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Show ALCOHOLISM Gland Defect New Theory NEW YORK A new treatment for alcoholism and the discovery of a definite physical factor that may be responsible for the alcohol craving crav-ing in man has been reported by medical research. The new treatment is based on an entirely new concept of the underlying un-derlying organic cause, or causes of alcoholism. It came through observations ob-servations which indicated that many problem drinkers suffer from a glandular deficiency, correction cor-rection of which eliminates, at least temporarily, the insane craving crav-ing for drink. Doctors have found that the chronic alcoholic suffers from a deficiency de-ficiency in the hormones secreted by the outer layer, or cortex, of the adrenal glands. These are the two all-important glands located astride each kidney. This deficiency, they conclude, initiates a cycle of events that leads the victim to find relief in alcohol, which actually makes the condition worse, thus aggravating aggravat-ing the craving for more alcohol. Craving Killed That being the case, the physicians physi-cians reasoned, the only obvious way to break the vicious circle is to correct the glandular deficiency. This can be accomplished by the injection of small quantities of extract ex-tract from the adrenal glands of slaughtered cattle. When this is done, the patient not only sobers up, but no longer has any craving for drink. Dr. James J. Smith, director of research on alcoholism at the New York university Bellevue medical center, believes that patients with acute alcoholic intoxication, acute alcoholic hallucinations, or acute alcoholic al-coholic psychoses "will be brought under control well within 24 hours by adrenal cortical extract given by vein." Hangovers, which are not peculiar pe-culiar to alcoholics but are a sequel to overindulgence in alcohol by any persons "can be abolished quite readily by the injection of the adrenal cortical extract. Delirium tremens the dreaded DT's responds re-sponds in a similar manner." v Five Year Goal Set Once the acute phase of alcoholism alco-holism is brought successfully under un-der control, attention can be turned to the more important problem of chronic alcoholism to make the drinker abstain. Dr. Smith and his group are convinced that the alcoholic al-coholic is suffering fundamentally from a deficiency in hormones of the pituitary gland. This, In turn, leads to a malfunctioning of the adrenal glands and frequently also of the sex glands. Give the drinker enough hormones, they find, and he will not crave liquor. "The goal in the treatment of alcoholism," says Dr. Smith, "must be to devise a therapy that will enable the person who is today an alcoholic and who today cannot drink, to drink normally. Although this goal not yet has been reached, work being done at present indicates indi-cates that its attainment is in sight, and I think that it will be reached well within five years' time." |