New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-06-02
Private Retreats in Demand.
Nev York Mail and Express. \


Nev York Mail and Express.
The alarming increase In nervous ,
and mental disorders, consequent up
on the babitual use OF stimulants and
narcotics, has resulted in a CORE
spondine increase of private retreats
within the past year. Though given
the less offensive titles OF retreats"
and shomes," the places are really
nothing more or less than mad houses,
where patients are placed ufsder medi-
cal surveillance, They flourish IN the
rural districts, bat pay best When near
some metropolis, New Jersey has
many of these homes, where the UNI
fortunate from New York, PENN
svlyania. Delaware and Maryland
find refuge. Connecticut ana
Rhode Island offer like accommoda-
tons to New England patrons, while
Nebraska is the favored state Tor VIC
Tins in the west. The south is as yet
comparatively unprovided in this pa
ticular, though it is a Noticeable tact
that this section of the country sends
as many patients to the New Jersey
institutions as any other. Although
all classes are admitted to these ere
formatories, the majority OF them
are treated for chronic alcoholism,
Opium, and morphine eaters come next
on the list, while the :shopelessly inA
sane" receive no treatment at all. TheA
young man about town, who has IN
dulged his appetite to excess, "goes to
Europe for his health" Europe in
his case. however, is oftentimes re-
treat where he remains with his tongue
hanging cut OF his mouth in anxiety
for one drop Of whisky until it is time
for him tcretg5rn, from his trip abroad.
This usually takes about six weeks.
There are rs many ways OF treat
ing confirmed drunkards and opium
eaters as>there are physicians to treat
them,' said ~ physician to a reporter.
eff ittle'iudgnent is used they can
be cured and; that too quite thorough
ly. They imagine they must have
their favorite- stimulant and if posi- !
BILE they will get It, Some physicians ]
use the padded cell. The poor inc.
briate is brought Il, suffering with th]
delirium' tremens- After large doses
of bromide of potassium have
been forced down the poor fellows
throat he is thrown into the padded
cell, where he. groans and means
Tor days sometimes IN despair. Often
times the poor w1stch beats his head
against his cell walls in mis- frenzy.
Such treatment is; positively cruel,
and the PATIENTS many times are
seriously, injured. Thetheory of stop
a mans whisky and he won't get
drunk maybe very good as theory,
but it does not stand q practical test.
To suddenly stop aasything to which
the system has long BEEN accustomed is
a seriousthing The most iudicious and
humane plan is to gradually decrease
the amount Of the patients stimu-
liant until he can do without it alto.
gether.. This accomplished the treat
ment begins. The drunkard is not
cured when he finds he'can exist com.
fortablyswithout his, glass. Neither is
he ready.to be discharged. Unless his
impoverished system,iss built up six
months after he leaves the institu-
ton he will be as, bad as before
he entered the Institution. He
requires tonics until his system
rallies from the shock caused by the
poison of the alcohol. Morphine pa
TENTS should be fed omthe drug regu4
larly. The doses should be decreased9
daily. This can be done, by substitut-
ing some innocuous white substance
so as to keep up the size Of the dose in
appearance, until finally the patient
instead of taking morphine is taking
regular doses of some effective tonic
and he is soon in a condition to leay8
the institution.
"Women addicted to- the opium
habit are the hardest GLASS of patients
to treat. They are. naturally more
delicately organizedIthan men and it
requires a much longer time to cure
them. Unlike the men;however, wom-
an: .cnce cured seldom, has a relapse"