The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1875-04-22

Tle follosin9 essay, which is OF pc
cul-lr interest Just now, in view of the
present agitation Of the temperance
question, was read by DR.. Swan NJ,
Burnett. Of Knoxville, before the Ten
nessee Medical Society, the subject OF
the essay being "Dipsomania":
-" Wlll the coming man drink wine?''
A question more pregnant Of interest,
on more important in its bearing to.
watds our future civilization, could
hardly be asked of the scientific man.
For such magnitude ana form has the
question assumed that it is now, by
general consent, given over to the man
OF science for his earnest investigation,
and to him we look for an answer. OF
course we mean, shall he drink wine to
excess not shall he use it, but shall
he abuse it? For the suppression Of
intemperauce, we have trusted to the
influences OF moral reformers and leg
islative enactments long enough to have
demonstrated their utter futility.
Statistics show that, III spite Of tenn
perance organizations, Ito say nothing
of crusaders) and Maine liquour laws,
the vice of intemperance is as rampant
in our land as ever before. We cannot,
then, look to these for any help in stay
ing its progress, but must revert to the
scientific investigator who shall study
the subject in all it's bearings, hunt out
its causes, and mark out its natural h g.
tory, just as he would that of any other
form of disease.
"lt has always been thus in the his
tory of the world. When pestilence
has stalked abroad, leaving death and
devastation in its train, efforts were
first made to stop it's onward march by
prayers and iucantations ; and later, by
iiI.advised legislation. 1t was only.
however, when the subject was handed
over to the scientist, who sought the
tons ct origo and applied his remedy
thereto, that any amelioration was OBJ
tanned. And thus, it seems, must DO
the case with intemperance, which iu
it's effects is as terrible as the 'pesti-
lence that walked in darkness,
"lt is only one form of this evil that
we shall present to your consideration
at this time. The general influence of
alcohol upon the human economy in
health and disease, and drunkenness in
the form of alcoholism, we shall leave
out of consideration, except as they
may bear upon the one form OF intem-
peraoce upOn which we have the honor
to report to you, viz, dipsomania.
"rhe first question that presents it.
self is, is there such au ade,tion as
dipsomania per Sc? This must be an
swered in iimine, for il there is not,
any further investigation will be only a
loss OF time and labor.
"At present the opinion on this point,
of the majority of those who bave made
the subject of inebriety i'll its various
forms special study, seems to be
fixed, and the eneral verdict is in fa-
vor Of the existence of true mania for
drink.
CDR. Morgan, in recent work on
alcoholism, its various form, etc."
says, that dipsomania is district form
of instructive mono-mania. Quotinl
Trilah, he says that drunkaras are men
who get drunk when they get the
chancs of drinking, dipsomanics are
people suffering from disease who get
drunk whenever they have an attack of
their peculiar disorder. There are too
IN any histories on record of this morbid
impulse to drink to admit of DOUBT of
it's existence. Iu the December num-
ber of the New York Psychological
and Medical Surgery Journal, DIR.
George Burr communicates in paper
on the insanity of inebriety' several
interesting cases in point.
"Dr. Bush records case in which he
save, in reference to an habitual drunk
ard in Philadelphia, who, when
strongly urged by one of his friends to
leave off drinking, replied, were keg
of ram in one corner OF room, and
were cannon constantly dischargiDg
b Ills between me and it, l couldnot re.
frain from passing before that cannon
in order to get at the rum. DR..
McNeish describes in his Anatomy Of
Drunkenness case where q friend
painted to him the distress OF his fam.
ily, the loss OF his business and charac-