The history of the first inebriate asylum in the world / by its founder [Jonathan Edward Turner]. An account of his indictment, also a sketch of the Woman's national hospital, by its founder.

  • Turner, J. Edward, 1822-1889.
Date:
1888
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The history of the first inebriate asylum in the world / by its founder [Jonathan Edward Turner]. An account of his indictment, also a sketch of the Woman's national hospital, by its founder. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    affect every constitution, as to arg-iie tliat inebriety is no dis- ease, blit a moral deg'redation, because tliere are a few who can drink for years without aiiparently becoming diseased. We would not for a moment entertain the ojiinion that fin individual who violates a jiliysical law, does not break a moral one; but we do contend that a disease produced by a broken moral and jihysical law is as much a disease as if hereditary, and should be treated as such. The acute form of this disease attacks the brain, produc- ing a stn])or of the mind, vertigo, sickness at the stomach, and coldness of the extremities. A deadly pallor of the countenance is observed in some cases; in others the face is flushed and the brain loaded with blood. This latter type of the disease often produces death in a few hours if left without medical treatment, as exemplified by the numerous cases annually occurring in our city prisons. In the month of April, 1853, six men were arrested and committed to the Tombs in the citv of New York, in a state of inebriation. They were placed together in a cell, where they remained for the night. In the morning the keeper of the prison called at the cell where they weic confined. Four of them were dead, and the remaining two were in a state of exhaustion. One of these soon after died. An inquest was held over these bodies, and from post-mortem examinations a highly con- gested state of the brain was discovered, proving that they died from an acute attack of inebriety, rather than from an infected state of the atmosphere. In tracing the progress of this disease, we pass from the acute to the chronic form and review the characteristic syiiqi- toms and derangements as they appear in the body, as fol- lows: Indigestion with lack of apjietite, costiveness, or a lax state of the bowels, with slimy and bloody stools; a. diseased state of the kidneys and bladder, indicated by mucous dis- charges; cold extremities, manifesting a> lack of general cir- culation of the blood ; a bloated countenance, swollen limbs, a.nd a dropsical body, demonstrating the torjiid state of the absorbents; a. fullness in the region of the liver, diuioting an enlargement of that organ ; a. hard and dry cough, manifest- ing an inflainmation of the breathing apparatus ; large and indolent blotches or ulcerated sores u|ion the skin, ri'vealing