The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-07-28
INEBRlETY AND HEREDiTY.

A well-attended meeting was held
last night at the Thirteenth-Street
church under the auspices of the
Presbyterian Temperance Institute.
The address of the evening was
delivered by 7. ID. Crothers, NJ. d.,
of Hartford, Conn, superintendent
of Walnut lodge. DR.. Crothers is a
recognized authority upon the treat
ment of inebriety, and gave his
audience last night synopsis of the
result of his scientific researches in
to the subject of drunkenness as an
hereditary failing, and the diseases
of mind and body transmitted by in
temperate parents to their children.
Promising that inebriety is
disease, one of group comprising
consumption, insanity, epilepsy,
hysteria, the speaker declared that
the causes of the latter are often to
be found in excessive Indulgence in
alcoholic liquors, while not infre-
quently the incorporate habits are
the direct result of the other
diseases; that improper treatment
of the one too often sows the seed of
the other. The disease once develop
ed moves as regularly from one stage
to another as consumption or typhoid
fever. 1t is only necessary for the
expert to know when the case start
ed and its present stage OF develop
ment to know how far it may be
changed by treatment. Alcohol in
any form destroys the healthy activ-
ity of blood and brain, and the
advisability of its moderate use as a
beverage, or even as medicine, is
still an unsettled question among
scientists. "Alcoholic heredlty, or
the transmission of special tend
ency to use spirits, or any narcotic,
to excess" he said, sis much more
common than is supposed"
Dividing the cases into classes,
DR.. Crothers explained that among
the direct heredities-those persons
whose parents or grandparents used
spirits to excess-the line of the
Inheritance will be from father to
daughter and from mother to son.
"About one in every three cases."
continued the speaker, ''may be
traced to inebriate ancestors"
Quite large proportion of these
parents are moderate or only eXces-
sive users of spirits. If the father
is moderate drinller, and the
mother nervous, consumptive
woman, or one with weak, nervous
organization, inebriety very often
follows in the children. If both
parents use wine or beer on the
table continuously, temperate, sober
children will be the exception to the
rule. If the mother uses various
forms of alcoholic drinks as medi-
cines or narcotic drugs for real or
imaginary purposes, the inebriety OF
the children is very common. Many
cases have been noted of mothers
using wine, beer, or some form OF
alcoholic drinks for lung trouble OF
other affections, and the children
born during this period have been
inebriates, while others born before
and after this drink period have
been temperate. This heredity is
often seen in the early strange crav.
ings of children for food and fluids
also in the peculiar tastes and inn
pulsive and early digestive troubles.
Later, wine, cider, and still stronger
drinks are revelations to the organ
ism in the rest and relief they bring
In other cases precocious, nervous
and mental development is seen in
these children, when suddenly from
the application of some peculiar
exciting cause the alcoholic hered-
ity bursts into great prominence.
DR.. Crothers maintained thai
many diseases prevalent in certain
families, such as minor forms o.
insanity, consumption and various
nerve defects, are the result of thu
excesses of some Incorporate an
cestors. Where such is the case
the speaker explained, return tt
inebriety may be expected in the
third generation. In the opinion O
the speaker a third class of heredi
ties is to be found among theprogen.
of insane or consumptive people o
of paupers and criminals. "Il
these cases there seems to be il
! certain families q regular cycle o