The Portland daily press., 1893-11-18
CURING DRUNKARDS.
Mr.. Stead's Report of the Results of His
Experiments.
wv. t. Stead, in the London chronicle.l


the widespread interest of proposal to
subject to an experimental test claim
of such vitar Importance to our social
well-being. For some days was mum
dated with offers of typical cases, and
the correspondence which rained in upon
me from all parts of the three Kingdoms
bore eloquent testimony to the wide
spread misery which intemperance has
established in the atmosphere of SO many
homes
Out of these cases selection was made
of eight whose record, both from the
point of heredity and of persistent hard
drinking. would stand the severest test.
A furnished house of professional gen.
tleman was taken near the British Mu-
scum, and there the sample drunkards
were installed and the experiment began.
The treatment commenced on Sep
TENDER IL. The experimental month ex-
pired on October II. Our patients were
four women and four men. Three of the
women were either married or were
widows; one was a spinster. OF the
men, two were CONNER cial travellers,
one a solicitor, the other an ex-naval
officer One of them came to us guaran-
teed as one of the worst cases known to
the Church Army; another equally GER
tificated from the Salvation Army;
while the others were accompanied by.
equally satisfactory certificates as to.
their Thoroughbred drunkenness. A
fully qualified man was placed in charge,
and competent assistants were secured,
who saw to it that aathesremedy at the
xuuc cd M in ictnrpd Oft tho cfo
ed intervals of three hours, both night
and day. EF#a
OF the nature of the remedy can say
nothing, excepting that it is extremely
bitter to the taste and acts as very
powerful tonic tAter the patients had
been.under treatment for ten days visit
ed the place and interviewed each sepa-
rately. Assmarvellous change had already
been effected, ssbut decided to say moth
ing until the month expired and | had
the final report of the medical men upon
the result Of the treatment. That report
is now before me, and owe 1t to the
public to lose no time in stating the re-
suit of the experiment.
That result has been an almost unQuall-
fed success, the only exception being
one woman, who, it is believed, did not
conform to the regulations laid down.
OF course it is as yet too early to say
anything as to the lasting effects OF the
cure, although, Judging from the expert
ence of other cases which were treated
nearly twelve months since, and are
still standing, /, do not think there is
much reason to fear that the cure is not
as permanent as it is certainly drastic;
indeed, it might not almost be described
as miraculous.
For, what has happened? Seven poor,
miserable wrecks, drenched with whlskey
or soddened with gin, and in some cases
wi o6d for morn hi
and laudanum, have been in one short
month so completely weaned from all de-
sire for alcohol that they may be trusted
to go through the most tavern-spotted
thoroughfare without feeling the slight
est inclination to resume their potatlons.
Nay more, not only has all craving for
drink been killed in their system, but In
it's place has been developed an absolute
hatred and loathing for intoxication, a
| loathing SO acute that some of our pa
| tients have walked down the middle of
| the street rather than use the footpath
| which led them too close to the reek of
| the tap room.
under treatment fortress than week
was allowed to go out by himself, and
| almost automatically found himself,en-
| tering the door. of a familiar taproom
| in the neighborhood of the House. of
| Commons. AS he pushed the door open
| he was suddenly recalled to a sense of
| where he was andswhat he was doing by
the Whit Of the aicohol-saturated atmos-
| phere of the bar. He had pipe in his
mouth, but he could not draw another
Whit, SO sudden and so intense was the
nausea that seized him.
| This is only one of many similar cases.
A positive nausea, approaching some
times to a violent sickness, is produced
| by the smell of the drink. One of the
| M tipptS coIamn1v assured me- that he
! felt inclined to reich whenever he saw
| the word drink or heard the word bar,
but I did not put him to an experimental
test. SO that statement must pass Tor
what it was worth. Questioning the
| patients closely, they all told me the same
| story-namely, that they had been drink
| ing hard before they came in. One of
| them arrived in state Of delirium ire
| mems, thinking that the cab was full of
| snakes. Another had been sleeping out
| of doors in the London streets for two
| days before he found shelter in the insti-
| tuition, and he had almost to be parboiled
| before he was clean enough to be taken
| in.
| When the tratment begins they all
| experience certain degree of discomfort,
which varies sometimes from acute head
| ache to feverish ague. For couple of
| days they are about as miserable as they
| can be, but on the third day the head
| acne leaves GheHQ, 6ne SICKNESS Q1Sap-
pears, and they begin to develop an appe-
tite Before they have been under treat
ment week they can be. allowed to 90
out freely with out any danger of their
breaking loose or resuming he habits
which had made them such wreck OF
I their lives The craving for drink, SO far
as can be seen from the close observa-
ton of the cases under treatment, is alb
| solutely dead, and, SO far as can be seen
at present, those who have conducted
the experiment are more than satisfied
with the result.
The remedy which has wrought such
wonders is, believe, a concoction OF
South American origin. The secret OF
it's manufacture remains with one man,
| who refuses to divulge it.
In Siam the celebration of the kings
birthday is the event of tie year. There,
as in Enlgand, titles are given and pres
ents made. But the king was absent
from his capital during the late celebra.
ions. there were no dinners or recep-
tions. He was at Bang-pa-in, a bea uti-
| fully situated spot about six miles up
the river from Bangkok. There all mems
| duties and desires are to restore the king
to health. They try, at their audiences
1 IA