The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-12-26
lie Doses Himself with Cocaine in Various
Ways and Reaches the Conclusion There
Is No Such Thing as Cocaine Habit
Georges Party viii Seek to Impress a
State Constitutional Convention.
Three Young Women, Ambitious of Achieving
HonOrs in the Missionary Field, Obtain
Endorsements in an Irregular Way.
A SCIENTIFIC SPREE.
Result of DIR. Hamnond's Personal Exper-
iments In the Use of Cocaine.

iments In the Use of Cocaine.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
NEW YORK, Dec. 25.-Ex-S x-Surgeon-general w.
A. Hammond has been on terrific spree for
science. Is there cocaine habit DR.. Ham
mond says there is not, and that he knows, be-
cause he has experimental upon himself for the
express purpose Of finding out He and few
other army surgeons were acquainted with the
peculiar qualities of coca twenty years ago, and
used it to a limited extent then, but they were
able to obtain only small quantity, and did not
make much use of it in practice, because all the
properties of the drug had not been developed
and exhaustive experiments were not practica-
BILE. DR.. Marasol queer little old man who carne
to America as a political refugee from Europe,
bringing store of strange knowledge, mys-
terious history and some singular habits, and set
tied in Fall River, knew the virtues of coca
and used it in his practice a dozen
years ago, producing results that puzzled other
physicians. He carried much of his unique
knowledge to the grave. but disclosed the secret
of the use of coca in cases of nervous prostra-
tion and brain exhaustion. The local anesthetic
properties of cocaine ave been known but
short time and it has cen charged that the use
of the drug induces habit similar to the opium
habit, which holds its victims in abject slavery
DR.. Hammond had used coca wines, fluid ex-
tracts and other forms of the drug but had dis
carded the fluid extracts because they were
badly borne by the stomach, and the wines be-
cause they contained taunin and extractive mat
tiers, and differed much in their effects He
found that two grains of hydrochloride of CO.
caine to the pint of pure wine was the proper
preparation, and produced all the beneficial eff
fects and none of the deleterous results. Then
he began a series of experiments with hypoder-
mic injections of the hydrochloride, to ascertain
whether the stories about the cocaine habit were
true or false.
"At first injected one grain, and experienced
an exhilaration of spirits similar TO that pro-
duced by two three glasses of champagne"
said Dr. Hammond to your correspondent my
intellectual powers of imagination increased.
The physical sensation was delightful undu-
lating thrill. was in very happy frame of
| mind-a sociabe mood-and no doubt would
have been quite agreeable company The after
effects were inability to sleep until in the
morning, and headache when got up. The
next night took two grains, and, in addition to
the sensation described, / felt desire to write
had begun letter to friend, and under the
influence of the drug I extended what would
have been missive of moderate length to an
epistle covering a wide variety of topics and
forty-eight pages of paper. 1t proved to be cor
| rectly written and coherent, and gave much sat
isfaction to the receiver, but / found / had
treated diffusely of many things that ordinarily
would not deem worth mentioning. If man
were desirous of writing to fill space, or utterly
exhausting given subject, even to the most
trivial details, would recommend him to I'll his
inkstand, get ream or two of paper and plenty
of pens, and have physician give him hypo-
dermic injection of cocaine. If you want to
condense your subject don't take cocaine in large
doses. No doubt moderate quantity taken in
wine will stimulate. the imagination, and enable
one to write more brilliantly and with less effort
than he otherwise could. Eugene Sue never
wrote without bottle Of champagne st his el-
bow, and the luxuriance of HE imagination dis
played in the Wandering Jew may be attrib-
uted in part to the effects of the wine. The diff
ference between cocaine and alcocol as stimu-
lants is that alcohol has tendency to lower the
mental and moral tone, and brutaze the nature.
while cocaine has refining, softening effect.
Under the influence of moderate doses, became
rather sentimental, and said nice things to ev-
erybody. The world was going very well, and /
had favorable opinion Of my fellowmen and
women. There was not bit of pugnacity about
me. and didn't want to fight, argue or dispute
with anyone
''The next time increased the dose to three
grains, which unlimbered my tongue in the most
| astonishing way. ! wanted to talk, and did
| talk; not in the oratorical manner but was Just
purely loquacious When nobody was present
talked to myself. There was no disarrangement
of the mental faculties, no disorder of the pro-
cess of thought talked coherently and cor
rectly, and am certain that if I had been in the
lecture-room l should have spoken much better
than usually speak was perfectly able to re-
strain the impulse to talk but it was pleasant to
speak, and ! enjoyed mysely hugely. There was
an abnormal quickenng of the faculties, the
minds operations were rapid and the imagina-
tion vivid. Headache followed.
Then doubled the quantity Of cocaine and
became somewhat intoxicated The scribbling
propensity returned, and wrote voluminously
was preparing a medical work and my mind
was full of the subject-matter. What / wrote
was au introduction to the book, and thought
it very brilliant production Ideas came thick
and fast, and was persuaded that my compost
ton WORK was going TO eclipse anything / had
ever done in that line. When put it away and
went to bed congratulated myself that should
be satisfied with my nights work when should
read it over ! didn't sleep at ali that night
When looked over my famous introduction,
found it to be arrant nonsense. Each sentence
was complete and coherent In itself but none
had any relation to the other, although all were
in the general line of the subject was treating
| in the book The stuff read, as a whole very
much like a dream 1t was mess of ragged,
disconnected ideas and notions, set
down in disorderly fashion, and
containing matter that did not belong
| TO an introduction But, in spite of the rampant