Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1885-01-10
The Horrors of Chloralism.

"Do you cough much ?" asked
Il don't cough at all. But am
dying by inches for all that. don't
know that | shall ever leave this bed
alive, and it is perhaps for the best,
for l suffer fearfully. You do not see
me at my worst now, but at my best.
1t is toward evening that my dreadful
distress begins-the restlessness, the
indescribable gnawing, tagging and
dragging at my heart. And this con-
tinues till o'clock, when | take my
draught, then it is all over; sink into
a sleep and am as dead as a stone until
morning"
"Your draught?" l said, feeling the
pulse, which was soft, feeble and slow.
"What draught ?" He merely mo-
toned with his head to table that
stood handy to the bed. l took bot>
tie up. 1t contained some white crys.
talline substance in large scales. |
smelt it.
why" said, "this is choral.
You surely don't take much of this. 1t
will kill you"
He smiled family and sadly. 1T
has already done its work. l take two
drachms night. If have a ray of
hope, doctor, it is centred in yo6. I've
heard you are practical map. Do
with me as you will"
81 am practical man, very" | re-
piled. put the hottie of chloral in
my pocket as | spoke and buttoned my
coat"
shall never forget the despairing
look he gave me.
81 must not give it up all at once
Surely, doctor, you do not know what
shall suffer Pain will be no name
for it; torture, torment, no name"
eyes, all at once" | insisted at
is your only chance. Choose that or
DEATH"
at seems to me it is life or death,
he murmured.
at is, indeed, life or DEATH re-
piled. "Do as | wish you to, submit
yourself entirely to me, and, with
Gods help, will raise you again, and
soon, from that bed of sickness, and
you will be once more a man." From
that very moment | had hopes of the
case. For if a chloralist can once
give mp the habit he has no desire to
resume it.
All that night sat up with my un
happy patient. His last suffering,
were dreadful to witness. 1t was the
tearing and gnawing at the heart thai
he complained of most. How he
tossed and moaped and raved. some
times hanging with head down out O.
the bed for little relief, pitifully
moaning all night.
He slept little during the next day
and took little nourishment A sa
lutary diarrhea took place, and hewa
reduced to mere shadow. On tn,
fifth evening l offered him dose o
choral.
"Not if were to be made a prime
of the realm" he said, "would / swal
low one grain of the poison"
"What made you commence tn
habit?" l asked one day.
II had bad tooth" was the answer
The reply only shows the truth
what / have already said, that tn
most trifing excuse is often suficier
to induce people to NEEDLE with deatt
dealing narcotics.
Do not imagine that my patient &C
better all at once after giving up tn
use of the choral. No, nor did b
soon. During the first few weeks tn
state of his mind was one of what
might term morbid joyfulness. II
had escaped out of the jaws of dealt
and there was mental elatedness
consequence. Butthis soon gave plaC
to fits of the greatest and darkest d.
spondency. They did not last ver
long, seldom more than day, and
this lay my hope to thoroughly restol
him to at least a fair state of healt
fitness. This condition of mind Taste
for months, but, although weak