ON THE HABITUAL USE OF OPIUM 
78 
who can tell what misery has been endured, what disease produced, 
what deaths have followed the means for raising such a sum, “ but 
I think it more advisable to throw a pall over this hideous subject, 
and leave it to your imaginations.” From this yearly tribute I would 
suggest that Government devote a portion, say two per cent only per 
annum, to furnish means for reclaiming the opium smoker. I have 
already in my suggestions as to the individual treatment of an opium 
smoker mentioned, how gradual ought the emancipation of the victim 
to be from his thraldom by continuing the opiate under another form 
and combined with such adjuvants as bitters, tonics, and stimulants. 
To the wretched poor, good food would be essential for their cure, 
but above all it would require a superintendent, to dispense these al¬ 
leviating substitutes, who would not only do his duty, but do it en¬ 
thusiastically, while the patients must have implicit confidence in his 
power. This superintendent would require 4 assistants under him, 
each attached to one station, the medicines should be made up by the 
superintendent, and committed to the care of his assistants, who ought 
to be educated Chinese, who could dispense to each individual applicant 
his daily substitute for the pipe. These stations ought to be m town 
at first, (if the system works well they can be extended into the coun¬ 
try) in the localities where the greatest number of opium smokers 
are congregated, the applicants should pay their visits at a certain 
hour morning and evening, but different in the morning at each sta¬ 
tion, so as to allow the superintendent to see all the cases daily. 
The assistants ought to be able to take each individual case in writ¬ 
ing, and they ought to be taught to be able to proportion the strength 
of the substitute, according to the extent that each applicant lias ta¬ 
ken the drug; but no more must they know, nothing of the ingredi¬ 
ents, as it is advisable to shroud in mystery the nature of your re¬ 
medies, for once your patients suspected they were taking opium, or 
its preparations they might fancy they were entitled to prescribe for 
themselves. 
The moment it was publicly known to the opium smokers that 
Government had taken their case in hand, and would furnish them 
with a remedy to overcome their propensity, without entailing the 
