The Savannah morning news., 1902-04-29
DANGEROUS .'PICI<-ME-UPS."
of How the Drug Habit Is Growing
in London.


From the London Mail.
If the ranks of our English novel
lists and playwrights contained a sim
gle realist of close observation and
genuine strength, he would do his
country a great service by showing
in play or novel, how Englishmen and
women are running their health and
disCounting that of the generations to
come by the reckless persistence with
which they indulge in all sorts of pro-
miscuous drugs and pick-me-ups. The
prevalence of the habit is not denied
by those who have made even the most
casual observations: for an under
standing of it's pernicious and inevita-
BILE results little more thought is need
ed. Walking down Fleet street in the
company of a man who seemed IN
complete health, 1 was startled by his
remark, as we passed a chemists shop:
That's my chemist"
DO you keep a tame chemist to sup
ply you with perennial corn plasters
and tooth brushes?" / asked.
"Of course not he said, petulantly,
as one whose serious malady is being
treated flippantly; Il always go there
for my pick-me-up in the morning"
And why do you want pick-me-ups
every morning." l demanded. There's
nothing wrong with you, except that
you smoke too much and drink more
than you need
1T isn't that" he said; but one feels
so beastly limp, you know and this
chap understands my constitution so
we'll"
A little inquiry among other friends
served to convince me that most of
EnV fRA h,1
chemists, on whom they relied to cor
rect the indiscretions of the previous
night and to restore to them their ma
tutinal glory. The thing began to as
sumo more startling proportions; there
was no reason to suppose that the men
in my own immediate circle were De-
culiar. Did every one take drugs of
one kind or another? From two or
three chemists of large experience
one whose shop is in the neighborhood
Of Piccadilly Circus and is almost a
club, where you may meet half the
habitues of St. James and Pail Mall
at any hour of the day, and another
who has his dwelling and connection
in the East Enid gathered many sim
gular and striking facts.
friendly doctor or two were then
laid under contribution, with results
not less startling. All conceded In
confirming the growth of the alarming
h9olt OF self-drugging.
To Mans Moral Center
81 believe that of all the distinguish
ed men you could name in any pro-
fesslon," said one man, who plainly
spoke OF what he knew, more than so
per cent. are addicted to drugs of some
kind. No, you needn't look incredu-
lous; I'm talking of facts, not general
izing hastily
Il could tell you tales that would
make your hair stand on end.
A man was in here an hour ago,
whose name you know, who comes in
eVry fortnight or SO, and buys bottle
OF cocaine solution as big as this'-he
touches huge cut-glass decanter of
perfume. He has his doctors pre-
scr1ption all right, so we can do moth
ing. Another comes in at all sorts of
times. and asks leave to come behind
the counter for a moment to inject
cocaine into his leg. A third, a big
West End doctor, is always rushing
here, or to whatever chemists shop he
finds himself nearest to when he is
tired, and gets some one to inject
strychnine into his arm Another-a
doctor, too-who depends on cocaine
for all his energy, is a source of con-
slant amusement to us by his excuses
through
AN hour or two after he has
bought one bottle he comes back and
says he must have pulled it out with
his handkerchief and dropped it, or
that he has had two or three cases
in succession that needed it, or some
thing equally futile They all become
liars. these cocaine takers, for these
drugs all seem TO go straight to
mans moral center and destroy his
sense of truth and honor. Women?
Oh, yes, hundreds of them. Ether,
eau de cologne, cocaine, chlorodyne.
What can you expect from the rate at
which a woman has to live in society?
If you knew how often the silver top
ped bottles in ladies' dressing bags
hold ether instead of scent you'd be
little astonished"
That sounds pretty bad I said.