The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-01-04
SCIENCE AND ALCOHOLISM.

The attempt to solve the drink evil By
| prohibition is dismal failure wherever
| tried. The efforts of the professional tenn
| perance orator to stem the evil of intern
| perance are not rewarded with much more
success than those of Dame Darlington
| endeayoring with her mop and pals to
stand off the Atlantic ocean. "The At
| lantic ocean," says Sidney Smith. FINALLY
beat Mrs. Partington." The New York
Sun contains scientific discussion Of the
question why Men Get Drunk" and
makes very able, plausible argument in
defense OF the position that inherent ten
dency, and not the easy obtaining of
liquor is the cause of drunkenness. In.
toxication depends as much on mans
nerves, stomach, ability. constitution and
head as it does on the amount of liquor he
has been drinking.
Intoxication is defined as giuttony in
liquor. A much greater quantity of liquor
may be drunk during exercise or outdoor
sport than in a warm room, in the same
way that day laborer can eat more indi-
gestible food than lawyer or bank teller;
SO can he drink more liquor, because the
active physical work disposes of the liquor
as it does of the food.
The Sun further says that to become
drunkard man must have a certain sort
of constitution and a certain soil from
which drunkard can develop. There are
some men who never could be made
drunkards, just as there are men who dis
like to smoke and men who are unable to
learn to like olives. There are men who
take to drinking as duck takes to water.
while there are other men who could
never be made into drunkards, because
after drink or two they have to force
themselves to take liquor, as a man who
has already had enough to eat has to force
himself if he is going to eat more. A man
may keep himself from drinking by will
power:
Drunkards are caused by two things, either
separate or combined, hereditary tendency
and environment No matter how strong the
hereditary tendency may be, the man can not
become a drunkard if he can never get any
thing to drink; so, too, no matter how danger
GUS the environment may be no man can become
q drunkard unless he had in the beginning
some tendency, however slight, for the environ.
ment to act upon.
Careful investigation into cases OF thousands
OF drunkards studied ont in the light OF statis-
tics compiled by the as :ociations and the indi-
yitua,s who care for she poor, combine in a
burden OF proof that drunkenness is more an eff
feet than cause Drunkenness does not cause
poverty so much as poverty causes drunken
ness Drunkenness does not as much cause a
rich young man to squander his property as the
st NJ mi nd md y rUh apda "a
sQusndering of property causes drunkenness.
The liquor per 80 no more causes the drunken
ness than the arsenic causes q man TO commit
suicide, or a razor causes him to cut his throat,
or the stock exchange causes him to ruin him.
self financially by gambling in stocks.
These views of the New York Sun are in
entire accordance with those of tine most
eminent medical men in America who
have made any careful study of alcohol
ism. The conclusion of science is that
while alcohol is not food it supplements
it. Excess in its use never fails to result
in injury more or less extensive and last
ing. Moderation for one is excess for an
other and vice versa. Moderation in stim-
ulants does not necessarily lead to excess,
for OF those who have long partaken mod
erately of wine, ETC.. but very small mi
nority ever became drunkards. The tenn
permanent that is pleasantly affected by in
toxication is not common in the majority
of men even an approach to drunkenness
is condition of general discomfort. The
temperament of excess that in stimulants
or any other agreeable thing is incapable
Of moderation stands for the drunkard
class, but the majority of men form class
out Of which drunkards are never made
unless it be by remorse or trouble.
There Is no necessary connection be-
tween moderation and excess in alcohol
and the average consumer. The turbulent,
discordant, boisterous inebriate is as con-
spicuous as the couples who are the actors
in a divorce suit and fill the air with the
cutlery of their unhappiness. The thou
sands and thousands of people who are
happily married are silent, and from the
misery told by divorce suits are We to in
fer that in the vast majority of cases mar
rage is state Of repulsive infelicity? So
while the drunkard is known of all men
by his intenperance, there are multitudes
of men who daily consume certain
amount OF wine and never exceed that
amount. The conclusion of science is
against prohibition; its outcome is the
adulteration of liquors aud the prevalence
of free rum"