, 1881-05-21
FASCINATING VICES.
Seeking Relief and Con.
tracing RuinOIS
Habits.
OPIUM AND ALCOHOL.
Two Fearful Plaques that Hen.
ace Our Land.
A cocToR's OPINION.

a COCTOES OPINION.
The opium habit is one Of those mysteri-
ous hidden vices that hold an absorbing IL
terest for the general public, and of which
very little is known outside the medical
classes. Every now and as1;p statements
are made in print tegatding its growth in
this country tha. are SO startling II assersion
that they are read with ayid;ty and believed
because they are ,et forth With dusuiatic
assurance and assumed authority that viii
not admit of contradiction. The ladies' of
America are the objects of al this attack.
They are assailed from every side, and ac-
cording to some wiseacres they are rapidly
running TO destruction from the consumption
of opium. The drug stor7s IN the great
cities are said to be dong 4 tremendous bust
ness in this merchandise, and the increase in
the importation OF it is reported to have been
enormous.
Generally the morphine or opium taker
begins by employing il und,r the advice OF a
physician for the relief OF intense PAIN and
he continues It either because the pam
would DC rsist If he did not or because the
habit being formed he cannot readily breaa
off. Again, the first dose Is taken T. oead
the pain of some great mental shock or sor-
row. A great many, too, get INTO the lab
in early manhood by associating with le~d
charact rs, who almost universally smoke
Opium 10 the low Chinese dens oi the city
To learn something OF the real state OF affairs
the STArESNAN's reporter called upon one OF
Walla Walia's leading physicians:
Are the effects as PLEASANT as IS generally
sapposed?'
NO; on the contrary, after the immed-
ate influence has passed away the period Of
reaction sets IN, and ills is always distress
ing. You have only To read De Qaincey's
Confessions or those of any other OPIUM
eater or smoker to see that his life is one o.
misery from beginning to end | have never
seeu one that dill not confess himself to lie a
slave, and lamen. the bitterness aud despair
of his life"
IL i - .-'esg- IL 10 e";c.- b = :.pr,-
scnted >"
IF kept within reasonable bounds ! do
not suppose it shortens lite, but it certainly
Injuries the mind"
'In what way, Doctor
at destroys the mental power OF the indi-
vidual. makes him weak, vacillating, irreso-
luts, suspicious, fretful, cowardlY and abso-
lutely regardless of any promise or pledge be
ma, make relative to breaking of his habit.
same time tendency TO neuralgia anti
although it for the time blunts tie emotions
and intellect and hence lessons the wear and
tear OF the mind under the influence OF some
great misfortune, it causes such Al irritable
condition of the whole nervous organization
that the most triang revesses or other nn'o-
w,rl occurrences appear Ike mountains OF
sorrows.
.Do vou think it destroys the nervous
SYSTEM"
"Well, when mans nervous system Is
DESTROYED the best thing you can do with
him is to bury him, or rather crenatc hin'
for the rest of him IS not worth mneh-
Won mean does it produce any serious Oh
eanic disease, such as insanity, idiocy, epl
epsy, paralysis Or the like, | can only say
that never have seen any evidence that II
does 1t makes the subject misery to him.
IL nd nuisance to those about him, and
= nuite enough"
that -. -, to the peruiciousness Of
''Doctor' reia'''- 'rinking, which
opium smoking aud whiskey-.
in your opinion is the worse"
-whiskey drinking or the drinking oi as
other alcoholic liquor to excess is inhmr'y
worse than opium taking. Dram takin 70
excess makes a man beast and often tsnPSs
him to the commission of murder orother
crime, and makes him not only wrthiess
as a member OF society, but a nuisar'e oi the
first order. Opium smoking does ot make
A man violent or even WORTHLESS. Oplum
smokers do not beat their wivesIr Kill peo-
pie or get delirium t'emens or oecone IN,
sane They are often of rehrd tastes, oi
great literary or artistic or scintihc ab'hsy,
They are sensitive, retiring, modest, quiet
and indisposed to contests, mental or physi-
cal The dram drlnker, hoSever. Is SIMPLY
a british. unreasoning. degraded and alto
qetber vicious party, who equrres the strong
arm of the law to Keep HIN IN subJection.
.As I understand yoi, Doctor, you are
,Itoge.ber nnposai to surit drinking: >:
"Eutirely so. kac~ OF no possible Con-
a;t;on which renders the use OF whiskey,
gin, rum or brandy necessary or proper,
How about wines and malt liquors.:
..Wines ami malt liquors are probably not
necessary for the great majority Oh 'hnss
who take them, but they are necessary. y. ia
moderation for very many and thffndeed a
not injurious to very many manIX;er,nan or Hnnga-
glass or two of FTeHissnper IHisnper is generally good
ran "'he fhselps digestion, quiekens the IN
thlne and lessons wear and tear Of the body
and mind without doing any harm And
because some people make beasts OF them
selves with strong drink it IS no reason why
vou and |, who take the goods tine gods give
ns in decency and in order. should not do so.
If there were more proper drinking Of wine
and beer there would be less opium and
wbiskey used. There is more opium and
ether narcotics used where prohibis0ry liquor
Laws prevail than anywhere else, and no less
whiskey drinking for the people who would
drink moderately Of wine and beer If they
couId get them are NOT the kind to 80 to dram
drinking. They take to opium, tobacco, &c
Governor NcMullin.