The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1907-04-27
TREATING ALCOHOLISM AS A DISEASE.

In our front page copied, last week. from
the Literary Digest article on alcoholism. The
writer, presumably doctor, gave his lay readers
to understand that after fifty years of experiment
tation, wranglng, vituperation and endless discus
sion the doctors have not yet come to an agree
ment touching the therapeutic properties of al
cohol its effect on diseased conditions of the
heart when administered in small doses. At last
the profession has arrived at an almost unanimous
verdict that the drunkard and the periodic "spree-
er" are sufe-ing from an almost incurable disease.
From Great Britain there comes a very interest
ing report by DR.. Braithwaite, Inspector under the
British Inebriates' Act. The document clearly
proves that the official and the scientific views and
the opinions of men of common sense on drunken
agree in regarding the victim as diseased per
and not a criminal. With us the drunkard
is legally a criminal and municipalities treat him
such. One of the points on which DR.. Brath-
waite insists will hardly be welcomed by prohib-
ton orators its tendency is to weaken the force
of of their stock arguments. That poverty,
disease and mental instability largely to be at
tributed to drunkenness is a favorte text for tenn
perance sermons DR.. Braithwaite is of the opinion
that heavy drinking is not 50 much the cause of
these conditions as their effect. 1t is often BOTH
but more frequently the latter. This position is IN
harmony with the contention that drunkenness is
itself disease. Worry, care disappointment, sleep
lessness, chronic indigestion, failure in expecta-
lions, sorrow and melancholy conspire to drag man
down, to produce nervous degeneration and con-
dition of the system leading to recklessness, to
stimulants or narcotics. After man has met with
great humiliation or has failed in his business or
IN in
drink is very strong and when poverty becomes the
companion of weakened mentality, drunkenness is
very often inevitable Very likely in an earlier per
iod in our social and commercial development con-
VITALITY was more often a cause than an effect OF
failure in life. Then tipping fashionable, it
was in fact social custom and almost universal,
and man might become slave to the habit before
his friends noticed anything very wrong. To-day
when total abstinence or at least moderation is
an absolute essential to success in business or the
professions man can hardly make the first step
without scandalizing his friends or damaging his
prospects, To be drunk, or rather to be seen drunk
is to be disgraced and stern and earnest will be the
protests and warnings that employers or friends
will utter. Thanks to this public and private SEN
timent thousands are saved who, in earlier days,
would be permitted to GO on till salvation became
impossible In discussing DR.. Braithwaite's report
the medical experts of Great Britain think it is not
wise to push the arguments on and effect to
extremes That is to say. it would be just as alb
surd to consider every who gets drunk as an
interesting invalid as it is to treat every
crime This is also the common sense view, and it |
is so obvious that it should hardly need to be point
ed out. However we have far to go before we are
in danger of erring in maudlin sympathy for the
inebriate We continue to send him to Jail, and