New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-01-24
DISEASE DUE TO ALCOHOL.

A paper by DR.. Dickinson, upon the morbid ELECTS
resulting from drinking alcoholic liquors as shown
in persons who trade in liquor, appears in the 56th
volume of The London Med,co Chirargcal 1ransao-
tons, just published. The writer starts with the
assumption that those who have alcoholic stimu-
liant at their command at any time, without being
called upon to pay for it, will probably take more
of it than those who are Obliged to incur expense,
or go to degree of trouble to satisfy their crav
ing. The remarkable and suggestive conclusions
reached by the author given in his own words.
He says:
we are led to conclusions which are mainly with.
though in respects against old views. In the
present state of medicine it may be useful to
fOrhfy old truths to assault old errors. The
suits may be thus summed up: Persons who trade
in liquor drink on an average more than those who
do not, and their morbid peculiarities are mainly
due to that excess. Estimating the effects of alcohol
on this basis by means of comparison between the
class described and persons similarly situated save
10 relation to liquor the following conclusions have
been reached: Alcohol shorteas life 10 trade liquor
costs three and hal years.
Reviewing the morbid results which the examina-
ton of each organ has revealed they present
sistency which is in come sort their warrant
Alcohol causes fatty infiltratiOn and iibrOid en-
croachment; it engenders tubercle encourages sup
Duration, and retards healing; it produces untmely
atheroma, invites hemorrhage, and anticipates age.
The most constant fatty change, a replacement by
oil of the material of epthclial cells and muscular
ibeTs, though probably nearly universal is most
ticeable in the liver, the heart, and the kidney.
The fbr old increase is little evident in the simply
fbrous structures, such as fasciD and tendons but
occurs about the vascular channels and superficial
investments of the viscera where it organic
.tr AIN, H.
liver has the largest share the lungs are often sim
ilaTy though less simply affected, the change being
variously complicated with or simuative of tubcr-
Gle; the kidneys suffer in like manner, but in
more remote degree.
Alcohol also causes vascular detcriorations which
are akin both to the fatty and the fbrod Besides
tangible atheroma there are minute deteriorations
of the arterial walls which show themselves by
diac hypertrophy and cerebral hemorrhage. Drink
causes tuberculosis, which is evident not only in
the lung but i'll every organ which is amenable. 1t
must be observed, however, that from the tendency
of tubercle to dissemination it is only necessary that
1t be planted in one organ TO be found in many.
Drink promotes the suppurative at the expense of
the adhesv process. This is sufficiently in the
results of pneumonia, of peurisy, and of peri
cardlts, in diffuse inflammation after injuries and
in the sloh and insecurity of the healing process.
Descending from general conditions to indi vidual
organs the effect of alcohol upon the nervous sys-
TEN must be looked upon as special, and taken by
ITSELF since nervous matter presents to this agent
singular excitability of Junction. or IN other words
a singular susceptibility of structure for the pur-
pose of acting upon which mankind in all countries
and in all ages have sought and used alcoholic
drinks. Passing over those effects of intemperance
which, like delirium tremens. manifest rather
To- G,I a.,
pays "a large reckoning in the shape of inflammation
atrophy, and hemonhage. Alcohol multiplies in
1arnmatory states of the brain of every kind both
Of the substance and the envelopes whether tuber-
cuar OF not 1t occasions gradual shrinking of the
brain, as evinced by the accumulation of fluid in
spaces once filed by cerebral substance. 1t causes
a liability to cerebral hemoThage by means of the
arterial deterioration to the greater part of
tine body.
With regard to other organs, they are damaged by
alcohol much they stand in its line of absorption.
Passing over the stomach, the changes in which,
however numerous, are save when il is liberated,
more prominent during life than after death we
come to the liver. This organ suffers more than
any other chiefly by way of cirrhOsis and fatty i'm
pIegnation. Next the stress falls upon the lung,
probably less heavily than upon the liver, certainly
more heavily than upon any other part of the body
with the exclusion of the nervous system. The
mischief in the lung takes apparently every shape
OF phthisis 1t il probable that the change
most often Is of a kind to which the
term tubercular would strictly apply. while
there is evidence not comprised in the pres
ent tables, Of a fibroid ovcrgrowth which APP
parently may either accompany OF stimulate tu-
berce The arera deterioration need not be further
mentioned than to assign it's relative frequency.
Judging by ITS tangible results-atheroma, hemor-
rhage, and cardiac hypertrOphy-we should assign
to this change a large share in the pathology of in
temperance, though, unless the connection between
alcohol and tubercle has been much Overrated, it
would TO play less fatal part than disease of
the tubercular kind. Lastly the kidneys, more re-
moely exposed. have smaller participation IN the
common damage of alcoholism. They undergo con-
gestive enlargement fatty and fbroid change; they
do not suffer, however, commensurately with the
blood vessels, or with the frequency as other
viscera
So far we have seen only the i'll which alcohol
produces; it may be asked, is there none which 1t
obvatesy Apart from any medicinal or curative
action which the evidence before us does not touch
has it per contra OF preventiOnY 1t Is difcnlt 10
answer this inquiry. Some astlve iniiammatons
such rs pneumonia and endocardtis, diminished
in the alcoholic trades but il must at be seen
that the increase of the alcoholic disorders must
necessarily produce an apparent diminution OF all
which are unaffected by this agent. man may be
saved from pneumonia acute rheumatism, not
because alcohol antagonzes such diseases, but be-
cause it kills him prematurely. He can die but
once. Therefore though under alcohol some forms
of disease are comparatively intreqnent, we must
use much caution III concluding that it has
directly preventive influence Nevertheless it
may be laid down axiom that any
drug which can do harm can do good. Disease is
most various aud may rather must, represent con-
trary conditions. 1t may be positive or negative,
plus or minus. Too much too little of any Of the
of health II drug promotes one change it may pre-
vent its opposite. Alcohol certainly gives an asthe-
mic type to disease; although we cannot as yet say