260 THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 



85. Sleep Produced by Narcotics. Opium and the opiates 

 have the power of quieting the activity of the brain, and of 

 compelling sleep. This may be a blessed action if skilfully 

 applied by the physician, but not so applied it is the source of 

 infinite peril. The sleep so caused differs from*natural, restful 

 slumber, especially in the fact that the 'after-effects are com- 

 monly depressing and disturbing to the brain to the extent of 

 being harder to bear than the wakef ulness on account of which 

 the drugs are taken. Very young persons are especially 

 subject to injury by sleep-producing medicines; and many 

 are the deaths that have been caused among infants by the 

 giving of " soothing syrups," "cordials," and "anodynes," 

 that are so freely sold for the purpose of compelling sleep. 



86. Results of the Use of Narcotics. The use of any of 



these narcotics, without proper medical advice, is their abuse. 

 In this way they become powerful for harm. They are no 

 longer remedies, but poisons. Self-prescribed, they have a 

 thousand times been the instrument of unintentional suicide. 



87. The craving for narcotics is found in many nervous people, 

 or in those whose general health is not good. They experience 

 such a great relief from the use of narcotics, in simple ner- 

 vousness, in pain, or in insomnia, that they naturally wish to 

 repeat these pleasant experiences. This desire soon develops 

 into a craving like as that of the drunkard for his alcohol. 

 Such a person should place himself under the care of a phy- 

 sician. 



88. Effects of Heredity. There seems to exist in a number 

 of people a natural desire for alcohol, or for any one of the 

 drugs and narcotics enumerated above. Upon inquiry, it will 

 often be found that their parents or grandparents had similar 

 tastes, and we therefore speak of them as having hereditary 

 tastes or desires. Persons who discover in themselves this 

 hereditary liking for either alcohol or drugs should never use 

 either of them, for fear of becoming addicted to their use. 



85. Sleep produced by narcotics ? Danger of using " soothing syrups," etc. ? 



86. Self-prescribed narcotics ? 



87. The craving for narcotics ? 

 83. Effects of heredity? 



