New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-03-25
TIE MOUERN UEMONIAC.
From Tn, 81. .James's Ga.efte.

".
In support OF his view that insanity in England
| is mainly caused by lavsi ana PERSISTENT aDnse OF
alcOnOl. Mr. Gilbert quotes tue evidences gwen be-
fore Parliamentary Committees bY medical profess
| ors ~ charge OF large Innate a~ylums In France
! mud America the subject we are t"ld. has been
more cInsrly investigated than III England; and IN
France the " hole medical proieS~lun 10 man
no lie hat the late enormous inctra>e al INSANITY
aud idiucy OF that country has Oern solely due 10
the effect Of alcohol Oh tho bIain. In America
too II in held that ut least 10 per cent OF tue idiocy
in that country has been caused hV lnlemperance.
The striking utie of Mr.. GIlbrrts book was rug.
gested 10 HIM bV the points of analogy he ob'ers ed
kstween the conduct Of persons wnose BRAIN had
become TO say, thoroughly alcUhOlized and that
of the ScrptuTal denODiacs. lac account gwen by
a French pbysciau the bfhaviUr Of certain dogs
into hose stnnacLs he had lrjrrted alcohol does
indeed @ nil the story OF the herd Of SWINE VINO
fusned into the Tor one dog acOholcallv pos
se,sed having leaped out OF window, To iall ifom
height of tOuI stories on the pavement Oeueaih, he
" a. at once followed bV the others. Some at the
stories told by Mr. Gilbert from ms own experience
OF tie effect of alcohol he brain OF human beings
have all the interest Of fantastic tales Ill II ~ Hon
mann wrote. a friend of the authors hvng III Italy
an English gentleman o. Eond social position.
highly cultivated and full of Hnlablo qualities
hau contracted d habit of drinking wbich, without
estranginQ HIM from his friends, rendered blin an
evidently ineligible husband for "A young Italian
lady TO whose hand he asp red. Her family. how
ever was willing that abe should accept hun, pro-
vided he promised TO abandon drink; and the
desired pledge ha wing given, the marriage
took place. But the condition OF this unfortunate
man when ire had be- ONE hlb tualIy sober was
worse than it before. AT nTSt, ~ ~ tTue he bad
violent reapses followed by long periods OF moody
self-Ieproach But he became at last con- tned
abstsIner; and medical friend apparently me
author OF the book be ore u.s. had begun To believe
in hi, permanent restoration 10 mo- al aud phys cal
sanity, when one night. as they were waIblug
home together from the opera, the reformed me
brlate complained that a man who. he said. con.
stautly watched bim. was nov once more iOlIowIng
ito steps. lie described his pnrsuer. who VA, IA
visible The friend, dressed black, win black
gloves lone OF which he carried IN his hand. ana
three black studs in Ms shirt-iront. Auer return
ing home and going to bed. he was still haunted 10y
the appaf and he proposed the next morning TO
address letter to the chief OF the police Iepr
ing that one Of his agents as he considered the mao
In black, had opened bis sliu' tiers anu peeped mo
his sleepiug apartment through the blinds His
friend suggested that. instead o. troubling the 20
Ice they should speak TO an Austrian officer oi Their
acquaintance the subject aud Que OF the aides
de-camp of the general c0mmanding Che ilops IN
Milan promised 10 station SEMI mel outside The
honse which. according TO its occupant. was "a care
fully watched b, the police. The MOI ming alter
ward the sentinel irpnrted that no Que hau APP
preached the house; whereas the occupant DECLARED
that Inc had been prevented from sleeping by con-
slant appearances OF the man ~ black at bls win
dow. At last hs had interviews and lights with
The phantom IN ms bed roo ~ and his servant.
ING in suddenly one morning, found him stabbinR
the bed clothes, beneath which he bcleVed ms
enemy to have taken refuge. An Italian doctor
VINO WAS now called III prescribed "a glass OF
brandy ; and no sooner bad 10 been swallowed than
tie phantom disappeared. Now comes the really
tragic part Of fhe story. The man IN black seemed
10 be an evil suir,t bent on driving MS victim 10
nrstruciion II the latter abstained "a lime from
drinking brandy The phantom appeared To him. 20
depart as soon as brandy had been drunk until, nt
last constant recourse to the Ouly means Ov which
the phantom could 10 GOT rid OF had ihe effect OF
killing the man.
A great number cases maay of them very
dramatic and all very panini, are brought Tor
ward to show that in a person once thoroughly
possess ID by alcohol If Ivy 10 other spilii two dl-
frTent wills are at wOrk-a rational purpose and q
blind impulse. la France IL SPECIAL study has
been maze of what called " les pcrsccutlons -
such prosecutions those TO which the English
gentleman ia Milan subject and II seems GER
taiu tina: If nan gives himself up entirely to alcO
b0l tee alcoholic demon will not afierward allow
hun 10 20 free. II is generally believed That the
effects of drunkenness, even though IT. has been
habitually persisted in for long time. viii ut last
wear oil Mr.. Gilbert shows by number OF Ill
stances that this is deluslOn. There Is reason 10
hope however that the cases in which men drink
themselves into an absolutely incurable condition
are not very numerous.