The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-08-05
CAUSES INSANITY.


anu Nervous system.
DR.. Bedford Pierce, medical super
| intendent of the York Retreat, England.
in recent article in the Medical
Pioneer, calls attention to some most
interesting and important facts in re-
latiOn to the effects of alcohol upon the
brain and nervous system. DR.. Pierce
| shows from statistics that more than
II per cent. of all cases of insanity in
England are due to alcohol, zoos per
| cent. of cases of insanity in men being
the result of alcohol, and 81 in women.
AT the Royal Edinburgh asylum, the
number of cases of alcoholic insanity
during the past IS years was 1874 per
cent. During "infuenza year" this
number was suddenly increased, doubt
less as the result of the extensive use of
alcohol as remedy for la grippe.
The effects of alcohol are shown to
be hereditary-at any rate as regards
idiocy and imbecility. We quote as fol-
lows from the article referred to:
"Dr. Howe, of Massachusetts. in ex-
aiming the antecedents of 300 idiots.
found that As per cent, were the chill
dren of habitual drunkards DR.. Beach,
out Of 430 patients in Darenth idiot asy-
lum, found 81 per cent similarly the
progeny of drunkards.
DIR. Legrain, in a recent work upon
Social Degeneration and Alcoholism
has published an account of the de-
scendants of $50 drunkards that he
personally has traced. This work shows
conclusively that in such families
very large number of the children die
young. and that the families rapidly
die out: that epilepsy, insanity and
other nervous disorders are extremely
common.
Before leaving this part of my pa
per, it may not be out of place to eX-
press the opinion that l consider the in
tiuence of alcohol upon the brain of in
tinitely greater Importance than its
influence upon the circulation or upon
other parts of the body. And it is on
This account that l regret that we have,
so far as l know, to look to Germany
for workers to elucidate the action of
alcohol and other drugs upon the mind
I'm England it is true that we have
heard of the watering of geraniums by
diluted solutions of alcohol. and of at
tcmptS to accustom Water-feas to live
in weak spirits and water; but we hear
that neither geraniums nor water
tlcas flourish. All this. however, is re-
mote from the problem in hand, and
the skeptical person is not convinced by
deductions drawn from such expert
ments. The work done by Prof. Kraep-
elm and his pupils in Heidelberg prom
ises to be Of very great Importance.
Unfortunately for us his book detail
ing his experiments and researches into
the mental phenomena produced by al
Cohol and other drugs has not been
translated into English
'Kraepelin has summed up his con-
illusions as to the action of alcohol in his
'Psvchologische Arbeitcn." He states
that experiment haa shown that the
idea that alcohol strengthens has
arisen from self-dece ton. Alcohol
only facilitates the discharge of motor
impulses. and does not make them more
powerful. If there is any strengthen
ing effect. any increase of power, it is
very transitory, and is quickly followed
by a pronounced diminution, which
takes some time to disappear. He goes
on to say: Moreover, the powers of
conception and Judgment are from the
beginning distinctly affected, although
we perceive nothing of it. The actual
facts are exactly the opposite to the
popular belief. must confess that my
own experiments, extending over more
than ten years, and the theoretical de-
auctions therefrom have made me an
opponent of alcoholic"
The observations of Prof. Kraepelin
agree exactly with experiments under
taken several years ago by the writer,
which clearly show that alcohol even
in moderate doses diminishes the acute
ness of all the perceptives, and the abil
ity of The brain to receive impressions
and to transmit impulses. Two ounces
of brandy lessened young mans lift
ing capacity more than 25 per cent.
Science gives no countenance to the use
of alcohol. even in the greatest modera
tiOn-COOd Health