stomach is filled to
repletion, yet he still Graves more
food
DR.. Will Parker, at the conclusion
of the paper, said that there were sew
eral points that he had not fully un-
derstood. The reader of the paper
takes it for granted, said he, that We
all have a tendency towards inebriety
that we are all born with a capability
of becoming drunkards. This is moi
true. There are some men that cant
be made drunkards. The universal
ity of the desire, it seems to me. could
be explained by the fact that we all
live under excitement. One likes the
excitement of music, another of tobac
CO. The old lady likes her cup oi
tea. 1t makes her happier. A large
portion of the human family prefer al l.
cohol. At first little alcohol has the
desired effect, but as times goes on i
takes larger and larger quantity t.
produce the effect Excess is the con
sequence, and he is no longer a souno
man IN. Y. Tribune