St. Paul daily globe., 1891-12-06
DR.. ROthept and His Horrible
Experience in One
Year.
He Used Seventy-Five Grains
Of the Drug as a Daily
Dose.
Another Physician Who Act
ually Clipped Off Pieces
Of Cutiele.
Cincinnati Enquirer.


he was experiencing from the excessive
use of cocaine. During the week the
doctors terrible plight has changed
but little for the better. The case is pc
culiar in many respects, and has been
discussed with much interest at infor-
NAL gatherings of physicians. 1t will
probably be presented for consideration
at the approaching meeting of the
Academy OF Medicine. DR.. ROthert is
district physician of the Twenty-third
ward. About year ago he begun the
use OF the drug, injecting it hypoder-
mically. The habit grew OH him until
he became fiend. The injections con-
tinualty increased in number, as his
nervous condition required a larger
amount of the drug to secure the de-
sired effect. 1t was nothing unusual for
him to use from sixty to seventy
five grains day, Never before in the
experience of local physicians had a
case come under their observation
where such an enormous amount of the
cocaine was used by victim of the
vice. AS is generally the way, DR..
Rothert commenced the use in small
quantities to relieve local pain, and then
ing depression. The collapse came when
he reached the point where it took sew
enty-fye grains daily to bring his nerves
up to the required tension. There was
Complete Giving Way
of his entire system. For nearly three
weeks past he has been confined to his
bed at his home on Freeman avenue
near Liberty. He was most pitiable
object when DR.. Kebler was called in
attendance. His limbs and body were
literally covered with virulent erup-
ton. 1t seemed that there was not
even minute spot within reach
that had not been punctured with
the hypOdermic needle. Some con-
dition or popularity of the blood had
given the injections poisonous effect.
Each tiny punctnre became fostering
sore, from which offensive pus eXuded.
The agony was so frightful that the vic
TINS brain seemed to yield beneath the
strain of intense suffering. AT times he
would become Semi-cOnSciOuS, and these
moments of relief were followed by at
tackS of violent delrium. Owing
to the peculiar nature Of the
case, it was impossible to give
him relief by the use of drugs.
1he only treatment was to gradually
diminish his daily allowance OF cocaine.
Even this brought tortureS, and the un-
fOrtunate'S cries for more of the drug
were most pitiful. In some way he pre-
vailed on his nurse to yield to his en-
treaties, and, contrary to the orders of
the physician. extra injections of the
cocaine were surreptitiOusly admins
tered. This came to the knOWl-
edge of DR.. keoler, who threat
ened to resign the case unless he
was given full control of the patient. 1t
was at first insisted that Dr. Rothert be
removed to the hospital. where the doc
tors orders could be strictly enforced;
but an arrangement was effected by
which the patient was allowed to remain
at home. In the past week the patients
allowance has been reduced to twenty
grains daily. His condition, however,
is very critical, and the physicians who
have been called to see the case regard
his chances of recovery as very dubious.
In his attacks or delirium Dr. ROthert
generally manifested the halluclnatiOn
that the bed and his person were coy
cred with bugs. He would grab them
up by imaginary handfuls and cast them
out on the floor. Frequently he COM
planned
They were Crawling
over his face. in his ca rs and ND his
nOstrils. Sometimes his hair was full
of them, and he would clutch it with
both hands and tear it out by the roots.
All the time he would rave over the
sckening agony produced by the YER
min. Before his condition became so
critical. and when his mental balance
seemed unaffected, lie would chat intel
ligen Iy with visitors. His conversa-
ton gave no indication of impair
ment of brain power. The only sign of
arrangement would be when suddenly
his attention was chained to a particular
point on his callers apparel.
There's a bug on yOu," he would
quietly remark, and reaching over ne
would delicately take the imaginary
object between his finger and thumb
ard crush it. Now and then the delu-
sion took the form that it was flies which
bothered him. They would gather
in clouds about his head and tickle his
flesh until the annoyance became un-
endurabie. Dr.. ROtheTt is only twenty !
six years old, and until he became ad- |
dicted TO the use of the terrible drug
was regarded as an exceptionally bright |
member of the profession.
NEARLY as sad and pitiable,' said a
prominent physician, who is familiar |
with the ROthert case, twas the !
case of another of our young doc !
tors, whose name | do moi care to |
mention. He has almost recovered, and |
the use of his name would be an un- !
pardonable wrong. Fortunately his phys |
icians were enabled to have him under |
perfect control and thus save his life. !
He was given gradually diminishing !
Quantities OF the drug until now he is |
almost completely weaned from its |
use. He
was in a Terrible State
at one time. Iu his case the delusion |
was that bugs had crawled under his |
skin and were constantly moving about /
He would shrug his shoulders and go |
through the most fearful contortions in |
the effort to secure relief from the |
imaginary insects. Sometimes they |
were ants and other times shiny bugs. |
The peculiar hallucination was pro-
duetive of awful agony. When |
finally his condition became such that |
further cOncealment was impossible. he |
was placed under the treatment of the
most eminent physicians of the city.
When they examined his BODY a start
ling discovery was made. His thighs /
and the lower parts of his limbs were |
found to be Scarified iu numerous places.
1t was evident that small patches of |
skin had been removed, and MANY of |
them quite recently. The work had |
been done with sharp instrument.
Nothing was said TO the patient, but |
he was placed under a close watch. One |
evening the attendant noiselessly en-
tered the door. He was surprised to see
the patient sitting in chair in the |
middle of the room. His head was bent |
over and he seemed to be intently busy |
at something. His back was to the door,
and so quietly had the nurse en-
tered that the attention of the |
patient was not attracted. Curious |
to solve the mystery the attendant tin
good view What do you think the |
'ieHd' was doing? He had taken a |
small pair OF tweezers and scalpel out |
of his case of Instruments With the |
iron pincers he had raised the skin, and |
before the nurse could reach his arm he |
had given il q WEack with the ScalneI