Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-08-30
if you were chained to opium's

as if you were chained to opium's
slavery"
The speaker said that the effects of
drinking gentian extract closely re-
sembled those of the other pure bit
tiers, such as quassia and colombo
In small doses at hrst the drug
aids the appetite and invigorates di-
gestion." DR.. Bland went on TO say.
But the user can not stick to small
doses. for as soon as his system be
| comes at all used to the dangerous
drug he finds he must increase his
doses to get any effect.
BY and by the victim begins to
have a constant irritation in his
stomach, and this develops until in
Illumination sets in, which only death
| ends. The condition Of the poor vic
tim of his habits at this time is de-
plOrable. He cannot stop taking the
drug because he is so bound up in its
effects. He finds that when once he
is out of the first feeling of intoxi-
cation which the drug gives him he
suffers the most eXcruciating agony
in his stomach. This goes on ana on
until finally he dies in torment"
DR.. Franklin E. Baldwin, of the
New York hospital, tells the story of
woman who was the victim of the
gentian habit.
OF course, l Cannot tell her name"
added the speaker, but she really was
a woman of a great deal of standing
in this community. She was married
and had a husband who idolized her
He was quite we'll off, having a
large Wall street business, ana every
summer used to take his wife abroad
among the Swiss mountains"
DR.. Baldwin added that it was while
abroad on these trips that the wife
got to drinking gentian, which the
Swiss people brew to such an advan-
tage.
The liquor has a sweetish taste"
said the doctor, (which is followed
by intense bitterness. But the effect
is, l suppose, 10 times that of COM
mon glass of whisky. At all events,
the woman became addicted to the
drink, and they say that she was
over it. She became so bad that they
brought her to us.
There was little that we could do,
you know. When a person has got
to be a confirmed gentian drunkard,
that settles it. All the physicians in
the world cannot cure; nothing can
cure but death. Well. this woman
fingered along about year, and then
died from stomach trouble, as all
gentian drunkards usually do"
DR.. Paul Godfrey, of Roosevelt hos
pital, laughed when asked if lie knew
anything about gentian drunkards.
Il should say I did," said he; "also
about calisaya and wine of cocoa
drunkards, morphine eaters, choral
drunkards and dozens OF other classes
who use any stimulant rather than
whisky
''Of all the people that come here
to be treated none are So bad to cure
as the gentian drunkardS. That class
of people, l begin to think, can not
be cured. And there are hundreds of
them in the city. People whom you
would never suspect are addicted to
the drug, and when once it fastenS its
grip on the victim he can't break
away until death aids in the release"
The speaker said that, In his opin-
ion, the sale Of tincture of gentian
should be restricted Just as the sale
of morphine.
It's a craze that is spreading daily"
concluded the physician. II guess
there are at least 5000 gentian drunk
ards in the metropolis alone. and they
are increasing in numbers daily an0
hourly Be whisky drunkard, if you
must but don't be a gentian slave"