The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-05
THE HABIT.
A Physician Says That 1t IL Spreading al
an Alarming Ratio in New York.

A Physician Says That 1t IL Spreading at
nm Alarming Rate in New York.
THE amount OF morphine used by
in New York is increasing at an alarming
rate" said q physician. Il do not give the
drug at all, save in extreme cases. for l believe
we doctors are largely responsible for the
spread OF the evil. 1t seems such an easy.
merciful thing to relieve acute suffering by a
dose OF morphine: and 1t would be all right IL
the patients couldn't get the drug themselves.
They can get it. There's the trouble.
Il was called to see one Of my patients last
week. She is a wealthy woman. She devel-
oped the morphine habit two years ago. when
she had a serious illness. Since then she has
had periodical sprees with morphine. in spite
OF all we could do to prevent her. She always
says that the deplorable state she gets into is
due to other causes; but l can tell, as so IN as
I see her. whether she has been taking NOR
phine. 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 can't swear
that a patient hasn't got 1t. ! accused the
woman OF having been on a morphine spree.
She denied it. Iappealed to her husband. He
searched her bureau and chifronier and found
200 morphine pills. She had bought them all
at ono time. but wouldn't tell who sold them
to her.
"Oi course there's a law against selling NOR
phine except on prescription but a morphine
f1end can always get it if he is persistent. and
generally he Is so. Any physician can tell q
habitual morphine taker at a glance. So can a
druggist. The latter reads the uninistakable
signs In a mans face. and IL he hasn't q con-
science will sell the morphine victim what he
wants The druggist knows that the purchaser
will guard the secret quite as closely as he could.
n,,f Al IN Nth mn avuN ntnpoo If fha nor
phine habit wants to buy the drug he will prob
ably have great difficulty In getting it: No
pharmacist, even IL not particularly reputable.
wants to take the chances OF being hauled up
for a breach OF the law.
4 am copstantly running across cases OF the
women. The life they lead when active So
cially, uses, up their nerves., and they take
along without it. Usually they are ashamed OF
the habit and conceal it carefully; but some
ranep lnsy r ass aarfS a and viii iP1 not listen to rear rear
son; Net sSon a m @a = n ago cS 2 eeIaGs,t orpS Sou1E{
han @non ego gold case. studded With jewels, and
looked like a vinaigrette. The top otened. and
'ufss' q Ts @ere : }'sy n{r ssIS sems sAslnEs m s"s
%forcible than polite and tried to make her see
fhs aeia ana tod ID mt th she t aar4ied D%s fh1 p pilJs
in her chatelaineb opbonnlere. 50 that she would
eeu Al Tlsn nse II ts sse b Rapaaepedi to witch BE w sSs p see
ferred; threatened to tell her husband. but
she said he knew about it and didn't care, She
his shoulders and said he never interfered with
his wife. Then / relieved my mind again. and
told him what l thought OF him-and now there
is one family less on my list OF patients. .
us sThSt %re Taf es a sadff iPienas Of fs a eer ! nd Who
takes morphine do everything possible to
break up the. habit but a morphine fend is
remarkable for. cleverness. A great many
women who don't want any one to know that
they have the habit work the physicians for
morphine. know women OF good family who
never go more than two weeks without terrible
attacks Of neuralgia or rheumatism or some
The doctor is called in and tries to
relieve the woman; but nothing relieves
her until he tries morphine, II he is clever
enough to see, through the thing ana too con
up the case. Another doctor is called IN.
and another. until one prescribes what Is
wanted. That's an, old. old game, Many a
STRUGGLING young doctor he's thought his for pr.
neighborhood called him IN: but when she is
seriously III she goes back to her old doctor.
She only wants the new one to prescribe NOR
phipe for her neuralgia.
tor acquiring the morphine habit. Heknows
better. Yet some OF the doctors, do it, One
famous old New York doctor used to take his
morphine as regularly as he took his break
lection to a patient he took one himself while he
had the syringe out. Just for sociability. sup
pose. He never went to pieces under 1t. but I
presume he would have done so in time.
special vice is increasing. and how serious a
problem it presents. AS q class the medical
profession takes Q strong stand against 1t. but
! confess I'm feeling rather discouraged; The
Thing within the limits OF endurance is q fool
but the world Is full OF FOOLS"