SENSATIONAL ALLEGATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 May 1917, Page 7

SENSATIONAL ALLEGATION.

"BOFE" USED TO DECEIVE DOCTORS.

A» allegation) lias been made that | drugs, comniohiy known as "dope," have been used by some men called up in the ballot for the purpose of ensuring rejection at the meiliral test. The statement is made that certain men are in possession of drugs, and are confident that they can cheat the doctor if the necessity arises. The drugs are said to have been brought back by returned soldiers. Tile authorities would gladly welcome any information that would lead to the detection of such a ruse, but so far no case seems to have come to their notice, although it is interred that they have their suspicions. | Some light was thrown on the matter [ recently by Dr. Thacker. who was asked by a reporter of the Lyttelton Times if any known drugs were capable of deceiving a doctor. He replied that evidently the authorities surmised that some re-; emits had been tampering' with themselves, for in the course of correspondence on the subject of unfit men being pased as fit (before the standard was raised), he had received a letter fivim Surgeon-General Henderson stating that some men had been chewing or eating tobacco to influence the heart's action. "Of course," Dr. Thacker added, "a doctor could spot a thing like that right away* A doctor would spot any man Buffering from a drug anu such a man could be put under observation either in camp or hospital." Asked as to the possibility of procuring the drugs Dr. Thacker remarked that Egypt was a land of "dope," particularly among the. Indians, and the chief drugs used to produce such effects would be "canabis indica" and "hyoscyanms." These were vaso-accel-erators, which increased the heart's action. Other drugs, called vaso-inhibi-tora, made the heart go slowly. Nearly all of these drugs had effects on the special senses such as hearing and sight. Some might make a man's sight defective by contracting or dilating the pupils. These effects, however, would wear off in 48 hours. He did not think that the drugs could be got locally, for they would be supplied only on a doctor's prescription. .'...*.