I AM GLAD to see that Sir John Charles, the
Chief Medical, Officer to the Ministry of Health, has warned doctors about the dangers of 'tranquil lisers.' Some, of these drugs—as a recent investiga- tion has proved—give no benefit, and in fact are bad for patients; but even those which satisfac- torily perform their function (which is to calm the mind without inducing sleep or loss of normal faculties) may be dangerous, except for specific purposes like the treatment of the insane. This is not because they are habit-forming, in the usual sense of that term; patients rarely reach a stage where they cannot do without tranquillisers, in the sense that addicts cannot do without opium. But they are habit-forming in a negative sense; they create an attitude of mind in which patients no longer attempt to face, let alone to overcome, their difficulties but instead seek refuge in arti- ficially-induced tranquillity. Sir John's warning is hardly enough; more stringent control over pre- scription of these drugs is desirable.
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