The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1885-06-20
Morphine aud Ether IN the Partisan
Club Room.
IFrom lie Progres Medical. /

Club Room.
From lie Progress Medical.
Would you believe that some
persons take pleasure in poison
ing themselves simply because
their neighbors do iti This is,
however, a fact recently affirmed
and proved by DR.. Reghard at the
SorbOnne. The large audience of
the Association Scientifque seem.
ed to be completely dismayed at
his revelations. Upon a large
table in the amphitheatre were dis.
posed a series of the most brilliant
looking caskets, plated with gold
and silver, or perhaps of bronze,
or inlaid with pearl. You would
think, to see them, that.you had a
grand display of iewelry laid out
before you. Such is not, hOwev.
er, the ease. What you see is
only an admirable collection of
syrlnges. Some of them are en-.
closed in elegant cigarette cases,
others are contained IN charming
little reticules or in smelling salts
TASKS. The cases serve to mask
the instrument and the little vial
which goes with ii.
And wherefore these instru.
mentss NJ. Reguard tells us that
these luxurious instruments are
designed for the pleasure.loving
people of Paris, who can no longer
find in the theatre or in gambling,
horse racing, and other dlssipa-
tions, the emotional excitements
which they seek for so eagerly.
These are the persons who pur.
chase these marvellous caskets,
which will at least lend them a
temporary elasticity, although they
can hardly rejuvenate the used.up
brain. The vials contain sOlu-
tion of morphine, aud the syringes
are used to inject it beneath the
skin. Do you wish to know how
q person becomes q morphioma.
mac in the world of fashioni He
tells his friend that he has tired of
his habitual pleasures; that the
greatest Of them have lost their
power to please. The friend re.
plies that he has been in a similar
condition. He had found consola-
tion, however, in morphine; the
drug had restored his tone and
brllliancy. No more than this is
necessary to make q morphioma.
mac out of a blase man or a ner.
vous woman. But as it is neces.
sary to dissimulate and preserve a
sentiment of careless ease in the
pursuance of the dread habit, one
of the luxurious caskets with its
golden syringes Is purchased
While, therefore, the ordinary syr
inge used for the purpose may b,
had for 81 %, the fashionable syI
inges will sometimes fetch as hig'
as $40. They are often given a
New Years presents. 1t is wit
these instruments, which they a
ways carry with them, that gel
tlemen at their club, or ladies
their opera-boxes, revive the q
: most extinguished sensations al
9 sentiments of the past.
Instead of morphine injection
some persons inhale ether. Pc
pie become etheromaniacs for Il
:, same reason that they becon
morphiomaniacs. 1t is a vogue,
! fantasy, which provokes the aboI
inable intoxications. There al
:, also morphiomaniacs who habit
ate themselves by degrees to Il
poison to diminish the violel
!, pains of gastralgia or facial neurs
gia; and we have a whole categoI
of persons who poison themselv'
simply as a matter of caprice. ID
Regnard divides morphiomania,
into two groups-those who pc
son themselves honestly and thol
, who do so because it is the fas
y ;1r