Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-09-28
DANGEROUS DROGS.
DEADLY NERvE-scoTHERs AND THEIR
PERNICIoUs EFFECTS.
How Destructive HabHs are Acquired
The Opium Fiend and His Den
Cocaine, Ohleral, Absinthe.

In a recent letter to the Giobe-Demosrat
a correspondent gave the readers an ac-
count of the cure of an opium slave by the
efforts of his heroic wife. Few persons
realize the dangers that innocent users OF
the deadly drugs run in seeking relief
under the delusive influence of temporary
effects. There is what may be termed 2
medicine habit, under the influence OF
which hundreds yearly fall. People who
know next to nothing of the physiological
effects of drug run the risk of lifetime
of slavery, perhaps, every time they in
dulge in the attempt to be their own doc
tors.
In a recent interview with an eminent
physician in New York, the correspond
ent obtained many points of interest about
dangerous drugs, as he felt that more
general knowledge of the nature and effect:
was especially desirable, as well as that the
subject was Of popular interest.
"There are ten drugs" said the doctor
"the general use of which is always accom-
pdu4tu Will UdISSF, even Nutu gwen D1 tn6
direction Of the most skilled physician, il
their use be continued any length of time
In most of them the habit is established in
from two to FIVE weeks, and when once es-
tablished is exceedingly prone to recur, even
after the drug has been discontinued an
equal length of time, If such drugs are
dangerous in the hands Of a skilled physi-
clan, how much more so are they in the
unskilled hands of the person who doses
himself The history Of every case of drug
mania will be found the same in one i'm
portant and suggestive particular. The
patient first took the medicine to soothe
his nerves, or to overcome some disagree
able nervous symptom that had established
itself in his person. He takes the first
dose and feels more or less relieved. When
the effect Of the first dose has passed the
symptoms return with redoubled energy,
and second dose is resorted to. The re-
suit is that the habit is soon fixed on the
unfortunate person.
''As | said before, there are ten drugs in
general use thst are especially dangerous.
They are good friends when their aid is
evoked by the doctor to temporarily re-
ieve a symptom, during the action OF
some other drugs, or treatment for relief
of the disease, but they are terrible and re-
lentless foes when one allows them to be so.
They are not inaptly called the 'Decalogue
of deadly nerve soothers,' and are as fol-
lows:
"Q) Opium (crude); o. laudanum; (3)
morphine; "a cocaine; (5) chloral hydrate;
(6) chloroform; @ cannabis indica; (S) al
cohol (9) sbsinthe; 90 quinine.
a1d ,irrlt bo
maue to this list, but these are the most
important, therefore We viii confne our
consideration at present to them. Nine
tenths of ali the slaves of the vial are
opium fiends. This, then, is the most i'm
portant drug of the decalogue, if We ex-
empt alcohol, which. of course, we all
know, claims its thousands where the re-
mainder of these drugs claim their hun
dreds. Opium, in the crude state, is used
in the various opium Joints, of which we
have not few in this city, by those who
'hit the pipe 1t is brought here in cans
of different sizes, and is very costly, as
there is high revenue duty on it. Its
physiological effects are due to some
twenty different alkaloids. 1t is one of the
most remarkably complicated compounds
known to organic chemistry.
Hitting the pipe is the method in
which it is most widely used. In China
and Malay, and indeed in all Eastern
countries, its victims are millions in num-
Der.
"Some years ago I felt curious to see
how the real opium fend did it. wished
also to try the pipe just once myself. This
! was at last enabled to do, and must ad-
nit that | got the worth of the s. that the
experience cost me. The establishment OF
All Sing, on Mott street, was the place
where ! made this experiment. | believe
it has since been closed. and in common
with all lovers of the public good, hope
it has been. The house was dilapidated in
the extreme on the outside, a Chinese
shop of some kind occupying the street
floor. Only those known to the willy and
exclusive All Sing were admitted to the
mysteries and tawdry magni6cenee of the
second floor. As | was in the company OF
a man about town. who was known there,
no questions as to the safety Of admitting
me were asked.
"Once on the floor above the shop the
surroundings changed totally. The floor
of the hall was covered with a light Chi
nese mating, on which lay oriental rugs to
ing, so that the patrons of the place, once
under the drugs effects, should not be dis
turbed by the slightest sound. The floor
was partitioned off into staterooms, all
handsomely got up and having locks to the
doors. Ostensibly the place was hotel.
After registering our names-and we gave
fictitious ones-we were asked if we wished
single or double room. We chose a room
together, but before going to it my friend
led me TO the rear of the house and showed
me such a sight as hope l may never see
again. 1t was the room reserved for pat
rons too poor TO pay for separate rooms.
Around the walls were berths, one above
another, and every ayilable foot Of the
hoer itself was covered with mattresses, on
which persons o. both sexes, in various
states of immodest exposure, lay in the
different stages Of opium narcosis. | OBJ
served that the men were some of them
Chinese. but most of them were Americans.
All were regular opium iends, and each
face, Gained though it was by the satisfac-
ton produced by the drug, told but too
plainly the story of ruined life. Some
Of the women, Of whom | counted no less
than eight, looked too respectable to be-
long 10 the class of tiends surrounding
them, but the appetite for the drug knows
no law of decency, only the law Of must
have. Thus being unable 20 pay the price
for more elegant surroundings. these poor
things, some in silk fneries, mixed in one
;acongruous mass with the rabble This
was indeed such shell" as only Dante
could appreciate. Throughout the place
q peculiar pungent odor hoated in the air,
and my senses already commenced to swim
before we reached our room. Here we
found a Celestial waiting for US with
layout as the pipes, etc, are called, and
we at once prepared to try the effects Of
the opium demon.
"Tte 1ayoue consisted Of long
stemmsl pipe, he bowl Of which was
made cutie fiat, with an arrangement Of
metal tongues to hold the burning drug in
position. Then there was piece of crude
opium, about the size of bean, and sew
eral curious tongs to afhx it and properly
manage it is the pipe. A bowl Of water
and a glass of some oriental liquor was
.ded to this, and to complete the layout,
there is tray TO lay the pipe in and keep
i in position, so that ii would not be able
tc cause the clothing to catch fire. Ny
friend and the celestial attendant fixed me
ont and 7 TINS took my only Opium smoke.