Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-03-14
PERNICIOUS DRUGS.
THE USE THAT MANY WOMEN
MAKE OF THEM.
Opium, Laudanum and Morphine Re
sorted to-The Habit More Dis
ease than a Vice-The Bromide
Habit.

A writer in the Indianapolis Journal
bewails the number of women who are
''fiends" is, women who give
themselves up to the habit of using per
nicious drugs-and goes ON to say that
in large city there are probably thous-
nnds of women who indulge in some
such habit, the most common vice being
the opium habit. Some women buy the
crude gum and eat it regularly every
day, while others buy laudanum and
drink it in quarter-ounce, half-ounce
and even ounce portions. Some delicate
stomachs cannot take laudanum, and so
paregoric is resorted to, and soothing
syrups, that are put upon the market
for the ruin of babies, become also the
ruin of grown persons. And then there
are the Dover powders and morphine
pills, both of which act rapidly, espec-
tally the latter.
The habit seems more a disease than
vice, for the whole nature of the victim
undergoes complete revolution, moral,
mental and physical. The first symp-
tom is loss of appetite, and then the eyes
become preternaturally bright. The
flesh begins to fall away, and the space
around the eyes becomes dark from be-
ing surcharged with blood; the skin
loses its normal color and changes to q
sodden gray, blotched brown or an un-
healthy yellow. And then the victims
SILVER and perspire at the same time,
and are easily moved to tears. When
this stage is reached there is little hope
of cure. They must and will have the
drug, and will resort to any device to
procure it. They are extremely cunning
and ingenious in their methods for OBJ
tanning the drug, and in concealing the
fact of their having it from their friends
or relatives, even when most closely
watched Physicians tell many curious
stories of how their patients have batfied
them in this respect, although they are
accustomed to dealing with such patients
and are ON their guard. And not only
are the victims clever in hiding the fact
of their being III possession of the drug,
but they will beg, borrow or steal money
with which to purchase it. When these
three means fail they begin to pawn
their property, and keep on until they
have pawned everything they owned.
After this nothing can be done but to
put the unfortunate victim IN an asylum,
where an abstention from the drug is re-
sorted to for the purpose of efiecting a
cure, which often ends in death.
Another habit is the "bromide habit,
which includes the excessive use of
bromide of potassium, bromide of ann
monium and bromide of lithium. The
bromide fiend gradually develops an alb
normal condition of the nerves, under
which sleep, or even comfort, is impos
sible without constant use of the ano-
dyne. At first the bromides exercise
but little influence upon the vital organs,
but their final effect is to so impair all
the bodily functions that they produce
strange and in some cases incurlble dis
eases. The advantage of the bromide
habit over the opium is that the former
is easily cured, while the latter is nearly
always incurable. 1t has been found
that women take more to the bromide
habit, while there are many more male
than female opium fiends.
One of the many products from coal
tar, and one of the newest, is antlpyrln,
that promises to give these so-called
"fends" another opportunity to export
ment with their systems. 1t has the
power of reducing the temperature of
the body several degrees, and conse-
quently is of great use in treating fevers,
and feverish stages of many diseases. 1t
is prescribed by physicians in many in
stances, and women have already begun
to use it for their compilations, having
found that in keeping the blood away
from the surface of the body, it makes
their compilations clear and pale.
Doubtless, many women begin to take
such drugs for the purpose of soothing
their nerves, or improving their com
plexions, believing that they can give it
up at any time. But the habit grows,
like all habits, and often the giving up
of the use of some drug results only in
death. Antipyrin is extremely harmful,
increasing any weakness, and also what |
ever tendency there may be to heart
disease. Being new substance III
pharmaceutics, it is not yet thoroughly
understood by physicians, and is pre-
scribed by them with great care and
deliberation.
Two other habits which are also very
common, are the use of choral and Co
caine. OF all hypnotics, chloral is the
least harmful, though, of course, an ex-
cessive use of this, as well as of other
similar drugs, will eventually result dis |
astrously; but the constant use of CO.
caine means mental and physical ruin. |
The woman who gives herself up to this
habit is soon beyond redemption. She
lives in world of dreams, only parti- |
ally conscious of what is going ON about
her. Morally and mentally she is ire
sponsible, and becomes blind and deaf /
to conscience, and almost to decency.
Chloral being the least harmful of all
hypnotics, is very much used in lunatic
asylumns, being generally given in con-
nection with some other drug, such as
bromide of potassium. This is usually |
given at night to make the patients
sleep in order to facilitate their return
to health The average dose is ten
grains, but doses of thirty grains are
often given. At the Hudson River
State Hospital for the Insane in the
year 1856 were used sixteen pounds of
choral, making u, 2SS doses of ten
grains each: seven pounds of bromide .