The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-11-25
THE FATAL POPPY PLANT.
CASES or NARCOTTC POISONING As
TRE1TED AT BELLEVUE.
Illegal and Reckless sale OF tho DRUG in this
City How the Hospital ssrRccn- Fight
Its EHccts-Warning to Intending Suicides.

Of opium imported into this country Is exhibited
In tho official returns OF the Custom House for
the last ten years. According to these statistics
and an estimate Of tie quantity received at
other ports, the last importations reached the
enormous aggregate OF four hundred thousand
pounds, while moderate calculation places
he number Of opium eaters az high "a one hum
drcd THOUSAND There are In the city OF New
York men whose regular daily allowance OF
laudanum "a three wine clas3cs, whiio there are
others who have reached tho excessive amount
Of sixty grains OF morphia daily onc-tcnth Of
which Is sufficient TO destroy the life OF a per-
son unaccustomed to its use. Not alone In tho
great cities are opium eaters to be found, but
throughout the wi ole country, In the towns and
villages and rural districts. Druggists and npoth
ecaries have their regular customers, and the
lnsidlous poison ia sometimes TO DO found fJr
sale In the Village grocery. SO profitable has tho
sale OF this narcotic become that the cultivation
Of tho poppy isstcadily increasing in Tennessee,
Florida, New Mexico, and even In Vermont
and New Hampshire. Thcrc Is certainly no rea-
son why the plant should not be raised here a.
well as In Turkey, or CHINA, or India, 80 long US
1t Ia employed in legitimate medical practice.
Were the legal restrictions imposed on drug
gists and apOthccarics rteidly enforced were
udanum and morphia sold only on the prc-
scription OF physician, the evll could never
have reached 10 present alarming proportions.
Bat IL l. a notorious fact that tho poison can be
obtained In any desired quantities by tho regu.
lar customers OF those establishments. OF
course this part OF the business ls, es far pos
sble, secretly carried on, aud u Is only when
suicide by opium Is committed that the Illicit
sale of the drug Is exposed.
A CHAPTER or uosrrTNL EXPERIENCE.
The frequent treatment in our hospitals and
particularly In Bellevue Of cases OF suicide, or
Of attempted suicide by opium, appears to have
had no eject in providing or even suggesting =
remedy Tor this terrible abuse. recent visit
to this hospital showed that whilo all that med
cal skill can do IA done by those IN charge to
save life there IA an imperative necessity for
both legislative and legal action.
several cases Of opium poisoning were treated
at Bellevue Hospital during the last year but
we shall connno Ourselves to two as illustra-
tions of all, there being little, " any, difference
between them. In one Of these cases the pa
tient died, In the other complete recovery was
Dr. Van Worst was on duty when the arrival
Of the unfortunate victim was announced. 1t
proved 20 be woman who had become tired Of
the battle OF life. and whn. In one OF those peri
odical hts Of dospnndoncy TO which so many are
subject, had determined TO put an end to her
self and her troubles ut the same time. she
was In the habit OF taking opium. aud probably
the vice had so grown upon her that, finding II
impossible 10 shake II % she resorted to the
last oxpedient. She had been housckee per,
and was n woman Of excellent character. Such
Is the entry on the hospital records but her
troubles had become uncndurable," end one
evening she took two ounces OF McMunn's
elixir, deadly poison when used In large doses.
Fifteen minutes had hardly elapsed when
her condition was discovered by some Of her
frlenus, ana phNsician was called IN /; but he
falling 10 restore her, she was at once conveyed
to the hospital. Tue poison bad made rapid
progress, her pulse had ceased to beat, her face
had lost It's natur color. ana was blue and pur-
pie her respiration i've 10 TO minute; her
limbs were pOwerless tho pupils OF her eyes
were contracted to the size OF pinholes, and II
was with the greatest dihculty she could be
reused from her stupOr.
