confessions of an english opium-eater-第10部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！


arned　that　opium　is　a　dusky　brown　in　colour；　and　this；　take　notice；　I　grant。　　Secondly；　that　it　is　rather　dear；　which　also　I　grant；　for　in　my　time　East　Indian　opium　has　been　three　guineas　a　pound；　and　Turkey　eight。　　And　thirdly；　that　if　you　eat　a　good　deal　of　it；　most　probably　you　mustdo　what　is　particularly　disagreeable　to　any　man　of　regular　habits；　viz。；　die。　｛12｝　　These　weighty　propositions　are；　all　and　singular；　true：　　I　cannot　gainsay　them；　and　truth　ever　was；　and　will　be；　commendable。　　But　in　these　three　theorems　I　believe　we　have　exhausted　the　stock　of　knowledge　as　yet　accumulated　by　men　on　the　subject　of　opium。

And　therefore；　worthy　doctors；　as　there　seems　to　be　room　for　further　discoveries；　stand　aside；　and　allow　me　to　come　forward　and　lecture　on　this　matter。

First；　then；　it　is　not　so　much　affirmed　as　taken　for　granted；　by　all　who　ever　mention　opium；　formally　or　incidentally；　that　it　does　or　can　produce　intoxication。　　Now；　reader；　assure　yourself；　meo　perieulo；　that　no　quantity　of　opium　ever　did　or　could　intoxicate。　As　to　the　tincture　of　opium　（commonly　called　laudanum）　THAT　might　certainly　intoxicate　if　a　man　could　bear　to　take　enough　of　it；　but　why？　　Because　it　contains　so　much　proof　spirit；　and　not　because　it　contains　so　much　opium。　　But　crude　opium；　I　affirm　peremptorily；　is　incapable　of　producing　any　state　of　body　at　all　resembling　that　which　is　produced　by　alcohol；　and　not　in　DEGREE　only　incapable；　but　even　in　KIND：　　it　is　not　in　the　quantity　of　its　effects　merely；　but　in　the　quality；　that　it　differs　altogether。　　The　pleasure　given　by　wine　is　always　mounting　and　tending　to　a　crisis；　after　which　it　declines；　that　from　opium；　when　once　generated；　is　stationary　for　eight　or　ten　hours：　　the　first；　to　borrow　a　technical　distinction　from　medicine；　is　a　case　of　acutethe　second；　the　chronic　pleasure；　the　one　is　a　flame；　the　other　a　steady　and　equable　glow。　　But　the　main　distinction　lies　in　this；　that　whereas　wine　disorders　the　mental　faculties；　opium；　on　the　contrary　（if　taken　in　a　proper　manner）；　introduces　amongst　them　the　most　exquisite　order；　legislation；　and　harmony。　　Wine　robs　a　man　of　his　self…possession；　opium　greatly　invigorates　it。　　Wine　unsettles　and　clouds　the　judgement；　and　gives　a　preternatural　brightness　and　a　vivid　exaltation　to　the　contempts　and　the　admirations；　the　loves　and　the　hatreds　of　the　drinker；　opium；　on　the　contrary；　communicates　serenity　and　equipoise　to　all　the　faculties；　active　or　passive；　and　with　respect　to　the　temper　and　moral　feelings　in　general　it　gives　simply　that　sort　of　vital　warmth　which　is　approved　by　the　judgment；　and　which　would　probably　always　accompany　a　bodily　constitution　of　primeval　or　antediluvian　health。　　Thus；　for　instance；　opium；　like　wine；　gives　an　expansion　to　the　heart　and　the　benevolent　affections；　but　then；　with　this　remarkable　difference；　that　in　the　sudden　development　of　kind…heartedness　which　accompanies　inebriation　there　is　always　more　or　less　of　a　maudlin　character；　which　exposes　it　to　the　contempt　of　the　bystander。　　Men　shake　hands；　swear　eternal　friendship；　and　shed　tears；　no　mortal　knows　why；　and　the　sensual　creature　is　clearly　uppermost。　　But　the　expansion　of　the　benigner　feelings　incident　to　opium　is　no　febrile　access；　but　a　healthy　restoration　to　that　state　which　the　mind　would　naturally　recover　upon　the　removal　of　any　deep…seated　irritation　of　pain　that　had　disturbed　and　quarrelled　with　the　impulses　of　a　heart　originally　just　and　good。　　True　it　is　that　even　wine；　up　to　a　certain　point　and　with　certain　men；　rather　tends　to　exalt　and　to　steady　the　intellect；　I　myself；　who　have　never　been　a　great　wine…drinker；　used　to　find　that　half…a…dozen　glasses　of　wine　advantageously　affected　the　facultiesbrightened　and　intensified　the　consciousness；　and　gave　to　the　mind　a　feeling　of　being　〃ponderibus　librata　suis；〃　and　certainly　it　is　most　absurdly　said；　in　popular　language；　of　any　man　that　he　is　DISGUISED　in　liquor；　for；　on　the　contrary；　most　men　are　disguised　by　sobriety；　and　it　is　when　they　are　drinking　（as　some　old　gentleman　says　in　Athenaeus）；　that　men　＇Greek　text＇display　themselves　in　their　true　complexion　of　character；　which　surely　is　not　disguising　themselves。　　But　still；　wine　constantly　leads　a　man　to　the　brink　of　absurdity　and　extravagance；　and　beyond　a　certain　point　it　is　sure　to　volatilise　and　to　disperse　the　intellectual　energies：　　whereas　opium　always　seems　to　compose　what　had　been　agitated；　and　to　concentrate　what　had　been　distracted。　　In　short；　to　sum　up　all　in　one　word；　a　man　who　is　inebriated；　or　tending　to　inebriation；　is；　and　feels　that　he　is；　in　a　condition　which　calls　up　into　supremacy　the　merely　human；　too　often　the　brutal　part　of　his　nature；　but　the　opium…eater　（I　speak　of　him　who　is　not　suffering　from　any　disease　or　other　remote　effects　of　opium）　feels　that　the　divines　part　of　his　nature　is　paramount；　that　is；　the　moral　affections　are　in　a　state　of　cloudless　serenity；　and　over　all　is　the　great　light　of　the　majestic　intellect。

