The New York herald., 1922-03-20

correspondents IN all parts or the
country and has interviewed doctors
and others who, to a degree at least,
have specialized in this subject. 1t
purposes presenting the material It
has gathered in series Of articles,
OF which this is the first
| There has been a marked growth in
drug addiction in this country. On
this point practically all authorities
agree. They do mot agree either as
to the extent or the causes, but they
do say there are more drug addicts in
| the country to-day than there were a
| few years back. Statistics bear out
TIE statements made. Wherever sta
tistics are available they show an in
crease in the number of known adj
diets. 1t is important that the term
known addicts" be used and under
stood for one of the most importan.
aspects OF the whole drug question is
the fact that the use Of drugs is truly
a secret personal habit, vice or afIiic-
true parallel drawn between the use
of narcotic drugs and alcoholic dissi-
patton prior to the days Of prohibition.
Drug Addict Term Defined.
| DIR. Ernest S. Bishop, in his book on
the drug question, gives this defini-
| ton:
"A narcotic drug addict is an indi-
vidual in whose body the continued
| administration OF opiate drugs has es-
| tablished physical reaction. or con-
dition, or mechanism. or process which
manifcsts itself in the production Of
definite and constant symptoms and
signs and peculiar and characteristic
phenomena, appearing inevitably upon
| the deprivation or material lessening
| in amount Of the narcotic drug, and
control only by further administra-
| ton of the drug of the patients addic-
ton"
| DR.. Bishop Is quoted to this extent
at the outset. so that the uninitiated
may have a clear understanding OF
what drug addiction means. 1t should
be said, too. that neither age, race,
social position nationality nor sex has
the slightest bearing on the question
of drug addiction and that it is not
the case that addicts are unreliable.
uncouth and impossible people. as
some motion pictures and theatrical
productions might he taken to indi-
cate.
There are estimable. refined. cul-
tured. respected. even prominent per-
sons who are drug addicts. as prac-
ticing physicians well know. Your
next door neighbor. your most inti-
mate friend. may be a drug addict. He
will not tell you If such Is the case
and unless your suspicious are aroused
you will probably never guess, at
least as long as he continues to find
means to supply his needs. The man
| who drank to excess usually adver-
tised the fact unwilling, perhaps, but
convincingly nevertheless. Not so the
drug addict.
Habit forming drugs arc chiefly de-
rivatives or opium. Cocaine, which
has many victims. is not. There are
and have been for years many CO.
caine "hends." Their plight is similar
to that of the victims OF heroin, NOR
phine and other derivatives of opium.
but the latter are more numerous.
Much that can be said about one class
applies with equal strength to the
other. But in opium lies the chief
- al In
were no opium and hence none of its
derivatives there would be no mar
cotic drug question or problem worth
discussing.
BACKGROUND for Developments.
The statements so far made are
elementary. They have been made
time and again in news articles, by
committees of Congress and the Leg
islatures, by physicians and by work.
ers along sociological lines. They are
repeated here for the benefit of the
readers OF THE New YORK HERALD SO
that there may be clear understand
ing of the question under discussion.
They form the background OF the de-
velopments with which this series of
ARTICLES UealS.
There arc certainly more than 1.000.-
900. and probably less than 10000
drug addicts in the United states to-
day. No figures exist, for the reason
that man or woman may be an adj
dict for years and the fact be known
only to the afflicted person, perhaps
to his or her doctor and possibly one
other person Estimates vary widely.
Experience shows there is more drug
addiction IN the cities than in the
rural districts: hence averages based
on population arc unreliable. The
best guide offered with the assertion
which seems borne out by all reports
that there has been recent increase.
Is q ycar-old and unconclusive re-
port made by a special committee act
Ing under the direction Of the Secre-
tary OF the Treasury. The following
quotations are from that report:
1T. ID. Crothers in 1912 put the num-
ber of addicts I'm the United States at
100000. or l per cent. of the popu-
lation. Of whom so per cent were ad-
dicted TO morphine. G. Il. Terry made
survey IN Jacksonville. TIA. In 1913
and found ss7 addcts, or i.3i per
cent. OF the population. 4. r. Brown