Jack the Junkie?

[WTM]

Excerpted from Murder Most Foul:

¡§I knew myself, at the first breath of this new life, to be more wicked, tenfold more wicked, sold a slave to my original evil.¡¨
- Dr. Jekyll, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

The concept of a drug-crazed killer is, sadly, all too realistic today, with the ready availability of dangerous hallucinogens such as PCP ¡V ¡¥angel dust¡¦ ¡V and other narcotics. Could events of this nature have possibly happened in Victorian times? As was stated in one of the previous articles of this series:

¡§It has been observed that a mixture of alcohol and drugs such as morphine, which <like cocaine, opium, and heroin> were readily available to the general public in Victorian England, is likely to bring about an episode of temporary psychosis in the user.¡¨20

The concept of the Ripper as a junkie is not at all farfetched; many men of all walks of life in that era did use these drugs, as they were not illegal and thus readily available. Opium dens flourished, and one had only to go to the nearest druggist to obtain cocaine or heroin over the counter. Then, as now, many Brits consumed alcohol regularly ¡V too regularly. Use of alcohol and narcotics together could certainly have produced a ¡¥Jekyll and Hyde¡¦ effect ¡V the ¡¥temporary psychosis¡¦ referenced, and the results could have been tragic. Following is a modern example of the depravity to which one can sink with substance abuse:

¡§On Aug. 23, 2000, David Bruce killed 9-year-old Ashley Danielle Carpenter and 7-year-old John William Carpenter, after breaking into their home and stabbing them repeatedly with a pitchfork. Post-mortem analysis showed that the 27-year-old Bruce was not high on methamphetamine or other drugs at the time of the attack. The Merced County Sheriff Tom Sawyer released results of toxicology tests Thursday. They found only a trace of THC, a chemical in marijuana. "I've said for the last week this was classical methamphetamine (and) PCP behavior," Sawyer said. "I'm shocked. I'm absolutely shocked that we did not find any narcotics in his system. It's clear, isn't it, that a normal person would not do this. That's why I was hanging my hat on, and speculating on, drug use." Sawyer said a pathologist will examine Bruce's brain to see if he had a tumor or was suffering from brain damage because of drug use.¡¨
- Associated Press

In this example, it was concluded that a drug flashback had occurred from previous substance abuse, and the subject then entered a horrifically psychotic state. Some serial killers, such as Peter Kurten, are known to have been from families of substance abusers; Kurten¡¦s uncles and aunts on his father¡¦s side were alcoholic psychopaths9. The prime suspect in the Kingsbury Run murders was an alcoholic doctor whose father had been a violent alcoholic schizoid before him.9

¡§Now what type <disorganized, asocial offender or organized, non-social offender> could Jack be? Not easy is it - if we think that Jack was one person all along, unless he was addicted to a drug which led to changes in his personality.¡¨
- Philip C. Dowe10

Conclusion ¡V if the Ripper were a drug and alcohol abuse-psychotic, he would have not hesitated to kill, probably being limited only by time. His other motives for mutilation and leaving of the victims in public could have been as follows:

Mutilation
„h Jack the Tripper
„h Jack the Jolly Man
„h Jack the Thrill-seeker
„h Jack the Blind Man

Public Display

„h Jack the Practical Man
„h Jack the Obsessed
„h Jack the Thrill-seeker
„h Jack the Litterbug

If the Ripper were truly a drug and alcohol abuse-psychotic, the results of his psychosis could be identical to those for the Criminally Insane - unpredictable. History has shown us that murder and mutilation of a victim are all too often a result of drug and alcohol abuse, the probable cause being the combination inhibits one¡¦s judgment and suppresses one¡¦s inhibitions.

SOURCES:

1. Badal, James In the Wake of the Butcher

2. Bloch, Robert Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper

3. Crime SuspenStories, The Giggling Killer
EC Publications

4. Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan The Complete Sherlock Holmes
5. Futrelle, Jacques The Thinking Machine
6. Jesse, F. Tennyson Murder and its Motives
7. King, C. Daly The Curious Mr. Tarrant
8. Maples, William Dead Men Do Tell Tales
9. Rumbelow, Donald The Complete Jack the Ripper
10. Ryder, Stephen www.casebook.org
11. Scott, George A History of Torture
12. Sledge, Eugene With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa
13. Smithsonian Magazine, The Shadow of a Gunman from World War II
September 1993

14. Spitz. Werner, Medicolegal Investigation of Death, Second
and Fisher, Russell Edition

15. Styron William The Confessions of Nat Turner

16. Sugden, Philip The Complete History of Jack the Ripper

17. Ubelaker, Douglas Bones: A Forensic Detective’s Casebook

18. von Krafft-Ebing, Richard Psychopathia Sexualis

19. http://www.crimelibrary.com

20. http://drugs.uta.edu/drugs.html

21. http://www.murdoch.edu.au/elaw/issues/v3n1/ridgway.html

22. http://65.107.211.206/

23. http://www.wcb.vcu.edu/wcb/students/acatasus/files/poecrit.html

24. http://www.daveschultz.com/scum/clinton/bodycount.html

25. http://www.sociology.org/vol003.002/hinch.article.1998.html

26. http://www.psycharts.com/impofthe.htm

27. http://www.stormloader.com/thescorpion/17evil.html

28. http://www.ihr.org/books/ztn.html

29. http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v281n22/ffull/jbk0609-1.html

30. http://www.science-frontiers.com/sf065/sf065p14.htm

[Birgitte]

My first thought when I read this: absinthe.

