Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-09-28


or sleep-producers known. 1t is less dan
gerous than opium, as it does not produce
the delightful, dreamy state that IS char
aeteristic of the latter, bat the sleep pro-
duced by chloral is partly of an anaesthetic
nature, and the brain does not get the
same kind of rest as in natural sleep. The
victims Of this drug are chiefly those whose
temperament is intensely active, and who
are, therefore, prone to sleeplessness. 1t
is not so pleasant to take, but this does not
| hinder the formation Of the habit Ct taking
| it constantly, and the consequences, when
the habit is once formed, amount almost 10
| insanity. The cure Of this neurosis, when
once firmly established, so far seems i'm
possible. l know of no recorded instances.
"Chloroform and even ether are not
without their victims. l once had
patient who suffered from the chloroform
habit, and it was the toughest battle one
can imagine to cure him, and knew of
case of this habit where the victim died
! from an overdose of the drug. Cannabis
| Indica is the extract of the leaves of the
Indian hemp. 1t is the 'hasheesh' Of the
East, and an extremely subtle and deadly
drug. In India its victims can be counted
by hundreds. In this part Of she world 1t
| is as vet but little used as q nerve soother,
except by professional men. Its effects are
on the brain chiefly, and madness is the
outcome of the habit once formed of using
! it. Alcohol IS too well known to need
comment at length. After all, no drug
| has a greater effect on society. The sot is
one of the most unfortunate victims of
neurosis. That can well be pictured. Yet
no drug rightly used, is of more value. a
| little wine for the stomach's sake can do no
harm to the majority Of people, if taken at
meal times only Liquors should never
be drunk between meals when the stomach
| is empty or when digestion is going on.
If taken with food we have the opinion of
DIR. w. A. Hammond that 1t is a food.
The same authority interdicts its use for
children, as he believes it affects the growth
of the brain.
"But if alcohol is to be use with care,
surely absinthe is to be interdicted alto
gether by every man who has the slight
est regard for his nervous system. 1t is
drink that kills, and as its use is increas-
ing at an alarming rate in this country,
wish to speak of it more fully than Of the
| other substances that | have described. 1t
is more destructive to the nervous system
than either whisky or opium. A man may
live as an opium fiend, or sot, for num-
ber of years, but an habitual absinthe
drinker seldom lasts over three years out
side of a lunatic asylum, when his death is
only the matter of another year, as the
effects of this habit seem beyond the reach
of treatment.
"The seyerest case Of delirum tremens
resulting from whisky is nothing COM
pared to the delirious madness caused by
absinthe Absinthe is drink of French
invention, but it is now used more extern
siyely in America than in France, and in
this country the peculiarities of the eli
mate make it far more deadly that it is in
its native home, where it is taken with
more care than it is here The French
man knows that an-overdose should be
avoided. Americans want to drink as
much of it as they would of whisky, thus
making now allowance for the increased
risk in taking this circeian cup. This
liquor consists essentially Of brandy and
alcohol, into which the volatile oil Of
wormwood has been incorporated by dis
tillation. 1t is favored with the oil of
anise and sweetened, and several other
less important flavors are added to give it
its peculiar flavor.
"The drinker of absinthe at first does
not observe anything especially unusual in
his general health, but as the drug gets his
system more fally in its grip, sleeplessness
and unsteadiness Of the nerves come on.
He soon loses all mental will power, and is
unable to focus his thoughts on any SUD-
iect for ten minutes together. The eyes
are early affected by the drug. Double
sight, and even blindness, is an early
symptom of the hopeless stage of this
habit. Not long ago l was consulted by
well-known dramatic writer, who had be-
come the victim of the absinthe habit. He
had all the symptoms referred to, but
when under the influence of drink he also
had wonderful power of mental concen-
tration, in which he was enabled to write
articles for the press, and even parts of
plays. He had been a well-known play
wright, and it was during the writing of
well-known play that he first took the
drink that kills. | was unable to help
him, and soon after, a mental wreck, his
friends had him put INTO an asylum, where
he recently died.
"Of the quinine habit will only say
this, it is not as bad IN its effects on the
victim as are the other drug habits de-
scribed, but it is very apt to lead to one of
them. Again, it is quite needless to take
quinine as though it were an article of
/ food in this climate and its effects on all
the organs of the senses is finally more or
less destructive. The greater number of
cases of deafness seeking relief in our hos
pitals, We are told by statistics, are caused
by quinine 1t also causes blindness,
and a pathological condition of the
vital organs, especially of the heart On
the whole l think it is well placed
among the ten dangerous drugs. OF
don't take it without a doctors pre-
sciiption. We have several ac-
counts OF instances in which it
has caused the ruin of doctors who tried it
on themselves for experimental purposes.
The cocaine habit, SO far as we understand
it, is like both the morphine and absinthe
habits united.
''The moral of all this is, that when a
| person does not feel in normal health,
, don't dose indiscriminately, but go to a
doctor. Before going to a doctor try hy-
gienic measures. Eat regularly and do
not partake of highly favored food Con-
diments are in truth drugs, that do not
enter the system without producing some
effect. If you are smoker, reduce the
number of your cigars daily. Take fire.
quent baths and dress in loose-6tting
clothing OF the right weight for the sea-
son, and take all the exercise that COM
fort and time will allow The walking
cure is just now coming into the fashion.
1t is good cure for legion of minor COM
plants that ordinarily people want to take
drugs for. Let people take less drugs and
more good exercise, and get healthy bodies
and well regulated minds, and tie medical
profession will go into bankruptcy for the
need OF patients"
Georgia's Bible.