Diseased cravings and paralysed control : dipsomania, morphinomania, chloralism, cocainism / by T.S. Clouston.

  • Clouston, T. S. (Thomas Smith), 1840-1915.
Date:
[1890]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Diseased cravings and paralysed control : dipsomania, morphinomania, chloralism, cocainism / by T.S. Clouston. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    tnous, and steady. Heredity towards paralysis and phthisis on mother’s side. Three and a half years before I saw him he had begun to take morphia hypodermically for the relief of pain and continued this more or less, not apparently continuously, till two years ago, when he began to use cocaine to cure the morphino- mania which he felt was mastering him. The cure soon was worse than the disease, for he continued the use of cocaine regularly The result of each dose was at first exhilaration, followed by depression, which for its remedy needed another dose. The morphia habit had caused moral deterioration, but the cocaine habit accentuated this tenfold. AVant of system, actual disorder irregular habits generally, want of attention to ordinary family and social duties, and untruthful excuses, all followed each other rapidly within three months of beginning the cocaine habit. At the end of that time his mental disintegration proceeded deeper, and delusions of suspicion developed themselves, accompanied by hallucinations of sight and hearing. He lost the sense of time, and had not the rudiments of punctuality, even as to important matters. His weakened volition especially showed itself in procrastination, and his weakened control in extreme irritability. His next delu- sion was clearly suggested by the parsesthesia caused by the drug. He imagined he had a skin disease. He affirmed he felt sensations in the skin that could only be caused by living germs. He used medical means to cure the imaginary skin trouble. He often mixed the cocaine with morphia, and has lately taken 90 grains of cocaine and 20 grains of morphia each day, so far as can be ascertained. His irritability, his utter disregard of family duties, his untruthfulness, his sacrifice of everything and anything to get cocaine, his passing as an ill-used man when efforts had been made to restrain him, had gone the length of insanity. His utter want of system is best illustrated by the fact, that for two years before I saw him he had never sat down to a regular meal. When I first saw him he was ansemic, weak, and covered with sores from the use of the needle. He had at last been driven, more apparently by coming to the end of his money to buy more cocaine, to place himself under care. Mentally and morally he was broken down, retaining enough of obstinacy, unreason, and discontent to be a most troubl .jme «,nd disagreeable patient. I gave him a few small hypodermic injections of cocaine for the first forty-eight hours, and then gave a little morphia, some sulphonal, bromide of ammonium, brandy, tea, and coffee. He complained of all sorts of pains, evidently to get morphia or eocene. He was restless, fretful, irritable, and during the night almost maniacal. He was, as he said, “ in hell ” during the night. He improved much in a fortnight, and then a change of residence was tried, still under control, and he got over all the symptoms of his disease in a few months. The last accounts I had of him are good. Looking at cocainism generally, and comparing the effects of