The Portland daily press., 1900-02-28
THE MORPHINE HABIT.
The Most Destructive OF Modern Nerve
Diseases.
(From the Boston Herald. }

That the morphine habit IL increasing
among the people Of this country there 10
no doubt Physicians. druggists and the
Importers and dealers themselves attest to
this. In one city 90 per cent Of all the
morphine used 10 purchased by persons
who use 1t without physicians order.
The habit Is usually acquired through
the victim having first taken the drug to
aliay pain or discomfort.
The fascination Of the change from
pain, distress and insomnia to quietness.
comfort and sleep 10 very intense, and
eyercomes all reason and judgment.
A ftsr shurt time Of repeatsd ute Of NOR
phine the reason Is obsoursd. First the
sense Of right and wrong slowly disap-
pears.
The failure of veraeity Is the fret
symItom. This goes on to extreme
lengths. Associated vita 1t IL egotism.
| which grows with the degeneration Of the
victim. Often this IL the most prominent
symptom. Secretivepsss and cunning
also increase to an astonishing degree.
Some Of the most dangerous among
forgsrs and confidence men are morphine
takers. Fortunately. the period of great
mental aouteness along these lines IL Of
short duration. The unstable brain state
does not permit any continuous line Of
acts to be performed with equal cunning
| and Judgment. While the secretivensss
Lasts, together with the low cunning and
| selashness, 1t Is found after . Il me that
| L.. f.a nj laah ao hap N .ho1
so that they cannot originate or adapt
| them selves to new conditions.
During It's first five years the morphine
habit IL often practically urnoticed. The
patient may be little odd In some re.
| spects- more bright or dull at one time
| than at another, or perhaps now sensitive
an again Indifferent. His ordinary ocou-
able changes. His habits will eetsrior-
ate. and he may explain them as due to
soma ply steal condition.
| Later however, more marked changes
| appear. 1he businets man become. S I'M
reliable and changeabls, and the society
woman develops tasts Tor Islander and
exhibits unusual emotional changes, and
finally retires from society. The working
/ woman becomes unfit and unoeitain, and
ia discharged, or may be detected In some
! dishonest Transaction. The failure OF the
higher brain takes away the former CON
| bOlOuhut5b VI uuly Etbpcob III IA W anu
order. Impulses to steal become very
| pI ointment In some cases. Immoralitiss
/ of all kinds and senseless intriguss fol-
| low. Childish lying and foolish conceal
ment, with egotistical bossting', are
often common.
Sometimes there faults are associated
| with much acutensss. and the writings
OF some authors have been marked by de-
| liIious imaginations and egotistical con-
ceptions which for their stIangsness and
novelty have been considered original.
Curiously enough, these productions are
not uniform and vary widely. They are
rarely on the same key or OF the same
quality, and have a decidedly Insane
| tirge.
Many morphine takers, having good
constitutions, are able to uss the drug for
many years and partially conceal the
habit. They are likely. however. to
| become invalids or to seek seclusiou, and
the erratic character OF their brain work
and reaaoning suggests the disturbances
going on. Others become greatly broken
down, or imbeciles, criminals, tramps or
paupers, and eventually die or some in
tsrcurrspt disease.
1t Is fact not well known that q con-
siderable proportion Of the grimes and
business 70 lures which disturb the wcrld
are the res nit OF the secret uss of NOR
phine. Scandals In society. tatfiguss.
divorces, stupid. unreasoning acts
| among persons OF previously average sense
are often due to this same cause. Tramps,
pauperism, prostitution and many other
evils are very often associated with the
uso Of morphine and sxcesses In other
drugs 10 most cases the uss OF narcotic
drugs has preceded thess conditions. In
some cases the uss u liquor lads to In
diligence In drugs. The narcctism which
comes from besr and spirits very often
finds An increased pleasure and relief In
morphine. and hence turns TO IL.
Morphinism is the most fatal and d.
stuctivs of modern nerve diseases and
when once contracted 10 with great
difficulty escaped from.