The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1906-02-08
GROWTH OF ALCOHOLISM
Use Of Quack Medicines and Headache
Powders Cause Dangerous Habits.

the acknowledged increase of al
coholism and drug habits among
both sexes. gives some startling
information regarding the causes
of these unhappy results. A well
known physician conducting a
large cure institution is quoted in
part as follows:
Another cause of increasing
drunkenness is the use of quack
medicines, chiefly of alcohol or
opium in its various forms. An
other alarming fact in connection
with this misuse of drugs is the
growing popularity of dangerous
compounds bearing the name of
headache powders. They exert
an insidious influence and are sure
death.
They account for the rapidly
increasing number of heart fail
tres. meningitis, paralysis, which
| the papers have been filed with of
late, perplexing many doctors,
People are wondering if an cpl
demic of new fatal diseases is
sweeping over US.
The cause can be traced to
these patent powders, which. like
alcohol, affect the heart and brain,
causing sudden end shocking
death If the law permits such
evils and people will continue tax
ing such dangerous preparations
an increasing death rate need not
be wondered at"
At the Oppenheimer Institute
Doctor Frank G. Ketchum, in
charge, consulted his records and
spoke by the card. Beyond all
doubt drunkenness is on the in
crease at a ratio much greater than
the increase of population.
Ten women are now drinking
where but one drank fifteen or
twenty years ago. In every 100
patients thirty are women. Wealth,
luxury, and a foolish desire to be
up to date in keeping pace with
the fast set is one of the causes of
the fearful condition. Many
women will take a pint of straight
whiskey as a single drink.
'Intoxication from morphine,
however, is increasing much faster
than from whisky. Great harm
comes from popularizing certain
so-called morphine remedies. A
victim reads of a sure cure which
will restore him to health at from
FIVE to ten dollars a bottle. He
tries it and discovers that he no
longer Graves morphine. Why?
Because the so called cure is a
preparation of opium or morphine,
which the man soon finds he can
not abandon.
His condition becomes worse
than before. The morphine which
cost him but twenty or thirty
cents now costs him FIVE or ten
dollars in the disguise of medicine.
These are some of the many phases
of this rapid increase of drunken
ness from alcohol and narcotics.
The greatest drinkers in the world
are i'll New York, San Francisco,
Cincinnati, St. Louis and Canada.
The greatest drinkers of Europe
are found in London and the big
cities of Scotland.
In view of the growing scourge
of drunkenness, men and women
should read the warning
In COS consecutive cases treat
ed at the Oppeuheimer Institute,
fifty were found to be cases suffer
ing from albuminuria or glycosrria.
In these cases t-ere were found
albumen or sugar from a mere
trace to as much as fifty per cent. "
In England newspapers and pub
lie men are vigorously discussing
the overshadowing evil. Canon
Fleming says: 1t is debatable
question whether intemperance is
growing or diminishing among us.
The three-bottle men have passed