Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-12-30

hopeless victim. She Will resort to every device
to secure lis indulgence. It Itdes!roys her purity
of thought AID maScs her indlfent to the good
opinion Of Others. The use Of alcoholic bo7er-
ayes by women is q growing evil which deserves
the most serious consideration. The evil IS
not limited to the individual, but perpotuates
Itself 10 her offspring, and thus leads to the de-
generacy CT the race. Ia England, where Tlne
| and beer driukog is mere com mon than in this
courtry, shc voice of the medical profession has
beeo raised against it. The reform must begln
ia TIC home and soca! circles.
Another well Known physician said :-"My
Own practice confirms Ee in the belief tnat
large share Of the Numerous ailments OF many
women is due to the use CT artificial stlmulants.
! while 10 other cases conplsints are aggravated
| By their use. The hurry and struggle OF Amer
can life, and the high nervous organization pc
cu!iar TO American women, lead them to the
! use Of stimulants. Elost Of the tones, ellxlrs
and bitters, SO widely advertised, owe their ex"
| tended use TO the presence of stimulants. and
the harm that they DO is inoalculable."
d.. William Parker, referring to the heredl-
tary effect CT 1Eiak. said: "Of all agents, a.
coho is tie most patert il establishing heredlc
ty that exhibits itself 10 tho destruction OF
mind ard body. L transmits an appetite, Tor
s;ro1g drink to tho children and these are Ike
ly to have that forE Of drunkenness,Whloh may
be termed paroEysma'; that Is, they WILL 60 Tor
considerable period without indulgence. until
At last all barriers of self control give way. The
dtu0ksrj by inheritance isa more helpless slave
than his progcn;tor, and the children he begets
aro more helpless sill. Hereditary effects OF
dEick are shown in insanity, iG!ocy, epilepsy.
and cih:r affections cf tho brain and nervous
system. Pf.schard aod ESquiro, two great
authorities on the sub eot attribute one-haIt or
the cases CT insanity III England to tho use OF
alcohol, end the same is probably true IN this
oouptry. Oac.h halt cf the idiots are OF drunk
ca parcctagc [ have bson acquainted With
several men, having brilliant and cultivated
minds, who Inherited tho vice, and they nave
stated to :na thst there were times when the
Impulse to Gruk strong LIQUOR was Irresistible,
aoi that unthiDg had power to dissuade them
fronl yieldiag to it. An insts1co CT how
mother, accustomed 10 tue use ct a'cohol, 10
iacncea her oftsp!iog, may bo related ffon my
cHn ezoeIieac;: A merchant 10 good clEcum'
stances came to ne for medica! advice. He
Has il ;fe haiti oi getting irtcxl,sted every
rirht bcf}rc yeti:iog. His mother a!so drank
haji:a-lEg aud 3iad CT paEs!ys' lie had two
brothers and thrce sisters. TIE oldest brother
Gied par3x5snsl dfuakard. My patient, was
always il statn Of mental discomfort and was
susnioious aad jaal?us to the most u1reaSon'
able GcGeoc. The third brother cAild died n
diuoksrd, alii tie fourth child, sister, was I'D
Inmate cf @ iuaa!ic csy'ua,., Inc NTH ctl'o
was i1t1lcrsbic Ca account Of her ccentnclty.
"The sixth chid, ssalso womsn, died Of con-
suupticn. g'ho socoud son, nv ra!iont, msr-
ried o woman of aEc phys!2a! snd mental organ
izatQn. They h-d two sons; the cider was 1880
ciated with his father IN buslrc:s, and ,HGs an
energetic ,asa, bus very cXcltaole ana aiInough
70: and hsbituai drunkard, Was a slave to his
olhar animal apretites. Tho other child was in
Ee3iity roralitiot. EeTe in spite CT the re-
streining inGaonco Of the fine mental and phys
s m Ii" on nebsGb n SSS ss1 tas sS1er o
ation. We 90 not always SEQ the worst ef0cts
oi &ha hereGi5sry influence o. slCohol, because
OF tho frequent mirgling Of good blood with that
which IS tainted. From NY own observations
and III iss!i cory ot others ria led TO tie con-
cusion thst by far the larger sharc CT menta!
