The freeman. (Fremont [Ohio]) 1849-1850, 1850-02-23


favored BY some essential oil of spice Mothers
sometimes dose their infants, but the nurses carry
the practice to the greatest extent The mother
takes the infant from the warm bed at five o'clock
in the morning, and carries to the nurses where
lis left till noon and often drugged to keep it quiet
Another druggist told me of common feature
in this hoccussing system. The women go to
shops where the cordial is made weak, and where
a certain quantity-say half teaspoonful--is pres
cribed as dose. Afterwards they go to shops
where the mixture is made stronger, and without
making any further inquiry buy the drug and give
the child the old dose.
l beg however, to direct particular attention TO
the following evidence, 9iveA by most intelligent
gistcarrying on very large business in poor
neighborhood surrounded by mills and gentleman
in whose perfect candor and good faith have GER
tain knowledge "Laudanum, in various forms, is
used to some extent by the adult population male
and female, and to a terrible extent for yonng c!i
dren. / sell about IS worth a week of audanum
of pennorths, for adults. Some use raw opium
instead They either chew it, make itinto pills
and swallow 1t, The country people use laudanum
4 stiinulant as well as the town people. On mark
ed days they come in from LYNN and Warrington
and buy the pure drug for themselves, and God
frey, or "Quietness,' for the children Habitual
drunkards often give up spirits and take to lauda-
mum, as being cheaper and more intensely stimulat-
prostitutes. They take it when they get low and
melancholy. Three of them came together. into
my shop last night for opium to relieve pains in their
limbs. These women swallow the drug in great
quantities. AS regards children, they are common
ly dosed either with Godfrey or Infants Quietness'
The first is an old-fashioned preparation, and has
been more or less in vogue for near century,
1t is made differently BY dTeaent venders, but
generally speaking it contains an ounce and s-half
! nf pure laudanum to the quart The dose is from
half tot tcaspoonfuls Infants Cordiaor Mixture,
is stronger, containing on the average two ounces
of laudanum to quart Occasionally paregoric,
which is onefourth part as strong as laudanum is
used. Mothers sometimes give narcotics to their
children, but most commonly the nurses in
fault. The stuff is frequently administered by the
mothers knowledge, but is occasionally given by
mothers without the fathers knowledge. l be-
lieve that women frequently drug their children
through pure ignorance of the effect of the practice,
and because, having been brought up in the mills,
they know nothing about the first duties of mothers.
The nurses sometimes take children for Is Sd a
week. They are very often aundresses. Half
a-crown a week may be the average charge of the
nurse, and the nursing commonly consists Of lay
ing the infant in cradle to doze all day in stupi-
fed state produced by teaspoonful of Godfrey
| or 'Quietncss. Bad as the practice is it would not
be SO fatal if the nurses and parents would obey
the druggists instructions in administering the me-
dicne. But this is what often takes place. A wo-
men comes pennorths of Godfrey Well all is
right for FIVE or SIX weeks Then she begins to
complain that don't make the Godfrey So good
as we used to do; that she has to give the child
more than it needed at tirst and nothing will
do but she has heard that that IS better, e.
stronger But in process of time, the child gets
accustomed to the drug, the dose must be made
stronger still Then the nurses, and sometimes the
mothers take TO making the stuff themselves
They buy pam ortas %: alais.el, an treacle aud
sugar add the laudanum to it. and make the dose
as strong as they like. The miIwifes teach them
how to brew it, and if the quantity Of laudanum
comes expensive they use crude opium instead OF
course numberles children are carried off this way.
| know child that has been treated at once; it
! looks like little old man | can tell
one in an instant. Often and often a mother comes
here with child that has been out to nurse, to
know what can be the matter with it. | know but
| frequently dare hardly tell for if say what
am sure of, the mother will 60 to the nurse and
charge her with sictening the child the nurse will
deny, point blank, that she did Rnythng of the
sort, and will come and make disturbance here
daring to prove what, of course, | can't prove
legally and abusing me for taking away her charac-
ter The children also suffer from the period
which elapses between the times of their being
sucked The mothers often live on Vegetables,
and drink quantities of thin ale and the consequen-
ce is that tho children are terribly subject tq
weakening attacks of diarrhoea."
Hearing in several quarters Of the little shops
which retaiIed Godfrey | lnokedout for such sn
establishment, and in Il back street in Chorton,
surrounded by mills hit upon what l wanted-a
shop in the general line in the window of which
amongst eggs, candles, sugar, bread, soap, butter
starch herring, and cheese, observed placard
malk ked "Children.s draughts penny each =
There WAS :, woman behind the counter, on my
making inquiries as to whether she sold Godfrey,
or any similar compound, she replied that she had
not for six months The draught announced in
the window purgative.
'Then you used to sell Godfrey"
"Oh, yes, we used to make it and sellit for chill
dren when they were cross; but the people did not
think ours strong enough
I "What did you make it of?''
ave took pennorth of anniseed quarter OF
pound oftreacle and pennorth of laudanum IA
quarter of an ounce) Then stewed down the
anniseed with water, aud mixed up the whole in a
quart bottle"
"And so this stuff was too weak 2"
save, that it was could have sold it fast en-
ough if had made it stronger; but darnt do It, oi
fear of getting into trouble
"Do you ever give it to your own children ?'-
there were several sprawing about the back par
lour.
yes But neverput pennorth of iaudanun
into the bottle that gave it TO them out of?''
"I3ut very strong siuffis generally nsed7''
Enou acbil ldraDk oct