Year: 1876

The Theory of Iuebriety us Set Forth by an AFsocintiOn of Physicians.

 The association for the cure of inebriates had it's annual session in Philadelphia. The theory upon which medical ystems for the cure of drunken ness are, based was explained forcibly and clearly in g paper read before the opening O. the convention From this paper we note the following points made:

 Inebriety is one manifestation of a cerebro- physical disorder, just as epi- lepsy is another, with distinct dura- tion, mortality, and prognosis. Ten years is usually the limit of time after its development in which it results fatally. Of late years Dr. Brothers as- | serts that this disease takes less time to do it's deadly work, owing to the in- crease of inherited degenerations, irregu- lar work, the extremes of luxurious and poor living, unhealthy brain work, and other means, which lower vitality. It is most difficult to overcome "in per sons who have other nervous or cerebral disorders, or who possess eccentric or untrained will power and limited educa- tion, in paroxysmal drinkers, in those who smoke or chew excessively, or when it originates in some injury to the brain, or appears suddenly without any par ticular cause" The mortality of inc briety equals that of the most fatal dis eases, but under proper treatment at asylums the recoveries may exceed those of any other cerebral or nervous affection. Other papers were read in proof of the fact that inebriety was ire quently matter of heredity, as is con sumption, the morbiic force causing it taking sometimes the shape of epilepsy or hysteria in one child and drunken ness in another. The producing cause is most frequently habit of moderate drinking in father or grandfather.

 Temperance and the ravages of drunk have of late years become distasteful subjects among people who assume 8 certain degree of refinement. They are not fanatics. The violence of temperance reformers disgusts them. They are able to take their glass of wine without degenerating into beasts, and there is no reason why everybody should not do the same. If they cannot, why and a shrug of the shoulders ends the discussion. Mean while one-fifth of the deaths in the country may be traced di- rectly or indirectly to inebriety, and one-half the murders and other crimes which fill our prisons and jails are due to the same cause. Yet so strong is the distaste to arguing the question that even by prison reformers the subject is virtually ignored. The mistake appears to us to have been in urging drunken ness as crime and temperance as vir- tue. That is only one side of the ques- tivn. The one is also disease and the other g necessary precaution to save life. If the young lad starting out in life, and the mother who follows him with entreaties and prayers, understood that the glass of liquor in his case was not only moral delinquency but 8 step toward suicide, just as dangerous as ex- posture to cold would be to consump- tive, his danger would be lessened one half. No man is ashamed to protect 8 weak body, but he rushes into tempta. tion to prove his power of resistance as strong as his neighbours. We are glad to find from the reports of the associ- ation that their rational method of meet, ing this foremost evil of our time is sc fast gaining the approval of the public. | -Ne1O YOTk Tribune.