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


true bnt can no longer resist tempta
ton. II bottle OF brandy stood a
one hand and the pit OF hell yawned u
the other, and were convinced that
ehould be pushed in as sure as I tool
one glass l could not refrain Th
late DR.. II. ID. Mussy, of Cincinnati
relates another case. A few years ag
n tippler was put in an alms-house j
this State. Within a few days he ha
,ried various expedients to get rum an
allied. At length, however, he hi
lpon one which was successful II
We ut into the woodward of the estal
ishmcnt, placed one hand upon tn
block, and with an axe in the Othe
truck it off with a single blow. Will
he stump raised and streaming, he RAJ
ITO the house and cried, Get me rum
bet mo rum my hand is off, In The
onfusion and hustle Of the occasion, n
owl of rum was brought, into which
plunged the bleeding member of his
ody; then, raising the bowl to his
iOnth, drank freely and oxultingly eX-
Iaimel, Now am satisfied ! DR., j.
+. Turner relates case Of a gentleman
who, while under treatment for inebri-
ETY., during four weeks secretly drank
y The alcohol from six jars containing
morbid specimens. On asking him
why he committed this loathsome net,
ne repied Sir, it is as impossible for
ms to control this diseased appetite as
it is for me to control the pulsations Of
my heart.
Almost every one can point out, |
4 among his acquaintance, ono or more |
cases OF this morbid craving for drink. |
Can we consider it anything but an ire.
sistlbe impulse that makes a man risk
eyerything-hcalth friends, fortanc
and, more than all, the happiness of
his wife aud children, and his own self
respect, in order to crafty this appetite?
WHAT sane man would subject himself
to the agonies of body and mint which
the indulgence always entails, and
winch he knows always entails, upon
the indulger? A young friend of mine,
who has been labituated to 'sprees,'
for some years, had abstained Tor six
months. lie went to bed one night at
his house, under circumstances in no
WISE different to those to which he had
be accustomed. Al | o'clock he got
Inp, went up town and entered upon
spree of six weeks duration. Aoother
rlend, on the evening previous to his
marriage to most estimable lady, who
had consented to the marriage only on
his most solemn promise to reform,
was in beastly state of intoxication,
J though he knew that ii it were discov-
cred the happiness Of his whole future
life would be wrecked.
"The mania for drink may rest in
various degrees of intensity, just as any
other mania may be either very mild in
its degree or very violent. 1t is also
evident that it may have many iudu-
ences at work in its production. The
disease has recently been made the sub
ect of inves tigaton for ita etiology to
be clearly understood. Some points,
however, have been pretty definitely
settled.
Heredity has for a long time held a.
prominent place in the list of causes. T,
The fact Of numerous drunkartls being
found in the same family could not be
overlooked. And heredity does un- {
doubtedly play an important role in the
l.
as pure inherited dipsomania.
"The clinical history of the affection h
places it among tho pourosis, and we t.
find that its causes and the laws govern n
ing its development also give it simi- d
lar place. As an inherited neurosis 4
may disp'ay its1lf in one member or v
branch OF iamily in the form Of an {
epilepsy, Ill another III general insanity, L
in another in some simple eccentricity /
or marked monUmania, so undoubtedly !
in many cases dipsomauia may be only /
Il manifestation of ncurOtio diathesis [
which has existed in his progenitors in |
au entirely different type. Aud, on the G
other hand, it seems highly probable f
in fact, it is in strict accordance with {
this law OF inherited neurosis-tbat the :
dipsomaniac may beqreath to his Off |
spring some nervous disease widely diff Y
ierent from his own, as q marked pre- $
disposition to hysteria on the part of |
females, or, as has been frequently OBJ s
served, epilepsy or idiocy. 1t is as $
much perhaps, to the operation OF this t
Law of Inheritance as to the general de- $
cay OF the vital powers that the oft d
occurrence of these forms OF disease in a
the families OF drunkards must be at :.
trlbuted. I
Physical disease has an important
influence in tho production of morbid k
craving for alcoholic drinks. DIR. IL
Brown, in his testimony before tho |
committee of parliament, said Il have t,
known dipsomania TO be produced by il
injuries Of the brain III perfectly sober y
men; alao, | have seen i produced by Il
sunstcoke and other tnuses. | saw Il n
case of sober man who became dip Il
somaniac by taking draft Of cold Il
water on not day which caused faint o
ing and au entire change OF character. f
81 have friend, physician, who
told me that often he was able to tell v
when an attack of dipsomania was i'm d
minent. He felt bilious; and frequent
ly he had been able to forestall the at t
tack by taking a mercurial. There are |
also other disturbances, especially of 1
the nervous systt m, which led to '
craving OF artificial stimulus in some |
of the forms of alcohol.
"But by far the most active agent in :
the production of the disease is the use
of alcohol itself. The exact maGner in .
which this is brought about is not =
clearly understood, but it must be
through the agency Of the nervous sys-
TEN. Let the dipsomaniac take ever #
so little alcohol, and Immediately an
irresistible craving seizes him for more I
It is well known of some kinds OF q
drinkers that if they take one glass they v
are gone.' 1 know most estimable t
man, a man OF fine attainmentss and t
liberal in culture who tells me that he +
does not take glass of beer for fear of t