This　is　the　doctrine　of　the　true　church　on　the　subject　of　opium：　　of　which　church　I　acknowledge　myself　to　be　the　only　memberthe　alpha　and　the　omega：　　but　then　it　is　to　be　recollected　that　I　speak　from　the　ground　of　a　large　and　profound　personal　experience：　　whereas　most　of　the　unscientific　｛13｝　authors　who　have　at　all　treated　of　opium；　and　even　of　those　who　have　written　expressly　on　the　materia　medica；　make　it　evident；　from　the　horror　they　express　of　it；　that　their　experimental　knowledge　of　its　action　is　none　at　all。　　I　will；　however；　candidly　acknowledge　that　I　have　met　with　one　person　who　bore　evidence　to　its　intoxicating　power；　such　as　staggered　my　own　incredulity；　for　he　was　a　surgeon；　and　had　himself　taken　opium　largely。　　I　happened　to　say　to　him　that　his　enemies　（as　I　had　heard）　charged　him　with　talking　nonsense　on　politics；　and　that　his　friends　apologized　for　him　by　suggesting　that　he　was　constantly　in　a　state　of　intoxication　from　opium。　　Now　the　accusation；　said　I；　is　not　prima　facie　and　of　necessity　an　absurd　one；　but　the　defence　IS。　　To　my　surprise；　however；　he　insisted　that　both　his　enemies　and　his　friends　were　in　the　right。　　〃I　will　maintain；〃　said　he；　〃that　I　DO　talk　nonsense；　and　secondly；　I　will　maintain　that　I　do　not　talk　nonsense　upon　principle；　or　with　any　view　to　profit；　but　solely　and　simply；　said　he；　solely　and　simplysolely　and　simply　（repeating　it　three　times　over）；　because　I　am　drunk　with　opium；　and　THAT　daily。〃　I　replied　that；　as　to　the　allegation　of　his　enemies；　as　it　seemed　to　be　established　upon　such　respectable　testimony；　seeing　that　the　three　parties　concerned　all　agree　in　it；　it　did　not　become　me　to　question　it；　but　the　defence　set　up　I　must　demur　to。　　He　proceeded　to　discuss　the　matter；　and　to　lay　down　his　reasons；　but　it　seemed　to　me　so　impolite　to　pursue　an　argument　which　must　have　presumed　a　man　mistaken　in　a　point　belonging　to　his　own　profession；　that　I　did　not　press　him　even　when　his　course　of　argument　seemed　open　to　objection；　not　to　mention　that　a　man　who　talks　nonsense；　even　though　〃with　no　view　to　profit；〃　is　not　altogether　the　most　agreeable　partner　in　a　dispute；　whether　as　opponent　or　respondent。　　I　confess；　however；　that　the　authority　of　a　surgeon；　and　one　who　was　reputed　a　good　one；　may　seem　a　weighty　one　to　my　prejudice；　but　still　I　must　plead　my　experience；　which　was　greater　than　his　greatest　by　7；000　drops　a…　day；　and　though　it　was　not　possible　to　suppose　a　medical　man　unacquainted　with　the　characteristic　symptoms　of　vinous　intoxication；　it　yet　struck　me　that　he　might　proceed　on　a　logical　error　of　using　the　word　intoxication　with　too　great　latitude；　and　extending　it　generically　to　all　modes　of　nervous　excitement；　instead　of　restricting　it　as　the　expression　for　a　specific　sort　of　excitement　connected　with　certain　diagnostics。　　Some　people　have　maintained　in　my　hearing　that　they　had　been　drunk　upon　green　tea；　and　a　medical　student　in　London；　for　whose　knowledge　in　his　profession　I　have　reason　to　feel　great　respect；　assured　me　the　other　day　that　a　patient　in　recovering　from　an　illness　had　got　drunk　on　a　beef…steak。

