_This is shown in the inebriate by a weakened intellect, a general debility of the mental faculties_, a partial or total loss of self-respect, and a departure of the power of self-command; all of which, acting together, place the victim at the mercy of a depraved and morbid appetite, and make him utterly powerless, by his own unaided efforts, to secure his recovery from the disease which is destroying him." And he adds: "I am of opinion that there is a "GREAT SIMILARITY BETWEEN INEBRIETY AND INSANITY.
"I am decidedly of opinion that the former has taken its place in the family of diseases as prominently as its twin-brother insanity; and, in my opinion, the day is not far distant when the pathology of the former will be as fully understood and as successfully treated as the latter, and even more successfully, since it is more within the reach and bounds of human control, which, wisely exercised and scientifically administered, may prevent curable inebriation from verging into possible incurable insanity." GENERAL IMPAIRMENT OF THE FACULTIES.
In a more recent lecture than the one from which we have quoted so freely, Dr.Richardson, speaking of the action of alcohol on the mind, gives the following sad picture of its ravages: "An analysis of the condition of the mind induced and maintained by the free daily use of alcohol as a drink, reveals a singular order of facts.
The manifestation fails altogether to reveal the exaltation of any reasoning power in a useful or satisfactory direction.

I have never met with an instance in which such a claim for alcohol has been made.

On the contrary, confirmed alcoholics constantly say that for this or that work, requiring thought and attention, it is necessary to forego some of the usual potations in order to have a cool head for hard work.
"On the other side, the experience is overwhelmingly in favor of the observation that the use of "ALCOHOL SELLS THE REASONING POWERS, "make weak men and women the easy prey of the wicked and strong, and leads men and women who should know better into every grade of misery and vice.

* * * If, then, alcohol enfeebles the reason, what part of the mental constitution does it exalt and excite?
It excites and exalts those animal, organic, emotional centres of mind which, in the dual nature of man, so often cross and oppose that pure and abstract reasoning nature which lifts man above the lower animals, and rightly exercised, little lower than the angels.
IT EXCITES MAN'S WORST PASSIONS.
"Exciting these animal centres, it lets loose all the passions, and gives them more or less of unlicensed dominion over the man.

It excites anger, and when it does not lead to this extreme, it keeps the mind fretful, irritable, dissatisfied and captious....