The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-12-26
WOMEN IN GRIP
OF DRUG HABIT
Heavily Yelled, They Testify
in New York City Probe,


mittcr at the city hall the other da,
and confessed themselves drug addicts
Assured that their identities would moi
be revealed, they had come to tell III,
committee, IN It's search for a human.
ilarian solution OF the drug addiction
evil, how they had been "bled" by un.
scrupulow physicians and imposed
upon IN SanitarumS where they were
not cured
Three women testified tho first day
Later others will tell OF their struggles
against the drug mastery. When the
victims have said their last word, coup.
ling 1t s they have been doing, with
pleas that they be treated as patients
and not as "oulcasts fit only for
prison" physicians and propristors 'of
so-callcd SAnitariums, whose names
were mentioned yesterday, will be
called
Family In Drugs Grip.
Mrs A (thc committee so designated
H'll Whh wv lllhN WllUtHss JnC Whs NC
scribed later by tho chairman, George
H. Whitney, as Society woman" A
green veil, doubled 80 that her features
might he undiscernable, did not prevent
the committee from noting that she had
much red-blond hair and carried her
head proudly
Mrs, A interlaesd her ring encircled
fingers nervously when admitting that
she was about 40.ycarS old" but felt
as though she had "lived century"
She had been taking morphine for near
" ten years, following an operation
which made Il necessary to keep her
under the influence Of the drug for ten
weeks.
Relief was sought by Mrs. A. In
what she described az stylish SAM
tAriums" at Mount Clemens, Hot
Springs and other fashionable places
of retreat" PLQgounced cured in each
instance, the SD craving" she said, re.
turned, and she would again suffer
the tortures Of the damned" and tran.
tically beg for narcotics"
Miss b., young pretty and seemingly .
normal, was member OF happy fam
lily circle lew years ago. Her father
who had ammasScd more than 100000
broke his leg To ally his pain the at
tending physician administered mar
cotics.
Mi" h. Nursed him day and night
She became nervous wreck The
physician administered narcotics to her
When she took to her bed, the mother
acted as nurse.
The strain overcamc the mother
When she could not sleep the physi.
clan administered narcotics to her To-
day father mother and daughter are
addicts
Doctor Gave Drug TO a Former Addict.
Mrs. d., described as professional
woman widely known 10 the public"
prciaced her story with a plea for a
civic and humanitarian endeavor" 10
help the prosecuted victims" OF what
she considers "a definite disease" Mar
cotics administered by physicians for
nearly two hours, following an opera
tion, brought her into slavery" she
said This was in 1908, Two years
later She was pronounced we'll.
u was staying in Paris In 1912" Mrs.
D. went on. Il was taken III. The
hotel physician was called He sug-
gested a hypodermic. demonstrated.
! told him ! had been an addict He
assured me there was not a narcotic in
the drug he proposed to use. | con-
sented After nine weeks discovered
he had deceived me, | developed all
the symptoms OF tn morphine SLAVE. |
was told this same physician had made
addicIS OF scores OF men and women"
Mrs, d returned to New York in
1915, after three years of unutterable
torment" She went to hospital and,
after remaining there several months,
came forth, "a free woman once again"
Mrs C., elderly to the point of feeble
ness, told OF having taken morphine
since 1880 She averaged from eight to
len grains day
Have to take that much to feel nor
nal, YOU know" she said, with a smil-
ng, sdelong glance at the committee
hartman
Squsndersd Fortune on Drug and Cure.
As to her experiences with physicians
md places Of alleged cure, she said
u was quite wealthy once. But it all
vent to the doctors aud Tor the drug.
m practically penniless now. The
lsl doctor | went to, when he found
adn't money took my diamond rings
The national committee for the study
md relief Of drug addiction IS helping
le Whitney committee Its representa-
ives are assisting in bringing witnesses
rom many walks In life.
The national committee also cx.
res'cd the fear that many sick ad.
IctE are being taken into the army
ith conditions resulting that are "det.
mental to military efficiency possibly
nantlnp this terrible disease in many
our brave defenders