Opium and Victorian Britain Although opium has been imported to Britain for hundreds of years for medicinal purposes it was not until the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries that its use as a pharmaceutical panacea and exotic recreational drug became epidemic within all strata of British society. Prior to the 1868 Pharmacy Act which restricted the sale of opium to professional pharmacists, anyone could legally trade in opium products: by the middle of the nineteenth century hundreds of opium based potions, pill, and patent medicines were available to the general public. Among the most famous preparations were Dover’s Powders, initially marketed as a cure for gout; Godfey’s Cordial which was sold as a “soother” for crying babies; and laudanum, a tincture of opium in alcohol, which was both easily made and readily available (Berridge, 24). The widespread availability of the drug by the mid-nineteenth century was in no small part due to the expansion of the British Empire into India. In the eighteenth century opium had been imported chiefly from Turkey, which was not under British control. With the conquest of India Britain soon realised that the sub-continent could be utilised as a new source for the drug. In 1829 a physician called Dr. Webster exhibited at the Westminster Medical Society a specimen of pure opium which had been sent to him from Calcutta. Webster hoped that his fellow countrymen would see that “if it [opium] could be obtained from one colony, we should have it from thence rather ... than we should go to the rascally Turks” (Berridge, 4). In 1830 permission was granted from London to extend the cultivation of the opium poppy in India. By 1832 a report commented that “the monopoly of opium in Bengal su... ... middle of paper ... ...Edwin Drood (1870): its central character, John Jasper, is an opium addict who lives a seedy double life. The wonder-drug of the early nineteenth century was finally being recognised as a dangerously addictive substance, although the interests of imperial traders kept it legal for another five decades, until the Dangerous Drugs Act was passed in 1920. This Act made it illegal to possess opiates without a doctor’s prescription. Sources Berridge, Virginia and Griffith Edwards. Opium and the People: Opiate Use in Nineteenth Century England. London: Allen Lane, 1981. Booth, Martin. Opium: A History. London: Simon and Schuster, 1996. Collins, Wilkie. The Moonstone. 1868. London: Oxford UP, 1982. Hayter, Althea. “Wilkie Collins”. Opium and the Romantic Imagination. Berkeley: U of California P, 1968. Kipling, Rudyard. Kim. 1901. Ware: Wordsworth, 1994.
Allingham,, Philip V. "England and China: The Opium Wars, 1839-60." The Victorian Web: An Overview. 24 June 2006. Web. 06 Apr. 2011.
Before the mid 1900’s the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act was formed to tax those making, importing or selling any derivative of opium or coca leaves. In the 1920s, doctors became aware of the highly addictive nature of opioids and started to avoid treating patients with them (Center, 2004). In 1924 heroin became illegal. However according to a history published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2003, anesthesiologists opened "nerve block clinics" in the 1950s and 1960s to manage pain without having to resort to surgery (Meldrum, 2003). This push for treating pain without surgery was a major factor in the opioid epidemic we see today. In 2008 the overdose death rate was almost four times the rate in 1999, and the sales of prescription pain relievers in 2010 were four times higher than in 1999 (Paulozzi et al, 2011). The substance use disorder treatment admission rate is also greater than in 1999, with it having been six times higher in 2009. Chasing Heroin’s claims surrounding the fear of prescribing pain medications is accurate as you see an increase in public policies surrounding opiate use in the early 1900’s. The climbing rates of overdose deaths and the increased amount of people seeking addiction treatment suggests that the fear of prescription opiates was
Drug use and abuse is as old as mankind itself. Human beings have always had a desire to eat or drink substances that make them feel relaxed, stimulated, or euphoric. Wine was used at least from the time of the early Egyptians; narcotics from 4000 B.C.; and medicinal use of marijuana has been dated to 2737 B.C. in China. But it was not until the nineteenth century that the active substances in drugs were extracted. There was a time in history when some of these newly discovered substances, such as morphine, laudanum, cocaine, were completely unregulated and prescribed freely by physicians for a wide variety of ailments.
The bodies of water that are touching or close by are, the Pacific ocean,and the Caribbean sea.And the national park is, Tikal national park.And last,the highest point of the country is volcantanjumulca with 13,846 feet.
Through the years the idea that Islam is an aggressive religion has been developed. This is mainly due to the fact that the word "jihad" -- a very important concept in Islamic faith -- is often misunderstood or its initial meaning is intentionally misrepresented. From the very beginning of Islamic invasion in Europe a sense of devotion to the religion was instilled in the Muslim soldiers and believers. Religion was a really important part of their lives. The soldiers were taught to die for Allah in their holy war against unbelievers -- this was the so-called jihad. However, if one examines thoroughly the Quran, the saint book for Muslims, he/she will find that jihad carries a completely different meaning -- this is an internal struggle with oneself for achievements in a certain filed or, simply, for self-improvement. Even though most Islamic believers know what jihad really is, there are zealots that still look for excuse for their appalling and inhumane deeds in the abovementioned word. Nowadays, this is still a major problem, especially concerning the...
