The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-09-11

1t affords IL much the same In character
1t has been described as consisting il
can intense feeling of happiness. which
attends all the operations Of the mind
The sun shines on every thought thai
passes through tie brain, and every
movement Of the body ia source of ell
! ioyment." Rrt the most remarkable
pc ,lliarlty of the Indian hemp has yet
to be mentioned dose of the resin has
been known to occasion that strange
| condition of the nervous system called
catslepsey, in which, Notwithstanding
| the force of gravity, the limbs of the
unconscious patient remain stationary
in whatever position they may be placed.
The use Of the coca-tree as a narcotic
in Peru and Bolivia Is of very great an
tiquity. When the Spaniards landed
under Pizarro, they found the natives
chewing the dried leaves, in exactly the
same way in which they have continued
| to chew them down to the present day.
| Efforts were indeed made, soon after
the subjugation of the country, to put
a stop to the practice, for the plant had
| acted an important part in the Peruvian
religious ceremonies, and its use was
looked upon by the conquerors as an
obstacle to the spread of Christianity.
Nevertheless, the Indians persevered in
spite of every prohibition and severity.
Before long, too, the owners OF mines
and plantations discovered that it was
to their interest to connive at the habit,
as, with its aid, their laborers we're able
to perform more work on given guam
tity of food than they could do without
it. It has thus gradually become the
universal custom to allow from fifteen
to thirty minutes, three or four times a
Co. nf oh
these times the first object of the In
dian is to make himself as comfortable
as possible, for the coca fails to produce
its effects unless the chewer be perfectly
quiescent. He stretches himself at full
length in the shade, on couch of dry
leaves or soft turf, and, rolling few of
the coca leaves into ball, conveys them
into his mouth adding Immediately, to
bring out the full flavor, small guam
tity of unslacked lime, or Of the alkaline
ashes of certain plants. When thus
engaged, the apathy he displays to ev-
erythine around him is something mar
velous. No entreaty on the part of his
employer will induce him to move, and,
if he be confirmed coquero, he is in
different even to drenching rain or the
roar of wild animals in the neighboring
thicket. In what way the pleasures of
the coca-leaf manifest themselves is not
known, but they must evidently be of
q very seducing kind, thus to render
men insensible to personal danger.
Notwithstanding the wide prevalence
of the use of narcotics, little or nothing
is known of the way in which their
different effects are produced on the
system; and the problem is complicated
by the number of active substances that
enter into their composition. Opium,
besides other more ordinary ingredients,
contains no fewer than eleven peculiar
organic compounds, all of which are
believed to share in producing its usual
effects. 1t has, however, been noticed
that may symptoms of narcotism bear a
close resemblance to those of insanity.
The wild laughter of a man under the
influence of the deadly nightshade can
not be distinguished from that of a
and the false impressions as to
the size of objects, caused by the Indian
hemp and the Siberian fungus, are
permanent feature in the malady of
many lunatics. 1t has been suggested
by DIR. Carpenter that much Light
might be thrown on the connection be-
tween the mind and the body by study
ing the phenomena of drunkenness, and
it seems probable that those of mar
cotism in different parts of the world
might be made to yield equally rich
results. OF one thing we may be quite
certain. The use of tobacco has become
q positive vice. The wastefulness OF
money which it causes, without a COM
advantage, is alone deplor-
(Inr3He7-'o