In 1805, German apothecary Friedrich Serturner revolutionized the practice of pharmacy by isolating morphine from opium. Opium, the latex exuded by the bulb of the poppy plant on scoring with a sharp instrument, has a long history of use dating back to about 3400 BC. The Sumerians, living in the region that is modern day Iraq, are known to have cultivated the poppy and were aware of the effects of consuming its juice, referring to it as the "joy plant." Judging by artwork depicting Sumerian medicine men carrying poppies, they were also aware of opium's painkilling abilities. [continues 744 words]
So-called bath salts, other street drugs are not a safe way to seek pleasure When someone offers a tiny packet of "bath salts" for sale with a price tag somewhere between $30 and $50, you know that it is not meant to be sprinkled into a bathtub. These "bath salts," commonly available in head shops, online and even in some convenience stores, may sport a label declaring "not for human consumption," but they are clearly designed to cater to the insides of the body rather than the outside. [continues 908 words]
"I'm curious!" That was Alexander Shulgin's simple answer to the question of why he had dedicated much of his life to the exploration of psychedelic drugs. The American chemist who died in 2014 at the age of 88 was famous not only for synthesizing a large number of mind-altering substances, but also for experimenting with them on himself, his wife and friends. He worked within the context of existing laws because the compounds he synthesized had not existed before and therefore were legal at the time he made them. [continues 646 words]
Dr. Karl Koller looked in the mirror and proceeded to poke himself in the eye with the head of a pin. He felt nothing. The cocaine solution he had dripped into his eye that day in 1884 had clearly done its job. More than that, the experiment would prove to be the springboard for a giant leap in medicine. Koller was an ophthalmologist and colleague of Sigmund Freud at the Vienna General Hospital. Freud had become interested in studying cocaine as a possible treatment for morphine addiction and enlisted Koller as a collaborator. [continues 932 words]
