Evening star., 1939-05-25
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory.
And Study
By Thomas r. Henri.

By Thomas r. Henru.
A longtime research into the funda-
mental nature of opium addiction has
been started at the United States Public
Health Service Hospital at Lexington,
Kyu 1t is revealed by Assistant Surg.
Gen. Lawrence Kolb in the current issue
of the Scientific Monthly, publication of
the American Association for the Ad-
vancement of Science.
The physicians there are seeking clues
In the brain waves of the patients, their
psychological reactions, and in their bio
chemical constitution.
Tolerance to and physical dependence
upon opium, DR.. Kolb says, together
form one of the most baffiing problems
in medicine. He continues: "The funda-
mental mechanism by which the body
cells protect themselves from enormous
doses of this drug in such a way that
when not bathed in it their functions
may become SO disturbed as to cause
death, Is not understood There have
been many theories to explain this phe-
nomenon of tolerance and dependence,
but none is adequate and all the treat
ments based upon them have been fail
ures. The following are important among
the theories that have been advanced:
That the abstinence symptoms are
due to toxemia; that there is a rear
rangement Of the water molecule within
the cell that protects it from morphine
and causes disturbance when the drug
jc wit hot tI,o
tissue are dissolved by morphine, maxi
ing the nerves more sensitive to stimuli:
that morphine causes the development
of immune bodies that protect the cells
during addiction and poison them when
the drug is withdrawn; that the with
drawal symptoms are condition of an
aphylactic shock produced by the union
of an antigen and antibodies which, in
the absence of morphine unite and pro-
duce shock; that the drug normally
combines with sensitive cell receptor,
producing euphoria, but stimulating the
formation of additional receptors that,
in the absence of morphine, are COM
bined with by a stimulating hormone,
with consequent overstimulation and the
withdrawal symptoms"
There can be no question, Dr. Kolb
says, that the sufferings of opium ad-
diets during withdrawal are real. The
same signs of suffering are shown by
monkeys and dogs which have been
given large doses of morphine. DR.. Kolb
himself, he relates, injected increasingly
large doses into monkeys twice daily for
he tlo,
discontinued it. One animal died, sew
eral others showed symptoms of collapse,
and all showed unmistakable signs of
depression and physical suffering
At the Public Health Service narcotic
hospitals, says DR.. Kolb, "all types of
specific withdrawal treatments have
been discarded as harmful or useless. An
effort is made to gain the confidence of
the patient by approaching his problem
with a sympathetic attitude. The NOR
phine is then rapidly withdrawn and
supportive measures are employed, de-
signed to reduce the severity of the
symptoms and to avoid collapse. Thus
the worst of the withdrawal symptoms
are relieved in from ten days to two
the psychological readjustment. Some,
mostly accidental medical addicts have
been permanently cured in few weeks,
but cure of the unstable patient in such
a short time is not to be expected.
Work done in the research labora-
tory at Lexington shows that some of
the physical functions, diSordered by the
long continued use of morphine, do not
return to normal for months after the
drug has been discontinued. During
this period the patient is naturally more
susceptible to relapse for physical rea-
sons.
Time is more important for the
treatment of the mental habit than for
that of the physical condition. The ad-
dict, even if he has sufficient narcotics,
becomes uncomfortable several times a
day when the last dose wears down. If
another dose is not available, he suffers
acute distress in about eighteen hours.
Over a period of years he relieves such
distress thousands of times by injection
of morphine. During this same period
he enjoys the drug in pleasurable asso-
citation with friends. BY thus building
up a strong association between pleas
ure and pain, and the taking of mar
cotics, he becomes conditioned to taking
one in response to most any situation
that may arise. 1t may be because of
some minor physical discomfort, or be-
cause he meets a friend, or feels SO
happy over being cured. BY being COM
PEELED for months to adjust all situa-
tions without narcotics he becomes un-
conditioned so that he is able to give at
least intelligent resistance to narcotic
suggestions"
The great problem, DR.. Kolb stresses,
is to make the narcotic addict self-reli-
ant so that he is prepared to fight his
problem rather than evade them through
the use of opium. Above all, he stresses,
the Federal hospitals try to avoid giving
the addict the impression that he is be-
ing punished. Resentment, the doctors
have found, is one of the greatest bar
riers to cure of the addict and those
who leave the hospital with bad taste
in their mouths usually relapse in few
months.