THE HABITUAL USE OF OPIUM AS A FACTOR IN THE 

 PRODUCTION OF DISEASES. 



By Tee Han Kee. 

 {From the Bureau of Health, Manila, P. I. 



It is not the intention of this paper to discuss at length the ther- 

 apeutic use of opium as a medicine, nor is it my desire to treat of 

 the symtomalogy and psychology of the opium habit, for such an attempt 

 would lead away from by main purpose, which is to give an account 

 of the motives of the Chinese in using opium; how they use it, and 

 lastly what are the results, or, in other words, diseases produced by the 

 habit. 



Two main reasons could be given as the motives of the Chinese for 

 using opium: 1. For pleasure. 2. As a medicine. 



1. For pleasure. — After careful inquiry among the Chinese as to 

 their reasons for using opium, the majority of the confirmed consumers 

 will tell us that they began the use of the drug simply for "pleasure," 

 if so it may be termed. The reason the Chinese choose opium may be 

 because it is not so violent a stimulant as alcohol. The force of 

 example and of fashion must also be taken into account in describing 

 the reasons the Chinese have for taking opium. In society, restaurants 

 and public places, opium is almost always offered. 



2. As a medicine. — The second motive of the Chinese in using opium 

 is due to the widespread popular belief in the medical efficacy of the 

 drag. It has been proved in China that the opium habit, in the majority 

 of cases, dates from the time when the drug was taken for medicinal pur- 

 poses. In some cases the chronic or recurrent character of the malady 

 necessitates repeated doses;. in others the exhilaration and general sense 

 of comfort induced, result in repetition long after the ailment for which 

 the drug was originally taken has passed away. It is a common domestic 

 medicine of the people. It is taken in cases of specific disorders, such 

 as dysentery, rheumatism, tuberculosis, diabetes, and diarrhoea. In ma- 

 larial and damp tracts there is a general faith in its virtue, either for 



1 Read at the Fourth Annual Meeting of the Philippine Medical Association, 

 March 3, 1907. 



63 



