REVIEWS. 595 
states of the system demanding the employment of stimu- 
lants. Hence he says — 
"Wine properly administered to those suffering from intense mental 
anxiety, is a most valuable remedy. It counteracts the tendency to suicidal 
insanity, generated, by very depressing mental emotions in brains over- 
worked or naturally feeble. I say properly administered, for taken in ex- 
cess for this purpose, wine would be more dangerous than under ordinary 
circumstances. Nor is it mere depression of spirits that indicates this spe- 
cial medicinal use, — the condition of the heart and the digestive organs 
must be taken into account. It is in this direction that sound knowledge 
is required by the public at large, so that they may rightly use what rightly 
used is a great blessing. Undoubtedly the use 1 recommend is a medicinal 
one, but can it be expected that men and women would think it necessary 
to go and consult a medical practitioner whenever they have the heart-ache 
or are overwhelmed with sorrow ? I don’t know a more important point 
for the total abstainers to investigate in reference to their pledge than this. 
There are circumstances in which their pledge might be most properly 
broken, because wine is indicated to ward off so serious an evil as perma- 
nent depression of spirits, or even suicidal insanity, or infanticide, when the 
brain is suffering the shock of some overwhelming grief or anxiety. But 
actual disease of the stomach, heart, and brain, causes often an overwhelm- 
ing sense of sinking and distress. When the brain is affected, it causes a 
true mania for wine and stimulants ; when it is the stomach, it is usually a 
symptom of an inflammatory or otherwise morbid condition of the stomach, 
very common in drunkards, and also common in cases of indigestion in deli- 
cate women. Being temporarily relieved by alcoholic stimulants, it lays 
the foundation for an ever-growing habit of taking them in women, and ex- 
cites a more and more urgent desire in the drunkard. It is in this way 
that many persons of position and education have become irrecoverable 
sots.” 
With this the first lecture is closed. The second is 
devoted to what has been done in the way of remedy, and 
what ought to be done to secure an effective reform of 
national drunkenness. 
The perusal of this we also strongly recommend to our 
readers. 
