Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-19

moral obligation resting upon him, would
dream or pursuing Keeley's course. There
are many men who have not the sense, and
they are not necessarily dishonest.
In the matter OF the cure of inebriates
by any drugs, we are not concerned with the
moral perceptions. of anyone. Is 1t possl'
bic that this man has really discovered any
thing of value? Is there any hypothesis
which throws light upon the question? Is
there hope that the treatment is not all 9
delusion? May some help be'derived from
1t for the inebriate? There is some reason
TO think that all these questions may In
part be answered affirmatively.
Salts of Gold Long Used.
The salts of gold were employed at very
early period in the history of medicine as
remedial agents. Is was natural IN the
days when the use of all drugs was purely
empirical, that men should regard the
rarity and the cost of substances as lndlca-
tons of their value as medicines. Gold
was valuable, and therefore was thought
necessarily useful in the treatment OF dls-
ease. The difficulty experienced in making
its salts doubtless added not a little to the
belief in their efficacy.
As scientific observation replaced more
and more completely the old empirism, the
remedial value of geld compounds began to
be doubted, and, at the present day, most
authorities upon therapeutics hardly allude
10 them The chloride of gold and the
chloride of gold and sodium sometimes
called the double chloride OF gold and
sndium) are recognized il the British and
. United States pharmacop@ias, the former
being official in Great Britain, the latter In
this country Very little practical import
ance is assigned to either by the majority OF
practitioners of medicine.
Doctors Opposed TO Gold Preparations.
Although the mass of medical opinion is
against attributing any curative properties
10 the preparations OF gold, it is noteworthy
that from to time articles have appeared,
written by men OF known apLlirA; nl IN IN
which it is asserted that the chloride OF
gold and sodium, or some other salt oil gold,
possesses the power OF curing, or amenorat-
ing, certain diseases which are produced Dy
an overgrowth of what Is called "hbrous
connective tissue" 1t is more accurate to
saw, not that the diseases themselves are
really produced by this overgrowth, out
that the symptoms are thus produced
Many or the disorders characterized by
excess Of connective tissue are the result of
intemperance. There is good reason to be
lieve that one Of the causes of the excessive
thirst for driIH which so often oVerpowerS
the drunkard in his efforts to reform is the
extra work put upon the rest of the BODY by
the necessity of nourishing this newly
the gold salts both check the oNergrowtn
and cause the already existing new nOrous
tissue to be removed, 1t is evident that they
may play the important part in relieving the
drunkard OF his trouble. Their use may re-
lieve him of the burden ofa body IN winch
countless useless cells are absorbing the
nourishment needed by the rest
Testimony That Must Be Taken.
While most physicians deny that gold salts
have such power, it must be remembered
that the few who have asserted that it ex-
lists are for the most part men of known
ability, and have repeatedly made the asser'
tion. 1t Is not possible TO regard their tes1-
INOny entirely as worthless. Assuming that
the gold has the property mentioned, 1t Will
be seen that by itself it cannot be expected
TO cure the drunkard. The most that can be
hoped from its administration is the re-
InOval Of one OF the results OF lntemperance
and the restoration to 4 normal condition of
certain diseased structures. This is a most
important thing, but something more must
he done for the effects of alcohol are not
limited to production OF fibrous tissues.
Our bodies are composed of countless
minute living particles called cells. These
live, have offspring, and die just as do men.
Their lives are short. but they go through
the same stages as do all living things, and,
like all living things, they acquire habits.
Moreover, they seem to transmit to their
progeny the habits which they have
ACQUIRED. The drum kard accustoms his body
to stimulantS the body cells each and all
get TO need the stimulant-in short, become
babitual dIunKards. Every one of them
demands stimulants, and the frantic thirst
for drink results in part from this.
SOmething must be administered to allav
this demand and take the place of alcohol.
The substitute must be of kind that will
not itself become necessary for the body,
Tor it is useless TO exchange one habit for
another, or, as may happen finally, to add to
the curse of drink the curse OF a desire also
1or another poison.
A Drug Substitute for Liquor.
A study of the medical literature which
has appeared during the last few years.
makes it seem that drug exists which has
the properties requisite to make it a perfect
substitute for liquor, at least for time
Each year adds to the evidence that the
poisonous aIkaloid derived from nuN
vOmica. and called strychnine, very often
completely destroys the desire for liquor,
and that this effect may last long time
after the drug has been abandoned. One
preparation of strychnine. called the nitrate,
has been praised by a number of good physi-
clans for this property, especially when |
given in very large doses hypodermically. |
Some observers assert that complete cure |
often follows Its use. Perhaps the Strych- |
nine and gold will be found n means of |
curing a certain number of drunkards.
1t is thought by some that the admins |
tratiOn of a little atropine with the strych- |
nine intensifies the action of the latter. |
Both gold salts and strycGnine are danger |
ouS substances, ana should not be used, save |
under the advice of q competent physician. |
The poisonous properties OF gold are not |
unlike those of mercury-anRmia, dys-
pepSia, and salvation result from its in /
judicious use. The dangers of strychnine /
are known to all. 1t is needless to saw that |
large doses Of this substance NAV prove |
fatal in a few hours, and that none but a |
well-tTained medical man can tell how much |
may be safely given in the case of each
patient.
The Rights of the Discoverer.
As for heeley, his selfishness and greed
have made it impossible fairly to test the
merits OF his claims. 1t has been shown too
clearly that these are exaggerated, but have
they any foundation iii fact? If he contin-
ues to keep his methods secret it will be
long before we can know. There is no
doubt that he has what is called "a right"
TO keep his secret, but there is also no doubt
that 1t is not right for him to do so. HUI
manity suffering from the evils caused by
drink ought to have an opportunity to test
the exact value of any plan of treatment
asserted to be so efficaciouS. If it is with
out value the fact should be ascertained and
less bitterness of disappointment be added
to the agony Of despairing millions.
II only one drunkard in ten might be cured |
by keeley's method, mis- policy permits thou
sands upon thousands of wretches to die
every year whose lives might De saved. For |
these needless deaths and for the misery of