The offspring of the victim to the morphine habit has a condition of the nervous system such as, once subjected to some exciting cause, develops the tendency rapidly. Hoppe] (Quarterly Jour. of Inebriety, Oct., '92).
A few of the most important causes which lead to the habitual use of opiates are: First. Inheritance. It has been proved that women who become preg nant while using opium are very likely to miscarry, but that when they go to full term the majority of the children die unless given paregoric or some other form of opium, but an inherited tend ency to narcotics or stimulants is more frequent. Second. Severe pain, long con tinued. Third. Overwork and loss of sleep. A. J. Pressey (Cleveland Jour. of Med., Jan., '99).
Though some children of opium-in ebriates inherit a debilitated constitution consequent on parental indulgence, the proportion who are so weighted is not large compared with the proportion of children afflicted with alcoholic heredity. Yet, in a substantial proportion of opium cases both the inebriate and neurotic in heritance has been traced, in some in stances one and in other instances both forms of transmission being present. The narcomaniacal diathesis se6ms to occur in a dissimilar as well as in a similar form. In favoring circumstances under the in fluence of inebriate exciting causes, the progeny of opium-drunkards have exhib ited a tendency to alcoholic excess, and the children of alcoholists to opiate in temperance.
The number of babies forced into the opium habit is appallingly large. At the Babies' Hospital in New York investiga tion showed that over half of the pa tients received under six months of age had been systematically drugged with opium in the form of paregoric or sooth ing syrup.
An infant may become as firmly ad dicted to opium as an adult, and feels as keenly its withdrawal. They acquire the habit in one of three ways: Through the mother, who does not realize the harm she is doing, but resorts to soothing syrup or some other opium preparation to obtain quiet and rest for herself; through the nursery maid or other at tendant, who neither knows nor cares what the result may be so long as she is spared from trouble; through the monthly nurse, many of whom make capital upon their ability to keep a child quiet. The physician is often at fault
in advising the administration of pare goric for the minor aches and pains of the infant. Editorial (Archives of Pedi atrics, May, '99).
Case in 9-month-old child, weighing only eight or nine pounds. Six months before the mother had begun administer ing laudanum for colic, giving from 4 to 20 drops, aggregating from 1 to 2 drachms daily. Under the influence of the drug the infant was apparently well, but as soon t18 it was withdrawn there were pain and fretfulness. Gradual re duction of the dose until cessation was followed by a prompt reeovery. W. F.
( J.( ,n( brintes, especially , I at( t &minion. Female ,.• s are rare. In Chinn and 4-, t ountries a very much r , .1 .rt1( n of femalus are victims r( I r tv than in Great Britain . In many opium-dens in.1. )7- . nut r( Lions women form no ,t .1( r.11.1( ratio of the smokers.
rit (s( appear most incapable of ,•. .p tun in moderation. while in t•.- majority are able to limit their I ,t i(.11. and never increase their .i iv .71 )N1 :mei, 1., 1( gitimate Chinese imports of M di\ ,pium. the product of Central alone exceeds 2000 tons. The im p. Ft Ilion of 'Bengal opium amounts to -.I -tit 12100 tons. Hart (Brit. Med. Jour., NI.tr 6, 'N9).
rriatcst liability is between 30 at .1 lears of age. the number of cases 1. ..-w and above that age being corn ' ely few.
Pathology.—The patholog.ical changes %. I, I I aNe been obs-erved in opiism are limited. The shrunken and w;710,r(il appearance of the habitual rf.6trii-imbriate is a fair representation f int( rnal physical state. The re 1....)«1 contraction of the vessels impairs rmtritive process. ll'hen the opium I a- become a disease it alters nutri t:. n and perverts vital function.
rptine in the body, by taking. up oxyven. is changed into oxidimorphine, ' latter gives rise to symptoms of al-tinenco. Use of atropine for relief is irr .t b nal and should be abandoned. F Cenn•iyer (Amer. Jour. of the Med.