The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1880-12-15
Communicated
Chronic Alcoholism,
Editor Home Journal :

the term means, / consulted several all
thoritics upon the subject, and give be
I low the result Of my investigations.
Believing that but few of your man,
readers have had the opportunity Of ed
ucating themselves upon this subject, i
will probably not be amiss to let in som
light upon it that they may the NOR
fully understand this demon, "alcohol,
that turks in such treachcrous hiding
places and so tcmptingly lures his vic
TINS to their own destruction.
: " The various pathological diseased
effects ofalcohol are considered as Incl
dent to toxical (poisoucoD condition
called alcoholism. These effects ente
; directly into the causation Of many af
tcctions, such as cirrhosis Cancer o
the liver, hydro-peritoneum (dropsy)
fatty liver, epilepsy, muscular trcmors
gastritis inflammation Of the stomqch)
pyrosis (water brash), various dyspeot
disorders, and the diseases of the kid.
neys embraced under the name Bright's
disease. Indirectly, alcoholism fnvors
the production of nearly all diseases, Jy
lesseninq the po,cer Of resisting their
causes and it contributes to their fatal
ity by impairng the ability to tolerate
and overcome them"
The habitual use of alcohol produces
u dcleterious influence on the whole
economy. The blood is impoverished,
nutrition is impaired, cmaciaton or an
abnormal accumulation of fat, ensues.
The breath and the CARNATIONS from
the skin have characteristic odor. The
deletcrious influence on the mental is
not less marked than on the physical
powers. The perceptions are bluntcd,
the intellectual and moral faculties pro-
gressively detcrioratc, until, at length,
the confirmed incbriate, miseubly
cachectic (go0t, scrQtula, consumption),
in body and imbruted in mind, has but
one object in life, viz: to crafty the
morbid craving for alcohol. He is then
what is technically termed "dipso-
maniac" II condition from which recov-
cry is extremely rare" Vide, Flint's
Practice of Medicine.
"Thc stimulant influence of alcohol
renders the system at all times more liza
bic to int1ammatory attacks from orli-
nary causes. 1t has this effect, first, by
inducing plethoric state of the blood,
which predisposes to inflammation
and, secondly, by stimulating the circu-
lation, and thereby acting as an exciting
cause when a predisposition already ex-
lists, or aiding other irritant influences.
Another evil arising from the abuse of
alcohol is the direct production of in
flammation in the organs upon which its
stimu!ant agency is most strongly ex-
crted. The organs upon which alcohol
expends its force are the
the brain, and, secondarily,
the lungs and the liver. These, there
fore, are the most frequently affected
but the bowels, kidneys, heart and ar
terics sometimes participate in the dis
ease. Every physician is familiar with
the chronic gastritis inflammation of
the stomach) Of drunkards.
" Reference is often made, in the
records Of insane asylums, to ntemper-
ance as one Of the causes of insanity.
There are some persons who always have
IN attack Of this disease when they in
dulge in alcoholic drinks. The duty is
devolved upon the lungs, partly, at
least, to throw off, in the form Of va
por, the portion of alcohol not expended
in the nutritive processes. Hence, bron-
chttis is common disease of drunk
ards. Disease of the liver is among the
most common complaints of inebriates.
"The brain exhibits its suffering in a
peculiar kind Of delirium, called deiirium
'remens or mania lOW, the character
istics Of which are singular hallucina-
tons, the fear of some present or i'm
pending evil, sleeplessness, and muscu-
lar tremors. Should no organic mis-
chief happen, in the meantime, the
functions must at last fail. In relation
to the stomach, dyspepsia to the bow
els, constipation; to the liver, INSULT
cient secretion, are the ordinary results.
The circulatory and respiratory func-
tons are also entcebled and even nu-
triton, at first over stimulated, now
fails, and the patient becomes either
emaciated, or pale and bloated. The in
telect is cnfeebled, the power of self
is lost, and the predominant
or passions, whatever they
may be, are scarcely resisted. The in
huence of the will over the muscles is
greatly impaired, and the patient is sub
ect to habitual tremOrs. These trcmOrs
sometimes deepen into positive paralysis,
though there is reason to think that, by
this time, the brain has become organl-
cally deranged." "The last stage Of
physical and moral Depreciation is nor
reached. The failure of the functions,
both organic and nervous, leads inevita-
bly, to degenerate organization. The
blood is deprayed, nutrition suffers, and