I browsed the net and guess what: it could actually be something! Read this:

Absinthe

The liquor absinthe is believed to have been created in 1792 by Pierre Ordinaire, a French doctor. Henry-Louis Pernod of Pontarlier in France first commercially produced absinthe in 1797. The name absinthe is derived from the Latin absinthium and from the Greek apsinthion, both words meaning wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), which is the drink’s chief ingredient. Also made with angelica root, aniseed, fennel, hyssop, licorice and star aniseed, the liquor has a high alcohol content and a harsh taste. Thujone, which is present in wormwood, is the chemical that is responsible for the hallucinogenic effects of the liquor.

Absinthe is highly aromatic and yellowish-green in color. When mixed with water, the liquor changes to cloudy white. The drink is often served with ice and water and used as a flavoring in mixed drinks. The classic absinthe drink is served in a special glass, where water is poured over a sugar cube on a slotted spoon. The sweetened water then drips into a glass containing absinthe.

The liquor enjoyed popularity in the 1800s. Absinthe, known as the “Green Fairy”, was muse to artists and madmen alike and was sipped by many famous people. It is said that Vincent Van Gogh cut off his ear while infused with absinthe. Oscar Wilde wrote of absinthe that “After the first glass, you see things as they are. After the second, you see things as they are not. Finally you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.” The artist Henri de Toulouse Lautrec apparently drank it to the point that he was placed in an asylum. Several sensational murders were blamed on absinthe drinkers while under the spell of the Green Fairy.

By the end of the century, absinthe had gained a poor reputation due to its hallucinogenic properties. Absinthe was eventually prohibited in the early 20th century in most countries, including the US in 1912, due to its hallucinogenic effects.

Canada never officially banned absinthe, however, it could not be purchased in the country until recently. Versinthe, now available in Canada, has 1.5 parts thujone per million. The US, reversing its earlier ban, has a version of the drink which has 3.5 parts thujone per million. These versions are much weaker than the absinthe available at the end of the 19th century, which had about 2,000 parts thujone per million.

—VICTORIA KING

Source: http://www.history-magazine.com/trivia.htm (scroll down a little)

Discuss!

Birgitte

[D1g1TaL Gh0sT]

Absinthe is an EXTREMELY strong drink. As stated. Personally, I think just a little TOO strong, to allow someone the ability to form rational thought, as Jack seemed to have when he killed. But I could be wrong.

[sorcia_us]

Speaking from own my experiences with Absinthe -
Yes, it is very strong. I did find absinthe to have more of a narcotic, very relaxing effect than a stimulant effect, however. My friends experience similar results - all we want to do is just sit and "be" - it does give you a slight sense of altered reality, but again, has an overall sedating nature.
It is possible that such a narcotic could produce opposite effects in someone who is psychotic, but I do not think JTR was psychotic as the murders, as you have stated are too organized to be the work of an out of control psychopath, especially one who was hallucinating.

If you look at the following paintings of Absinthe Drinkers - the first done by Manet, the second done by Degas - you can see the flatness of expression, unfocused eyes, and general relaxed pose of the drinkers - they do not look capable of mustering the energy involved to brutally attack and disembowel someone.

Manet's The Absinthe Drinker:
http://www.abcgallery.com/M/manet/manet1.html

Degas' The Absinthe Drinker:
http://www.jssgallery.org/Other_Artists/Degas/Absinthe_Drinker.htm

[How Brown]

Ghost: Do me a favor.....score me some of this stuff. I'll volunteer to be a guinea pig....

[sorcia_us]

I told you I will get it, How!
Last time we had it, we didn't have sugar cubes. After the first drink or two, you don't even mind....

[How Brown]

Datsa my girl !!! I plumb forgot about that !!!

You are the goods,Sorcia !!!!

[D1g1TaL Gh0sT]

Howard's from Philly. He doesn't need sugar cubes. Right Howard?

[How Brown]

Toronto's finest knows his stuff !! Gimme dat green vial !!

[sorcia_us]

YUM!!!!
A few more weeks till finals, then...
It's Absinthe time - I hope you are up to this, How!

[How Brown]

Woman..........I'm countin' the minutes !!!!

[Magpie]

Hey guys:)

Some more info on absinthe, if you wish:)

The hallucinigenic qualities are largely overrated, as is the role of thujone in absinthe's effects. The main reason why absinthe knocked people flat on their *sses was the simple fact that it had very, VERY high concentrations of alcohol. In Canada, the upper legal limit is 40% proof--compare that to absinthe, which started at 80% proof, and you can see how an evening of knocking back the Green Fairy was going to end up.

The second problem with absinthe (after alcohol poisoning) is that there was no standard recipe--and in fact no standards! Almost anything was added to the process that would contribute to the right colour, very often including copper sulfate. Arsenic, strychnine and various acid and alkalines were added to give it a "kick". Pernod was one of the first to create a standard, "safe" (at least for absinthe) recipe which they guarded jealously.

Luckily today's absinthe is not really the same drink, and doesn't have the drawbacks as it's notorious namesake.

Having said that I'm going to pick up a bottle on payday, pick up some sugarcubes, and spend the evening watching "Murder by Decree" and "Without a Clue" :D