NARCOTIC PLANTS 297 



sense of comfort. Big doses produce deep sleep, 

 then coma and death. Opium-eaters are slaves 

 to a terrible habit they cannot break. They are 

 useless to themselves and to their fellows. 



Morphine is used by physicians to allay acute 

 suffering and to bring sleep when natural sleep is 

 impossible. They use it with extreme caution and 

 sparingly, as a last resort, knowing the danger. 

 It is administered through the mouth or by means 

 of the hypodermic needle directly into the blood, j 



Codein is another drug derived from opium. 

 It produces effects like those of morphine, but 

 it is not so powerful. 



BETEL NUTS 



The natives of the Malay Peninsula and neigh- 

 boring islands are addicted to the habit of chewing 

 betel nuts, the seeds of the Areca palm. The 

 fruit is the size of a hen's egg. Inside the fibrous 

 husk is the nut, which is sliced and wrapped in the 

 leaves of a peppery plant. The saliva of the 

 chewer turns red and flows freely, owing to the hot 

 and bitter taste of the substance. The effect is 

 at first stimulating, then stupefying to the senses. 

 Moreover, the habit is one that cannot be thrown 

 off. The teeth gradually turn black, and decay. 



