which is long and deep inevitably follows. In order to
overcome this depression, recourse is usually had to a further dose,
and as time goes on, the intervals of depression become more frequent
and lasting, and the necessity to overcome them increases. Thus
without intention one finds one's self bound to the drug, its fast
victim. The sanatoria of our country are crowded with people who are
trying to free themselves of a drug habit into which they have drifted
unintentionally if not altogether unknowingly. What is true of opium
is equally applicable to other narcotics.

239. The Right Use of Narcotics. In the hands of the physician,
narcotics are a great blessing. In some cases, by relieving pain, they
give the system the rest necessary for overcoming the cause of the
pain. Only those who know of the suffering endured in former times can
fully appreciate the decrease in pain brought about by the proper use
of narcotics.

240. Patent Medicines, Cough Sirups. A reputable physician is
solicitous regarding the permanent welfare of his patient and
administers carefully chosen and harmless drugs. Mere medicine
venders, however, ignore the good of mankind, and flood the market
with cheap patent preparations which delude and injure those who
purchase, but bring millions of dollars to those who manufacture.

Practically all of these patent, or proprietary, preparations contain
a large proportion of narcotics or stimulants, and hence the benefit
which they seem to afford the user is by no means genuine; examination
shows that the relief brought by them is due either to a temporary
deadening of sensibilities by narcotics or to a fleeting stimulation
by alcohol and kindred substances.

Among the most common ailments of both young and old are coughs and
colds; hence many patent cough mixtures have been manufactured and
placed on the market for the consumption of a credulous public. Such
"quick cures" almost invariably contain one or more narcotic drugs,
and not only do not relieve the cold permanently, but occasion
subsequent disorders. Even lozenges and pastilles are not free from
fraud, but have a goodly proportion of narcotics, containing in some
cases chloroform, morphine, and ether.

The widespread use of patent cough medicines is due largely to the
fact that many persons avoid consulting a physician about so trivial
an ailment as an ordinary cold, or are reluctant to pay a medical fee
for what seems a slight indispositi