Buzz
It's undeniable that illicit drugs have caused significant damage to society, tearing families apart and ruining innumerable lives. While addiction often leads to devastating consequences, the history of certain substances and the stories of both famous and infamous individuals associated with them are not only mind-blowing but deeply fascinating. Here are ten remarkable instances combining odd historical and educational insights about dangerous drugs over the ages.
10. Anabolic Steroids
In 1889, 72-year-old physiologist Charles Edouard Brown-Sequard injected himself with extracts derived from the testicles of dogs and guinea pigs. He reported a boost in physical strength and overall health. During World War II, the Nazis began experimenting with anabolic steroids on concentration camp prisoners, later administering them to German soldiers in hopes of enhancing their aggression.
By the conclusion of the war, chemist Leo Ruzicka had perfected a method for isolating the testosterone molecule from cholesterol. This enhanced steroid was later used to help concentration camp survivors and prisoners of war. The hormone played a key role in enabling victims to recover from extreme muscle wasting and malnutrition. Ruzicka’s pioneering research would eventually earn him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Over time, bodybuilders and athletes noticed an increase in strength and muscle mass and began misusing the synthetic steroid. This trend eventually made its way to the Olympic Games in the 1950s.
9. Coca Leaves
Although the coca plant is primarily known as a key ingredient in the production of cocaine, it has offered significant benefits since as early as 3000 BC and continues to be used in Andean cultures across South America today.
The coca leaf, chewed between the cheek and jaw, helps alleviate altitude sickness, boosts stamina, and combats fatigue. It is also brewed into tea to treat various ailments such as headaches, toothaches, and stomach cramps. During the colonial period, it is believed the Spaniards encouraged its use to cut food costs and improve labor productivity in the mines.
In modern times, the coca plant is used in Andean communities not only as currency but also in religious rituals and social events, sometimes even presented as a gift when seeking a woman's hand in marriage. Many supporters of the plant argue that it offers a healthier alternative to energy drinks like Red Bull, providing a significant energy boost.
8. LSD and Morphine Experimentation
On April 20, 1950, the CIA officially authorized Project BLUEBIRD, later renamed Project ARTICHOKE. The initiative aimed to investigate interrogation methods to induce amnesia, create new identities, and implant false memories in experimental subjects. Part of the study involved administering morphine to develop an addiction, followed by withdrawal.
The experiments were carried out by top psychiatrists, neurosurgeons, and pharmacologists across North America. One of the most unsettling elements of the project was the agency’s use of children aged 7 to 11 years old, who were given 150 micrograms of LSD daily for extended periods. The full extent of these experiments was revealed through 15,000 pages of documents released under the Freedom of Information Act.
7. Aspirin and Heroin
Felix Hoffmann, a chemist employed by the German chemical giant Bayer, is most renowned for his 1897 invention of aspirin. Once a reliable manufacturing method for the painkiller was developed, it quickly spread across the globe, securing Hoffmann’s place in scientific history for years to come.
However, his groundbreaking achievement would eventually be overshadowed by Hoffmann’s second major discovery—heroin. Just 11 days after mastering the synthesis of aspirin, Hoffmann uncovered the chemical process for producing the illicit drug, which Bayer began marketing as a cough remedy and a treatment for morphine dependence. From 1898 to 1910, Bayer sold heroin, but as its dangerous addictive qualities surfaced, the company withdrew it from the market, facing embarrassment before ultimately banning the drug.
6. Opium of the Victorian Era
In Victorian Britain, it was not uncommon to visit a local pharmacy and find products like cocaine, arsenic, and various opium preparations on the shelves. Laudanum, a mixture of opium with wine or water, was one of the most frequently used. Regardless of the specific opium concoction, its most notorious application was to soothe crying infants. Tragically, countless babies became severely ill or died as a result of this practice in Victorian Britain.
The laudanum concoction eventually made its way to the United States, particularly to the Wild West. Mattie Earp, the first wife of Wyatt Earp, fell victim to opium addiction, which led to her downfall, including divorce, alcoholism, and a life of prostitution. She tragically passed away in 1888 from a laudanum overdose, alone.
Despite the widespread issues surrounding opium use, the drug did offer significant relief for many suffering from tuberculosis. It could suppress coughs, control diarrhea, alleviate pain, and ease stress in the ailing. Among the most well-known individuals battling both tuberculosis and opioid addiction was the notorious gunslinger, gambler, and dentist, Doc Holliday, who died from TB in 1887.
