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THE following facts are recorded by
Daniel Frazer, Esq., Buchanan Street, as incidents of the laudanum
drinking capacity of two early customers of his firm.
"The earliest was that of a then
well-known glazier in Glasgow, who had for some years been a purchaser of
laudanum through my brother, when assistant in the Glasgow Apothecaries’
Hall. When I knew him (about 1831) he was in the habit of drinking, in our
presence, a full wine glassful (equal to four table spoonfuls), quite
undiluted. He also regularly purchased about two pints at a time, supplied
to him in metal flasks. These he was in the habit of carrying with him
when travelling about the country in connection with his extensive
business.
"The origin of this habit of
laudanum drinking was the taking of it under medical advice for severe
rheumatism in the head. The dose had gradually been increased till a wine
glassful was substituted for the twenty or thirty drops taken at first.
Anxious, at times, to wean himself of taking this huge doze, this
gentleman dropped a bit of putty into the bottom of the wine glass used
for the laudanum. Succeeding with this, he gradually added more, till the
top of the glass was nearly reached, endeavouring, by this method, to get
rid of the habit altogether. But just as this hope had, on several
occasions, dawned upon him, a return of rheumatism, or the recurrence of
some domestic affliction, induced a renewal of the craving, the putty was
removed, and the full dose resumed. He was quite a
gash
old fashioned Scotchman, and was in the habit of
telling the number of puncheons (!) of laudanum that he had swallowed in
his day.
"Another instance occurred a good
many years later— probably about thirty years ago. In this case the
quantity taken at once was from two to three table spoonfuls, and was also
swallowed by the unfortunate victim without dilution. So far as I know,
this was not a daily habit with the gentleman in question, although a very
frequent one. I often asked this gentleman if he had ever tried to give up
the habit, and he replied:
"‘Yes, very frequently, but could
not overcome it. I often put off taking it,’ he used to say, ‘to the last,
till the inward sinking and exhaustion that I felt made me fear that my
brain would give way unless I had recourse to it.’
"Even the largest dose referred to
had, he stated, no perceptible effect upon his system than that of
arresting the feeling of inward sinking and exhaustion that called for its
use." |
