The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-08-03
MORPHINE TAXES PLACE OF OPIUM
 AMONG CHINESE
Wu Lien-teh Says Hypoder-
 mic Syringe Is Sup planting Pipe.

Notwithstanding the fact that opi- | um as opium will be finally finished | from China. this year, morphine, its | aIkaloid. is being imported into the | country in great quantities. China, | therefore. has taken on the menace | of morphine. In other words, the hy- pddermic syringe is taking the place of the opium pipe. pr. c. L. Tuck, a physician who writes under the name of Wu Aen- teh and who spent five years in Man churia, has written a comprehensive article on this subjec. for The Lancet of London. It has been summarized in The Medical Record. Dr. wu, or Tuck, says concerted action by doc tors and druggists is needed to com bat this new horror that threatens the oldest civilization.
 The Medical Record says:
 'sWu Hen-teh (Dr. Tuck) states that the year 1917 will be historic as the one in which opium, the curse of China for seventy-five years, will be officially and finally banished from the country, for in this year the ten-year agreement made, be- tween Great Britain and China re- garding its importation Sinto China, including the last two seaports of Shanghai and Canton, will come to an end. so that even in the British settlement of Shanghai the remaining opium shop will be closed by the month of March. The whole nation wili rejoice at this happy termination of an awful vice. which once looked as if it might exterminate the Chi nese race.
 That the drug is scarce may be ascertained. by the fact that the pres enf price in Canton is at4least S15 per tRet. with a tendency to rise Except for some smuggling from Turkestan and Russia by way of Siberia, very little opium will in future find its way into China, though the govern ment and customs authorities will still have to exercise. in dealing with this enormously over unscrupulous people.
 Such hopes cannot be sustained with regard to morphine, for up to the end of last year all statistics point to increased importation into China. The supply of morphine comes mainly from two firms in Ed inburgh and one firm In London. The declared exports of morphine from Great Britain alone in 1912 equaled 1-2 tons, in 1878. Il 1-2 tons, and in 1914 14 tons, while in 1s1ev the estimate is at least 16 tons. In Japan 1 ecAA ~. %4tSkAAthT vas fllupOELS0 IOEs me- dicinal purposes in 1914 There is a large firm fin Japan which acts as agent for the rsanufacturing firm in London.
 Tn 1913 alone this agent in Japan imported 1-2 tons of morphine by registered post via Siberia. The two other British firms exported 3 tons by the same method, and i S-s tons came from Germany, making a total of IA tons in 1918. So far it has been ascertained that neither Japan nor, Germany has got the necessary plant to manufacture morphine on any large scale, and the alkaloid has come mostly from firms in Great Britain. Once arrived in. Japan the morphine is5 usually made up into small packets or placed into small bottles, labeled in different ways e. g., morphine, white powder, soothing stuff 'dreamland elixir, &c.. and exported openly or sumggled secretly into China by way of Dalny Antung, and Formosa.
 Almost every Japanese drug deal CT or peddler in Manchuria sells i in one form or another, and does SC with impunity. because no Japanes. can be arrested without complain being first lodged at the Consulate From these Japanese agents and sub agents the drug may be passed on t, disreputable Chinese who freQuen the coolie depots and inject a solu ton usually very dirty, with hypo dermic syringe which may be mad with glass, metal or even bamboo Rigorous Imprisonment for two year is a common sentence for Chimes found with morphine in fheir posses sion, but the principal culprits ofte, escape punishment.
 'Wu Hen-teh reports that dur ing his five years residence in Man churia he has seen terrible hayo wrought upon the population by thi drug. Thousands of poor people di in the large cities during the wfnte months, partly from cold, but princi paily from inability to work on ac count of their morphine habits. Tn evil appears to be spreading. Enor nous profits are made by the dealer in this illicit trade. The profits mad on six and a quarter tons by the deal CTS in China in 1913 amounted t about $4.200,000- Unless strong ac ton is taken by the medical profes sions as was done in the case wit opium. the morphine will spread flu, ther and render futile all efforts i the direction of opium eradication.
 What is to be done? Three opiu, conferences have already been hel at The Hague-in 1s11-12, 1913, an 1914. At the second conference fol ty-four of forty-stx powers of tn world had agreed to append the signatures to the convention. and Z the third conference the Unite States. the Netherlands, and China de posted their notifications so as I act forthwith upon the articles of tr convention to restrict the evil effect of opium, morphine, cocaine, and a lied drugs. Although the represents tives of Great Britain were instructe at the second conference to decla, on behalf of their government the readiness to ratify, the matter has , far been delayed.
 The war has put a stop to mar things, but not to the fact that mo phine still finds it's way into Chin Two articles in the convention sient ou Jan. 2s, 1912, state the contractir powers will enact pharmacy laws ar regulations restricting the use
 these drugs and their salts to medic and legitimate uses only; second. co, trolling the amount or percentare
 these drugs or their salts to be use unofficial and non-official prepar, tions