Evening star., 1938-11-12
OF STARS,
MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Progress
in Field, Laboratory
and Study.
Bv THOMAS r. HENRY.

| Why drug addiction?
| The Public Health Service has just
published the results of. preliminary
cross-section study of the 1O36 patients
| at Federal Narcotics Hospital at Lex
ington, KY. This was undertaken In an
effort to uncover some of the factors
leading to the slavery of the individual
to the fatal alkaloids.
The case history Of each patient was
taken. This may be given honestly
enough, according to the report OF DR..
Michael j. Pescor, Public Health Service
surgeon who conducted the study, but
not too much reliance can be placed in
it, Everybody is prone to rationaliza-
| tion-to explain weaknesses in the best
light possible. But unconsciously even
| in such q naturalization patient may
| drop a clue 10 the truth.
| For one reason or another, great
| deal of folk lore has grown up about
| drug addiction. Campaign after CAM
paign has been waged against it. Every
effort has been made to paint 1t in the
most terrible colors possible. This may
| have served the purpose Of warning.
| 1t has also tended to cover up some OF
the real problems for which solutions
| may be found by objective, Unconditional
| research.
| One rather alarming fact uncovered
| by the investigation is that there has
| been a downward trend in the age Of
| drug addicts. This may have been due
in part to the very propaganda en-
| ployed against the practice of using
morphine, cocaine and their derivatives.
| Curiosity is aroused rather than alarm.
Economic depression with its attendant
| discouragement is another important
| factor, Dr. Pescor believes. Illicit drug
| dealing may have been put on more
| efficient commercial basis. Or, as DR..
Pescor says, "it may be simply another
manifestation of the increasing sophisti-
cation Of the younger generation"
1t is planned to continue the study
with more attention to details uncovered
in the broader investigation.
| Addiction may occur at any age. Two
| OF the cases studied by Dr. PeScor began
| at IL and five started at so or over. The
| heaviest concentration of cases, however,
| was shown to be in the decade between
! 20 and 80 when more than half the pa
| tients first became victims Of the habit.
| Actually very few became addicts after so.
youth says Dr. Pescor, "characteris-
tically seeks adventure, excitement, new
| thrills, anything but settling down with
| one partner to the humdrum business of
| making a living and rearing a family.
| Drugs offer new thrills and an escape
| from uninteresting reality. Further
| more drugs act as q balance for those
| unfortunate individuals who after they
| are cut adrift from parental protection
are unable to decide upon a career or to
carve niche for themselves in the social
structure This state Of indecision and
| dissatisfaction is bound to be reflected in
emotional upsets which are relieved, at
| least temporarily, by alcohol or drugs"
The majority gave as their reasons for
| taking to drugs either curiosity or the
! influence of bad companions. A large
number said they started using drugs to
| get relief from pain. This. DR.. Pescor
| believes, is largely a naturalization.
| Others said that they first used shots"
| to sober up or to get relief from hang
| overs The doses are taken closer and
closer together until finally the drug dis
| places the alcohol and the person be-
comes an addict.
Morphine, the study shows was the
| first drug used by the majority of the
of heroine followed closely. The first
| was considered "gentlemans habit"
The study shows that drug addiction
| has little to do with crime. Heroine
| owes its reputation as crime producer"
| says DR.. Pescor, "to the accident of hav-
| ing been introduced to the underworld
| addicts in the largest city of the country
shortly before the new narcotic laws
| forced these addicts to public attention
In New York City, the center of heroine
addiction. the homicide rate has de-
creased during the past IL years in the
face of an increase for the country as
whole. The rate for % representative
cities is nearly double that of New York"
Most alcoholics. he claims. are better
off on drugs than an alcohol. Society,"
however, condones alcoholism and frowns
VII vi u6o. AiSiiSC tIlCSC pdJlclltS lIlCul
greater social disapproval in the face of
greater industrial efficiency
"The investigation" DR.. Pescor con-
cluded, may be likened to an examina-
ton of a section of pathological tissue
with the aid of magnifying glass. 1t
is better than simply looking at the
specimen with a naked eye, but certainly
inferior to microscopic scrutiny. More
detailed information is necessary.
at is not enough to know that the
patient began using drugs at the age of
"a through association and curiosity.
We must know when he first heard
about drugs. Who told him about
them? Did somebody urge him to take
the fatal step? What were his reac-
tions to the first shot" An endless
stream of similar questions can be pro-
pounded.
Somewhere in the lives of addicts
| there must be fork in the road when
| they had the choice of going to the left
or the right. This fork was probably
| reached before they even thought of
| using drugs. If this crucial point, and