St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-24
THE MORPHINE HABIT.
A MEMBER or THE MEDICAL FRA
7ERNITY REPLIES TO The GLOBE.

To the Editor of the Globe
In your issue of Sunday dec. 10TH
you have leading article entitled "a
INDUSTRIOUS Evil" l doubt not but that
the most humane and good intentions
have inspired the writer when penning
this article, and there is so much good
and many noble thoughts expressed in
the same, that 1t is so much more pain
full to find, that If so inspired, the
writer has forgotten one duty impend-
ing upon him, the duty to see to, that
no false, misleading or wrong state
ments appear in his article. Now. this
is just what he has not done. Without
one iota of excuse. remorse or sorrow,
he hurlS out, broadcast, accusations
against the medical fraternity. A frater-
nifty, that always stands ready TO, with
or without compensation. give aid and
relief to the suffering and with physical
ailments afflicted brother and sister.
He, without any further proofs than his
own utterance, "claims, that in nine
cases out of ten, the morphine tiend is
the product of physician" The wri-
ter also states: THAT the first thing
, the doctor does, when called to case Of
acute pain, is to take recourse to the
morphine bottle" How very far this
Is from the truth, only one that knows
the dread the average doctor has
for the use of narcotics. can fully I'M
derstand. In nine cases out of ten, he
will not prescribe morphine or some
similar narcotic, but will instead pre-
scribe some of the new discovered
analgesics OF the coal tar series in hope
that those will be effective, not only in
relieving, but also curing the underly-
ing condition, causing the symptom of
pain. If not successful. he will then
prescribe the smallest amount necessary
of narcotic, watching the effect care
fully, that will relieve but not deaden
the symptom pain, thereby giving him
chance to etfectually study the case
before him. | now speak of the careful,
attentive and skillful physician, not of
one that by hook, crook or other means
has secured diploma. and poses and
imposes upon the public, and Pm sorry
to say so often is ably supported by both
the lay and clerical press. especially the
latter. by fair means or foul, to pull the
wool over the eyes of too-gulible pub
lie. The writer has given pretty true
picture of morphine fiend, but he has
given an entirely wrong source for his
creation and his existence. With your
permit, l will give you the usual origin
of the genus homo called morphine
iend" (narcomaniac.)
A patient comes to doctors offics or
a doctor is called to his or her home to
be consulted for some acute pain (true
or imaginary. He now, in most in
stances, prescribeS some innocent thing,
in hopes, as you say, nature will over
come the symptom pain, but he does
not succeed. He now prescrlbes an
anodyne, spOrific, analgesic or sedative,
as the case may demand. He does this
with the understanding that the patient
shall report again. The patient feels
relieved, imagines he is cured or i'm
proving, thinks the prescription a god
send, does not report to his doctor as
told, keeps up using the drug against
the wishes and orders of the physician
who. in such, cases, is powerless, mas
much as the patient eau have the pre-
scription repeated ad libitum. If one
drug store refuses another stands ready
at once to fill the fatal drug fatal only
in the sense that it creates the craving
and appetite for the drug.
Now, my good writer, in what is the
physician to blame? in giving the de-
sired relief? The fault does not rest
with the skillful physician-it lies with
our lax poison laws that allow any one
to buy any quantity, small or large, of
any or all poisons, only upon his own
word or upon a prescription from a
doctor, legalized or not, one year or
twenty years old, repeated and filled
one or thousand times, it makes no
difference. But l will speak of this
later on. l am now speaking in defense
of only my regular brethren. l will
not defend the irregulars or even those
of similar fame, who, under the false
pretense of lntiniteslmal dosage pre-
scribe larger and more powerful
potentials, than any regular ever dared
to attempt to give or order. | know too
well how freely those pretenders and
caterers to public fads and fashionable
demands are ready with their syringes,
pellets aud triturates of morphine,
strychnine, atropia, cocaine, arsenic
and other similar and energetic drugs
They. by their pretension of infinites-
SINAI dosage, became dangerous by tin
people being led to believe that their
medicines are mild and harmless as
water, and in this way being ured
along to the unknown result, under the
pretense of innocent medication and
false colors. will say, though, that this
does not apply to the better class of that
school. In writing such misleading
diatribeS as yours against the medical
fraternity, if you had taken more pains
to find and search for the exact truth
about said fraternity you would undoubt-
edIy accomplish more. Probably no
profession has done as much to deserve
the public thanks as we. Our endeaYOr
IS, strange to say, and has always been,
TO work against our own selfish interests
In favor of the public at large. Our
profession is large-minded and whole
souled enough to forget ourselves in the
great public demand of work for the
world and humanity as a whole. Wit
ness our steady calls for higher educa-
ton Ill our own ranks; our steady calls
for regulation and controlling of the
practice of medicine and surgery, so to
be able to exclude charlatans and such
culpable men as you speak of from our
file; our demands for greater care and
more extensive public hygiene; for
Durer water supplies; for free hospitals;
for more means to take care of the poor