Am.  Jour.  Pbarm.  \ 
October,  1903.  J 
Acquirement  of  Drug  Habits. 
satisfactory  as  we  had  reason  to  expect.  We  did  not  expect  very 
satisfactory  returns,  having  had  experience  heretofore,  and  for  this 
reason  more  than  any  other  sent  the  blanks  to  all  portions  of  the 
country,  so  that  if  we  received  any  it  might  at  least  be  shown  that 
the  habit  was  confined  to  no  particular  portion  of  it.  This  we  be- 
lieve has  been  clearly  evidenced.  We  believe  also  that  the  propor- 
tionate use  of  the  different  drugs  is  fairly  authentic.  The  number 
of  habitues  reported  in  asylums,  prisons,  etc.,  is  not  of  any  special 
value,  because  no  accurate  record  is  kept,  and  we  believe  that  States 
should  exact  it.  This  is  a  matter  of  very  large  expense,  of  grave 
importance  to  the  public,  and  their  interests  should  be  protected. 
The  deductions  evidence  an  equal  addiction  regardless  of  climatic 
influence,  and  if  we  have  pointed  out  the  necessity  of  record  in  public 
institutions  of  habitues  and  the  suggestion  is  accepted  and  heeded, 
we  will  even  consider  this  effort  not  to  have  been  in  vain. 
We  are  confident  that  the  use  of  narcotics  is  increasing  and  that 
evil  effects  from  it  will  come  to  succeeding  generations.  While  the 
increase  is  most  evident  with  the  lower  classes,  the  statistics  of 
institutes  devoted  to  the  cure  of  habitues  show  that  their  patients 
are  principally  drawn  from  those  in  the  higher  walks  of  life.  Occa- 
sionally we  have  received  letters  which  were  a  relief  indeed  and  we 
quote  one :  "  This  old  Dutch  bailiwick  seems  to  be  made  up  of  a 
sober,  industrious,  God-fearing,  law-abiding,  democratic-voting  peo- 
ple, given  to  no  bad  habits." 
Statistics  are  difficult  to  obtain,  and  we  suggest,  if  it  ever 
again  seems  expedient  to  obtain  them,  that  one  person  in  a  locality 
be  asked  to  secure  the  information,  give  him  plenty  of  time  so  that 
he  can  gather  it  through  conversation  and  observation  and  then 
report  fully,  not  for  himself,  but  for  the  community  of  which  he  is  a 
component  part.  It  is  to  be  observed  that  if  we  had  obtained 
numerous  statistics  from  any  one  locality,  many  habitues  would 
have  been  duplicated,  but  with  this  condition  we  were  not  burdened. 
We  have  a  report  on  a  physician  who  has  used  10  grains  of  trional 
and  10  grains  of  sulfonal  every  day  for  several  years  without  in- 
creasing the  dose  and  no  apparent  ill  effect ;  this  seems  remarkable 
to  us. 
Statistics  of  imports  of  opium,  morphine,  cocaine  and  chloral 
during  the  fiscal  years  1901,  1902  and  1903  (nine  months): 
