428 THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 



cumb to diseases from which a normal person would easily 

 recover. 



Many cases of insanity are reported as due to alcohol, 

 but while it is undoubtedly true that the use of alcohol is 

 in many cases indirectly the cause, the exact relation to 

 this mental disease is not yet definitely known. The only 

 form of mental disturbance which is a direct result of 

 alcoholic indulgence is the violent disturbance known as 

 delirium tremens. 



It is also a well-known fact that nervous weakness can 

 be transmitted by heredity, and thus children of drinking 

 parents often develop mental disease which is due to this 

 inherited weakness. 



