Smyrna times., 1899-04-26
USERS OF MORPHINE.
THE DRUG RAPIDLY ENLARGlNG ITS
CIRCLE OF VICTIMS.

Women In New York, Says a Physi-
clan of That City, Are WOrshipinE
at the Shrine of the Death Breeder
In Great Numbers.
1.-The amount of morphine used by
women in New York is increasing at
an alarming rate, said a physician
81 do not give the drug at all, save in
extreme cases. for 1 believe we doctors
are largely responsible for the spread
of the evil. 1t seems such an easy, mer-
ciful thing to relieve acute suffering by
a dose of morphine, and it would be all
right if the patients couldn't get the
drug themselves. They can get it.
There the trouble.
~ was called to see one of my pa
tients last week She is a wealthy wo-
man. She developed the morphine habit
two years ago, when she had a serious
illness. Since then she has had period
ical sprees with morphine, in spite of
all we could do to prevent her. She al
ways says that the deplorable state she
gets into is due to other causes, but |
can tell, as soon as l see her. whether
she has been taking morphine Last
week, when l went to see her she was
a nervous wreck and said she had been
agonizing with rheumatism. Rheuma-
tism is a handy thing. A doctor cant
swear that a patient hasn't got it. l
accused the woman of having been on
a morphine spree She denied it. l ap-
pealed to her husband. He searched her
] bureau and chiffOnier and found 200
morphine pills. She had bought them
all at one time. but wouldn't tell who
sold them to her.
''Of course there's law against sell
ing morphine except on prescription.
but morphine fiend can always get it
if he is persistent, and generally he is
so. Any physician can tell habitual
morphine taker at glance. SO can
druggist. The latter reads the unmis-
taxable signs in a mans face and, if he
hasn't a conscience, will sell the NOR
phine victim what he wants The drug
gist knows that the purchaser will guard
the secret quite as closely ds he could.
But, if a person with no symptoms of
the morphine habit wants to buy the
drug. he will probably have great diff
Guilty in getting it. No pharmacist even
if not particularly reputable, wants to
take the chances of being hauled up for
a breach of the law.
Il am constantly running across
cases of the morphine habit. especially,
as | said, among women. The life they
lead when active socially uses up their
nerves. and they take morphine for neu-
ralgia until they can't get along with
out it. Usually they are ashamed of the
habit and conceal it carefully, but some
times they are quite open about it,
take their morphine regularly and will
not listen to reason. Not month ago a
beautiful young woman showed me a
new Chatelaine ornament she had just
bought. 1t was a remarkably handsome
gold case. studded with jewels. and look
ed like a vinalgrette. The top opened,
and inside were a tiny hypodermic
syringe and tube of morphine. said
something more forcible than polite and
tried to make her see the insanity OF
s the thing, but she only laughed and
told me she carried morphine pills in
l. her chatelaine bonbonniere, so that she
would be all right if she happened to bt
where she couldn't use the hypodermic
which she preferred. l threatened t.
tell her husband but she said he knew
about it and didn't care. She didn'r
bother him, and he didn't bother her.
!. went to the husband, and he merely
r shrugged his shoulders and said he new
=. er interferei with his wife Then 1 re
: lieved my mind again and told hin
II what thought of him-ond now ther,
. is one family less on my lis of patients
/, THAT was an exceptional case, l ad
I, NIT. Usually relatives and friends of ;
+ person who takes morphine do every
3 thing possible to break up the habit
v but morphine fiend is remarkable 70
d cleverness. A great many women VIII
: don't want any one to know that the.
o have the habit work the physicians fo
!: morphine. / know women of good fam
d lily who never go more than two week
e. without terrible attacks of neuralgia o
v rheumatism or something else tina
causes excruciating agony. The docto
: is called i'll and tries to relieve the VIC
:. man. but nothing relieves her until h
tries morphine. If he is clever enoug
- to see through the thing and too COZ
scientious to help out the little farce
he gives up the case. Another doctor
called in and another, until one pre-
t, scribes what is wanted. That's an ole
/. old game. Many a struggling youn
1f doctor has thought his fortune mad
because wealthy woman in his neigl
borhood called him in. but when she
seriously i'll she goes back to her ol
doctor. She only wants the new one
prescribe morphine for her neuralgia.
There's no excuse in the world fl
doctor acquiring the morphine habi
He knows better. Yet some of the do
tors do it. One famous old New Yo1
doctor used to take his morphine
regularly as he took his breakfast, ant
whenever he gave a hypodermic inje
tion to patient, he took one himse
while he had the syringe out, just f,
sociability, suppose. He never wei
to pieces under it, but | presume
would have done so in time.
) ''No one but physician can reali
how this special vice is increasing al
how serious problem it presents.
class the medical profession takes
strong stand against it, but l confe
I'm feeling rather discouraged. ~
person who takes a dose of morphil