Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1875-04-03
A SLAVE TO OPIUM.
The Effects of the SIimulant on the Victim
~ Terrible Experience. ..

amount of opium now used in the Uni
ted States and the many slaves to the
habit, gives the following incident of a
victim and tells how the stimulant oper-
ates : The patient, who is about forty
years of age, was admitted on the 18th
of April, 1874, and remained under
treatment till the 10th of June. He com
menced the habit of taking morphine as
stimulant to aid him iii his. .Emental
labors about seventeen years ago. His
purpose was through its operation not
only to be enabled to work longer, but
with more concentration of effort. He
began with one-eighth of grain of the
sulphate of morphia, which he was in
the habit of taking about twice or thrice
week. Finding these doses after GER
tain time were insufficient to produce
the desired effect, they were gradually
increased to two grains in the twenty
four hours. Two years after he took
the first dose his use of opium in the
form of morphine became so frequent
that it was almost impossible for him
to abstain from it, and the unfortunate
nan could not do so without great men
tai prostration and physical suffering. 1t
had now reached such proportions as to
become q disease. Two years ago he
became an inmate of hospital for the
first time, fully convinced that so far as
any effort of his own was concerned he
was entirely byond relief or cure. His
mind was not only affected, but he be-
came deranged. His case was similar
to that of confirmed inebriate, whose
allowance of drink has been abruptly
withdrawn. The usual supply of opium
having been withheld, his mind gave
way, and delirium followed. After leav-
ing the hospital he relapsed into the
habit, and to such an excess had 1T
grown that the daily quantity necessary
for his consumption reached the enor-
nous amount of ffty-fve grains of
morphia. Some idea may be formed of
the strength of this amount from the
fact that one grain of the same prepara-
ton is amply sufficient to put strong
man into a sound slumber of many
| hours duration. On one occasion he
took no less than seventy-fve grains i'll
twenty-four hours.
At the time of his admission to the
hospital he was, ia the language of the
record of the case, "a well-nourished
looking man, but Excessively nervous and
lacking in control of his appetite for
opium; but he says he realizes his
weakness, and desires to put himself
under q stronger will than his own." He
had had no morphia for day previous
to admission, and was suffering intensely
from nervous prostration. He entreated
earnestly for relief, and urgently re-
quested for "hypodermics of morphia "
an infusion of the medicine by injec-
ton under the skin of his arm, which
the record says showed marks of similar
treatment before. The wounds in the
arm had partially suppurated, but they
finally healed by proper treatment, and
the limb nearly restored to its former
condition.
The effects of long indulgence in opium
eating were seen in the lamentable con-
dition to which his mind had been re-
duced, and he complained that on at
tempting to read or write he felt a cere-
bral incapacity for such occupation. His
mental, or rather his intellectual status
seemed to have declined by reason of
the omission of his usual stimulant, or
its great reduction in quantity.
The record of the case says that at this
point it was decided to cut off the weekly
dose of Magendie's solution Of morphia
altogether. He had borne manfully the
great reduction from fifty-fve grains a
day to eight grains week, although re-
luctantly asserting to this severe treat
ment, and anticipating untold suferings
therefrom. The result proved as he had
expected-great depression and prostra-
tion of mind and body. Such was his
mental and physical torture that he
begged to have only two grains sprinkled
upon the wounds on his arm. Although
bearing up bravely against his srferings,
which were at times most acute, he was
deprived of opium in every form, and
such was it's effect upon his intellect that
he endeavored in vain for a period of
two weeks to write letter.
At times there were signs of improve
ment. He took daily exercise on the
hospital grounds, and to assist the work
of recuperation he was given a sleeping
powder of chloral hydrate and bromide
of potassium.
His recovery under this treatment was
most promising, when he was permitted
to leave the hospital temporarily on a
pass, and it was observed that the ex-
preston of his countenance indicated q
return to his old habit-it had become
heavy, dull and listless. He was accused
of having procured opium during his
absence, but he repelled the accusation
with much warmth and earnestness.
However, his sudden disappearance
from the hospital day or two after
proved that the suspicion was well
founded, and his return again to the
hospital last October after four months
absence justified the conclusion at which
the physician had arrived. He is again