The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-07-02
TRACKING THE ALLIES.

but gets its considerable share of attention
NOWADAYS. From chicken cholera to rim
dcrpoSt, from rIcuro pneumonia of COWS,
nIllran of sheep, to the evils that have
entered into the SWine-thc causes are
sought out and remedies proposed. I'M
proved food, more care. more patient
study 81 the animal and its weak points,
are improving" the species, increasing the
value ot' i"ckS and the pcrmancncc of
herds Job might lose all his cattle AT Il
blow. but the wide-awakc farmer does
not nowadays sit down helpless under Il
plague: he meets Il county club or Il state
careful owners the infected animal is no
longer allowed to cndanger all the rest.
still less selected for stocking raising pur-
POSES When it is found that a particu-
lar sort Of food (swilI feeding. for i'll
stance. iii cities produces disease i'll cat
tie and 50 cndangers human beings at
second hand. the laws take it up and for
bid ii. and it is frowned down upon by
the indignant community where such
cheap and nasty enterprises are carried
on. IIcrcdity is Il consideration in the
price of A horse or the value OF an Alder
ncv or Devon cow. and there is no faint
of blood that a Stock-raiser will willingly
cultivate and introduce among his herds.
Strange to say this kind of horse sense,
as it might be called. is just beginning to
lind It's way into the minds of human be
ings. 80 far as their own race is concerned.
Excepting the wcll-worn instructions in
lepcr from human interests. and the dis
trust and dread Of The inheritance, more
dreadful heretofore than now, it is only
lately that physicians and scientists have
permitted themselves to count up, in plain
English. cause and effect. appetitcs and
diseases. with their tremendous and cost
long time given To iIcredity in other ami
mails is now beginning tn be made ropu-
lar knowledge for mankind. One Of the
latest OF these contributions, by VI. G.
Echcycrria, i'll the JoHrAui 4f' NontW Sci
Tarc. a London medical quarterly for .Janu-
airy. is quite startling. ALCOHOLIC Epi-
lepSy is his subject; the relationship Of
intempcrance to Il whole series OF nerv-
oua diseases: and again, the connection
between some forms of inherited nervous
disorders and the craving for strong drink.
There is action and reaction. in seems, in
such disorders. The Incorporate father
OF mother is likely to have a line Of cpl
lcptic. idiotic. or insane descendants and
these in their turn will bring children
into the world who have the mcontrolla-
bic instinct for alcohol, and the ungov-
ernablc passions which make murderers
and other brute forms of degraded hui
man beings. 1t is horrible chain and
some Of its links are already counted. \
number of cases of epilepsy have been
tracked by physicians to the ancestral
drunkard: but the study is as yet too
Young to permit Of positive and fixed ta-
hIcs of percentage. There are too many
difficulties i'll urak,.r.. such calculations:
records are not kept in many cases: GER
tainly. not very far back. for the poor
diseased creatures that drift into hO>pit-
ais and poor houses: and among well to-
do families such stories are kept hid away
and covered up. Still, enough has been
gathered t.0l,, many .dacl t24at hate been
tracked back 10 sllow an appalling record.
| We put up hospitals for the insane and
afflicted. the State is at enormouSt cost
for PRISONS, correctional institutions and
poor-houseS, and yet the time is coming
| when the number Of criminals. derangcd.
| ihiotic. and other unfortunateS afflicted
! by Inherited disease. can almost be com
putrL aIrd :.y ;i,,. ,.n.'. i,:Gi4e Uf lie h;.h-
! its ui their paienLh%".
| Here is Il summation. of one table. trlc-
! ing the family relationship Is individ-
walls. IS males and /, females. who were
incorporate. The children counted in
t;.niiia- !" ~LiGl. tlh.."y belonged mum,
! and lO1 died from commissions in infancy
,. died from other maladicS, 3 committed
suicide, 90 are cpileptic, 10 are congeni-
! tai idiots, 10 are maniacs or hypochon-
/ driaDs. all ,,.ilietad viii General naraly-
| sis. ) with lolOinOiur ataky tir6guiarity
. in the locomotive organs, 2G with hys-
terra. % with paralysis o with st. Nitus'
dance. with Strabismus (crosS-eyes.) Is
are ScrofulouS and crippled. } are deaf,
| and % We're Stil!-bora. of this total
| 22i a.1 i.v.na, h1E not sannd, 1:' had
| commissions III infancy, and rs haze
cnasnmptisc symptoms with .heiT 9th
err maladie-. i"t2l,.peF2te instincts have
shown themselves III an;, CT the .::f
and - of these are among those counted
in the healthy list.
just half of the epilcptic prisoners, ii
| the w4tte.@;ell Jail in another of Doctor
| Echcreiria ii-ts. ,iad j. knr~p family
history Of ''drink. The largest propOr.
ton of dangerous lunatics, he states, be
long to the class of the alcoholic insane
The safety of society, III more ways thar
ole. i CONCERNED in the removal of sucl
chronic cases from t,a inini,y circle On,
from family ties. Another OF his table,
gives twenty per cent. Of epilepsy in the
progeny of incorporate persons. Docto
! Echcycrria inclineS to sum it up ut eigh
.e..n per cent: while he sets down thirt,
per Gcbt. ~ .r,'2pi, ."22scS at first III
stance. directly due i" aiucnut: !, ,hurl
larger number i'll which hcrediry and som'
accidental agencies besides, cooperate
with alcoholic excess TO cause the dis
ease directly. OF 225 epicptics with sucl
descent / : males and II females wer,
the Only srIwivin" offspring in their re
spcrt,g, G:,A,ilie&, = had al their Twin!
brothers aud s-icrt healthy, "i,d lie ,a
manning IS had either brothers ur SIS
tcrS who were idiotic, cpilcptic. insane
paralytic, weak-mindcd. blind, Scrolulou
and crippled.
Eya reverse light again. inherited ncrv
Gus aiIc,.iiGh. fam parents Who have ltat
epilepsy. insanity. hystcria, and o,nc
nervous disease, are regarded as the fore
runners of incorporate descendants; Hart
ley Coeridgc was notable instance o
thiS. one distinguished authority--An
stic-calls tina ,&c .&;f he most moment
Gus and wcighty factors IN tile maj"ri,
of homeless eases. 1t does not need t.