The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1882-05-24
OR. LAMSON.
His Own Account of His Use of Morphia
and Atrcpia, and Their Effect Upon
London Standard

lDOn00n Sl6RuarQ.
When Mr. Austin, from the office of Mr.
Mills, the convicts solicitor, visited him in
Wandsworth Jail yesterday, he found that
the condemned man had written ali elabor-
ate account of his experience of the mental
and moral metamorphoses caused in him by
the long continued use of morphia and
stropia. Lamson in his communication
says:
md not use the first drug alone, but in COM
biEation with the latter, not, as has been sup
posed, TO cOunteract the contracting effect of
phia upon the pupils OF the eye but because it
not only enhanced the effects of morphia as a
sedative, anodyne and narcotic, but aiso because
Ii quite or quite nearly overcame the sickness
caused by the morphia. The habit became formed
from It's having been first jected hypodermioaly
by colleague to relieve pain. L then took il my
self. having considerable work TO attend TO,
and in order 10 brace myself for my professional
duties when in pain After short time
it became absolutely necessary TO re-
the pain, but 10 lun the nervous and general
physical rritability, which often amounted to ac-
tual pain of heavy rheumatic character, in the
mead and limbs principally, which occurred when
the general effects had nearly or quite disap-
peaI ed. Ot course, very soon the doses had TO be
lar. er ana IL required surprisingly large
amount to produce sleep, or even serious dr0Wsi-
n ualIy 5ee M hoar bad n a. to be repeated
The sleep was Of very short duration, after the
habit had existed some time IL LETT the faculties,
describable state for some hours
But the physical results, thongh severe and
horrible to Look back upon, were comparatively
trifng when tine moral and mental results are
considered The whole aspect Of everything be
When in the condition above alluded to- after the
narcotic effect had evanesced, the whole lie was.
far physical motions and, the instincts
full of yaguest and most unreal fancies
and imaginatiOns Real worries and. troubles,
however slight, became terrific In
their awfulness, and antlcipations were even
more dreadful and horrible. The imagination
seemed to pierce years into the future and c0lOs-
sal success or failures would either csuse IL rush
soeeen to be uttered and Sastening Of tne gait OF
a despOndenGy impossible TO realize. While in
the abnormal state alluded 10 the most unac-
OF. Everything seemed ones own particular
right, q complete inability to draw dis
tinctions between truth and falseh00d, the
real and those ideals which become realities,
right and wrong, loss of the knowledge of time
and distance; and in fact 10 very grert extent,
the power of distinguishing or discriminating,
tendency, quite unconquerable, 10 put OF thing
(piecrastination in most exaggerated form
ana desJee,) my memory for names, faces, an0
events of daily life, which was when In my nor
NAL condition was unusually good, almost an
nulled- In all an absolute denaturing, demOral-
| iziug. dementslizing result, and withal firm
conviction that in afew- days should dlscontln2 2e
| the habit; but the day never could come.
Tho great cunning in conaealing the instru-
ments and solution, and the purchase thereof,
when
after going to bed, then an hour or tw0's s.eep,
then awake in that peculiar condition have
enceayored TO describe, either to get up and wan
der aimlessly, almost uDconsciously sometlmes
aboat the house. sometimes in the stIeets-
those image fancies always more real al
night. In New York i would rise at any hour
of the night or early morning and imagine all
scrts of Extraordinary thing /. can not now fully
recall in detail. especially when President
GsIfield died and stopped at en-. au-night eatine
house for slight refreshment. ice cream or tht
lilt Ne and then return to my room, or else would
read, and always some highly exciting story
which became at once reality To me. and then ex
ihausted, when nearly time ior rising, w9nld sinl
10 uneasy sleep, fully believing was to carry or
my self the events of the narrative. NheT
IL awoke. generally another infection, 1
soou before getting up (which always dc
very late when slone) would produce twenty o.
thirty minutes half unconsciousnesss and ther
| rising. would continue The remainder OF the day
| and evening N the state OF mental absence anC
| physical preseaee haze mentioned When alone
| land always sought solitude 5or the greater par
| of the time. the presence of others in a measure
interfering With the p0rtentous and vast work tn
diseased brsln Was doingl took neither breakiaS
nos lunch snt the only meal in the twenty lou
beer.
Whether all of this was the result Of morphi
sn brain slways easily disturbed ldellrlum 4
the sigAiesG Illness etc. from early years, or th
brain e&ects of atropia. the eject of which wa
was fuliy and often painfully conscious of in tn
drynsss of throat, rendering swallowing almo
impossible, and great impairment of sight .rSI
the dihted pupils, or the combination
ALI. can not say. know these O.g'
general outlines of the past are the fs i
OF something, and ! can dimly di
| iinguish certain acts and doings but thesa we
many things did and said which were s-ke'.wa
told me that knew and know nothing Sslatev
: to my own recollection. / am firmly 81 the
lief vague strange sensations existing e'sen no'
that it might be OF some service to sssy .ce were
scien tifc and pathological postmortaP held aft
my death. Ny relatives would Or OH bly, not raj
' any objection TO this.