Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-08-26
Opium.Eating in England.

Attention was partiallydra totbe Snh.
ject of opium-eating in the United KIM
dom so long ago as 1874 by an innpirs,
that was made into the state of LARGE tow,
in Lancashire; and since that time there 10
every reason to believe that the evil bao
largely augmented. The Increase in tbs
quantities OF the raw material imported
would alone be sufficient to render ,h;s
probable; for whilst in 1852 the importa.
ton amounted to 114000 pounds if had
grown to $4,000 pounds in 1872 NJ
doubt large portion of this enormous
quantity is employed in the manufactnrs
of morphia or other alkaloids, and is either
exported or employed for legitimate medic.
inal purposes; but it is difficult to account
for an increase in twenty years of 200 Der
cent. except on the supposition that the
drug is more largely used as a narcotic
than is generally believed. The facility
with which this form of vice can be con.
cealed renders direct evidence on the snL
ject difficult to obtain; but such evidence
as can be procured tends to prove that the
above supposition is correct We have re-
Gently been informed by the medical 81
tendant to the work house in one of our
larger cities that week rarely passes
without a case of opiume eating coming TO
his knowledge among those who seek adj
mission to the work-house; and that he
has known women when suffering
from the depression consequent upon
their enforced abstinence even 90 down
on their knees and beg that he would ad-
minister to them an opiate Again, there
is reason to believe that opium is a favor
lite stimulant with many underfed and
Overworked artisans and laborers; and
from inquiries made by parochial officials.
clergymen and others this would appear
to be especially the case in agricultural
districts. In the fenny districts of Lin
colnshire, a belief being prevalent that
opium acts as a preservative against the
effects Of a damp climate, many of the in
habitants have in this way become addict
ed to its use. Another, and even more
reprehensible, form of the opium evil
among the lower classes is to be found in
the practice of administering soothing
mixtures to young children for the pur-
pose OF keeping them quiet. In one in
stance mother, because her child was
unwell, has been known to place piece
OF crude opium in its mouth to suck, the
death OF the child being naturally the con-
sequence; and though cases of such gross
and culpable ignorance as this are no
doubt rare, it is certain that the admins
tration OF soothing -sirups and cordials is
too commonly resorted to. In large man
uiacturing towns, where mothers are
often employed in factories during the
day, their infants are frequently placed
fer the time in the care ofnurses and these
women seldom feel any conjunction in
administering an opiate to child who
is troublesome. 1t cannot be too widely
known how greatly such a practice tends
not only to the direct increase of infant
mortality, but also to the permanent in
jury of the constitution by inducing con-
vulsions and other similar nervous dis
eases. Opium in one of its forms enters
largely into the composition OF many of
the pain killers and patent medicines so
freely advertised for domestic use in the
present day, and for this reason the great
est care is needed in having recourse to
any OF them. Taken, perhaps, in the first
instance to alleviate the torments ofneural-
gia or toothache, what proves to be rem
edy soon becomes source of qualification,
which the wretchedness that follows on alb
stinence renders increasingly difficult to
lay aside. The SANE must be said OF mar
cotics, such as bromide of potassium and
hydrate of choral, frequently resorted to
as remedy for sleeplessness; the system
quickly becomes habituated to their use;
they can then be relinquished only at the
cost of much suffering. Indeed, the last
mentioned of these two drugs obtains over
the mind power which may be compared
to that of opium and is, moreover, liable
to occasion the disease known as chloral-
ism, by which the system ultimately
becomes a complete wreck.--Chdmabers'
J0urRdl.