New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-09-27
lHEBRIETY IN AMERICA.
A DIsRAsE-CAUsEs OF THE NERVOUSNESS OF AMER
leans EVOLUTION APPLIED TO DISEASE -
PROBLEM THAT Is SOLVING ITSELF.

DIsKAsE-CAUsES OF THE NERVOUSNESS OF AMER
leans EVOLUTION APPLIED TO DISEASE - A
PROBLEM THAT IS SOLVING ITSELF.
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 26.--Tbe American
Association for the Cure of neOriaes held its seventh
annual meeting at the hall OF the College OF Physicians
to-day. Dr. George NJ Beard of New-Yolk read paper
OIL THE Causes of the Increase OF meoIe IN America
which Is given IN abstract below:
TIE habit Of drinking to ntoxcation was defined as
partly a vice and partly disease. The nebrlate Is one
who drinks to against his VIII aud 10 tte OF res
olutiOns 70 the contrary ana when thefG are DO
temptations TO do mebrety resembles Dlher hcd NOs
in its hereditary character ana u ITS
II runs in families, and In many cases the attacks eomo
on like attacks OF neuralgia at mathematleaN regular
fecty self-cOntrOed and may not DC tcupted Oy the
presence OF smuants The nebriae desires 20 ieeoIer
ceped OF the increase Of inebety IN Amefca IS
the increase o. ntsmPeanee but TINS Is srS%s error
and temperate. There never was ie ia INC Gls
Sri1king in proportion 10 the population Is now.
The fundamental proposition OF the speaker was that
brau-working casses-Were becoming more sensitive
and nervous We cannot bear alcohol MS our fathers
ooud. That functcIfal nervous 9se!se ana nervous
senstveness on which inebTiety depends has been on
the increase for many years IN al the tat eelteTs oi
eyiizstiOp but especially In America Ihis j. proved
four methods OF investigation. o. BY comparing inc
higher ana lower CLASSES OF the present day Inc MAJOR
fly Of the cases Of drunkenness (Which Is = NGt anG
NAV he r,e(l are among The lower Ordefsthe alecty
poor aud ignorant The majority OF the cases Of III
ebriety are among those men ana women WHO aiS pae
cultivated. IN both classes hoEeySd tne me-
may lead the disease II Is found by tas
not only nsbriety, but all allied nervous stats are
incomparaby less frequent among the literary probes
eorai and business classes than among 'hCse WHO I'VE
BY manual labor; Hay fever, lof sHSnpy u unA"o"H
In the tenemeuthOuse population OF Neh- oIh s, ~
e. BY comparison OF te present tic NIL oJJ
ter or half century ago. There Il pretty seho lsiot
ment among good observers that our fathers aa ot s
ir as we do rom variety o. Re te and eG and to-
baecO as well TO alcohol wien unaduleLdteu, ~
aS and he lew cepfuYes preceding the DineteeDth cen
fury Tne med @va epdenlcs Of mysteries ana ~ nilus
Dance were lvencal not physical the result OF super
s0as and nfrained minds acting strong bodies ana
lot OF nervous exhaustion. Ihag lOfin "
wives In the sO-called servant girl lysltfa Insan
Is well nebnety has certainly hcteaseu sinGe tHs ~
time, making all allowance for deficient Observation oi
those ages and the extended philanthropy Oh the
present. They have increased during the past 10 years.
and out OF proportion 20 the increase OF population %
past time the elnldbe.irng aud collaborating capacity
has diminished. Female nebrety though not 30 aDsn
qeent both IN England ard America Inebrtety AMI ali
functional maladies and symptoms are more ne
quent Ma The northern paTt 81 the United states than IN
Europe This q explained partly by the degrees OF oar
climate and violent alternnons o. he9 anu SCo a[y
BY free Institutions and partly by the pressing heces
Its true that brain workers i've LONGER than musele
Workers and tha5 longevity has increased with the
progress civilization but for variety Of fc,Sohs
Seryousness Is am ald ana ,iiea 10 On hje
nebFety depends, and Of which II Is the expression EEy
protect tire system against acute aud fatal disease
ncbrates are 10 e kept away from alcohol which the
exciting factor, ny confinement IN ~ asylum ans y
NJ 70 oe SsRgsssS% po9rSS OF eases are pernla
nently benefited BY this system, which orignated In
America and Is now Introduced INTO bpgane' ~ sno
eessive oiimnatiOns thoroughly accinaied race may
be developed This process appears % ~ atsasy gylas
II this view sound, thcn the problem OF theDrley
and OF allied nervous states being slowly s0iYea or us
By forces IN COMPARISON with which all our organizations
and institutions but as The chips hd the oal on Tie
surface Of tho Oeesn tide
Other papers inebricty were read by DFs. ID. q.
Dodge Binghanton; Joseph Parrish. Burlington n il;
p Mann, Eew.York; T. D. crOthers BinghaDtOn, aud
E l. Macon, Brooklyn.