DRUGS AND PATENT MEDICINES
236. Stimulants and Narcotics. Man has learned not only the action
of substances upon each other, such as bleaching solution upon
coloring matter, washing soda upon grease, acids upon bases, but also
the effect which certain chemicals have upon the human body.
Drugs and their varying effects upon the human system have been known
to mankind from remote ages; in the early days, familiar leaves,
roots, and twigs were steeped in water to form medicines which served
for the treatment of all ailments. In more recent times, however,
these simple herb teas have been supplanted by complex drugs, and now
medicines are compounded not only from innumerable plant products, but
from animal and mineral matter as well. Quinine, rhubarb, and arnica
are examples of purely vegetable products; iron, mercury, and arsenic
are equally well known as distinctly mineral products, while cod-liver
oil is the most familiar illustration of an animal remedy. Ordinarily
a combination of products best serves the ends of the physician.
Substances which, like cod-liver oil, serve as food to a worn-out
body, or, like iron, tend to enrich the blood, or, like quinine, aid
in bringing an abnormal system to a healthy condition, are valuable
servants and cannot be entirely dispensed with so long as man is
subject to disease.
But substances which, like opium, laudanum, and alcohol, are not
required by the body as food, or as a systematic, intelligent aid to
recovery, but are taken solely for the stimulus aroused or for the
insensibility induced, are harmful to man, and cannot be indulged in
by him without ultimate mental, moral, and physical loss. Substances
of the latter class are known as narcotics and stimulants.
237. The Cost of Health. In the physical as in the financial world,
nothing is to be had without a price. Vigor, endurance, and mental
alertness are bought by hygienic living; that is, by proper food,
fresh air, exercise, cleanliness, and reasonable hours. Some people
wish vigor, endurance, etc., but are unwilling to live the life which
will develop these qualities. Plenty of sleep, exercise, and simple
food all tend to lay the foundations of health. Many, however, are not
willing to take the care necessary for healthful living, because it
would force them to sacrifice some of the hours of pleasure. Sooner or
later, these pleasure-seekers begin to feel tired and worn, and some
of them turn to drugs and narcotics for artificial strength. At first
the drugs seem to restore the lost energy, and without harm; however,
the cost soon proves to be one of the highest Nature ever demands.
238. The Uncounted Cost. The first and most obvious effect of opium,
for example, is to deaden pain and to arouse pleasure; but while the
drug is producing these soothing sensations, it interferes with bodily
functions. Secretion, digestion, absorption of food, and the removal
of waste matters are hindered. Continued use of the drug leads to
headache, exhaustion, nervous depression, and heart weakness. There is
thus a heavy toll reckoned against the user, and the creditor is
relentless in demanding payment.
Moreover, the respite allowed by a narcotic is exceedingly brief, and
a depression which is long and deep inevitably follows. In order to
overcome this depression, recourse is usually had to a further dose,
and as time goes on, the intervals of depression become more frequent
and lasting, and the necessity to overcome them increases. Thus
without intention one finds one's self bound to the drug, its fast
victim. The sanatoria of our country are crowded with people who are
trying to free themselves of a drug habit into which they have drifted
unintentionally if not altogether unknowingly. What is true of opium
is equally applicable to other narcotics.
239. The Right Use of Narcotics. In the hands of the physician,
narcotics are a great blessing. In some cases, by relieving pain, they
give the system the rest necessary for overcoming the cause of the
pain. Only those who know of the suffering endured in former times can
fully appreciate the decrease in pain brought about by the proper use
of narcotics.
240. Patent Medicines, Cough Sirups. A reputable physician is
solicitous regarding the permanent welfare of his patient and
administers carefully chosen and harmless drugs. Mere medicine
venders, however, ignore the good of mankind, and flood the market
with cheap patent preparations which delude and injure those who
purchase, but bring millions of dollars to those who manufacture.
Practically all of these patent, or proprietary, preparations contain
a large proportion of narcotics or stimulants, and hence the benefit
which they seem to afford the user is by no means genuine; examination
shows that the relief brought by them is due either to a temporary
deadening of sensibilities by narcotics or to a fleeting stimulation
by alcohol and kindred substances.
