Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-03-23
TIE USEOF DRUGS.
A Physicians Observations on the Habit of
Doctoring.
IGNORANT AND RECKLESS USE OF
MORPHINE.


| MORPHINE.
The extensive use of patent med
lclnes and the enormous quantity of
drugs sold without prescriptions in
dicate how widespread is the habit
OF self-doctoring," said a popular
physician to Sun reporter. To
those who know how carelessly aud
ignorantly these drugs are used, the
thought of the harm they do is abso-
lutely appalling. There is no telling
how long prescription once given
will be used, or with what foolish
risk it will be applied in a case
where it will not only not do good,
but is certain to work harm"
DO you think this habit of self
doctoring decreases the practice of
physicians?"
BY no means. The effect is ra-
ther to increase our work People
who think to do without the services
of physician will not only do them
selves harm by the delay. but also
with the medicines which they do not
know how to Use. 1t is like a man
trying to mend leak in water
pipe by soldering it with the poker.
He generally makes the hole bigger
1t is. of course, the most difficult part
of the physicians duty to diagnose
the disease, to tell what is the real
trouble with the patient 1t is not
uncommon for even educated physi-
clans to make mistakes in this re
spect. The science of medicine has
progressed so far that every part of
the human body has been pretty
thoroughly studied, and the treat
ment of the ailments of each part is
a specially. 1t is impossible for one
physician to know all these diseases
as we'll as the specialists; and it is
common practice among honest ply
sicians to refer patients to those who
have made special study of tho dis
eases which atflict them 1t is not un-
common for man to go from one
physician to another in the vain eff
fort to discover his ailment. Some
times n patient will be treated by sue
cessive physicians for the wrong all
ment, because some of the symptoms
OF different diseases are similar How
unlikely is it, therefore, that persons
who have not studied medicine can
find what ails them!"
Which do you think do the most
self f-doctoring, women or men?'
Women, decidedly, especially
mothers and old women. The reck-
less temerity of some women in this
respect is wonderful They rush in
where angels fear to tread. Hastily
judging from few symptoms that
case resembles one which the family
doctor has treated, they will hunt
up an old prescription and admins
ter the dose to some cOntiding or
helpless child. could tell you some
amusing stories of the mistakes that
are made in this way. as we'll as some
instances where more serious conse-
quences resulted. Take, for illus
tration,a headache. 1t may come from
dozen different causes from hunger,
from indigestion, from over excitement
of the brain, from eating too much,
from inhaling foul air. The remedy
for headache varies with its cause.
Yet You will find women who have a
universal panacea for headache, re-
gardless of the cause. Beware of
such women"
With what medicines is the most
harm done?"
"Opiates and aperients. The heed
lessness with which morphine in va
rious forms is now administered in
families is alarming. The doctor
comes to attend patient who is in
pain. He prescribes morphia, and di-
rects its use, and the patient is re-
lieved. This is enough to start the
average matron on n course of fell
destruction with morphia. The next
patient may be of a different temper
ament, or sex, or age, requiring diff
ferent kind or quantity of the opiate,
but the old prescription will be used,
or, worse than all, will be revived
from memory. Some drug stores
watch carefully, and refuse to dis
pense such drugs without prescrip-
tion 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 chloro-
form and of ether. The bottle that
is left partly filled in a family after
one patient has been treated is pretty
sure to be used for another without
the doctors knowledge. AS for par
egoric and laudanum, the amount of
stupefaction that is practiced upon
children by their use is SO common
as almost to cease to attract attention.
Perhaps the child is naturally pee
Wish, or is cutting teeth, or has some
infantile ailment; out comes the par
egoric or. soothing syrup bottle, and
before long the small dose ceases to
have effect. Then larger doses are
| given, until the unfortunate young
ster's system is saturated with the
drug and totally deranged. Sometimes
the lazy and dishonest nurse, to re-
lieve herself from trouble, admins
ters the anodyne on her own response
bility, and the hapless child shows a
dulness and stupidity for which no.
body can account.
Il met man once who was doc
toring himself for dyspepsia and in
digestion. He told me he wondered
why he had not cured himself. He
was apparently of muscular develop
ment and good constitution, but be
had somehow got the idea into his
head that he must exercise vigorous
ly after every meal in order to pro
mote digestion. He took long and
rapid walks after his meals. OF
course his indigestion grew worse.
He was apparently man of ordinary
intelligence, yet he was ignorant OF
the simplest law of health. 1 told
him that if COW could talk she
would teach him more sense than to
take any vigorous exercise, either
physical or mental, Immediately after