The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-06-15
Recent Medical Contributions to the
Alcohol Question.


The Association of Abstaining Ger.
man Physicians issues at frequent in.
tervals a circular of medical news on
subjects relating to the alcohol ques.
ton, taken mostly from medical jour-
nails. The last number (January,
1910 includes a number Of subjects
bearing upon practical relations OF
alcohol to everyday life. ~
Medical Use of Alcohol.-The prac,
tice of keeping alcoholic liquors In
the house for use in sickness, and es'
pecially during confinement, receives
] fresh encouragement from DR.. RE
: del, of Bremen, who says that the
time of alcohol treatment for these
cases has gone by. 1--WE have come
generally to the knowledge that the
benefit does not outweigh the harm"
A Factor in Determining Insurance
Claims.-The injurious effect Of alco-
hol upon those especially who have
suffered accidental injuries, particu.
larly where the nervous system Is
affected. Is considered from the stand
point of the medical examiner for &C
cident insurance companies by DR..
Auerbach. In fixing the degree OF
loss of earning capacity sustained by
a claimant it will make a marked
difference whether he uses alcohol OF
not, for even moderate drinking Is
very injurious for those suffering
from disabling accidents or nervous
disorders.
There may be a difference Of opin.
ion as to whether one would have
the right to demand that a workman
entitled to indemnity live in such q
way as to maintain his money-earn.
ing capacity steadily at the highest
point. Thus far the National German
Insurance Company has avoided any
expression of opinion in this matter
but DR.. Auerbach thinks it is time tc
force a decision by giving two esti.
mates of the loss sustained, based
upon two courses Of living
Alcohol as a Cause of Crime.-The
responsibility of alcohol for crime re.
ceived strong confirmation at the
session of the French Academy OF
Medicine occurring October 6, 1903.
from DR.. Vallon, who in an official
capacity during the last twenty years
has had to examine ISL individuals
who were indicted for murder or at.
tempts to murder, and he found that
more than a third Of the men were
suffering from alcohol poisoning
acute or chronic.
DR.. Vallon added that the influence
Of alcohol upon the deed OF murder
appeared greater If the progenitors,
not simply the n actually or person.
ally poisoned by alcohol, were stud.
led. After citing two typical cases OF
murder committed in a state of in.
t~oxication, DR.. Vallon closed with the
reiteration that alcoholism is the
chief cause of crime.
Alcohol-Epilepsy.-An article on
Alcohol-Epilepsy brings out the TACT
that there are cases resembling this
disorder where alcohol is only the
determining factor in a latent pre-
disposition due to hereditary inf1u-
ence or injury to the skull In infancy
q But where no such predisposltlon
exists alcohol may cause epilepsy, n
this is to be distinguished from alco-
hol-epilepsy in the narrower sense
where the attacks occur in connection
with a drinking bout and disappear
during abstinence, and also from the
constitutional or habitual epilepsy OF
the drinker where the alcohol mas
caused such changes in the brain that
no further repetition is necessary to
bring on an attack.
The combination of delirium tre-
mems and alcohol-epilepsy is so COM
mon that the coincidence cannot be
looked upon as accidental; it is o
probable that these diseases stand I'D
a causal relation to each other.