The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-27

Of the Atlantic, has attained tremendous
growth In this city.
Exact statistics are hard to get at. But
specialists who are constantly coming into
contact with persons addicted to the ex-
cessive use Of morphine, cocaine and other
drugs agree that the demand for these
drugs has doubled in less than five years
No part Of the city, they add. Is free from
their use. Moreover, they say that the
drug habit is quite az firmly established
among women as among men-perhaps
even more so
The attention of a physician in the psy-
ohopathic ward at Bellevue Hospital was
directed one day last week to paragraph
in a London paper which stated that o
prisoner, who was arrested In an ineo7ates
homo ON chargeof forgery, confessed 70
having reached the pitch OF taking l2o
Grains OF cocaine day. The statement
did not seem to surprise the physician.
When asked II it was possible to take so
great a quantity Of the drug. he replied:
aYes, that is entirely possible. Many
persons who are going about attending 70
ordinary vooations have reached the
point Of taking forty-fve or fifty grains
. day. After they pass that mark, though
the descent to an insane asylum s usually
rapid.
.Such extreme cases, though. are rare.
Perhaps in the insane ward here We treat
about eight or nine Of them aysar, men and
women who have become crazy from tho
use Of drugs,
Il want you to look at the lady who 10
coming this way tho doctor broke Oh
to say in lower voice.
The woman in question was being shown
to the door by nurse whom she had come
to see. She was large, stout. prosperous
looking. Her greeting Of the physci an
va efft,sive His response was less go
An exchange Of amenities disclosed the
fact that the woman had been spending the
summer at a watering place and was very
When tho door closed behind her the
doctor and nurse exchanged glancee
'What do you Think asked the DOCTOR
Il think We shall see her again before
long" replied the nurse.
THAT woman the doctor explained,
was brought here in frenzy last winter
the result of taking too much cocaine
Aftsrward, BY my advice. she went to an
Institution for treatment. and came ou'
early last summer apparently cured .,
We'll why does t the nuI soa tnf Evd e M
she is perfectly we'll
The doctor shook his head.
@She IL taking cocaine again. we know
.Many a society woman he continued.
FIRST tries the drug on special occasions.
such as when giving big dinner or other
entertainment, for no other reason IMAM
that it will give. not only an ADDED iust d,s
to her eyes, but also sparkle and bTiliano,Y
to her conversation quite out OF the ordi-
nary. For q couple Of hours or 90 after
she Is sure to be at her best-in fact, away
beyond her normal best.
sThe first effects Of the drug are delight
full. Pain of any kind, either menta! or
physical, vanishes. A sensation OF v,gor
and buoyancy peEvades tho nody' hound >,
follow, but in the case OF beginners, espec-
tally women, they simply say, and THINK
they have the dumps, ar d forthwith 60 to
bed and sleep them OF.
An interesting statement was made BY q
physician connected with the alcoholic
ward at Bellevue. Said he:
There has been great increase o4r1n?
the last year or so In the number o. physl-
clans and nurses who have ia len into the
cocaine habit ! am treating four doctors
here now.
"How does that happen?'
sometimes because the victim wants tc
experiment with the different drugs, anc
again because at some particular and I'm.
portant juncture which hnds nam worn gu!
physically he has recon- rse to the mos
convenient artificial stimulant at hand:
aOh, yes, any one can be cured OF the
habit, provided he has any recuperadvt
force and will power left--that 10 he car
be cured Of the craving for drugs and there
will be no relapse unless ne voluntarily
takes dose again. After that he 70 prac
tically unable to stop until rounded uE
again in an institution.
In my opinion the presence OF SO many
ouack tonics in the market most OF which
contain a preparation OF cocaine, mas
lot to do with the growth Of the drug habit:
An uptown physician whose practice II
among fashionable class admitted tina
although in his own practice ne came II
the drug habit, at the same time ne knew
that the use Of certain drugs was much OF
the increase, especially among women;
sThe main reason for this" he said. I'll
not. as some people seem to think. tina
human nature is degenerating. The FAC
Is, certain opiates are Of quite recent dig
covery. Cocaine, for instance, Is yer!
an the old days opiates were not il
general use, simply because they wer'
not to be had. For instance, when | frs
began to practise the Dovers powder, a.
We called it, which contained certain
proportion OF opium, was about the mos
powerful remedy OF its kind prescribed
BY the family physician.
Later on, morphine, which Ii an al
kaloid of four times the strength OF opium
came along, and then cocaine, now the
most popular drug OF all, maybe, was dis
covered quite by accident.
1The immediate effects OF cocaine ar
Less hypnotic than those Of morphine; the.
are Enthusiastically stimulating in fact. II
these days women suffering with inciPien
hay fever or asthma are not willing to pu
up with the old fashioned treatment 10
those ailments-which, by the way, In tn
long run is about the best there L.. The.
Nv to the new snuffs and stuf1s for inhaling
all Of which include opium and the effec
OF which Ia only temporary.
4They will have them They want relic
at once at any cost. The ultimate cos
q sometimes, oftentimes, the drug habit
It was a physician connected with
sanitarium largely patronized by sufferer
from the drug habit that was the mos
o,ltspoken when asked to give as his opinio
a. to whether or not there had been an
very peroeptible increase in the drug habi
In the last few years.
Certainly there has," said he. 18th
habit has Increased Tremendously
'In what part OF the city does It flouris
most?'
1T is no respecter Of sections, 1t -four
shes everywhere
who INDUCES in it7'
I.r