Evening star., 1901-11-14
GROWTH OF COCAINE HABIT
EVIL PREVAILS AMONG LoNDoN's
CLEVER MEN AND WOMEN.
Physicians Said to Be the Chief Vic
tims-A Subtle Form of
Inebriety.
From the London Mall.

FROM the LONDON MAIL
Cocaine injection has firmly established
Itself in London, not among the common
peopIe. but among the cleverest men and
women. II can be carried on so secretly
that for time even the nearest friends of
the drunkard have no suspicion of 1t. 1t
has none of the responsiveness of ordinary
intoxication. Doctors are its chief victims
writers and politicians come next, and the
more artistic the temperament the greater
the peril this new habit presents.
Cocaine injection is, without question. the
most dangerous and subtle form of inebri-
ETY. known Compared with 1t, even NOR
phinomania is comparatively harmless. 1t
grows on one with amazing rapidity, and
gives little or warning Of the harm it is
doing until the evil is accomplished almost
beyond recall With most narcotics you
have quick presage OF coming evil Let the
average man inject a dose of mOrphia and
he will find the temporary ease followed by
excrUciatiug headache by raw nerves and
by fearsome depression of spirits. But with
the cocaine at first there is none of this.
You feel young and vigorous again. Pain
Is deadened. The things that troubled you
seem swept out Of your life. You have
sense OF self-satisfactiOn, of buoyancy, of
ease and of pleasure. In the normal man
or woman there is often at first no great
reaction, although I'm this, as in every nerve
poison, the effects differ according to indi-
vidual temperament.
Many Doses the Day.
But the pleasure passes off very quickly,
even more quickly than with opium. and
the victim is almost inevitably driven to
renew the injection. In many cases from
twelve to twenty doses are before long
taken in a single day. This costs money.
Cocaine hydrochlorate, the form of drug
used for this purpose, is very expensive.
Wholesale ii costs 25s- an ounce. and
tails usually about three times much.
In one known case a man spends as much
as los. day on his cocaine.
The first harmful result seen is often
enough not physical, but moral. Cocaine,
even more than morphia, destroys the
moral sense. This Is no figure of speech.
but a plain statement Of an observed and
undeniable fact. The cocaine fiend does
not become violent or brutal. On the con-
trary, he seems more gentle and more re-
fined than ever before. His artistic per-
ceptiOns are in every way Quickened But
though he has hitherto been scrupuIOusly
honest, he will now often steal without
shame He often seems to forget the mean
ing Of truth. 1t is yet moot point with
psychologists how and why this destruc-
tiOn of the moral sense is accomplished
But that IL is accomplished admits of no
denial.
Many OF the cases OF kleptomania which
excite so much surprise. and many of the
unaccountable crimes among well-to-do
people, solely due TO this. AS one
When person comes in here and asks
for cocaine or morphia or choral. I, of
course, I'LL in the doctors prescription
This is my business. But l take care to
keep close eye on that customers fingers
all the time she is in the shop. The cocaine
hend will steal anything IL she thinks she
can do IT Unobseryed If you let her get
into your debt she will never pay you.
Among my regular customers some come
with story that they have left their
purses behind, or something like that and
wish me to trust them. / never do thar
with cocaine or choral taker now.
have been bitten too often Every other
chemist will tell you the same"
Physical Effects Produced
This Is only the beginning. The moral ef-
fects are after a time followed by very de-
cided physical ones. First comes indescrib-
able depression Of spirits. sleeplessness,
distaste for food. This is often enough
followed by complete mental breakdown
sometimes by suicide So much has the
habit grown that new industry has
sprung up In England during the past few
years, the establishment of homes" for
well-to-do narcotists. These homes are not
usually registered under any act. Many Of
Them do not advertise, but are supplied