The New York herald., 1869-07-14

pressing passion. The fourth and larger class is
made up OF those who from abnormal nervous &C.
tiyity have created IN themselves an irrcpressible
longing for narcotics and have Detaken themselves
TO opium as the most powerful! Comparauvely
speaktnr literary men less addicted TO opium In
this country than Is the same class In England or
France Members Of the legal profession, from its
orally abstain. so also, and quite universally,
clergymen. Medscal men are more sp0radically
addicted and ,ress ss sef msef o tSs MaI see
slnQle down town drug store has sold as high a.
hftS bottles OF the elixir o. opium per day; and IN
MA may s se ,sns ssssa 'n sooa,SS n,a, sSs
in ts primary action 80 powerful and pleasurable
vital stimuant tnat consumptve may De Kept
from his grave upon 1t almost indefinitely, the re-
action constitutes terror and the three stages Of
vital stimulation, nervous and fantastic perturba-
tion, and drowsy languOr passed over, there sue
eeeds slumDer Of troubled dreams resembling
nightmare, whence tie patient may or may not wake
up ~ the proper time, according TO dose. The dis
tricts OF the dsni-monde form another great and
leading mart or the retail trade 1t would be scarce
ly eXceedn ng sober mathematics to say that fully
onefourth OF the members OF the half world are
haDltuay addicted TO the drug, still larger mum.
ber INDUCING occasionally when depression and de-
SPAR have succeeded 10 dissipation and ncentious-
ness A third mart or demand oil considerable I'M
portance Is made up from the ranks OF fashion
and fashionable invadsm, though this Class
Is not so arge as the class preceding and generally
Affects the medical order Of the very CONSIDERABLY
accommodating family physician. SO that should u
taker thereof die coroners and posE mortems can
be evaded for people OF taste not fond OF hav-
ing their mortal coils mediled with by Dunging
deputies after they have been shufled OH ana In
tins respect perhaps the fastdiousness of the upper
world Is pardOnabe. Corolers Invariably, and
deputies usually, are rumnant animals and ex-
pectorate lreadiuily, being for these reasons not
eligible 10 the dissection OF persons elegant tastes.
However, and a curious instance OIL tie fluctuations
OF habit, toDacconiss aege tlat Tor some reason the
use o line cut Is on the wane year by year. The last
generation was ruminant, the present II funigant
generaiiy-lf rumnant at all 1t prefers something
even more narcotic and soothing tnan sir Walters
weed Perhaps the increased use OF other narcotics,
fAr .rla hn1 hnst anan
ing the OF ine cut; II so lt mas saved the world
the Inspection OF vast quantity OF vtaled salvary
secretion.
Accurate statistics of this increase are next TO un-
attalnaole. As the aisenlceating Bohenlans OF the
Reiseugehinge are silent as to their mania, so Is the
opium eater OF New York. An eminent observer OF
the trade and the editor OF a medical Journal OF
standing hazards tne guess that 1900 might cover
tue number OF habiuai devotees of the papaver III
this city, lectures you long and earnestly upon the
righteousness Of the habit, and ends by taking
little gold and enameled box from ais vest pocket
and Offering you phi OF the gum merely Tor expert
ment Ceriam II Is that the use OF the drug is less
prevalenG mere than IN London, being seldom mixed
with TOBACCO as Is considerably the practice with
Excluding the few hundreds who smoke the drug,
mostly or altogether limited TO the yellow deniZens
OF the Fourth ward and the monOpOlsS OF the trade
III three cent cigars there are certainly not less than
10000 opium takers, habltual and amateur, In this
city at present; and 1t may be added that the
habit Is on the increase. For considerable part
of this increase, which ls limited mostly TO the
fashionable claSSes-for, In the ol the dehlt
1l0nde the haDlt mas a.ready attained something
like It's probable undAluuIn--medlcdl prac-
titioners must be held responslDle; and
for considerable part more, the feyerisn. specua-
tive restlessnesS or nerve peculiar to the American
hnancier. Wall street develops a large number OF
opium eaters yearly, If the testimony Of medical ey-
perts and observers Is to De credited; anu after all,
perhaps, the American temperament needs the action
OF strong narcotics. The general medical argument
certainly Is that Is better for The patiento take IL
than suffer tie exhaustion Of continued sleepless-
ness, and, though little sophstcal, there is resi-
dunn OF sOundness IL the assertion ''The eXhaus.
tiOn OF the drug" remarks the indugent family
Gaen, ''is less than the exhaustion oil violent ner-
vous restlessness and perturbation, and therefore
II Is only question of less exhaustion against
greater" New Workers are a neuralgia race OF nu-
man ants, and OF course the narcotic soothes the
neuialgla-often prevents It's illustrative of the
Droverb tnat an ounce of prevention Is worth a
pound OF cure. The difficuty is that, in the end,
the patient inds his ounce OF prevention has raised
q need for fifty pounds OF cure at least-ln snort,
that he has no nervous energy left and submit
to have written his tombstone, "Died OF that
soothing syrup OF nervous humanity laulanum.N