Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-03-14

New York, Mar. S.-The cocaine
eater has become of late years an es-
pecial object of medical solicitude. He
IS not easily detected by outward
symptoms. He guards his secret NOR
bidly, his anxiety not 10 be betray
himself being a pathological symptom.
Yet the man who takes the massive
dose eventually betrays its use in the
bioodlessness of his complexion, his
staring eyes, and, sometimes, by his
peculiar jerky gait, as though his foot
struck the ground before it was ex-
pected to.
Cocaine, unlike opium, which dead
ems The sense and sensibilities, is a
mental stlmulant, so powerful that it
fairly racks to pieces the fabric of
the thought" 1t increases the pow
er of mental association A writer
starting upon a theme while under
the influence of cocaine feels the de-
sire to branch off upon a thousand
tangents. Every other impression in
his brain becomes brilliantly relative
to the main thought Yet in the cold
gray dawn of the morning after, the
product of his fantasy is unintelligi-
ble-redolent only of delirium.
The cocaine eater at certain stages
Of his debauch feels sudden energy
for all sorts of wonderful undertake
ngs He could and would move a
mountain Nothing is impossible
But the stimulus to great deeds ex-
ponds itself in the delicious dream
conviction that the deeds have actu-
ally been done. Under the influence
Of the drug, the victim is often known
to confuse other persons property
with his own. He is also quite likely
to neglect promises and business ne
gotiatlons supposing that they have
been already fulfilled.
Cocaine decisions are marvellous.
The chief neurologist of the New
York post graduate hospital and med
ical school, in charge of the clinic
for nervous diseases. tells of a pa
tent whom he came upon sitting on
the floor of a room with a pair of
pincers in his hand with which he
picked off imaginary bugs as they
dropped from the ceiling Another
patient, once a newspaper writer, who
applied to the dispensary of the post
graduate hospital, asking to be saved
from the demon that had him." and
who was subsequently cured by the
morphine treatment, used TO fire his
pistol at imaginary, moving soft
black shapes" which threatened to
overwhelm him. A woman who came
into the hospital showed the effects
of the drug in its further stages. Her
face was drawn into strained lines
and her eyes were wide and staring
though she had quite the appearance
permeared with the drug, and had
adapted itself TO it So that it was like
a machine energized by poison and
working only under its stimulus. This
is invariably the phenomenon TO occur
when the body is accustomed by de-
grees to any drug or poison. " first
intrusion of the foreigner the system
revolts and sends a warning to the
reason in the shape OF nausea, head
ache. or digestive arrangement. II
this IS disregarded, and the enemy is
admitted again and again, the physical
being finalls makes truce with the in
vader-accepts its terms, even az the
price of health and happiness, if only
to insure its own existence.
Druggists. before restrictive laws
were passed. Used to be worried by a
regular clientele of customers who
bought their cocaine in powders rang