The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-01-01
POPULAR sTIMULANTs.

nAuHy AE0 ANutCtGu Co ShG MOT
phine, Opium and Abs1ntiis Habits.
II don't think 1 can recall case
whore q grown person used paregorio
for u stimulant" said y prominent
physician.
1T is q stimulant. nevertheless, as
nearly every mother knows. Whore is
tho mother who. at some point Of her
child's babyhood. did not administer n
dose of paregoric, or soothing-sirup. So
called, which is, in reality, nothing but
parcgoric? ParcSorio is Simply II mild
form Of opium. Tho only stimulating
nifccts it has is from tho opium it con-
tains. II is, of course, mixcd with other
drugs, and tho whole compound is called
paregoric. 1t is looked upon as harm
loss baby's medicine that como, into
play very readily when baby is squalling
and the head OF tho house demands
peace at any prico. Then it is that tho
paregoric bottle is seized and tho irato
youngStor given small dose. Tho
child sinks into slumber and ceases to
CRY.
"This well-known family docoction is
not dangerous unless an overdose is
talsen. and then, rs with opium, death
is likoly to ensuo. Occasionally n ply
stefan makes y 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 n far different meaning Like
this: 'Tinct Opir and 'rinct Opil
Camph.' The former means tncturc of
opium and tho latter parcgoric. You
can readily see that if tho former was
obtained and used where parcgoric was
intended that tho result would DO fatal,
and such mistakes have been made
Wnilc in itself not dangerous, unless
an extra large dose is taken. parcgoric.
as | before said, has tho properties of
Opium, and its effects arc tho same,
only in Il millcr form.
"Pcoplc who are determined to uso
some form of s;imulant can worry readily
find poisons enough that will do tho
work quickly and give better satisfac-
ton than parcSorir. Tho two stinlulants
most popular in Chiaago arc morphine
and opium. They are. perhaps. used
moro extensively than ia generally
thought Mother il very costly, and
easily obtained There arc other slim
ulantS, such as cocaine and absinthc
Cocaine is used considerably. but not to
any alarming extent rs yet, and only
recall one case where death resulted
from its use. Ab,intho is Il distinctly
foreign s,imulant. AMI unlcs; some OF
our ncwly arrivcd foreigners drink it
do not think il is used in Chicago. This
vile. grccnish-loollng liquor loads tho
Grinlicr TO Il moro horrible death
than any OF the other drurs.
1t leads is victims along in per-
feet security; for once tho habit
is formed it is n hard thing to quit.
Many foreigners drink small quantity
regularly before dlnncr each day. They
argue that it is n cool appetizer and
aids digestion. They wore never more
badly fooled The drug has a most per-
nicions effect on tho system, and strikes
at tho very coro OF life. Tho evils OF
tho use OF alcohol arc mild and few com
pared with those OF abSinthc. Fortu-
nately its use is an ol1-country habit
but morphine and opium are used
rounds my business brings me face 10
faco with many Of these cases. Nor
phine is, perhaps, taken moro than
opium. This unhappy state Of affairs
is brought about by different causes.
Some take these deadly stimulants az u
form of dissipation, and these have nc-
qnirod the habit through evil associa-
tons many others have been led into it
almost unconsciously. BY this I mean
that there are many persons who at
some time in their lifo suffered from
some acnto intlammatory disease from
which relief at any cost seemed VOL
como. To thom opium and morphi inc
were not bidcous drugs to be Stunned,
but blessed relief from their suffer
ings. They took the drug and were re-
loved. Their sickness over tho habit
remained, and unconsc;ously they fell
victims to tho very drug originally used
az panacca for their ailments. CHI
cago News.