Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1893-04-14
essts County 1trala.
THE KELLEY TREATMENT
SOME PLAIN SUGGESTIONS.

is important to the public more
than another it is the subject OF
the Kelley treatment, and Ii
there is any in reference to which
the public have manyideas geRer-
ally this is the most prominent.
Its sometimes said, and perhaps
honestly believed that thi. treat
ment is simply chimerical and
that men stop drinking through
a mental determination to do so;
that it is like a temperance reform
only better organized, and poss-
essing stronger mentalrestraints
and in which men stop drinking
because temporary disgust Is
produced; that the only differ,
ence between stopping with this
treatment and without it is that
the treatment aids the patient
by giving him more conhdencein
disseminating the practice.
Now as applied to the aggre-
gate condition of men using IN
toxicants the proposition is not
true. Some men have the disease
in such a slight degree that with
effort they are able to abstain.
But no man having it does so in
dependent of the treatment with
out effort more or less in proper
ton to his condition; and so un.
der moral or mental influences a
number of men will decide to stop
and a small proportion continue
to abstain, while a great M joritv
one after another as the strain
increases break down. Men will
strive for a year or two and the
world knows nothing of the
terrible struggle they are making,
and when the strain becomes
sufficient the cords are snapped
and a nerveless being is At the
mercy of semi -deliriOus condi-
ton; and never has 4 moments
peace. Now these conditions
alwa?s have and always will
exist. \ minister of the Gospel
told me- yesterday that he had
been preaching about n subject
that he knew nothing about I'M
til recently. l otcourse suggested
that without experience he could
have but little conception of it
now.
Now if this is so what does
the treatment do 10 aid the sub
ject? He puts himself under the
care Of the physician. His mind
is clouded; detection, despair,
forebodings of evil, a terrible con-
ception of wrongs domestic or
Otherwise-real in some instances
and imaginative in others, land
il matters little which), shut
out the clear light of reason.
He has no true conception of the
outside world or the motives
which surround him. He is alb
solutely reckless and incapable
of doing anything to aid himself
or the doctor. Strange as it may
seem the doctor gives him
whiskey-not all he demands as
is falsely asscrted-but in such
quantities and at such times as
he knows will be best in the con-
test, The patient is doubtful and
feels sure that science will be
beaten in the contest. Under these
disadvantages the physician puts
the whiskey and the medicine
into the patient and says nov
fight it out" There is no oppor-
tunity for moral influences, con-
siderations of policy, or the exer-
else of the will. The doctor
watches the contest cool, calcu-
lating and confident, for he has
been umpire in like contests hun
dreds of times before. The sub
ject sees no change and thinks
the disease Git is not appetite)
unconquerable. The doctor gives
him a drink which seems to the
patient to be a reinforcement to
the enemy, and he exclaims DIES
pairingly "when will it end =
and is answered confidently 20
it's all right" IF you want any
more touch the button and yor
shallhaveit." The patient losses
from side to side all night but
the button is not touched. II
the morning the enemy is gone
Now science has been at worl
entirely alone. Of course if tn
field is abandoned then the enem,
will return. That is in the ma