The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1883-02-15
People Who Doctor Themselves.
New York Sun.l


"The extensive use of patent medi-
| cines and the enormous quantity of
drugs sold without prescriptions indi-
cate how widespread is the habit aT
! self-doctoring," said popular physi-
clan to a sun reporter. "To those
who know how carelessiy and ignor-
antly these drugs are used, the
thought of the harm they do is abso-
lutely appalling. There is no telling
how long a prescription once given
will be used. or with what foolish risk
it will be applied in case where it
will not only not do good, but is GER
tain to work HARM"
(which do you think do the most
self-doctOring. women or men 2"
Women, decidedly, especially
mothers and old women. The reck
less temerity of some women in
tb is respect is wonderful. They rush
in where angels fear to tread. Hastily
judging from few symptoms that
II case resembles one which the family
doctor has treated, they will hunt up
an old prescription and administer the
dose to some confiding husband or
helpless child. | could tell you some
amusing stories of the mistakes that
are made i'll this way. as well as some
instances where more serious conse-
quences resulted. Take, for illustra-
ton, headache. 1t may come from
dozen different cauSeS-from hunger,
from indigestion, from over excite
ment of the brain, from eating too
much, from inhaling foul air. The
remedy for the headache varies with
its cause. Yet you will find women
who have Il universal panacea for
headache, regardless of its cause Be
ware of such women"
with what medicine is the most
harm donef"
"Opiates and aperients. The heed
lesSness with which morphine in
various forms is now administered in
families is alarming. The doctor
comes to attend patient who is in
pain. He prescribes morphia and
directs its use, and the patient Is re-
lieved. This is enough to start the
average matrOn on a course of fell
destruction with morphia. The next
patient may be of different tenn
permanent, or sex, or age, requiring
either different kind or quantity of
the Opiate, but the old prescription
will be used, or, worse than all, will
be revived from memory. Some drug
st res watch carefully and refuse to
dispense such drugs without a pre-
scriptiOn in each case, but there are
many too eager to make money to
care much whether the patient is
being treated by doctor. The
same is true of the use of
bromide, of chloroform and of
ether. The bottle that is left partly
filed in family after one patient has
been treated is pretty sure to be used
for another without the doctors
knowledge. AS for paregoric and
laudanum, the amount Of fstupefaction
that is practiced upon children by
their use is so common as almost to
cease to attract attention. Perhaps
the child is naturally peevish, or is
cutting teeth, or has some infantile
ailment; out comes the paregoric or
soothing syrup bottle, and before long
the small dose ceases to have effect.
Then larger doses are given, until the
unfortunate youngsters system is
saturated with the drug and totally
deranRed. Sometimes the lazy and
dishonest nurse, to relieve herself
from trouble, administers the anodyne
on her own responsibility, and the
hapless child shows a dullness and
stupidity for which no one can ac-
count.
II met a man once who was doctor
ing himself for dyspepsia and indiges-
tion. He told me he wondered why
he had not cured himself. He was
apparently of muscular development
and good constitution, out he had
somehow got the idea into his head
that he must exercise vigorously after
every meal in order to promote diges-
tion. He took long and rapid walks
after his meals. OF course his diges-
ton got worse. He was apparently a
man of ordinary 'igteiligence, yet he
was ignorant of the simplest law of
health. told him that if a COW could
talk she would teach him more sanse
than to take any vigorous exercise,
either physical or mental, immediate
ly after a hearty meal. Most horses
are treated more inteiligently than
this man was treating himself.
what puzzles me is the fact that
people are not afraid to meddle with
such delicate organism as the human
body. Few persons who have watch
es would attempt tauaepair them If
the should - order; yet they