The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-10-14

OF the compass are AuSlo-odAon1
in Greece, Rome and India word very
like neaos had been employed long before
the Christian era began Thomas j. Bo'o-
ditch, IN Troy, N. Y. Times.
One Way of Intoxication.
The Alarming Extent to which the Hy-
podermic Syringe is Now Employed.
"There are 100 hypodermic syringes sold
now for each one that found purchaser a
few years ago." said dealer in surgical
instruments few mornings since, leaning
over his showcase full Of cleaning tools.
''People have discovered that they are not
only of great service in the alienation OF ex-
treme pain, such as sciatica, for instance, but
that they afford convenient sort OF respec-
table intoxication, or exhilaration, to speak
more politely. Good young men-the kind
of Young men who would look with horror
upon glass of honest whiskey, and would
not for worlds be seen entering barroom
are very frequently slaves to this pecu-
liarly insidious and deadly phase of opium
habit. And it seems practically impossi-
BILE to awaken to consciousness OF Its IN
evitable ruinous consequences one who once
becomes addicted to it. The drunkard and
the opium eater, or laudanum drinker, are
much easier of reformation than the person
who gets accustomed to throwing few
drops of morphia under his skin.
II can tell those who are devotees OF the
habit when meet them in the street. Only
yesterday morning young man rushed in
here, excited, in great haste, and trembling
all over like leaf in the wind. l knew at
a glance what he wanted, and had the case
open even before he could control his quiv-
ering jaws enough to say, Owe broken the
needle of my hypodermic syringe. l want
it fixed, and won't you please lend me one
quickly for few moments, and give me
the use of your private room for minute?'
handed one to him. He darted into the
back room, and in few minutes came out
again, calm, smiling, and steady. He had
had his Dose Meanwhile [ replaced his
broken needle with sound one, for which
he paid, and, carefully pocketing it, he
strobe out without sign Of the intense
nervousness from which he was suffering
when he entered.
eff you have never seen morphine VIC
tim of this class in the nervous agonie'
consequent upon temporary deprivation o.
the drug, you can have no idea of how they
suffer. Many young men have told me
that they were in the habit of taking three
four, or even five hypodermic injections O
morphine every day, and even had to taxi
them at night to get sleep. Of course
when the habit is once formed, the dos
must be continually increased, or else mad
more frequent for the same results to be at
tanned. Women buy great many of thes
instruments. Generally they get into tn
habit of using them through familiarizatiol
with the treatment by physicians for miti
CATION of pain. One lady [ know of VIII
had a violent attack of sciatica-which, a
you may, or may not, know, hurts wors
than a thousand toothaches at once-an'
her family physician gave her a hypodermi
injection Of morphine which afforded In
slant relief. But it is not cure, merel..
an alienation, and had to be repeated thre
or four times every day. 1t took the doc
tor about two minutes, and he charged 5.
each time After week or so, as she go
to be such a good, steady, trustworth.
source of revenue he reduced his rate to ST
Even that, however, was more than tn
husbands resources would stand, so h
came to me for advice, and bought syringe
I showed him how to use it. Now, al
though the woman has got we'll of the scia
tica, she keeps up the morphine practice
finds it a necessity of her existence, and he
legs, her husband tells me, are pittied al
over with the marks of the application.
don't suppose she ever will or can give
up. Yes, the marks are ineradicable.
''To administer the injection, you tax
up a bit of skin between your finger an
thumb, jab the needle in, and squirt away
1t doesn't hurt at all, not as much as pok
ing needle into skin not pinched in tina
way would, but care must be exercised t
throw the solution to just the proper dept
or else it is likely to produce hideous ulcers
difficult to cure. Well, each of those jah
leaves little, hard, calloused-like lumI
I'd rather, if l had wife, that she shoul
take to the cologne bottle than to the ny
podermic syringe for her exhilaration.
~ suppose I sell, on an average, at leai
one of those syringes every day, and som
days four or FIVE Then they are sold b
number of other surgical instrument dea
ers, and by all the frst-class drug store
Why. here is the best evidence of the ma;
nitude of the popular demand for them
the various styles in which they are gotte
up. Here is one, an imported article, fro
France, that costs $40 in silver-plate
case, with finely made syringe, an exit
needle, wires to keep in the needles whe
not in use, to prevent their clogging, a tin
bottle to hold the morphine, and all in
form convenient for the pocket. Here
another, of simpler construction and few
appliances, but equally effective, that sci
for $1.50. There are none cheaper ths
this latter, but there are much more expe
sive ones than the former, gotten up in go
, and finished like jewels. The manufa
turers make them of gold, silver, bas
metal, hard rubber, celluloid, and glas
In al, the principle is the same-a til
syringe tube of glass, with graduatir
scale of minims engraved on it, and he
: low needle nozzle. And the result of t
continued use is always the same-ruin
N. Y. iSan.
r CURING BAD MEMORY mel
ory is bad, perhaps, but can tell you t.