American Civil War medical practice, the post-bellum opium crisis and modern comparisons

The American Civil War resulted in massive numbers of injured and ill soldiers. Throughout the conflict, medical doctors relied on opium to treat these conditions, giving rise to claims that the injudicious use of the narcotic caused America’s post-bellum opium crisis. Similar claims of medical misu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:History of psychiatry 2020-12, Vol.31 (4), p.483-494
Main Author: Lande, R Gregory
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
History of medicine and histology
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Summary:The American Civil War resulted in massive numbers of injured and ill soldiers. Throughout the conflict, medical doctors relied on opium to treat these conditions, giving rise to claims that the injudicious use of the narcotic caused America’s post-bellum opium crisis. Similar claims of medical misuse of opioids are now made as America confronts the modern narcotic crisis. A more nuanced thesis based on a broader base of Civil War era research suggests a more complex set of interacting factors that collectively contributed to America’s post-war opium crisis.
ISSN:0957-154X
1740-2360
DOI:10.1177/0957154X20946304