The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1917-04-13
Doctors, Bridewel Superin-
tendent and Judges Join in
Pronouncing Alcohol a
Great Public Menace
SAY BIG MEN FALL VICTIMS
Judge Scully Says SO Percent Of
Insane, 95 Percent Of Paresis
Due to Alcohol
CALL IT DEADLY POISON

One OF the most remarkable discus
sions of the alcohol question ever
held was that of the Chicago Medical
Society on March 28 in the Auditor
ium Hotel of this city. The entire
evening was devoted to the considera-
tion of "The Role OF Alcohol in HUI
man Welfare" Addresses were
given by John L. Whitman, Superin-
tendcnt of the Bridewell, by Judge
Thomas + Scully OF the County
Court, and of the Psycopathic Hos
pital, by DR.. Charles +. Sceleth of
the Sceleth Hospital connected with
the Bridewell. by DR.. Bernard Fantus,
by DR.. Hugh T. Patrick, the eminent
nerve specialist, by Judge William N.
Gcmmill of the Municipal Court, by
DIR. Arthur NJ Corwin, and by DR..
John Dill Robertson, Health Commits
sioner of Chicago--all men of ma
tiona, sad ;rsernationalase laseputasienayi
These men, without exception,
branded the beverage traffic in alcohol
as a great human menace, declaring
it to be prolific cause of crime, dis
ease and death.
Whitman Says IS Per Cent of In
mates of Bridewell Suffer From
A1cnhoEcp,
Vt feel perfectly justified in saying"
says Superintendent Whitman of the
Bridewell, that fully Is per cent of
the inmates of the Chicago House of
Correction are suffering from alco-
Rolism. Fifteen per cent have passed
through the various stages and are
broken down physically and mentally
to the extent that they are useless
members OF society. Thirty per cent
are in an advanced stage of alcohol
ism. The doctors will tell you that
their chances of being rehabilitated
are not very good.
"Men OF prominence in this city
that | have known for many years
have not as yet reached the Is per
cent, but have made desperate
struggle to take advantage of what
has been offered in the way of treat
ment to stem the tide of degradation"
Mr.. Whitman added that in their
efforts to solve the problems pre-
scnted to the managers of penal in
stitutions to aid in bringing to better
citizenship the 10000 that arc COM
mitted every year, they have found
that these problems Cannot be
solved until the problem of alcohol
ism is solved"
DIR. Sceleth Says Prohibition Would
Reduce Police Cost so Per Cent
According to DIR. Sceleth, physician
to the Bridewell Hospital, IS per cent
of the cases in the hospital are alco-
holic; among these there are 200
deaths year.
II believe" says Dr. Sceleth, "that
dlCOilOl tOudy III tHC iOill Vi uiotiiiCu
liquor used as beverage is response
Bile for the reduction of more brain
capacity than all other causes COM
bined.
'I cannot estimate" he continued,
"the financial cost of the chronic alco-
holic to society, but if the govern
ment absolutely prohibited the manu-
facture of distilled liquors, believe
the work of our police department
and municipal courts would be cut in
half, and that the population of our
police stations, work houses, prisons
and reformatories would be reduced
SO per cent, our asylums rs per cent
and the poverty and misery of the
world rs per cent"
Others Give Same Testimony
Judge Scully, in his address, stated
that "as long as alcohol is manu-
factured in this country, so per cent
of the inmates of the insane asylums
will be there because of indulgence
in alcohol" Judge Scully based this