The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-10-04
TEMPERANCE.
Inebricty in childhood.

lnebriety caused by whisky is craving
for whisky. The craving is there con-
stantly or periodically, whether the
liquor is drunk or not. The terms drunk
enness and inebriety are frequently con-
fused A man who has chronic poison
ing from alcohol is an inebriate because
he Graves liquor. Drunkenness is acute
alcoholic poisoning from drinking alco-
Iolic liquor III consequence of a craving
for it, or inebriety, writes DR.. Leslie
Kelley in the New York World.
Heredity has always ranked high as a
cause of inebriety. | do not think so. AS
II cause it ranks among the least. | do
mot think the craving for drink is trans
mitted by hcredity. do not think that
any other nervous disease ever creates
craving for drink. to not think any
condition of life, mental, moral or physic-
al, ever creates a craving for drink.
These things may all lead person who
is not an inebriate to begin drinking
and make an inebriate of himself. but
they do not cause inebriety in any other
way.
In my opinion-and base my opinion
on an induction from facts that no one
can dispute and that are known to all
people-the heredity of drinking reaches
! back no further than the cradle. The
two great institutions which lead to tie
! disease of inebriety are the saloon 81 i
the nursery. The two great conditions
! of life which lead to drinking and drug
| taking are il less ana custom.
When an infant is born, some form of
alcohol is usually an attendant at the
birth. If the infant escapes a whisky
bath or a few drops of some stimulant,
it is probably through some neglect 1t
is rare indeed that child few days
old has not had hot whisky several
times. If the babe feeds on milk and
water too early, or if anything goes
wrong with the mother or child, the do
nestle and very likely the professional
remedy is whisky
But the diseases of infancy and child
hood create the call for and the use of
the drugs that inebriate. Indigestion,
too much crying, cholera infantum,
measles, scarlet fever and particular
diphthera are treated by alcohol and
opium very largely by the physicians.
do not question the propriety of Civ
ing these drugs as remedies. | do not
doubt the wisdom or skill of the ply
sicians who f1d these remedies useful in
diseases. But | assert that the soothing
sirups and other opiate preparations, the
wines and hot sings and large quantiti $
of alcoholic liquors given to children .
quiet them or cure them of diseases,
cause inebriety.
The stamp of the drug remains on the
brain of the infant, oven if the drug is
no longer given. The misery of babes
drugged to i ebriety and then very ILL
~ suddenly eprivcd Of the accustomed
stimulant is without doubt as acute and
great as in older people. People who
have dosed children with soothing sirup
know how difficult itisto wean the child
from the drug But even if the drug is
no longer given the inebriety remains.
When the babe grows mp to the stage Of
youth, he has the craving without a
name or understanding perhaps until for
some reason a stimulant or dose of the
accustomed drug is taken. There is an
immediate and perhaps prolonged de-
bauch, followed by the usual phenomena
of inebriety. 1t makes no difference if
the drug is alcohol or opium or both
Both of these inebrieties may exist in
the same person and he may be both a
drunllard and an opium user, and this
condition can be and often is the result
of opium or whisky inebriety acquired
IN the cradle ana nursery.
Child inebriety is one of the most prev
alent diseases. 1t is coeXtensive with the
extent Of alcohol and opiates given to
children for any cause whatever. 1t is
therefore as extensive as the prevalence
of the diseases of childhood, because the
inebriating drugs are universally used in
these diseases. | regard child inebriety
as the chief cause of intemperance among
all classes. | do not say that every
child subjected to the influence of these
drugs becomes an active inebriate, but I
say that if the history Of inebriety s
carefully inquired into it will he foup |
that the larger number of inebriates took
bpiates or alcohol when they were chill
dren.