Evening star., 1947-08-06

That nauSeated the drinkers without killing
them.
I'VE thought we had discovered something
new" said DR.. Williams in relating his expert
ence, but when went to the library I found
that group of doctors in Seattle sanitarum
had been working on it for some time"
The Seattle sanitarium work was under the
direction OF DR.. w. L. Voegtlin and had been
reported in the Journal of the American Med
ical Association, the Yale Quarterly on Alco-
holic Studies and other publications. It care
fully follows the lessons Of Pavlov's experience
with the dog.
The low rate OF recovery among the Keeley
patients, wrote Dr. Voegtlin, should not dis
credit conditioned-reflex therapy. It is true
that Keeley administered apromorphine in
whisky to cause aversion. But this was long
before Pavlov's work was translated. Condi-
tioning reflex calls for careful following
OF the masters experience. Pavlov had noted
there was no response when bell of different
tone was rung. So, after patient Is condi-
toned against whisky, he must be conditioned
In turn against gin, rum and brandy.
DR.. Voegtlin wrote that it is necessary to
bring all the senses into play. The dispensing
room is darkened and silent. A spotlight shows
the bottle with the favorite label. The only
sounds are the tinkling of the glass and the
gurgling as tine drink is poured. The only
odor is the familiar smell of whisky
No Psychotherapy Used.
The patient has not eaten for number of
hours. He is given injections of emetine hydro
chloride and pilocarpine. The second drug
makes the first more effective. In two to eight
minutes he is due to become violently i'll. It
is then that full drink of undoctored whisky
is given him. 1t Is the trigger that sets of
the explosion
The method was effective, DR.. Voegtlin wrote,
even when the patient knew that he was due
to get sick If he had not drunk the whisky. But
the whole effect was spoiled if the sickness
struck the patient before he drank 1t.
No psychotherapy was used. That Is the
physicians made no attempt to help the pa
tients by talking to thern-by presenting them
with all the facts concerning their situation
in the hope that they might be able to reason
their way out of behavior pattern that had
become labyrinth. And there was no follow
up such as the brotherhood of Alcoholics Anon
ymous carries on in allowing members to save
themselves by saving others, or the Yale Clinic
provides in being ready to attempt to help its
discharges by consultation whenever their
problem becomes too large for subjective solu-
tion Apparently the Seattle method Is an
attempt to correct alcoholism by the purely
scientific method of conditioning a reflex
against it.
Departing from DR.. Voegtlin again, 1t would
be possible to condition reflex against drink
ing by hitting man en- the head every time
he took drink. But, once the club was re-
moved the brain would reason the head clear
of such a reflex much more quickly than the
brain Is able to reason the stomach out of its
misgivings. Once a man conditioned by the
club got In a friendly tavern, he would say I'm
going to have a drink of whisky because no
one is going to hit me here" He would down
the whisky but he would involuntarily duck.
DR.. Voegtlin reported that the Seattle treat
ment daily or more often over period OF 80
days, plus "reconditioning" single treatments
a month or two apart over a period of year,
had obtained remarkable results. OF 1,100
patients checked, 80 per cent were still absti-
nent after two years, and so per cent after
four years.
DR.. Williams read the report with great inter-
est. He was determined to work out method
of conditioning alcoholics as part of q broader
program Of therapy.
(Tomorro,U: HoD the 10ork ,Dds carried on
at Freednen,s.l