NEW FACTS IN ALCOHOLIC HEREDITY. 525 



In a private school for tlie feeble-minded from the wealthier 

 classes, three in fourteen cases had these unmistakable symptoms, 

 which had not attracted attention. 



In the home of a former patient I found a little girl, an idiot, 

 whose voice and rambling utterance, with intensely red eyes and 

 drunken expression, pointed back to causes and conditions that 

 had not been noticed before. Other defects and deformities of 

 the face and body cover up these peculiar signs of intoxication. 



These symptoms may appear after birth, or be slowly evolved 

 with the growth of the child, coming into prominence at or before 

 puberty. 



Of course, all the varied phases of idiocy, imbecility, progress- 

 ive degeneration, and malformation go on. The presence of a spe- 

 cial class of symptoms, resembling intoxication so clearly, sug- 

 gests a distinct alcoholic causation. In the second class I have 

 noted, the alcoholic symptoms are not present, unless from some 

 exciting cause (non-alcoholic), such as anger, fear, sudden excite- 

 ment, etc. In this class are idiots, imbeciles, and defectives of all 

 degrees, who at times display distinct signs of intoxication, which 

 subside after a period. Often in these cases appear the common 

 delusions and deliriums of intoxication : also, the semi-paralysis 

 and stupor. Teachers and superintendents of asylums and 

 schools for this class realize clearly the danger of excitement on 

 these dements and defectives, throwing them into various states 

 of mania, as well as intoxication. In one instance, an imbecile 

 boy would become agitated and fall into a state of intoxication 

 if sharply watched, or excited by any cause. 



In another case, an inilbecile from his birth appears intoxi- 

 cated when he first meets you, but quickly recovers himself, and 

 all these symptoms pass away. The embarrassment of meeting 

 strangers develops these signs of intoxication. The history of 

 such cases uniformly points to inebriate ancestors. The common 

 explanation of these symptoms is, that this pathological state re- 

 flects the condition of one or both parents at the time of concep- 

 tion, or some profound antenatal impression. To support this 

 view the history of the parents gives evidence, and also, in some 

 cases, the peculiar form of intoxication in the parent is seen in 

 the children. Thus, in one case the father, when intoxicated, had 

 a delirium of agitation, in which he moved about incessantly ; two 

 idiot children born to him both showed signs of intoxication and 

 had muscular agitation and delirium. 



In another case, a woman, when intoxicated, manifested hys- 

 terical fear of dogs. She had an imbecile child, which almost 

 went into convulsions at the sight of a dog, and had all the symp- 

 toms of intoxication. Numerous instances are on record of pro- 

 found impressions on the mother's mind leaving a similar im- 



