Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-05-17
Liquor Cure
Sure TO Make
Tee+o+alers
Hypodermic Shot Kills
Taste for Stuff
By DAMON RUNY0N

WE WERE greatly interested
W IN a recent article in the
American Weekly about the en-
pcrience of a couple Of Seattle
physicians with a cure for the
liquor habit
II seems they give a subject a
hypodermic shot of something,
then invite him TO partake freely
of alcoholic beverages and the
result is he becomes Slcker than
a dog, the process being repeated
until he can scarcely bear the
sight of booze
This may be rather loose
statement of the thing. but we
believe it covers the general
idea. 1t reminds US of a liquor
cure that had some vogue in sew
eral cities years ago.
II was a three-day proposition
as opposed to the 30-day treat
ment of better known and
probably more efficacious cure
of the same period that had es-
Establishments all over the coun-
try. and a large clientele.
We remember the three-day
treatment as practiced in the
city of Denver, Colorado, be-
cause Joe Ward, the great city
editor of the Denver Post. rec
omended il to certain of his
police reporters who were some
what given 10 looking on the
wine when il was red, and also
on the whisky when it was the
curious pale pink of some of the
Larimer street ginneries.
WE n f We r saw whisky of
w such color anywhere else
the world.
1t cost 10 cents a half pint
and the theory was that ii was
hastily concocted of Platte River
water and nitric acid. A bottle
of this fluid dropped out of
reporters pocket one day and
landed on Joe Wards desk and
was shattered TO bits. a burst of
flame ensuing that consumed one
of Bide Dudley's poems which
was awaiting Joe'S peruSal.
1t was something of tragedy
as Bide never could remember
the poem afterwards. Nor was
it ever definitely determined
whether the fire was caused by
the acid or the Platte River
water.
This three-day liquor treat
ment was set up in former
rather pretentious dwelling
house in a residence section of
Denver. not far from the state
capitol building and about eight
minutes hard running in A bed
sheet to Otto Floto's saloon on
Welton street. next door to the
Orpheum Theater.
We fix the time by the fact
that it was the practice of the
patients. who were deprived of
their ordinary apparel on enter
ing the establishment, to Skinny
down the water pipes from the
second floor when assailed by
thirst and TO speed to Otto'S
wrapped in the house linen like
so many Mahatma Ghandis.
WE RECALL that three of
w them hit Otto's at the same
moment in the early hours
of a morning when a new bar
tender was on duty. and the
bartender, who had been sneak
ing a few himself during the dull
moments of his watch. tore out
of the joint thinking he was see
ing ghosts
His quick departure came in
the nature of windfall To the
+ patients. as it left them unham-
pered in the asSuagement OF
their thirst, or rather thirsts, by
such sordid considerations as the
cash register, until the day man
ager came on and chased them
out
Well. what do YOU think?
When they returned 10 the in
Stitutlon. they found a new pa
tent IN the person of the
bartender. who had come pound
ing at the doors in his apron
imploring admittance on the
ground that when a drinking
man commenced seeing more
than two ghosts at clip il was
time for him TO take a cure.
TiE 3O-day treatment in
Il cluded hypodermicS. but this
three-day thing consisted mainly
OF drains Of a greeniSh fluid that
turned the patient inside out,
and sometimes upside down
II was supposed TO divest the
patient of any further longing
for alcohol It took everything
else out of him. so there was no
reason to think il would not re-
move that. too.
We never heard the ultimate
result OF the experiment as d
whole.
Joe Wards recommendation
Of it was based entirely on
theory of journalistic expedi-
ency He felt that 30 days was
too long for his nrrpoee as a
cure because in that time the
startling news that he wanted
his police reporters TO gather
might be a bit stale. but the loss
of three days would not put
them too far behind their assign
mcntS.
He abandoned the idea when
he discovered that the reporters