The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1903-09-03
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DRINK AND INSANITY.
Almost Every Country Now RccOg-
nizcs the Relation of the Former
to the Latter.

The Medical Record. of New York, in an
editorial summarizes the facts OF the
situation of the drink problem in the
following suggestive manner: Almost
every country Of the world is taking up
the drink question. The authorities
III some lands have become seriously
alarmed at the inroads which the I'M
bTiGled consumption OF alcohol has
made. and is making, into the prosper
ity, health and morals OF their people.
In France the unrestricted sale OF
alcoholic beverages has already brought
forth dire results. Prominent French
physicians have begun crusade
against the drink habit. In Russia the
excessive drinking among the peas
antry has impelled the government to
step IN and take control of the sale OF
spiritIOus liquors. Although in Amer
lea drinFing has never been go common
nor carried TO such extent as in Europe
yet even here statistics tell us that there
has been a decided increase in the con-
sumption of alcohol. Great Britain has
always had an unpleasant reputation as
dicted to strong drink on a large scale,
and it still, in this respect. maintains
its position in the front rank"
DR.. Robert Jones, medical superin-
tendent of Claybury lunatic asylum,
London, published a short time ago
paper treating of drink with regard to
the production of insanity. Referring
to statistics bearing upon this matter, he
said: There are probably at the pres
ent time no less than 10000 certified
insane persons in England and Wales
alone, OF whom approximately about
10000 are males and 10000 females.
If the iunacy commissioners Blue Book
for England and Wales be consulted, the
proportiOnate percentage of instances
in which alcohol has been assigned as
the cause of insanity TO the yearly aver
age number admitted into asylums in
the eve years. 1S95-1900 inclusive, is
2l.S for males and 9.5 for females-the
proportion is much higher in Scotland
and after allowing for the deaths
OF those whose form of insanity is
more Immediately fatal than those
caused by alcohol, there are, believe.
upon the lowest computation. remain
ing in asylums at the present time. no
less than 10000 males and $500 females
who are mentally decrepit through the
effects of alcohol. During the time that
the London county councils asylum at
Claybury has been opened, from 1893 to
the end of 1901-a period of less than
nine years-S,4 93 patients have been adj
mitted, of whom 212 per cent. of the
males and 1876 of the females were def
nitcly ascertained to owe their insan-
1ty 20 drink, total OF over 500 men and
594 women who were thus rendered in
capable of productive work through
their own acts For the whole of Lon
don during the period of 1S93-1901,
1859 men and 1877 women were re-
ceiyed INTO asylums who owed their in
sanity to alcoholic intemperance
Chronic alcoholism, according to DR.
Jones, implies an altered nutrition of
all the tissues, particularly parenchy-
matOus elements and epithelium, such
as that of the blood-vessels, causing
thic; ening and ultimately fbroid
changes. 1t has been stated to be one
OF the special causes of dementia para
lytica. II certainly is one of the most
important elements IN the strain which
predisposes to this breakdown and it is
most fertile source of nervous disease
Tie degeneration of the tissues conse-
quent upon the altered nutrition is so
general and far-reaching that the re-
suttiHS symptoms are of most protean
rG-Wc. Attempts lave been made to
difer2ntiate these according to the par
ticIlar form Of alcohol taken, such as
wines, beers, spirits, liquors. etc, but
the distinction is less psychical than
physical and the symptoms consist in
the greater frequency of convulsive dis
charges from such as absinthe, of anal
eesia from wines. ard of hyperalgesia
from essences. The liver of the spirit
drinEer is familiar, as also the gross
fatty changes in beer-drnkers.
ae writer points out many different
CO.. a:dCrations presenting themselves in
regard to symptoms, such as: % the
diatGesis. idiosyncrasy, or the inherit
anCa Of the individual. An Inheritance
OF insanity is found in about SO per
cent. OF all such cases admitted into
asvlHrs. Persons of neurotic inherit
anfe are predisposed to the incidence of
deliriun. small doses of alcohol giving
rise to marked unsteadiness and other
functional disturbances: in others the =
nervous system almost entirely escapes.
and the stress is left upon the liver and
kidneys. % Sex appears to have a
marked influence. for although alcoholic
Indulgence is most common among men,
women recidiyists are more common and
less durable. CD Elimination is a per-
sonal rector dependent upon the activ-
ity Of the various eXcretory organs, such
as the skin. Kidneys, lungs, etc, in any
particular individual. "a Exercise APP
pears also to influence the symptoms. as
life in the open air favors tolerance
Both men and women of sedentary hab-
its suiscr in comparison to the more
active and the more frequent incidence
OF peripheral neuritis in women is pro-
ably due to their indoor life 90 Ages
a modifying factor The period of
greatest incidence 30 the pernicious eff
fpcts of alcohol cOrresnonds closely with