Omaha daily bee., 1886-12-27
DOCTORS COCA SPREE.
Ex'SurgeOn General Hammond Experiments
in the Cause of Science,
HE SAYS 1T is NOT A HABIT.
Some of the Effects Produced on the
Human System-fcopie who Are
Not laxative Become SO
By Its Use.

Neheral w. a, hammond has been on
terrific spree for science. Is there co
caine habit? DIR. Hammond says there
is not, and that he knows because he ha.
experimental upon himself for the eN
press 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 n 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 de.
vcloped and exhaustive experiments
were not practicable. DR. Marasol, n
queer little old man who came to Amer.
lea as political refugee from Europe,
bringing store of strange knowledge, a
mysterious history and some singular
habits, and settles in Fail River, knew
knew the virtue of coca and used il i'm his
practice 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
| proshation and brain exhaustion. The
local anaesthctic properties of cocaine
nave been know but short time, and it
has been charged that the use of the drug
induces habit similar to the opium habit,
which holds its victims in ab1cct slavery,
Dr' hammond has used coca wines, fluid
| extracts and other forms of the drug but
has discarded the fluid extracts because
they are badly borne by the stomach, and
the wines because they contained tannip
and cXtractive matters and differed so
much III thcr effects. He found that two
grains of hydrochoride of cocaine to the
pint OF pure wine was the proper prepa-
ration and produced all the beneficial
GMects and none of the delcterious results.
nGn ne began series of experiments
win hYpodcrmic injections of the hy-
drochloridc, to ascertain whether the
stories about the cocaine habit were true
or false. N'
''At first injected one grain and ex.
pertenced an eXhilaration of spirits smi-
lar to that produced by two or three
glasses OF champagne" said DR.. Ham
m0nd to your correspondent. "My in
tcllectual powers of Imagination in
creased: The physical sensation was a
delightful undulating thrill. | was in a
very happy frame of mind-a sociable
mood-and no doubt would have been
quite agreeable, company. The after
elects were inability to sleep until in
up, The next night / took two grains,
ana, IN addition to the sensations |
described, felt desire TO write. had |
begun letter to friend, and under the |
influence of the drug / extended what |
would nave been q missive of moderate
!icnst, 10 an eplstic covering wide var
lety OF topics and forty-elght pages of
paper, 1t proved to be correctly written
and coherent. and gave much satisfaction
to the receiver, but | found that had
treated dlitusely of many things that
ordinarily would not deem worth men
tioning: Ii man were desirous of writ
ing TO MI space, or utterly exhausting
trivial details, 1 would recommend
him to fill his inkstand, get a
ream or two of paper and plenty of pens,
and have. physician give him a
hypodermlc 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 n bottle
OF champagne at his elbow, and the
Insurance OF his Imagination displayed
trlbuted in part to the effects of the wine.
The difference between cocaine and
alcohol as stimulants is that alcohol has
4 tendency TO lower the mental and
moral tone and brutalize the nature,
wnllc cocaine has refining, softening
effect. Under the influence of moderate
loses, became rather sentimental, and
SAID nice things to everybody. The I
world was going very well and | had :
avorablc opinion of my fellow men and ,,
women. There was not bit of pug
!aclty about me, and 1 didn't want to r
ignt,, argue, or spute with anyone. +
The next time l increased the dose to !
llree grams, which numbered my !,
ongue, in the most astonishing way. L =
wanted to talk, and did talk not in the =
'ratorlcal manner, but was just purely y
When nobody was present "
talked to myself. There was no disar- !,
angement of the mental faculties, no r.
llsorder OF the process of thought. | q
ertan that II | had been in the lecture "
Dom should have spoken much better u
han usually speak ! was perfectly r
BILE to restrain the impulse to talk but o
was pleasant to speak and enjoyed d
lyseli hugely There was an abnormal ii
peratlons were rapid and the imagina. n
on vivid. Headache followed. n
Then doubled the quantity of the =
ocalne, and became sOmewhbt intoXi.
ated. The scnbbllng propensity re. II
lrned, and | wrote voluminiously. I ir
30 pl'DuIillS Il HitulcdI WORK, ana my 4,
lind was full of the subject matter. ffoc
That wrote was an introduction to the J..
ook and l thought it II very brilliant j., j.,
reduction. Ideas came thick and fast o.
nd l was persuaded that my composition @"
ork was going to eclipse anything that ~
had eyer done IN that line When | on
ut it away and went to bed, cOngratu, :"
ted myself that | should be satisfied nv
ith my nights work when should read IN
over; dldn sleep IA all that night Ii,
hen looked over my famous introduc. in
on, found ii TO be arrant nonsense. n,
ach sentence was complete and coher- vi
It in itself, but none had any relation fa
the other although all wera in the So
neral line of the subject was treating th
the book. The stuff read as whole an
ny much like dream. II was a mess Cr
ragged disconnected ideas and notions, no
down III a disOrdery fashion aud con. "''
ming matter that did not belong 70 an
PRODUCTION. But in spite Of the e.
mpant disorder of ideas - -
lad no hallucnatons such as are pro- Lul
ced by hasheesh, no grotesque delu. ~
ms orinsane imaginings The mental 10y 10y
ichlnery was running with the hiIl
vernon belt thrown OIL, and the brain 90