By
Elizabeth H. Elys
Medicine was poorly understood at
the beginning of the 19th century. Most of today’s recreational drugs were know
in Europe. The various forms of marijuana were known in the West Indies- Indian
HEMP or GANJA, and in the Middle East and India- HASHISH. Marijuana was used in
Europe, cocaine was known to the South American natives. Lysergic Acid occurred
from time to time in the form of ergot in wheat, causing outbreaks of wild behavior,
gangrene and death. But its controlled use a hallucinogen was completely
unknown. Instead, the recreational drugs of Europeans were extraordinary to our
modern thinking: such thing as arsenic, strychnine and antimony.
In the late 19th century, marijuana
and cocaine were put in various medicinal uses, marijuana to treat migraine, rheumatism
and insomnia, and cocaine to treat sinusitis, hay fever and chronic fatigue.
All of these drugs were also used recreationally and cocaine was common ingredient
in wine and soda pop, including Coca Cola.
At the turn of century many drugs were made illegal when a
mood of temperance swept the nation. In 1914 Congress passed the Harrison Act, banning
opiates and cocaine.
During of Napoleon "s invasion
of Egypt in 1798, soldiers were introduced to HASHISH. The Egyptians preferred
hashish than other drugs. The soldiers heard about hashish ant went right on
using this drug. Napoleon Bonaparte, who was a French military and political
leader, noted with great concern the damage that this substance caused on his
men. After his arrival in Egypt, he had been assaulted by a fanatic
Muslim who had used Cannabis. Napoleon came to decision to forbid "the use
of the strong liqueur made some Muslims with some herbs named HASHISH, as well
as hemp seed smoking ".
Soon after the army return, the
French began hearing about effects of hashish from soldiers and from the
country’s scientist who had an opportunity to study the drug and its mystique
while serving with the army in Egypt.
Between 1800 and 1850 more
than 3o articles and books were published on the subject in France. The
Thousand and One Night, with its tales of hashish intoxication, drug- induced
hallucinations, and "double consciousness, hopped the bestseller lists for
many years. Famed Orientalist Silvestre de Sacy’s warning that hashish produced
ecstasy, delirium, insanity and even death.
Other dangerous drug known as
arsenic was used in the 19th century. The ladies rubbed arsenic on their
faces to make their skin white. But arsenic was very much a drug of dependence,
was used by some as a mind- altering drug. In small doses it gave the user
a feeling of well- being, strength and sexual power.
In 1821 death of Napoleon at the age of 51 was received
surprise, shock and grief throughout Europe. There was a question: Was the
aging Napoleon simply Arsenic addict or he was poisoned? The user of
arsenic was forced to continue to ingest the substance in large and larger quantities.
Thus we have an explanation for Napoleon’s long term ingestion of arsenic that
is much plausible than a poisoner continuing to dose him secretly for as long
as 4.5 years . The death of Napoleon death has been debated. There have
long been rumors to suggest that final agonies of Napoleon were due to the
repeated administration of arsenic by someone. Napoleon was heavily
contaminated with arsenic as a boy. And the high arsenic concentration in his
hair was not caused by poisoning. Studies published i 2007 and 2008 of
dismissed evidence of arsenic poisoning and confirmed of peptic ulcer and
gastric cancer as the cause of death. People were exposed to arsenic from glues
and dyes throughout their lives.
During of American Civil War (1861- 1865), Morphine was used
as a painkiller. More than half of a million Americans died in the conflict.
Doctors and surgeons attached to both armies to ease the misery of sick and
wounded soldiers by prescribing millions of doses of recently discovered
wonder drug morphine. Union Army alone issued more than 10 million doses of morphine
during the war. While morphine did ease the suffering of sick and wounded Civil
War soldiers, the highly- addictive drug also created a generation of addict
among Civil War veterans. The problem got so bad that the most commonly used
term for drug addiction was "The Army Disease". Historians believe
that as many as 200 thousands to 500 thousands Civil War veterans suffered
from morphine addiction, in some cases for decades after the war ended
1865. At the time the addictive nature of OPIUM and morphine was coming
to light, scientists seeking to develop a non- addictive alternative to
morphine developed HEROIN in 1898. The words origin is based on the
German word heroisch, meaning Heroic.
The federal prohibition of heroin
and cocaine remained, and with passage of Marijuana Stamp Act in 1937 marijuana
was prohibited as well.
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