The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1868-03-13

Horrors Of Opium Eating.

VAIN STRUGGLES OF A vIcTIM-sUI-
eide, INSANITY AND DEATH.
We have already published despatch
announcing the suicide Of the Rev. G.
W. Brush, of Delaware, Ohio, highly
respected minister of that place In the
last number of the Delaware Gazette we
find long communication from his ply
stefan, DIR. l.. Barnes, of Delaware, Civ
ing full and detailed statement of the
causes of Mr.. Brush's insanity. The de-
ceased went to DR.. Barnes in November,
1866, stating that he was in the habit Of
taking morphine, desired to leave it off,
and wished professional assistance against
the effects which would follow. He had
undertaken this before, and became SO
Frustrated, by an uncomfortable diarrhea,
that it was thought best to desist He
considered the habit so degrading, how
ever, that he could not, and must not,
continue to indulge it. 1t had been fixed
upon him, he said, by the administration
of physicians, who had prescribed the
drug for his tendency to diarih@a, and
for latent cancer of the tongue, until he
found himself within the terrible grip of
its habitual use. He was determined
now to diminish the quantity rapidly, and
soon dispense with it altogether. He pro-
ceeded thus a few days, when some unex-
pected business required his attention,
which he thought himself unable to
transact in the shattered state to which
his attempt had already reduced him.
He therefore gave it up for that time.
He referred to the same mater frequent
ly during the year 1867, and finally, on
the first Of January, 1868, he went to DR..
Barnes, who gives the following detailed
account of the interview, aud of what
followed
BE finally came to my office, on the
first day of the present month (January,
1869 saying that his people had kindly
released him from labor for two or three
weeks, and asking if still felt as friendly
toward him as when once before | bad
consented to take care Of him at my house
while he should break up that dreadful
habit. told him would do SO, if he
wished to come, but it would be necessary
for the people to know why he was there,
otherwise the fact of his being at nv
house sick, wbilo his own family were
living in the same town, would give occa-
sion to injurious reports, which could not
we'll be met. He then said the arrange.
ment would not answer without the dis.
closure referred to which he felt so deli.
cate about making; that he would make an
effort 1T his own house. Thereupon, he
gave me some papers of morphine, which
he had caused to be weighed in gradually
diminishing doses, beginning with less
than half his usual quantity.
He reserved couple, one for each day
of a visit he was about to make to some
friends in Columbus, requesting me to
call at his house on the following Saturday
evening, when | should find him return
ed and sick on account of his dminution
of the morphine; and that he would then
take no more, except as [ should think
best to give it. | went on the appointed
Saturday evening, found him weak, trem-
bling, sweating and aching, especially in
the knees. But he rallied somewhat, and
conversed well for an hour or so on a
variety of subjects. But he had slept
none and eaten nothing, as he said since
entering upon his trial. The next day,
instead of taking the designated dose,
which would have been about five grains,
he voluntarily proposed to take not more
than three, and the day after still less.
continued to spend the evenings with
him for about ten days, gradually dimin,
ishing his lose, until it was reduced to
about one grain day. The diarrhea he
had SO much dreaded was controlled with