The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-06-16
DRUGS THAT ENSLAvE.
A Claim That Physicians Are Mainly
Responsible For the Formation
of Drug Habits.

1t has been repeatedly and persist
emily alleged by those who are fanat1-
cally opposed to the sale of household
remedies that the alarming increase
in the number Of opium addicts and
cocaine hends in this country is due
almost wholly to the widespread use
of so-called patent medicines. That
this charge is untrue, however, is
proved by recent Investigations OF the
dope" question, which show that 1t
is not the patent medicine, but the
physicians prescription, that is main
ly responsible for the growth of alco-
hol and drug addictions.
Some years ago DR.. T. D. Crothers,
of Hartford, Conn, a noted authority
on morphinism, in a paper on Nor
phinism Among Physicians" read be-
fore the New York Medical Associa-
ton, made the statement that among
3244 physicians whose histories he
had collected, 81 per cent. were found
to be persistent users of either opium
or alcohol, and that in addition to
this number 10 per cent. were secret
users of habit-forming drugs. AS the
final result of his Investigations, DR..
Crothers concludes that lat least Is
to 20 per cent. of the physicians in
active practice are. victims of O
phine and spirit taking" In an arti-
Gle in the Medical Summary DR.. G. E.
Patterson says: 81 am sorry to say
that of any one class of men who are
addicted to drugs and liquor the med
ical profession takes the lead. And I
am sorry to say, further, that the ply
stefan of to-day is altogether too
ready to pull out that little gun Of
his and shoot every patient that has
a pain, thus engendering the forma-
ton. Of a drug habit" DR.. O.. l..
Peak, of Springfield, Mo-, in the Mis-
souri, Journal of State Medicine, re-
marks: There is no doubt that thou
sands. of persons have been started in
the downward course of the drunk
ard by the direct act, advice or sane
ton (and I am ashamed to say, too.
often by the example) of their family
physician" The directors Of SANTA
ria for drug addicts are united in
their belief that the doctors prescrip-
ton is almost wholly responsible for
the formation of drug habits. One
director writes as follows: I'm look
ing over my loose reports. covering
the last eight years, I find that the
most common cause of the morphine
habit is the medical prescription CIV
en- for the relief of bodily pain" DR..
L. F. Kebler, chief of the Division Of
Drugs in the Bureau of Chemistry Of
the United States Department of
Agriculture, has this to say: 1T Is
common knowledge that there are
some so-called doctors who make a
practice Of writing prescriptions for
very small fees for these life-wreck-
ing drugs"
In view of the foregoing statements
of physicians who stand high in their
profession, it is evident that If the
growth of alcohol addiictions Is to be
checked, the reform movement must
not be directed against the compara-
lively innocent patent medicine, but
against the medical profession-the
real cause of the evil. OF this and
other reforms in the practice of med
icine DR.. Waite sums up the situation
in the Medical Record by saying:
1.-The time has come when a reform
movement is bound to be inaugu-
rated. If it does not come from with
in it will come from without. If we
do not reform ourselves we will be
reformed, nolens, volens. The laity
are not all fools. That por-
ton Of the laity which has not al.
ready gone over to Christian Science,
osteopathy and psychotherapy is cast
ing a critical eye upon the medical
profession, and if I mistake not the
signs of the times will require a
speedy accounting" - From the
prool,1vn Timoc