The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1956-11-23
JAIL TRAGEDIES IN
CONNECTION WITH
ILL ALCOHOLICS

picked up man on charge of
public drunkenness, lodged him in
Jail, and found him dead the fol-
lowing morning. The autopsy
showed no alcohol in his system.
1t did show the cause of death as
a ruptured gastric ulcer.
The victim was a known alcohol
ic. He was apparently in state
of shock because of his acute ill
ness, and arresting officers mis-
took his condition for simple in
toxication.
Another tragic death occurred
some time ago under slightly diff
ferent circumstances, but the prob
lem involved is basically the same.
This person also was a known al
coholic and he was, according to
several witnesses, definitely under
the influence of alcohol at the
time of his arrest.
But he was also sick, very sick,
from another cause, and he begged
loud and long for medical atten-
ton. For reasons which apparently
satisfied investigating officers the
victim did not receive medical at
tention. The next morning he roll
ed from his mattress to the floor
and gasped his last few breaths.
Heart attack,
OF course, no law enforcement
officer would knowingly let man
die in his cell when medical at
tention could possibly save his
life. Neither would an officer of
the law Jail man for drunkenness
if he did not actually believe the
man was drunk. Ordinary common
sense and human feelings dictate
otherwise.
1t is sometimes difficult for the
medically unframed to distinguish
between a state Of shock due to
serious illness or injury and acute
intoxication, and it is doubly con-
fusing when the shock victim has
alcohol on his breath, however
much or little he might have
drunk.
This situation has caused other
victims of epilepsy, diabetes, and
various seizures to, be taken to
Jail on drunkenness charges when
they desperately needed immed-
late medical attention. Some have
died in Jail. Others have had the
real trouble diagnosed in time for
the mistake to be corrected.
When the victim of shock or
other serious physical condition is
recognized as an alcoholic by the
police and arrested for what APP
pears to be intoxication it would
seem that his chances for prompt
medical aid are considerably Slim
mer than those of the non-alco-
holic, at least in certain localities.
And the irony of it is that the
alcoholic, especially if he has been
drinking, is usually in worse physi-
cal shape and more likely to have
an organic disease than his nom
alcoholic cellmate. 1t is a medical
ly recognized fact that alcoholism
very often accompanies organic
disease. The alcoholic seems par
ticularly prone to peptic ulcers and
other disturbances of the CASTRO
vascular organs. He is often the
victim of high blood pressure and
other malfunctions of the circula-
tory system, including heart
trouble. The practicing alcoholic is
almost always suffering from
severe vitamin and mineral def
ciencies. He is sometimes tuber-
cular.,
Not only can alcoholism accom-
pany these diseases and others,
but chronic intoxication can eff
fectively mask some of them from
early detection.
1t seems to us that common
human error is not the only I'M
fortunate factor involved in these
Jail tragedies. Popular attitudes
and common misconceptions can,
and probably do, enter the picture
more often than any of us would
like to believe.
If it is the attitlde of large
number of our citizens that the
alcoholic is always a potential
menace to the peace of our COM
munities, who can blame the police
for failing an alcoholic who APP
pears to be intoxicated?
And who can blame them for
failing to recognize the alcoholic
as a sick person who may need
medical attention when even his
relatives may take the attitude
that "all he needs to do is sleep
it Off"
The police, as we have said, are
only human and can be expected
to reflect the attitudes of the
communities they serve for better
or worse.
There will be fewer Jail TRACE
dies of this sort when the public