Walking Yourself to Death.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Issue 51, 13 May 1899, Page 1

Walking Yourself to Death.

Of the two queeiest drugs in the world, the one called " ezcal " is the one most to be a\ oided. It is a South American product, and is made by the tropical Indians there. A grain of it will make you feel the need of uolent exertion, and once you begin there is no stopping. You will walk till you die. Moreover, you do not walk straight ahead, but in a little circle of two or three yards diameter. You tramp wildly and steadily on, seeing nothing, and not suffering actual pain, but with all your nerves on lire and your brain spinning. You do not stop walking till you drop dead in your tracks. The c\treme vitality is kept up till the last moment. Home of the Indians have a way of dosing their captives with this drug and sitting round the victim while he walks. The other drug is a European product called ••vinard," and also acbs on the brain. A common result of this drug when taken in any quantity is to cause an insane desire — m an educated man, at any rate — to do sums. It develops the arithmetical powers to a wonderful extent, though ouly for a short time. The victim's chief desire is to get hold of pencil and paper, and once this is done he scribbles figures, sometimes making attempts at addiug them up, but never getting them right. Presently the figures become mere scrawls, and the usual result is death or insanity. It is well known to men of science, it is used in some k'nds of medicine by honicepathists.