The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-10-08
TAKING ANESTHETICS.
TERRIBLE HOLD OF THE HABIT
ON NERVOUS AMERICANS.
What Chicago Physicians Have observe"
g., the Cour,e OF Their Practice-Pecu-
,,,r Temperamept II the American
P,opIe-Appalling state of Things

p.orIe-appaIling state of Things
DIR. r. s Arnulphy, tho heart and lung
specialist. was the first physician appealed
TO for information on the subject. He said
.My practice in America only extends back
two and half years, but in that time
have. | think. seen sufficient Of the use Of
anastaetics 10 enable me to speak intelli-
gently | have prnctced extensively In
Russia and France, and in tho latter country
society women, as a class, are somewhat de-
voted 10 the morphine and choral habit.
But so far as have been able to observe,
there is more resorting TO anesthetics in this
country than in any country have resided
in. IL may be due to the peculiar sensitive
ness and excitability Of people inhablting
this part Of the world. The people here are
more susceptible to emotions Of pain and
pleasure than those Of other lands. The sys-
tenn Of the average educated American is
wrought up 10 pitch Of nervousness which
have observed nowhere else, and this crav-
ing for relief from pain and sleeplessness,
which in its turn produces the desire for an
anasthetic, is the direct outcome Of this ner-
vousness Of temperament.
my observations teach me that morphine
is the drug most commonly used by these
nervous men and women, and the extent 70
which IL is used is enormous. There are,
however, some new agents that have lately
como into practice which arc claimed 10 pro
duce the effects Of morphine and partake Of
none Of It's dangers
"And what arc the symptoms that show
woman TO be a sla~e OF anasthetics, and that
show her she is breaking down.
There are hardly any symptoms at first
Perhaps there may be n little heaviness Of the
head, bitter taste in the mouth and an ab-
sence Of appetite Later on, Of course, the
nervous system gets more exctaUle, rs larger
doses are required Those who have been in
the habit Of using injections for any length
Of time soon grow habItuallY restless and UNI
easy, and only able 20 find relief a good while
after taking the injection During what
physicians call the first period Of morphine
taking the injection will be followed by III
slant relief from pain CT sleeplessness. but
before long the relief is no. to be had except
by increasing the desc considerably, and
after having acted as an anHsthetc, tho
drug at length ats as s.imulant know
people now who have gone SO far that they
arc unable 70 accomplish any ordinary task
read, write, or work-without their injection
Of morphine IL raises the tone OF their I'M
tellect they would bee wrecks except under
the influence OF a stimulant.
"A young physician whom l met not long
agohad attarcda si..e 90 hen be could hardly
be aroused from a sound sleep except 10y an
injection of morphine Having thereby
achieved the fullness Of HE faculties hecolid
drive out and see his pstietts. But Doe would
come home tired, worn out and s,raish,way
fell into a sound sleep. from which ho could.
Of course, only be aroused Ivy q repetition ri
the injection lie, Of COURSE is doomed
man.
1T Is q well known fact that English
women, particularly in London. during tire
fashionable season there are great consumers
Of ether They simply drink d. as You would
a cocktail. il creates In then a kind OF
stimulation, bringing q flush Of red Co tine
cheeks and @ sparkle TO the eyes-WAich
alone is sufficient 10 make = woman use it, !
have not observed any indication OF ether
consumption ia Americans; it seems % be-
long exclusively "a English society women.
Or j. Adams Allen remarks, divested ~
terms and phrases peculiar 60 the medical
profession, may he epitomized as follows.
The rage Just now among the women of
Paris is for anti-pyrin and anti-iebrin, two
preparations that are analogous and manu-
featured from various chemical. They are
claimed % be the best known cure for head
ache, end are used in largo quantities by
women in society. The latest production.
which is used here, and which viii therefore
interest YOU more, is sulphonal,' a new
agent, claimed 20 be a perfect substitute for
morphine and also claimed 20 be absolutely
without injury 10 the system. Suphonal,
according 10 my observation, is used very
generally People carry altl-pyriu and sui
phonal around with them now as they did
ether when IL was first introduced i- Is
peculiar fact that whenever anything new
in the way Of an anasthetic is introduced, the
claim is advanced for 10 that il is entirely
harnless Il was this way with chlorolorm.
cocaine, chloral etc, and now 10 is true Of
anti pyrin and 'sulphonaL'
"Old, conservative doctors who have
watched the introduction and use OF these
agents say Wait and see Time is sure TO
prove the accuracy Of their judgment. Every
agent that is capable Of producing q power
iul cIccN on Tue - rAt4l IS Nets'-H4s "a NH4l5
injury if Improperly administered The
chemists are now making a host # com
pounds. IN behalf Of which the no danger
claim is advanced. These compounds are
dangerous in just the proportion that they
contain these powerful ingredients That
they are sold @ and consumed by somebody
in Chicago stands 90 reason, or city chemists,
would not produce them. There arc o. dozen
substitutes for chlcroform and ether that 20
by different names. \ yogng fread Of mine,
a doctor, aud az excellent fellow, killed him-
self with 4 Whit Of chl0rolorm. lie was in
the habit Of coming homo tired out, and
treating himself ia this way to produce sleep.
He took too powerful doso one day aud l
was sent tor But il Tas TOO late then; lie
Was dying.
In woman, the habi-ual use Of anesthet-
les makes itself manifost in interference
with the subjects digestion neuralgia pains,
irritabilty, and So on The continuous Use
Of chloral in order % procure sleep, necessi-
tates q continued increase Ia the dimensions
Of the dose in order 10 procure the desired
effect. Continued adherence % the practice
produces gradual paralysis Of the heart
Some women grow lat, aud others elnaciated,
on angsthetics. Women who take morphine