diseese ro7arty and crime ls the drect.herllage
OF e!chohnl IT is .lao the cause of great share
Of cur bodily Gi:oasa aud is shortening tho av'
crsge du-a;lon CT lle. Robbins, IN Work on
sanitary science. says that the average duration
af i!o in this city in 1910 WAS between twenty
six end .eentv.saveu ye2Es &iGce thou i has
decreased until the a7or.So ago does not nov e4-
cec3 teen years. If we reduced tire des.h rate 10
wkst it was fifty years ago there would be
saving Of moro thsn ll,0GO lives every yssr.
Our city ought to be one ot the heathiest III the
world. 4 careful examination will always reveal
The fact that indulgence in alcoholic beverages
and Tho do.th ra!o, Ss We'll as the increase In
mental and norvous diseases hsvo relative
proportiun Nf course shere aTo other degener-
ntve causes, but they 60 back to lntampsfsnce
es the primary one"
A. member Of tho Women's Christian Temper
snce Union Of Brooklyn said: There IS much
more Of this fashionable drinking among ladies
than formerly, and TO ny mind physicians arc
largely 10 blauie fer it, have known OF 1eany
sad csscs in this city. \ member OF our society
was csll in by two bnautitll Little girls, meIn-
beys Of her Sunday school cissR, recently, TO see
their 1notAer, who they SAID wss dying. The
mother WAS tho wife Of q wealthy New York
merchant, end they lived in o besultul home.
It wss found that tie mother was suffering from
dehrium tremons, snd the way she called on
thcse little children to remove tae SNAKES ron
tha room WAS pitie5;o. Shc had anqulred the
hi bit froa3 physicsn's prescription. Not long
ago g rumor WIS ef ost that lady, the wife OF q
clergyman and prssident OF temperance union,
was addicted to drink. Her friends refused to
believe it. sud Wc.a finally convinced That occa-
sion for The scandal did really exist in the fact
that in acute attacks CT dlaeaso she was accu5-
tomod TO seek relief IL alc3holic remediee, even
to so.u4l iCtoxication. q Similar scandal has
besn y long blight 20 eciergyna1's 1eputa'
ton and u3efilGoss on Old legsnd says t1as
Lucifsc il til3 2uiso Of a physician, prescribed
for the hesiin. Of Prince Eenry the sacridce OF
holy 1nsidsr's Iiia This fable has had its
Counterpart ID resi- lifs. J. wife, By years of
patient struggle, succeed ed III rsscui5G her lbe
brists husband Alter a period of sooriety and
health hs Was stricken by disesss Alcoholic
stiruants wei G prescribed and reluctantly given.
In faW months ho Gied 6 ECbcr man. Alter
his death, IN the rssc!ion tins! cane 10 his widow,
she began with the reinnant left 10 the hottie.
dranf: hrSvi!y, :.!:ti not long since filled The
druriaEd's grave, ir5T2l which sha had striVen
through So many years - save Eer husband.
Her tuir crph=n chltr=Z sra LIFT TO the tender
mercies Of en- Y.yium. Mothers, instesd OF
teGchng trcir dsGghtcra the prudence essential
20 heath, allow them 10 become teics!e through
their own circle: sres:. snd then rea2S. TO vino
AID b: s:.Gy fer r=:f fcc me suis' gs .hey have
brought u.i ;iulaceive'. Even the children
Yhcss r.e j: cnart-l By months arc quoted by
G:tajrE s:TEp. w1ich s:eep .hem II tho s!upor
OF the oiuEl iloge fcag!Ul sid is The fact that
while tha child depenGs exclusively upon the
nouriaameat sunped by the mother that no:h-
or will ds,o to stinIl,t. hsr;sf ~ilh that which,
minglng III her blood, must be Lranstetr red 10
hor child, 40 keep i quiet by makiEg II drunk