Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1850-04-18
From the Scientific American
Curious Drugs for Producing HalIu-
CfnaliOn.

duced upon the mind, by drinking wine, &c has
been known to the inhabitants of every nation. 1t
IS however but short time since a knowledge OF
inhaling certain gases into the lungs produced eff
fecis akin to that of drinking alcoholic drinks 1t
is but few years ether was discovered and intel
ligently applied to produce entire insensiblity Of
the nerves; and it is only two years since Chlor-
oform was brought to light. as the best substance
to be used for this purpose. This singular sub
stance is now employed in our Hospitals for the
most humane purposes. knowledge of le-
theon, like Chloroform, has been claimed for the
Chinese Doctors, as far back as the third century,
but when was there discovery brought forward
that was not claimed by some pedanic antigua
rian, for the Chinese, Hindoos, or the Egyptians
That the Chinese Doctors used opium to produce
nsensibility, we do not doubt, and that they have
been long acquainted with some singular things,
unknown to u.s. no one will deny, but not gases
and this is especially true of singular drug called
Hashssh, which, when eaten or smoked, produces
the most singular mental phantasmagora. The
Hindoos, however, seem to be better acquainted
with it than the Chinese, but it is only within
few years since knowledge ofits pecul ar effects
was made known to Europeans. This drug is
the Paris Medical Times gives an account of an
experiment made by physician with some of it
upon number of individuals. He went to
familiar Cafe selected his subjects and give sim
gle grain to each Some bolted it, others smoked
it one individual merely smeared about quarter
of grain over his cigarette paper. About one
grain was dissolved IN glass Of Curacao, and
this was allotted to the master of the house. His
two young and handsome daughters were forbid
den to taste of the drug but the physician had here
evidently forgotten his Scriptural history About
hree-quarters of hour passed qu!tely over, and
the curious rapidly lapsing into incredibly
when a short laugh, followed by an awful and
ment. The youngest daughter, following tradi-
tional example, had tasted of the forbidden object,
and was suddenly struck with delirum and hys-
terical movements of very alarming appea rance.
Conciousness was only one half obliteraed, and the
mind seemed to make supernatural efforts to es-
The shrieks were rapid, mos, violent, and is Pc
culiar kind. The girl felt conscious that she was
raving, and earnestly en,reated all around her not
to conclude that she was mad each appeal being
terminated by heart-rendng scream. Some in
ternal sensation also compelled her to cry, every
now and then, ,ha. she was dying. With great
difficulty she was conveyed to bed, where the de-
lirium continued for four hours. AS if signal
were seht by this mischance, the young men in the
cafe went off about the same moment. The e.
iects were not, however, so violent They were
extremely varied. The individual who had smoked
some hemp (haf grain) in his cigarette was sud
denly attacked by violent fits of laughter, which
compelled him to roll on the floor, during which
he exclaimed that something was raising him uF
to heaven. These fits resembling hysteIia, did
no, last more than ten minutes. Another indivd
ual, instead Of being agltated, fell suddenly into
deep sleep. bolt upright against the WALL with the
chin sunk on his chest, features in the most per-
feet calm Were i, not for the deep, slow inspir-
atoms, one would have thought him defunci, for the
face was deadly pale. So profound was the sleep
that continued for three hours; despite the shouts
and screams Of the excited bacchanals who danced
around him, for in the majority the hemp merely
procured intoxication. In ALL the excitement was
soon followed by an invincbe tendency to sleep
the benches were strewn with the slain, and de
lightful dreams, producing strange laughter, re-
paid the adventurous lasters for their curiosity.
The love OF excitement is so strong in man that
he seek it by some means or other, hence in those
countries where wine is forbidden, opium and to-
bacco are used as substitutes. Al the foot of the
Himmaleh mountains, hemp grows wild, from
which liquor is made which produces lntoxica-
ton Of the most dreadful kind, exciting every pas
sion in high degree. man under its influence
looks like madman, and exhibits his excitement
by dancing, singing, shouting, and tossing hi'
arms. The Hindoos some of them, are very FOND
of it; particularly pel,ry bearers. They say il
makes them forget all their pains and fatigue
The name of this hemp and the preparation from
it also. is "Bhnm." The drug " hashish" is made
from this hemp, and it has been reared in France
for experimental purposes The peculiar effect o
the 'hashish" is the inversion OF the order OF time
"a minute becomes an hour, and scenes like those
decrbed in the Arabian Nights Entertainments
fit before the mind, with all the wonderful pheno
mena of genii, FAIRIES, palaces of gold and silver
the real scenes of" Aladdin and his Wonder
fnl Lamp" A frequent use Of the drug is danger
GUS to sanity and health, is the use Of all unnat
..l s,;mulants In commenting upon any sub