Heroin Was Originally Prescribed As A Cough Suppressant
Science’s dangerous fixes for the human condition
Throughout history mankind has used or misused therapeutics in nature to treat various illnesses. According to Frontline on PBS, the opium poppy was first cultivated in Mesopotamia in 3400 BC by the Sumerians. They’d refer to the plant as Hul Gil, the ‘joy plant.’
The plant would be passed on to the Assyrian empire, then to the Babylonians, and eventually to the Egyptians. Poppy production and the opium trade would thrive in Egypt’s capital of Thebes during the time of King Tut. The Phoenicians would then bring the plant across the sea to Greece, Carthage, and Europe.
Thomas Africa in his article “The Opium Addiction of Marcus Aurelius” in the Journal of the History of Ideas would even claim evidence that the famous Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius would have opium prescribed to him by his doctor Galen.
This use of opium would continue into the modern age. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, the American Civil War would begin an opium addiction epidemic in the relatively new country. The Union Army would issue over 10 million opium pills and 2.8 million ounces of opium powders to their soldiers.
