Heroin and Death

The victims ranged in age from 15 to 35. They were found in abandoned buildings, in hallways, on rooftops and in basements throughout New York City. Some still had needles protruding from their arms. All were heroin users, and their deaths were causing unusual concern last week--even in a city where heroin abuse killed a total of 650 people last year and more people in the 15-to-35 age group than did murder or disease or any other single cause, including automobile accidents.

Especially disturbing was the soaring death rate. On an average weekend in New York, five heroin fatalities are reported, but during the last weekend in June the number rose to 24, an increase of almost 500%.

Cut with Quinine. The upsurge could have been caused either by toxic adulterants or, on the contrary, by unusually pure and therefore more potent supplies of the drug. (Heroin pushers usually "cut" or dilute the drug with sugar and quinine.) No toxic agents have yet been discovered, however, suggesting that uncommonly pure "bags" of the drug, peddled by a pusher anxious to enlarge his clientele by offering quality merchandise, might be responsible.

Heroin is usually injected directly into a vein or "mainlined," and it soon slows down vital functions. A large enough dose will stop them altogether. Yet it is often difficult to determine the exact cause of death. Dr. Milton Helpern, New York City's chief medical examiner, says that there is no clear evidence of simple overdose in the great majority of heroin deaths. Instead, 90% are caused by what he calls an "acute reaction" to the drug or its adulterants. "We don't like to call them overdoses,"

Helpern says, "because each addict's tolerance to heroin can vary not only from week to week but from day to day, depending on how much he has been using."

Even when the heroin dose is not strong enough to cause sudden death, its depressive effect on the respiratory system can bring on severe lung congestion resulting in death within a few hours. Most other heroin deaths are due to viral or bacterial infections carried by the needle. These infections include endocarditis, an inflammation of the heart valves, tetanus, which kills few people aside from addicts nowadays, and viral hepatitis.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.