Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1885-06-24
Choral.

"Do many women buy chloralp"
asked representative OF the Tribune
Of West Side druggist who had just
sold half-ounce of the chemical.
"No, not many; still, / have five or
six women customers who buy it regu-
larly. 1t is mostly used by those suffer
ing from nervous troubles to produce
sleep. II is used to much greater ex-
tent by men who are accustomed to
drinking whisky"
"How is this opiate obtained?"
"Hydrate OF choral Is an oily liquid
with peculiar, penetrating odor, am
Is formed when. anhydrous alcohol
Chat is, alcohol destitute of water) is
acted upon by dry chlorine gas. This
gas Is obtained from common salt. The
choral of commerce is in the form of
a white crystalline powder, and this
chemical was discovered to be power
full narcotic by tho German chemist
Licbig."
What is its effect upon the human
SYSTEM"
at rapidly causes the deepest posi-
bio sleep, a slumber prolonged for
many hours, which can be brought SO
near to the sleep of death that person
under its influence might pass for dead
and still recover. In its action choral
decomposes within the blood and yields
chloroform which causes the sleep. AS
an evidence of its power to produce in
sensibility for a considerable period
will give you an instance: A doctor
took, perhaps by accident, what was
computed to be dose of 100 grains of
choral hydr&te. He had bought, few
days before this event, 240 grains OF
the narcotic. He took o first dose of
ten grains in order to procure sleep.
The following night he took twenty
grains, and the evening OF the succeed
ing day a like quantity. These admin
istrations were known. He had re-
duced his purchase by these doses to
100 grains. While in state of semi
consciousness from the last quantity he
rot up from the bed on which he was
reclining and emptied all the remaining
contents of the bottle into small tum-
bier of water and drank tho whole OF
the mixture. He was found insensible,
and did not fully regain consciousness
for sixty hours. He finally recovered"
"Then there Is no danger to be APP
pretended from the use of chloral?"
"But there is, though. The tendency
of it is to reduce the vital fire and hence
the necessity for keeping person I'M
der its influence in warm atmosphere;
death might easily ensue If the individ-
nal remained in a cold room. That is
one danger; but there is another, and
that Is what hundreds of people are suf-
fering from to-day. With many it pro.
duces effects resembling those of intOxi
cation from alcohol. The habit grows
on tho victim until the drug is taken
three or four times in twenty-four hours.
The system Graves it. Jaundice and
scurvy are often the result, to say moth
ing of congestion of the brain and nerv-
GUS disturbances. The constant use of
this drug is, in fact, a disease, and has
become widespread, particularly among
commercial, literary and professional
man. A sudden excess is all but GER
tain to lead to some form of acute men
tai arrangement or stupor, more or less
decisive and prolonged, while general
excessive indulgence is certain to lead
to insanity. The digestion becomes i'm.
paired; the natural tendency to sleep is
impaired; the blood is changed in
quantity, its plastic qualities and its
capacity for oxidation being reduced;
the secretions are depraved; the mus
cles become unsteady, the heart irrcgu-
lar and intermittent, and the mind un.
stable. The man who takes TO choral
after alcohol enlists two cravings and
is double-shotted in the worst sense. "
Chicago Tribune.