The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-01-10
THRILLING WITH LIFE.

The DISPATCHES last week referred to
the growth Of the cocaine habit" at the
East, and in San Francisco it has
alarmed the physicians and health Off
GERS even more than has the spread of
the opium habit. Just what to do to
check the inordinate use of cocaine Is
what is puzzling the officials Just now
On both sides of the continent. though
the law is ample if it can be applied
Cocaine used by those who acquire an
appetite for its effects is swifter and
more terrible in it's results than opium
using. To this date there has been dis
covered no specific for it. Cessation of
use, of course, must precede all attempts
to cure, but beyond that it is found more
difficult to restore the tone of the sys-
TEN of the person addicted to it's use
than in case Of the opium habit.
In Portland, Or, the other day the
local medical society made a strange ex-
posture. The cocaine habit was getting
new victims there rapidly, and despite
all efforts to ascertain where these I'M
fortunate cocaine users secured the drug
the evil augmented. Finally some drug
gists of the city noticed that a certain
much advertised catarrh, headache and
throat cure was having a great run
or sales and that people We're calling for
1t more frequently and in larger quanti-
ties than was reasonable, even suppos-
ing them to be afflicted with the nasal
disease and constant headache. The
aries noticed acted in a nervous and Sc
cretve manner.
This led to inquiry, when 1t was dis
covered that this catarrhal powder. so
called, contains two and one-haIf per
cent Of cocaine hydro chlorate; a soiu-
ton of four per cent has been known
TO cause death. The formula Of this
catarrh powder is boldly printed on the
package, disclosing the fact of the pres
ence Of cocaine, a thing which it would
seem should have warned the Portland
druggists when the medicine was first
introduced. Some of them admit that
they knew Of 1t, and notified all to whom
they sold the medicine that 1t is danger
GUS This cannot excuse these apothe-
carries, since the law forbids the sale OF
cocaine except on the prescription of a.
physician. The cocaine users knew Just
as we'll as the druggists that the drug
was dangerous. 1t is amazing upon
what thin pleas some men place their
conscience.
The Portland faculty is agreed that
the cocaine habit may be easily ac-
CURED by use of this pernicious patent
medicine One of the society declared
that If man acquires the cocaine habit
he had better go off and kill himself for
the sake of himself and his friends.
which is putting it roughly for there are
cures effected among the victims of this
fearful intoxication. However, it is con-
ceded that cocaine creates the worst of
all drug diseases and in support the
works Of many writers on the subject
are cited.
The Portland Medical Society proposes
TO resort to legal proceedings to stop
the sale Of the patent medicine referred
10, and it has also called upon the
Board of Health to take action in the
premises. 1t would seem that the doc
tors might corner the druggists easily
enough without resort to legal remedies
Let them notify the public of the names
OF apothecaries who keep the compound
and advise the public to go else
where with their patronage. That
would not be a boycott; it would be SIM
pie justice because the druggists in sell
ing the medicine are committing an un-
lawful act. In the meantime the law
officials ought TO exert themselves and
not put the burden Of bringing actions
upon the doctors. How would it do for
the authorities in Sacramento to look in
10 the situation here. and ascertain if
this same vicious concoction is not pro-
cured here by the many who are going
the cocaine way to death?
We apprehend that there is a deal
more of fuss being made over the Sena-
torial election business in Ohio by the
sensational reporters than the facts