The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-06-05
ALCOHOLISM.


The Frightful Effects and Maladies Re.
sultinx from the Use Of Alcohol
DR.. Monin. distinguished French
physician and secretary of the French
Society of Hygiene, has recently COM
pleted a report on the scourge OF alco-
holism, that has just been published,
and in which, without useless digres-
sion, simply but implacably. he has
traced cruel but truthful picture OF
the progress OF the evil.
Frightful, in truth, are the effects
and maladies which result from the
alteration caused in the human or
ganisin by the use of alcohol. But 1t
is, above all. the degradation or the
perversity of the brain and the intelli-
gence which offers the most horrible
spectacle. iu g,f Hs5it EaH5
The drinker does not ut once become
subject to these Authorizations. AL
though drunkenness may be consid-
cred as a passing insanity, it is not
until after general disordering of the
whole nervous system that the drunk
ard succumbs to delirium. He begins
by feeling pains in his head, loses his
memory. forgets words, hesitates in
his actions, weeps for trifles and laughs
unconsciously. Irascible, uneasy.
jealous, he presents, at first, profound
troubles Of moral sensibility. Then
he becomes taciturn, soured and sub
ject to childish peevishness. At the
same time the will becomes less and
less active, and ends in utter hope
lessness While in this condition
some can not write, others can not take
hold of any object, however much they
may desire, from lack Of sufficient
volition. A'
The victim of alcoholism who has
reached this period of his decay has
an agitated expression, suffers from
considerable congestion, is covered
with a profuse Precipitation on the
least. occasion, and his eyes are brill
liant and injected with blood. At
other times, on the contrary, the ex-
preston Of the face is sud, and the
physiognomy of the man thus attacked,
with his hanging lips, dull eyes and
thin hair, clammy and, moist, shows
exactly the state Of the intelligence Of
the unhappy victim. -,
Soon, now, the drunkard, fatally
drawn toward intellectual and physic-
al decrepitude. is constantly being de-
ceived by his senses In the apprecia-
ton of surrounding things It is thus
that he feels tremblings and creeping
sensations, cramps and quivering Of
the nostrils and the upper lip He
has visual hallucinations, confounds
colors. particularly violet and yellow
with red. and can not distinguish sill
YER from gold. He is . prey TO con-
tinusl insomnia and endless imagina-
tons Sometimes he imagines him
self surrounded by flames and feels the
painful burns, or he sees armed men
springing upon him; and it is q Ia
inevitable spectacle to see the unhappy
man struggling against his imaginary
enemies. lt.s.,8t H,it,. /
Among the most frequent forms Of
alcoholic delirium are jealousy, and,
above all, belief in imaginary perse-
cutiOn. There are numerous cases
where the wretched victims imagine
that they have large sums Of mono,
hidden away, and the precautions
which they take to conceal the i'm
aginary fortune from the pursuit o
others are Incredible, Every visitor
is suspected. The parents, wives and
children of the miserable creatures
are suspected as SO many ravishers
and their words and gestures are in
terpreted in manner that would bt
grotesque If it were not 80 pitiful.
Others believe themselves destined
for the highest positions and enjoy to
the full these imaginary honors
Others, again, have an abnormal de
velopment of physical sensation, ani
their imagination makes them fee
actual shocks, and they complain thai
some unseen person is beating then
with clubs. A case in point is citei
where one man in delirium constantly
imagined that some one was dealing
him violent blows with clenched
hand. To avoid this he walked along
by walls, sidewise, SO as to protect his
back. but even this did not prevent hi!
tormentor from still striking him IL
the same place.
At last worn out with suffering,
exhausted by terrors, the sufferer diet
in the midst of the most frightful nor
rors; often. even, he does not await
the end, for he destroys himself to es
cape from the fantastic visions by
which he is possessed, and the nerv
Gus pains which give him no respite.
All! those who by patient research
painful experience and ungratefu
studies, shall have found q practica
means Of checking the progress o
alcoholism, will merit the heartfelt
gratitude of humanity. DR.. Monil
has presented a scientific picture o
some OF the terrible details. and pc
rusal of his book would open thu
eyes of every drinker whose intelli
!. gence and moral sense were not al
ready destroyed. Translated by DIV
Harper, for Demorest's Month ly.
q, THE "DOWN GRADE" "a.
| Evil Social Habits the Ralls on Whfcl
the Car of Life Is Often Launched-Th'