162
(Minute by Assistant Registrar General.)
HONOURABLE REGISTRAR GENERAL,
Apparently the practice of injecting Morphia has arisen only within the last few months.
Injections can be obtained at the following places:
312, Queen's Road West.--A branch open about a month. 50 or 60 people go there a day.
1, New Street.--Opened a fortnight. Plenty of patronage.
1st floor, 2, East Street.--Opened 2 weeks. 60 or 70 a day. Fee at above places, 1 cent an injection.
2nd floor, 18, Taipingshan Street.--Opened 3 weeks. Fee, 2 cents.
2nd floor, 10, Kwaiwa Lane.--Opened in November. Number increased from 10 to 40 a day. Fee reduced from 2 to 1 cent.
367, Queen's Road Central.--Opened in March. Number of patients increased from 20 to 60.
98, Bonham Strand.--Opened 14 months. 40 or 50 a day.
41, Stanley Street.--Branch of Kwaiwa Lane establishment.
179, Queen's Road East.--Opened 2 months.
104, Bonham Strand,
85, Bonham Strand,
65, Third Street,
91, Queen's Road West,
50, Praya West,
Shaukiwan and Yaumati, about eighteen places in which about one thousand persons receive injections twice a day.
There are a few, who no longer use it, who claim to have been completely cured of their opium-smoking habits by it; but others have tried it and afterwards gone back to opium-smoking.
A coolie who would smoke 5 or 6 cents' worth of opium a day only pays 1 cent for each injection, so that he saves 3 or 4 cents a day and obtains an equal effect, while at the same time he is getting cured of the opium smoking.
The Morphia used is purchased at the dispensaries as a powder at $40 a lb., by one or two men, who dissolve it in water and sell the solution to the injectors. These inject the liquid under the skin, at the muscles of the arms, with small hypodermic syringes, which are also purchased at the dispensaries. The operator begins on a patient with a big dose, which he decreases daily, or once in two days, for about a month, when the cure should be effected.
Few of those making the injections are even Chinese medical practitioners and none of them have had training under foreigners. The unrestricted use of such a drug by reckless and unqualified practitioners must be a great danger to the community and, like the unrestricted sale, seems to call for the imposition of some restriction as a safeguard. Whether Morphia in the shape of a powder comes under the Ordinance as a preparation of opium may be a question for the law officers to decide, or if the Opium Farmer wishes, he could take up a case as a test case.
About 60.
* Attached is a notice by a hospital, in Canton, recommending the adoption of the injection of Morphia.
The numbers given above cannot be relied on.
The ostensible reason for taking Morphine is to get rid of the craving for opium but even if a man doesn't want to do so he naturally prefers spending 3 or 4 cents on Morphia to 15 or 20 on opium.
The coolie class patronise these places. I should say that we won't be able to judge of the extent of this practice for another month or so. The writers put the number of people at between 1 and 2,000, who were no doubt all habitual opium smokers.
A. W. BREWIN
W. STANTON,
W. QUINCEY,
Inspectors.
(Minute by the Captain Superintendent of Police.)
Honourable COLONIAL TREASURER,
Report in accordance with your request.
F. H. M.
19.6.
5th June, 1893.
* Not printed.
(Report by the Police.)
CENTRAL POLICE STATION,
19th June, 1893.
CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT,
In accordance with instructions received from you and Mr. BUCKLE we have made inquiries regarding the use of Morphia injections.
The injections of Morphia are made with the object of curing persons of their opium-smoking habits and the method is said to have been instituted by one of Dr. Kenn's students in Canton. It was commenced in Hongkong on a small scale last year, but it is only within the last two or three months that it has attained to its present extensive use. There are in the Colony, including Aberdeen,
162
(Minute by Assistant Registrar General.)
HONOURABLE REGISTRAR GENERAL,
Apparently the practice of injecting Morphia has arisen only within the last few months.
Injections can be obtained at the following places
312, Queen's Road West.--A branch open about a month. 50 or 60
people go there a day.
1, New Street.-Opened a fortnight. Plenty of patronage.
1st floor, 2, East Street.-Opened 2 weeks. 60 or 70 a day. Fee at
above places, I cent an injection.
2nd floor, 18, Taipingshan Street.--Opened 3 weeks. Fee, 2 cents. 2nd floor, 10, Kwaiwa Lane.-Opened in November. Number increased
from 10 to 40 a day. Fee reduced from 2 to 1 cent.
367, Queen's Road Central-Opened in March. Number of patients
increased from 20 to 60.
98, Bonham Strand.-Opened 14 months. 40 or 50 a day, 41, Stanley Street.—Branch of Kwaiwa Lane establishment. 179, Queen's Road East.--Opened 2 months.
104, Bonbara Strand,
85, Bonham Strand.
65, Third Street.
91, Queen's Road West.
50, Praya West,
Shaukiwan and Yaumati, about eighteen places in which about one thousand persons receive injections twice a day. There are a few, who no longer use it, who claim to have been completely cured of their opium-smoking habits by it; but others have tried it and afterwards gone back to opium-smoking.
A coolie who would smoke 5 or 6 cents' worth of opium a day only pays 1 cent for each injection, so that he saves 3 or 4 cents a day and obtains an equal effect, while at the same time he is getting cured of the opium smoking.
The Morphia used is purchased at the dispensaries as a powder at $40 a lb., by one or two men, who dissolve it in water and sell the solution to the injectors. These inject the liquid under the skin, at the muscles of the arms, with small hypodermic syringes, which are also purchased at the dispensaries. The operator begins on a patient with a big dose, which he decreases daily, or once in two days, for about a month, when the cure should be effected.
Few of those making the injections are even Chinese medical practitioners and none of them have had training under foreigners. The unrestricted use of such a drug by reckless and unqualified practitioners must be a great danger to the community and, like the unrestricted sale, seems to call for the imposition of some restriction as a safeguard. Whether Morphia in the shape of a powder comes under the Ordinance as a preparation of opium may be a question for the law officers to decide, or if the Opinn Farmer wishes, he could take up a case as a
test case.
About 60.
* Attached is a notice by a hospital, in Canton, recommending the adoption
of the injection of Morphia,
The numbers given above cannot be relied on.
The ostensible reason for taking Morphine is to get rid of the craving for opium but even if a man doesn't want to do so he naturally prefers spending 3 or 4 cents on Morphia to 15 or 20 on opium.
The coolie class patronise these places. I should say that we won't be able to judge of the extent of this practice for another month or so. The writers put the number of people at between 1 and 2,000, who were no doubt all habitual opium
A. W. BREWIN
smokers.
W. STANTON,
W. QUINCEY,
Inspectors.
(Minute by the Captain Superintendent of Police.)
Honourable COLONIAL TREASURER,
Report in accordance with your request.
F. H. M.
19.6.
5th June, 1893.
* Not printed.
(Report by the Police.)
CENTRAL POLICE STATION,
19th June, 1893.
CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT,
In accordance with instructions received from you and Mr. BUCKLE we have made inquiries regarding the use of Morphia injections.
The injections of Morphia are made with the object of curing persons of their opium-smoking habits and the method is said to have been instituted by one of Dr. Kenn's students in Canton. It was commenced in Hongkong on a small scale last year, but it is only within the last two or three months that it has attained to its present extensive use. There are in the Colony, including Aberdeen,
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.