NEW FACTS IN ALCOHOLIC HEREDITY. 527 



horse. He was thrown out of the wagon and only slightly bruised, 

 but could not Avalk after. His face was red, his voice jerking and 

 husky, and his language silly, and he staggered with every ap- 

 pearance of a drunken man. He recovered, but was thought to 

 have used spirits. Some months after, at the funeral of his child, 

 all these and other marked symptoms of intoxication returned, to 

 the great mortification of his friends and family. A year later 

 another similar attack occurred from the burning of some out- 

 buildings on his farm. A careful inquiry made it clear that he 

 had not used any spirits, although he had all the signs except an 

 alcoholic breath. His father was an excessive user of spirits, and 

 his mother died of consumption, but could never tolerate the smell 

 or taste of alcohol. He has been gradually becoming weaker for 

 some years, and is now an imbecile. 



Second Case. — The treasurer of a large manufactory, temper- 

 ate but very nervous, and a hard-working man, of forty-eight, 

 suddenly appeared intoxicated when accused by the president of 

 falsifying the books. He was unable to talk rationally, and both 

 appeared and walked like one who had drunk large quantities of 

 spirits. The next day he recovered, and fully explained, to the 

 satisfaction of all. He was ill for a week, with some general de- 

 bility and indigestion, then went to his duties, became angry, and 

 had a similar paroxysm. A short time after another attack came 

 on at his house, and the physician called it congestion of the 

 brain. In all these instances no evidence of having taken any 

 spirits could be obtained. His father was a sailor and drank 

 freely. 



Third Case. — A merchant, of fifty-eight years, lost all his 

 property in a series of unfortunate speculations. He was much 

 depressed, and went to live with his brother-in-law, a physician. 

 He had been a temperate man from principle, and was in good 

 health up to his failure in business. One day, on the receipt of a 

 letter with bad news concerning some business matters, he became 

 to all appearance intoxicated. His brother-in-law, the physician, 

 made a careful examination of all the facts and surroundings, and 

 concluded that this was a case of what he called mind-intoxica- 

 tion, or drunkenness from causes other than alcohol or drugs. A 

 few weeks later a similar occurrence followed an exciting inter- 

 view with a creditor. During the two years which preceded his 

 death, three distinct attacks were noted, each one lasting from 

 two to six hours. He died suddenly from pneumonia. His an- 

 cestors were both moderate and excessive drinkers. 



Fourth Case. — A recent one. A merchant, in good health 

 and temperate, while at work in his counting-room, received a 

 dispatch of the death of his daughter. He lay down on a sofa in 

 his office, and very soon became wildly intoxicated. A physician 



