Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-10-03
POPULAR STIMULANTS.

Many Persons Are Addicted to the Nor
phine, Opium and AbSlnthe Habits
Il don't think I can recall a case
for a stimulant," said a prominent
physician.
lit is stimulant, nevertheless, as
nearly every mother knows Where is
the mother who, at some point of her
childs babyhood, did not administer
dose of paregoric, or soothing-sirup. So
called, which is, in reality, nothing but
paregoric? Paregoric is simply o mild
form of opium. The only stimulating
effects it has is from the opium it con-
tains. Ills, of course, mixed with other
drugs, and the whole compound is called
paregoric. 1t is looked upon as a harm
less baby's medicine that comes into
play very readily when baby issqualling
and the head of the house demands
peace at any price. Then it is that the
paregoric bottle is seized and the irate
youngster given q small dose. The
child sinks into slumber and ceases to
cry.
This well-known family decoction is
not dangerous unless an overdose is
taken, and then, as with opium, death
is likely to ensue. Occasionally q ply
| stefan makes q mistake in writing
prescription for paregoric that is likely
to cause the death of his patient Two
| prescriptions may read much alike, and
yet have a far different meaning. Like
this: 'Tinct Opir and "Tinct Opil
Camph.' The former means tincture Of
opium and the latter paregOric. You
can readily see that if the former was
obtained and used where paregoric was
intended that the result would be fatal,
| and such mistakes have been made.
| While in itself not dangerous, unless
an extra large dose is taken, paregoric,
as l before said, has the properties of
opium, and its effects are the same,
only in milder form.
people who are determined to use
some form of stimulant can very readily
| find poisons enough that will do the
work quickly and give better satisfsc-
ton than paregoric. The two stimulants
most popular in Chicago are morphine
} and opium. They are, perhaps, used
more extensively than is generally
thought Neither is very costly, and
easily obtained. There are other slim
ulants, such as cocaine and absinthe.
Cocaine is used considerably, but not to
any alarming extent as yet, and only
recall one case where death resulted
from its use, Absinthe is 9 distinctly
foreign stimulant and unless some of
our newly-arrived foreigners drink it
do not think 1t is used in Chicago. This
vile, greenish-lookinG liquor leads the
drinker to more horrible death
than any Of the other drugs.
1t leads its victims along in per-
feet security; for once the habit
is formed it is a hard thing to Quit.
Many foreigners drink a small quantity
regularly before dinner each day. They
argue that it is a good appetizer and
aids digestion. They were never more
badly fooled. The drug has most per-
nicious effect on the system, and strikes
at the very core of life. The evils of
the use of alcohol are mild and few COM
pared with those of absinthe. Fortu-
nately its use is an old-country habit
But morphine and opium are used
very freely in Chicago. In my daily
rounds my business brings me face to
face with many OF these cases. Nor
phine is, perhaps, taken more than
opium. This unhappy state Of affairs
is brought about by different causes
Some take these deadly stimulants as .
form of dissipation, and these have ac-
quired the habit through evil associa-
tons, many others have been led into it
almost unconsciously. By this mean
that there are many persons who at
some time in their life suffered from
some acute infiammatory disease from
which relief at any cost seemed well
come. To them opium and morphine
were not hideous drugs to be Stunned,
but a blessed relief from theiI suffer-
ings. They took the drug and were re-
! lieved. Their sickness over, the habit
remained, and unconsc:ously they fell
victims to the very drug originally used
as q panacea for their ailments. Chi