The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1916-01-25
SCIENTISTS
Trying To Discover VIII
Liquor Makes Men
See Snakes
(Journal American Medical
Association)

result of overindulgence In alcohol is |
well understood. But how does such |
overindulgence act? And why should |
some hard drinker never see snakes"
while other and much milder victims |
visualize them to such a degree that
loss of life follows Theories of de-
lirium tremens are not wanting; but
they are so many as to indicate that
the truth is yet undiscovered in its
completeness. There appears to be
an interesting, though disquieting, sea
son for revival of research in the sub
Jest pjust now. The writer tells us
that since the Harrison narcotic law
went into effect many drug habitues,
having exhausted their supply and
failing to obtain more, have turned to
alcohol as a substitute. In some who
had been drinking for years the sud
den and marked increase in the
amount of liquor consumed has led to
the frequent occurrence Of delirium
tremens. After noting that chronic
alcoholic poisoning produces we'll
known changes in the central and
peripheral nervous system" he adds,
in substance:
las yet, however, no changes have
been found in the brain which explain
why man who has been drinking for
years suddenly develops a delirium
which runs a definite course of from
three to five days or even longer.
1T has been thought that delirium
tremens is an acute infection occur
ring in chronic alcoholics Neverthe
less, many cases run their entire
course without fever, and Nome
found blood-cultures negative in Is
consecutive cases examined by him.
Doellken believes that continued drink
ing of alcohol results in the produc-
ton of poisonous substance in the
brain itself, and that an accumulation
| or concentration of this substance
| produces delirium tremens. Jacob
son explains the delirium as an autoin-
| toxication, the toxin arising from the
pneumococcus gaining entrance
through the liver, the kidney, or the in
testinal tract, and acting on brain
which has been poisoned over a long
period of time by alcohol. The view
of Hertz differs from this in that the
supposed poison which precipitates
the delirium comes from an insufficient
cy on the part of the kidney. Accord
ing to Bonhoeffer chronic altera-
ton in the intestinal tract is responsi-
BILE for the elaboration of poison which
is normally excreted through the
lungs. Wagner Won Jauregg believes
that the liver, rather than the lungs,
is the organ which fails to eliminate
the poison, and he thinks that this fail
ure is due to the changes occurring
in the liver in chronic alcoholism.
Kaufman has asserted that this poi
son is carbon-derivative acting on a
medulla altered as a result of chrome
alcoholism He believes that the delir-
ium will persist until the production of
this carbon-derivative stops"
All of these theories presuppose a
poisoned central nervous system. 1t
has been objected, however, that many
chronic drinkers never suffer delirium.
1t has been suggested that different
poisons may result from excessive
drink and that only one of these may
| 5o1i,,;,,x,,
There are, however, still other theo-
ries:
"The possibility that delirium is due
. to an increase in the pressure and
amount of the spinal fluid has recently
been considered. Jauregg, of Vienna
assumes that the body of the chronic
alcoholic protects itself by the produc
ton of an anti-alcohol which is of the
nature of an antitoxin. When a hard
drinker suddenly stops taking alco
hol this antialcoholic substance, hav
: ing no alcohol to which to atfix itself
: acts on the body in such manner as
: to produce delirium tremens. Hare
3 maintains that the development of de
3 lirium is due to a sudden fall in the
!, amount of alcohol circulating in the
!. blood of alcoholics. His evidence is
:. drawn from a study of rs cases, In
l. nearly all of which there was grea'
# reduction in the amount of alcohol alb
# sorbed prior to the onset of delirium
Il Numerous objections have beer
0 raised to each of these theories. The
views concerning poisons and auto
intoxications have been vigorously
attacked because there is as yet NJ
d definite proof that a poison is elaoor
& ated. There are already adversarie'
IS to the recent notions concerning al
increased pressure of the spinal hul'
and the fall of alcohol in the circular
ing blood, all of which indicates tina
much work remains to be done befor'
+ha final answer to the problem II