The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-10-29

| patients craving down Tor hours, and hell
him in HIS efforts to keep straight until hi
next visit to tho physician. II the doctor
personality is OF tho right kind. It will stir III
tho nebriato's ardor to do right and have tn,
same beneficial and helpful effect that hypno
tism. faith cure. and signing tho pledge are
| known to exert In these cases The kcele,
cure has been one OF tho most successful o
methods. for tho reason that it depends &c
much upon this powerful instrument OF sug.
Restion. Its very SUCCESS has increased Its
suggestive power. Naturally one rarely hears
OF any but the successes. Tho innumerab bic
failures are not published to the world For.
tunately they como under tho observation oil
physicians who now and then give nm account
OF them in tho medical journals The writer
has had personally under his charge two IN.
tients who became insane aitor taking tho
Kelley cure. one who killed herself by n long
debauch. and another now under trehtmcn mt
for drunkenness. SO here are four keeloy
failures. and 1t would not be dinicut to collect
large numbers OF others
Hence there are multitudcs OF victims OF
alcohol and other intoxicnnts for whom no
treatment Of any kind avails and for these
there is only ono remedy. viz. tho placing
them out OF tho way OF temptation. tho nut
ting them somewhere whore the intoxicant
Is wholly out OF reach. This. unfortunately. is
| difficult Of accompl ishmont. 1t Is possible to
| commit incbriates to homes and penitentia RI s
| for a few months. But this Is merely tenn
porizing. playing with the besetting sim The
nervous system and the heart and other or
Eans do not return to their normal o. equilibrium
after prolonged alcoholism for several years.
! 80 that commitment to an institution is prob
ably OF no value unless it be for q period OF at
| least two years.
There Is only one institution In this country
TO Nrht nlN Mi I, "A,
long q time. viz. st. Saviours sanltarium
for Inobriate Women. ut Inwood. In this city.
This place Is in charge OF the Sisters OF st.
Mary OF the Episcopal Church. Unfortunately.
It's capacity Is limited, and only women can be
rec ed into it.
The great drawback OF nil homes OF this
kind is the teiGm rttG from which tho inmates
naturally suffer. There is not sufficient recre-
alton or employment and the deadly monot-
ony OF the daily life becomes in the highest
degree irksome. Under tho circumstances 1t
Is not an ideal method yet 1t Is the only ono as
yet practicable. and even then only for fortu-
nate few OF the female sex.
A TEMPERANCE ISLAND.
In recent article upon this subject in a
medical journal the writer suggested what he
believes to be an ideal means OF dealing with
inebriates. 1t would be n temperance island,
alcohol should have no place. but in which life
with Its various occupations. dom nestle arrange
ments. and amusements should 10 on exactly
as 1t does in the worlds lie every day. 1t
would. in fact. be q colonization scheme. such
as has proved SO extraordinarily valuable in
the case OF epileptlcs and OF the insane. With
inebriates it would be still more practicable,
feasible. and applicable. and could be carried
out on a much more extensive scale. The
problem involved is merely the exclusion of
alcohol1rom all part In the colony's affairs. 1t
Is true that this could not be accomplished
In any region open to ordinary traffic.
travel. and communication. Even a Chinese
wall built around such colony would
fail to repel tho invasion Of this particular
enemy: alcohol would by some means
percolate through. But imagine some tenn
perance island SO far removed from the
mainland as not to be accessible to small
boats. possessed OF but one harbor. amenable
to the laws OF the United States. the property
of q corporation OF practical philanthroplsts.
an island where oil boats and baggage and
merchandise would be rGidly quarantined
against the Introduction OF the poison. as il it
were the comma bacillus OF cholera or the |
horrible microbe of the black death. On this |
happy island would be villages with indus
tries manufactures. and arts and spread |
about them innumerable gardens to supply |
distant markets. Here would live commoners |
and gentry all classes and conditions Of
mon. In business prosperity and domes.
tic happiness. as In other lands. Thither
the drunkard would repair with his
family. and obtaining employment. support
himself and them, and lead a lie OF useful
ness as II such thing as inebriety never ex-
sted. A majority OF inebrintes would immi-
crate there OF their own accord but certain
., l.
W law for three years. Such commitment.
however. would prove to be no hardship. for
he rights OF voting. of citizenship. tho solace
II society," the pleasure Of following ones
rade or calling and of earning a livelihood
no felicity OF living with ones family. all
would go to make existence not only tolerablc
tut blessed. The realization Of such a project
nm hardly be characterized as an "irides-
ent dream" 1t Ia quite within the bounds of
small additional tax upon spirjts
nd spirit vendors would he oil sufficient for
he acquisition OF some Nantucket and its
onsocration to this purpose.
F2RMs OF NoN-ALcoHoLIc ISEBRIET-
Doubtless the indulgence In opium and it's |
lkaloid. morphine. is Increasing. II form
inebriety more difficult perhaps to treat
han that OF alcohol. but 1t Is far from being so
'idespread and disastrous. and it's effects
pom the organism are not so bad. In an
plum eater after death few actual PATHOLOGY
al LESSONS are discoverable. while In the
cohol inebrate as already stated. nearly
u OF the Tissues are visibly and ter {
bly, altered. Opium poisons the high
= nervous centres in the brain: alec
OIL carried by tho blood throughout the !
ody. exercises It's bnnefui corrosive effects
pom every tissue with which it comes in con- Q
ct Opium does not affect the progeny of a :
an. while alcohol is far reaching in its hered- /
AIRY devastations. Yet the chances for cure 7
. worse In the slave to opium and morphine y
IAN in tho alcoholic habitud Tho Opium vic a
m 10 generally irretrievsbly ruined, as far "a T
, personally is concerned but at any rate his :
lspring arc spared q multitude OF nervous
I'd mental disorders. Exceptionally cases of
is habit do recover. Tho only treatment
onid be commitment to an institution or ban n
hnent to Temperance Island n
10 france more particularly. but now In this d
~ riA a. al