The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1883-09-19
THE VICTIMS OF MORPHINE.
A zABrx WHICH IS RUrE1NG MANY
HAPPY HOMES.

Much has been published OF late
concerning the Chinese opium dens IN
Mott street. but little is known OF the
prevalence of the opium habit in all It's
forms and of intemperance among
women of wealth and fashion. 1t is
the popular opinion that the chief VIC
Tins among women of these habits are
actresses, opera singers, and other
public characters, but that Is not so.
The spread of these two great evils,
intemperance and the opium habit,
among the women of the better classes,
women who are the wives of mer-
chants, politicians and literary men,
women of education, refinement and
even Of religious training, is some
thing alarming, and this statement
any prominent physician will confirm.
Several welI-known ladies of this
city have lately interested themselves
in the matter Of the reformation and
cure of the unfortunate victims of
these habits. A number of reforma-
tories had been established for men,
and there are several charitable lnstl-
tutions for women, but these ladies'
believed that there was demand for
an establishment for women belonging
to wealthy families. and whose friends
would never send them to charitable
institution, or indeed to any place
where they would be supposed to be
under treatment for these habits.
With the aid of the late William E.
Dodge, therefore, these ladies estab-
lished in East Fifty-seventh street a
home for women of this class. That
there is necessity for such institu-
tions as this is proven by the fact that
it is filed with patients, most of whom
are supposed by the society which they
have lett to be away either for treat
ment for some nervous disease or else
sojourning in foreign land.
A reporter of the World calel on
the physician in charge of the home,
and male inquiries as to the cause of
the preva ence of these habits among
women and as to the methods em-
p.oyed to effect a cure.
Il would rather attend twenty men
than one woman in this class Of cases" I"
said the doctor, 8" as nearly all women
who are afflicted with these habits are
hysterica', hard to control, and are al
most a ways troub'el with some other
disease which must be cured before
she can reform. There are two classes
of women who become habituated to
the use of liquor or narcotics. First,
there are the poor under class, who are
driven to intemperance by poverty,
sorrow OF abuse. Then there is the
c'ass of women who be'ong to what is
called the best society. They are sur
rounded by all the luxuries which
wealth can buy and all the safeguards
which polite society car throw around
them. They contract passion for
drink generally in, social frivolities.
They begin with drinking beer and
end in drinking enormous quaint ties
of alcoholic beverages. I have had
one patient who contracted the habit
at boarding-schco, where a number ol
the young ladies out of mischief useC
to surreptitiously smuggle in beer
Many of my patients clam that they
were at first prescribed the LIQUOR BY
their physicians. This is undoubtedly
true in many instances, but the state
ments Of the victims Of these habit
cannot always be relied upon. Mos
of those who contract the opium habi
claim that they first learned the prop
critics of the drug from having had i
prescribed by their physicians"
"Would you, then. advise physician
TO abandon the use of narcot.csP"
"3y no means. Opium is one o
Gods greatest gifts to man. would
however. advise physicians to us
more care in prescribing. Almos
every physician has many cases of in
temperance among his female patients
Some Of the cases in my private prac
tice were peculiarly pitifuL Their re
cital in all their particulars would b
horrible. 1t was only few week
ago that two ladies walking along al
avenue in this city picked up yOunl
woman, richly dressed ard of refined
appearance. She was intoxicated
Learning her address, they conveyed
her 20 her home. She belonged to |
wealthy family in this city. She ha
since been reclaimed.
ain opium cases the drug is gener
ally at first taken TO relieve pain anC
then as soon as its properties ar
learned the habit generally fasten
its hold upon the woman. There ar
three forms Of the opium habit. 1
may be smoked or taken through tn
mouth or hypOderniica'ly introduced
The latter is the most common form
The woman, perhaps, seqs her docto
first use the syringe; then she get
one herself and begins its use. Sh
soon discovers, however, that the dos
of one-eighth 10 one-quarter Of a grail
administered by the physician n
lecss,er satisfies her. and she increase
/l quantity. This is gradual, O
iEurse, but soon the amount takel
4aily would be sufficient to kill
strong. healthy man. From FIVE
eight grains of morphine is fatal dos