The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-11-16
They ARE
NOT FUNNY.
Young Men Should Be Taught
That Drunkenness
Is Not a Joke, but a Sign of
Disease.
NERVES ARE DECAYING
When a Man Really Wants to
Get Drunk.
A Hospital Recommended For
Cure of DipsOmaniacs
BY a Number of the Leading
Physicians.
Is Not a Joke, but a Sign of
Disease.
NERVES ARE DECAYING
When a Man Really Wants to
Get Drunk.
4 Hospital Recommended For
Cure of DipsOmaniacs
BY a Number of the Leading
Physicians.

The universal opinion among the
physicians of Topeka is that an in
ebriate hospital should be established
here. There is none in Kansas.
In the eastern state such hospitals are
conducted the same as the state insane
asylums and the process of obtaining
admittance for a patient is governed
by law. The dipsomaniac reaches the
stage where he has a morbid and uncon-
troIIabIe craving for liquor and the last
hope for him is a hospital, not jail
In the cases of dipsosis the excessive
desire to drink is produced by disease
and can only be successfully treated
and cared for in a hospital A person
with dipsosis, if thrown in Jail, cries and
begs for a drink. It is denied him and
he is nearly frantic for the stimulant
his body and mind demands. If he were
taken to an inebriate hospital he would
be gradually weaned from his desire
to drink and moral suasion and normal
suggestion would do as much as the
medical treatment to aid him in throw
ing off the disease for chronic aicouOl-
ism is conceded by nine out OF ten
physicians to be a disease. On TINS
question DR.. S. G. Stewart says;
drunkenness is a disease and should
be treated as such. Many persons have
periodical DRINKS and some drink con-
tinualIy. These need different forms of
treatment. The Kelley cure did great
deal of good. Young men who go on a
spree for a fancied good time would
not be benefited by the Kelley cure or
any other such mode of treatment, Dut
when a person becomes habltual
drinker and feels the degradation of his
position the cure does good and he is re
lieVed from the oppression we Shoulu
have inebriate asylums. we nave none
and therefore some cases are sent 10
the insane asylum for treatment as
there is no other place"
DR. c. F. Menninger says: Drunk
enness is a disease as much as meIan-
cholia or any of the mental or psychic
disturbances of the mind The cause
of inebriety varies. Different persons
have different depraVed' appet1teS and
other passions. There are those who
gormandize, and those who gamble
From my study class inebrlety as an
abnormal appetite and it should re
ceiVe medical treatment instead OF De
ing handled by law. Laws can lessen
the chances for forming the habit but
hospitals should treat the habit after y
is formed.
desire for drink any more than perfect
we'll person has any desire to take his
own life. but it is when he is unhealth-
full and weak that the habit takes hold
of his system and then he needs medi-
cal treatment. DipsOmania has been
successfully treated and cured Gala
Vardin, the French author on d1pSO-
mania, is full of suggestions and helps
on the subject and holds that the dis
ease can be successfully treated. A
person can have a disease of the pas
sions as well as mental disease. The
mind is divided into three divisions, the
intellect sensibility and the will. There
are diseases of the three the same as
diseases of the physical body and laws
should be made to sustain the ones who
are weak. There should be laws to pro-
tect such cases against themselves as
we'll as to keep them from injuring So
avoid
should be provided and for the treat
ment of such cases after they are de-
veloped we should have an inebriate
hospital where dipsOmaniacS could be
cared for the same as any other pa
tients who have psychic or mental dis
eases.
This is a subject that is less under
stood and followed than any other
Before a great many years hospitals for
the cure of all psychic diseases will be
esta blished.''
DR.. ]. 6. NTulvane said: "Tn some
cases of inebriety the habit is brought
on by heredity and in others it is ac-
quired. Which ever way it is brought
about I am in favor of hospital treat
ment for those cases where such treat
ment would do some good. With the
habitual drinker the hospital treatment
would do good, but with the one that
goes on an occasional spree for the
pleasure of it hospital treatment would
not do as much good as a Jail sentence,
for in that case the person who gets
drunk does it with the idea of having
a hilarious time. In the case of the
habitua1 drinker it has become a dis
ease and should be treated a such"
DR.. L. H Mum says: "A true in
ebriate is like an epileptic and can no
more control himself than can a person
with epilepsy or any other circular dis
ease An inebriate is like an insane
person and should be treated in hos
pital where his case could properly be
treated. Like an insane person it would
be the best for himself and the best for
the community that he be taken care of
and kept in seclusiOn. Inebriety is on
the border line between drunkenness
and insanity. Just where the line is
to be drawn is hard to say. AS a, class.
inebriates are to be pitied as few of US
know what they have to contend with.
When one promises to reform he is as
sincere in his pledge as an epileptic and
he can not more govern himself as to
having fits. Drunkenness is a disease
just like periodical insanity and for the
patients own good he should be kept
in an asylum where he can receive
proper treatment"
Mr.. J. w. Gleed, a man who has pro-
badly studied intemperance as much as
any man in Topeka because of his
asked if he looked on drunkenness as
disease
Il think that it is a disease unques-
tonably, and believe in treatment as a
remedy 1 feel that the system of fines
does not do as much good as is expect
ed of it. but still I am in favor of deal
ing with drunkardS severely as it I'M
dOubtedly proves a correction to some.
In my opinion there are several differ
ent classes of drunkards. There are the
men whom the law affects and who will
avoid drink to some extent at least be-
Of Faa ole