The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1879-09-11
FLASH AFTER FLASH.
Morphine Under the Skin-Experi-
encs Of a Victim Of a Nee
dle-nosed Syringe.

morphine Vnoer the Expert
encs Of a Victim Of a Nee
! dle-nosed Syringe.
Indianapolis News: allow did
ever cure myself of the opium
habit?" said a man a little more
than thirty years of age, to News
reporter this morning. "rirst, I'll
tell you how 1 got in the way OF
using the drug. | didn't use opium
myself, mind you, but morphine,
the active principle of opium. ]
took it hypodermically, under the
skin, that is the morphine in solu-
tion was injected into my arm.-
You never have had infamitory
rheumatism, perhaps2 Well, 1
have, and when a man has that, he
will jump at anything for relief.
Five years ago l began the use of
morphine by sub-cutaneous injec-
tion. l never used the little needle
nosed syringe myself,bu the sooth-
ing fluid was always injected by my
two or three times a week under
the skin of my arm, but il was no
great while until the syringe came
to be used that often each day, and
l became a slave to the drug. 1
was gloomy, respondent, worthless,
except whel under the influence of
the opiate, and when charged with
it was quite as worthless, as the
rosy visions that followed it's use
were accompanied by a languor and
listlessness- that made me utterly
averse to all exertion. My right
arm as for that matter my left arm
also) has been so closely punctured
with holes from the syringe point
that you couldn't lay a quarter
down on my arm anywhere without
touching two or three sore places,
for the morphine infamed the flesh
wherever incision was made.
Women who use morphine hy-
podermically have the fluid inject
ed under the knee cap. This is for
the reason that they do not like to
disfigure their arms. Two months
ago l determined to go to Hot
Springs, Ark, to see if L couldn't
boil the morphine out of my sys-
TEN, and undertake some treatment
that would cure me of the habit. /
was slave to morphine. 1t had
completely enervated me and ruined
me for everything. Cured of rheu-
matism, I had acquired in its stead
the opium disease, opiophagy, which
was infinitely worse. When 1 left
this city to go to Hot Springs my
physician advised me take a solu
tion of morphine along with me
and hypodermic syringe. 1 did
so, but resolved not to use it until
the last extremity. Do you know
that the craving for liquor is not to
be compared with the insaclate de-
sire that morphine user has for
his nepenthe? On the cars on my
way to the springs, I suffered terri
bly,; resolved not use the opiate, but
as neared my destination my suf
ferings increased. People on the
cars who saw my writings (for my
limbs became contorted and my
teeth grated tcgether) thought me
a mad nam. Finally / could hold
out no longer. With great difficult
ty L barred my arm and with un-
steady hand jabbed the syringe into
it. / struck a vein or an artery, 1 |
don't know which. The blood |
spurted across the car, three or four |
women tainted and several men
rushed forward, thinking it a sui
c1Ge. You can have no idea of |
the shock that went through me
as the fluid entered the vein. Flash |
afte flash of soaring, binding light
shot across my eyes, and from my
heels to the top of my spinal col
1mn went an electric-like current |
that seemed to burn as it ran. In
i've minutes l felt myself again, that
IS my old morphine self, but 1 once
more resolved TO rid myself of the
bondage, even If my life went out
n the effort. When 1 got to the
springs 1 put my hypodermic solu-
Jon and the instrument aside and
began taking the baths. 1 don't
know whether they did me any
good or not. 1 don't know any
hing that occurred during the next
zen days, except that suffered a
thousand deaths. 1 had every pain
md ache that almanacs ever told
If. Morphine is drug that the
entire system grows to and assimi-
ates with. If you deprive your
self of it after it has become neces-
,ary to you, you suffer the tortures
IF the damned. had but one
thought in my mind in all those ter
idle days-~to free myself from the
lrug. l did it, and thank God for
t. Do you see my hair how gray
t is? Not one man in a thousand,
I've been told, could do what have
lone. Several physicians to whom
have told my experience look at
ne in wonder. They say my nerve
unequaled. That may be. only
know that $4,000 wouldn't hire me
20 undertake the experience of
L