OCR Text |
Show DRUG HABIT IN AMERICA. Medical Record Declares Situation Is a Serious One. It has been publicly stated on many occasions of Into that the habit of drug-taking tins largely Increased In all civilized .countries, and that In tho United States this Increase lias been especially mnrked. it Is probable, however, that while there may huvo been within recent years n very decided de-cided Increase to the number of those addicted to tho drug habit, yet it must bo confessed that many of the accounts ac-counts given bear upon them the car-marks of exaggeration. Nevertheless, tho evldenco offered would seem to bo quite sulllclent to prove that drug-taking Is Indulged In to a very large extent, and thnt tho situation In this respect is a serious one. Perhaps In this country although al-though It would bo impossible to make an absolutely positive statement state-ment on the matter cocaine Is almost al-most ns widely resorted to for Its narcotizing effects among tho white population bb Is any other drug Of course, on the " . the amount of cocnlno coiimuik , ig a year does not compare In magnitude with that of opium, but then opium is prescribed pre-scribed its a medicine and taken by certnln classes of the population notably by tho Chinese far more extensively ex-tensively thnn cocaine. At nny rate. If opium In Its different forms stands llrst. In this country In Its uso as a nnrcotic, It will bo generally allowed that cocaine makes a good second. Medical Kccord. |