Guatemala happens to be the third largest country in Central America and is about the same size as ohio. There are three main geographic regions: highlands, lowlands, and a coastal plain. Volcanic uplands form the southern half of the highlands that join the coastal plain. Within the coastal plain and volcanic uplands, about 60% of the country's population lives. Most of the left over 40% live north of the uplands. The country has a greater population density than any other country in Latin America.
Opium was first used mainly for medical purposes before the 17th century, the transition from a recreational drug was marked by the change from swallowing the compound raw, to mixing it with tobacco and smoking it (Chang 1964). Although the morphine component...
One-hundred years ago some drugs was legal to possess and even children could buy drugs like morphine, opium, marijuana, and cocaine. These drugs if got caught with them today could result in a life sentence it today’s society. 1914 was a change for these drugs it was like overnight these drugs become illegal. The reason for this change in 1914 wa...
There are numerous ethical schools of individualism and copious individualists with different perspectives on the idea of individualism. In this paper, I have selected the following ethical individualism to expose and critique: 1) ontological individualism, 2) methodological individualism, and 3) moral or political individualism.
Although the UK already took a prohibitionist stance towards many psychoactive substances prior to this, for example the Dangerous Drugs Act 1920, the MDA consolidated, much of this earlier legislation, and introduced some important changes, whilst creating a more heavily committed model of prohibition backed by higher law enforcement and punishment (Gossop, 2000). Other than some minor changes that we aim to explore further, this piece of legislation still largely remains the staple of the UK’s approach to substance misuse. The act claims that “It shall be the duty of the Advisory Council to keep under review the situation in the United Kingdom with respect to drugs which are being or appear to them
Gregorio Lopez Mr. Locks British Lit 4/7/14 The First Opium War and its aftermath on Chinese To the normal Chinese man during the early 19th century, opium was nothing more than a luxury that only those of higher power or influence could indulge themselves in. Yet by the middle of the 19th century opium had become a commodity that everyone could have and that at the same time they seemed to need. Even though it was now such a big part of the normal chinese culture, it did not benefit the people nor Chinese culture, it did not benefit the people or the government. The only benefit it did seem to have was towards the British.
KUMAMOTO JAPAN: Two Japanese chicken farms had to put down 112,000 chickens because of a new outbreak of bird flu. While there hasn’t been any transmission between birds and humans in Japan ever, the Avian Influenza Type A virus is still being handled with significant care to avoid any possibility of human harm. A Japanese Food Safety Commission publishing noted that avian flu was quickly broken down by stomach acid so there wouldn’t be foreseeable harm to any people if they ingested some of the contaminated chicken or their eggs. As a further precaution, authorities are banning the transportation of chickens and eggs within the affected areas. Additionally, vehicles are being inspected and disinfected near the chicken farms. These restrictions are posing financial problems for the farm owners who rely on steady sales to keep operating—the trade embargo and loss of a significant amount of livestock can be troublesome.
Frequent nightmares that keep people awake are classified as a sleep disorder (Sleep Education). Nightmares are classified as a parasomnia (Roddick and Cherney). Illness, anxiety, or sleeping in an uncomfortable position can cause bad dreams (Stanford Health Care). Nightmares have both physical and psychological causes (Stanford Health Care). They are most common in kids during REM sleep (National Sleep Foundation). A sleeper can usually provide a description of his or her dream if they are awakened during REM sleep (Stanford Health Care). Nightmares usually happen during the last third of the night when REM sleep has higher concentration (Stanford Health Care). People who have nightmares may fear of falling asleep or going back to sleep because of the scary dreams (Sleep
Avian Influenza is also known as the bird flu. The deadly form was first discovered in Italy in 1878. It is a Type A virus that occurs among wild aquatic birds and can infest domestic poultry and other birds and animal species. Although the virus does not normally infect human beings, there have been rare cases where humans have been infected with the virus. The disease is spread by contact with an infected bird’s feces, or secretion from its nose, mouth, or eyes. (Commission)
Narcotics are a class of drug that sooth pain, ease discomfort. They are widely prescribed for treatment of moderate to severe pain associated with previous illness or injury, even diseases or other conditions. In moderation, they can relieve pain and dull the senses making pain more tolerable. However with these comes a price, much like any other addiction out there, the effects of these prescription drugs can cause a nearly inescapable desire or craving for them or their streetwise equivalents. This potentially dangerous side of narcotics has been over-looked for decades, even centuries, through the promotions of cocaine and opium laced cure-alls by some of the most famous people of the times. These cure-alls came in many forms and were all widely accepted in the beginning, only to later find that many began to crave them more and more resulting in a recreational use of the drug eventually re...