The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1900-06-14
MORPHINE HABITS HORRORS.
An Alarming Increase In the Number
of Victims of the Drug
Reported.

That the morphine habit is increas
ing among the people of this country
ther is no doubt. Physicians, druggists
and the importers and dealers them
selves attest to this. In one city so
per cent. of all the morphine used is
purchased by persons who use it with
out a physicians order.
The habit is usually acquired
through the victim having first taken
the drug to allay pain or discomfort.
The fascination of the change from
pain. distress and insomnia to quiet
ness, comfort and sleep is very intense,
and overcomes all reason and judg-
ment. After a short time of repeated
use of morphine the reason is obscured.
First the higher ethical brain sue
cumbs, and all sense of right and
wrong slowly disappears.
The failure of veracity is the first
symptom. This goes on to extreme
lengths. Associated with it is egotism,
which grows with the degeneration of
the victim. Often this is the most
prominent symptom. Secretiveness
and cunning also increase to an aston
ishing degree.
Some of the most dangerous among
forgers and confidence men are NOR
phine takers. Fortunately, the period
of great mental acuteness along these
lines is of short duration. The I'M
stable brain state does not permit any
continuous line of acts to be performed
with equal cunning and judgment.
While the secretiveness lasts, together
with the low cunning and selfshness,
it is found after a time that the reason
ing faculties become benumbed, so that
they cannot originate or adapt them
selves to new conditions.
During its first five years the NOR
phine habit is often practically unno-
ticed. The patient may be little odd
in some respects-Inorc bright vi dull
at one time than at another, or perhaps
now sensitive and again Indifferent.
His ordinary occupation may be car
ried on without noticeable change.
His habits will deteriorate, andfhe may
explain them as due to some physical
condition.
Later, however, more marked
changes appear. The business man be-
comes unreliable and changeabl6 and
the society woman develops a taste for
SANDER and exhibits unusual emotional
changes. and finally retires from So
ciety. The workman becomes unfit and
uncertain, andis discharged, or maybe
detected in some dishonest transaction.
The failure of the higher brain takes
away the former consciousness of duty
and respect for law and order. I'm
pulses to steal become very prominent
in some cases. Immoralities of all
kinds and senseless intrigues follow.
Childish lying and foolish concealment,
with egotistical boastings, are often
common.
Sometimes these faults are asso-
ciated with much acuteness, and the
writings of some authors have been
marked by delirious imaginations and
egotistical conceptions which for their
strangeness and novelty have been con-
sidered original. Curiously enough,
these projections are not uniform and
vary widely. They are rarely on the
same key or of the same quality, and
have decidedly insane tinge.
Many morphine takers, having good
constitutions, are able to use the drug
for many years and partially to conceal
the habit. They are likely, however,
to become invalids, or to seek seclu-
sion, and the erratic character of their
brain work and reasoning suggests the
disturbances going on. Others become
greatly broken down, or imbeciles,
eventually die of some intercurrent
disease.
1t is a fact not well known that a
considerable proportion of the crimes
and business failures which disturb the
world are the result of the secret use
of morphine. Scandals in society, in
trigues, divorces, stupid, unreasoning
acts among persons of previously aver
age sense, are often due to this same
cause. Trampism, pauperism, prosti-
tuition and many other evils are very
often associated with the use of NOR
phine and excuses in other drugs. In
most cases the use of narcotic drugs
has preceded these conditions. In
some cases the use of liquor leads to
indulgence in drugs. The narcotism
which comes from beer and spirits very
often finds an increased pleasure and
relief in morphine, and hence turns to
it.
Morphinism is the most fatal and
destructive of modern nerve diseases,
and when once contracted is with great
difficulty escaped from.-Boston Her.
aid.
FACTS AND COMMENT.