Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-03-08

they are often quite sick and miser-
able. This Is due to the fact that
chemically they are very sensitive, or.
in other words, cannot stand" the
pollens.
In the study Of Allergy it was dis
covered that In much the same way
many people are sensitive to various
foods and often to very ordinary,
everyday foods. like butter or milk or
potatoes or fish or it may involve any
kind Of food. When the persons who
is sensitive to some particular article
Of food eats or drinks that food he is
made very sick. Physicians can dis
cover the foods to which . person Is
sensitive by a simple method Of vac
cinating him with the extracts Of
various foods.
Some people are sensitive or allergic
to alcohol. Even more important
than the fact that some individuals
are chemically sensitive to alcohol in
the tissues of their bodies Is the fact
that some men and women cannot
stand" alcohol mentally. They are 80
constituted that alcohol. and some
times in small quantities, does things"
and very serious things to their minds
and to their personalities. In other
words, they are mentally sensitive or
allergic to alcohol. Now, there is
nothing at all humiliating or disgrace
full about this. 1t does not mean that
there is any weakness of the mind.
1t is much like the person who cannot
eat peas or fish or Strawberries or
something else without becoming sick
and certainly no sensible person would
think there was anything humiliating
or disgraceful about that. Unfor-
tunately there are no chemical tests
or vaccinations by means Of which
we can detect whether a person is
mentally sensitive or allergic to al
| cohol.
However. a great deal may be
learned by observing the behavior of
an individual when be is drinking.
After all, there Is some measure Of
truth in the old saying, In vino
veritas." In some sense it is true
that the truth Is in wine. and alcohol
may lift the lids Of our minds 10 that
latent or hidden things reveal them
selves. Naturally. there are dif1icult
and unpleasant traits in all of us.
Usually they are kept beneath the
surface and are 50 carefully checked
and under control, that we may
scarcely realize that they are a part
OF us. In those who have a mental
sensitiveness or allergy to alcohol, such
| traits are very likely to come quickly
to the surface under its influence
This does not mean at all that these
people are in reality unpleasant. mean
or dangerous in their characters. It
simply means that on account Of the
mental allergy. alcohol brings to the
surface and releases certain types Of
behavior which. though they exist in
most people, yet do not display them
selves excepting rarely under great
provocation.
Probably you know some one who,
when he has had too much alcohol,
always wants to fight. There are
people who, under the influence of
even moderate amounts Of alcohol. BE-
come aggressive. pugnacious and even
dangerous. Without alcohol these
same individuals are often well be-
haved end even pleasant. but. appar-
emily. they have such a marked emo
tional allergy to alcohol that, under
its influence. they act as though every
one In the environment were hostile
and ininical toward them. There was,
in my practice. . man who became
dangerous after imbibing even small
quantities Of alcohol. Finally in one
of these states he committed murder.
Less dangerous but equally unpleas-
ant Is that form of alcoholic allergy
in which the individual becomes sullen
and anti-social. No doubt you have
been present at some social occasion
at which the whole party was spoiled
by the rude and insulting behavior Of
one Of the guests after he had taken q
I few drinks.
! Another reaction is indicated by the
fact that certain drinkers. even
though their drinking may not be ex-
cessive, tend to retire into a deep and
brooding melancholia. 1t Is difficult
to understand why this group Of
people wants to drink at all, since, 1T
least as far as can be observed, the
drinking does not produce light-heart-
edness or any ability to enter into the
fun, but only an enveloping gloom