The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-04-08
COCAINE FlENDS.
MANY
SAVANNAH HAS ITS SHARE OF DOPE
FIENDS.

and the Result is Insanity and
Death-City Physicians and Police
Surgeon Have Noticed the Increase
i'm Number of Cocaine Victims.
HypOdermic is the FavOrite Way
of Using the PoisOn--Acts on the
Entire Nervous System-HOw the
Habit ts Formed and the Ultimate
Result.
There are more cocaine fiends in Sa-
vannah than all other classes of dope
victims combined. This is the opinion of
physicians and others who have studied
the situation carefully, and although the
assertion is a startling and astounding
one, 1t appears to be true.
No druggist will admit that he has
regular trade for the drug, or that he
has flends as his customers There is no
doubt, however, that those who desire thu
stuff that gives them such a pleasing sem
sation have no trouble in purchasing it,
The city physicians in their wanderings
find many persons who are victims of
the drug, and Police Surgeon Osborne
stated yesterday that negroes as we'll as
whites use cocaine. Many of the women
of the half world are its victims and the
number OF fiends appear to be steadily
increasing.
Cocaine gives at first a feeling of ella
ton, of freedom from physical and men
tai worry, but there follows sure and
terrible reaction. The character OF an in
dividual is completely changed and the
best and frankest of men is transformed
into sneak and ultimately into ma
MAC. To person who has started the
habit prussic acid would be better. The
acid means quick suicide and cocaine
means suicide also, but painful, long
drawn out and horrible. A victim of
this South American product is doomed
to an awful death.
Horrible as ii may seem the habit is
spreading widely, and insanity and death
always result. A fiend may live for sew
eral years, but his craving cannot be eat
isled by anything else and death is sure
to follow. 1t is a habit that physicians
say cannot be cured.
In many cases physicians or dentists
are responsible for its use. The drug
Is used to deaden pain and when the pa
S'S'AN niOWS what mas pEtll
he invariably wants more and gets 1t,
too. In New Orleans strict measures
have been taken to prevent the sale of
the drug, which has made victims of the
negroes by the thousands. In Atlanta
the newspapers have started a war on
persons who sell cocaine to irresponsible
parties and glance at the other side Of
Savannah shows that 1t is only a matter
of time when this city may be In the
same way.
The hypodermic is the favorite way Of
taking the drug and by far the most
common and easiest. 1t can also be
sprayed into the throat or nostrils and in
some cases pills are made of the powder
and held in the mouth. Cocaine is sold
iii powdered form and at present is
worth two and half cents a grain. 1t
is mixed with water and used for spray
ing in the liquid form.
prominent druggist stated to a rep
resentative of the Morning News yester-
Gay that while he keeps the drug and
will sell 1t on physicians order ne will
not sell 1t to fiend. He has a contempt
for any person using the drug and SAYS
THAT he can tell them just as soon as
they enter his store As soon as he let
1t be known that he would not sell the
coke" to everybody the demand dropped
eff, and only occasionally now does any
one ask for the drug
The druggist stated that he had con-
siderable experience with cocaine flends
In an adjoining city, and that this class
OF customer is more trouble than his
trade Is worth Often the victim wishes
to take the hypodermic In the store, and
II he gets a chance he will steal ell of
the drug that he can get his hands on
Then, too, a fiend in hard luck always
gees to the place that he made his last
purchase, and begs for some of the white
powder. He is probably on the verge of
collapse, and turning him down is out of
the question. A victim in this condition
is pitiful.
Cocaine is the alkalois OF the cuca or
coco plant, which is grown in South
America. Ii was discovered by Niemann
in 1859, but has been in use only about
ten years. 1t is highly poisonous and "its
physiological action induces a series Of
symptoms affecting the nervous, respira-
tory, circulatory vaso-motor and gandus
Ter system" The drug works directly on
the spinal nerves and acts as a strong
stimulant to the brain.
The coco plant grows to about feet in
height and resembles black thorn bush.
II is estimated that some 5000 600 natives
of South America chew the coco leaves
without any noticeable III affect Ii is a
powerful stimulant of the nervous system
and enables fatigue to be borne with less
nourishment and greater ease than ordi-
narily. CocoICola Is made from this plant
and affects the nervous system mildly
Physicians say that large quantities of
this beverage is harmful.