The Indianapolis journal., 1903-03-29

1t Is Suggested as a New Field Of Sci
entifc Investigation.
Washington Post.

washington Post.
Apropos of the work performed within
the last two years by Professors Wiley and
True, of the Department of Agriculture, on
the subject of nutrition, 1t has been sug-
gested in certain quarters recently that an
almost virgin field of exploration awaits
the scientist who cares to undertake an in
vestigation of the drug habit in large cities.
To-day every large city in America has
its quota of drug users, morphine hends,
cocaine Sniffers and arsenic eaters, ana In
many of them the number of people ad-
dicted to the habitual use of certain drugs
is not only alarmingly large, but con-
stantly increasing. Notwithstanding this
fact, there is at present nothing in the way
of a scientific review, statement, or bulletin
on the subject. For some reason 1t has
thus far escaped scientific treatment, and
the person in need of ready information on
the subject is obliged to gather what he
can from popular hearsay, cases in Ponce
Court, and the statements of drug chlerks,
all of which, 1t is needless to say, is none
too reliable
In every city certain popular notions,
ideas and beliefs have sprung up with re-
gard to these drugs, their effect, and those
who use them, which have come to be &C
cepted as indisputable facts, and 1T would
be interesting to know whether these popu-
lar notions have any basis in fact, or
whether they are mere popular myths, as
so often is the case in matters of this char
acter. For instance, there is general be-
lief that those who use morphine or opium,
no matter what the character of the users
may have been before they contracted the
habit, will lie and steal. In scientific sur
vey of the phenomenon it would be inter
esting to discover whether such is really
the case or whether the idea gained cred
ence merely by reason of the fact that the
majority of morphine users are, in the first
place, er-do-wells and persons OF bad
heredty.
The nasal catarrh due to cocaine sniff
fling a habit which originated among the
ern cities and is just now making it's ap-
pearance in the cities north of the Potomac
and the Ohio. would prove another interest
ing field for research as wei as the lido
dermic syringe as q means of introducing
drugs into their system.
The latter is one of the most peculiar
phases of the drug habit. Hypodermic
needles are alike and of the same size, yet,
despite this fact, every ''fend" insists upon
seeing the packet and selecting one partic-
ordinary eyes. are the same length, size
and make What is more, applying the in
lection, every dope fiend' has some pecu-
liar flourish of the instrument original with
and peculiar to the user, and no two of
them apply the needle in the same spot.
1t is also noteworthy that morphine eat
ers of the lowest grade, poor whites and
negroes with scarcely any visible means
of support, circulate most freely at night,
between midnight and sunrise. What they
do during the day is a mystery, but GER
streets making the rounds of the drug
stores and seeking to replenish their stock
of 'dope" during the hours mentioned.
The person who undertakes such in
vestigation should, it has been suggested.
have some knowledge and experience of
the submerged and criminal classes keen
eye and ear for facts as against fable. and
a happy. faculty of knowing how to squeeze
the truth out of persons who are habitual
and naturai-born liars. In the matter of
mendacity 1t does not follow that every
drug user will deny or try to lie out of
the fact that he is addicted to drugs. There
are some-in fact many-who are actually
proud of the fact, but whose fantastic
stories as to the way they use the drug,
what they use it for, the effect it has on
them, and how they contracted the habit
cannot be relied upon, and in dealing with
such cases the investigator would be obliged
to use the greatest care not to be deceived
by plausible romancing.