Evening star., 1947-02-14
Yale's Alcoholic Clinic
Some Things Learned There Could Be Applied
in Writing Legislation for Washington
By George Kennedy
(Second of a Series of Three Articles.)


ebriates can get the physical benefit Of
outdoor exercise. In Connecticut they
rot in the confines of the county jailS.
And nowhere in Connecticut is there
a hospital, such as Gallinger, where
drinkers in delirium tremens or border
ing on it can be sent. The Yale experts
knew about the Health Department
Alcoholics Anonymous voluntary clinic
conducted by DR.. Leopold E. Wexberg in
the Force School on Massachusetts, ave-
nue-and considered 1t good step in
the right direction.
The story from Connecticut today is
not Yales innovation of Section of
Alcoholic Studies or the Yale Clinic for
alcoholics now three years old. 1t is the
application of the knowledge assembled
by these two institutions to the police
court level of the alcoholism problem
through the Connecticut law OF 1915.
Applying Science to Legislation.
Selden D. Bacon, youthful assistant
professor of sociology associated with DR..
Jellinek, is the man who wrote the find
ings of the Yale laboratory into legis-
lation. He went to Gov. Baldwin,
now the Junior Senator from Connecti-
cut He enlisted the interest and support
of religious, professional, social and med
ical groups. He got the political leaders
of Connecticut's divided legislature Zone
house was Democrat, the other RepuD-
lican) to accept it as noncontroverSlal
bill And he was assured by those who
profesSed to know the mind Of the liquor
trade that there would be no opposition
from that quarter. There was no liquor
opposition at the hearings although the
law increased liquor taxes by per cent.
The law created a board Of trustees OF
q State fund for inebriates. The board
reports to the Governor; its establish
ments and employed personnel are not
merged with the health department or
the department of correction. Judges
may commit inebriateS to the boards
custody for as much as three gears. The
board may allow them to walk the
streets, reporting regularly to the States
clinics. Selden Bacon became chairman
of the board, noncompensatory re-
sponsibility which he carries in addition
to his work at Yale.
Prof. Bacon told the writer that
the thing to avoid above all was falling
into the natural error of assuming that
an alcoholic is q sick man, with the
assumption that the place for him is
hospital Even if 1t were possible to set
up an institution for 5000 patients and
staff it with the 100 psychiatrists plus
the other professionals necessary to give
each patient 80 minutes week of psyche
tnerapy (talking him out of his mental
difficulty)-it wouldn't do any good. The
psychiatrists would have none of it. They
are interested IN curing or helping those
with the primary mental disorders
termed neuroses and psychoses.
lmprovement-But No Cure.
Improvement in an alcoholic-there is
no cure-comes in his readjusting him.
self in society At the Yale clinic they
do not record patient as helped unless
he is getting along with his family or is
sending money regularly to the aban-
doned family which, as is so often the
case he has left on relief in another
community
Nor have Keyensian economics swerved
Prof. Bacon from a Yankees deter
mination to give the taxpayer-even the
tax paid in the purchase of whisky
his moneys worth.
"a study I made of all arrests for
drunkenness in Connecticut over a short
period showed that the average income
Oh LIlOSG dlIGSIeu was 0oOO d yCdA,
he said Many had worked at six jobs
during the year. There is whole cate
CORY of SIS to $25 week jobs for which
alcoholics supply the labor market. Dish
washing in third-class restaurants is
typical one Almost all of the alcoholics
could earn more money if they could
work steadily.
Now when at the cost of s110 each
and that is what the cost of caring for
alcoholics at the Yale clinic averages
you switch half of these men from odd
jobs to their old ways of making living
at which they seem to average better
than $4,000 year and have them taking
care of their families instead of leaving
them on public relief, say you are
doing something in the production OF
wealth."
(Tomorrow: How it is proposed to
lessen the number of problem drinkerso