Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1890-11-07
POPULAR sTiMuLANTs.


MANY Persons Are Addicted To the msr-
phine. Opium and Absiuths IIab,ts.
"Is don't think I can recall case
whore q grown person used paregoric
for q stlmulant" said a proniinen
physician.
"lt is q stimulant. nevertheless. as
nearly every mother knows Where Is
tho mother who, al some point OF hor
child's babyhood. did not administer a
dose Of paregorlc. or soothing-sirup, So
called, which is, In reality, nothing but
paregoric9 Paregoric is simply q mild
form OF opium. Tho only stimulating
effects IL has Is from tho opirm IL con-
tains IL Is, Of course, mixed with other
drugs, and the whole compound Ia called
paregorlc. II Is looked npofi as harm
less baby's medicine that comes into
play very readily when baby is squailing
and tho head OF tho house demands
peace at any price. Then 1t Is that the
paregoric bottle is seizcd and the irate
yonngster given small dose. The
child sinks into slumber and ceases 10
cry.
This well-known family docoction is
not dangerous unless an overdose is
taken. aud then, as with opium. death
is likely 10 ensue. Occasionally q ply
sician makos = mistake in writing n
prescription for parogoric that Is likely
10 cause the death OF his patient. Two
prescriptions may read much alike, and
yct have a far different moaning Like
this: 'rinct Opil' and 'Tinct 0pil
Camph.' The former means tincturo of
opium and tho lattor paregoric You
can readily soc that II tho former was
obtained and used where paregoric was
intended that tho result would DO fatal,
and such mistakes have been made.
While In Itself not dangerous. unless
an extra largo dose Is taken. paregoric.
as before said. has the properties OF
opium, and its effects are tho same,
only In q miider form.
People who arc determined 10 uso
some form OF stimulant can very readily
find polsons enough that will do tho
work quickly and give better satisfao-
tion than paregoric. The two stimulants
most popular In chiaago arc morphine
and opium. Thcy are. perhaps, used |
more oxtensively than Is generally J
thought Neither is very costly, and
easily obtained. There arc other stim-
ulants, such rs cocaine and absinthe.
Cocaine Is used considerably, but not Ia |
any alarming oxtont as yet and only
recall one case whero death resulted |
from its use. Absinthe Is q distinctly |
foreign stimuiant and nnlest some OF |
our ncwly-arrived foreigners drink 1t l !
do not think 1t Is used In Chicago This |
vile, greonish,lookina lsanor loads tho
drinkor 10 . moro horrible death
than any Of tho other drugs,
1t loads Its victims along In por-
feet security; for once the habit
Is formed II Ia q hard thing to Quit
Many foreigners drink small quantity
regularly before dinner each day. Thoy
argue that 1t Is good appetizer and |
aids digestion. They were mover more |
badly fooled. The drug has most por- |
pioious effect on tho system, and strikoa |
at the very core Of lie. Tho evils of |
the use Of alcohol are mild and few oom.
pared with those OF absinthe. Foryu-
pately It's use is an oli-country haJit
"Rut morphine and opinm sre used
very freely in Chicago In my daily
rouhus NY uusiHebs urinPS mo TACO 10 /
face with many of these casos. Nor
phino Is perhaps taken more than
opium. This unhappy state of affairs
Is brought about by different causes.
Some tako these deadly stimulants as a
form OF dissipation, and these have ac-
quirod tho habit through evil associa-
tiona,ymany others have been led Into II
almost unconsciously. by this [ moan
that there are many persons who at
some time in their life suffered from
some acute in6ammatory disease from
which relief at any cost seemed VOL
come. To them opium and morphine
were not hidoous drugs to be Stunned,
but a blessed relief from their suffer-
ings. They took tho drug aud were re.
lievcd. Their sickness over, the habit
remained, and unconsc!ously they fell
victims TO the very drug originally used |
as panaoea for their ailments. "-Chi.
cago News