Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1886-08-06

HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN.
Drunkenness Classified as a Disease
How Patients are Treated-A
Striking Popularity. !
"The patients here are all women"
aid the manager of quiet, unobtrusive
private b lspital In the neighborhood Of
Central Park. From the outside of the
building nothing could be seen to indi-
,ate the character of the occupants, and
t could easily have been taken for the
lome of business man of means.
"What are the special features of the
nstitutionp continued the manager.
There is only one disease treated here,
md that is drunkenness. Drunkenness
a diseased Undoubtedly, the same as
any other disordered condition of the
Oody. Alcohol is poison and people
who take it habitually suffer from chronic
poisoning just as the man does who
works in white lead factory for any
length of time. The patients are all
wealthy here, and, confidential Y, this
o,ace is nothing more than high toned
nebriate asylum. 1t would never do to
,all it so as it would ruin the business
entirely. 1t is peculiar thing about
many of our patients, that is, those who
come wi lingly, that if there were any,
thing said about this being retreat for
arunkards they would never come here.
They are sensitive on this point, although
they know what is the difficulty with
Them. The hospital is always full, and
in fact, patients have to be turned away
every day, and understand that places
s'mi ar to this have been started further
downtown, to Ike care of the increase
in the business. l can't say that drunk
en- less among wealthy women is on the
increase, but there is no doubt TIL the
number of people seeking treatment is
larger than it was year ago. Some of
the cases are bad, and women who have
formed the habit of taking morphine TO
quiet the nervous condition induced by
alcohol are the worst. Some are brought
here in the widest paroxysms of delirium
tremens, after the tire .tment of the fam
lily physician has ceased to be of benefit. :"
Are the patients curedl That is hard
to Il. The object of the eltment is
to break the habit. Patients have been
sent home seemingly strong and all
right, who after time come back worse
than ever. But little medicine is given
in the plan of treatment, and no substi-
tute for the alcohol. Medicine to take
away the appetite for alcohol is nonsense,
for by giving something for this purpose
another habit will usually he formed
equally as bad. Whatever tends to
strengthen the body is used, and no
patient is safe to discharge until the in
tiammation Of the stomach caused by
alcohol has been removed. Fresh air,
baths, exercise, light food and agreeable
mental occupation do the work if cure
is possible. There is class of patients
who do not want to stop drinking They
spend few weeks with US, get patched
up somewhat and go back to their ex-
ce.ses with the vigor of youthful indul-
gence. All tie patients are benefited
by treatment, unless there is too great
an organic arrangement of the kidneys
and liver. l know of some absolute
cures but they are but comparatively
small percentage of those treated. The
trouble is that when they leave here, as
soon as there is a reaction, however
slight, from the cessation OF tonic, they
feel depressed and take little stimulant
to drive away the dullness and counteract
the low vita ity. When this is done
once, it is only a question of time when
stimulants are taken in large quantities
for every little aiment. This sets up an
inflammation which is the cause of the
craving for al ohol, and the habit is
formed. l have had patients under my
charge whose relatives wou d willingly
pay any amount of money to have the
habit broken. 1t is not question
of money at all. Millions could not
cure person who did not have a st onger
desire to stop d.inking than to drink.
Th is the real secret Of radical cure.
THE patients cannot as rule be
trusted. The will lie about their con-
diticn, make themselves appear to be
we'll and strong, only that the restraint
they are under may be relaxed, SO that
they may have chance to get something
to drink. Even when they are brought
here physical wrecks, trembling with
shattered nerves, wild eyes and wander.
ing minds, they will declare that they
have not drank in months, and claim that
they are being prosecuted by the rfamiles
OF friends. There are many sad cases
where the habit of drinking has been
formed innocently and perhaps under
the advice of a physician. Then there
will usually be an honest effort to break
away from the grip that is tighter than
band of iron, and the mental torture
induced by the effort to keep straight
and the lack of confidence in the ability
to do so is something horrible at times,
and can only be appreciated by those
who have seen cases frequently or under
gone the agony themselves.
There is one striking peeuliarity
about alcoholic patients. They will
agree with every statement made con-
cerning the injurious effects OF alcohol,
and will acknowledge that drunkenness
is the worst habit that could be formed.
They will deliver temperance lectures to
each other by the hour, and weep freely
as they recount their misery and suffer
ing5. Give the most earnest protestor
among them chance to get bottle of
whisky, and she will seize it eagerly.
The thought of whisky starts the ma
chinery of desire going SO strongly that
nothing can resist it, and usually, until
q patients stomach is healed, she will
drink whisky, if she can get it, until In
sensibility is produced. ."-NeU R~k Tti-
bune.