Paracelsus' poison: laudanum abuse in america, 1750-1914
Opium was one of the largest imports in early America. As a result of medicines like laudanum, morphine, heroin, and cocaine being sold over the counter, abuse was rampant. By the time of the Civil War, laudanum abuse was at an all-time high. This paper traces the history of laudanum use (and abuse) through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
