St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-25
FIENDS FOR M0RPHIA.
Thousands Of People Are
Slaves to the Baneful
Drug.
By Hypodermic Syringes the
Favorite Method Of 7
Taking 1t. q
Ruses and Devices Used to
Obtain the Drug or Con- G
eeal It's Use.
Pretty Female Victims and
How They Enjoy the +
Poison.


districts, stood conversing with New
York Evening World reporter on an up
town thoroughfare yesterday morning.
Here's something that may interest
you.r said the doctor suddenly. "Iake
a good look at this woman coming TO-
ward u.s."
The reporter turned and saw a beauti-
ful Young woman, not past twenty-five
years, apparently.
Her clothing was expensive, ana 1asi-
toned after the latest style. Her features
were perfect in their regularity, but her
complexion was as white as marble.
Her ewes. which were large ana lus,
trous, were slightly snnken ana seemed
to express anxiety and tear.
The reporter turned to the DOCTOR "oil-
derlngly. ., .,+ ,ookc oc
cold as a statue" said he.
you noticed her complexion and the
ANXIOUS look in her face?" lnqulrlngiy
asked the physician.
eyes" 49,.
..Well. she's morphine fend.,.' was
the startling remark Of the man OF SCI
The Young woman had proceeded up
the street a little way; suddenly she
stopped and involuntarily clasped her
hand to her side.
Then she looked cautiously around,
and, as her face turned toward the re-
porter and the doctor, it seemed to nave
aged remarkably in the few SECONDS
that had elapsed. .,o
.She wants her DOSE" whispered the
physician. "Watch her"
While he was speaking the young
woman turned suddenly and entered a
hallway A minute later she emerged.
Her face was flushed and her eyes
sparkled brilliantly. The reporter re-
marked the changes.
Eyes, it's a common occurrence
said the physician. "She carries nef
morphine and hypodermic syringe. Her
body is probably covered with the scars
left Inv the needle. She can inject NOR
mime into herself with deXterlty and
finish that cannot be eqnaied even oy
physician. You see these cases every
day.
A morphine fiend.
What terrible train of thought the.
mention of these three words SEND rush
ing to the brain.
That terrible habit, which once con
tracted seems to cling to one ike the
hand of death. 1t is in reality. the mana
of death, for once the victim is Wlthln
its grasp the clutch never relaXes' Dut
tightens closer and closer. day by day,
until the weakened, lettering slave
walks open-eyed into the grave he or
she has dug.
There is seldom. if ever, any hope tQr
the fiend who has once got we'll into the
habit of dope" as they call the NOR
phine. and will beg, cry, threaten ana
curse by turns any one who refuses TO
give or sell it to them.
Morphine fends. as rule. generally
begin on very small dose. They Will,
perhaps. have tootlache or an earache-
or some other pain that the standard
remedies have failed to relieve.
At this unfortunate moment frlehd
(?) drops in and sympathizeS with the
sufferer. He would not sut1er pain.
Oh no, not he! -.
.sWhat would he do?' the su1erer
asks. willing to take any advice.
why. morphine" he IS certain 10
reply, will relieve your pain IN an IN
stant.'
Yes. YOU have heard of the wonderful
pain-relieving qualities of morphine,
and YOUR friend kindly volunteers to
write you prescription.
You get the medicine without any
trouble. Your friend has. in the words
of that popular song, "been there Defore
many time"
It IS probable he started you in OH the
powders. Sulphate of morphine was
what he wrote, and he probably gave
the druggist Instructions to divide the
grain into five powders.
A fifth of grain is a good dose for
one who has never taken morphine be-
fore. You drop the little powder, so
small that you can hardly see 1t, into
| glass containing mouthful OF water.
You drink it, and in five minutes you
| are ready to bless that TREND, ana Tor,
| ever afterward receive him as you would
| guardian angel. =,
a wear or two afterward you will
| curse him with all the fervOr Of lost
soul. ~
So it is with the first dose. The first
thing the victim feels after taking that
| first dose is a feeling of delicious warmth
at the pit of the stomach.
Gradually and SO slowly that the VIC
| tim can experience the sensation clearly.
this warmth ditfuses itself all over the
| entire body.
A gentle tingling of the skin, clear to
! the finger tips. sets in AS the next symp-
tom. and then the victim begins to feel
drowsy. :,
The first time, perhaps, he will fall
into sound sleep. The second time,
| though, he will not sleep sound.
Delightful fancieS float before his mar
| cotized brain, and the victim imagines
all sorts of beautiful things.
| The fancies that float through a NOR
phlne fiend's brain are described as
wonderful, and would take up columns
of space to describe. He floats through
| the air in a golden cloud. with angels
on all sides. or he WanderS through
beautiful gardens in his imagination.
The dose he increases until finally his
stomach objects to the habitual dose,
and dizziness, nausea and headaches
| follow.
Then recourse is had to the syringe.
These can be purchased at any drug
store for 81 and upward.
Then the morphine in solution is pur-
chased.
Its strength is sixteen grains of NOR
phine to an ounce of water. By little
figuring the tiend can calculate exactly
the dose he wants.
He will figure that there are sixty
fluid drops to dram. There being
eight drains to the ounce. this would
make the preparation Of two grains OF
morphine to sixty drops of the fluid.
By easy stages the dose is increased
The appetite becomes more and more
imperative in its demands, and the poor
victim has to keep on increasing the
dose in order to get the full effect of the
drug.
1t no longer is pleasure to take it..
it is duty. The method of taking it is
bp injecting it under the skin.
The most common place for doing
this is on the lower limbs, though many
prefer the arms just above the elbow.
The skin is carefully pinched up from
the flesh and then the needle. by aquick
thrust, is driven under 1t. The syringe
generally contains more than the dose
actually needed. This is done in order
to prevent any air from being injected
under the skin.
Should this happen painful assesses
result. and the inexperienced victims
generally get three or four of these be-
fore they become handy with the Syr.
inge.
Morphine is cheap. 1t Is only cent
grain, and it can be procured by