Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-06-26
AMAZING DRUG FTEND
CURES ARE ANNOUNCED
BY CITY SCIENTISTS
Philadelphia Proves to Rest
of World dope" Slaves
Can Be Freed From
Curse-250 Lose Habit in
General Hospital.

pbiiadeiphla, the medical centre Of the
-stion. has proved to the rest of the
,rorld that the drug habit can be cured,
.s surely as light can disslpate darkness
rbis announcement was made at the
rt,iadelphia General Hospital today
tacked by statistics. 1t set aside all sus-
ssc,on that the drug cure is an expert
liant. It gives hope, say physicians, to
she hitherto hopeless. It means saliva
Ian for the army of victims enrolled
ander the enslavng banners of opium,
s5caine, morphine, heroin and laudanum
praIns and red blood, devlsing and OK
1srInnentlng with methods Of combating
tsa eviT, were ready for the supreme test
.hen the Harrison act went into effect
,nd surcease from the nightmare Of drug
gslng was offered to all the pitlable crea-
,ures who clamored for drugs which the
lee had taken from them.
n was announced at the hospital today
.hat physlcians in the narcotic ward have
ssooessfully treated 250 drug fiends, in
oinding so women, since March 1. From
dives and dens they came, from office
buiidinRs, from factories and workshops,
nom the homes where no man thinks
ma danger turks A special department
"a the hospital was created for the
,vnatnnent of their cases, and by the
yholesale the craving for the drug was
cbscked, crushed and broken
Every patient was discharged as cured
and of that number almost all are now
syea of the habit. Those who were too
weak to throw of their evil associations
,.ui again, no doubt, but their cases are
,ot hopeless. Another treatment and
another process of giving them back
hone" will take them further away from
ehair habit, until they are no longer weak,
esitsrinR victims, but resolute men and
women.
VICTIMS TAKE HOPE.
An air of optimism today pervaded the
vard where will power is built up In the
weakened systems. Dul-eyed men grow
cliaerful, read the papers chat and even
tokes-Rs they feel the shaokles slipping
from them. New patients enter, anxious
and almost despairing, and leave buoyant
and determined, feeling flt to battle with
their enemy on equal terms
itThe habit can be cured; that Is a
known fact" said the chief resident ply
slcian today, as he glanced over a batch
Of "histories" s"-records of patients who
have been discharged. 'The process is
one Of giving the victim a backbone.
But right here Is the crux of the whole
matter-if a man doesn't want to be
cured ne can't be cured.
i'fThere are several important systems
OF treatment, of which the Lambert
Townes method is the best. 1t is, in
short, rapid withdrawal OF the drug,
building UP of the system and the use
OF sedatives. The craving is relieved in
fve days or week The craving of the
body, loaded with toxins, for fresh sup
plies of the drug, is generally. so strong
and lnsistent that 1t requires weeks or
perhaps months, and In some cases a
year, before the poisonous products can
\ a. lt.uV znn
requires about four or five weeks, depend
Ing on the patients power of resistance.
symptoms of a cure appear when the |
victim sleeps we'll, takes an active in |
terest in what is going on, becomes cheer |
full and-this Is important-doesn't seem
TO be anxious to leave. We have about
80 now in various stages of improve
fnent."
FELL FROM MANY CAUSES.
A story of reclamation is told between |
the lines of the typewriter histories, |
which are securely locked In the chief |
residents ofice-a story of men and wom-
en- plqued by curiosity and seeking new |
sensations of men and women surrounded |
by evil associates, in China, in Philadel- |
phla's Chinatown, In the West Indies, |
taking the first dose" seeking relief |
from PAIN, advised by a doctor or a |
misguided friend. Old and young, man |
aAtu WOlIlhIi tnGy I'LL WGIil AOu'O
until. with weakened vitality and nerves |
broken and seeing terrors in their Sleep |
they applied for relief and secured 1t.
Most of the patients are youths and |
young men, but there are a few of ma
turer years. Case A. a man of sedentary |
habits and AZ years old, became addicted |
70 morphine twoscore years ago. He used |
Il to alleviate pain and the drug turned |
on him, as IL surely must, and made
wreck of him. He left the hospital with |
newborn will power and apparently |
has succeeded in conquering the drug.
Case B, man nearly 40 years old, con-
tfacted the morphine habit in Porto Rico |
IN 1898. He used 60 grains a day; now |
he uses none. In Case c, a 2S-year-old |
man smoked opium for four years in |
chinatown until 1t became too expensive |
when he began "snifing" heroin. Three
years later, when the Harrison act came |
he appealed to the hospital for help, and
vas helped. Case d, young salesman
vas cured after three years of the heroin |
habit To read the record is to be con-
ylnced that the end OF drug slavery Is
near.