Sessional_Paper_1884 — Page 560

"13th. What effect does heat have in the process of cooking the Opium ?" 13th. Only evaporates the water used.

"14th. What effect is produced on the alkaloids when the Opium is submitted to the flame of the lamp in smoking? Is the result combustion, or sublimation, or the production of a new substance, as in the firing of Tea-leaves and Coffee grains?"

14th. Decomposition-The new bodies formed have not yet been isolated, and their nature ascertained.

"15th. And lastly, will the Anti-opium League Survive-Signed J. G. KERR."

15th. Really I don't think this is a question for me to answer, as I am not interested in the matter in any way, and it has not occurred to me in my researches on the Opium Smoking question, to make enquiries on this point.

37.--Two mistakes were made in the printed copies of my last Annual Report. They must have been made in copying my draft and overlooked.

38.-One is noticed by Dr. KERR, that 15 mace is not, as printed, equal to 150 grains, but to 900 grains. The other that has escaped the notice of my severe critic is that "three mace equal 12 pipe loads." It should be "one mace," and that is allowing each pipe a heavy load, nearly five grains;

three would be nearer the mark.

39.-Dr. KERR says in his letter, quoting my last Annual Report ;---

"The Opium is at once cut off, and the weight again taken the second week, the third week, and some cases the fourth week. Curiously enough, stopping the Opium, with prison diet, did not cause them to lose weight. Of one, the worst case, Dr. AYRES says, 'The heaviest smoker was the fourth on the list, his daily consumption being fifteen mace or 150 grains (here is a mistake, 15 mace are equal to about 900 grains); he had been an opium smoker for thirty years; he comes into Gaol weighing 107fbs., does not lose weight at all, but in three weeks rises to 110lbs. Now mark, these men had been smoking opium constantly for 100 weeks, 500 weeks, and up to 1,500 weeks and no note taken of their weight, when all at once they are locked up in Gaol, the Opium denied them, and, in three or four weeks' observation and weighing, the conclusion arrived at that opium smoking does not cause emaciation. Scientific nonsense!"

By this I suppose he means that the Opium smoker is prevented from pursuing his vice, has good food and regular hours; and therefore where is the wonder he improves at once, and the emaciation he suffered from, while Opium smoking, disappears.

40.--So it does cause emaciation in a way. If he starves his belly for the sake of the Opium smoking, of course he becomes emaciated; he is not likely to get fat on smoke of any kind. But what about the well-to-do Opium smoker? He generally has a liberal allowance, but does not have to pinch his belly, so he does not get emaciated, and I have seen many fat Opium smokers in my time. A Chinaman that turns the scale in this part of the world at 120lbs., unless he is unusually tall, is in very good condi- tion, and there are several that do more than that in Table XIc. Notably, a poor old gentleman 53 years of age, 30 years an Opium smoker, consumption of Opium Six mace and a half a day, equal to rather more than three quarters of an ounce, weighed on coming in 135 pounds, at the end of a month he had lost 4 pounds and could well afford it; he was not meant to increase in weight when in Gaol. number is 19 on Table XIc.; he was never under medical treatment in Gaol. I say distinctly that Opium smoking does not cause emaciation, and when it occurs in an Opium smoker it is from the want of proper food.

His

41.-Well, here is another on Table XIc. No. 50, 68 years of age, 40 years an opium smoker, daily average consumption 6 mace. On coming into Gaol weighed 82 pounds, at the end of the month weighed 81 pounds, was never on the sick list, and had no notice taken of his Opium habit whatever. Though a very light weight he was not emaciated. He did not appear to suffer at all from depriva- tion of his Opium smoking. Another case, No. 79, Table XI., aged 52, twenty years an Opium smoker, daily consumption 6 mace, weight 99 pounds, on coming into Gaol increased to 103 in the 3rd week, but was only 102 at the end of the 4th week. I have picked these cases out because these men were elderly, far above the average in the quantity of Opium they smoked daily, and were old Opium smokers; two of them lost weight slightly. One gains weight, none of them are ever on the sick list. No notice whatever was taken of their Opium habit, and they were not found to suffer in consequence. One would at least expect it would effect their nervous system in some way, when deprived of their Opium, if Opium smoking had any effect upon the system such as Opium eating has. From these and many similar cases, I have come to the opinions that I have stated; that Opium smoking has not so much effect upon the system of most Opium smokers as tobacco has on the majority of tobacco smokers; in fact that it is the more harmless vice of the two in this respect. Dr. KERR has not thought of any question pertaining to the subject that has not occurred to Mr. MCCALLUM and myself, and we hope to do more in the future towards solving the mystery.