The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-09-05

SAueE tHe
OF q Victim OF the NeedIe.nosed
Syringe.
indianapolis News.
How did l ever cure myself Of the
opium habit?" said a man q little more
than thirty years ofage, to a Nps reporter
this morning. First, I'll tell you how
got in the way of using the drug. l don't
use opium myself, mind you, butmorphine,
the active principle OF opium. I took it
hypodermically, under the skin, that is
the morphine in solution was injected into
my arm. You never have had inAamma.
tory rheumatism, perhaps? Well, 1 have,
and when a man has that, he'll jump at
anything for relief. Five years ago l be.
gan the use Of morphine by sub.cutaneous
injection. l never used the little
needle.nosed syringe myself, but the
soothing fluid was always injected by my
physician. At first it was given me two or
three times a week under the skin of my
arm, but it was no great while until the
syringe came to be used that often each
day, and l becamea slave to the drug. l
was gloomy, respondent, worthless, ex-
cept when under the influence OF the
|opiate, and when charged with it was
quite as worthless, as the rosy visions that
followed its use were accompanied by a
languor and listlessness that made me ut
terly averse to all exertion. My right arm
for that matter my left arm also) has been
so closely punctured with holes from the
syringe point that you couldn't lay a quar-.
ter down on my arm anywhere without
touching two or three sore places, for the
morphine inf1amed the flesh Whereyerin in.
cislon was made.
women who use morphine hypoder.
mically have the fluid injected under the
knee cap. This is forthe reason that they
do not like to disfgure their arms. Two
months ago I determined to 20 to Hot
Springs, Ark, to see il l couldn't boil the
morphine out Of my system, and under
take some treatment that would cure me
OF the habit. l was a slave to morphine.
1t had. completely enervated me and ruin.
ed mefor everything. Cured of rheuma.
tism, / had acquired in Its stead the OPT
um disease, opiophsgy, which was infinite.
ly worse. When Ileft this city to 90 to
Hot Springs my physician advised me to
take a solution Of morphine along with me
and %hypodermic syringe. l did so, but
resolved not to use 1t until the last ex.
tremity. Do you know that the craving
for liquor is not to be compared with the
insatiate desire that a morphine user has
for his nepenthe? On the cars, on my
way to the springs, I suffered terribly; re.
as l neared my destination my suffering
increased. People on the cars who saw
my writings flor my limbs became con
torted and my teeth grated together,
thought me a mad man. Finally I could
hold out no longer, With great difficulty
barred my arm and with unsteady hand
jabbed the syringe into II. Istruck a vein
or an artery, I don't know which. The
blood spurted across the car, three or foul
woman tainted and several men rushed
forward, thinking 1t a suicide. You car
have no idea OF the shock that wen
through me as the fluid entered the vein
Flash after flash Of soaring, binding light
shot aross my eyes, and from'm heels Il
the top Of my spinal column went al
electric.light current that seemed TO burr
los it ran. In five minutes l felt mysel
again, that Is my old morphine self, but
once more resolved to rid myself OF thI
bondage, even II my life went out III thu
effort. When I got to- the springs I pu
my hypodermic solution and the instru
ment aside and began taking the baths.
don't know whether they did me any goo,
or not. l don't know anything that oC
cured during the next ten days, excep
that l suffered q thousand deaths. l hat
every pain and ache that almanac eve
told OF. Morphine is a drug that the en-
[ tire system grows 10 and assImilates with
II you deprive yourself Of 1t after It ha
become necessary to you, you suffer th
tortures Of the damned. I had but on
thought in my mind all those terrible day
Ito free myself from the drug. I did Il
and thank God for 1t, Do you see m
hair how gray 1t is? Not one man in
= thousand, I've been told, could do what
. have done. Several physicians to whom
, have told my experience look on me |
wonder: they say my nerve Is unequa
ed. That may be. I only know thi
$4,000 wouldn't hire me to undertake Ii
!. experience Of those ten days again."