Having　dwelt　so　much　on　this　first　and　leading　error　in　respect　to　opium；　I　shall　notice　very　briefly　a　second　and　a　third；　which　are；　that　the　elevation　of　spirits　produced　by　opium　is　necessarily　followed　by　a　proportionate　depression；　and　that　the　natural　and　even　immediate　consequence　of　opium　is　torpor　and　stagnation；　animal　and　mental。　　The　first　of　these　errors　I　shall　content　myself　with　simply　denying；　assuring　my　reader　that　for　ten　years；　during　which　I　took　opium　at　intervals；　the　day　succeeding　to　that　on　which　I　allowed　myself　this　luxury　was　always　a　day　of　unusually　good　spirits。

With　respect　to　the　torpor　supposed　to　follow；　or　rather　（if　we　were　to　credit　the　numerous　pictures　of　Turkish　opium…eaters）　to　accompany　the　practice　of　opium…eating；　I　deny　that　also。　　Certainly　opium　is　classed　under　the　head　of　narcotics；　and　some　such　effect　it　may　produce　in　the　end；　but　the　primary　effects　of　opium　are　always；　and　in　the　highest　degree；　to　excite　and　stimulate　the　system。　　This　first　stage　of　its　action　always　lasted　with　me；　during　my　noviciate；　for　upwards　of　eight　hours；　so　that　it　must　be　the　fault　of　the　opium…eater　himself　if　he　does　not　so　time　his　exhibition　of　the　dose　（to　speak　medically）　as　that　the　whole　weight　of　its　narcotic　influence　may　descend　upon　his　sleep。　　Turkish　opium…eaters；　it　seems；　are　absurd　enough　to　sit；　like　so　many　equestrian　statues；　on　logs　of　wood　as　stupid　as　themselves。　　But　that　the　reader　may　judge　of　the　degree　in　which　opium　is　likely　to　stupefy　the　faculties　of　an　Englishman；　I　shall　（by　way　of　treating　the　question　illustratively；　rather　than　argumentatively）　describe　the　way　in　which　I　myself　often　passed　an　opium　evening　in　London　during　the　period　between　1804…1812。　　It　will　be　seen　that　at　least　opium　did　not　move　me　to　seek　solitude；　and　much　less　to　seek　inactivity；　or　the　torpid　state　of　self…involution　ascribed　to　the　Turks。　　I　give　this　account　at　the　risk　of　being　pronounced　a　crazy　enthusiast　or　visionary；　but　I　regard　THAT　little。　　I　must　desire　my　reader　to　bear　in　mind　that　I　was　a　hard　student；　and　at　severe　studies　for　all　the　rest　of　my　time；　and　certainly　I　had　a　right　occasionally　to　relaxati