The morning call., 1892-03-09
WHERE DRUNKENNESS rs CURED.
Where the Opium. User Is Re.
lieved From His Chains.
Remarkable Facts Relative to the Keeley
Treatment and It's
Success.

table Arcadia. High upon all sides rise the
beautiful cultivated foothills. with the
varied hues given by nature to grass. to
grain and to foliage, and back of them, in
ioftler majesty, the mountains raise their
naughty crests. while over all gracious
Deity spreads the canopy Of royal azure.
1his is the SPOT selected by one earnest man
as the best fitted TO put forth his message of
healing, peace and good will to men.
Selected, because here the requirements
OF hygiene could be most readily observed
and here would be found the smallest pos
sible temptation to disobey the precepts he
wished to inculcate.
Thither a reporter of this paper was re-
Gently sent to investigate the merits of the
so-called chloride of gold treatment for
drunkenness and the opium, morphine. CO.
caine and tobacco habits. On arrival at Los
Gatos was found to be but short walk
from the station to the Keeley Institute, so
called because it is an authorized branch of
the world-famous one at Dwight, LII. OF the
people In charge one word: Mr.. o. n. Ram
sey, the manager, is gentleman of high
character and confines his attention to the
business management
The chief Of the staff of physicians is DR..
u. h Sussdorff, graduate of the Long
island College Hospital, New York, class
1866, is fellow Of the New York Academy
eiety OF the County of New York.
Under date OF December 10, 1891, Leslie
e. Keeley. D., of Dwight, III, has this to
say: "Dr. Sus sdorff is physician OF ripe
experience and mature judgment and has
acquired from personal observation and
close study of my system of treatment at
Dwight. III, thorough knowledge Of my
methods. 1 am, therefore, confident that
my remedies will be skillfully and faithfully
administered. To which we can safely add
a IN q al i'm
est assurance that patients of these unfor-
tunate IDhrmties Will here ever find the
SIKH OF the educated, conscientious physi-
clan united with the frm yet kindly patient
assistance OF the real humanitarian. Many
Ignorant. many utterly unfOunued criti-
eisms have recently appeared iii the public
press concerning this treatment. The mani
lest malice OF sCme of them would of course
destroy their ability TO injure; but the re-
porter especially investigated the bitterest
and most pointed charges with view of
arriving at the truth that the public might
at least have accurate information for their
own judgment. The reporter found by
questioning the manager, the physicians
and the patients that before the admission
of any patient he was subjected to care
iui examination as 10 his then physical con-
dillon, as to his having any other
chronic disease, as to any tendency
TO inherited disease; especially Was a
careful examination, both Of heart and
lungs, made both by PERCUSSION and by
stethoscope, and inquiry for symptoms: and
so rigid is This examination that IL the ex-
aiming physician has the slightest reason
TO inier that the treatment will be in any
wise inteTfered with by any existing all
ment then the case is refused. And this
rule is inyarlable, for above all things this
Institution seems to desire success, and
uses every precautloD 10 avoid failure and
the consequent liability to be accused of
fraud or QGackery. Another unfounded
statement Is that all are treated alike. All
OF the patients with whom the repcrter
talked unite in saying that even to their in
experienced eyes IL Is evident that no two
eases are handled the same. That the REM
edles are In themselves harmless would
seem to be beyond question, as an incident
related to The reporter by one of the hotel
keepers proves. 1t seems that a recent ac-
cession insisted that his attendant should
be certain relative Of his, but breaking
away from him he drank the contents OF
whole bottle of medicine, thinking it
whisky, and yet no injury was sustained,
and the only result was an excessive predis-
position TO leave up JONAH" Again, the
reporter observed among the patients many
weii-known people (names are Withheld for
obvious reasons, whose statements uni
tormly confirmed those of the management.
The desire for intoxicants had been en-
tirely eradea;ed and they tthe patients)
stated that they merely awaited the date of
their formal discharge. There were also
several patients under treatment for the
morphine or opium habit and careful cross
examination Of patient and physician re-
veaied the fact that there were patients at
Los Gatos who were so far on the road TO
recovery that they had been without the
drug Tor varying periods, and yet were en-
tirely ignorant OF the fact aud were suffer-
ing no pain. The important fact involved
In this 10 all who understand the scientific
requirements here Involved is this: that
whatever might be the claim as TO the effect
produced upon the imagination of the
ratient In the case of dipSomaniacs (or
drunkards), no professional man would for
moment claim that like result could be
obtained with victim of opium, because
such patient, il not cured, would demand
the drug and exhibit his appetite therefor
Enthusiastically. Again, when it is Temem-
Dered that aside from the 1900 patients
successfully treated at Dwight, ILL.,. tile
whole number of patients who have
come under this treatment in the United
States exceeds 5000. and that in no in
stance has a patient died from the effects
OF the treatment las has been recently
asserted). surely the most skeptical must
be convinced that the inestmable boon of
renewed manhood is offered to all who
are suffering from these terrible scourges
OF man who will but patiently subject
themselves to the treatment and the leuient
rules demanded TO be observed Aud right
here the thought occurs why il, as is claimed,
the medicines used are hurtful 10 the whisky
drinkers should they not be equally so TO the
oopiam-users and such claim has Rerer
been made by the enemies of tais system.
Of course, this is TO be understood: All
that the apostles of the gold treatment claim
is that they will put the patient, whether
suffering from the habtual use of drink,
opium, morphine or tobacco, back into that
physical condition of health which he or she
enjoyed prior to the use of the stimulant or
drug. The course pursued by the patient
after being relieved of ali desire or need
must necessarily depend upon individual
yoiltion:.. The swine may return to its
wallow." All that is claimed is that a nor
NAL, healthy condition has been secured.
and that the patient who prizes manhood
and the respect of his fellow-man has been
furnished with the requisite will power to
abstain if he chooses 10 do so: or, to state
negatively, that an absence Of appetite has
been achieved.
This treatment is founded upon the theory
that whether the patient be suffering from
alcoholism, Or the habltual use of morphine,
cocaine or tobacco the conditions neces-
sarily involve species Of insanity-that is
to say. technical insanity-and that recovery
Involves something more than treatment for
the lower animal physical disorder. This
treatment proceeds upon the theory that the
blood is the medium by which sustenauce is
carried to the various organs of the animal
man--that In order to have "mens sana in
cOrpore SanO "a sound mind in o healthy
bOdy-we must have healthy bodily organs,
and as alcohol coaguIates the mental tissues
therefore no healthy rational action can be
expected from the organism of the man inl-
pregnated with the alcoholic poison; that the
first step Is to thoroughly eliminate the
poison from the blood. and this the Kelley
system of treatment claims to do; by driving
the sichol out OF the system. by building up
the nervous system to a normal condition,
and by the moral encouragement furnished
the patient by means OF temporary success
to move onward to q permanent victory so
that there shall exist in his mind the ever
present thought. l am the victor, will not
In ha