The sun., 1898-10-02

| U0iAOVA CAP0AuS iHto q Socv poioOO v
marvellous beauty; rubbish-filled bacl
yard becomes tropical garden. A stree
is no longer mere tumultuous thorough
fare, it is populous world. But that
remember, is only in the hashish eaters
novitiate, when the drug appeals most
entirely to his mental faculties. Habit
ual use makes it a physical need or cray
ing, and then the hallucinations, less
picturesque and pleasing, often end in
hideoue, terrorizing visions which drive
the victim into the madhouse or the
grave"
"Has the medical fraternity had many
cases to look after in this city ?' was
asked.
II have heard OF one or two but the
certain peculiar properties of the drug
makes it hard to distinguish it from the
opium habit. After this young man,
whose actions you have noticed, took
hashish as medicine he found it's plea
sures (?) because his system was pecu-
liarly susceptible. He can load up with
good sized dose and 60 about his usual
employmehts without any one being the
wiser. There will be nothing extraordi-
nary in his actions and he will conform
strictly with the usual routine of his
daily movements. In fancy he may be
traversing the wilds of Africa, may be
gliding through the skies in a balloon
five miles from earth, but, at the same
time, he is able to conduct a conversa-
ton with an unhashished friend without
betraying his visionary flights. In fact,
a man under the influence of the mar
cotic figuratively, and frequently con-
sciously, leads dual existence. He is
sufficiently aware of his physical actions
to separate them from the ever-varying
movements of his distorted fancy.
Zone curious thing hashish does for
its victim is to deprive him of horizon.
As l said, he loses all appreciation OF
space, and thus objects at distance and
those at hand have the same relative
value in his mind. Everything appears
to him in beautiful vista, whether he
contemplates actual and physical occur
rences or disports amid the pleasures of
fancy's realm.
"This young man came to my Office one
day by long and devious mental route
which embraced most of the geographic
cal points not included in his first
journey abroad. When he arrived, he
called for a neutralizer. He waited
patiently, ne said afterward, for week
or so, but needed him not. A second
time he demanded relief, and waited
many days with the same negative re-
suits. He repeated his demands five or
six times, until I had to beg of him to
desist, for he was tumbling them out in
convoluted string which gave no open
ing for reply. But he was not aware
how rapidly he spoke, so we'll in hand
uid the hashish have him by that time.
II gave him large dose OF lemon
juice, which is a good neutralizer of
hashish, and soon he was once more
mentally clear. There were no conse-
quent evil effects and seldom are after
the first dose of the narcotic.
''Some men who use hashish regularly
and who come under my observation are
excited to pugnacity by the drug. Others,
and, indeed, the majority, sink into
dreamy contemplation, incline to mo-
tiveless gayety or maudlin sensibility.
Nearly all habitual hashish eaters be-
come unnaturally active and restless.
In the last stages a drowsy stupor IS
characteristic, also restless muscular
movements, more or less insensbility to
pain and touch, and very often impaired
power OF locomotion. Hashish carries
with it voracious desire for food The
invariable physical end is blotched and
bloated faces, congested eyes, and weak
and tremulous limbs. 1t gradually para
lyzes both mental and physical energies,
and is far more difficult to cure than the
opium habit.
''Hashish is poison, and is sold only
by prescription. But you know how
easy it is to obtain prescription for any
thing and how easy it is for any person
with smattering of Latin to sit down
and write one which, having the ap-
pearance Of genuineness, the druggist
cannot refuse to fill"
A further talk with the physician being
interrupted by the appearance of pa
tient, the representative Of this paper
took leave of him, having first, however,
ascertained that some persons have fallen
slaves to the drug through constantly
using it to allay neuralgia pains.
United Brotherhood of Carpenters.