New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1888-04-11
Private Retreats in Demand.
few York Mai and Express.

New York Mai and Express.
The alarming increase in nervous
and mental disorders, consequeEs up
on the habitual use Of stimulants and
narcotics, has resulted In a CORE
spending increase of private retreats
within the past year. Though given
the less offensive titles of retreats"
and "bomes," the places are really
nothing more or less than warehouses,
where patients are placed under medi-
cal surveillance. They flourish in the
rural districts, but pay best when near
some metropolis New jersey has
many of these homes, where the I'M
fortunate from New York, Penn
sylvania, Delaware and Maryland
find refuge. Connecticut and
Rhode Island offer like accommoda-
tions to- New England patrons, while
Nebraska is the favored state for vic
TINS In the west. The south is as yet
comparatively urprovided in this par
ticular, though it is 81 noticeable fact
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 andmorphine eaters come next
on the list. while, the +hopelessly in
sane receive no treatment at all. The
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 a re-
t,,na Juh \, !, trIc
hanging out of his mouth 10 anxiety
for one drop OF whisky until 1t is time
for him to return, from histrip abroad.
This usually takes about six weeks.
s'There are as many ways OF treat
ing confirmed; drunkards and opium
eaters as there are physicians to treat
them,'' said q physician to areporter.
eff a little Judgment 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 me
briate is brought III suffering with the
dellrlum 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
for days sometimes in despair. Often
times the poor wretch beats his head
against his cell walls in mis- frenzy.
Such treatment is positively cruel,
and the patients many times are
seriously injured. The theory of stop
q mans whisky and he won't get
drunk, maybe very good as "a theory,
but it does not stand practical test.
To suddenly stop anything to which
the system has long been accustomedis
a serious thing. The most judicious 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
nent begins. The drunkard is not
cured when he finds he can exist COM
fortably without his glass. Neither is
he ready to be discharged Un~, IS his
impoverished system is 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 par
TENTS should be fed on the drug regu-
larly. The doses should be decreased
daily. This can bedone by substitute
ing some innocuous white substance
SO as to keep up the size of the dose I'D
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 leave.
the institution.
"Women addicted to the opium
habit are the hardest class OF patients
to treat. They are naturally more.
delicately organized than men and It
requires q much longer time to cure
them. Unlike the men, however, a wom-
an once cured seldom has a relapse.!9