5. PCP
Phencyclidine (PCP) first appeared on the streets of California in the early 1960s, and was subsequently banned in the 1970s. Before this, it had been utilized in various global experiments. In the 1950s, PCP was investigated for its potential as a powerful anesthetic for surgical procedures. However, due to its severe side effects, such as confusion, hallucinations, and mania, it was eventually restricted to veterinary use as a tranquilizer.
Researchers began experimenting with PCP on subjects to replicate a schizophrenia-like state, producing symptoms commonly observed in individuals with schizophrenia. They also administered PCP to people already diagnosed with schizophrenia, observing that it led to severe and traumatic relapses. Even the US Army conducted human trials to explore PCP's viability as a chemical warfare agent, but no positive results emerged, leading to its eventual prohibition.
4. Wartime Drugs
War not only fuels industrial growth but also sparks significant advancements in medicine, often referred to as 'wartime drugs.'
In 1817, after 13 years of meticulous research, Friedrich Serturner successfully isolated pure morphine from opium, establishing it as the gold standard for pain relief during wartime. This opioid's use expanded during the US Civil War, where the Union Army consumed 2.8 million ounces of opium tincture and 500,000 opium pills, providing essential pain relief for countless amputations.
However, this miracle drug, which offered much-needed respite from brutal medical procedures, also became a trap for many soldiers. The addictive nature of morphine took hold, leaving many veterans struggling with dependency. This widespread addiction persisted, affecting future generations of soldiers until a true understanding of addiction and drug potency emerged.
3. President Kennedy's Methamphetamine Overdose
Despite his public persona of being composed, John F. Kennedy endured a lifetime of personal suffering due to numerous health issues. His medical problems began in childhood, and from 1955 to 1963, President Kennedy grappled with prostatitis, colitis, Addison's disease, and debilitating osteoporosis in his lower back. At times, the pain was so intense he struggled with basic tasks, like putting on socks and shoes. As a result, he relied on a variety of medications, sometimes taking up to 12 at once.
This overwhelming burden eventually led to a psychotic episode in 1962. Dr. Jacobson, Kennedy's personal physician, inadvertently overdosed the president with methamphetamine at the Carlyle Hotel in New York. Kennedy fell into a brief but intense state of mania, experiencing paranoia and delusions. In a frantic panic, he tore off his clothes and ran through the hotel room, even attempting to flee into the hallway. The Secret Service contacted New York's leading psychiatrist, who identified the 'drug-induced mania' and quickly administered an antipsychotic to stabilize him.
In 1975, the New York Post released a detailed expose on Dr. Jacobson, which resulted in the revocation of his medical license.
2. Le Club Des Hachichins
Jacques-Joseph Moreau, a 19th-century physician from Paris with a keen interest in drugs, was particularly intrigued by hashish. He referred to it as an 'intellectual intoxication' and often invited friends to join him in his explorations.
Dr. Moreau's circle was composed of some of the greatest minds of the time, including Charles Baudelaire, Victor Hugo, Eugene Delacroix, Alexandre Dumas, Gerard de Nerval, and Honore de Balzac. They would convene in a Gothic house, where they drank coffee that was generously infused with hashish. Balzac, however, chose to ingest the hashish directly, claiming it gave him 'visions of divine paintings' and allowed him to hear celestial voices.
This ritual became a regular social event, continuing from 1844 to 1849, eventually earning the name Le Club des Hachichins (The Hashish Club).
1. Peyote And POWs
Peyote is a hallucinogenic plant traditionally used by Native Americans for spiritual and religious practices. Referred to as 'sacred medicine,' it continues to be an integral part of religious ceremonies for many tribes today. Despite its classification as a Schedule I controlled substance, certain tribal religious groups are legally allowed to use peyote.
A fascinating historical note about peyote is its first recorded use by non-Native Americans during the US Civil War. Carl Lumholtz, an ethnologist with the American Museum of Natural History, documented how Texas Rangers, captured by the Union Army and placed in a POW camp, resorted to soaking peyote 'mescal buttons' in water due to a lack of stimulating drinks. This led to intoxication and hallucinations that were completely foreign to them.