Among the most common ailments of both young and old are coughs and
colds; hence many patent cough mixtures have been manufactured and
placed on the market for the consumption of a credulous public. Such
"quick cures" almost invariably contain one or more narcotic drugs,
and not only do not relieve the cold permanently, but occasion
subsequent disorders. Even lozenges and pastilles are not free from
fraud, but have a goodly proportion of narcotics, containing in some
cases chloroform, morphine, and ether.
The widespread use of patent cough medicines is due largely to the
fact that many persons avoid consulting a physician about so trivial
an ailment as an ordinary cold, or are reluctant to pay a medical fee
for what seems a slight indisposition and hence attempt to doctor
themselves.
Catarrh is a very prevalent disease in America, and consequently
numerous catarrh remedies have been devised, most of which contain in
a disguised form the pernicious drug, cocaine. Laws have been enacted
which require on the labels a declaration of the contents of the
preparation, both as to the kind of drug used and the amount, and the
choice of accepting or refusing such mixtures is left to the
individual. But the great mass of people are ignorant of the harmful
nature of drugs in general, and hence do not even read the
self-accusing label, or if they do glance at it, fail to comprehend
the dangerous nature of the drugs specified there. In order to
safeguard the uninformed purchaser and to restrict the manufacture of
harmful patent remedies, some states limit the sale of all
preparations containing narcotics and thus give free rein to neither
consumer nor producer.
241. Soothing Sirups; Soft Drinks. The development of a race is
limited by the mental and physical growth of its children, and yet
thousands of its children are annually stunted and weakened by drugs,
because most colic cures, teething concoctions, and soothing syrups
are merely agreeably flavored drug mixtures. Those who have used such
preparations freely, know that a child usually becomes fretful and
irritable between doses, and can be quieted only by larger and more
frequent supplies. A habit formed in this way is difficult to
overcome, and many a child when scarcely over its babyhood had a
craving which in later years may lead to systematic drug taking. And
even though the pernicious drug craving is not created, considerable
harm is done to the child, because its body is left weak and
non-resistant to diseases of infancy and childhood.
Many of our soft drinks contain narcotics. The use of the coca leaf
and the kola nut for such preparations has increased very greatly
within the last few years, and doubtless legislation will soon be
instituted against the indiscriminate sale of soft drinks.
242. Headache Powders. The stress and strain of modern life has
opened wide the door to a multitude of bodily ills, among which may be
mentioned headache. Work must be done and business attended to, and
the average sufferer does not take time from his vocation to
investigate the cause of the headache, but unthinkingly grasps at any
remedy which will remove the immediate pain, and utterly disregards
later injury. The relief afforded by most headache mixtures is due to
the presence of antipyrin or acetanilid, and it has been shown
conclusively that these drugs weaken heart action, diminish
circulation, reduce the number of red corpuscles in the blood, and
bring on a condition of chronic anemia. Pallid cheeks and blue lips
are visible evidence of the too frequent use of headache powders.
The labels required by law are often deceptive and convey no adequate
idea of the amount of drug consumed; for example, 240 grains of
acetanilid to an ounce seems a small quantity of drug for a powder,
but when one considers that there are only 480 grains in an ounce, it
will be seen that each powder is one half acetanilid.
Powders taken in small quantities and at rare intervals are apparently
harmless; but they never remove the cause of the trouble, and hence
the discomfort soon returns with renewed force. Ordinarily, hygienic
living will eliminate the source of the trouble, but if it does not, a
physician should be consulted and medicine should be procured from him
which will restore the deranged system to its normal healthy
condition.
243. Other Deceptions. Nearly all patent medicines contain some
alcohol, and in many, the quantity of alcohol is far in excess of that
found in the strongest wines. Tonics and bitters advertised as a cure
for spring fever and a worn-out system are scarcely more than cheap
cocktails, as one writer has derisively called them, and the amount of
alcohol in some widely advertised patent remedies is alarmingly large
and almost equal to that of strong whisky.
[Illustration: FIG. 161.--Diagram showing the amount of alcohol in
some alcoholic drinks and in one much used patent medicine.]
Some conscientious persons who would not touch beer, wine, whisky, or
any other intoxicating drink consume patent remedies containing large
quantities of alcohol and thus unintentionally expose themselves to
mental and physical danger. In all cases of bodily disorder, the only
safe course is to consult a physician who has devoted himself to the
study of the body and the methods by which a disordered system may be
restored to health.