The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-12-30
CHLORAL,s ARMY OF VICTIMS.
Prof. TyndaII's Death Has Called At
tention to n Growing Evil.
London Daily News.

l<OlluOH Ddly news
The manner of Professor Tyndalls death
is inexpressibly sad. He was killed by an
act of devotion on the part or his wire
She had nursed him during his long ILL
ness with a care which one of the medical
witnesses said was almost unexampled, yet
il was her hand which, by an act or pure
inadvertence. administered he draugnt
that caused his death. Yet, after all, II
was but the immediate cause for the dose
of choral which Mrs. Tyndall gave him in
mistake for another draught might nave
had no fatal effect on stronger man
Professor Tyndall was both old ana IN
firm; his system could not resist the POI
son. If anything could mitigate the Ieel-
ing of sorrow which this most unhappy
mischance must occasion Ii would be the
heroic self-posseSsion of both the NictIn
and his wife Mrs Tyndall seems TO nave
soon as she discovered her mistake, and the
sufferer himself set her the example py I'M
mediately suggesting the use OF 81. ,bat
remedies as were at hand. Yet ne Ieit uiae
he was doomed. "My poor darling" ne
said when he learned what had nappSeineSu,
you have killed your john" he na1 ntlie
time to say more, when the sleep Tell upon
him which was to be the sleep OF death: IL
would be difficult to imagine more anec,-
ing situation-the brave man ngntllg
against his doom until the stupefying eI-
fects of the drug stretched him helpless; the
afflicted wife feverishly turning the pages
of the medical works in the library 10 nnu
an antidote. The doctors came up promptly
as they had been summoned, and they Ia
bored throughout the whole day by the bed
side. At one moment they were cheered by
q CLEAN of hope The patient rallied sum-
ciently to recognize those about him, and
perhaps to be aware of the efforts they
were making to save his life. But relapse
followed, and the mind which no natural
infirmity was ever able TO obscure, felt
the darkness OF death His fate, sad as II
is, is enviable COMPARED with that of her
who survives him. No tragic poet ever i'm
agined a heavier accumulation of woe than
has fallen upon her head. Her bereavement
i'm itself is one Of the greatest of all sor-
hn n "
for her the deepest commiseration of every
feeling heart Throughout the world.
Prof. Tyndall will serve his fellows in
death as in life, if his mournful end should
direct attention to the growing evil of the
abuse of narcotics. The act by which his
death was determined was one of pure mis-
chance, which can only be deplored. But
the practice of taking hypnoticS, and par
ticularly choral as relief from pain is
and 1T can hardly fail TO receive whole
some check from this conspicuous example
sleeping draughts of one kind and another
for years. His usual quantity" according
to DR.: Buzzard, was one and half tea
| spoonfuls every night. II had evidently be-
| come a habit with him, even more than a
| necessity, or 1T was a necessity only be-
| cause it was habit. Yet we have the au-
| article devoted to this particular case.
| for the assertion that ninety-nine In the
hundred of these sleeping doses are worse
than useless, even for any purpose of re-
| lief worthy of the name. Insomnia" we
are told, ''is not disease but a Symp-
TOM" and il is the clear duty of every
sufferer to ascertain the cause, with a
view to its removal by legitimate treat
ment. OF all the empirical treatments. that
by choral is probably the worst The tenn
| porary relief which it affords tends to di-
| vert the attention from more radical meas
| ures. The sham Solace being always at
| hand, the true one is never sought. Choral
| has slain its thousands before this: II
| ought not to claim many more victims
| before IL is laid aside forever. Or if IL
| does, this great national loss we have just
! sustained should be held equivalent for the
| purpose of warning and example, to the
| total count