New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-09-04
TIE MORPHINE HABIT.
EOw ONE VICTIM WAS CURED

Eow ONE VICTIM WAS CURED
From the weekly Tribune
Nothing that has been written in this department
since IT'S opening has drawn out many letters as
peared re bruary 9, 1881. The numerous letters
which ca me III response to it containing various
remedies were forM arded TO the lady whose letter
called ont the paragraph his week we print a
communication just received from her which will
be al interest to our readers:
People who do not use morphine have LITTLE idea to
what an extent 1t Is used one druggist here told me,
n9 hn"Wins used IT, that he sold enormous qualities
81 H. anu hh' ne knew people who used II and bought it
OF pm whom nobody suSprctedof using it, II appears
To De inc same every where. Allow to say
agree with you in thinking the created in child
hood by the use OF soothing syrups. one only Judge
home and being Enpish have used beer and porter hui
never cared for them have been absent from hone
year NJ a time, when never tasted wine beer at
tnmlg' YET lever missed enough TO orderit IT'S the
ton to give them up have decided taste tor them,
ana >" II was with morphine l3rt after It has been
uhtsn Tong enough to get tie habit liked, ii suddenly
T,H , tnnh one might die ol GAhanstion, and
t' use :" substitute In my case 1t was given almost
al INST IN "oSH oi grain each every two hours
physician Then he essencd the doses. Twas given
me h}Poderni' ally, and continued long time til
was living and dependent il. My nurse was taught
To administer IT whenever necessary, and She Hlnd
come t"c" daily, saying and thinking wouldn't need
said would have no more, and for Two days did not
~ that ne was 80 exhausted from cramps, terrible
hrhdi'hc-"i not a drop OF wat T. milk, ine-water or
any 'mms N"Md stay on my st"nl'h-that the doctor
administered
an" was l'hcN" - n went on substituted taking
the powder IN place ui The injections, which made me al
utterly Frustrated II neglected taking it. When the
accustomed TIM" aritYcdm my ~y.tcm demanded it, and
realized had " The morphine habit" lclt degraded
ana II That Was compelled To uscit had always
felt contempt Tor tie weakness or any one / knew
used IT, wondering why they did not stop; now knew
They could not Go so. made many efforts To break
be- OF TN tribune Tor anything bearing on the sub
i,ct tlrst one advised strong coffee. had tried very
relief Then trc strong co0cc, taking 1t in the morn
hght ana u" morphine. 49, bedtime mad the same
old iccn-s. wrtichcd headache. intense rcetle,snoss
aching limbs. The coffee delanScd nay stomach and III
wrrtclcd niehl could not take coffee or anything
s,y,r' Ul,s Jd n0t try - not r"rinr t tor
further experiments. when ! received the letters
YOU sent ne. and was advised Ia mix guam
took from m, mixture, wondered had not
thought of that and determined 70 try It. had been
getting sulphhte of morpia IN e ounce bottles sixty
gram m The b".tir suppose nad been taSins from
tA weeks htd bcch lr! ihg 10 hod my selt there ana
take no more. mcanrod carefully eighty teaspoons Of
IT, ANA hed bottle Of ~le 10 hold that quantity. and
began ~ taking lraspooniu twice day each time re-
shaking the bottle to mix 1t with the rest, adv iscd
myself cured, ana thank God am getting free again
Sometimes have felt languor and WEAKNESS, hut no
water though take II yet but lately have several times
forgotten IN nearly night, whcn a7ght sinking sensa
your Iapcr. and therefore write. intended when
quoted there saying: The -ocacd cures published
know better, You viii know from my last experiment.
am getting my natural hcat again after an illness ana
IA years uytild-m. | think the fault o 40 many taking
opium In through doctors prescriptions. | blame N!
phy stefan tiuh IL was criminal iu him TO treat me 50
a, To indnce fearful habit | know Of two others
VINO have the habit, aud got 1t through taking quantities
given them by p, -cian- aud another who di'd from
typhoid lever because medicine took no effect n she was
addicted To the Of morphine, acquired during for
mcr Illness when II was gwen freely 10y her ply stefan
Il n well known II IN opium eater contracts any disease
1t II likely to be fatal medicines nave no eject when
the ~ sem used To morphine. hope the subject viii
be agitaled ul people know the danger OF tampcrng
wlth such an evil
We give also an extract from the Icttcr of ply
stefan who has had La &c success IN curing The NOR
phinC habit;
You ask if some measures cannot be taken or some
rc@ortcd To which To- certain extent might AID in
preventing ia" formation OF the habit iheFG Is no way
OF completely prohibiting the ust Of morphine, Cuuso
the habit 'rhc phy-ict,ns arr mostly To blame The
lay podrrmc ~ fringe. the o it, adds greatly To the
urcd lay the subcutanoou use OF the drug than y the
odtusioncd way of administrators medicines. Ihc ny
the ply sciun. might be WELL IL such thing could be
done To prohibit the dlrcrimnatr sale of hy podcrmic
Syfincs, and allow them only 10 he sold To Fly scians
aud any victim acquired the habit thron IA the ms,ru
mentality OF the p9rrlan I" h3d MN n"pie Tor IT, the
the fact that there are more nnbtucs among the ph 81
ciahs Than among all classes OF the DINER lrot'0sions
subject among physicians themselves. me habil
IL acquired however, sometimes without the pi4-
kicians knowledge The drug has peculiarly las
cinang eject the being at the beginning of its
use. The victim for the hrst Few weeks or months OF
ecstasy hary; then reaction sets in and he Is
among the most wretched al mankind, IN condition Of
fastened upon him, ard he finds II ms Impossible 70
relieve himself OF ii Snbad did to get rid OF his old
Man of the sen"
Thorough acquaintance with the laws of life and
health, and rigid obedience thereto, Wlil hminisI
III an ever increasing ratio the he'o OF doctors ana
of medicines and the danger OF forming morbid
habits.