Historical Drugs and Drugs

Author: Potter
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2004-10-01
Features: This book also reveals that the "drug" problem has a long history—the status of drugs (in all senses of the word) is often a subject of debate. Medical science attempts to clarify the properties of this potent substance (physiological, psychological, and pathological). Users, doctors, public opinion, and the government all participate in distinguishing between appropriate and permissible use, often leading to intense conflicts. The debate over the line between use and abuse (individuals, healthcare workers, and pharmaceutical companies, who have increasingly been involved in the development, manufacturing, and sale of these substances over the past century and a half, thus having widespread financial interests) is exceptionally fierce. "Alternative" drugs are those that attempt to develop gentler, more natural forms of drugs. Clearly, these issues remain unresolved today, as harmful and highly addictive substances (such as alcohol and tobacco) are still freely available, some are obtained with a doctor's prescription, while others are acquired through illegal channels, becoming targets of international smuggling and the "war on drugs." This collection of historical essays emphasizes that, like in other fields, technological advancements in the drug domain are unstoppable. For human society, the question is how to face the challenges posed by products like fluoxetine. As David Rosenthal (Professor of Sociomedical Sciences and History at Columbia University) has said, awareness of the severity of events is growing, and solving the problem requires comprehensive societal reform: today we hear about fluoxetine, tomorrow we'll hear about a new hormone, and the day after tomorrow about a new gene control. I can imagine strict rules and procedures, but I find it extremely difficult to envision them being implemented and taken seriously. We need very different kinds of patients and doctors, and we must be a very different kind of society.