Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-11-10
MORPHINE IN PARIS.
The Abuse of Au@sthetics by Society
Ladies-Unfortunate consequences.


! The practice of employing subcutaneou.
injections of morphine as one of the many
forms of opium poisoning has become a
formidable social evil in the latter part OF
this century, which has so much upon its
conscience. 1t is one of the vices which
science has taught, and of which the list
is certainly not exhausted The vulgar
ization of anesthetics justifes as much
alarm for the future of the race as the
vulgarization of chemical science in the
| preparation of explosives does for the fut-
ure Of our public buildings. Ladies now
talk of morphine, cocaine and antipyrine
as they talk of frills and furbelows. Their
language reminds one of the jars and
phials of a chemists shop. Doctors in
the first instance initiated them into the
mysteries of anesthetics, and now the
faculty has no secrets to withhold from
them on this head.
| The abuse of anasthetics, although not
confined to women, is a vice which they
| have seized upon-at all events, in this
part of the world-as though it were
specially intended for them. There is
something IN the nature of woman which
makes her liable to respond to the fas-
cinating power of these drugs with fatal
readiness, and which breaks her will to
resist their spell when it has once OBJ
tanned hold on her. What this some
thing is, others may perhaps explain.
The Prazel needle has been the death of
many woman in France. The vice is
one almost wholly confined to polite
society. Lack of stamina and high ner-
vous development so characteristic of the
ladies who move-who are always on the
move--in the upper circles of Paris lille
are the conditions which almost invariably
lead to it, Women so organized, and who
lead such lives, are typical subjects of
neuralgia in all its forms, from toothache
to those intercostal pains which make
many people believe they have heart dis
ease.
The woman who lives for society," do
not mean who sacrifices herself for society
in noble sense-looks upon pleasure as
her right, and fiercely resents pain when
it comes. She will take it as a warning to
change her habits, but insists on having it
queiled Immediately by her doctor so tn 1t
her plans may not be upset. The doctor
can do it-doctors can do wonderful things
nowadays-although in conquering dis
ease they are not much more advanced
than hey were 1000 years ago. Physic
has trlumphed over pain, but death still
triumphs over physic. The little piqure
in the arm sends away the raging neural
gia as if by magic, and what is more Won
derful, instead of the pain it gives de-
llghtiul sensation Of perfect vitality
happy mind in healthy body What
pity that the sensation does not last very
longl 1t may, however, be renewed by
having recourse to the little needle and by
gradually increasing the dose of morphine
as the body grows accustomed to the poi
son.
The unfortunate consequences of this
habit in some notable cases-the death,
for instance, of the Duchesse de Chaulnes
few years ago-produce wholesome
fear Of morphine, and although this fear
did not cure those who were already fas-
cinated by the eyes of the seductive fiend,
it kept many from following their ex-
ample. Moreover, another pain killer
came into fashion; it was young, and con-
sequently had no bad reputation. This
was antipyrine, whose praises Dr. Camille
See has sounded in the Academy of Med
icine. Already some disquieting reports
are afoat respecting the effects of this
drug upon those who have habitual re-
course to it, and who have come to look
upon it as absolutely necessary to their ex-
istence. We shall probably hear more
about it soon.-Boston Transcript.