Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 34.djvu/541

Rh In a private school for the 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, progressive degeneration, and malformation go on. The presence of a special class of symptoms, resembling intoxication so clearly, suggests 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 excitement, 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 imbecile from his birth appears intoxicated 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 reflects the condition of one or both parents at the time of conception, 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 hysterical fear of dogs. She had an imbecile child, which almost went into convulsions at the sight of a dog, and had all the symptoms of intoxication. Numerous instances are on record of profound impressions on the mother's mind leaving a similar