National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-03-14

Drunkenness has received new inter
probation lately through the learned in-
yostigations of medical expert. His
conclusions will bring much comfort TO
gentlemen whose surrender to the inobri-
atng cup has heretofore been followed by
much romorse, and must tend to change
tho condemnation of friends, which is
always visited upon such weakness into
plying commiseration. The surprising
discovery of the learned doctor is that
drunkenness Is contagious disease. This,
Of course revolutionizes prevailing no.
tions concerning the causes that lead men
to make spectacIes of themselves that
would put goat to shame.
Heretofore when q citizen has loaded
himself down with beer, wine, whisky,
rum, and all the other forms of foot.
tangling beverages known in the intricate
vocabulary of the heightened bsrkeepor,
until he was liable to wipd up his little
racket In the role of abestial, blcary fool,
or the cruel, unmeaning murderer Of his
best friend, common belief has said that
tho citizen got drunk of his own volition
and must abide the consequences of yield
ing to a bad habit contracted through
willfully frequentiug unsayory places and
running with bad company.
But common belief now and then has
to DO revised, and if the discovery of DIR.
| Crothers is confirmed o new revision is
in order 1t is quite plain that under
this new understanding of bibulous
science the man who wanders into the
drunkards unsccmly ways does not do 30
| through the exercise Of responsible
disposition, but because the innocent
creature has unconsoiously put himself in
the way of n contagious disease. aud
caught it bad. Thus, the honest but
truly unfortunate citizen before referred
to might leave his happy homo in the
morning filed from the crown Of his
head to tho tips Of his toes with tho most
exemplary and virtuous intentions, yet
in proceeding blithely to his business no
might chance to brush against some
wretch loaded down to the guards with
alcoholic miasma, resulting" lin tho
words of the learned savant) "in patho-
logical change Of tho norve.centers, and
leading to inebrioty with as little volition
on the part of the sufferer as If he had
an attack of measles or typhoid fever"
Under such circumstances it must BIO
plain that the citizen is not to be blamed
for getting drunk. He caught It on the
sidewalk as he might the smallpox or the
cholera. 1t is solely due to contapion
that men are put in the unhappy attitude
of trying TO unlock the door knob and
turn the ksyhole, and IL is because that
Brown has had the misfortune TO shake
hands with Smith that he is sometimes
seen making undiguiied efforts to step
high over tho waves into which the un-
ruly pavement persists in rolling itself
1t is certainly great thing that we are
at least able to arrive at a true solution
of tho mystery of drunkenness, and
thereby Transforming a great many of oul
friends aud acquaintance from offenders
against law and morals into blameless in
valids deserving of large sympathy.
The new discovery seems however
to bring with it tho imposition of duty
upon society that may be productive oil
soma Inconvenience to the invalids IL
question. Drunkenness being conta
gious disease it follows that the infected
persons must submit to isolation for the
safety Of tho community. But who
doubts that since the sufferers can nov
know how they came to bo hurt, and tina
they are liable to radiate drunkenness
around upon all unoaonding persons the.
may chance to meet upon the street, the!
will cheerfully submit to immurement IL
the hospitals to DO set apart for the treat
ment of their special form Of malady.