The Republican journal., 1892-07-14
Drunkenness \ Disease.
HOW IT Is CURED BY DIR. KEEL +,

HON IL IL " iEl Bl ok. hEfIlt1
In little town in Illinois called Dwight,
on the Chicago and Alton Railroad, there
has lived and practised his profession for
twentyfiv years past, a certain Dr..
Kelley. The world at large has heard
little of him until recently, hut during
all his professional career he has enjoyed
the respect and confidence of his neigh
bors, and has been a member in good
standing of the county and State societies
which determine those ethical questions
which appear to be of more significance
to medical men than to those in other
learned professions. He has long been
engaged upon investigations as to the cure
of drunkenness, and, it is said, these
studies have been but continuation of
those made by his father and grandfather
in the same direction. For several years
past the newspapers in the neighborhood
of Dr.. Kelley home have contained more
OF less full accounts of his having cured
by the use of double chloride of gold men
who had long been regarded as hopeless
drunkards.
Something like year ago Mr.. Joseph
Medill, the venerable editor of the Chica-
90 Tribune, had his attention attracted to
this new method of treatment and he had
an examination made of it. What he
learned Influenced him to make practi-
cal test of the alleged cures. He there
fore selected several men in Chicago who
We're looked upon as hopelessiy addicted
to the habit of drinking liquor excessive
ly, and who also appeared to be wrecked
by this long continued intemperance
These he sent to Dwight. and engaged to
pay their expenses while undergoing
treatment. The result was so satisfactory
to him that he endorsed the methods en-
ployed by Dr.. Kelley in an editorial arti-
Gle in his paper. Naturally enough, this
endorsement, most unusual thing from
a paper of the class of the Chicago Trib-
une, attracted very general attention, and
soon afterwards there was a tide Of
patients turned towards the little village
of Dwight. whittier hopeless men travelled
in search of something which before had
seemed beyond their reach.
Arrived at Dwight, these pilgrims
found a struggling village, with muddy or
dusty streets, according to the prevalence
of rain OF sunshine. and there was only
one thing to make it seem different from
any other Western village in which twelve
hundred persons had their homes. This
difference was noted almost at once.
There were we'll dressed and well-appear-
NY IIltIl Oh VIC SGIGClS III COlSIfteIaDle
numbers who evidently had never taken
any active part in village life, and who
We're not now of it. These We're the pill
grims, these the patients, who had gone
to see whether the bichloride of gold
treatment could quench their fiery thirst.
The impulse which each new patient
brings with him, it is said, is to conceal
his identity; but as there are men from all
parts of the country lhere-and this is
but very small world, after all as every
man who has travelled away from home
has found Out-thiS concealment is all but
impossible, and the great majority are
soon content to settle down. and, ac-
kDowledging to themselves that their
inebriety is a disease which they as sens-
bic men, are trying their best to cure, each
in his own personality, and with what
ever weight that may add to his words,
tries to encourage the newcomer, and to
contribute his best to the fellowship and
comradeship of the community. And,
singularly enough, these patients, once
dismissed as cured, never, it is claimed,
make any effort to conceal the fact that
they have been treated at Dwight for in
ebriety. The idea among them seems to
be that this form of disease may come as
typhoid fever comes, and it's cure is
matter for congratulations without any
concealment whatever.
The increasing number of patients has
necessitated the building of a hotel; but
previous to that they boarded around at
the various houses and cottages in the
village. a new patient, after registering
at the Kelley Institute, is given instruc-
tons as to the routine of treatment. He
is given a bottle of gold mixture. This
he must take once every two hours. and
four times every day, at stated hours, he
must fall in line with the other patients
with barred arm, and receive a hypodermic
injection of a medicine the nature of
which Dr.. Kelley has not announced to
the word, but which he explains to his
patients is intended as a 'bracer.'; and
also to regulate the effects of the bichlo-
ride of gold. His method OF preparing
his gold mixture he also retains as IL
secret. Jno. Gilmer Speed, in Harper $
Weekly.