Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-05-14
THE SPELL OF HASHISH.
A PHYSICIANS GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION
or HIS EXPERIENCE.

formed Various Antics.
The following is DIR. Woods account of
his own experience with hashish:
About half past 4 p. m. Sept. % took
most of the extract. No immediate symp-
toms were produced. About 7 p. m. pro-
fessional call was requested, and forgetting
all about the hemp, l went out and saw my
patient. Whilst writing prescription l
became perfectly oblivious to surrounding
objects, but went on writing without any
check to or deviation from the ordinary
berries of mental acts connected with the
process, at least that am aware Of
When the recipe was finished suddenly
reeollected where | was, and looking up
saw my patient sitting quietly before me.
The conviction was Irresistible that had
sat thus many minutes-perhaps hours
and directly the idea fastened itself that
the hemp had commenced to act ana
thrown me into trance like state OF con
siderable duration, during which had
been stupidity sitting before my wondering
patient. hastily arose and apologlzed Tor
remaining so long, but was assured had
only been very few minutes.
About 1880 p. m. returned home. was
by this time quite excited, and the feeling
of hilarity rapidly increased
WANTED TO BE FUNNY.
was disposed to laugh, to make comic
gestures One very frequently recurring
fancy was to initiate with the arms the mo-
ton of n fiddler and with my lips the tune
no was supposed to be playing There was
nothing like wild delirium or crazy halluci-
nations shat remember. At no time had
/ any visions, or at least any that | can now
-, Ind htIt
me Mt that time stated that | once raised
my head and exclaimed "Oh the noun
tainsl the mountainsr' While / was per
forming the various antics alluded to !
knew was acting very foolshly, but could
not control myself.
/ think il was about o'clock when j
began to have feeling of numbness in my
limbs, also sense of general uneasiness
and unrest and fear lest had taken an
overdose. now constantly walked about
the house; my skin, to myself, was warm;
in fact, my whole surface felt flushed; my
mouth and throat were very dry. My legs
nut on u strange foreign feeling, as though
thew were not part of my body. | counted
my pulse and found it 100, quite full and
strong A foreboding and underlined ana
horrible fear, as of impending death, now
commenced to creep over me. In haste ]
sent for medical aid
The curious sensations of my limbs in
creased; my legs felt rs though they were
waxen pillars beneath me. | remember
feeling them with my hand and finding
them, as thought, at least, very firm-the
muscles all in a state of tonic contraction
About 8 o'clock began those marked
"spells"-periods when all connections
seemed to be severed between the eXterna
world and myself. might be said to have
been unconscious during these times, In SC
far as was oblvious to all external OBJ
iects, but on coming out of one 1t was MOI
n blank, mere empty space, but rather
period of active but aimless life. do no
think there was any connected Thought II
them; they seemed simply wild reverie
without any binding cord, each mer
chaos of disiointed ideas. The mind seemed
freed from all its ordinary laws OF associa
fion. so that It passed from idea to idea, a
IL were, perfectly at random.
COULDN'T MEASURE TIME.
The duration Of these spells" to me wa
very great, although they really lasted bu
from a few seconds TO II minute or two; in
deed, | now entirely lost my power o
measuring time; seconds seemed hours
minutes seemed days, hours seemed III
finite. Still was perfectly conscious dun
ing the intermissions between the paroN
yscos | would look ut my watch and the
after az hour or two, as thought, woul
Ioolt apaiu and find that scarcely five mir
1ites had ELAPSED. | would gaze at its fac
en- deep disgust the minute hands seeming
Nv motionless, us though craven in the fac
itself, the laggard second hand 1novln
slowly, so slowly it seemed n hopeless tas
60 watch during its whole dhiinlte round
n minute, and always would | give up l
despair before the sixty seconds ia
elapsed.
Occasionally, when my mind was mo
lucid, there was In 1t sort OF duplex u
ton in regard to the duration OF time
would think to myself; 1T has been
long since u certain event"--an hour, Tor e
ample-since the doctor came, and the
ransom would say: mo, it has only been
few minutes Your thoughts or feeling
are caused by the hemp" Nevertheless,
WINS unable TO shake off the sense OF Il
almost indefinite prolongation OF tim
even for minute. The paroXysms alreat
alluded TO were not accompanied with ihu
cular relaxation.
About a quarter before 9 O'Clock l. w
standing Mt the door anXlously Watchll
for the doctor and when the spells won
come on | would remain standing. ieanll
slightly, perhaps, against the dooF~a
After awhile / saw man approachn
whom took TO be the doctor.
The sound Of his steps told me he w
walking very rapidly. and he'was under
gas lamp not more than opetoufth or
square distant, yet he appeared q vast Il
lance away and II corresponding tiine
ftNl... f,fNlNT
which ] noticed an eXaggeratloh OF d
tance. In the room IL was not percepup
NV extremities now began 10 grow CO
"a I went into the house. When |
tempted to walk up stairs 1t seemed
Though their lower halves were made
lead | felt as though my OF
chance was TO struggle against these pi
oxysms. that must constantly arouse II
self to an effort of viii.
That effort was made with infinite I
Qua main. felt as Il some evil spirit h
control of tho whole of me except the
noyer and was in determined conflict W
That. the last citadel of my being. hI
never experienced anything like the fear
sense of almost hopeless anguish ana ut
wenriness which was Spon me. once
twice during paroXysm had what ms
he called nightmare sensation. telt Il
self mounting upward, expanding, d'i
ing, dissolyiug into the wide confines
space. overwhelmed 10y horrible renul
unutterable despair.
He Meant Hogs.
Weary wayfarer standing in a GROVE
car)-Did hear you say you were going
Chicagoi
Graball (who has his seat filed with
,t--N