The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-05-09
B9ST0N'S DRUG VICTIMS
ESTIMATED OVER 5,OOO
All Classes and Old and Young Are Included
 in the Habit.

habit in some form, and the number is increasing steadily. They are not restricted to any class or age limit. They number lads of 12 and 1S young | girls, young men in every walk Of lie, society women, bankers, brokers, a i few phsysicians themselves. Real i figures are unobtainable; but investigP- . ton covering large field has deytl- oped some interesting facts.
 The mildest form in which drugs are used in this city and the most common form is patent headache powders and opiates. There was for a number of years on the market a so-called head ache cure which contains large per centage of cocaine, powdered with sugar of milk. When this powder was first put on the market it sprung im- mediately into favor. Hundreds of young men and girls, as we'll as a great many women, got their first taste of "the dope that harms through its agency. The law took effect against the sale of the stuff some time ago and its ravages were checked. But there are innumerable drug stores in all parts of Boston where its users still obtain it by using the right tip, wink or password
 The use of 1t has led in countless known instances to the stronger forms of drugs, in some cases to opium and laudanum There is also the long list comprising codeine, opium, heroin, cannabis indica, clloral hydrate and acetanilid, with morphine and it's derivatives, The use of these is becoming more and more common every year right in the city of Bos- ton.
 Among the criminal classes the use of drugs is extremely common. Th7 statement has been made authorita- lively that q large percentage of the inmates of the state prisons are "doped" practically from entrance to exit. Of e total of approximately 500 prisoners in the state prison ir Charlestown recently 1t was estimated that 30 per cent. were users of drugs l Representative Ezra W. Clark, M. D., of Lynn, has just petitioned for legisla- ten to regulate the sale of opium and its derivatives and other like articles pr, Clark has made long personal in- vestigation, and his declaration that the dope habit" has grown to startl- ing proportions among physicians. law yers and professional men is made af- ter a careful search into conditions.
 There is no getting away from it, T said pr. Clark a few days ago. The dope habit Is on the increase. Not on ly that, but it Is assuming awful pro portions, anl Is penetrating into strata of society where it would naturally be least looked for. come into contact with great deal of 1t in the course of my practice, and l get wind of great deal more through conversations with druggists and other physicians. It is difficult to attempt to assign any cause but I am inclined to lay 1t to the so- called strenuous life VIC lead and the morbid conditions arising from 1t,
 ''Time and again respectable men have come to me and asked; Doctor isn't there any law to prevent drug gists selling my wife opiates?' There doesn't seem to be now, but hope that there may be soon. The better class ol druggists are as one in their desire to have legislation passed to prevent oi regulate the sale of opiates, and 1t is hoped that the new bill will accom- Tplish much along that line,
 "The question of the spread of the habit among physicians is striking | 1,r ' hat te because of the great strain induced by long, irregular hours and intermittent spells of extreme exertion and relaxa- ton. On the other hand, probably many more become slaves to the habit while foolishly tampering with drug in an endeavor to devise means to cure or aid some unfortunate patient"
 The prevalence of the drug habit among the inmates of the prisons is ago, the warden of one of Boston's prisons tacitly admitted that he could never hope to exterminate the habii among the prisoners. A man who knows the South and West ends we'll and who is hamself user of "tht coke" has said that conservative es innate of the number of victims of tn, habit among the young men and girl! of the two districts is more than 1000 are prone to 'pooh-pooh" the sugges. tion that the habit is becoming danger ous or very widespread, admit thai there are quite a few users of tht "dope" in the thickly settled district There is a restaurant, an "all-nigh' hang-out," in the West end, where among the men and women who gathe nightly, scores of victims of the drui habit may be counted by their appear ance alone. Drawn of mouth, nervous and worn-looking, with hollow eye: and constantly elevated eyebrows, the! easily betray themselves; but besides these poor, stranded wrecks there art numbers of robust, youthful users serving their apprenticeships' and no marked outwardly Give us a snalb, demands a newcomer of a companion whom he joins at table, and the twt turn toward the wall. In their subse quent conversation such words al "sniff1es" and "the old coke" are re ferred to. These were users of cocaine Had they been devotees of anotheI drug, the newcomer would have sait "Glve us a blow,'' instead of < snab." Many of the inmates were girls A few victims of the morphine habi were there also, and they were re ferred to familiarly as 'jaibbers." glance over the congregation in tht place revealed girls and lads who coull not have been more than IS. Five girl and 1S boys were counted, and ther'