Medicine or Poison Part II
February 15th, 2010
The continuation of our previous article on the curious history of medicine in America
by Richard Markosian
(View part 1 here)
Throughout prohibition, medicinal alcohol was widely prescribed. The list of ailments that alcohol was prescribed to cure were: nervousness, sleep disorders, digestion problems and pain. Popular comics at the time depict pharmacists as the bar tenders.
Once the 21st amendment to the constitution was ratified, former alcohol producers such as Anheuser-Busch marketed their beer as a health product.
Throughout the middle ages alcohol was widely used for medicinal purposes. Mostly as a means as a solvent for other medicines.
According to Malcolm Gladwell, in medieval times the majority trade workers were drunk most of the time! Sniffling progress and good dental care.
As coffee, tea and chocolate -- all containing caffeine -- became popular, acceptance of the temperance movement gained wide appeal. Gladwell believes the rise in popularity of coffee created the modern personality: driven to work very hard, using caffeine to aid in both physical and mental endurance.
Maraschino Liquor is classified as a "bitter". Bitters are still widely used in Europe as digestives. They are believe to aid digestion and cure an upset stomach. During WWII the 500 year-old Maraschino distillery in Croatia was destroyed by the Germans. It was rebuilt in Northern Italy and remains a popular additive to alcoholic drinks. Just don't confuse Maraschino cherries with the alcoholic drink.
When German pharmacist Friedrich Wilhelm Seturner isolated morphine from opium in 1805 a new era in drug production began. Soon many other new drugs were obtained by isolating active elements from medicinal plants. One of these was codeine, which was discovered and named by Pierre-Jean Robiquet in 1832.
Valum became popular among stressed out house wives ni the mid 20th century. The popularity of pills "to take the edge off" and the willingness of the pharmacieutical companies to accomodate the marketplace was the begining of the pharmaciutical companies spending nearly as much on advertising and softdrink and candy makers.
New discoveries in neuroscience have pinpointed regions of the brain that are affected by various psychological disorders. Through similar studies neuroscientists have discovered that relaxation techniques such as yogo and meditation can activate regions of the brain that regulate mood. Still relaxation and exercise are rarely prescribed by doctors with patients who suffer from depression.
Marilyn Monroe was one of the first well known celebrities to overdose on drugs. As new psychotropic barbiturate drugs became available such as quaaludes, downers and speed celebrities and partiers alike began abusing the drugs for recreation. The introduction of drugs affecting the central nervous system mushroomed drug makers profits into the billions of dollars.
Prozac came on the market in 1988 and began the era of SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). Believed to be "the miracle cure for depression" Prozac became especially popular among celebrities such as Brooke Shields. In coming years pages and pages of warning were issued by Drug makers and the FDA warning consumers of the risks and long-terms side-effects of of SSRIS.
If you like this article, you might like our articles about autism, Paxil truth, and alternative medicine.
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