Bismarck weekly tribune., 1888-07-20
THE DEADLY DRUGS

TUE DEADLY DRUGS
WHICH ARE COMING INTO USE IN
PLACE OF ALCOHOL.
What New York City Druggists Say on
the subject-The Mania for Treating
Ones Own Ailments-Narcotics, stimu.
lants and soporifics.
Anup town druggist who was spoken to
about the subject said: 81 sell good deal
of both chloroform and ether without pre-
scriptions, but don't consider that, SO long
as my drugs are not intended for suicidal
employment or murder, have any right to
ask what is going to be done with them. I
know what the law is, but deem that a drug
gist must exercise some discretion in con-
forming to it. Why, majority of the
things on my shelves, things not commonly
classed as poisons, either, person could kill
himself with if he were fool enough to take
too much of them. And here's respect that
gives us pause when we think of strictly
applying the law. A great many persons are
told by their physicians to take this or that
medicine, do SO, find themselves bettered or
cured; subsequently, have a recurrence Of the
old symptoms, and, remembering what did
them good before, come around and demand
it. Very possibly the druggist knows them,
understands why they want the drug, or has
sense enough to understand that they are tell
ing the truth when they make frank state
ment of the situation What is the apoth-
ecary to do? Even if the man wants deadly
poison, he knows how to take it, wants it for
good reason, and is bound to get it some
where. Would my refusing him make him
go Off and get prescription? Not much,
unless mine was the only drug store in town.
Another thing: II don't believe there are any
people i'll the world who have such a mania
for treating their own ailments and exchang-
ing recipes as Americans have. Every street
is full of men who have attended medical
lectures with the idea of being doctors, and
who have abandoned that purpose, but still
think they know enough Of medicine to treat
their own maladies and advise their friends.
And, of course, with the American DISPOSE
tion to play every hand for all it is worth,
they have little confidence in anything but
the most powerful drugs So from these
various directions comes more or less legit-
innate and certainly honest demand for my
cold pizen,' and I just use my own best
Judgment, in each individual case, about sup
plying it.
II have good deal Of call for hydrate of
choral, but hardly SO much rs few years
ago, when it was fashion. Bromide of pot
assium is also in good, steady, and, I fancy,
increasing demand among ladies with weak
nerves and gentlemen of super convivial
habits. The use of morphine is, should say,
increasing, while that of laudanum and the
crude opium is falling off. When say 'use'
mean improper use Of course, and when
speak of a diminished demand for the crude
opium except the kind used for smoking,
which is altogether different from the medi-
cinal sort. That.does not pass through my
hands at all, and about the call for it know
nothing. Morphine is generally used hypo-
dermically. Itis now practicable to get q
complete outfit for that vice as cheaply as
seventy-five cents, and that, together with
certain supposed advantages in that method
of administration, has popularized the habit
Tens of thousands of persons of whom you
would never suspect it are addicted to the
vice. 'Cocainep No. There are few or, I
may say, no demands for it, except from
doctors. some of whom, regret to say, have
got into the habit Of demanding it altogether
too frequently Drugs accredited with a
power of stimulation of the stomach, heart
or nervous system-especially the latter-are
more and more commonly used. You would
be astonished could you know how many per-
sons have contracted habit of using capsi-
cum, ginger, calisaya, strychnia, quinine,
digitalis, phosphorus, and the thousand and
one nostrums compounded for stimulative
purposes. Iverily believe that at least one
person in every hundred in the community
has such a confirmed habit. 'Cannabis Indi-
cusP No. There is but little call for it, even
in prescriptions, for the reason, think, that
invaluable as it is when fresh, of full strength
and reliable, its active principle is SO volatile
that you never are sure of what its effects
will be. Could it be depended upon it would
be one Of the least injurious and most agree
| able,of the inroxicants"
Another druggist said: II used to sell a
great deal of narcotic, soporifc and stimu-
liant drugs while clerking in big Broadway
store, but in this new place of my own not
much, as yet. No, don't suppose it is be-
cause people have stopped taking them, not
by any means, but simply for the reason that
have not yet been here long enough for
them to get to know me and feel that they
can approach me with confidence. Persons
who are habitual users of drugs generally
get to be quite secretive about their vice, you
know. I do, however, sell a vast deal of a
very excellent bitter calisaya cordial that
put up myself; and another preparation, a
tonic, containing phosphorus, strychnia and
some other valuable ingredients Both are
sold at my soda fountain, and two out Of
every three persons at least of those who call
for soda will have one or the other, or some
times both of those preparations l even
have customers who stop every morning anc
get vials of them to take down town to their
offices for use during the day, and who stop
at night and leave the empty vials to be re-
filed for the next day. At night, at home,
they have big bottles to draw from if they
want to keep up their stimulation"
The mention of the opium smokers by the
preceding druggist suggested the inquiry of
an exceptionally clever literary man, who
was casually met one day at Yuet Sings
store, whether the breaking up of the
Joints had diminished opium smoking in
New York; "Not at all" he replied; .'there
is more of it now than there ever was before.
It is simply carried on with more secrecy,
that is all. The pale faced barbarian has not
the ghost of show to run John Chinaman in