Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1920-12-13
Thousands Of Babies Fed Morphine
Until They Must Drink Tea Instead
OfMiIk; Pathetic Cases are Cited
BY Margery Rex.

prescribe drugs, and dealers pei
die them Illegally.
We also know that determine
efforts are being made by cit.
state and govennment to chec
'opium rings and drug sales; ths
officials try to regulate the hab
in those users they w!ll later tr
to cure.
But we think of a drug user a
q wiifully dissipated adult, poor
foolish victim of morbid cravin
for excitement who got the haBi
Of his or her own free will.
She Cannot Drink Milk.
Baby X. has the habit, and thrl
no fault OF her own. | went t.
see her in the home of her un
happy mother
She seemed to be asleep. Clasp
ed in her soft arms was nursing
bottle filled with strong tea.
Baby drug addicts cannot drink
milk. 1t nauseates them.
On a rickety table at the bed
side was a glass of water. A spoon
with whitish powder lay beside It.
Baby ks mother was viyacious
that night. She had had a large
dose OF heroin.
The happy dust" had made the
mother gay = but it had put her
baby into a deathlike slumber.
The next day the baby was prot
to Manhattan from a suburb - q
jolting journey in a cab - but she
still slept.
"She always sleeps sound" Mrs.
x. said. you can't wake her up.
She was right. l couldn't. Ana
I tried everything which might ac-
compiish that purpose in order 70
have her picture taken. Baby X.
slept on heavily her pulse slow
her little hands fevered. her breath
hardly audible.
She opened her eyes for a mo
ment. They were brown and misty
she closed them again ana her
head nodded. Beside her was the
bottle of tea again.
"She doesn't like milk - since
she was very sick once" the mo-
ther explained, excitedly. mo
body could get her to drink it now.
She loves tea"
Finally the mother told me the
history Of her own drug taxing
rhus she had unwittingly made
har nretty and apparently healthy /
,hild a victim of the cruelest W
ranny in the world.
"It was after an accident. she
,ecan Al was taken to the hospl-
AL They gave me the hypodermie
,aedIe l hated it. But | didn't
snow what it was and II took
waV the pain. / had fallen ana
ayas badly hurt. For eleven weeks
/ was given drugs to soothe me-
How Habit Was Formed.
n,rhen was released from the
,ospital as completely Well nay
,eople sent me to a resort 10 rest,
1 was loYely place - eVerythihs
= make a person happy and CON
a,ted. an ideal place to rest,
tayed there only "a hours l nav
terrible feeling, a craving III"
,ot understand. ~
81 wanted something terribly
eemed to be waiting for some
hipp decided to kill myself
nMy mother brought me pacN
n New York. called on the doc
or who had taken care OF me 'hru
oy aickness he was the one VINO
.ad first given me morphine-ahu
ahau never forget my teellhs
ghen he said; w.,
"'why. you're an addict You
ho,,Id have seen his face. lie pc
an to give me drugs again. MOT
hlne 1t cost a lot, too. MY mo
nar naid for it Il couldn't ten
" husband II thought he would
ever love me again. And my mo-
,er couldn't see me suffer WIN
ut IL. 80 ,
~ paid 81 a week to the doctor
NJ the prescriptions. and the
rugs cost $3.50 day.
"Another doctor got hold oil me
tor and he wanted me to start on
70 needle. / couldn't do 1t. /,
ave a horror of 1t. SO began :
ivtng from the peddlers. That j,
,st about $40 a week. I
IT'S Easy to Get Narcotics,
"a girl know and l used to buy y
, egg OF morphine. It's a big
hite lump. 1t cost $25~ to $780, :
I'd we'd each pay half and then I
lit il in two. That much would n
st me little over a week-about h
ne days. is
'TPs easy to get drugs on any II
,rner in certain neighborhoods. :,
,st 60 20 some one standing N
'ound and give them a hint OF
hat you want - and there 1t is. A
II used TO take thirty or forty
aims a day. 1 can stand a lot. q
ed It. Il is the only thing that o.
ings me back TO normal l had Il
me today. but not enough. Feel =,
v hands (they were damp) and q,
y forehead. / perspire terribly n
len l haven't had the, usual G,
,ount. 81
"Oh. God. what doctors have o,
ne to me! wish l never saw Al
2. They give drugs to people
1 make habits. and the poor vic fr
,e then must always suffer" 81
Mrs. X. was conquered by drugs 70
en- years ago. in
,ince then Baby Y. was born.
ID Of a drug addict. r,
I have been a good mother" in
s Mrs. X Il nursed my baby to
seventeen months"
'oor misguided victim. Just In on
{ way is a baby made an addict. OF
would have been kindness TO
lsnte mother from child i'm no
Lately after birth and permit on