Page:George Archdall Reid 1896 The present evolution of man.djvu/373

Rh Sir William Moore said—

"Well, I came to the conclusion that opium-smoking was practically harmless, and that drinking umal pawnee, or opium-water, was practically harmless. . . . I should wish to draw attention to the fact that insurance societies do not impose a higher rate on opiumeaters. With respect to that they are guided by the medical officers of the societies. They were addressed on the subject some little time ago in Calcutta and Bombay, and they all gave the same answer."—Ibid. pp. 71–2.

To the question—

"Then you would compare the use of opium amongst these people to the use—the moderate use—of alcoholic liquors amongst ourselves?" Dr. Mouat replied—"Undoubtedly," and in answer to the further question, " And quite as harmless?" "Yes, quite, in fact more so, because a man shows a flushed face and many other indications of familiarity with alcohol, but you could detect nothing of the kind in the case of those who used opium. They were all temperate; I never saw, in the whole thirteen years I was living amongst them (and I saw them daily)—they came to me at the outdoor dispensary, or at the hospital, and as a friend, and I never saw, in all that time, an opium drunkard."—Ibid. p. 75.

In answer to the question—

"Will you explain to the Commission what you yourself have observed as to the evils of the opium habit?" he said, "I never saw any one who exhibited such an amount of misuse of opium, not one in the whole course of that time, so I cannot speak to it from personal knowledge." And again to the question," You did not see any sufferers from opium?" he replied, "No, not one."—Ibid. p. 75.