The New York herald., 1922-01-05
FINDS BEER NEEDED
TO FIGHT BAD RUM
DR.. Gregory Shows Jump in
Alcoholic Cases at Belle
vue in 1921.
AGAINST PROHIBITION
Hospital Expert Has Had
UneQualed Chance to
Study Drink Evil.
LIQUOR MENTAL REFUGE
Intoxication Motive Must Be
Eased and Replaced, Is
Physicians Theory.

IL SlClOlI AOVAys
DR.. Menas s. Gregory, director oi
psychopathic and alcoholic service OF
Bellevue Hospital, who probably more
than any other man in New York has
been in a position to see the effects oi
bootleg liquors on men and women
expressed the conviction yesterday
that beer and light wines would dc
more to solve the prohibition question
in this country than all the efforts al
enforcement which have been at
tempted in the last two years.
DR.. Gregory gave out figures show
been admitted to Bellevue in 1921, as
compared with 2,091 for 1920. The Vol
stead act went into effect on January
16, 1920, and the Mullan-Gage law on
April A, 1921
A large majority Of the cases
treated in the last two years were OF
men and women who previously we're
not considered inebriates. Few of the
old styled "soaks" have been in Belle
vue in this period, according to DR.
Gregory.
DIR. Gregory said that no comparison
could be made OF liquor drinking in the
enforcement period and pre-prohibition
days He said both men and women go
to the hospital literally wild from
drugged and impure liquor purchased at
exorbtant prices from Illicit sources. In
pre-prohibition days. he said. good
whisky was available and intoxicated
persons easily could be relieved Of their
sufferings in a short time. Now they
face death, mental and physical harm
and other. perhaps permanent. ailments
from overindulgence.
No Substitute for Alcohol.
In advocating lawfully regulated beer
and light wines as a possible solution
DIR. Gregory said:
"The 'inebrinte who has been deprived
90 alcohol without an adequate substi-
tute to satisfy the intoxicaticn motive
may, to use the Scriptural words, be
visited by seven additional spirits more
wicked than the previous one. VINO find
ing 1t unoccupied. enter and dwell In him
and the last state OF man is worse than
the first
with complete prohibition it must be
admitted that many individuals whose
conflicts are more or less on the sur
face would be able to adjust themselves,
but many others with deeply seated mall
adjustments and insufficient endow.
ments may descend to lower levels unless
we afford some substitute. With the
adjustment of the saloon something
should be offered in its place which can
fulfill whatever psychological service 1t
has rendered. Its socializauon. its
flights, its escapes,
TT is doubted II prohibition will ever
be effective. unless some substitute is
offered, for In legislating against the
alcohol habit we are attacking that
which is based on instinct itself. 1t Is
not the motive at the root Of inebriety
that must be done away with. but the
inebricty 1t is not the intoxication mo-
tive that is an accident. but the alcohol;
or more properly speaking. process
of evolution which has, been IN many
vays beneficial. but outlived Its use-
funess.
IT do not forward any new theory
nor suggest any new magical remedy
for the solution OF the problem or In.
cbriety. After many years or personal
contact with these cases and much
thought I mako the plea for sye
tematic and correlated study OF all the
phascs of inebriety. and I particularly
emphasize the mental and psychological
side of the problem.
"Alcohol and intoxicants. by reason
Of the peculiar state of n'nd they pro-
d,ice. have been utilized by men as one
Of the means Of refuge from the reaii'
ties of life. The action OF alcohol on
the human mind Is that OF great ais
rocia.or of function: II reduces man to
his elemental principles. II thus changes
Tor man the outside world. It pushes
facts md verities away from conscious.
ness. II enables the individual to get
awav from the realities. II artificially
creates n now world in which the pleas
IRE instincts have full sway unre-
strained by the control of intelligence
Rcer and Wine the Solution.
"rrhe treatment Of the inebriate as an
,pd;v,dunl can never be successful unless
enc larger Issue OF inebriety as a COM
munitv problem Is also attacked. The
most important question in connection
With this is, OF course, prohibition. No
effort however systematic. can ever
succeed in the control Of inebriety willis
saloons are operative.
'T have personally observed patients
In whom cessation fraom drinking was
Immediately followed by mental dcpres-
sion. and on the other hand. ] have
noted many patients In whom the at
tocks of maniac depression. when associ-
"a. of a.
tion and the recurrence of these attacks
in the same Individual. when unassoci-
ated with alcohol In some cases have
been OF much longer duration.
'T am not advocating alcohol as a
preventive OF insanity. but endeavoring
to emphasize very strongly that inebrlety
cannot be overcome simply by withhold
ing the alcohol. IL can only be destroyed
nv being replaced the intoxication mo.
tive must find another outlet.
IL expressed similar views back in the
early part of 1917. and In view Of the
DEVELOPMENTS since prohibition became
effective am still OF the samo opinion
am against the corner saloon In oil Its
phases. In view of the alcoholic poison
eases being brought almost daily to my
attention as the result OF drinking bad
LIQUOR / believe that beer and light
wines. we'll regulated by the Govern
ment. might tend to solve a somewhat
difficult problem"
Or. Gregory gave out table OF the
number Of men and women treated ri
Bellevue since the beginning OF 1914
and up TO January OF this year. The
figures in the pre-prohibitive days show,
a large increase compared with those
given since the vcistead act became
operative.