Safford: An Aztec Narcotic 



307 



I took this peyote I could see myself 

 when I used to be drunk; I could see 

 the bottles which used to have my 

 whiskey and alcohol in; I could see 

 myself lying drunk in the road. That 

 is the way it shows us the bad and 

 teaches us the good. . . . We could 

 have our meetings without this peyote ; 

 but we see some more coming — a new 

 person — he wants to use it — when he 

 takes this peyote then he believes God. 

 That is why we use it for. Without 

 this, why, they would not believe 

 anybody. "^^ 



Dr. Morgan gave to. the court an 

 account of his experiments bearing upon 

 the physiological action of the drug 

 administered in his presence to several 

 young men who had volunteered for 

 the purpose. The chief effect noticed 

 was the production of visions of various 

 kinds: of moving objects, constantly 

 changing designs and figures of land- 

 scapes, friezes, balls of beautiful colors 

 in constant motion. Suggestions of 

 definite objects also brought up visions 

 of that object. These visions were 

 seen only when the eyes were closed. 

 The pupil of the eye was made larger, 

 and this enlargement lasted till the 

 following day; the pulse became slower 

 at first but increased when a greater 

 quantity of the drug was taken; there 

 was evidence of muscular depression 

 with a disinclination to exertion of any 

 kind ; and there was a loss of conception 

 of space and time and, in some cases, 

 symptoms of dual personality, not 

 unlike that caused by hashish {Cannabis 

 indica). The after effects, however, 

 were insomnia, while hashish eating is 

 usually followed by .sleep. In this 

 respect it also differs from opium and 

 somewhat resembles the active principles 

 of coffee and coca {Erythroxylon coca). 

 Dr. Morgan further testified that as 

 far as he knew no therapeutic or 

 remedial value of the drug had been 

 established. 



At a meeting of the Lake Mohonk 

 Conference in October, 1914, several 

 papers relating to the effects of this 

 drug upon the Indians were read and 

 affidavits from two Omaha Indians were 



quoted. Fron one of the latter, I take 

 the following extracts : 



AMONG THE OMAHA INDIANS 



At the meetings of the Society ' ' before 

 they sing they pass the peyote around. 

 They begin taking this medicine along 

 about dark, and when they pass it, 

 ask you how many you want, and they 

 often try to persuade you to take more 

 than you want. The medicine does 



THE SOUTHERN TYPE 



Young plant of Lophophora from 

 Higuerillos, state of Queretaro, 

 Mexico, the southern limit of the 

 genus. Collected in 1905 by Dr. 

 J. N. Rose. Photograph natural 

 size. (Fig. 10.) 



not work right away, but after it begins 

 to take effect along toward midnight 

 they begin to cry and sing and pray and 

 stand and shake all over, and some of 

 them just sit and stare. I used to sit 

 in their range right along, and ate some 

 of their medicine, but after I ate it the 

 first time I was kind of afraid of it. It 

 made me feel kind of dizzy and my 

 heart was kind of thumping and I felt 

 like crying. Some of them told me that 

 this was because of my sins. It makes 

 me nervous, and when I shut my eyes 

 I kind of see something like an image or 

 visions, and when my eyes are open I 

 can't see it so plain. One of these 

 fellows took twelve beans, or twelve 

 peyote, sitting with some girls . . . 



" From ms. report of the case of the United States versus Nah-qua-tah-tuck, alias Mitchell 

 Neck, in the archives of the Bureau of Chemistry. 1914. 



