About Alcoholism - Alcoholism Information, Research and Treatment

In the halcyon days of the 19th century there was no alcoholism in this country, only drunkenness, but even the latter was a serious enough problem to induce George M. Hay of Americus, Ga., to invent an antidote for it. Hay applied for a patent Dec. 7, 1868, and his application shot through the Patent Office like a greased pig. U.S. Patent 85,659, dated Jan. 5, 1869, was assigned to Hay and Harvey T. Litchfield of Boston, Mass.