The Republican., 1900-09-13
ALCOHOLIC HEREDITY.
History of a Family of Eight Chill
dren, Whose Father Was n
Hard Drinker.

haru DFtnkeE.
can possibly better illustrate what
the term nervous diathesis means by
detailing the history of neurotic
family. Its father was a man of vig-
orous personality, strong of brain
and in excellent bodily health. From
early manhood, in order to more cas-.
lily accomplish his work, he had i'm
dulged excessively in alcoholic stimu.
lants, yet never to the extent of in
toXication. The mother was a gen.
tlewoman of delicate, nervous Or
ganization, and refined mental tenn
permanent, worrying over trities, eX-
citable, and. at times, suffering from
the milder forms of hysteria. A fam
lily of eight children was born to
them. In childhood high and fire.
quent fevers without adequate cause
were observed. Their dentition was
frequently complicated by commissions,
and, at the age of two years, epilepsy
developed in one of the children. An
other child, delicately nodded, and ex-
tremely precocious, could read at the
age of three, and displayed consider
able ability as a musician. She was
sent to school when six, and was soon
regarded as an infant phenomenon,
advancing rapidly in her studies. She
failed to develop physically, and early
suffered from astigmatism. At the
age of -, owing possibly to a slight
fright, she became choreic, improved,
relapsed at the end of three months,
and finally recovered except for slight
habit spasms. A third child, appar-
emily normal and giving but little evil
dence of any unusual nervous or phys
ical disturbance, yet developed a
megrim at the age of 16. Another
daughter had always shown certain
weakness of body, a poor appetite,
digestive disturbances and constipa-
ton. Puberty developed late, and the
body remained i'll nourished. Like the
mother she was nervous. and, at
times, morbid. An unhappy marriage
and the too frequent bearing of chill
dren resulted in a permanent melan-
cholia. The oldest boy was fairly
bright, but proved decidedly unruly in
the school, and refused a university
education. He worked faithfully and
untiringly, and rose to the head of
large business establishment, mani
Testing no bodily or mental peculiar
ity. The second son was excellently
endowed. At an early age he exhib-
tied marvellous activity, rapidly pass
ing through the various grades of the
common schools, and entered the uni
versity when barely 16. His univer-
sity course was most brilliant. He
was the honor man of his class, was
an excellent debater, and led in re-
ligious work. What was given him
to do he did well, but his mentality
was one of doubt, and he could not
decide upon his life work. He went
to Harvard for postgraduate
course, then to Germany. While
there he found brain concentration
impossible, worried much over trivial
affairs, and became very respondent.
There soon developed serious stomach
arrangements, and he suffered great
ly with intestinal dyspepsia. He re-
turned to his home depressed, over
whelmed with morbid fears, incapable
of prolonged mental efforts, and re-
mains a confirmed neurasthenic. An
other son, with very much the same
history, studied law, rose rapidly in
his profession, and, except for occa-
sional dipsomaniac outbreaks, is fair
ly successful. The fourth son was
not bright, took but little interest in
his studies, shirked when possible, left
school at an early age, consorted with
evil companions, and seemed unable
to comprehend his moral delinquen-
cies, wandered from place to place,
gambling and dissipating, and finally
became a confirmed criminal. In this
family group only one became insane.
The reason for this development the
family could not possibly conceive,
honestly denying insane heredity, yet
every member of the family, except
one, presented either physical or men
tai stigmata of egeneration.-Dr.
Robertson, in Occidental Medical
Times