Evening star., 1886-11-06


ENTERTAINING THE NEUROLOGICAL SOCIETY
WITH HIS EXPERIENCES WITH THE DRUG.
From the New York Tribune, November g
"Cocaine apd the Cocaine Habit were dis
cussed by the New York Neurological society
last night and some interesting phases of the
new drug were presented. DR.. William A..
Hammond related his personal experience in
using it He stated that he had discarded the
nuid extracts and most of the wines of coca
because OF impurities. One kind of the wine
and gave excellent results in cases of spinal
irritation AS general tonic it had an excellent
effect especially In overcoming nausea and
other results OF weak stOmacn il had ten
dency to lessen the sensibility of that organ.
FOR decided effect, however, he used cocaine.
Big stories Of disaster resulting from its en-
ployment have been told. and an account of
how the South American natives lost their
teeth ana their minds from chewing coca leaves
quent reports did not confirm this. DIR. Ham,
mond declares that the stories told of the
wreck OF Dr. Johnson's mind originated with
quackS VINO were going to cure the cocaine
habit DIR. Hammond preceded:
nave taken as many as eighteen grains at a
dose by hypodermic injection, dividing it up
over some fifteen minutes 1 began my expert
ments on myself with one grain at night.
was rather discouraged by the first dose Every
puncture nave made has left an indurated
spot ana at one time feared that erysipelaS
might follow. This may have been due to the
Gonaitlon h OF my system or the kind OF cocaine
! used Ihe result was pleasant; felt happy
napPier IMAM before on that day. But did
not sleep until a. M, and had a severe head
ache. The exhilaration was slight-equal to
that given by two or three glasses of cham
payne.
The next night took two grains with the
same result and the additional one OF an tnOr-
dinate disposition to write. Laughter l wrote
eight or ten pages of foOlscap and thought 1t
wa, was unusually good, the best had ever writ
zen IN TACT. So read 1t over the next morning.
IIouno each sentence complete but the ideas
were lncoherent. The third night took three
grains. My energy then turned to talking. 1
maze SD0ecloS to mVSplf. still I cOnl6 restrain
myseii; had splitting headache. l stopped
Ior four OR i've days and then injected six
l DID not lose my relations to events, but !
couio not sleep. After three nights injected
eight grainswith the same result The next night
In the legs, two in the thighs and two in the
chest am not sure that / was conscious OF
to hs was at
am things were generally mixed. had not
arranged my papers, ETC., as usual. presume,
time all by myself [Laughter] 1 had a head
ache, my heart beat so that could feel it and
near 1t when raised my arm. But there was
none of the horrible effects attributed to
cocaine, no disposition toward violence. I ac-
quired no habit. left off easily.
Dr: Hammond said he believed that the drug
accelerated the action of the heart, made respi-
ration oppressive and induced headache. Its
use, however, could be readily stopped. 1t gave
pleasant thrill about fOur minutes after the
injection. He had used it in cases OF melan-
cnOiia accompanied by refusal to talk, and had
set one patient to talking, who had not stopped
at last accounts. 1t did not cure the melan-
chOlia, however.
Dr. Mason, of Brooklyn, controverted DR..
II dtmmonds views as to the cocaine habit, and
aaiid lnat there was such habit, one more
destructive than the morphine habit; he him.
sell had mad hve physicians and two druggists
under his care who were victims of the habit;
one or them had become demented. His own
experience bore out that OF DR.. hammond,
that the use of cocaine produced insomnia,
Voiub1llty. headache, unrest and deluSlOns,
though none OF them was homicidal. The
effect was neeiing.