TERRIBLY HARSH REMEDY
No time was lost In applying the most vigor-
Gus remedies. Towels were Immediately pro-
cured, and their ends, dipped in water, were ap,
chest. IL was "A question OF life and death, and
resort To the most extreme measures was an at-
ju'tned the means. At every stroke line OF
blue ana red was loft upon the quiverns nesh,
and small ridges OF welts appeared here aud
there upon the white surface.
at T. terrible remedy" said the physician.
land there is only one ground upon which it can
be justlnedthe saving of life Severe as II is, |
have sOmetlm felt" ne added, "when the pl-
tient ms died upon our hands, thar have per
hAps permitted my feelings 70 Interfere 10 some
extent with this part Il the trertment.
he continued nlgellation had tOused the un-
fortunate woman from the stupor into which
she had fallen, and thuo, with the application OF
an electro battery, and tue slapping Of the soes
Of the feet and the palms OF the hands pro-
duced the desired effect. She was nj last re-
stored to consciousness and complained We
lieu emily OF the cruelty with which she was
treated. She begged and entreated IN the most
piteous and inploring manner for q cessation Of
the torture to which she WAS subjected. but II
her appeals were needed VI this Juncture re.
/
siolc. Tnc only hope for the life Of the patient
was In persistent, resolute, merciless applica-
tiJn OF IN. system laid down. In lhis instance,
vi iiortunately, the subject was too weak TO
stand. otherwise she would be walked up and
down the apartment for a couple of hours, per
haps longer, the great object being To hgnt the
| operation Of the poison bv ipcessant rctiQn OF
| the Dody and active circulation Of the blood.
In addition TO the scourrinR OF the flesh and
the application OF the electric battery pint OF
strong hot coffee, as strong as II could be made,
| was administered, ard ar ounce OF whskey, To-
Jected under the skin OF the arm. was absorbed
through the blood vessels into the system. The
thirty-secondth part Of grain Of sulphate OF
alropia IN a solution OF water had also be sn ap-
Piled hypodermically.
FIGHTING TIE sTUPoR IN VAIN
For two long hours the aagellation, the beat
ing Of the hands and feet. and the application
OF the battery were continued with brief re-
spltes until the unfortunate woman showed
marked signs OF Improvement. She was lifted
from the lpor on which she had been lying and
| placed on the bed. Tine battery was applied a.
Intervals, ana hot bottles which had been placed
/ In contact with the body to keep up the natural
/ heat were still cmpl yed. Iiva hours had PASS
! ed since she was brought To the hospital, and
! she wa. now 50 much improved that the Doctor
| deemed 1t safe TO leave her in 81, care Of tho
attendants, givin. ord r. before retiring that II
| tie respiration diminished In frequency aud the
! pulse became feeble, he should he Immediately
! called. After this the symptoms OF Improve
ment continued, nourishment IN the form of egg
nugg was taken, aud all tho indications pointed
! To recovery.
Al o'clock in the morning, ten hours after
| favorable, but one nOur had hardly elapsed
| when acompete change was apparent, he worst
! symptoms reappeared, the surface Of the body
| became quite cold, the pulse grew rapidly
| feeble, loss Of consciousness ensued, and al.
though the former remedies were again resorted
-, with the addition Of the galvanic current and
artificial respiration, the case was beyond the
power OF medical science. About II o'clock the
| woman died, fourteen hours after she had be en-
| admitted 10 the hospital.
SEVEN HOURS WALK FOR LIFE.
| In the case Of "a man who had attempted sui
| eide the same treatment was successful, but the
circumstances were somewhat dlnerent: Fifteen
| minutes after he had taken the poison-slx
grains Of morphia-ho repented OF the mad
| brougL, ly the onlcer to the station house and
thence to Bellevue. Here he was fagellatcd
| with wet towels Till his breast was covered with
| the blue aud red lines OF the scourging. 10 was
| IN vain he protested against the severity OF the
| treatment there was no release, and as the wet
| towels descended on the bare flesh the unhappy
| man Groaned In agony. He was also walked up
| ana down the apartment az rapid rate for an
| hour ana half; the thrN.secOnd part OF a
| grain Of sulphate of ntropia solved In water was
| injected under he skin, ana this having fai ed,
| asimilar Quantity was Infused in the same
| manner.
The tendency to sleep, which II INDUCED Is
| almost certain to terminate fatally, Is counter
| acted by placing an attendant alongside the pa
| tient when he IL allowed to sit down. when
| necessary, an occasional shaking up Is rosorted
| TO, and should another walking spell be or
| defed, the attendant takes him under the arm,
| ana the pedestrian exercise ~ again resumed and
M linn nNN M