The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-08-07
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
BURE AU
FREDERIC J. HASKIS. D1rOetsE.
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NEW YORK's DRUG CLINIC.
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New York, Aug. 4.-That those in
dividuals who are in the grip of the
drug habit but who are denied by law
the right to purchase narcotics may
have a chance to taper orr and be
cured, New York has established a
clinic for the sale of these enslav-
ing stimulants and for the study of
their victims. That clinic may be
written down as one of the tragedy
centers of the metropolis, for about
1t revoive thousands of addicts, from
stations high and low. who, tho they
seldom demonstrate the agonies al
legged to accompany the shutting on
of their supplies, are none the less the
nations largest group of these chill
dren of sorrow.
This clinic looks just like any other
such institution. 1t is a large room,
with immaculate white walls ana
white tiled floor, white benches, ta-
bles and medicine cabinets. 1t has
the usual number of rooms for ex-
animation purposes and several plain
business desks presided over by SYM
pathetic women who win the conf
dence of most of the drug addicts.
The people who file in as soon as the
clinic is opened at noon, and sit pa
tiently on the benches waiting for
their turns to come, look very. much
like any other people-sick people
Undoubtedly,
nearly every class of society sends it's
representative here. There are we'll
groomed men and women, and men
and women in tatters-laborers, mer-
chants, clerks, chorus girls, domes-
tics. housewives, mothers with babies
in their arms, dancers, chauffeurs
buffers and criminals. But there are
many more in rags, than there are of
the elite Of the nation. The drug
habit has brought them to rags. These
latter are still able to find doctors
who are willing to risk arrest for a
sufhciently attractive remuneration.
Over three thousand drug addicts
are supplied with drugs by the clinic
every day. 1t is estimated, however,
that altogether there are $4,000 to
100000 drug addiets in the city of
New York. This means that thou
sands are still finding a more secre-
tive method OF obtaining 1t. Chinese.
for example, are conspicuous by their
absence in the clinic. However, this
must not be regretted too much just
at present, because the clinic is ham
ding about all the business It can.
From IL o'clock noon until 10 and IL
at night an unending stream of hui
mainly passes in and out as rapidly
as the doctors and drug dispensers
can take care Of it, which is painfully
slow. Some of the addicts must wait
two or three hours for their dope,
especially upon their first visits when
their histories must be taken down
and they must be given physical ex-
aminations.
The health department is acquiring
better methods of handling them as 1t
goes along. however. It has no prece-
| dents to aid it. This is the first clinic
, of its kind ever established and 1t
had to be established quickly in the
face OF great. emergency. About
three months ago the government
started arresting doctors and drug
gists and 'raiding their premises on a
large scale, so that many of them be-
came afraid to dispense narcotic drugs
, AT all. This meant that large num-
bers of drug addicts were suddenly
left without source of supply, which
caused the city to tremble for its
} safety. For 1t is a fact that a man
suddenly deprived of morphine may
die, and before he dies he will kill, if
necessary, in order to get the drug.
1t was this situation which led to
the establishment of drug clinic
where drug addicts, upon registration,
might obtain drugs at a fair price, in
accordance with the Harrison federal
law. This law provides that drugs
may be sold to drug addicts only in
graduating doses, starting with maxi
| mum of Is grains and reducing the
amount each day until they reach
. what is known as the irreducible mini
mum-that is. the smallest dose on
| which the patient can get along The
intention of the health department is
to get each patient who attends the
clinic down to this minimum dose and
then send linn to a hospital to be
cured. Under this plan, the depart
nent is firmly convinced drug addic-
ton can be effectively stamped out.
1t is a plan. moreover, which one
might expect to find popular with
New Workers. inasmuch as it has been
SHOWN that morphine is responsible
> Tor much of the cities crimes but I'M
fortunately it has encountered oppo-
sition. 1t has been charged that the
health department was ignorant of
what 1t was doing; that dope fiends
were dope fiends and would never he
t anything else, and that 1t was foolish
to attempt to cure them. A series of
hospitals offered by the Rockerfelier
foundation for the treatment of drug
: addicts were refused by the mayor.
Z And doctors are neglecting their prac-
, tees to hold meetings and denounce
! the state narcotic commission and the
! Harrison law.
2 At one of these meetings held last
2 week, the commissioner of health, DIR.
Royal s. Copeland. who is making a
brave fight for the preservation of the
= drug clinic. made a speech in which
! he gave the assembled doctors a frank
outline of what the health department
was doing and expected to do. The
. NOStOL . III turn, complained that they
( were being greatly abused by the Har-
rison law. One doctor, in particular,
a wen-built young man with an hon.
est and straightforward manner, told
OF several cases where innocent
!, patients were suffering on account of
/ the provisions of the law He had a
= patient who was afflicted with cancer.
he said, who must be kept under the
( influence of morphine to avoid the
e most horrible suffering, and yet he
1 (the doctor) was afraid he would be
arrested IL he continued to increase
the doses of the drug. This account
= brought forth a sympathetic muumur
e from the audience. 1t was obvious
z that he had made a great impression.