New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-09-22
ALCOHOL AS A POISON.
OPINIONS OF SCIENTISTS AT THE BAsLE
CONGRESS.
Paris, September !.


Tho a,,h International Congress against alcohol"
has lust held its sessions at Basic. in Switzerland
The Blue Cross under whose auspices II was as
sembled. had opened the door TO the Good Temp!ars
and to societies which profess only temperance
instead OF total abstinence. As great innovation
they also invited number OF men OF science. med
ical experts in the diseases resulting from the use
OF alcohol to open the sessions OF the congress with
a complete summing up OF the evils produced by al
cohollc poisoning This did not please many OF the
'reformers" who prefer to state the case In more
declamatory fashion and, It must be said. with less
precision.
DR.. Lancereaux OF the Paris Faculty OF Medicine
began with wine and beer. The immoderate use OF
these beverages has such startling results as ex
cess in the drinking Of distilled liquors like brandy
OF liquors like absnthe. In France where the
abuse OF wine Is not uncommon II results rather IN
steady overdosIng OF the system than In any spas
modc ntoxication. frequent effect Is the IN
famed visage with a slight trembling OF the lips and
upper limbs. which strangers note in so many Pa
risian shopkeepers. In extreme cases seeplessness
becomes chronic and ends in acute delirum tremens.
without the patients passing through the interview
ing stages Of drunkenness common in other coun-
tries.
All this s a phenomenon OF alcoholic intoxcation
or poisoning properly called, resulting from a
continuous and progressive s;rainng OF the system
by daily doses OF alcohol which exceed the normal
capacity OF the patient. 1t is beyond all doubt re-
sponsible for many OF the acts OF criminal insanity
which becoming so common In France This
extreme state. however Is usually complicated win
the use OF stronger forms OF alcohol. A disastrous
effect more commonly observed In drinkers who limit
themselves to wire IL a general and simultaneous
swelling Of liver and spleen This IS followed In the
liver by diminuton OF volume known as cirrhosis
and sometimes by dropsy terminating fatally AS
brandy and abslnthe drinkers are not subject TO
these affections Dr. Lancereaux was Obliged to look
for their cause in something else than alcohol He
suspected that Il might be connected with the salts
Of potassium found In the wine OF commerce. BY
mixing these salts with the food OF dogs and rabbits
he succeeded In determining In those animals the
same lesion OF the liver which IL observed In the
wine topper German authorities have found the
same affection In confirmed drinkers OF beer. wnich
Is also rich in these salts OF potassium But in this
at least. there is no question OF alcohol poisoning
Distilled liquors like brandy give rise to the same
disturbance OF the digestive organs. catarrh OF me
mucous surface and the rest. as wine. but without
apparent injury TO liver or spleen on the other
hand. they directly attack the nervous system Inc
sense OF pain becomes bluned. and sometimes al
most disappears from the lower extremities at the
joints and the muscular strength Is considerably d.
mlnshed Sleep.essness sleep interrupted by night
mares derium, followed by dulness and stupidity.
with reactions In which the victim OFTEN commi's
suicide mark the abuse OF liquors Of this kind.
Absinthe drinking and the like cause a different
dangerous aHectOn OF tne nerves
Here the sensibity to pain Is Increased. sometimes
to such an extent that the least tauch on the sole
OF the foot is beyond endurance. by night the VIC
tim experiences pricking and tickling sensations
which make sleep impossible. ~ he happens 10
sleep. he awakes in a heavy sweat after terrifying
dreams He becomes prey 10 hallucina,ons'
His power OF exer,ion and all vital strength go on
decreasing until he becomes demented. Sometimes
this sad end preceded by convulsive crises ana IN
the case OF women by paralysis OF the lower limbs
These are the extreme results OF the immoderate
use OF alcohol. It exists In France described IN
the scientific order OF their occurrence. There are
more common effects from the lighter abuse OF alco-
hol These are obesity which is sometimes followed
by premature old age. when the person becomes
lean again: a predisposition to tubercuous disease.
and worst OF ALL a transmission OF these and other
evils to the drinkers children. The latter are es-
pecialy likely in their turn to become slaves OF
drink and different forms OF nervous convulsion'
and even malformations OF the brain accompanied
by diocy are sometimes their inheritance
Dr. Legran. who is physcian-in-chief OF the
asylum at ville-Evrard. established by the city
OF Paris for the OF acohoicaly Insane brought
forward the statistics OF the last forty years 10 Illus
trate this scientific statement OF facts From 1884
TO 1866 the number OF inmates at the male asylum
doubled From 1872 to 1888 the total insanity OF
Paris rose from 1900 400. This increase con-
tnues But in 1889 the number OF the alcoholically
insane had doubled in only fifteen years From 1880
1857 the increase was p per cent In s one
due TO alcoholism. At the great general asylum OF
Sante Anne. IS per cent OF the men are alcohoncrs
pure alcoholic madness Six years ago the proper
ton only Y per cent lot the men anu LOT tls
come after alcoholic excess. the percentage becomes
80 for the men and 10 for the women In me DE-
partment OF the Lower Seine. cases Of alcoholism
have more than doubled during the last thrty-hve
years. They reach "a per cent OF the total H.
sanity among women Among the men the proper
ton In six years has increased from IA TO ~ per
cent s.
ments where the abuse Of alcohol Is comparatively
rare In the asylum OF La Rochelle the number OF
the insane has remained without perceptible increase
for many years Only 10 per cent are attributed to
alcoholism. Other departments show tnat ihsanlIy'
cohollsm like its shadow. The other causes OF mad
seem TO change but little ,,... a.ho,.d ~,
Or Iegrain are more interesting out OF Slt
children OF alcoholics observed by him S22 or ~
per cent we're 'degenera,es" OF these. II per cent
were epleptc and hysterca BY adding the IA
who had not the strength to survive from weak,
ness often found such children. the percentage OF
victims rises to 81. entirely physical with the excep-
ton OF II per cent taken from distinct mora per
versity. The number OF children VINO themselves
Two German physicians described their expert
mens of the ineligenc@ Herr smith director
OF the private asylum az Marbach took doses OK
from forty eighty grammes OF absolute alconoL
Herr Flrer, Of the clinic OF mental pathology IN
Heidelberg absorbed three-qrarters Of a litre OF
vent through various exercises OF memory
and other intellectual tasks. They discovered not
Un nn,l FOR these operations bu, they also did
recover their normal activity for week Inc ume
necessary for physiological reactions was also Cd
served 70 have augmented. the hand not contract
ing regularly when pricked .,..,.. ,...or,
member Of the reforming societies present;
hearing these cold statements OF science, said i
wish this were over. so we could come TO something
practcal" -probaby 10 speech-maRihg
A GRATED SNAKE.